Inspiration

I should be sleeping right now...early curtain call tomorrow at the gym, but I can't lay my head down yet because the most incredible thing has happened. The last little while there has been some upset in our lives because of some family things going on and on top of that alot of repeated rejection with the child sponsorship. So needless to say my flame and passion were nearly extinguished. I have been struggling with how cruel some individuals can be to people that they love and just generally feeling really discouraged.

I'm not sure what happened, but I think God just gave me a wake up call in the last 48 hours. In the past 2 days strangers that I have never met have sponsored 8 children. This is due in part to the incredible friends that I have been blessed with in my life. Karen Waggoner, who is an incredible woman, mentioned it to her friends and the next thing you know, Brenda Reynolds is emailing me that she is going to sponsor 2 children. I had to have a little cry on that one. Brenda has no idea how much she has changed those childrens lives but she is also responsible for touching mine. Brenda, you are an incredible person and I hope that many are inspired by you...I know that I am. Karen....thank you so much!

Tonight...what can I say about tonight? Wow!!!! Leanne Struve...we have had a truly long friendship and very different one in that for a few years we lost touch and then reconnected and it was like no time had passed at all. Leanne you are my kindred spirit in that we share the same passions with most things and in your presence I can be myself. I have shared my heart and soul with you along with much pain and happiness in the last 20 years. I owe you so much and all I have to offer is my friendship...I hope that is enough...for now! Tonight the most incredible miracle happened. Leanne invited Carol and I to Angie and Ed Lafavor's house because it was their Thursday small group gathering, and it was there we met the most incredible people. We went with 4 children needing sponsorship and left with 6 being sponsored. What struck me the most though was how sincere,kind,caring,giving and loving everyone in the room was. There was an incredible energy and love in that room tonight and it was infectious.

I believe that a very special thanks needs to be said to:

Leanne and Doug Struve
Angie and Ed Lafavor
Jim Hustins
Joan and Ron Szepefy
Sergio and Anna Garcia
Les and Brenda Lund

The outpouring of your compassion and caring tonight has really touch me and I will never forget it. As we meet your children in Rwanda I hope I can convey to them how amazing their sponsors are and how much they will be loved. You are all a true inspiration to Carol and I. And to everyone else that was there, you have touched our lives just as much because of your kindness and consideration of what we told you tonight. I think it is safe to say that all of our hearts were stirred tonight and I truly thank God for that.

This trip has been a roller coaster ride of emotions and we haven't even got there yet, but it has been a wonderful learning curve full of inspirational people. These last 48 hours have really reillustrated to me that this is my passion and what I was meant to do and I am not going to let anything get in my way of helping those in need. I am so rich tonight as I count my blessings in the form of my friends and strangers that have touched my life. There are no words to thank you enough.

The Blue Sweater

Very soon now we will be leaving, and with alot of mixed emotion. I am already trying to stop myself from tormenting about coming home from Rwanda, and we haven't even left yet. Most people cannot understand, and never will, what a profound eye-opening, heart and soul cleansing experiance it is being in Africa....and thus for me the anguish. On Sunday we met two men from Rwanda, one of whom is going to help us when we are in country. Almost immediately I was transported back to Africa and the same sense of calm, serenity and joy filled my heart and I could barely contain myself from running out to the airport and jumping on the next plane out! Some say that it is wrong to be so emotional over a culture, a country, especially if it has turned your heart away from your own. I say that it is wrong to close your eyes and pretend that what is happening in other countries has nothing to do with you. As one of the richest countries in the world, we have alot to learn about humility and humanity from one of the poorest.

What tugged at my heart, is that upon meeting those men, I calculated that they would have been anywhere from 5-8 years old during the time of genocide in Rwanda and yet the love, kindness and happiness in their eyes was infectious. The genocide would have touched their lives in a way that we can never comprehend. If we ourselves would have had to have lived even a minute of it, it would have destroyed our lives. We would never have mentally lived through it, on any level. We would need medication , thousand of hours of counselling and then we would make sure that we held on to that hatred forever and tell everyone the atrocities that had befallen us, for the rest of our lives. That is the society that we live in. I have been thinking about those young men and comparing them to a couple of young adults I am aquainted with and I do not understand how two countries, two cultures can be so awry. The men from Rwanda have suffered so much and yet are so peaceful, forgiving, loving and want for nothing and believe that they have a rich life. The young adults that I know here, are always unhappy and have an attitude that life has dealt them the worst cards ever and they deserve more but should do less to get it. I know dignity plays a big part in it, and in our culture, dignity has been been replaced by an attitude of "it is owed to me".

From the book "The Blue Sweater" there is a quote from "Song of an African Woman" (Okot P'Bitek) and it goes like this.....

I have only one request.
I do not ask for money
Although I have a need of it,
I do not ask for meat....
I have only one request,
All I ask is
That you remove
the roadblock
From my path.


I hope that if you follow us, that something stirs your heart and you develop the unquenchable thirst to drink in all you can about what is happening around the world, and to examine your life to see and believe that you are truly blessed. I hope you learn to practice dignity because...

Poverty won't allow him to lift up his head;
dignity won't allow him to bow it down.
(Madagasy Proverb)


Vickie

Serenity Now!

Hello to our followers, time is really winding down -- my list of things to do seens to be growing instead of shrinking! We still have not nailed down a car and driver, which has led me to the conclusion that we will arrive in Rwanda with nothing booked and everything up in the air -- all I can say is, in the words of Frank Costanza "SERENITY NOW! SERENITY NOW! It's all good - really. We were able to meet with a wonderful young man Brandon Boutin, his wife and some friends who just returned from Rwanda and they are going to contact some of their friends back in Rwanda to see if they can help us out! I just have to say a huge THANK YOU to Brandon for being so generous with his time and helping us. What an amazing and inspirational group of young people they are, the world needs more young people like them!

We have had a number of people ask us why they don't get notifications when we post something new to our blog. You have to sign up as a follower -- it is really sinple you just click on the link located on the left hand side of the page and it will walk you through it. Once you become a follower you will automatically receive an email notifying you of a new post, and we will also be able to see who is following us!

I guess I better run, my daughter decided to take up skate boarding today and I couldn't bear to watch so I've been hiding in the house. I am sure by now Rob needs some "SERENITY NOW! SERENITY NOW!" I better go take my turn; even though she is covered from head to toe in protective gear watching her is kinda like watching a train wreck in slow motion! He just came in and told me she's getting better -- I think it's safe to go and watch now.

Later!

Carol