Up, Up and Away
By the time you are reading this devotion I will have met my traveling family for the next ten days. Many of the folks are from the Western and Southwestern United States. Some are from the Midwest and one is from the Virgin Islands. I’ll know a few names by now and we will have engaged in some get-acquainted dialogue.
Mid-morning will find me boarding an Ethiopia Airlines flight that will take us to Addis Ababa with a scheduled arrival time on Saturday morning for breakfast. This will be the longest flight I’ve experienced.
Upon arrival in Rwanda we will do the currency exchange and enjoy lunch at our hotel. We will tour various sites in Kigali, the capital, including the hotel depicted in the movie Hotel Rwanda, the Kandt Museum and a stop at Camp Kigali where the genocide commenced.
Sunday will include an English worship service (maybe), a visit to the Village of Hope-- a shelter for marginalized women who have experienced gender-based violence, and a visit to a Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital.
Have a good weekend.
Ben Keckler
08.15.08
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Daily Devotions - Thursday, August 14
Continuing Preparations
The Tutsi and the Hutu tribes comprise the majority of the Rwandan population. The slaughter of 1994 was carried out by the Hutu tribe and was directed at both the Tutsis and the moderate Hutus. Why travel to such a country?
Rwanda is an emerging nation, a nation emerging from ashes. I find myself attracted to spend time with people who are piecing together a country that found Hutu fathers killing their own children because some of the children resembled their Tutsi wives. The country is one of the safest in all of Africa. That helps! The opportunities to learn about grace, healing and hope emerging from anger, brokenness and tragedy should be immense.
One of the books I’ve read in preparation for my trip is Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza. I’d encourage you to read it. And, a great article about Rwanda (“Seeds of Change in Rwanda”) was published in TIME magazine on September 26, 2007.
In just a few hours I’ll board my plane. We’ll start learning from my daily itinerary. For now, why don’t we all just take a few moments and pray that this global village may grow to be a more peaceful place. Have a good day.
Ben Keckler
08.14.08
The Tutsi and the Hutu tribes comprise the majority of the Rwandan population. The slaughter of 1994 was carried out by the Hutu tribe and was directed at both the Tutsis and the moderate Hutus. Why travel to such a country?
Rwanda is an emerging nation, a nation emerging from ashes. I find myself attracted to spend time with people who are piecing together a country that found Hutu fathers killing their own children because some of the children resembled their Tutsi wives. The country is one of the safest in all of Africa. That helps! The opportunities to learn about grace, healing and hope emerging from anger, brokenness and tragedy should be immense.
One of the books I’ve read in preparation for my trip is Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza. I’d encourage you to read it. And, a great article about Rwanda (“Seeds of Change in Rwanda”) was published in TIME magazine on September 26, 2007.
In just a few hours I’ll board my plane. We’ll start learning from my daily itinerary. For now, why don’t we all just take a few moments and pray that this global village may grow to be a more peaceful place. Have a good day.
Ben Keckler
08.14.08
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Daily Devotions - Wednesday, August 13
Beginning Preparations
It has been challenging trying to simply stay open to every learning experience that will come my way as I journey to Rwanda. I’ve done a fair share of reading and study in preparation. I’ve had to complete a lot of paperwork and pay attention to medical details. I’ve felt quite overwhelmed by this Rwandan opportunity. I am grateful.
Today I am flying to Washington, D.C. and will meet my traveling family in less than 48 hours. I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to fathom some numbers.
• Land Mass: Indiana has 4 times the land mass that Rwanda has; that means if you would draw lines from East to West across our state, roughly 30 miles North of Indianapolis and 30 miles South of Indianapolis you would an idea about the size of Rwanda.
• Population: Rwanda is home to 8 million people; the entire state of Indiana is home to a little over 6 million people.
• The Genocide: 937,000 people were killed in 100 days in 1994. That is about the equivalent of everyone in Indianapolis and in Hendricks County being killed in 100 days.
• Orphans: Rwanda is home to about 1 million orphans or 12.5% of the population.
I am overwhelmed as I make my preparations to learn, to grow and to discover. I invite you to spend some time today with these numbers. I really do appreciate my surroundings and I hope you do too!
Ben Keckler
08.13.08
It has been challenging trying to simply stay open to every learning experience that will come my way as I journey to Rwanda. I’ve done a fair share of reading and study in preparation. I’ve had to complete a lot of paperwork and pay attention to medical details. I’ve felt quite overwhelmed by this Rwandan opportunity. I am grateful.
Today I am flying to Washington, D.C. and will meet my traveling family in less than 48 hours. I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to fathom some numbers.
