Update 2

9:15pm Kigali time, Rwanda, December 30th 2011

Re-reading my previous memoirs regarding the past few days, I feel as if I could have written a bit better. I noticed many mistakes, and things that I missed. I think if I had more time to sit and reflect and write and edit, I would have given a better picture of what is going on. But I realize that no matter how well I write and depict my time here in Rwanda, no matter how many pictures I show you, or how many stories I tell... it’s never going to be the same, it’s really only a glimpse into what I am experiencing here. A photograph cannot even begin to show you how beautiful it is here. A story cannot even begin to make you feel how I feel about this place. It’s hard to explain it. You should just come here. Really, you all need to go to Africa at least once in your lifetime. I know that this will not be my last time here in Africa... I can promise you that.

I think if I went home now I would be so satisfied with my time here (thats how great it is here). But of course, I don’t want to come home yet! Today we all enjoyed a huge breakfast of fruit and pastries and juice. Margit just totally blessed us with food. :) After we ate together with the mittelstaedt, we headed to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. It was very sobering. It took us about two hours to walk through the whole thing. You go through and read and look at pictures, it was basically a museum. First it shows Rwanda before the genocide, then during and then after and currently. It was built on the tenth anniversary of the event. After you walk through the part with the descriptions, you walk into a series of rooms with real photographs of the victims. Families of the victims come and hang the photos of their lost loved ones on the wall. There was three huge rooms filled with countless photographs. Sometimes they left the last photograph that they had so that other people could see what the genocide did to their family... to the people of Rwanda. I thought that was so hard... and then I got to the last room in the memorial. The personal stories segment. You would walk through this hall with huge pictures of really cute kids on the walls, and you would read their biography. There was this super cute kid with a huge smile and big eyes... just oh, so adorable, pretty frowly looking. And under the picture said his favorite food: milk, favorite animal: cat, personality: daddy’s boy, remembered by: his laugh, death: by machete to the head. Story after story, burned alive, killed in mother’s arms, smashed against a wall, shot in the head. It really stung. These are stories and pictures that families have sent to the memorial, so they are factual and real. If you know the story of Rwanda, you will understand why this stood out to me; one of the biographies said that this little boy’s last words were: UNAMIR will come for us. This really just shocked me for some reason. After studying this situation in Rwanda in 1994, I really have had my views changed on global aid, on organizations like the UN. I encourage you guys to read up on it. It is a powerful, and really sad story. Rwandans here are still dealing with the consequences of what happened years ago... but they are also healing. Rwanda is not a place with tutsi’s and hutu’s, they are all the Rwandan people. I have seen it written in various places today, on a building, on a sign, on some flowers left at the memorial, on plaques in the memorial... the words “Never Again”. I think that speaks for itself. Never again, we pray. They also had a room where they talked about genocide as a whole, what it is, and showed other examples of genocide in the past. They showed the holocaust, the genocide in the balkans, in cambodia, they talked about pol pots reign, and many more. It’s crazy to think that genocide exists, let alone that it happened again and again. I just don’t understand fully. For some reason, I just felt so empty and void... I think I just could not fully understand that this thing happened. It almost didn’t seem real to me. In another room in the memorial they had glass cases with hundreds of skulls, bones and old clothes covered in dirt and blood. I sat in this room for quite a while just thinking. I imagined the people in front of me. I could see them, their faces, smiles, they were talking with each other, laughing, sharing life together... when all of a sudden others came in with machetes and guns and clubs... and beat, shot, raped and mutilated them to death, every man, woman, and child was dead. It said on one of the plaques that they used blunt objects on purpose to inflict more pain and suffering on their victims. Just... I don’t even know. I envisioned this happening in front of me, I saw them reaching out to me, screaming for help and I did nothing but stand there... it was like a nightmare was unfolding before me. And was it ever a nightmare. Then I saw them pile the bodies one on top of each other in mass graves. I had to leave the room at this point because I just couldn’t take it. Too real. It became even more real when we walked to the outside portion of the memorial where they had real mass graves for the victims. I had the opportunity to place a rose at one of the graves. It was so, so sad. I just kept thinking, what if it was me. What if the world was a different place, and us in Canada experienced Genocide to the scale of the one experienced in Rwanda. I also kept thinking, what if the genocide didn’t end? What if the holocaust didn’t end? What would the world be like today? What if there really was only one race in the whole world... I don’t even want to explore that idea any further. I love different cultures, learning about different people and places... I can’t even imagine.

