I just love our whole team. And, I'm missing them all. Even though most of us did not know each other beforehand, it was hard to believe that this was our last night together after what seemed like months of being by each other’s sides! (Two weeks seemed much, MUCH longer than that!)
And, here is my sweet friend, Jane. I love her. We were all sad to say goodbye to her. But, I've already told her that she is going to be my guide every time I come to Rwanda!
The next morning we began the beautiful drive back to Kigali, had lunch at our favorite little spot, Caribou, and then headed to take the team to the airport.
It was such a mix of emotions for me. I was tired and ready to see my family. And, I knew I would miss my friends who I had served with over the last two weeks. But, at the same time, I was so excited to have two extra days in Rwanda. I am still so thankful that it worked out for me to stay a little longer, to get to know Jana and her family (who is facilitating our adoption), visit the orphanage where our baby will eventually wait for us, and just experience more of Rwanda in a different way with people who live here.
And, it was SO good.
Jana, Dave, and their daughter Sophia picked me up at the airport, and we went to see the church and school they have started here in Rwanda. I was so impressed, not only with what they have done, but also with the way God aligned it all from the very beginning. It was very obvious that the Lord has found favor with the Jenkins and is blessing their efforts there in amazing ways.
And, it was such a blessing for me to experience Rwanda with a family who lived there! Just being in their home, listening to their conversation, seeing their love for this country and its people, and getting to know their sweet children….it was all just incredible.
Jana and I got to have some wonderful conversations on their back porch (with a beautiful view!) about all kinds of subjects, and I can tell already that God has brought us together, not JUST for this adoption, although I’m SO thankful that we were led to Jana for that! But, it seems bigger than that. He has brought us together for His even greater purposes. I’m looking forward to finding out exactly what He has planned.
And, of course, the next day was a dream come true for me.
Early that morning, Jana arranged for me to meet Jean Marie, the precious woman who processes all adoptions in Rwanda. I have heard her name for SO long and have prayed for her constantly. So, to meet her in person (especially when she was SO busy) was just wonderful.
We sat and talked for a while, and I was able to tell her how much we appreciate all that she is doing, and that we pray for her always. As I asked her how I could be praying for her, she said, “Pray that I can do it all. I go to bed at night and think “how can I do this?” Sweet Jean Marie. She has three children of her own, and she works hours and hours on behalf of the children who are waiting for their families. She said she feels like her own children are becoming orphans because of how much she works! I told her that we will pray for her strength and that God will allow the workload to not be overwhelming. She also said “Pray that we can go fast, fast, fast on the paperwork too!” It was sweet to see how much she loves these children, and loves adoption, and wants to do all she can to make the process go quickly. Believe me, she has many mommies and daddies praying the same thing all over the world.
After we met with her, I got to go with Jana to her weekly women’s Bible study. Again, another God moment where I knew He planned for me to be there that day. I sat at the feet of an amazing woman leading the study, and every word she said was just pure wisdom. If you haven't read her books, you should! I'm ordering them all today! Her name is Mimi Wilson, and she just moved to Rwanda, but was raised in a missionary family, and has lived many places serving the Lord. I can't believe I just sat and chatted with this amazing woman, not even realizing all that she has done and seen in her lifetime! What a blessing! She has written Holy Habits and Trusting in the Goodness of God, as well as a cook book called Once A Month Cooking.
I also got to meet at least 15 other women from either the US or Europe who are living and ministering with their families in Rwanda. It really encouraged me to get to know them, hear about their children, and their experiences in living in Rwanda. (And, yes, it made me want to join them!) There are some amazing things going on in this country….and it’s being done by some of the most amazing young families! It was very encouraging to me.
After the study, I got to take the whole Jenkins family out to their favorite restaurant to celebrate the first day of school and to let them know how much Mark and I appreciate what they are doing in this country. It was DELICIOUS Indian food and was a fun little time with the family. The Jenkins are raising five amazing children and I enjoyed getting to know each one.
After lunch was my favorite part. We had collected some money to spend on the orphanage’s needs, so Jana and I had a blast spending the money to stock up on cleaning supplies, towels, new mops, baby items, snack food…and lots more for the nuns to have.
And again, it was fun to see what “daily life” in Rwanda was like. I got to visit their mall and the store that I would equate to an American Wal-Mart, called Nakumatt. Much smaller, but had anything you could imagine in one place.
And, there was the Rwanda version of Starbucks across the mall from it! It is called Bourbon Coffee and it is SO YUMMY!! We also laughed as we were walking out, because look at what the restaurant was called next door: Dallas Pizzeria! With an American flag on the sign!
After shopping and filling up Jana’s car, it was time to go to the orphanage!! The sad part is that they don’t allow pictures, so I don’t have much to show you except the front gate, which I had seen so many times before. It's that symbol that we adoptive families in the US just get butterflies in our stomachs when we see...because it represents our children to us!
And, I did get a picture of my favorite sign...from Mother Teresa: Make of your life something beautiful for God. Love it. (And that is the orphanage behind the sign.)
