When was the last time you ran to the mailbox to open it because you were waiting for that special letter? I remember that sense of anticipation when Kimberly and I were engaged to be married and separated by 2,528 miles (Pensacola and Sacramento) for the nine months before our wedding.
Of course, hand-written letters are much less common today. I heard a story this week of a young man who was asked by his mother to send out his graduation announcements. He dutifully filled out the invitations, then dropped them in the outgoing mail slot—without any postage! Oops!
At Hope Haven Rwanda, our students get pretty excited when they receive mail. And they like to send it too! We recently had our first-ever Kugaba Letter Day, where students received and sent letters to their Hope Angels. The joy was palpable! The photos that were shared, the introductions that were made and the hearts that were bonded all culminated in a beautiful day of hope!
The Apostle Paul often used a scribe to write letters on his behalf, potentially because of recurring eye problems, but he had a trademark closing for his letters: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” (2 Thessalonians 3:16-18). Whether in AD 50, from Corinth, Greece, or 2019 from Denver, Colorado, there is still something special about a handwritten letter.
One way for you to establish and deepen hope and authentic relationship at Hope Haven is by becoming a “Hope Angel.” The Kugaba Initiative allows you to write personal letters back and forth with a child of your choice and get to know them even more. If God ever leads you to physically serve alongside us in Rwanda, we arrange home visits for you to meet your child’s family and see where they live. If you’re interested, I would encourage you to visit HopeHavenRwanda.org/sponsor and see which of the kids are still available. And, if you become a Hope Angel by November 15, 2019, your name will be entered into a drawing for an all-expenses paid trip for two to Rwanda!
The 630 students at Hope Haven are the heroes and we are honored to serve alongside them. There is another set of heroes too—YOU—the Hope Angels who are making eternal investments. I personally can’t wait until the day when God reveals the deep impact that each one of us has had by investing in one of these incredible students! Join us and do something amazing!