We had the pleasure of attending Redeemer Church of Dubai while we were in town, and it was there that we learned a disturbing fact. The pastor of the church informed us that 2/3 of the children of Dubai suffer from diabetes. There is so much available for them to eat that they have eaten themselves diabetic. The excess of Dubai often bothered us. We would see often something luxurious, think “cooooooool,” then remember where we came from.
We came from a country where probably 2/3 of the children are suffering from malnutrition, from not having enough food. Most people live on less than one dollar a day. Beggars abound. People die of malaria, a preventable and curable disease. Poverty is rampant. Development is on the rise. Hope is in the air. But life in Rwanda is still life in the third world.
While our trip to Dubai was a resounding success and a welcome break from the real world, I can’t help but be humbled by the huge smiles on the faces of the millions of Rwandans I see every day who are truly happy. We all know that money can’t buy happiness, and I have never believed that more than I do now, after coming home (to lovely, little Rwanda) from lavish, luxurious, Dubai.
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