Image Map

Saturday, August 13, 2011

On a Journey

So, I'm attempting to catch up on the last three weeks, somehow. This has definitely been a big journey for our family in every way! We were so blessed to take both Kendyll and Carlie with us to Rwanda, while Abby Kate got to travel to Hawaii with Pops and Grandma, and then to "the ranch" with Gammy and Papa Ron.

We all had such amazing adventures, and truly thank God for His provision and protection in each step. {I never want to take each of those things for granted. As Mark said, there were so many little miracles each day, as we were kept safe and healthy and everything went so smoothly. None of that is by chance or accident. Our God guarded us all in every way!}

The day we left for Rwanda and Hawaii was Mark Daddy Daddy's birthday! I had {crazy} intentions to make him our usual birthday breakfast before we headed to the airport, but of course that didn't end up happening, after only two hours of sleep and still more loading and packing to finish.

Lucky for us, Daddy's favorite breakfast also includes powdered donuts. So, he was happy with a plate full of them! (plus some delicious strawberries cut by Katers...it's her specialty!)
My favorite part was the "birthday picture" Kendyll made for him of Rwanda. Mark has spent his last two birthdays in Africa, so we hope it's certainly a tradition that continues.
After giving some BIG HUGE Abby Kate squeezes at the airport, we said goodbye to Grandma and AK, as they began their big Hawaii adventure.
This girl was SOOOO excited about her trip and had been telling us for months that "she was the most special one" of the family. :) I was just so glad she felt special and not like she was left behind!
After some CRAZY airport experiences for our team {have I mentioned how much I love airlines and all of their stickler rules? I think I might have an airline anger problem, actually.}, we finally boarded our flight to RWANDA!
The girls did AMAZINGLY well, and slept almost the whole way.
When they were awake, they spent every minute on their personal movie monitor, which they thought was really the coolest thing ever.

And, from the minute we landed in Rwanda, I loved watching them experience the country we love in every way.
It was so fun for them to have so many friends on this trip too! We have joked that Hollyn and Kendyll now have the best ACU roomie pictures ever. :)
Of course, I wouldn't be telling the whole story if I didn't share the struggles too. I have to admit, I didn't expect my own selfishness to be a problem in bringing my children this time. Mark and I have been to Africa multiple times this year, but never been "mom" and "dad" while we're gone. We've had complete freedom to be mommy and daddy to orphans, and beyond that, to have time with other adults to process what we're experiencing and just to hang out!

So, the first few days were hard for me in this way. It's completely different to have little ones with you who have never experienced so many new things, not to mention that we were with our whole team, whom Mark and I were coordinating and leading. So, there were a lot of different things pulling at us, and I felt lost in all of it. And, I would say that feeling came and went over the whole trip.

God was good though and helped me see it as an opportunity instead of a hindrance. Yes, this was certainly a different kind of trip for me. Little to no time to process or write or think. But, lots of time to watch others fall in love with Rwanda, plenty of opportunities to still be mommy to orphaned ones, as well as get to experience my girls grow and change as they spent time being the hands and feet of Jesus.

And, to get to "do Africa" as a family was SUCH a blessing {although we were certainly missing our littlest}.
It was really neat to see the way God has molded both of my big girls so differently, and how that played a very big part in how they connected and served the children of Noel.

Kendyll was, of course, a total natural.
I've really never doubted that she would be. But, it was SO COOL to watch her work and connect and love like she's always lived here. There was no hesitation or fear in her. Just love.
In fact, many times she just looked at me and said "We've gotta move here." I love that girl. There was only one day when she was ready to go home. The day that Team One was leaving, which meant some of her good friends were going home too. But, the real kicker was when she talked to Abby Kate. She missed her so much, and was ready to hug her. She said "I'm ready to be home, Mom. I miss her so much, I miss water that you can drink from the faucet, I miss not having to worry about malaria...but I love being here too. It's so strange." Boy, was that a great moment. I was so glad to hear her appreciate things like water and told her that she was experiencing something that God wanted her to see, so she can tell others when she is home. I told her that now she knows how mommy and daddy feel when we're away. We long for our children at home, and for the blessings God has given us, but we also don't want to stop doing what God has called us to: loving on His little ones who need to know they are treasured.

Kendyll was so amazing with the kids. Whether it be children her own age, who she held hands with, played games with, or taught songs to...
or the toddlers, who she totally SHINED with--picking them up, sitting and playing, giving hugs and kisses.
She was never worried about their dirty clothes or bare bottoms or germs {I had to force her to worry more about it, actually, and I hated that!}

Jesus tells us to be like children because of their love and faith, and I got such a clear picture of that on this trip. She saw no barriers in her love. There was not a child too dirty, too needy, too different from herself. And, they ALL giggled and laughed and reached and hugged when she was around.

And, OH the babies! She was so in love with the babies!
The first few days, she did really well at following the rules we had set for the kids on the trip, the main one being "always be with an adult". But, by the end of the first week, and certainly by week two, I would look around for her, realizing she was not with the group. And, without fail, I could always immediately find her in the same place: the baby room. She was usually holding her favorite girl, Clementine...or she was helping the mamas feed, bathe, or dress the babies.
She also really enjoyed the medical project, and jumped in on every part of the process. She helped some of us in the waiting room, as we played with the children who were waiting.
She helped walk some of the children through the doctor visit,
and she even got to be a nurse for the day, with Nurse Tracy!
Tracy was SO kind to let her be a part of it, and since Kendyll has always wanted to be a "nurse in Africa", this was absolutely her dream come true.
And, boy did it make this mommy proud. NOT proud because I've had anything to do with her...just proud of how God is using her passions and gifts to bring glory to Himself.

