A friend of mine, Patrick, is traveling in Rwanda. He has given me permission to publish excerpts from his email reports. The names of the individuals have been changed for their protection. Here is Patrick's report.
'Yesterday I attended my first service here, and what a difference! Most of the people were survivors and orphans of the genocide. The singing was absolutely wonderful and a true blessing. God's grace was present and felt.
Then, time for the testimonies.
Leaders have learned over the years that testimonies are beneficial in several ways.
- First, it is an opportunity to give glory to God and thank Him for saving and healing people.
- Second, public testimony helps to further remove the poison and damage caused in the life of the person giving testimony.
- Ultimately, it means that new people who come to the church broken can see others like them, who have been through hell, and this gives them hope and encouragement, and builds trust, and so they begin to open up.
Mama Jo and the young woman
One of the Elders, Mama Jo, encouraged and urged us to worship and praise God with our whole being. Mama Jo was widowed during the genocide and lost eight children during this time.
Mama Jo told us the story of a young woman who encouraged people in one of the churches to praise God with their whole beings, saying that if they couldn't or wouldn't, then there was something wrong. This young woman was happy and grateful to praise God by raising her fingerless hands to Him.
During the genocide, she was working as a maid for a Tutsi family when the mob arrived to kill the Tutsi family. She fled with one of the babies, thinking she would be safe since she was Hutu. Unfortunately, the murderers counted the number of victims in the house and concluded that one of the babies had been taken out to protect it. They found the girl and the baby. They killed the baby and punished the girl by cutting off her fingers.
Another young woman
Another young woman shared her testimony before singing a song of praise to God. She was living with people after the genocide, and, no longer wanting her, the man of the house had decided to kill her. Some time later, he called her to ask for forgiveness and to give her life to Jesus. That was it in a nutshell, as the interpreter tried as best he could to follow.
12 widows
Towards the end of the service, we prayed for 12 widows over the age of 50 who had lost all their family members, including their in-laws, as well as all their possessions. Despite this, they were able to trust God and praise Him for their lives.
Alex
We went to the Kigali Genocide Museum in the afternoon and then to the site where 12 Belgian soldiers were massacred while protecting the Prime Minister in April 1994. One of the soldiers saved the life of our guide Alex, himself a survivor and a member of the Solace ministry.
The militia had surrounded Alex's house with the intention of killing him, suspecting him of being an RPF agent. He called his Methodist bishop, who more or less told him to put his trust in God and die; he called Compassion International, who told him they couldn't help him because it was too dangerous; he finally called one of his cousins, who contacted the Belgian soldier. The soldier informed his comrades, and they decided to break the rules and go to his rescue.
This was before the deaths of the Rwandan and Burundian presidents. Alex lost 152 members of his family. He and his wife, Aline, met and married after the genocide. They have four children of their own and at least two adopted children. One of the adopted daughters witnessed what happened to some of her family members but can't talk about it; she simply bursts into tears. Alex's wife, on the other hand, was only recently able to smile and laugh again.
Solace Ministry Center
Afterwards, we went to a Solace administrative center, a ten-minute drive from Kigali. We were greeted by a large number of grateful people, who sang songs of praise. There were two solos, then Alex preached and performed. Many of the people present were HIV-positive because they had been raped during the genocide.
Philippe
There was a young man there named Philippe who told us about his journey to hell at the age of 11. His family was killed, his mother was abused, and his father was beheaded in front of him. He managed to escape, but was recaptured by women who tied him to a tree and made him suffer. He was rescued by the RPF; he was reunited with two of his younger sisters, whom he has been caring for ever since.
We concluded with song and thanksgiving to God.
Patrick
I spent the evening with my contact Solace at the Novotel in Kigali, where I felt a strong emotion and almost burst into tears as I explained how I came to be interested in Rwanda.'
What can I say? We feel very small when we think about our complaints and problems. What a challenge to minister to people who have experienced such difficult things, and what an inspiration to see them praise God. You and I, frankly, have no excuse.
