Well, it has been quite a while since I attempted the ten minutes of musing. In fact, it’s just that I was musing so much that I didn’t have the time to actually blog it. We have landed and all the rawness that I experienced in Togo eleven and 1/2 years ago has washed over me yet again.  Sorry for the paralysis.  It is just all of the figuring out drives me not only insane, but to withdraw until the fog begins to clear.  By the way, I did learn why Rwanda is so foggy in the mornings.  It is not related to the altitude, but instead I was told by my language instructor that traditionally it was taught that it was from the frogs in the valleys smoking tobacco.   That was a freebie, and you can do with that information whatever you please.  So, here are some things that I have figured out so far.

We have a wonderful house.  The first moment we were in it Tucker exclaimed that this was the house for us, saying something like, “this is the house that God wants us to be in.”  We resisted, looked and looked, considered, and wound up just where our 13 year old and God wanted us to be, taking over the lease of Caleb and Jenny Beck, wonderful two month hosts that they were.  The most painful aspect being that the rent is 7 times what we paid in Togo!

The boys are in a great school.  That has been an interesting transition.  I can’t think of a more intense social setting nor more intimidating group of students to be thrown into the pot with than the “international” set our boys are in.  But, once again, they thrive.  Especially after the highly acclaimed performance of the 4 T’s in the school’s talent show that had them doing Tae Kwon Do routines to Kung Fu Fighting with Trevor “break-dancing” in the middle of it to bring the house down.  Would have loved a video of it, but hey, the camera was in a storage facility jail across town.

We are still in Africa.  The process of acquiring our work permits, having to leave the country for a weekend so we could get new visas on re-entry along with our goods being held hostage for over three weeks now has reminded me that we are still in a place that plays the game by a whole different set of rules and I must learn in yet another language how to wait on God and be patient.  Things work out, this I know, for my God has shown me so!  We just pray and wait and try and pray and wait and try again.  By the way, good news Africa Transformation Network now has registration with the government for the next twelve months.  Yeah!!

Our work will be different in Rwanda and yet the same.  The end result is the same as it always was and will be.  We will work to bring others into a discipled relationship with Jesus the Savior and King of all.  It is just that there are constraints on us and requirements that I never would have imagined for our work here.  We must prove ourselves to the government, even with annual accountability reports that we are benefiting the people of Rwanda.  Therein lies the function and purpose of Africa Transformation Network.  It is the vessel by which we shall share the love of God with the Rwandans.  It has lots of neat projects and wonderful works that we are using to bless the people here, make contacts for disciple training, as well as giving us a venue to grow in language and cultural understanding.

I think that the more languages you learn the easier the process becomes and the dumber you get.  That may not make sense, but that is how you feel.  “Oh, this again, been here before.  Try to say, I need to use the bathroom.  Oops, I said I want to stop a train.”  note to self.  I am such an idiot.

Have truck, will travel, and feel like a man.  Crazy isn’t it.  Since the time I was 16, I felt like a set of wheels, particularly if it included six or more cylinders and was a 4X4 added a great deal to the feeling of manliness.  For our first nine weeks here, I was pretty low.  Now, I got me a truck and things are so much better.  Thank you to all who helped and broke open piggy banks to aid in this pursuit of a vehicle.  It only cost twenty nine million, one hundred and thirty thousand francs and the locals here call it the car with the ugly face.  But, it will definitely get us there and back again.  We pledge to baby it and use it well.

These are the significant things I have figured out, there are plenty of insignificant ones, that I have no time to muse with you about and sadly I am not including any pictures today, but, I am back in the blogging business, so tell your friends and we can muse together about God’s great grace and his love that compels us to move to places like Rwanda to bless those who have been so cursed with calamity.

Peace.