This week’s post is a humorous example of how our interns experienced personal growth this summer at Hope Haven Rwanda. Over the years, we have distributed many goats in our community to the neediest members, so they can breed them as a “cottage industry.”
We have also broadened the perspective of our interns by exposing them to the benefits of owning a goat. On occasion, we have purchased goats from the local market, slaughtered them on site and shared a special meal for our entire staff team.
This summer, we purchased a healthy goat from the Kabuga Market early one Friday morning. After what was probably a first-ever experience during the ride back to campus in the bed of our truck, the goat safely arrived. It soon became clear that this particular goat loved people! She shortly earned the name “Estella” and was loved like a pet by our interns and hospitality staff.
It wasn’t long before we realized that the strong bonds that were developing with Estella would lead to a brighter future for her. Instead of ending up as the best part of a brochette skewer, Estella would be given to a family in desperate need of a goat to breed.
Estella was quite vocal throughout this discussion (and almost every other hour of every day—including outside our windows in the middle of the night) and seemed to agree that this was a fine idea.
After discussions with our social worker team, a family was identified. This family already manages one goat for an extended family member and we were assured they knew how to take good care of Estella. After the delivery plan was coordinated, Daniel, one of our interns, and Nankpak, my “son” from Nigeria, were delighted to hand-off Estella to her new family!
As I shared recently, while many consider an internship as a way to serve, it is also intentionally submitting oneself to broader exposure and learning.
At Hope Haven Rwanda our interns are taught during their first session that they are not coming from America to help Rwandans.
They are coming to learn.
Life-changing learning opportunities are not just for interns.
How could we posture ourselves more as learners this week?
When was the last time you read a new book, listened to an academic talk or asked a deep question to a deep thinker?
In the first Proverb, we read: “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance” (Proverbs 1:5).
Never stop learning!