Rwanda

I’m sitting here typing in my bed with the windows open, and looking out on a beautiful Rwandan morning. I’m listening to Kari Jobe sing about “praising a God who brings redemption to the nations”, and I’m thinking about what I experienced yesterday, as I arrived in this beautiful country. It was a year ago this week, when Mark and I received the clear direction to begin the adoption journey. And, it was a year ago this week that I also dreamed a dream that at the time I did not understand. But, months later, God would reveal to me that my dream was about Rwanda. (If you want to read my entire dream, go HERE to my adoption blog.) In my dream, there were gunshots all around me, but I was not being harmed. There were men in uniform, but they did not seem to notice me or be alarmed by me being there. I was handed a baby carrier from the president, and was told, “It’s okay. You’re supposed to do this. You need to take him.” I ran with the baby carrier back through the armed officers…and then I woke up. Yesterday, in the airport, I saw the exact uniform that was in my dream: solid navy blue with a beret hat. I about freaked out…I would never have known that when I dreamed it. And, as I sat staring at the officer in the airport, God was whispering to me yet again that my road here was intentional. He planned it all along, and He has been giving me pieces of His plan since a year ago this week.

At the time, I would never have guessed that the Lord would show us a country to adopt from that I would eventually fall in love with. I did not know that He was painting a parallel picture of healing, comfort, and redemption, both in our own family and in a tiny country thousands of miles away. We had both experienced our own form of tragedy…Rwanda’s being much bigger than my own. But, we would each eventually find comfort from the other.

The night we chose Rwanda for our adoption, was a night I will never forget. It was in February, late one night after our adoption class. As we sat and read the story of this nation…of its ability to be restored and renewed from a place of such despair and loss…I was struck by the way God was redeeming Rwanda. And, at the very same time, I saw a tiny bit of that same redemptive healing story in my own life.

We fell in love with Rwanda that night. Not only with its story and its resilience after the genocide that should have wiped it away…but also with the people and the land itself.

I have seen countless pictures of Rwanda. But, I was literally overwhelmed by its beauty yesterday as I landed. It reminds me so much of Mark’s birthplace, Hawaii. And, it literally put new energy in our team to be surrounded with its tropical flowers, lush greenery, and beautiful hills.

I was a mess. I cried as we drove along the road, thinking, “I am really here! And, it’s better than I dreamed it would be!” I cried when we got to the restaurant for lunch, as we sat outside in the breeze, and enjoyed an amazing meal and cold Cokes!! Why did I cry over cold Cokes and a breeze? I don’t know! I was tired, but also I just feel so at home here. And, I’ve been anticipating this for so longBut, of course, the crying only continued as we went to the Genocide Memorial after lunch. It was absolutely heart wrenching. I was so glad to learn more and was so impressed with the exhibit itself. They did a wonderful job of showing visitors what it was like before, during, and after the genocide. They showed us the mass graves they have built….slabs of concrete, under which lies thousands of bodies in coffins.

We saw names and pictures and remaining possessions of those who had been killed.

We heard descriptions of specific children and how and where they were killed. We learned about how peaceful this country was before Europe came in with its separatist ideas and colonized this country, giving distinctions among the people that should have never been made. We learned about how a minority ruled a majority based on these distinctions and how, ultimately, the Enemy crept in like a lion, ready to steal, kill, and destroy this country because of these divisions.

That’s what made me cry the hardest. Satan himself was so stealthy in how he tried to destroy this place. But, God said NO. You can not have this country. And, as a result, He has brought new life to a place that should not still be standing. All odds were stacked against this nation for having peace again…for rising above the death and destruction…and especially for being able to forgive and dissolve the lines of separation that had been drawn here by others.

Rwanda is the most amazing story of the Lord bringing beauty from ashes, and redeeming what has been lost, so that His glory may be seen. As I was walking through the last part of the display, I began singing (in my head,) Selah’s song called “Unredeemed”…a favorite of mine.

The cruelest word
The coldest heart
The deepest wound
The endless dark
The lonely ache
The burning tears
The bitter nights
The wasted years
Life breaks and falls apart
But we know these are
Places where grace is
Soon to be so amazing!
They may be unfulfilled, they may be unrestored.
But when anything that’s shattered is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see, it will NOT be unredeemed!!

This land was shattered. But, it was also laid before the Lord. And, He is redeeming this land. There is hope here. There is healing here. There is forgiveness here. And, God is revealing His glory in this land.

I couldn’t help the tears that fell as I thought about the reason I am even sitting here this morning. I would not be here if something had not been shattered in my own life…if He had not offered me healing in the most unexpected way. I am just so thankful to watch Him redeem the brokenness both in my own life and heart, and in the hearts of the people here.

As we walked out of the museum, there was a small gift shop. I actually already owned quite a few of the books that were offered there, but I was still looking at them all to see if there was anything else I needed.

And, lying on the table was a book called “Beauty From Ashes”. At the very same time, I found it, Sara and Amy also found it on another table. We all turned around to show each other what we found, and we were all three holding the same book. So, of course, we all bought it!

I’ve only read the introduction, but I can already tell it’s going to be amazing. The author sums up what I’ve attempted to say in a thousand words, in his last introductory paragraph:

“They (the Rwandans) want the world to know how much they have suffered, and to respond to that knowledge by ministering God’s comfort to those who survived. They want the world to know how powerful God is to heal the wounds and restore the soul. And they want the world to know that despite all it has heard about genocide and cruelty and terrible suffering, there is much of Jesus to be found in the people of Rwanda….It is not we who are taking Jesus to Rwanda; it is we who are discovering Him here among the people. The stories in this book are designed to help you discover Jesus among the Rwandan people: healing, restoring, and empowering. And, as you discover Jesus among the Rwandans, you will discover the God of hope who can take a shattered nation, wash it, heal it, and hold it up to the world as a demonstration of His wonderful grace.”

At the very end of the tour, our guide told us that he is involved in taking care of orphans whose families were victims of the genocide. He said he thinks it is very important that we came to this memorial first before we begin to serve here. He said it will help us realize the full impact we are making when we come, and to know the importance of helping those who have been left behind.

That’s exactly what yesterday did for me. I am so proud that Rwanda will be a part of our family forever through adoption, and I pray that the Lord continues to show us other ways we can come alongside Him in this country, and continue the restoration and healing that has already begun.