What a trip.

Today (June 25th) during our 10 hour layover in Nairobi we visited a safari game park. It was beautiful and peaceful and a wonderful transition back into the world.

We drove many miles and saw ostriches, giraffes, a lion peeking her head out of the grass, rhino, an angry water buffalo, monkeys, beautiful birds, a crocodile, vultures and many more of God’s creatures. They were so peaceful.

Seeing them across the land in wide open spaces takes any romance out of the most beautiful of zoos. I wonder what happens to their spirits when they are captured and held. There is nothing natural about living in a city, surrounded by laughing children (who actually look delicious to some of our wild friends), noisy adults and all manner of foreign behaviors. For many of those we cage their natural instinct is to migrate. What happens when we remove all that is natural from a creature? What does its life really become?

How has this experience changed my life and what will my life become going forward?

I compare Rwanda to Mt. St. Helens. When the mountain erupted in 1980, the ash spread over the land and obliterated all signs of life. I flew over the area with my dearest friend Houl, and over and over on the microphone the helicopter pilot repeated, “Total devastation”. It was like a moonscape. All lay gray, quiet, dead. The popular opinion was that “life” would not come back to the area for many years. And yet life came back sooner than anyone thought was possible. That is nature. That is the unknowing. The miracle.

Rwanda strikes me similarly. No one expected the country to come back so soon from total devastation. But over 11 years later, great strides have been made and the ability of people to overcome is a process that is at times slow, but always glorious.

I think about my journey to Rwanda and all that I experienced and observed. Many unnatural things have happened in Rwanda and yet the human spirit will not be denied. I witnessed beauty, grace, and an absolute stubbornness that there is more and there is hope.

So I end where I began. Instead of talking about hope, it was given abundantly to me.

• My spirit is renewed with hope!
• That a child’s delight is pure and can overcome its circumstances;
• A Mother’s love for her children should be honored and supported no matter the circumstances of how a child came to be;
• Helping another regardless of the outcome is far superior to believing it won’t make a difference; Love can be found anywhere and is its own reward;
• Businesses can succeed under the most dire of conditions when there is passion, drive and focus; In America, we have barely begun. If we know that the maximum use of our brain is 12%, what would be possible if we used it all;
• Laughter is truly the universal language. To smile at someone requires looking into their eyes and seeing a shared moment. And all those smiles will never leave your soul;
• My passion for Rwanda was more real than I ever imagined. Though I only believe I will walk on this earth during one lifetime walking through Rwanda was as natural and familiar as walking through my days in Portland;
• I will go back. With all my passion and purpose and desire to make a difference. And I will once more hold friends that have a part of my heart;

If for any reason I never see Rwanda again, this journey has profoundly changed my life. And I am better for it. My love for my family, for John, for my life and its privileges is deepened.

This journaling is a tricky thing for me. It’s as unnatural as me being quiet and demure! What almost stopped me from journaling at all is my desire for perfection. I’ve decided to give that up because I have felt the love and prayers of many of you on this journey and my feeble attempts to describe it is the only way I can try and share the wonder of all I have seen.

Thank you for indulging me and cheering me on, especially those of you who have written. You encouraged (and continue to encourage) me greatly. Your words absolutely warmed my heart. And that is the kindness and power I took with me to Rwanda.

Your smallest gesture mattered. And it always does.
To my traveling companions in Rwanda, I thank you for your kindness to me.

Jeff Grubb and Tim Teckman have been to Rwanda before and their efforts, compassion, expertise and business acumen have made Rwanda a richer place for their caring. They are two of the finest men I have ever traveled with (ok – they told me to say that – but there is a tremendous amount of truth in their joke!)

LuAnn Yocky richly blessed my life with her kindness and leadership on our journey. She is funny and kind and caring and compassionate. She moves through the world with grace and serves all she meets.

To the staff at Vision Finance and World Vision: know that your efforts are blessed by God and inspired. Your attitudes and service “to the least of these” serves God in the most powerful way imaginable. Do not become discouraged. We are all cheering you on and humbled by your greatness and modesty.

To all who followed my dream and shared my passion: marakoze cyane (thank you very much). I was 10,000 miles away from you all but you were often on my mind and I felt a great responsibility to tell you what I was seeing and feeling.

There is enough passion in me for Rwanda and enough work to be done that I think my gaze will always be on this beautiful country. There is much to do and I will do my
part.

This journey continues. I have decided to start a foundation for “all things Rwanda” and more information will be following on future events and ways you, too, can support this part of the world.