Hotel Rwanda

So the other night, Parker and I watched Hotel Rwanda. I am sure that most of you have seen it before, but Parker hadn't. In fact, we had it for about a month before we actually watched it. I just knew I would be sad after it, and I had to be in the right mood. Before I jump up onto my giant soap box, I want to tell a different story.

I just started working part time at the Boys and Girls Club in Mid-Vale. It's a summer gig, and so far, I can't get enough. I LOVE IT. Which for those of you who followed my blog during the dark months of my last job, welcome to the arrival of Bekah's happiness in the working world. Am I making near as much money as before???? NEVER! But, I love going to work each day. I have awesome people to talk with, awesome teens to work with, and awesome satisfaction knowing in a small way, I am making a positive difference.

NOW, let me tell you my story. I worked a teenage girls' sleepover last weekend. Besides the fact that the girls didn't go to sleep until 5:30am and had to be up at 8:00am, I would call it a success. I was pretty tired by about 5:00am, but I am glad for the bonding which occurred. Earlier in the day, I was talking with one of the teenagers. She is a nice girl, kind of loud, and pretty silly, but I really like her. I think maybe DRAMA is a good label for her. All day she had been putting me off when I would try to talk with her, and that was just fine. So imagine my surprise when around 4:00pm, I sat down on the couch next to her, and she turned to me and said, " I like a boy here at the club...but you can't tell anyone." How is that for opening up? She was really funny about it and kept saying she didn't know where these feelings were coming from while simultaneously swearing me to secrecy. I swore not to reveal this secret love...and with that promise, she decided to talk a bit more about "him."

Still not knowing who the boy was, I asked "What do you like about him?" Well, let me just preface this by saying that this girl is black, and she turned to me after I asked this question and said, "Well....no offense, but he's black." That was the number one trait folks, and I was A okay with that, but it made me laugh that she prefaced it with "no offense." As if, being white, I was pulling for all the other whities out there.

All chuckles aside, however, my mind was triggered back to this conversation later that weekend when I was watching Hotel Rwanda with Parker on the couch. I am sorry if I spoil any of the movie for those who haven't seen it...but it is based on a real life event...so history kind of spoiled it first. Essentially, there was a massive genocide taking place in Rwanda between the Tootsies and Hutus...both natives of Rwanda and only distinguished as such by the colonizers.

Anyway, there is this part of the movie where the real killing of the Tootsies by the Hutus has begun, and people of both Tootsie and Hutu background rush to the Hotel for safety....a hotel run by a Hutu man married to a Tootsie woman...a very good man named Paul Rusesabagina.

Anyway, after days of trying to shelter so many displaced people, Paul is practically crying when he sees the troops show up to protect, evacuate, and SAVE these people...his people. AND THEN MY HEART BREAKS. The troops are not there to protect his people...instead they take only the white people...the non-natives...and save them, leaving all the colored/black/native people to wage this awful genocide alone. At this part, my whole heart breaks open, and I feel guilty for a moment to have been born into such privilege. I feel guilty that the world looks on the outward appearance and not on the heart like the Lord does. I feel sad that a sweet teenage girl telling me about her innocent crush has already learned in her young life that skin color matters, that it makes her different, that it is an important distinction...perhaps THE most important distinction.

So where is the silver lining? Where is the blessed release from this depressing event in history? From this awful mistreatment of others? Well, I am not entirely sure how others find hope in light of these events without the atonement, because that is my answer. I suppose I fall back on the KNOWLEDGE that Heavenly Father's work is to bring to pass our happiness and joy, and that is for EVERY person, so I believe... in fact, I have to believe, that as unfair as the world often looks, feels, and is...every person is exactly where God intends them to be...where they have the greatest chance of finding REAL joy...perhaps not on Earth, but certainly for eternity.

And, I suppose it gives me a great deal of purpose, hoping that I have a chance to help bring a little of what will be to the here and now...THAT is a work worth doing.

One of my favorite quotes of all time is from a sweet little Indian man, he says, "EVERYBODY HAS 5.5 LITERS OF BLOOD." I agree...everybody is the same in some way, and it is focusing on those similarities, NOT THE DIFFERENCES that will bring the world and each of us happiness, joy, and peace. I know that is TRUTH.