July 21

As I sit here in our hotel room in Rwanda, reflecting on the fact that one week from now we will be returning home, I can't help but wonder where all the time has gone. In so many ways, we feel like we have been here for a very long time, but we also feel like we were just getting on the plane in Grand Rapids. God has truly been good to us.

The parting of ways, though, is going to be an emotional one. The students have grown very close to one another through this whole experience. Cultural barriers have been replaced with friendships, and there is no longer a Ugandan team and a North American team. In fact, I laugh a bit to myself now remembering our first meeting--the anxiousness, the nerves, the reservedness. Now there is only laughter, jokes, and true fellowship.

Thank you for praying for the home stays; your prayers were felt. Each student had a very different experience but over all positive. I wish I could tell you all the stories that were told around our circle discussion on Sunday night, but I will tell just a few that I thought were either interesting or meaningful.

Derek (from Toronto area) and Dan (from Kampala) were placed together in the house of a secondary teacher. Typically, teachers live in poor housing because they make so little money, but somehow Robert has managed to build his family a very nice home on a large compound. They even have running water and a water heater. So Derek and Dan were set-up from the beginning to be in a very comfortable setting.

However, God had other things in store for them. Dan woke-up on Friday with a headache, a fever, and the chills. He tried to push through it for most of the day, but by Friday afternoon was reduced to tears and a plead to "go home." He was convinced that he had malaria, although we now believe it was because of an infected wound on his leg. Dan stayed at the host home but spent much of the remainder of his time in bed.

Meanwhile, there was Derek. Capturing Derek's personality in words is quite difficult. He is quiet, but when he speaks, he has the driest sense of humor. He'll say something hilarious, and we'll all be cracking up. Yet when you look back at him, he's stone faced. The students love Derek for this.

While Dan was lying in bed, Derek was interacting with Robert's brother who lives with them. "Uncle Tuf," as he's known to his nieces and nephews, is a hardworking man during the day and an alcoholic at night. As Dan put it, Uncle Tuf can disappear for five minutes and already be drunk. Derek spent most of his nights at Roberts, guiding Uncle Tuf back into the compound, as he staggers and falls.

The beauty in this situation, though, is that Robert and his wife Ann treat Uncle Tuf with enormous grace. They accept him as he is and show him the love of Christ in the midst of his struggles. Uncle Tuf has cuts all over his face from where he has fallen down drunk, but Robert and his wife seem to only see him the way Christ sees him. This was a powerful experience for both Derek and Dan, as they watched what true forgiveness and grace look like.

On the other side of Kabale were Olivia and Faith (from Kampala). They were placed in a home of eight children. For most of the week, these eight children live by themselves, while their mother works in Rwanda and their father drives truck to Nairobi. The two oldest children, Janet and Alice, run the household.

Olivia and Faith said that though there are eight children in the household, you would never be able to tell. The house is quiet and organized, and the boys of the family are rarely seen. They also said that from the moment they walked into the house, they were welcomed with hugs and "we love you." Janet and Alice have a softness and love about them that is beautiful and pure. When Nate, Lydia, and I visited on Saturday, we saw a closeness between the four of them that was amazing for having only spent two days together.

The relationship between Olivia and Faith also seemed to have bloomed. We placed the two of them together because we felt as though they hadn't had the opportunity yet to fully connect. I think it was successful, as they shared how they loved having the chance to get to know each other better. They spent every morning reading their Bibles together and praying. A beautiful picture of community.

So..that leaves us here...in Rwanda. We spent a good portion of yesterday traveling and arrived at our hotel around 3:00pm. The hotel is very nice (even wireless internet). The students were hilarious as they checked out their rooms. Words of "awesome" and "paradise" were thrown around. Today we will be visiting the genocide museums--a church and a memorial. Then this evening we will watch another performance by a dance troupe. I'm looking forward to today.

Our prayer requests now are simple, please pray for the hearts and emotions of the students as they prepare themselves over the next week or so to depart from one another. Please pray for safe travels, and please pray for me. I haven't been feeling the greatest over the last couple of days. I've been dealing with a head cold, and now I'm feeling a bit uneasy in my stomach.

We love you and miss you!