After this really awful yet powerful and amazing experience at the museum memorial, we went for lunch at a tiny restaurant called Mr. Chips. It was great food... Like all food I’ve had so far. We talked and debriefed about what we saw and shared fellowship over some french fries and coke. The restaurant was owned by a Canadian, so cool, go Canada!! After lunch we went for coffee at a place called Burbon Cafe, and just had a relaxing afternoon. I fell asleep on the Mittelstaedts couch, no surprise there, still kind of jet lagged. I’m getting worried about what it’s going to be like when I get home and have to actually go to school when I am super jet lagged! It will be an experience in itself. We had dinner at the Komant’s house - the pastor of the church here (Christian life assembly) and it was great to sit and talk with the girls a bit. I really have missed them. I am secretly hoping that they end up coming back to Calgary someday (hopefully while I am still there). Driving home from dinner was frightening as my dad tried to drive a standard jeep in the “land of a thousand hills” (thats the nickname for Rwanda)... terrifying. But we made it back safe!

So that was today in a nutshell... we went to the memorial, and basically spent the rest of the day eating. I tried this fruit that was delicious, I have to write about it so I remember what it is called so I can maybe buy it in Canada. It was called a tree tomato, or a Japanese plum. Mmm mm good. I’d say this was a pretty fantastic day. I need to get all the food in I can before the fasting begins on Monday. I can’t wait for the safari tomorrow. We are leaving at 5:30am! Au revoir mes amis, a demain!

Update from Overseas!

8:30pm Frankfurt time, December 27th 2011

Hello from Germany!! Guten tag! We made it! After a very long, 10 hour flight, we finally landed at our first stop... Frankfurt, Germany. Where we had an 11 hour layover before we continue on to Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. 

It was a rocky start as I forgot my bible at home... I had it packed days earlier, but took it out to read the Christmas story with the fam on Christmas day. I was so disappointed when we got to the Calgary airport to realize my bible was sitting on the kitchen table! I was devastated really... I may have even cried a bit... ANYWAYS... I made a quick rebound when we arrived at Frankfurt. It’s a really beautiful city. From the cobble stone streets to the old buildings, bridges and architectures, it really was a sight to see. We hopped on a train and headed out of the airport into downtown Frankfurt. It was so different from our plain old CTrains back at home. It was extremely fast and there were so many different trains, tracks and platforms... it weaved a complicated web of transit. We found this out very fast as we accidentally got on the wrong train and ended up in a random part of the city, lost, with hardly anyone speaking English and all signs in German, it really made for quite the experience. We eventually figured it out because of the picture of a plane on a sign... we followed it, thinking plane = airport... we were right. I really thought about how it must feel for those minorities back in Calgary who don’t speak any English, it really gave me some perspective. I’ve never experienced this before. While walking around downtown, we enjoyed some authentic German sausage... It was the best hot dog I have ever had! Okay... way better than a regular old hot dog. We had the opportunity to visit some of the many old cathedrals. The churches were stunning with old wooden pews, painted portraits and stain glass windows. In one of the churches, swastikas lined the stain glass. Outside a different cathedral they had a statue of a man with a list of all of the concentration camps in Germany carved into the base. It was crazy for me to be there in Germany, looking at history like that... insane. We walked down one street that was just lined with brothels and sex shops... I’ve seen it in documentaries, but to see that in real life... was, well, sobering. Sex trade industry is defiantly not hidden. 