And, oh my sweet Carlie. I knew that this would be a different kind of trip for her, seeing that she was only six years old and has a completely different personality from Kendyll. The first night we arrived in Rwanda, she was doing great! She gobbled up her food {which she continued to do the whole two weeks---she loved the food!}, took her first shower, and excitingly changed to her pj's. And, then it hit her. She was scared. She cried and cried because she was afraid she would accidentally drink the water, or get a mosquito bite. After I sat with her and explained all that I could about why we're careful but why we don't have to walk in fear, she settled down, and went right to sleep. From that point on, she was never scared again. She just has to have "her moment" and then she moves on. :)

She really, REALLY loved the journey to Noel, and had her head out the window of the bus the whole way, taking in every beautiful hill and every beautiful person along the road. I really don't think there was one person she didn't wave to. She even got to be the photographer!
It was pretty shocking when we arrived in Gisenyi and she looked like she had eyeliner on. I couldn't figure out what it was, until I realized it was also in her nose and ears. It was exhaust from the bus in front of us on the road! That's how much she had her head outside! :)

As we arrived at Noel, her "slow to warm" personality came through again. We had explained to all the kids on the trip what those first moments could be like---overwhelming in every way. And, I think we did a pretty good job of painting an appropriate picture for all of them. But, for Carlie, talking about it was nothing like experiencing it. As a hundred children came storming the bus to grab our hands first, she was completely overwhelmed. She gripped me tighter than ever and just cried. But, again, after a while of me carrying her and seeing that these children were sweet and excited, she just all of a sudden got down, wiped her face on her shirt, and began meeting kids. It was so funny to watch her personality yet again. She needs her warm-up time for sure, but then she is just done with it!

Every day after the first one, she wanted to be the first one off the bus to greet the kids. Wow, how God is shaping her heart and making her stronger and stronger for His purposes. I can't wait to see what He does in her life!
As soon as Carlie was ready to meet the kids, she met her sweet friend Bebe, who became "her best friend" for the whole trip. Bebe is four and is just precious.
And, she was exactly the friend that Carlie needed. And, one close friend, is exactly the way Carlie likes it! :)

Carlie was also amazing with the toddlers. And, she was addicted to them on day one.
She has such a quiet way about her, that just draws the children to her. On the very first day, I walked up to see her sitting in a circle with some of the three year olds, who she had organized to sit down that way. She went around the circle, tapping their noses, then patting their hands, then hugging them. And, they all just patiently waited for their turn!
It was so incredibly cute! And, it definitely gave her confidence for the coming days.
She, of course, LOVED the babies too, and got to hold and cuddle with so many of them. She would just sit there looking in their eyes or singing to them. It was precious.
And, then of course, they both got their dream come true moments: tying babies on their backs! So fun! Carlie has little Louisa, who was also a family favorite. :)
The mamas certainly loved Carlie too! They were all fascinated with her blonde hair and blue eyes, so she was cheered every time she would walk into any of the rooms. And, they of course, all wanted pictures with her. :) She got better at smiling for these pictures as the weeks went on. At first, she did NOT like this attention at all.
As I said before, she never complained about the food or the conditions or the long days. I was just so so so proud of her attitude. She did, of course, need "down time" in the middle of her days. And, if she was ever missing, I could find her in a corner somewhere coloring or drawing by herself, or with Bebe. :)
She did have many times where she would take two or three little ones into the guest house and just do something with a few of them.
It was sweet to watch them color together, or play playdough, or paint nails, just one on one.
They even gave some of the little girls shoes when they got the chance to.
It was really what this is all about. Connecting deeply. Communicating one by one to these kids that they were special and treasured and loved.
And, all of the kids on this trip did it in ways we adults never could!

Overall, I could not believe how well they did. We asked alot of them, and they shined. I did feel like I was more on edge than usual and I'm sure our team felt that at times! When your kids are being loud or talking too much to tired adults...when they don't wash their hands and pop a handfull of cheez-its in their mouth...or when they run off without asking. I know I was sometimes too quick to correct, but I'm praying none of that changed their experience too much.

I know this was the first of many trips, and I hope and pray none of us ever forget where our journey began...
Thank you, God, for Your faithfulness to my children. May they grow to serve You in places like this their whole lives, glorifying You with the gifts and talents and personalities You have given them!

3 comments:

Kelly said...

LOVE this post. :) Thinking about you guys all of the time!

Sarah Erwin said...

God has such AWESOME plans for your daughters! Reading this post made me SMILE so much seeing what He is molding them to be!!!

Sarah B said...

What a great post! I loved reading about your daughters and their different strengths. I am definitely a "Carlie" myself and I love that she's already seeing that her personality can do this (and be a blessing) as it's sometimes hard to watch the "Kendylls" of the world transition so easily :) I put on my summer to-do list: Go talk to Chelsea. I hope we can do it soon. Until then - keep writing.