I leave Rwanda tomorrow and I am heartbroken and cannot stop crying. It is so ridiculous. I woke up at 545 am this morning and began thinking about my departure and began weeping. And cannot stop. I need to get a grip and hope I am not this way the entire day. We are having a goodbye party at Umuryango today and am totally dreading it. I hate goodbyes, so having to say bye to the boys who have touched my heart in so many ways over the past 5 months is going to be torture. I think it will be the hardest for me to say goodbye to the younger boys - Hassan, Pacifique, Olivier, Daniel, Emmanuel, and Siliac. They are the most recent additions to the home, and I was able to be part of the process, to see them as streetkids and then at the home. To give you a better idea of how I feel towards them, I thought I would show you the letter I wrote to them, which will be translated in to Kinyarwanda and read to them...
Boys,
As I sit and think about saying goodbye to you all I am very saddened. The past five months have meant so much to me and I have enjoyed every single moment of my time with you. You are all so special and I love you all very much. You have made my stay here in Rwanda feel like home, and I will never forget any of you. Remember the day last month before some of you went home for holiday, and I was crying so much? I know, I know, crazy muzungu who can’t stop crying! Well, I am sure I will be crying a lot more over the next few days too. I was crying for different reasons.
First of all, I was crying because I am going to miss you all so much. You have all become very near and dear to my heart. I have thoroughly enjoyed the fun times we have had together – studying English, playing football, watching movies, taking pictures, playing Uno and Sequence, going swimming, walking to get my haircut, sitting outside, seeing you at school and walking home with you. You have each become a good friend to me, and I will always treasure my relationship with each one of you.
I was also crying so much because I am very proud of you. My tears are tears of joy because I was thinking about the progress that you have made in your lives. Most of you have worked very hard in school and also in the transition from street life to the home. You have become very well behaved and obedient and I am very impressed with how well you get along with each other and how you listen to Jean Paul, Gatera, Muja, Francine, and Joseph. Each of you is an inspiration to me because of the good choices you have made.
I want to thank each of you for making me feel so welcomed in your home. It can be an adjustment to let a visitor in to your home for a 5-month long period. But, you all sacrificed your time and your space for me and I really appreciate it!
I will continue to pray for you, as I have been. I will pray that you understand how much God loves you! It is more love than you can possibly know and understand, which is so awesome! God will never leave you and you can always talk to Him. I will also pray that you continue to do well in school because education will help you to have a very good life. I also hope that you develop good habits of prayer. Because God will never leave you, you can always pray to Him. He wants to know how you are feeling, what you are thinking, and will make your life better. You are loved by many people, and we will continue loving and praying for you.
This is not really a goodbye, but a see-you-soon. I hope to be back in Byimana early next year, hopefully in March or April. It won’t be for another five or six months, but we will have some amazing times together again!
Love,
Matayo.
This is the scripture that I have been praying for you since I arrived:
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
Colossians 1:9-12
Boys,
As I sit and think about saying goodbye to you all I am very saddened. The past five months have meant so much to me and I have enjoyed every single moment of my time with you. You are all so special and I love you all very much. You have made my stay here in Rwanda feel like home, and I will never forget any of you. Remember the day last month before some of you went home for holiday, and I was crying so much? I know, I know, crazy muzungu who can’t stop crying! Well, I am sure I will be crying a lot more over the next few days too. I was crying for different reasons.
First of all, I was crying because I am going to miss you all so much. You have all become very near and dear to my heart. I have thoroughly enjoyed the fun times we have had together – studying English, playing football, watching movies, taking pictures, playing Uno and Sequence, going swimming, walking to get my haircut, sitting outside, seeing you at school and walking home with you. You have each become a good friend to me, and I will always treasure my relationship with each one of you.
I was also crying so much because I am very proud of you. My tears are tears of joy because I was thinking about the progress that you have made in your lives. Most of you have worked very hard in school and also in the transition from street life to the home. You have become very well behaved and obedient and I am very impressed with how well you get along with each other and how you listen to Jean Paul, Gatera, Muja, Francine, and Joseph. Each of you is an inspiration to me because of the good choices you have made.
I want to thank each of you for making me feel so welcomed in your home. It can be an adjustment to let a visitor in to your home for a 5-month long period. But, you all sacrificed your time and your space for me and I really appreciate it!
I will continue to pray for you, as I have been. I will pray that you understand how much God loves you! It is more love than you can possibly know and understand, which is so awesome! God will never leave you and you can always talk to Him. I will also pray that you continue to do well in school because education will help you to have a very good life. I also hope that you develop good habits of prayer. Because God will never leave you, you can always pray to Him. He wants to know how you are feeling, what you are thinking, and will make your life better. You are loved by many people, and we will continue loving and praying for you.
This is not really a goodbye, but a see-you-soon. I hope to be back in Byimana early next year, hopefully in March or April. It won’t be for another five or six months, but we will have some amazing times together again!
Love,
Matayo.
This is the scripture that I have been praying for you since I arrived:
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
Colossians 1:9-12
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