A Monday

Second Monday of Spring semester. It’s snowing, and for some reason I think that’s significant. Mondays are going to be pretty easy for me this semester (sorry to those of you who actually have normal schedules), but this morning was rather…stressful. For my Ethics of Development class today, we read an article on US aid (from USAID, of course)to Nepal for health/medical care in 2002 or so that focused on abortion—do the Nepalese agree to the terms nixing abortion (legally) to get the full $400k+ or disagree and take the $200k+ cut? While the answer was pretty straight forward to me in theory (i.e. on the Moodle discussion forum), in practice (class) I was shakin’ in my boots to say a word to an audience of nonbelievers, albeit “good” and intelligent people. But I did. Mostly because my professor asked me point blank to voice the opinions I had stated on the forum (which my classmates failed to read because of some sort of as-of-yet-unidentified computer/internet error), but still I spoke, and even though no one chastised me for my opinions, it was probably the single most terrifying thing I’ve done in a long time. That might surprise you, but I think it’s true.

So how does this relate? Well, as you might imagine, I felt extremely convicted. Why was it so hard to share in an environment that was genuinely not hostile? I had made most of it up in my head. I mean, the silence as I spoke was deafening (and awkward, for me at least), but it was civil. That’s when I realized that I can do this. That all the things I want and need to say will get said, but only if I take the initiative. In Rwanda, I think I learned this when I spoke in tongues for the first time (and may or may not have said “I want to speak” in two different languages that did not immediately register in my brain). I want to speak, I can speak, I should speak, I will speak. Rwanda changed me, and I know that greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done—on this campus, in this country, on this Earth.

As for me, I will serve the Lord.

God bless.

Home Again, Home Again

By Emily Ford

6 February 2012

So we are all back home, and most of us are getting back into the college life of classes and such. Getting off the last flight felt great especially after 24 hours of basically straight flight. So did seeing my family! It was fantastic to see my mom and my sister at the bag carousel (of course my sister had a hot cocoa waiting for me as well). Tears of joy were shed and home we went! After washing many now red colored socks and trying to stay awake, I surrendered to sleep and dreamed for many hours. The rest is history and now I am back at good ol’ Gustavus Adolphus College.

Jetlag has hopefully worn off for everyone and we’re now hopefully returning to a normal life. Wait, normal? Normal… nope, no such thing anymore, the new normal is abnormal. I must admit, it’s good to be back for me but I know that many things are different. I’m not sure if I can quite express in words the way that things have changed for me but I guess I’ll do my best since one of the most frequently asked question is, “So, how has this trip to Rwanda changed your life?” Well, hmmm I guess the easiest way to say it is that I just can’t look at people the same way anymore. I have spent an entire 22 days loving people in crazy ways, people that I know well and others that I never knew and may never see again. Now that I am back here I can’t just see a person and think nothing – now all I can think is how can I love them? How does God love them? How do/can I show this? It is hard, I must say, because with little kids I can pick them up and flip them over my shoulder and kiss them. Now, if I did that to some random person at school or on the street I think I might be arrested. So God is showing me different ways (thank goodness) to love. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for us while we all begin a new journey in the states. The Lord is good and abundant in so many ways that I cannot even begin to imagine!

Thank you to everyone that has been following us through our blog and for praying for us you have truly blessed us all!