• Land Mass: Indiana has 4 times the land mass that Rwanda has; that means if you would draw lines from East to West across our state, roughly 30 miles North of Indianapolis and 30 miles South of Indianapolis you would an idea about the size of Rwanda.
• Population: Rwanda is home to 8 million people; the entire state of Indiana is home to a little over 6 million people.
• The Genocide: 937,000 people were killed in 100 days in 1994. That is about the equivalent of everyone in Indianapolis and in Hendricks County being killed in 100 days.
• Orphans: Rwanda is home to about 1 million orphans or 12.5% of the population.
I am overwhelmed as I make my preparations to learn, to grow and to discover. I invite you to spend some time today with these numbers. I really do appreciate my surroundings and I hope you do too!
Ben Keckler
08.13.08
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Daily Devotions - Tuesday, August 12
Preparing for a Journey
In January, 2008 I was invited by Dr. Thomas Barrett (clinical associate professor of the University of Denver’s International Disaster Psychology Program and Senior Mental Health Consultant of Mental Health and Substance Abuse for the World Health Organization) to travel with 23 other professionals to Rwanda, Africa. I was accepted into the program and will travel as an ambassador, honored to be in this special study program.
Our delegation will seek to gain information about how Rwanda has tried to address recovery issues related to the 1994 genocide where 937,000 people were killed in 100 days. We will be examining programs that are addressing the needs of more than a million orphaned children, children orphaned as a result of the genocide and HIV/AIDS. We will share our insights about traumatic grief and begin discussions of how we might be able to assist in the recovery process.
During these next two weeks I invite you to journey with me. Today after work I will be packing and taking care of those last minute details. I hope you will journey with me over these next two weeks.
Ben Keckler
08.12.08
In January, 2008 I was invited by Dr. Thomas Barrett (clinical associate professor of the University of Denver’s International Disaster Psychology Program and Senior Mental Health Consultant of Mental Health and Substance Abuse for the World Health Organization) to travel with 23 other professionals to Rwanda, Africa. I was accepted into the program and will travel as an ambassador, honored to be in this special study program.
Our delegation will seek to gain information about how Rwanda has tried to address recovery issues related to the 1994 genocide where 937,000 people were killed in 100 days. We will be examining programs that are addressing the needs of more than a million orphaned children, children orphaned as a result of the genocide and HIV/AIDS. We will share our insights about traumatic grief and begin discussions of how we might be able to assist in the recovery process.
During these next two weeks I invite you to journey with me. Today after work I will be packing and taking care of those last minute details. I hope you will journey with me over these next two weeks.
Ben Keckler
08.12.08
Daily Devotions - Monday, August 11
Slow Down to Feel
“Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord,
and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.”
--An ancient song, Psalm 25: 6
A primary aspect of our spiritual development is learning to recognize the mercy and grace that surrounds us.
It is tempting to overlook the above verse, to get to the devotion, to read the devotion, to finish the task and get on with the busy-ness (or is that busi-ness). One of the cultural illnesses that can hinder our spiritual development is our addiction to staying busy. The opposite illness – idleness – can also hinder our spiritual development.
Learning to identify our “addictions” and to access “grace” is probably the most important thing we can do. Continued practice of this identification and access process can help us unleash personal potentials. Gerald May writes, “I’ve learned that all people are addicts, and that addictions to alcohol and other drugs are simply more obvious and tragic addictions. To be alive is to be addicted, and to be alive and addicted is to stand in need of grace.” (p. 11, Addiction and Grace)
In your busy-ness this week, slow down enough to feel the steadfast love of God surrounding you.
A prayer: God, I’m looking forward to a week of basking in your grace. Amen.
Ben Keckler
08.11.08
“Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord,
and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.”
--An ancient song, Psalm 25: 6
A primary aspect of our spiritual development is learning to recognize the mercy and grace that surrounds us.
It is tempting to overlook the above verse, to get to the devotion, to read the devotion, to finish the task and get on with the busy-ness (or is that busi-ness). One of the cultural illnesses that can hinder our spiritual development is our addiction to staying busy. The opposite illness – idleness – can also hinder our spiritual development.
Learning to identify our “addictions” and to access “grace” is probably the most important thing we can do. Continued practice of this identification and access process can help us unleash personal potentials. Gerald May writes, “I’ve learned that all people are addicts, and that addictions to alcohol and other drugs are simply more obvious and tragic addictions. To be alive is to be addicted, and to be alive and addicted is to stand in need of grace.” (p. 11, Addiction and Grace)
In your busy-ness this week, slow down enough to feel the steadfast love of God surrounding you.
A prayer: God, I’m looking forward to a week of basking in your grace. Amen.
Ben Keckler
08.11.08
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