Living the Life

Rainy season seems to be closing in on us which really could be referred to as, “The Season that Requires Four Alterations to Your Outfit a Day” The mornings are fairly cool, so you dress warmly but then as the day goes on it becomes quite hot so you change into something cooler or remove a layer. Then it rains and your clothes become drenched resulting in yet another change, and then finally the sun goes down and it’s cold again. Despite the wardrobe inconvenience, I love rainy season. Next time it rains I plan to grab my shampoo and soap and take a shower outside; I’ll finally be able to get some decent water pressure.

We live in between a church and a mosque. We hear the Islamic calls to prayer five times a day and we hear the church about seven days a week. They have Sunday morning service, Tuesday afternoon service, Friday night service…it’s always going, with its lively music and enthusiastic preaching. We also live in between two small communities. Walking down to the lower road leads to duka after duka (small hole-in-the-wall shop) of fabric, produce, clothes, charcoal, hardware, ladies with sewing machines ready to create, and lots of people. The road above has the same story. Our house helper has shown me the trick for making proper Tangawizi Chai (ginger tea with milk and sugar) and so I’ve been consuming large amounts, especially during the cold rains.

I’ve also been parading around Kigali on Tink and having quite a blast. Tink is my moto/mo-ped/scooter/bike. The reason why I call it Tink is because I don’t want to have to constantly refer to it as my moto/mo-ped/scooter/bike. I’m spending three to four hours a day on Kinyarwanda, but when I’m not at home studying I have Tink out, flying down paved roads or bumping down dirt roads, off to visit someone. I feel like I’m always visiting someone or someone is visiting me. Saying that relationships are important in this culture doesn’t even begin to cover it. Relationships are everything. But, it takes a long time to build relationships and until you have that relationship established your work is ineffective.

A lot of my time is spent with children and with each day I keep feeling a bigger tug at my heart for kids. Both the ones I’m in contact with and the children all around the world. And then the tug is followed by a reminder of my inner teacher. My brothers can testify of my teaching abilities…holding them captive all summer long so I could play school. What troopers they were!

Psalm 62 talks about waiting in silence. It has taken a couple weeks of chewing but I think I’ve finally been able to swallow and comprehend. Aren’t we supposed to continually ask Him for what we need/desire? And, if we're silent doesn’t that mean we're not asking? Well, I think it means that if you’ve made your heart known to God then wait patiently until He speaks to you. Give Him time to talk, don’t continually talk over Him. But that’s not so easy for me to do. When it comes to God, I’m pretty quick to speak and slow to listen.

God has also recently shown me that I am indeed a classic example of someone who clings to Him like a tick when times are tough and loosely holds His pinky finger when life is great. Why do I not feel the need to cling to Him at all times? The Bible talks about needing Him more than we need food and water…yesterday, I was out in a rural area at the edge of the city where water was limited and when I got home I promptly drank 3 glasses of water. Why do I only feel that desperate spiritual thirst when times are tough? Oh, how I despise the human nature.

But God is gracious. And He doesn’t give up on me even if I’m not waiting in silence or not clinging to Him with every moment of every day. He continues to love me. And this love that is poured in to me is overflowing to those around me. I love this country and its people and I love the life God has called me to.