This is not goodbye

Muraho (hello) my dear friends,

By the time you stumble across this blog post, I will be heading towards the Toronto airport to catch a plane to the newest and biggest (so far) leap of faith in my life - Musanze, Rwanda.  Moving ahead in this adventure means leaving behind a comfortable life; I'm stepping away from my family, my friends, my church, my community, my work, my sports and everything that is familiar.  However, looking past the anxieties, the fears and the worries, I can't help but see all the adventures to come, friends to make, and trusting to be had.  

Let me give you a little inside look at what my journey will be consisting of:

May 3rd is the day this excursion begins.  Leaving the airport at 11:20pm - stopping in London England, Kenya and Kigali (Rwanda) - I arrive in my city around noon on May 5th.  You know how people film their friends and family after just being sedated for something (aka wisdom teeth)?  And how the victim is all loopy and out of it?  Yea, I am assuming that I'll be just as deranged after so many planes, buses, layovers and lack of sleep and exercise.  

As soon as I have arrived, (I assume) I'll be meeting my host family and getting settled in to my new home.  How strange to think that the family I am living with for 3 months are complete strangers to me now, yet by the end of this experience they will be just like the real deal.  Speaking minimum to zero English themselves, and only just learning Kinyarwanda myself, I'm predicting many laughs over desperate games of charades.  But, that only adds to this magnificent experience, right?

For my first 90 days, I will be going back and forth between three placements (which I'm told are a 45 minute and a 1.5 hour walk... one way.... up hill... yea, let that sink in).  My latest update informs me that I will be spending three days (a week) at the Wisdom Primary school, two days at the school for the deaf, and one morning at the nursery, all teaching English.  The point of this trip is to fully submerge ourselves into the culture we are surrounded by, which means up at dawn with the morning chores, off to work, back for dinner and back to bed at dusk.  During the weekends, we are encouraged to spend time within our city and with our host families, making the most of the experience and the people surrounding us.  However, we are able to take a few weekends to travel around us.   

My family and friends have only provided strength, encouragement, gifts and support to me when preparing for this adventure.  From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you all for being so warm and loving as I take off for the summer of a lifetime.  I miss you already.    

As my first blog for this trip comes to an end, I can’t help but think of how my words will change, the themes of my writing will differ, the stories that will soon fill your computer screen.  I’m going to change.  I’m going to be tested.  I’m going to be moulded into a woman I have long desired to be.  I pray that I will be kept safe and that my heart will be opened to wonderful people, experiences, foods and adventures.  I have trust in God - knowing that He’ll provide, prove faithful and trustworthy.  I will be leaving London as a girl who has only known a life of safety and comfort, yet I pray I come back a woman who will have experienced life at its best and worst - with Rwanda forever in her heart.  

If I know at least one thing about myself, I know that I do not like goodbyes and do not handle them well.  So, lets not say goodbye - I'll be seeing you soon.  

Joshua 1:9 - "For the lord your God will be with you wherever you go."