To Rwanda or Not to Rwanda?

Take a gander for a wonderful PR piece for Biola's Nursing Department.

I went to Saddleback's Civil Forum on Reconciliation last Friday night - with a Yale Scholar and the President of Rwanda as the featured speakers. It was different than what I expected, and overall, very thought provoking in its presentation.

While technically I didn't mean President Kagame, the picture in that article (if you can see my head), proves I was really there. =)

I spent a few months last year learning about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Rwanda and have kept up with the news from that country for a number of years now. In January, a team of Biola Nursing students will be going to the country and work at a hospital there. Our nursing department has worked there for a number of years and even helped to develop a charting system that the hospital gave to the Rwandan government in an attempt to have it introduced country-wide.

Right now, I'm on the fence about going on the trip. Unofficially, I'm on the team and plans are go-ahead for the trip. The other potential team members and myself met with the faculty member leading the trip to talk about our itinerary and responsibilities in-country on Tuesday, got my application and contract Wednesday, and received information for fundraising Thursday.

I love what I have learned about the country, would be thrilled to be there and meet people I have heard about for years, and would be honored to be a part of the next Biola group to go there.

I'll have to decide this next week, so stay tuned. Right now, it's a battle of mind and heart. I want to be a good steward of my finances, time, and energy - but at the same time, am drawn inexplicably to going to Rwanda and am uncertain if being a good steward means going there.

We'll see.