Six weeks have come to a close as I get on my first flight in roughly 7 hours now. It's been a hard six weeks for sure, but also a great learning experience. I've felt hapiness, sadness, despair, hope, frustration, confusion and really just about any other emotion possible. As I come away, it's hard to ignore the scale of the "issues" that are present in our world today be it in East Africa or at home in the US. It's overwhelming to think about working towards solutions to these "poblems" (if that is indeed what we're called to do). One person is so insignificant yet has the ability to shape a country and change the world as many people have done, making it up as they go. But we cannot be alone. One quote that has been playing over in my head recently is this quote that I leave you with...

"Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore, we must be saved by hope. Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore, we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we are saved by love."

-Reinhold Niebuhr

Peace,
Matt

Safari

Got back from my little adventure in the bush not too long ago now. I along with 14 others drove (were driven actually) about 3 hours west of Arusha to Ngorogoro Crater and the game reserve located there. It was a good chance after the 5 or more weeks of intense study and thinking to get a chance to unwind and not think. To see a part of God's great earth that I haven't seen before. The safari ended up being about 6 hours long. At first, on the way into the park we were pretty worried because the clouds were so thick and the fog so heavy that you could hardly see 100 feet ahead of you, literally. Fortunately though once we decended from the rim down into the crater the skys cleared and it turned out to be a perfect cool and sunny day. The crater is huge, so the majority of the time was simply spent driving around finding different wildlife and other cool things to see. We ended up seeing Zeebras, Wildebeast, water buffalo, lions, hippos and an elephant off in the distance along with a number of giant birds. It turned out to be a great experience and I'm really glad I took the opportunity to do it.

Later this evening we leave for 2 nights about 45 minutes outside the city here at a conference center. We have our final presentations on the research we've been doing, as well as al the final wrap up discussions and a talk about re-entry into America. I'm quite curious to see how I'm going to react to American culture again. I think at least it will give me a new viewpoint and a way to look at some things a little differently.

I'll be leaving for home in roughly 3 days now. Pray for safe travel home and once again I'll say that I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Peace,
Matt

Arusha cont.

Winding down our time here in East Africa, I've had the opportunity to spend the last few days in Arusha, Tanzania at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. It's been extremely interesting to sit in on court cases of people accused of genocide and crimes against humanity as well as researching cases have been completed.

The mandate for this tribunal is set to expire at the endof this year, despite about a dozen cases still waiting to be started. I have a feeling that they'll be given more time, but so far the process of justice at the ICTR has been slow and it's very debatable as to whether or not the proceedings are helping reconciliation in Rwanda (my personal feeling is that they're not).

It's also interesting to be here right now and have a chance to see where some of yours and my money is going... that's right your money. The ICTR hee in Arusha has been running a budget of about $140 million every year. About a quarter of that bill is fronted by American tax dollars. Unfortunately, as much as I've enjoyed being here to see it all and have the experience of sitting in on the first criminal tribunal for genocide, I'm sad to say that I'm not sure your money is being used well. But, at least I'll have a few sories to tell when I get back, so hopefully that will make it all worth it!

Tomorrow and Sunday I will be traveling out into the bush to go on a safari in the Ngorogoro Crater. It's rumored to be the best place in the area for seeing wildlife, especially the "big 5" (lion, elephant, giraffe, etc.). My plan is to take lots of pictures and keep myself out of harms way, which I think I can do.

Just 6 short days from today and I'll be back in good old Holland, Michigan. I'm looking forward to it immensely. I will be posting again at some point in the upcoming days but for now that's all. Thank you all again for the continued support, prayers, emails, and everything. I'll see you all soon.

Peace,
Matt

Arsha, Tanzania

I have arrived in Arusha, Tanzania, the final leg of the journey. We got here Monday afternoon and have mostly been focusing our attention on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda which is located here. The part of the country I'm in right now is beautiful! Africa's 1st and 5th highest mountains are located very close to here (Kilimanjaro and Meru). The weather is surprisingly chilly, but it is nice to have a little break. Michigan is going to seem very hot after leaving here I'm sure.

I haven't had all that much access to internet thus far but I hope to post on some of my thoughts and experiences on this leg of the journey sometime tomorrow. Keep reading for a few more days then I'll be home.

Peace,
Matt

Final Stop Tanzania

In about 15 hours I'll be on a plane leaving the country of Rwanda. As I reflect on my time here it brings mixed feelings, as with any other event on this trip so far. I have loved the city. It's developed, clean and relatively organized and has a surprisingly western feel. The financial sector in the city is booming and the economy in general is growing, new office buildings and hotels are going up all over the city and in the works is a plan to build East Africa's largest airport. Everything seems to be wonderful and perfect on the surface, but the country has a dark, often forgotten history. You would never know walking around that 1 million people were killed here just 14 years ago. But the people here seem are reserved and much quieter than in other East African countries. There seems to be deep underlying tension when you look past the high rise buildings and fancy western restaurants, but it's hard to get any answers here. That rumors that run wild of discrimination and division along ethnic lines cannot be confirmed. You can't find anyone who will openly criticize the government or debate the policies they've implemented. It feels like I'm in a movie where everyone is happy and is living the "ideal" life, but then you find out that there's more...

And so, I move on to the final leg of my journey! I will be in Tanzania for 10 days before returning home. I hope to find time to relax and see the sights. We're going to be in Arusha, in the northern part of the country and will be very close to Mount Kilimanjaro. I'll keep you posted of course and can't wait to see you all in 11 days!

Peace,
Matt

Two weeks left

Not that I'm counting, but yes I only have two weeks left here in East Africa. We finish up here in Rwanda this weekend and head for Arusha, Tanzania early Monday morning.

It's strange to think that I've been away from home for more than a month now. I personally have never done anything like this before, but I'm very glad that I did. It's good to take the time away to think about the things that matter in this world and to study my own self. Being thousands of miles away from home in a foreign country and culture with no loved ones around has really exposed my passions and helped me to further think about the future.

At this point I have no new news to report. I have a free weekend the next three days and will try my best to keep myself busy. Tomorrow is Independence Day in the US obviously and it will be strange to be away on the 4th of July. Here the 4th of July is Liberation Day, the day that the RPF (rebel group led by the current Rwandan president) forced the genocidaire government out of Kigali, the capital and began to bring an end to the killings. It will be interesting to witness the celebrations here in town.

Thanks for the continued support as always. I will be home 2 weeks from today and look forward to seeing all of you again.

Peace,
Matt

p.s. for those of you that know Katharine, you should wish her a happy birthday if you didn't already. She turned 21 yesterday!