Nearly There, and the Brussels Endeavor

Location: Kigali, Rwanda

Time 8:10pm

After a full day of travelling I've safely made it into Kigali, Rwanda. 

Haven't seen much of Africa yet as it was dark by the time I got here, 

but one thing I do know already,

mosquitoes can find ways through the bed nets, somehow. 

Too much maple syrup makes the blood sweet and the skeeters desperate to get to it.

I'll have learned my lesson. 

God is good.

Tomorrow at about 5:30 am I will head back to the airport to catch my flight across Rwanda 

and then meet up with my pastor and we will drive into Bukavu. 

May my mind be on God and what He wants me to do. 

I already feel a love for this place.

Probably commonly known as the honeymoon stage.

But I hope that a genuine, deep love for the people here will resonate in me. 

I'm nearly there. 

Some photographs...

The tickets, I had great seats for the flights. Especially on the one, it was pure gold.

A tasty snack, though "cool, posh wraps" would have been more appropriate. 

 

 The Brussels Endeavor

 

I suppose it is about time I explained what this was. 

So for those of you who don't know, I was initially disappointed that my flight was not being routed through London, but rather through Brussels. "What's cool in Brussels?" I had originally thought. 

However, Abby and her folks have been in Germany and the surrounding area for the past few days and the next week. Now a few nights back when Abby and I were talking we realized that where they are staying is only a bit over two hours away from the Brussels airport, where I was connecting through from Toronto to Rwanda. So we hatched a master plan to meet in the two hours between going realizing that in reality taking into consideration customs and security checks we may only get 10 minutes. But her parents were down for it anyway, which was pretty cool. 

There were a number of worries from people though that border patrol would not allow connecting flight people out of the checked area. 

There was also the chance that the airport be too busy and I not make it through to me connecting flight. 

I got off the plane at 9pm, boarding for the next started at 9:50

But the risk had to be taken. 

The endeavor had to be made.
So I arrived in Brussels, went intentionally to the wrong transfer area because I knew the right one would not allow you to exit the airport. 

Well that's not entirely true, it was just a hunch, I didn't know for sure as you will see in a moment.
So I waited in line for a while, and when it was almost my turn I saw someone in a different line get told that for the Rwanda transfer they had to go to a different section. 

So I said shucks, and hoping to save some time I jumped out of line and went to that section with a little hope there was an exit there. After walking around at the correct area I discovered that you could definitely not leave the checked area from that section, so then I went back down and got in line again.

 I chose the female customs official hoping that she would be sympathetic to my story of hoping to meet my girlfriend in Brussels and let me into the country for a bit. 

Perhaps a bit sexist...hopefully not.

 But a stroke of bad luck came when, while there were other three people in front of me, this golf cart drives up with a few middle eastern people, the lady driving the cart butts in line, and then they take a long long time to get through. So I switch lines to this guy that I saw was smiling at everyone he let through. 'He's in a good mood" I thought. Unfortunately when there were only two people in front of my another golf cart drives up. Seeing that the previous cart was in the other line, this cart lady butts in front of the line that I had changed too. Frustrating to say the least. However the official recognized this and hurried them through quite well. 

My turn came up. 

The official told me that I needed to go to the other gate. 

So I asked if it was possible to just go into Brussels in between my connections. 

He told me I probably didn't have time to go into the city with the traffic and going through security again, so I explained I actually meant I just wanted to meet people in the airport. 

And he let me through! So I got to see Abby for about 15 min and it was a great little time. 

It was a little frustrating knowing that if I just stayed in line the first time I could have got an extra 20 min. But I am definitely just thankful for what did happen :) 

A great little bonus as I had originally been quite disappointed that I wasn't flying through London. 

Turns out Brussels had some great features about it.

And it did look pretty flying over too, so I would visit there for real one day.

Oh, and I made my connecting flight.

Candy shop in the airport, regret not getting Belgium chocolate. Cest la vie.

 Blurry, but saying goodbye to a great family. This was actually taken from the me getting into the wrong border check line...again. But accidentally this time.

 So a little story here. I had originally taken this photo because I thought it was funny that 'citizens' were all called 'burgers'. However it has another, less obvious point of interest. As I mentioned in the previous caption, as I was heading for my Rwanda flight after the visit I had accidentally went to the wrong border check. I was in a bit of a hurry by this time so it wasn't great to hear and I wasn't think too clear. So I got to the officer, he notified me of my mistake and indicated the direction to the correct border check for my departure. 

