This morning as I woke up I thought, "Only two more Monday wake-ups before I am waking up in Rwanda." I used to do countdowns like that when anticipating summer vacation, Christmas, back-to-school, etc. Now my heart and mind are focused on Rwanda. My prayer is that over the next 18 days God continues to challenge me, and shape me, and prepare me for what only He knows the team and I will experience.
This past weekend I went to see Slumdog Millionaire. It was a hard watch for me. Mostly due to the scenes of the children and how they can be forced to live. In all honesty, the bigger picture of the story got lost to me as my mind just kept returning to children. Children doing their best to get by, whatever the cost. Also ingrained in my mind were the images of corrupt adults using children for their own advancement. It truly depressed me.
Sometimes being prepared for what is to come involves challenges and pain. Prayers to see the world through God's eyes are going to invoke heartache. As I think of my students in America who have their own battles, the children in the slums of India, and the orphans of Rwanda, God has been showing me that this is the area that my heart breaks for. I also know that God is showing me only as much as he has made me able to handle, and I know it is a percentage of a sliver of what He sees daily. I can't comprehend how His heart must break. It truly motivates me to discover my piece and to do my part.
I am still unsure what my piece is, but I believe that God is showing me that it involves children, and it involves shedding some of His light amidst people in need. I am so grateful for the opportunity to take this journey, and I truly view it as a beginning step in what God is doing in my heart.
Thank you for your prayers, both current, and while we are on the trip. I truly believe that the children and adults of Rwanda are going to teach me more about what it means to love than I currently understand; and I am humbled to have the opportunity.
Blessings,
Rachel
