I'm Trying So Hard to Get to Rwanda

So there I was, ready to get to Rwanda. I've fit my entire life for a year into just a few bags and I am ready to get on three planes!

The six of us got to Chicago O'Hare airport and enjoyed what we thought would be our last American meal for a year. The Rwanda country group was traveling with the group going to Central Europe to Washington DC and getting on our international flights from there. It was really nice to have some more time with these friends before we went our separate ways for a year!

After getting onto the plane, we awaited take-off. Our friendly flight attendants informed us that due to a mechanical issue, our takeoff was going to be delayed. I've traveled quite a bit in my life, so I felt confident that we would get in the air quickly make up for lost time in the air. Both groups had just over an hour to get to our international connection, so we were keeping a close eye on what was happening. And I was so incredibly incredibly wrong.

After an hour and a half, our flight finally takes off. We're hoping that our connections might be delayed as well and we can still catch flights out to where we're going. Unfortunately, as we got to DC, a thunderstorm set in and we couldn't land. We ended up diverting to Pittsburgh and sitting on the plane for a few hours. My friend Beth and I were definitely feeling antsy but kept our spirits up with many selfies.

Despite the frustrations and stress, I was reminded--as I always am when flying--how breathtakingly beautiful the sky is.

We finally were able to land in DC--over four hours after we were due to arrive. Needless to say, we missed our connections. After some negotiation with Customer Service, we were all set with new flight plans and a hotel outside the city in Virginia. We made our way to the beautiful and castle-like resort that the airline had put us in and reveled in our year of humble service while lounging in fluffy bathrobes, enjoying flat screen TVs, and relaxing in our private rooms. 

We're on our way to the airport again shortly, so hopefully we are able to get to Amsterdam and then Rwanda soon!

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are a collection of the most common questions I've received in the past eight months of my preparation for this journey.

Q: Wait, so what exactly are you doing?

A: From August 2014-July 2015, I will be serving in Rwanda as part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Young Adults in Global Mission.

Q: What in the world is YAGM?

A: YAGM is a program initiated by the ELCA which sends young adults around the world for a year of service in partnership with Lutheran congregations in a variety of countries. This year, the YAGM program has young adults serving in Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay, The United Kingdom, Jerusalem and the West Bank, Central Europe and Hungary, Rwanda, Madagascar, and South Africa and Swaziland. 63 young adults have been called to serve for this year.

Q. Oh, okay, so you're missionaries.

A. Well, yes, technically. But I want to take a moment to stress that we're not the image of missionaries you may have. Throughout this experience, I've been exploring a lot about what it means to be a missionary. We are serving at the invitation of Lutheran Churches from around the world and are excited about sharing in relationship with our new congregation and community we're serving in. There's no conversion, there's no imposition. We believe that to be a missionary is to live into God's commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves, and in this case, in a global context. Everyone who strives to spread love and peace through relationships and intentional community is a missionary, no matter where you are. By reclaiming the word and being aware of its presence in our year, we live into this new definition.

Q. Cool, so where are you going?

I will be serving in Rwanda. If you're my bank, you may be asking "Rwanda, what country is that in? I've never heard of it." So here's to you Key Bank: Rwanda is a country in Central Eastern Africa. I will be serving in Cyangugu (pronounced Chan-gu-gu), a city on the Western border of the country.

The above map shows where the six of us will be serving next year. I am on the left side, at the circled pin. As you may have noticed, I'm pretty far away from the rest of the group. I'm excited about being on the West border by Lake Kivu, and looking forward to exploring the joys and challenges of being farther from the other placements in Rwanda. Cyangugu is on the border that Rwanda shares with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a few miles away from Bukavu, a larger town in the DRC. There's going to be so much to explore!

Q. So, what will you be doing?

This is the question that stumps me the most. I haven't received any details about my placement other than the city name. I could be doing any number of things: teaching English, working in a congregation doing parish work, engaging with youth ministry, partnering with community NGOs and local groups, or any number of things I don't know yet. I know that my job will be fluid throughout the year. This is the first year for the Rwanda program, so we are all living into this year of questions together. As I am able to learn more information, I will be sure to share it with you!

Q. Will you have internet?

This is a good question. I know that in my first few weeks I will be in orientation in Kigali and have access to wifi. I don't know yet what my internet connection will look like when I get to Cyangugu. I'm hoping that I will at least be able to find an internet cafe. Again, as with so many of these questions, as I know things, you will know things. 

As more questions pop up or I know more answers, I will keep this section updated. Please let me know if you have any questions I didn't get to.

Wow, I finally have a blog!

In typical fashion, I'm posting this first blog post at the last minute. Honestly, I think people would be surprised if there wasn't something (or, you know, many things) I put off until the last possible moment. But here it is, and here I am--on my way to fly off to Kigali and live in Rwanda for a year.

Many of you reading this will have some part of an idea about what I'm doing this year, but I understand that not everyone (myself included) have the whole picture. This creates the opportunity for us to travel this journey together. In a separate post, I've outlined some frequently asked questions that I've received in hopes that it helps you understand better what I'm doing. As I know information, I'm excited to share it with you here. I will keeping this page as updated as my internet access allows.

In an exercise of self-control, my plan is to keep these posts brief. I tend to ramble, so I'm stating here in the open, in an attempt to cultivate some accountability, that this year will be a practice in economical writing. That being said, if I touch on something in a post that you want explained more, please let me know!

Finally, I'm excited to share with you in my writing project for the year. Upon the advice of my poetry advisor and mentor, I'm including in my daily writing practice a sonnet project. I'm going to be writing a sonnet every day as a way to catalogue the day and uphold my poetry practice for the year. I plan on sharing some of these with you--Sonnet Sundays, anyone?--throughout the year.

Feel free to poke around the FAQs of this blog and let me know if you have any questions at all! My email is emilybishop76@gmail.com and I can be reached there.

Love,
Emily