Bad attitude

I arrived at the 2000 Hotel in Kigali exhausted, hungry, in desperate need of a shower and missing my luggage. Travel is hard, people. Even when you are fulfilling lifelong dreams you can end up a little cranky. I have a confession that may shock some. I was in such an injured emotional state heading into this trip. So very full of unforgiveness and bitterness, I was.  Initially when I signed up for the trip, I was excited that the only person who knew me or anything about me was the team leader. Both Peter and his wife Rebekah had welcomed me onto the team with loving arms during a season of sit and do nothing (ministry wise). A season meant to free me to heal and to focus on my family but instead, a season that left me with lots of scars of rejection and questioning who I truly was to God and the church. I had all kinds of hang ups and a pretty bad attitude about a lot of things.

After signing up for the trip, I discovered that another woman that I’d known since she was in high school (and attends another campus of our church) was also coming. I knew her to be a kind and sweet young woman but I was still so disappointed that someone who knew me and my story the past few years was going to be on my team. I had longed for escape. For an adventure where no one knew anything about me. Our God in his goodness, heard my crazy hurting heart cry. He decided to deal with it his way, which is always the best. To face it head on and use the very thing I was afraid of to bring health and healing back into my life. You will see just how as the story unfolds.

While awaiting my lost luggage, I decided to get my room assignment and find out who my roommate was for the first night. Yep, you guest it. It was that one person, I had hoped to avoid (out of shame, and hurt). When I knocked on the hotel room door Alex, welcomed me to our room with such excitement that my grouchiness quickly gave way to peace and acceptance. She was excited to share a room with me! I melted a little, the Holy Spirit already chipping away my hard edges. Having arrived earlier Alex had already eaten but took me to find food in the restaurant of the hotel. I was so looking forward to trying my first Rwandan food but no, the hotel was owned by Chinese and the menu was yep you guessed it…Chinese. We headed downstairs to find dinner and found the classiest restaurant I’d seen attached to a hotel in a foreign land. Complete with live music. I felt out of place in my dirty travel clothes. It was magical though. Enjoy a little taste of our musical experience!

We enjoyed our live music and returned to our room where I found my suitcase, took a shower and settled down for my first night sleep in Rwanda. Still with a chip on my shoulder and still hoping for a new roommate when we arrived in Musanze, Rwanda.