So close, but yet so far away...

15 days. Wow. I really can't believe it. 

Today we had our last group meeting to divide some of our supplies up, and to just go over a few last things. It just seems so unreal. I have been able to tell people that I'm going to Rwanda, and now it is happening in 15 days! 

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't freaking out. Let's be real... I totally am. But, with this, I know that things will be ok. As it reads in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  He is in control of everything, I have nothing to fear. I am so glad that I can put all of my burdens, my fears, my uneasiness into the hands of the Lord. Everything will be ok! It will! 

I have really worked on preparing mentally the past few days. I will move home in two weekends, pack my bags, say my goodbyes, and then leave. I think that is what I am most uneasy about. Saying goodbye to my family, my boyfriend, and my friends will be so hard. I will be able to email them every so often, and perhaps skype them once or twice, but 6 weeks is a very very very long time. I know that I will not be alone though. In church today, we heard a sermon on Mark 3: 20-21; 31-35. For those of you who might need a refresher, here is a link to the verses. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+3%3A20-21%2CMark+3%3A31-35&version=ESV

 One aspect of the sermon that hit me was the point that God's family is open to all. Whoever does the will of God is someone who is in my family. Those who trust and obey the word of the Lord are my sisters and my brothers. Although I will be 7887.7 miles away from my "blood" family, I will be in the presence of my family in Christ. Wow. It really hit me. At the time where I was worried and stressing, the word that was preach was exactly what I needed. This started to excite me even more for my trip. I am so curious to see how those relationships will be formed, and I can't wait to see what this journey does for my faith and my relationship with God. 

Although these last 15 days in the United States will be a bit stressful, busy, full of packing, tears, and goodbyes, I need to remember to give it all up to God. Matthew 6:31-34 says, "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Time to go do some packing! Love you all, and will be in contact soon!

-Leah :) 

(p.s. Does anyone have any awesome book recommendations? At night we will have some down time, and I am a big reader! Let me know!)

30 days!

Hello everyone!

I hope you had a splendid Easter break. I know it has been a few weeks since my last post. I have been really busy lately with trip preparation, Easter break, and working through my education practicum. Life has been spinning with excitement lately, and the countdown to my trip keeps getting smaller and smaller. I am officially about a month away from departing, and the excitement is evident! :) 

Like I said before, I have been working through my education practicum, which I have loved! I am currently with a class of 4th graders that I work with every day. They are full of curiosity, joy, and a crazy large passion for life. They ask me daily about my trip, and multiple students have asked if they could come with me. My school kiddos want to know what I am doing every day on my trip, but are also begging to know what the kids over in Rwanda are like. 

The passion for learning that my students have make me excited to see what the kiddos in Rwanda will be like. I think that the love for learning students have, and their natural curiosity serves as a way to communicate. It is almost as if there is an unspoken happiness that comes from students, especially the younger ones, and those relationships can just grow and flourish through time talking and teaching. I can't wait to make the connections between the kiddos in Rwanda, and my fourth graders here. 

Education is something that I am so passionate about in life, that really propels and drives me forward in life. I can't wait to see how this trip will also change my views surrounding education, and how I will use these experiences in my future classroom with my future kiddos. :)

If you would like more information on education in Rwanda, feel free to check out the UNICEF website. Here is a link : http://www.unicef.org/rwanda/education.html Who knows, maybe some day I will end up back in Africa teaching :) Only time will tell! 

Hope all is well!

Love, 
Leah :) 

Shots on Shots on Shots

Today was an occasion that will not be forgotten anytime soon. 

As I walked into the Sanford Travel Clinic this morning, I was nervous, but filled with excitement. I was finally going to get my immunizations, and work on being prepared for the health aspect of my trip. Going in, I expected to sit down, talk about why I need certain immunizations, get a shot or two, and then leave and go on with my day. I would love to say that this was the process, but it was slightly different.

I have been a United States resident all of my life. I have grown up in a healthy and clean environment,  always had access to running and filtered water, and my parents always provided me with fresh fruits and vegetables, although I may have refused to eat them at some meal times. I could, and still can, run around in my backyard barefoot, go hang out at the lake, and do pretty much whatever I wanted to do without having to worry about any imminent health concerns. To this day, I had never thought about how big of a blessing this was. 

