An evolving perspective

When we first came to Rwanda, we stayed for 3 weeks in the home of another HRH couple.  He is a native Rwandan, she is from the US.  The house had a master bedroom and 4 other bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a large and functional kitchen, and a large, comfortable living/dining room.  We were very comfortable there, and, though the couple was away during our stay, his brother lived in a small house in back and he and the house keeper made us feel quite welcome. We began to learn our way around certain parts of the city where we were staying: Kigali, the capital.  With the house came a car and driver to show us around.  Mostly what we saw, though was the most westernized parts of the most westernized city in Rwanda: the big house, the mall experience at the Union Trade Center, the nicely paved roads, and a chauffeur-driven Mercedes.   We were most thankful for all of these things, but they are beyond the means of most Central Africans at this time.

When we moved to our apartment in Kabgayi, on the grounds of the Saint Leon Minor Seminary, we were in a much smaller accommodation.  The bedroom was just large enough to fit the bed and a free-standing closet.  The bathroom was very small and up a short flight of stairs from the bedroom, the living-room/office was about 8 ft. X 15 ft. furnished with very uncomfortable chairs, and the kitchen was barely adequate.  There was not much sunlight, and there was frequent noise: of farm animals, pumps and generators, crowds of university students, and church bells. Some of those students would stand outside our place conversing loudly, and sometimes idly peer in through our windows.  As far as transportation, we walked a lot at first, but soon we purchased a car. (A Toyota Corolla, of course.  Most of the vehicles here are Toyotas, even the buses!)  I still walk a lot, while Anne drives the car to the School of Nursing and Midwifery, where she teaches.  Still, there were many things to be thankful about that living accommodation: it was a 10 minute walk to Anne’s work, the people at the Seminary are very friendly and went out of their way to make sure we were happy, I could walk to the market, there was frequently live entertainment of one form or another, and we had security within the compound.  Also, when compared to the living conditions of the majority of people in this country, we had considerable material wealth and comfort.

Now, we have moved into a house in the adjacent town of Gitarama (AKA Muhanga).  We have 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, (including a 230 square foot master bedroom with attached bathroom), a living room that measures 18 feet by 21 feet and is furnished with comfortable couch, love-seat and chairs, dining room with a table that can seat eight, gardens, a wall around the property, a security guard at night and a woman during the day to clean, do laundry, and possibly to cook. I can still walk to market, it’s just in the opposite direction, but our housekeeper does most of our shopping for us now.  So be happy for us: we can afford to live in this degree of luxury here. 

We are most thankful to have all of this luxury, but if I do not make good use of all that we have, I will commence feeling guilty soon.  After all, 98% of the population here (that’s a guess) have much less.  Many families here live in very small houses made of mud bricks and sleep on mattresses stuffed with straw.  Some have to walk for hours to get water and carry it home.  Some have little or no free time, while others seem to have little to do. 

I seem to have a lot of free time, and I intend to do something useful with it. I believe that we - all of us humans - are destined to develop a world civilization in which each of us has opportunities to develop to a higher degree of functioning than we have seen.  I believe that the day will soon come when all of us will be striving to work together in harmony to accomplish great things.  So, if I am now in a situation where I don’t have to worry about the basics of life, it behooves me to devote my life to working at a higher level and striving to contribute towards the fruition of that advanced civilization.  Therefore, I have a plan to follow, the means to put it into effect, and confidence that sticking to the plan (which includes quarterly course corrections) will make a positive difference in many people’s lives.  That plan includes learning the local language, Kinyarwanda.  It also includes making friendships around conversations and shared interests that are meaningful and enlightened. It also includes keeping you, my friends and well-wishers, posted about what we are doing.  All of it requires prayer, spirituality, and focus.