Check out our awesome team! We had such an awesome time together in Rwanda. I was challenged and encouraged and delighted by this experience and I am looking forward to the ways that this team will continue to grow and learn here in Canada.
I have a few favourite memories from this trip; firstly, I got to be present at an awards ceremony where my sponsored student, Cynthia, won top honours for being the number one ranked student in her class! For a girl from a single-parent family, struggling with poverty, this is a pretty incredible achievement! In addition to this, I got to see her volunteer alongside our team during the day camps and preach at a local church one Sunday! Chris and I are honoured to walk alongside Cynthia and her mom Emerita in this journey of education. Currently, we have 3 students in need of sponsorship. If you're interested in sponsoring a child, click here and fill out a sponsorship brochure!
The second story I want to tell is about a team member who I've been mentoring for the past three years. When I first met Carly (name changed to protect privacy) three years ago, she was incredibly shy and never answered my questions with more than one word. She struggles with anxiety and worry and this is something we talk about often. Just applying for this team was incredibly stressful for her and the thought of raising $4200 seemed impossible. However, little by little, she did the work, talked to people and raised all the money. As the one in charge of tracking the fundraising, I had the distinct pleasure of being the first to congratulate her when she accomplished her goal!
Fundraising, however, was only the first hurdle. Carly is also afraid of flying, and so, taking three long plane rides to get to Rwanda felt pretty overwhelming for her. She struggled a little with some turbulence on a couple flights but overall, she was a champ and made it through with the support of our team members. You'd think God would have left it there, but no, He had one more challenge in mind for Carly.
During the day camps, we have one person share a testimony each day. We alternated between Canadian and Rwandans and since Carly was the only Canadian student on her team, it would fall to her to share her testimony on the last day of camp. Knowing this was way out of her comfort zone, her leader offered to do it if Carly felt that she couldn't. However, he asked that she at least do the work to prepare as if she was going to share. Carly and I worked together to write out something that felt true, and relevant in any context. Since anxiety was a big part of her life, she chose to talk about how it had prevented her from fully engaging in life but that God has promised her that she is never alone and that she can "do all things through Christ who strengthens (her)". (Philippians 4:13) When the day came to share, she was anxious but determined to go ahead with it. Through nerves, tears and translation stalls, she shared beautifully. I can't even begin to express how proud of Carly I was in that moment. It is an honour to know her and be her friend.
As we said in our blog as we travelled home, those of you who know about the journey this team took before we ever stepped on a plane, will know that it has been anything but predictable. This theme continued all throughout the time we spent in Rwanda. Often, things did not go according to our plans, but isn’t God just like that? He uses the unexpected and the unpredictable to draw us closer to Him and closer to each other. He’s kind of awesome like that.
Thank you for your prayers and financial support as we prepared, travelled and worked in Rwanda. Your encouragement was needed and felt throughout the past 8 months. I've got lots more stories, so if you want to catch up, drop me a line!
Much love,
Christa
Prayer Requests:
1) I am hoping to increase my hours at The Elevation Project to 16 hours/month. I am looking for 10 new partners to support me at $50/month. If this is something you would like to do, please click HERE!
2) For good follow-up opportunities with our EE2014 Team
3) That our team would have opportunities to share about their experience in Rwanda so they can build upon what they've already learned