Pre-Rwanda

I just have one more day until I start my journey in Rwanda.  I am supposed to have a mission statement for my time there and I have decided to use BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.   I realize that I am just one out of the 6,884,909,953 people in the world but I hope that I will be able to help change at least one person’s life. 

I constantly get the question, why are you going? Why Rwanda?  I suppose I will answer that question right now for everyone.  About 2 years ago I had the opportunity to have Paul Rusesabagina over to my home for dinner.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with that name he is the man who saved hundreds of lives in the Rwandan genocide and who the movie Hotel Rwanda is about.  Listening to him talk about everything he experienced made me ache for the people of Rwanda.  Ever since then I promised myself I would one day go and help those in need.  I read a book shortly after that is called, Left to Tell which is about a woman who spent almost 3 months in a tiny bathroom with several other woman hiding.  This was a deeply disturbing book, but it strengthened my resolve to go and help.

Yesterday as I was packing to leave I started to get nervous.  It finally hit me that I am leaving.  I have been waiting for this for months, if not my entire life.  As I walked out of my room for the last time and closed the door behind me I thought about how next time I walk through that door I would be a new person.  I hope I can change lives, and in return let those I’m serving change mine.  I know this experience will be heart breaking, exciting, challenging, and most of all rewarding. 

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.”

This will be my last blog post before I write solely about my time in Rwanda.  As I pondered what to write about I couldn’t move away from thinking about the people who have gotten me to this point in my life.  As I end 2010 I have a lot of people to thank for molding me into the person I am today.   I know it is cliché, but I feel it is important.  Everyone in my life is an inspiration to me, but here are a few that have really altered me this year:

(In no particular order)

Lacey Hannig Where to begin with this girl…  We have pretty much been through every possible thing together, from enduring high school to dealing with the pains of “the real world.”  We have stood by each other through everything, and she has been a huge source of strength in my life.  Thank you for never judging, and being there for me no matter what.  You are a great mom, and just know I can feel the love you have for your baby Ayden.

Ellie Madsen I know being sisters isn’t always easy, especially when we were both self-absorbed teenagers.  But I have really enjoyed re-developing our relationship.  I know I don’t see you too much, but I always enjoy it when we can go to lunch together.  You have always been a great example to me, being the older sister; I hope to someday be as darling and creative as you. PS. I love your husband.

Lizzy Skouson You are a great example of giving tough love.  You aren’t afraid to tell me exactly what you think of a situation, and I’ve learned to respect all different opinions.  I love you so much, and I miss living with you.  I could go on and on about all of our good times up in SAH with you, but thank you for making BYU-I bearable for me.

Julie Powell  Julie is the biggest example of living a beautiful life.  She finds beauty and inspiration in all she does, and most importantly follows her dreams, and doesn’t let anything hold her back.  Once again, Julie has stood by my side through every tear, laugh, and change I have had in my life.  We haven’t lived close to each other for the past 4 years, but our friendship bond stays strong. 

Laurent Gontier Laurent not only is my boyfriend, but my best friend.  I have never had so much in common with anyone in my life.  He is the most caring person I know, and would do absolutely anything for me.  We’ve had our hard times, but the love we share always heals everything.  We have such a special bond, most couples couldn’t make things work living in separate states and NEVER seeing each other. Pour toujours vôtre!

My Family I know my parents have given us everything they possibly could.  I am most thankful to them for giving me the opportunity to travel as much as I have, I have learned so much from those experiences that I could never learn in a classroom.  I know I’ve let you down countless times, but thank you for always forgiving  me.  My brothers are the funniest people in the entire world, and always know how to make me laugh.  It is unreal to me how much they love me.  I know I haven’t always been the best example, but I know they know I will always be there for them.

Haleigh Wilcox Our friendship has stood the test of time, 13 years has passed since we became best friends.  From dance, to being the “mean girls” in elementary school, to being at her wedding, I have loved every minute of our special friendship.  She is a fantastic cosmataologist, and is responsible for my red hair.  We don’t have too much in common, but we are always there for each other.

The girls of #223 (Paige, Nicole, Kaisha, and Ariel) They are the most amazing roommates anyone could ever ask for.  We cried together, we danced together, went on runs together, and ate junk food together, but most importantly we grew together.  They taught me some of the most valuable life lessons, and I love them with all my heart, just know that each one of you have impacted my life for the best.  I love you all.

“…friends are those who stand by us in times of loneliness or potential despair. We could remember a friend we need to contact or, better yet, a friend we need to make. In doing so we could remember that God often provides his blessings through the compassionate and timely response of another. For someone nearby we may be the means of heaven’s answer to a very urgent prayer.” To read full talk click  here.