Rwanda #1

Day one,  Tuesday Oct. 9

I got in at 7:30 in the evening on Monday.  The two flights totaled 19 hours in the air.  I got to sit by a new young mother from Uganda-living in the UK.  She had her hands full with a 6 month old.  It took me back to the days of traveling with little ones.  Needless to say I got to hold Nathan quite a number of times.  He was very good and about as cute as they come.  Evening is a great time to arrive when traversing multiple time zones.  You can go to bed soon after arriving, which makes for an easier transition to the new zone-in my opinion.  The down side was I had to wait until morning to see any of the city. 

I found myself not feeling very culturally prepared for the trip.  I had read some about the country and know some of the history of the Friends Church, but as we landed it dawned on me that I was a bit too lassie faire in my mental preparations.  I travel enough that it doesn’t feel that odd to be on long flights surrounded by people speaking other languages.  I can too easily just roll my international experiences into how they are alike and miss how they are unique.  So as I deplaned and walked towards the terminal I reminded myself to listen and observe.   I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in myself for not doing better prep.  This is an observation I need to remember in the future, especially when traveling to places I have been before.  Continued below the pictures.  1. Katie, Kay, Doris, Logan, Rhonda, Michelle, and Janna all from Haviland.  They were there to lead the womans conference.  Several had never been out of the states before.  They seemed to have a blast. 2.  Ron Stansell, Sabino Chipana, Claribela Chipana, Lon Fendall enjoying lunch.  3.  Dr. John and Carol Williams teaching in the marriage seminar for pastors. 4.  One of the pastors couples during the breakout "talk to your spouse" questions.   

Things went smoothly in immigration.  When I mentioned that David Thomas was the contact person in the city, the immigration official told me he knew him.  Hard to say if that was true, David was a bit surprised.   All the bags came and David was there to pick me up.  We waited just a bit and also picked up Sabino Chipana and his daughter Claribela who is able to translate for her father who only speaks Spanish and Aymara.  I enjoyed the ride as David spoke in three languages.  I don’t think David’s son Aren gets to hear him speak much Spanish.

I am staying in a mission house with 6 others.  Dr. John and Carol Williams are here.  Dan Cammack, Matt Macy and Gary and Connie Young all arrive today and will fill out the house quite nicely.  The Thomas family lived here for awhile and I understand that Molly Black will live here when she returns later this fall.  Pictures on the wall show people I know.  There are people like Chrissy Muhr, Molly, Drew Miller, and Johnny Kaye to name a few.  The garden around is beautiful and the weather is warm but muggy. 

Shawn