One of the last things that the group team from Highlands did was, perhaps,  one of the most impactful for many of them, the house visits. Several of the children sponsored by different team members lived close to school. So, after the farewell celebration that was done by the students (see last post), the team members split up into smaller groups and went out into the community with FH staff to visit some of the families.

Of all the things the team was able to do while in Rwanda this was probably one of the most raw and authentic experiences. No longer are you focused on a vision that includes so many, no longer are you talking about them, suddenly it all boils down to one single child who lives in one particular family.  Some of the families visited had both a mom and a dad taking care of the many children, some were single parents, other children were taken care of by only a grandmother or grandfather. All of the families lived in modest homes, their caregivers working their land and livestock to ensure the survival of their kids.

Their seemed to be multiple periods of sweet and unspoken connections during these visits. Though most parents spoke no English, the translators weren’t needed to communicate the heart of what was being said. While the children appreciated meeting their sponsors, and I’m sure loved getting the small gifts, the parents understood what was being provided to their children that they simply couldn’t provide on their own. There was a humbling appreciation that radiated from the eyes of these parents, as if you were seeing their very hearts gleaming through.  With kind embraces and gentle handshakes they would warmly greet their guests, always inviting them in to their homes.

The visits didn’t last long; usually no more than fifteen to twenty minutes each. But in that time everything became clearer. The struggles of the families, obstacles before them, the hope they still carried, the joy they held tightly to. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. In my experience, Christ is always magnified more in the lives of those who face the biggest struggles, the darkest darkness, or the most difficult roads. It is in these places that hope, grace, and joy seem so unattainable, and yet with him, seem like the only thing that truly matters. It saddens me that in our lives of comparative comfort back in the states we are reminded of this truth seldom and far between. We don’t cling to the grace of God because we must actively seek the reality of that truth; we don’t acknowledge the hope we have in Him, because we surround ourselves by artificial hope; and we don’t realize that we stand in darkness, because many times darkness just looks a lot different for us.

It is my hope that this time was as valuable for the Highlands team members as I suspect it was. I also hope it was a time of encouragement for those visited, a time of sweet reunion between souls striving on towards the same end goal. For me it was another reminder on this journey that when it all boils down to it the only thing that is left is relationships.

People and the Triune God.
That’s it.

When we lost sight of this we lose sight both of what holds us together and what gives us life. It is my prayer that this understanding in my life will continue to be built upon. But for now, what a sweet and beautiful reminder.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,  from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2009 at 9:32 am and is filed under FH, Photography, Rwanda. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.