Family Reunion

Yes, most of them are black.  Yes, they are my family.  Yes, I was beyond excited to see them!

It can be hard to leave your family, but when you are going to see more family, it’s not so hard.

One of my hardest goodbyes last year was Rwanda.  Not only did I fall in love with the country, but some people here are truly lifelong friends; some I even consider family.  Glenda, the women, and the “Dream Team”… We communicate often.  We have shared in good times and rough times. 

As we walked out of baggage claim, Ashley and I were greeted with a small, cheering crowd, and lots of hugs and love.  The embraces of Glenda, Emmanuel, and Luc were perfect timing for two very tired souls.  They helped take our stuff to the cars.  While waiting to pay for the parking, a lot of the time was used for updates on life. 

When we arrived at our housing, the training center where we were housed on the race, we were excited for the reactions of the women who lived there (as not all of them live on “campus”).  Tears were shed. Screams of joy.  And my Angelique, she just nested into my embrace and did not let go for quite some time… and I did not let go of her either.  She was one of the two women who I became very close with.  They prayed that Ashley (Asha) and I would come back for their graduation.  Jehovah Jireh. God provides. 

We ended the night with sitting in their room, chatting, catching up, and most importantly prayer. Prayer for them and praise to God for this beautiful reunion.  And then they let us sleep because they could see the exhaustion after traveling for over 30 hours.  

More reunions happened the next day! Anne Grace and Judah made appearances with huge embraces and life updates!! I will be even more excited when there will be a chance to sit down and really chat with all of these people, but our schedule has been busy. 

Going through the genocide museum a second time really got me thinking…  We are all human.  It doesn’t matter about skin color, facial features, ethnicities, political parties, tribes, socioeconomic status…we are all human. We were all created in the image of God.  There is a song by Mandisa called, “We All Bleed The Same”.  When I saw the pictures this time, I really looked the people in the eyes and felt them starring right back at me…  Survivors, victims, perpetrators… all created uniquely and beautifully, yet we tear each other down. Yet there are wars because of differences…. differences of opinions, differences of ideologies…differences of so many things.  Instead of a battle cry, why not change that to a cry of love?  1 Corinthians 13 is quoted so often… but what if we really put into action what those verses say and love beyond all hurt, all boundaries, above ALL.

Satan comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but Christ has come to give us life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

To some of you reading this, you might not understand my love for my family here.  But I assure you…even though I was only here a month last year, these relationships are genuine.  These people, are my people.  They are filled with God and God is love.  He has a beautiful way of knitting people together.  Life is all about relationships…most importantly our relationship with our Father.  When we know our relationship with Him and understand our identity, there are lifegiving friendships that overflow, which sometimes even lead to people who you call family….and I’m blessed to be in a place where I can do just that.  So although I might not be “home”, I’ve found a home with my brothers and sisters here in Rwanda too…and it’s been a wonderful family reunion!!