All in all, Germany was amazing. I need to make a shout out to the fashion here, I love their sense of fashion. Really stylin’. I want to go back one day for sure. It was a great country to add to my list of places I have fallen in love with. 

9:30 pm Addis Time, December 28th (I think? I don’t even know anymore) 2011

Greetings from Addis Ababa, the great country of Ethiopia, continent of Africa!

After flying over Egypt, making our decent into Ethiopia, my heart was so excited! We landed at 6:30am local time, I had the opportunity to see my first African sunrise as we stepped off the plane this morning. The sky was painted with shades of orange, yellow and pink... it was stunning, outlining the mountains and hills in the horizon. We spent about an hour and a half in the Ethiopian airport, trying to figure out our visas, while some woman, at some desk took our passports and boarding passes and took off... it was worrisome, but she returned, thank goodness! We met with our contacts here, the Ruttens, PAOC missionaries here in Ethiopia. They are an amazing family... so kind and just great people! I am so thankful for them today. We had an opportunity to just sit, and hear their stories. We met this one man, who is one of the head men leading the revival on the University campuses here in the country. There are around 40 Universities, and the rate of salvation has been going through the roof. The way the education system works here, I learned, is that if someone receives a pass in high school to attend post secondary, the government will assign the individual to a specific university, and a specific faculty or profession. The government here is not communist by title, but communist in action. People have choice about daily living, but when it comes to post secondary, they are assigned to a school. Because of this system, Christians are being assigned to attend school in places where there are no believers. It’s not even something that someone could plan, but this revival is simply a move of God. These students are going into places where they other wise would get persecuted for sharing the gospel. There is much persecution here as the Ruttens told us. The Orthodox church is prominent, Muslims are second, and then what they call “Pente” the evangelical born again Christians. The Orthodox church is not tolerant of the Christians or the Muslims from what I understand. People will be killed here by upsets over religion. So it really is an amazing thing that these students are going into the Universities and have the opportunity to be open about faith. The government of Ethiopia has told these strict Orthodox communities that if they are to have a University in their town, they must be tolerant to other religion expression. Giving opportunity to students to create their own congregations... they are not allowed to meet on campus to have church, but they are church planting near, or just outside theses schools. Really quite amazing to hear about all this... it is so encouraging. It was neat to hear also about their personal stories of coming to Christ. This one man, native to Ethiopia, was very orthodox growing up, came to Christ from a friend who shared the gospel with him simply by sharing a few verses and scriptures. Once he gave his life to Christ, he was very persecuted, by his own family. The Orthodox church would command his family to kick him out of the house and to alienate him from everybody... he was only 17 at this time. It was so encouraging to hear that one by one, over the years, because of his family just watching his life, and how his life has turned out, and how he lives out the gospel, each of his family members have come to Christ. Amen!! 

We went for lunch at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. A small place in the upstairs of a building... it was the best food ever! Delish! We ate with our hands, all sharing from a big bowl... my dad said when we were done the meal that he was proud of me for eating so much! I am usually a picky eater, but I guess God really helped me out on this one! haha. I didn’t even know what I was eating, but it tasted great! They eat everything with this fermented bread... at the word fermented, I almost didn’t try it, but my dad reminded me of sourdough back home, and sure enough it was similar. I can’t wait to seek out an Ethiopian food restaurant back home to share this experience with some of my friends, mom and brother too. 

The family was kind enough to drive us around the City and give us a tour. I noticed a lot of UN vehicles, when we asked the Ruttens about them, they said that the UN isn’t really doing much help... the Ethiopians call them the “United Nothing”. This was interesting to hear about. In Addis Ababa it is estimated at 8 million people living here in the only real City in Ethiopia, so much poverty around us. People coming up to your car window begging for money. It’s illegal here to hand out money from a vehicle, you actually have to get out of the car. Speaking of driving, the roads here are crazy! The streets are flooded with people all the time, walking everywhere, there are people driving in every direction... I don’t know how we didn’t get in an accident, but our driver was an expert. I would be so stressed to drive here. 

