Hiking to Homes

Today we hiked a lot to get to people’s homes so we can connect to them and meet them.

They were very happy and welcomed us with full hearts. The people we met went through times such as death of a loved one, and being hurt from a loved one. Many of the women we met were widows and one had a husband that was an alcoholic. They shared their stories about coming to Christ and how much that impacted them. They were so honest about themselves when people in America would do everything to hide them. It helped us reflect on how thankful we are just that our parents are alive and for all the things God has given us that we take for granted. The people here welcomed us very warmly and we felt close to each other. This connection was only possible with the help of Jesus. Even though we only met few minutes ago, we still prayed with each other and wanted to give each other joy. I was amazed at this one little boy that fell asleep in my lap during the times of the service. Looking at this boy, I thought that I would never fall asleep in the laps of a foreign teenage girl that I met 10 minutes ago. He reminded me of how warm people are here in Rwanda and how we are able to have a connection even though we live thousands of miles away. 

The youths that we met were very welcoming and friendly. There was a time after introducing ourselves when the pastor asked the youths of the church to say a name of one of the people from America and to lay your hands on them. I was surprised at this one teenage girl that remembered my name and remembered that the name belonged to me. It is difficult for the Rwandans, and even Americans to remember my name, and I felt God again through this girl. It was something that helped us really bond with each other and know that the people here are just like us and have the same problems as us.

We had good reflections on how the Rwandans are influencing us when we came to serve them. It was a good day of experience and learning.

-Danielle