As I sit here in my comfortable chair, in my beautiful constructed home, in my nicely maintained neighborhood, thinking about going out later in my nice vehicle into a nicely established restaurant I can’t help but think of my friends in Rwanda and what they are up to. What is on the agenda for their day? What will they encounter today? And then I remember what I had seen and experienced while I was there……

Courage…..I know many pieces have been written about the word, the idea, the characteristic of it. But I feel like I have actually seen this word in action. I have seen it in action overseas in a country called Rwanda, in a people of great fortitude, strength, gentleness and graciousness.

Quality people are somewhat hard to find these days but not so much in my experience in Rwanda. When I think of quality people I think of people like Jane our financial manager of Home of Hope. I think of Doreen our leader over the feeding program in Buhoro. I think of Emmanuel heading up the projects in Burhoro….especially the pig project. I think of Esperence who from nothing has risen to watch over God’s kids in her neighborhood and others. Ernest who is working on many building projects to better the lives of others. So many people I have come across in my trips to Rwanda I can’t mention them all. These are people of unsurpassed courage. They get up every day and work for the betterment of their community while trying to work around obstacles that would stop us dead in our tracks and we would see the obstacles as project killers, lost causes and impossible circumstance. Not these folks. These people continue on, through physical pain, inconvenience, self-sacrifice, personal loss, even at the cost of their own families. These people prefer one another. They are putting others before themselves… this is what makes them quality people and people of courage.

We sometimes think that courage is this loud proclamation of doing an unbelievable deed. But in reality some courage is a daily exercise of continually fighting for what is right and what is just. These people do this. They do it with joy, complete commitment and sacrifice. Courage really.

Their daily activity, even some of the simplest tasks take courage that we can’t even imagine. With so much to plow through, so much to stop them yet they continue each day to try again, to make a difference. They are a committed to seeing their world increase. To see their world expand for all who are in it. They are imparting courage to all those they come in contact with.