“If you go, it will change your life,” a friend advised me in early 2013. She was speaking of an upcoming group trip to Rwanda, where I would tour various areas of the country to provide assistance to people living in extreme poverty. I would also have the opportunity to meet an 8-year-old boy, Jean Claude, who I had just begun sponsoring through a Rwandan NGO. To me, sponsoring a child sometimes seemed a bit distant and abstract, so meeting this child in person would be a very important and meaningful part of that trip.
That friend’s advice (“it will change your life”) turned out to be a vast understatement. Nearly seven years later, I’ve visited Jean Claude and his family many times and have had the privilege of watching him and his sister grow up into beautiful, funny, happy teenagers. I’ve also gained many new Rwandan friends and family, because – against all odds – I somehow found a very beautiful Rwandan woman who agreed to marry me. Her name is Phionah; you may have already seen her photo on the Vuba Team page!
Phionah’s family is Rwandan, but she actually grew up in Uganda, as many Rwandans did during that time period. During her lifetime she’s lived in large cities and she’s lived in a small rural village. She’s lived in a modern house with all the “normal” facilities, and she’s lived in a small mud brick house with no electricity or running water. She has known hunger and she’s experienced loss due to disease and other hardships – life experiences that are common in Africa but go much deeper than the things I’ve experienced in my own life. Phionah has been a major influence in my life (challenging me constantly!) and has helped me gain so much perspective that I could not have achieved without her.
Although I am a foreigner and a guest in your country, I do feel like Rwanda is my second home. I want to see Rwanda become the land that you dream of, and I hope to work alongside you to help you achieve your ambitious goals. Thank you for the warm welcome and friendly hospitality you have offered me on every occasion!