I promptly made my way straight in the direction of that border check,

and straight into the plexiglass wall that you see there...hard.

In front of a lot of people...

However I had a good laugh about it,

as did many others.

And I was still laughing about it 30 minutes later,

as I'm sure many others were.

I just hope it doesn't show up on youtube,

and I hope Abby's parents didn't see it.

Over the DRC and into Rwanda. 

And now, as I hear the noise of Kigali traffic and people buzzing outside my window,

I close off this post and hope for a good rest 

and time of letting God shape my heart and mind for what is to come.

It is Time.

5:49am in Edmonton, Alberta Canada.

1:29pm in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

I will leave for the airport in about 20 minutes to catch my flight at 8am outta here. 

The funny this is, 

I feel like it still hasn't hit me yet

which means that this is probably a big deal. 

I do believe that this summer will be a time of shaping and sanctifying. 

I do believe that God has big plans

and I really want to follow them with my whole heart. 

God has been good in all His provisions.

Blessing me beyond what I could ever deserve,

and I hope that I can be a blessing to His people in Africa. 

Thank you to everyone supporting me

whether financially or through prayer,

when I say it means a lot I say that from a genuine heart. 

What's next....

8am departure from Edmonton, 

Layover in Toronto.

The Brussels Endeavor. Thursday Morning. 

Overnight in Rwanda.

DRC on June 1st.

See you when I get there.

Prayer requests:

For smooth and safe transitions in flights

For a mind and heart focused on God

For the ability to compose many English lessons out of the resources I have

For a continually renewed heart filled with love for God's people

The One.

Some thoughts after watching the film "Beware of Christians" and some discussion of relationships.

We are lead to believe that the search for the perfect person is an external venture, 

However it doesn't take long to realize that every person we get close to is just as broken as we are. 

No, the search for the Mr./Mrs. Right is not what we have been lead to believe it is. 

Rather than an external seeking

it is a venture within ourselves. 

Instead of creating a list

of the way we want that someone else to be

and then looking until we find someone who closely matches that list,

Perhaps we are rather to be pondering over that list,

of the non-negotiable and the bonus features 

we desire in another,

and then applying it to our own lives; 

In order to become that for someone else. 

This is not to say that we should ever settle,

that the character of other is not important.

But it is to say that we will be much more successful

in finding the right person

and finding joy and satisfaction

in relationship

when we

stop

seeking perfection from others and

start

truly applying ourselves to be what we would want others to be for us. 

If we were all seeking to be the right person,

rather than seeking for the right person to complete us, 

the search for Mr./Mrs. Right would be a lot easier, I think. 

As Christ gave Himself for the church,

for us.

As He gave up His life for even many who would love Him in return. 

This is a model for relationship. 

A selfless giving coupled with the recognition

that equal return is not always expected nor required. 

That is love.

Not kind actions done only so long as they are reciprocated,

so long as I am always made happy in return.  

That is selfishness. 

May we find ourselves filling from an unending source

in order to pour out.

Rather than expecting a broken vessel

to have the ability to satisfy another broken vessel.

May we love without requiring return,

truly giving.

You are the one for somebody,

act like it.

Killing Time

Killed some time, slaughtered even perhaps...no that's too graphic.
Just killed some time by watching the season premier of So You Think You Can Dance. 

Some of mi favoritos. 

The 'Zombie'

The 'Exorcist'

The 'I Wish I could do that'

Aaaand the cute, because people seem to like that stuff. 

If you haven't checked out the whole episode I recommend it, lots of great stuff. 

Clay.

Today I bought some gummie bears to take as treats with me to the DRC,

then I ate them.

It's not easy to be in a house with a pack of bears staring at you all day....

 Buuuut that's not what this blog is about.
Its about something that has been on my mind a little while.

On the flight from Houston to Edmonton I read Romans 1 and 2, 

and I began to think about judgement. 

Not God's judgement on us, 

but of our judgement of one another. 

Something I have come to realize that I struggle with,

something God has been working on me this past year. 

I'm wondering if, through the ages, 

Christians have actually been some of the snobbiest people of society. 

