You will be able to tell with these blogs that I have found the things from our trip to Rwanda after the war.

 The people we were privileged to work with witnessed unspeakable violence and were relocated in Uvira, Zaire (now the Congo) to live in the village or the refugee camps.  Right after we left, they were forced to move again IF they even made it.  I feel compelled to share some of their photos and stories because they left a mark on this world and they left a mark on my heart.

One of those men was Nehemiah who wanted me to know his name meant 'comforted by God'.

 One day, he looked across the lake and pointed to a small rim on a small hill in what was Burundi.  He said,  "That spot is my home and I cannot go back there. It hurts my heart."

I guess since he was thinking of home he then asked me, "In your country, are you rich?"

"No, I am not rich."

"Do you have a house?"

"Yes."

"Did you not say you have a small cottage also?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a car?"

"Yes."

"Does Pastor Joe have a car?"

"Yes."

"Cheryl, you are VERY rich."

I swallowed hard and said, "Yes, Nehemiah, I am very rich."

That is one of the most difficult conversations I have ever had. Nehemiah was right.  I just stood there with tears in my eyes.  Once again, I did not know how to make sense of something and I still don't, especially as I listen to our country quarreling over more than Nehemiah and so many like him will ever ever ever have.

"It hurts my heart."

So, once again, I sit here with tears in my eyes and write a silly little blog that, at the very least, puts into writing the import of a life that touched mine with the fervent hope that somewhere Nehemiah is feeling the full impact of his name and being "comforted by God."