Summer 2009

Summer 2009 was an adventurous, fun, unbelievable summer. I had the opportunity to go to Rwanda on a LoveWorks trip. On the 20 hour plane ride to this unfathomable place I could hardly imagine the trials, the joys, and the changes it would bring to my life. Nor could I have comprehended the amazing people that I would meet along the way. No, as I made my journey, I was mostly thinking of what the food was going to be like, or if the people I was with were nice, or how scared I was of this completely foreign place and culture. As we touched down and began to embark on this journey, the fears and anxieties soon dissipated and we all began to dive into the work that we were called to do. I could go on and on and talk about story after story but I would rather just give one. My spiral into depression and out of it all started with a little boy named Joshua.

In the afternoons we worked at a church putting on a VBS type event for the neighborhood kids. That's where I met three year old Joshua, a little boy with big dimples and an even bigger heart. The first day I met him he was excruciatingly shy, but I desperately wanted him to come out of his shell. By the second day, we were playing tag and running around as if there was not a care in the world. When I think of my time in Rwanda, I cannot help but think first of Joshua. I fell in love with this child. This child who lives in poverty. This child who wore pretty much the same clothes for the whole two weeks I was with him. This child who will never be given the opportunities I have.

By the end of the two weeks, every time we cam to the church Joshua would be there waiting. As soon as I got out of the car he would fly into my arms and throw him in the air, as his giggles filled the air. Now, as I sit here, I can still hear the sound so clearly. I cannot possibly describe the joy this child gave me. Nor can I describe the heart-wrenching pain I felt when I was forced to leave him behind. The only thing I can say is that he changed me forever. I am not the same person I was. Joshua showed me the joy in life. He showed me that love is not about being able to speak the same language, or come from the same country, but rather it's about spreading a little joy wherever it is that life takes us. It is a lesson I try to learn a little more every day. It is a lesson from a three year old in Rwanda. It is the lesson that has altered my life forever.