We are ordered to act in humility,

under God's grace.

Grace that is taken, applied to our lives

so that we no longer see ourselves guilty of unforgiven sins. 

Perhaps this is not wrong,

for there is no guilt in life after Christ's work. 

However, it becomes so easy to turn our eyes

on those we deem as unforgiven

and look on them as worthy only of being charged guilty,

and that they should be looked on with either

pity or condemnation. 

But in reality, 

I, we, are all equally worthy of the same charge of guilt,

all equally undeserving of the remission of that guilt. 

Yet, though perhaps in good spirit, 

I desire for others to live 

in purity, 

and so in word or maybe just thought

I pass judgement when they do not meet my idea of right living. 

But I must be a magnet and not a prodding iron. 

I must attract with a humble, right lifestyle,

rather than poke and peel away at others shortcoming. 

The latter will only open wounds,

cause unnecessary pain,

and reinforce the idea that I only care about the way you look next to me,

that is, how you make me look,

rather than who you are in the deepest place of your heart.

So reach out christian and be different. 

When your heart condemns

look quickly inwards rather than continue in that thought. 

Examine yourself.

Trade judgemental feelings for love.

Do not feel that the righteousness of the world

rests on your shoulders.

Rather be concerned with the righteousness resting

in your own heart,

that which you do have control of. 

Then act out in love

and trust in God enough to believe

that He can use your lifestyle to draw others to His heart

without you pressing burning coals on people's lips,

blinders on their eyes

and yokes around their neck.

Trust in God enough to believe 

the no heart is out of His reach,

that He can guide and convict as He sees fit and good to do.

That is His work, 

yours is to display His love each day. 

He is the potter,

you are the clay. 

Countdown...5

Its hard to believe that in only 5 days I will be embarking forward to the DRC in only 5 days. 

God is good and after a huge blessing from more friends and my church back home 

funds are nearly all in! 

This Morning

 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, 

what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.

 Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 

 Look at the birds of the air;

 they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, 

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?  

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life"    

- Matthew 6:25-27

As of 3:32pm

South Journey

Just returned from an amazing visit to the US and the great state of Louisiana. 

It was honestly one of the best weeks of my life filled with experiencing new culture, 

beautiful places and great people. 

I definitely look forward to more adventures to Southern lands in the future. 

A snippet of the travels journalled. 

Outside the Cafe Du Monde

Plantation where The Battle of New Orleans took place

Gators in the Bayou

Air boat on the water

Spanish Moss

This one makes me think of a yeti hanging off the tree. 

                                                                                                       (me and the girl)

 

The weekend

Just had a great weekend including some attending of The Black Keys concert in Edmonton. 

Abby and I ventured to the grand Rexall Place in Edmonton to join thousands of other people

and enjoy some fine music. 

But better than this excursion was the early internship gift Abby gave me before the concert. 

I've always kind of wanted a Bible with a tree on it, honestly. 

Hence this Bible was an excellent gift; 

and it also outlines passages 

which talk about the environment and creation in green. 

I like that kind of stuff. 

It will definitely be travelling with me to the DRC. 

I'm becoming more excited about my internship

and the opportunities coming to just build relationship,

to learn, 

and to experience God alongside a whole new group of people. 

I pray that God will continue to develop in me

a heart after His own.

Eyes that see as He sees.

Wisdom to act as He would act. 

Funds are slowly coming in. 

Always praying for more to come.

Sometimes trusting can be a difficult activity,

but perhaps this demonstrates the importance of it.

Faith wouldn't mean quite so much

if you already knew how things would pan out. 

Its about trusting when you cannot see the results. 

Life Goes On

Just returned back from a camping trip in Jasper with great group of people.

Marvelling at the mountains, 

lunch by the river

and a wolf in the morning

were all a part of this trip. 

I definitely find myself connecting with nature and the rugged life,

not minding getting up early besides the extreme chill in the May mountain air. 

Hopefully this will not be the last camping adventure with Vanguard folks. 

Also, upon arriving home

I was happy to see that my visa for the DRCongo had arrived.

The list of to-dos is slowly ticking away,

and the time before I go is quickly rushing by. 

4 years ago God placed this country on my heart,

in 23 days I will be travelling there.

This is real. 

Finances are coming along but still have a little ways to go. 

Please pray for provision of what remains.