When I sat down in the clinic, the first thing the doctor does is pull out this huge packet of information about Rwanda from http://www.travax.nhs.uk (honestly... if you are planning on traveling anywhere, this website has so much helpful, useful, and non-doctor only language information!) She then proceeded to bring me through the packet, explaining what diseases I need to get protection for, along with common diseases in Rwanda. 
I will give you a quick break down of some of what we went over:

vaccine-preventable diseases: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, influenza, polio, rabies, typhoid, yellow fever, tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis, mumps/rubella/measles, pneumococcal, and varicella

then came...
Malaria

And as for other diseases: African trypanosomiasis, schistosomiasis, tuberculosis

For those of you who know me, I am sure you can picture the expressions that came across my face. SO MANY THINGS. I will be leaving what I know, and traveling to a place where I have to personally peal my fruit or boil it to be able to eat it, avoid ice and water unless I am 100% sure that it came from a bottle, I have to make sure to keep my mouth closed while I am showering, and I was strictly told to not venture into freshwater to help eliminate the chance of me coming down with a case of schistosomiasis. 

My heart broke, not because I would miss the carefree lifestyle of venturing around in the US, but because some of these diseases could be eliminated if there was clean water avaiable . The World Health Organization says that every year more than 3.4 million people die as a result of water related diseases, making it the leading cause of disease and death around the world. Most of the victims are young children, the vast majority of whom die of illnesses caused by organisms that thrive in water sources contaminated by raw sewage. And, according to an assessment commissioned by the United Nations, 4,000 children die each day as a result of diseases caused by ingestion of filthy water. The report says four out of every 10 people in the world, particularly those in Africa and Asia, do not have clean water to drink.

After having received my 5 shots, my arms feel like I was punched by Muhammad Ali, I could not help but think of how blessed I am to live in the United States. I need to remember to give thanks to God every day for what he has provided me, but I also need to pray for those who may not. But, being so blessed, it is also important to come together to help those in need as well. Here are a few organizations that I am a big fan of that are constantly working to improve the living conditions for our brothers and sisters in areas of need, particularly in Africa. 

• The Water Project: http://thewaterproject.org This organization works to bring relief to communities around the world who suffer needlessly from a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation. To date, they have completed/funded at least 400 different projects that have impacted and helped over 200,000 people!
• Nothing But Nets Campaign: http://www.nothingbutnets.net/learn/what-is-malaria/ Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to raise awareness and funding to fight malaria. Each $10 contribution goes towards the cost of purchasing a long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed net, distributing it, and educating communities on its use. So far, there have been over 6,500,00 nets donated! For more really great info on this organization, check out the links on the bottom of my blog. :) 

Today, I think I realized a new passion in my life...working to provide a safe environment for EVERY person in this world, starting with the basics. 

With love,

Leah 

I Bless The Rains Down in Africa

Muraho!

           

            If you were to ask me my freshman year what I would be doing in the May of 2013, I would probably respond with something like, “Oh you know.... probably just hanging out in New Ulm, working a basic summer job.” Then, if you were to ask me what I would think about traveling to Africa, I would most likely say, “Well, I could finally sing the song “Africa” by Toto, and I think it would be great to relive the experience my parents had in Tanzania when I was in third grade.” Toto and Tanzania. (If you haven't heard the song, I really recommend you check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWfY9GRe7SI )

            Well, I have grown up a bit, and now if you were to ask me the same questions I would say....

1.     I am going to the small country of Rwanda on a service trip from May 6^th to June 12^th with 5 other amazing women and a professor.

2.     I still love the classic Toto song, I mean who can’t not jam out when that song plays on the radio?!? But, I am also thrilled to go abroad to meet new individuals, have new experiences, to be changed, and also to be an active servant of Christ through serving others.

            While in Rwanda, my group will be staying at the SOS Children’s village outside of Kigali. We will spend the mornings teaching English to kindergarten and trade school students, and during lunch we will be sharing our time with the housemothers at the orphanage. In the afternoon we will be working with the primary school teachers, establishing relationships with them, sharing experiences, and helping them with their English skills. One weekend we will be taking a trip to Butare, which is in the southern part of Rwanda. While there, we will be spending some time learning about the culture of Rwanda, especially focusing on the history and how it has effected daily life in the country. We will also be traveling to Musanze where we will be working with more students and teachers. This trip promises to be life changing, and filled of opportunities to learn, teach, and to share God’s love with our brothers and sisters in Rwanda.

            Before traveling there are obviously a lot of different steps and processes. I have immunizations to get, money to be raised, history to be learned, and languages to try and tackle. As I prepare to leave for this trip, I hope to share some of my questions with you, and also what I have learned before I leave. Periodically I will post other interesting articles, books, videos, etc. that I have read/found, so you can get a little taste of what I am going through. While I am in Rwanda, I really hope to blog my experience to share the amazing work we will be part of, but also how this experience has changed my life.

Thank you for all of your prayers, love and support!

Blessings,

Leah :)