We've arrived!

Kacia Commenting...

After 2 days of traveling, including 3 plane rides, we are in Rwanda!   Our travels were so uneventful, there really isn't anything to comment on.  Lots of plane time, a few hours in airports and several interesting people to meet, can summarize the last 2 days.  Along the journey, I met a couple who were heading to Rwanda to work at a hospital.  We had a nice time sharing our medical mission experiences.  They were going with World Medical Missions, part of Samaritans Purse.  Small world, as that is the organization I had previously traveled with to Tenwek and Mukinge.

While waiting for the group to arrive from the airport,  I had come with the first round of luggage, I had an opportunity to speak with a Rwandan named Focus.  He shared a bit about his experience through the genocide.  He was 9 when it started and was actually a child soldier by 10.  I asked how Rwanda was able to make peace when Congo has not been so fortunate.  He then spoke about reconciliation and forgiveness.  His best friend had actually killed his sister.  The friend came to him and asked forgiveness and he said "what else can I do, but forgive".  This friend has since married another one of Focus' sisters.  How beautiful is that!

I can't tell you how nice it was to have a bed to sleep in last night.  We arrived at the hotel at 3am and crashed.  After I took a cold shower (the water heater wasn't plugged in and I didn't know it) I had a lovely night of rest.  Today we woke and had a great breakfast at the hotel; omelets, fruits and COFFEE!!!!  It was great to meet up with Chelsie this morning as well.  She has provided a lot of insight to history and the people of Rwanda.



Plans for today include visiting the genocide memorial, visiting an organization named Speak, I'm Listening, a bit of shopping and then maybe diner in Heaven:)  Sounds good to me!

Kacia

Mike commenting...

Hi! My name is Mike Hotz and while I’m a pastor of Domestic Mission at Christ Presbyterian I am just a learner on this trip. Like the others have shared in their updates, thank you so much for following our travels and experiences of what God is doing in Goma, Congo through the amazing ministry of Heal Africa.

Going on this trip is really a privilege for me. My “normal” work-a-day ministry is spent facilitating our church’s on-going work amongst those on the margins in the United States and particularly in Minneapolis/St. Paul. But the reality is that we worship the God of all creation, every tribe and every nation, so if we are to know God, it is vitally important then for us to recognize how God is present in all those places with all those people. So through this trip my hope is to not only expand my own understanding of how Christ is at work in the world, but to maybe help those of you who read this blog to gain some insight of this as well.

At this point of the trip things are a bit surreal. While the travel here took a long time, nearly 20 flight hours, we are staying at the Bloom Hotel in route to Heal Africa in Goma, Congo. For a variety of reasons, some good, some bad, this is an oasis. The hotel itself is beautiful and elegant with lush gardens and amazing food. All of this though is minutes from the sharper edges of life in this part of the world.

I’ll end now because I don’t want to project into this trip what our next experiences will be. Only God knows what they are and I look forward to embracing them.

Thanks for your prayers, they mean the world to us!

Blessings

Mike