Back to the poverty, It is weird for me to be staying in a hotel while across the street people live in little tin houses. While I’m talking about our hotel... let me just say... Cockroaches. Yes, cockroaches. I made my dad kill a few, but some crawled into my bed board... I don’t know how I am going to sleep tonight. The only thing that will probably help is the Jet Lag... I am sooooo jet lagged. I have been exhausted all day, trying to get adjusted. I have never experienced this before! It sucks! The power here isn’t very reliable. While at the Ruttens they told us that they have power, maybe half of the time. We ate to the light of some candles that they lit, and even at the hotel the lights flickered on and off a few times. But... Ethiopia is worth the jet lag and the power outages. I love this place. The Ruttens invited me to come work with some of their contacts in Somalia in a hospital when I graduate... apparently they need nurses. The spark has been started... I will keep their contact information, who knows, maybe in two years when I’m done at the University of Calgary, I will end up in Somaliland. With Gods guidance of course. :) With all this missions talk... I have forgotten how much I love missions... I feel as if my calling is being, not renewed because it has always been there, but I am being reminded of my purpose and of how big and great our God is all over the world. Off to Rwanda tomorrow morning! It’s around 12:30pm back home now, hope you are all enjoying your lunch hour! 

9:44 pm Kigali time, Rwanda, December 29th 2011

So we arrived safe and sound in Kigali, greeted by the Mittelstaedt. It was so great to see them. They took us to the church and showed us where we are staying. We are sleeping in a building in the back of the church used for guests and missionaries. We dropped off our bags as it started to pour rain. Margit could hear the rain coming minutes before it started. Most of the houses here have tin roofs, so when it rains, it is very loud and you can hear it coming miles away. I love the weather here, it reminds me of Vancouver, yet a lot more humid. It is quite humid here... not as much as Singapore from what I remember, but more than what I am used to. We spent the day at the Mittelstaedt playing games and eating dinner together. It was a blast. Apparently the whole power outages thing is not just for Ethiopia, it happens here too. The power went out and we continued playing games in the candle light. Early in the afternoon, Allyson showed me the hammock in their front yard and before I knew it, I had been sleeping for two hours... jet lag hasn’t quite worn off yet. It was beautiful, I could not believe I was having a nap in a hammock, surrounded by greenery, in Africa with some of my favorite people ever! So great! It is way more green here than in Ethiopia. Ethiopia was more brown and had less trees, and Addis was actually kind of cold for the most part, I had to wear a jacket and a scarf, but Kigali is way more hot... because it’s closer to the equator. On our way here, our plane had to stop in Entebe, Uganda for an hour to let passengers off... even there, I noticed more green. My dad said that years ago in Uganda there was a coup d’etat and many people were killed at that airport that we stopped at. It is so interesting to hear of all the history here in Africa. Tomorrow we are going to a memorial for the 1994 genocide. I am very much looking forward to this... seeing as I read many articles, and watched a few documentaries before coming here about the Genocide. Matry also said he would take us to some of the original genocide sites, as well as hotel mille collines (think the movie hotel Rwanda). Saturday we are going on a safari in the southern part of the country... so excited about this!!! 

As the evening is coming to a close, I realize I will probably not get much sleep... I thought that there were bugs in Ethiopia... no, no... there are bugs here. My dad found a cockroach almost ten times the size of the ones in our hotel in Addis. It was about the size of my palm... I don’t know how I’m going to be a long term missionary one day with this intense fear of bugs. God help me. Please. Seriously. We are sleeping in mosquito nets here... I am very happy about that. Margit told us also to watch out for these things called Nirobie Eyes... they are insects that if you squish them on your arm, they will release a very painful poison that eats away at your skin... greeeaaat. This is going to be a long night. Peace and blessing!