As we drove up, I could hardly believe I was REALLY there! It was just surreal. I had been praying for weeks that this visit would be just what it should be, and that God would guard my heart as I went. I wasn’t sure what my emotions would be like, and I just wanted to love on the kids without being consumed with thoughts of my own adoption. I know that sounds strange, but I felt strongly that these children who are there NOW deserve my full attention and love. And, I truly was able to do that without any problem at all. They were all so precious!!
We met the nuns, delivered our goodies, and went on a tour of the orphanage.
It made me very sad to hear that they don’t allow visitors to go into the little baby’s room, but she did allow me to stand at the door. I said silent prayers over every tiny head I could see, asking the Lord to bless each one with love and good health while they wait for their mommies and daddies to come. (By the way, will you join me in praying about that? That visitors will be allowed to love the babies? I hate knowing my little one will someday lay there in that room without anyone coming to rub them and pray over them and love them. Of course, the nannies will, but they need more than that!!)
I did get to rub some heads and bellies in the toddler room, again praying over each one as I walked. They were SO cute and I loved knowing that these will be the sons and daughters of many people I know in the Rwanda adoption family!
The rest of the time, we spent outside with the children ranging from 18 months to 5 years. We sang preschool Bible songs and played on the playground, and just loved on them all. I was really happy the whole time I was there and didn’t feel discouraged at all. I think it was because I know that so many of these children are about to be in a forever family!
Yes, there was still the usual sadness over how desperate they are for love...for food…for attention. But, I also just enjoyed getting to know them, trying to memorize each little face so I can share with adoptive families later whatever I knew about their son or daughter.
We were there about an hour with the big kids, before it was time to go. Again, it was just a surreal experience to be on the very ground that my baby will live for a while. I was just so grateful to be able to now have a picture in my mind of each room there, of where our baby will sleep and play, and of what the nuns look like who will feed, clothe, and take care of my little one until we can get there.
We then visited one of Jana’s friends who has also adopted two boys from Home of Hope, and then moved to Rwanda a year later. They had such a cute little family and showed me all the pictures of Gotcha Day for their boys. It made me so anxious to be doing that with our own baby soon!!
It was a wonderfully full day, and ended with dinner as a family back at the Jenkins house. With each passing moment of these extra days, my desire to live in this country just kept growing. No, I’m not kidding. I’ve already told Mark we need to cover this in prayer. Because it’s really not like me to be ready to move across the world at a moment’s notice. But, I’m ready. :)
On my last day, I was really just planning to pack and take our time checking email and hanging out until my flight. But, I was totally surprised to get to come back to the orphanage again! Jana came in on Wednesday morning and asked me if I would like to go back again. Of course, I said YES! And, was so glad for another opportunity to love on these precious ones.
This time was different. There were 8 of us that went this time, so we were able to do more one-on-one loving. And, after playing with a few rambunctious ones (they are always the ones who get the first hugs because they knock you over!), I noticed the ones who were hesitant, hanging out on the sidelines, afraid to get too close. These are always the ones God draws me toward.
I spent some time letting one little boy “warm up” to me. He would hardly respond at all when I touched him at first and there was not a smile to be seen. His eyes looked sad and cautious. But, as I sang songs and rubbed his back, he began to come closer. And, finally, he just gave in completely. And, once he did, it was like he couldn’t get enough touch. For the last 30 minutes of our time, he was laying on my chest, rubbing my arms, while I sang and rocked him and rubbed his little back. He also loved “Ride a Little Horsey” and would cackle laugh when I would “drop” him off my knees. It was precious to watch him open up, and I just prayed over and over about this sweet one and his soon to be family. It was hard to watch him learn to trust, and then have to say goodbye. It killed me to think of how many times they've done this.
But, at the same time, I was so thankful that this dedicated group of women who live here, come EVERY single week to love these kids. How wonderful that all of our waiting kids still receive love from mommies consistently like this! Little “E” has a precious little heart and I can’t wait to see where he ends up. I look forward to sharing his story with his mom someday soon!
It was an amazing couple of days. I loved every minute of it. And, God DID protect my heart as I had asked. I didn’t know if going to the orphanage would be harder for me, since part of my heart lives there. But, it wasn’t hard. It filled me with joy and anticipation. It just made me more eager to help and be involved in what they are doing there. And, it gave me a better picture as I pray for the children there.
Dave and Jana, thank you so very much for your sweet hospitality. You are doing amazing things and I can’t wait to see the ways God has planned for Mark and I to be involved. Sophia, thank you for giving up your room for two days. I'm praying for your college search! :) And, Caleb, Ethan, Ruth, and Timothy, thank you also for allowing me to enter into your sweet family's life for a while. You are all a blessing to me!
As I got on the plane to leave Rwanda, I cried again. (I know you’re all surprised.) I certainly left my heart there and as we flew away I prayed that God would bring me back again soon, and that He would make our way clear from here.
I know He will. And, I can’t wait to see what comes next!!
2 comments:
Awesome post! I've been wondering how you felt there! I just sent all our orphanage pics to Mark's his chase email. They are basically the same as yours but knew you'd want all you could get!
Thank you so much for that post. Its hard to feel so attached to a place that is so far away. Rwanda and HOH is always on my mind and in my prayers. I am so glad you got to experience it and I thank you for sharing that with us. It really does mean a lot.
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