The beginning ...

:Muraho:

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this thing started. I’m not about to give any excuses … but I hope you can all handle a lot of information coming all at once from now on. I do tend to write a lot, but I’ll try my best to split them up so you don’t have to sit at your computer for hours reading all this :)

The journey began on Sunday June, 3^rd at 9:45 PM where I flew to Phoenix, AZ for three days of orientation and training. I met the rest of my team there and most of the other Food for the Hungry- Phoenix based staff. The other interns I will be with are Aaron, Alana, Caleb, Emily, Jim, and Karen. All great people, from all over the U.S., and with different backgrounds and stories. It’s really great to see how we were all chosen, based on our unique gifts, to go to Rwanda together and experience what the world has to offer.

We left for Rwanda on Thursday, June 7^th at 5:30ish (PM) and after 36 hours of traveling to Denver, D.C., Rome (for a fuel stop), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), and Nairobi, we finally made it to Kigali, Rwanda. It was a miracle that we made it there without any complications, but what was even more or a miracle was that ALL of our bags made it there!! How it happened- we will never understand. The only explanation I can give is that God heard our millions of prayers and decided to give us a break from days of stinky clothes … probably because American B.O. is so much worse than African B.O. as we have come to learn this past week. (Random and a little gross, yes, I know. Sorry about that, but it is true).

Africa definitely has a distinct smell, but it is nothing to get disgusted about. The country is absolutely beautiful. I wish you could just be here and see for yourself, but until you can take some time off to see the world, these pictures will have to do. And what’s sad is that these pictures hardly do the beauty justice. The landscape is incredible. Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills and let me tell you- it’s true! There are “mini” mountains and valleys filled with thousands of banana trees and so many other trees and plants. It is interesting because I expected to see so much more poverty than I have seen. Maybe it is just that I have been overlooking all of it because of the fact that the land is simply breath-taking. I really wish America looked more like Rwanda as I’m sure you would as well.

There’s something amazing about this place. I’m not sure if it’s the people, the land, the weather, or just the feel of being apart of a different culture. Whatever it is, I feel so blessed to have been able to participate in this experience. I still cannot come to grips with the fact so many people responded to my letter and have been so generous as to support me. A simple “thank you” hardly seems enough, but from the inner-most part of my heart I thank you so much. I hope you enjoy my updates and from the beginning I would like to invite you to experience this with me. It is just as much my experience as it is yours. Please feel free read more of my blogs or other books and information on Rwanda and the genocide in ‘94, look at my pictures, e-mail me (and wait maybe a day or a week for my response) or just take it all in and reflect on what is going on here.