back in Rwanda

There are many things that have made coming back to Rwanda this time around an uncomfortable transition. I am so very happy that I know this place, that I know people here, that I have a community. Our car got broken into, my computer broke, Kimi's contracted a virus that wiped out his whole system, and Ayumi broke her wrist. It is easy for me to get discouraged. I go back to work on Monday to a job that I don't love leaving sweet baby Alex home. Even though all these transitions have been hard I feel blessed. Blessed to have friends who I can call and say "Ayumi broke her wrist and needs surgery, please pray." Friends who will do that and instead of asking questions right off the bat say "I am praying". Blessed to have co-workers spend the night on a cold hospital floor (with cockroaches) and advocate for Ayumi and her pain. Blessed to drive a crappy car that has nothing worth stealing. Blessed to have a friend come from Germany right when I needed a new computer. Life here is never boring and gives me infinite occasions to trust God

I recently read an interview with Brene Brown on embracing failure. She states

"I do think that we have somehow, in our pursuit of comfort and happiness, shifted a lot of value to fun, fast and easy. But it’s counterfeit value. The amount of energy it takes to live a life where you never fall down is so much. We’re enamored of grit, tenacity, courage, and perseverance, I think because they’re so rare. They’re truth. We have a sign in our house that says, “We do hard things.” We’re going to be called upon to do hard things. We can weather disappointment. I think people are desperate for that. I think they want to believe they’re brave and they want to be brave, but what they don’t understand is how difficult it is. There’s this cultural obsession with happy and comfortable. But what we really respect are people who can have tough conversations and get things done. In order to do that, we have to be very awake to our emotional lives."

Life is not meant to be easy. Instagram, Facebook and even blogs tend to make us forget that. It was not easy in Seattle, and is not easy here. But man, it's good and hard and scary and wonderful!