Bustling

Well, I've arrived safely back in Rwanda after my trip back for my dad's funeral. Thanks to everyone who prayed for my family. It was great to see many of you and I am very sorry for those I could not find or did not get to spend time with. We will be back in the US for our furlough around May 1, 2011.

Today is Thanksgiving day and last night Kristin and I sat on the couch and talked about how we missed being in the States for the holidays. We discussed some of the things we missed and memories of past holidays. We are so blessed to have a great family here and a great Thanksgiving day dinner and fellowship with our team.

As I reflected on what it was about Thanksgiving that really increased our "cultural fatigue" I settled on a few subtle "holiday" emotional triggers that just seem to be missing here.

1. The weather. In the Midwest, there is almost always cold weather. We certainly don't have that here. We miss the "chance of snow" on the days after Thanksgiving.

2. Changing of the leaves. It's odd to set out all of our "fall" decor with the browns, golds and deep reds but not be able to see any outside. The trees never change color here. The get dirty in the dry season but never change color.

3. The biggest thing for me this year was the "bustling". I was in the States this past week and I happened to go to Wal-Mart on the Saturday before I left, which I didn't realize at the time was the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It was crazy busy. It felt like the holidays. Now that I'm back, there is no bustling. Rwandans obviously don't celebrate American Thanksgiving, nor do the Canadians, British or other nationalities. School is in, they did make it a half day so the Americans can celebrate Thanksgiving but it's back to a full day of school tomorrow. I guess all the bustling I'm going to get this holiday is seeing all the American people I know at the local grocery yesterday afternoon buying up the last of the chickens or baking soda (which I never found).

Well, despite the lack of bustling, we are blessed and find many things to be thankful for this holiday season. Thank you again for praying for us and we would love to hear from you and have the chance to pray for you and your family this holiday season as well. Most all of you have my email address so please feel free to send us a family picture or a quick note with prayer requests or family updates. If you don't have my email address, I'm on Facebook so just look me up. I'm easy to find.

Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving.

Brian

Loss

I want to let you all know that my dad passed away today. I have so little that I can say about it right now. Certainly we will miss him very much. The kids are broken, each in their own way. Samuel lost his fishing buddy and Madda lost a guy who thought she was the best.

As I wrote in my journal last night, and those of you who knew my dad, would agree that he led a life of torment. The end of his life was plagued not just by physical pain but by an emotional pain whose source was invisible to me and much of his friends. I know that Satan tormented him badly and my father allowed it as some sort of punishment for things in his past. He rarely shared those things with others but I know they weighed on him greatly. I am thankful for his rest now and the fact that he is set free.

I pray that God will bring justice upon the wicked and send his wrath upon the enemy. I pray that the sin of this world will pass away and all be made new again. I pray that Satan will be bound forever, never to torment another soul the way he did my father.

Please pray for my family and the time we will have together. Pray that we will find peace together and that I can bring the healing of Jesus Christ to my family over the next two weeks.

Blessings.