Bonjourno di Sicilia!

I have officially left Rwanda and am now getting some much needed R&R on the Island of Lipari off the northern coast of Sicily.  I am so blessed!  After a busy few weeks of work, packing and goodbyes I am safely off the African Continent.  It was an amazing experience and one that I am still unpacking - I know I am not the same person that I came.  But, it was time to go for many reasons and I am thankful to start a new chapter.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

The vast majority of my time in April was spent working with the legal team and training the Rwanda Field Office's newest Legal Fellow, Amanda Doyle.  Amanda attended the January training week in D.C. and was originally heading to India, and then Cambodia, but God had other plans!  She arrived on April 1 just in time for our trip to see Gorillas.  Amanda has been such a blessing already to me, the legal team and to the entire office - God totally provided in sending her and I felt a lot of peace and ease in our transition.  We had a legal team dinner at the Car Wash, a local favorite on Friday nights, to welcome Amanda to Rwanda.  The goat shoulder was a bit hit, although we weren't able to finish it, even among 6 people!

One thing I wanted to do while in Rwanda but never made time for was to visit the Mother Teresa Orphanage in Kigali.  I finally managed to go with some friends my last weekend in town.  It was an amazing experience and I was so blessed to love on these children and receive their love in return.

Shannon with Claire on the back and me with Amanda on the back of our matching black Scooty Peps, on our way to town to visit the orphanage

The last thing on my must-do list before leaving Rwanda was to visit the Genocide Memorial in Kigali.  I had been wanting to go for a long time, but was never in the right mood or frame of mind for it.  I was able to go on Thursday, two days before I left, and I am glad I did.  Although I have read a lot about the Genocide and hear people talking of it often, seeing the memorial made the event even more real in my mind.  It was an extremely emotional experience, leaving me feeling physically ill upon leaving.  The human spirit continues to amaze me as it rises above such hate and atrocities to overcome.  To see where Rwanda is 16 years later give me hope and courage as I depart.  God's healing hand is certainly present in this country.

The farewells began a week in advance as I had a farewell party at work, a farewell dinner at Republika with friends and many small farewell lunches and dinners, per the Rwandese custom in parting.  Lots of goodbyes, a perfect memory to end my time in Rwanda.

 Goodbye Audrey!

Goodbye Cady, Shannon and Claire!

Goodbye desk!

Goodbye scooter!

Goodbye odd-looking African crane I always saw at the Novotel!

Benoni and Valens seeing me off at the airport

Claire and Shannon came to the airport to say goodbye also - what a send off!  :)

And now I sit across the Mediterranean, almost a world away, in Italy.  I flew into Rome on Sunday and made my way down the peninsula to Sicily.  I then took a ferry to the largest of the Aeolian Islands, off the northern coast of Sicily, Lipari.  It feels good to have some time alone to eat, sleep, pray and reflect on the last nearly seven months of work in Rwanda.  God has been faithful to me and I am blessed!

In front of Trevi Fountain in Rome

Island of Lipari, where I am now