transformed

wow, am i actually connected to the internet? if i'm not, at least it feels good to type :)

as you guessed, we arrived safely. uneventful, just like we like it. i will not even attempt to upload pictures because i am a realist at the moment and it is not going to happen with this connection (or the connection i hope i have as it has been spinning for minutes in an attempt to save these few words, so i'm guessing pictures are not gonna happen...and i actually took a few snapshots! our airplane seats had individual consoles with movies and games. i took a picture of a little doodle pic i made saying "time does not fly when you fly". that was about the 7,223 mile mark and i was desperate for something to do :)

once again, the hospitality we have been shown here in rwanda is just amazing. i heart these people more than i can express. i think the time here has helped prepare my heart for meeting our kids (tomorrow, Lord willing!!).

i want to get on paper the events of yesterday. honestly, they could not have played out more perfectly than they did. i am humbled, in awe, and so grateful that He allowed this opportunity to forever connect lives. in the previous post, i talked about a possible meeting with some people we met last year. He took care of all things, down to the small things -- our driver (amable) and our escort from Partners in Health (shaka) became instant friends and are getting together next week. you would have thought they had been friends for years and they had never met. they thanked me several times for bringing them together. i kept telling them, "it was not me! it was God! thank Him :)". our visits took us to a town called Rwinkwavu. we met with the social worker we went with last year, Evelyn, and the woman is a testimony to being a vital link in a system that works. she knows this community and its people very very well. she knows their needs. and she cares deeply. she was instrumental in taking the money that was donated by the TriMedx Foundation and pulling off no small feat. the money that was sent for one home, she got two built. this is where i want to park. i think the amount sent was around $4,000. yes, that is alot of money but no, that is not alot of money. to see what $4,000 can do! our money makes a difference in people's lives. i have never experienced such an amazing transformation in someone's life than yesterday. a home has given these two women dignity. one changed her name from one that meant poor to one that means rich. the one woman we met last year exuded confidence. she sat upright and proud; last year, she sat slumped over and disgraced. and these homes are so, well .... i do not want to take away from the beauty of what i saw yesterday to rip apart how, as Americans, we would describe their homes as unsuitable to live in. because the fact is, these homes far exceed the homes of most rwandans. a sad and true fact. the second woman we had not met before. evelyne said she was the most stubborn young woman she has ever worked with and the woman agreed. we gave a small monetary gift to them through Partners in Health. the one woman had achieved status by buying goats, growing them bigger, and then selling them for a little profit. she is now raising three to prepare for sale. her goal is five. i asked evelyne to ask her how much it would be for these two new goats, and not surprisingly it was the exact amount PIH had recommended (prior to our visit) be put into an account for her (60,000 francs is $100 US). when we left, she was beaming that she now not only had a home, but five goats!!! and the other woman is able to find work about three days per week. she digs, which means she prepares the gardens of people so they can plant. are you sitting down? she makes $1 US dollar for six hours. do the math. she makes $3 per week. her gift money is equivalent to her working 600 hours of physical labor. that is what $100 can do for a person. isn't that mind-blowing and amazing? and then we saw ambrose, the man who has the prosthetic leg. you would never know he had an artificial limb. he now works (and is usually the first one there), can afford to send his daughters to school, and is seen as a leader.

and the day just didn't stop there. amable called simba (our driver from the first trip who we fell in love with -- if you are super bored, you can go here to see how simba impacted us: http://www.nowthatihaveseeniamresponsible.blogspot.com/ ) and tried to explain that some people were here that met him last year and wanted to see him again. he said one of them is a boy named sam. and simba said, "the sam who gave me the Bible?". ah yes, that sam. and we sat and visited with him last night and he told sam he used his Bible. he said twice, 'i just cannot explain to you how i feel. that you came back and wanted to see me.' ah yes, the simba we could never forget.

and today was another crazy good day. it was good enough that i am exhausted and will save it for tomorrow. tonight we are in gisenyi on lake kivu. breathtakingly beautiful and a world apart from rwinkwavu. we sit listening to music being played next to the pool, using wi-fi, and enjoying hot water (thanks to a physician visionary that invited us). a big change from our previous nights here but a world we are very accustomed. it is hard to reconcile, no actually it is impossible, how some live like this and so many don't. while i am so grateful for these amenities, it drives home in me my unworthiness and undeservedness.

again, thanks to amy and amy for your loving care on the homefront. and thanks to anyone reading this who has been praying. i can tell you have :) i could not be this far from home without them. i can't imagine being here without knowing my friends pray.

p.s. follow-up to last post -- greg said after finding his wallet, everyone wanted a part of getting credit (read: a reward :) for finding it. i am the cousin to the operator who called airport security. greg said it probably cost him more in finding his wallet, than losing it ... not really, but you get the idea :)
p.s.s. to kristen -- well girlfriend, i got a big ol' taste of motion sickness today. geez. we wound through curves at top speed going up mountains for what seemed like an eternity. i have a whole new level of sympathy.
p.s.s.s. to sandy -- that is so fun you met my friend and neighbor! yes, she is a definite keeper...
p.s. more -- sam and sarah are doing awesome! sarah is a rockstar as so many little kids have never seen a chinese person! it was like ben in china :)
p.s. last time promise -- happy one year home abigail heming! you are one of the absolute very best things that have ever happened to me. take care of phoebe and thomas as mommy II, okay? xoxo