Hi Friends,
I've been in Rwanda for a week now, and all in all I find it quite pleasant. These are the things I love about this place so far:
The lush, rolling hills that are all possible shades of green.
The beautiful skyscape above the treetops, full of massive, tumultuous clouds by day and shimmering stars by night.
The weather: on any given day you get the whole spectrum of conditions, from dazzling sunlight to torrential rain-- it keeps you on your toes!
The earth-- the kind that sticks to your soles like gum when wet, but will dry and harden in an instant.
You're surrounded by hills cluttered with shantyhouses wherever you go, so it feels like you're always in the neighborhood.
If it weren't for the suffocating pollution and sprawl, this would be an amazing place to live. Seriously, ff we had these lands in the states, it would be populated with celebrity mansions.

This past monday was Rwanda's day of mourning comemorating the genocide of 1994. The crazy thing was, a couple of us ventured into the city which was all but shut down, and happened on a hotel called hotel des mille collines--- Hotel Rwanda. I had a club sandwich by the pool. It was eerie, to say the least, to be at the epicenter of the tragedy that started 14 years to the day. There was no reminder of the massacre, but we had heard earlier testimonies from our Rwanda staff members the horrendous killings that occured. 1 million people out of seven million were killed in less than 100 days-- that's 10,000 per day. One cannot fathom the trauma of such happenings. Considering that Rwanda has the highest population density of all African countries, it's no exaggeration to say that the streets were paved with bodies. I think I'm closer to understanding how this came to be ... I'll have to flesh this out a bit.

So far I've helped do some construction at a church, ministered to streetkids, visited support meetings for ladies with HIV, prayed for a gathering of widows, worshipped with college students. I am humbled by those who in the midst of desperation shed tears of joy and gratitude for God's love. I respect the local staff members who sacrificially heed the call to ministry (like all ywam staffers, they are not paid to work here). I confess I don't know God in such ways.... I'm still figuring out how I can contribute.

Rwanda is not a big country-- it's roughly the size of Maryland. Kigali is an urban sprawl, busy with people and overused vehicles at all hours of the day. Downtown Kigali seems a lot smaller than it should be for a capital. It has the idiosyncrasies of a developing city, but I sense that in a few decades, it'll be one of the hubs in Africa. There's tangible hope here. Some parts remind me of Korea ca 25 years ago....

On Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 2:25 PM, James Choi wrote:
> Dear friends whom I haven't seen in a while,
>
> I just wanted to give you a mass update before I leave Kona, hoping
> that I can keep in touch with you individually in the future-- please
> do keep in touch!
>
> I'm leaving for Rwanda tomorrow! I'll be part of a 25 person team
> from my Discipleship Training School at YWAM. We have a diverse group
> of people from several nations and all ages. We'll be in Rwanda for
> two months, doing various types of ministry (sports, medical/dental,
> AIDS awareness, widow/orphanage, arts, dance, church and street
> outreach). I don't quite know what to expect, but I think with the
> Rwanda diet, coupled with being in sports ministry, I'll at least stay
> quite lean! I've been wanting to go back to Africa for a while, so I
> am excited to be in what is known as the heart of Africa. Two months
> is not a long time relatively speaking, but I really want to see how
> God can bring hope to the people who need it, and get a visceral feel
> for what really brings about the desperate conditions there. And yes,
> I do want to "save souls" as well. I pray that I will remain open to
> God's promptings at all times to do whatever I should be doing while
> I'm there.
>
> DTS in Kona has been an amazing experience, and I think it came to me
> at a critical time. It was for me a process of restoring the heart,
> which on hindsight was like a lifeless limb that I couldn't even
> recognize. Heart-less, I was quite miserable living in my head in my
> past existence. For me to come to Kona, I've had to let go of some
> things I tightly held on to, like the semblance of stability (a job at
> least) which was never quite what I thought it should be-- and the
> result is more freedom. It's an ongoing process, but I hope to now
> put into practice what's been revealed during my outreach and beyond.
>
> I really don't know what I'll be doing or where I'll be after my trip,
> but I do know that it'll be good. I've realized that what matters
> most is intimacy with Jesus, and the fruits of that lifestyle is
> purpose, vision, abundance that truly lasts. I have a few ideas right
> now that I'll be praying to see how they unfurl.
>
> I just got word that we're leaving earlier than expected-- an airline
> just went bankrupt-- so I have to jet. Please do keep in touch-- I
> hope to frequent the internet cafes in Kigali.
> My physical address for now is:
> James Choi
> xxx
> Kailua-Koana, HI 96740
>
> p.s. Your support would be appreciated! I'm afraid this trip has
> depleted me financially-- if you'd like to find out more how to help,
> just email me directly, or you can send checks to the address above.
>
> James. >