I can’t even begin to explain the capacity of how much I’ve learned from the country of Rwanda. It’s quite overwhelming actually, but I am super grateful. It’s the most I’ve ever heard from God personally. I have learned so much on identity, the power of forgiveness, and freedom.
For ministry in Rwanda, my new team and I were serving a group of women through an organization called HOPEthiopia/Rwanda. It’s through the same founders from HOPEthiopia! HOPE Rwanda is focused more on empowering women from difficult backgrounds by teaching them the skills of tailoring and entrepreneurship -while also counseling and discipling each lady. Every day we not only taught English, but we also had the honor of meeting with two different women a day, listen to their powerful impactful stories on how God has changed their lives, share words of biblical encouragement, and prayed with them. It was so so beautiful and intentional.
One of my favorite encounters involves a woman who shared her story of a very hard past of injustice, abandonment, and rejection a man had done to her. Without sharing too many details, she eventually found God, who offered hope, love and joy again. She is currently in a good place. However, she still had bitterness and anger toward the man who hurt her. One of my teammates felt in her spirit to ask the woman if she had forgiven the man, and if not, would she want to release that anger? The woman realized she was holding on to this part of her past for too long and realized that even though God brought her to a good place now, she still held on to this pain and injustice, and it still enslaved her. God wanted to give her freedom.
So one of the men on our team offered to stand in the gap in replacement of the man who hurt her. She said, “yes.” So Samuel stood in the gap as the man who hurt her, while the rest of us prayed in the background in our minds for genuine healing and freedom.
She expressed to him every feeling, hurt, pain and word she’s kept inside her for so long.
Tears ran down our faces as Samuel apologized on behalf of the man.
“I’m so sorry. You did not deserve the way I treated you. I did not know who I was back then. Would you please forgive me?”
“Yes. I forgive you.”
It was such a powerful moment of words interchanging so that she was no longer enslaved by what that man did to her, but instead, she now has the power to walk in freedom. We didn’t do it, but God chose us to provide this exchange.
This woman is a powerful woman of God who legit gives God the glory for all that she’s overcome. She believes her calling is to be a pastor and to continue living and serving God.
Many people wonder, “how can there be a good God if bad things happen to good people?” It’s a good question. Please don’t let that question stop you from researching the answer. Bad things happen to good people all the time. There was a genocide that killed 1,000,000 people 25 years ago in Rwanda. That’s not fair. We are not blind to all the bad things we see in the news. It’s true. Bad things happen to everyone.
Yet have you ever followed through on those people where bad things happened to them? What are they doing now in this world? My experience around this world has shown me that bad things happen to people, but there story wasn’t finished. They aren’t defined by what happened to them. As people shared their story with me, they eventually found God who redeemed their story, who healed their hearts, who provided victory to the bad thing that happened.
We have no right to ask when sorrow comes, “why did this happen to me?” Unless we ask the same question for every moment of joy and love that comes our way.
The stories of these women and their past can make anyone’s heart drop from sadness, but the redemption they received from how God has changed their lives is powerful. Freedom, victory, hope, and JOY speak loudly through these women from what Jesus has done in their lives. They are the example of worshiping God through the heartbreak, dancing for Him through the pain, and celebrating each day with gratitude after the battle has won. They inspire me everyday. If you ever doubt God, just listen to other people’s story on how God changed their lives. In conclusion, it’d be hard to doubt He was never there with them through the brokenness or it’d be hard to doubt that God has a purpose for them in this life.
I have also heard many stories of genocide survivors, and the way they shared the glory and love of God with joy – even after hearing they lost their entire family due to murder- is inspiring. They still see God is good.
The abundant love God continually provides to this nation and these people is so evidently obvious. He can do the same for anyone if we choose to invite him in our lives daily. I can speak this truth for myself. God has been speaking so evidently clear to me and I am mind blown, because I had no idea he could do that. God offers us freewill. We have the privilege to choose whatever we want to do in this world: good, bad, for God, with God, for nothing, for something else. But what’s really cool about God is that he will never force his love on us, which is why he’s such a gentlemen. His love, healing, guidance and peace is available whenever we want it. Many people in Rwanda chose him, and the country has been transformed: from genocide to peace. These women received him and they have been redeemed from experiencing neglect and abuse to love and joy. These women inspire me. The joy and laughter they have after facing the toughest backgrounds is beautiful, redeeming and hopeful for the rest of humanity. Rwanda as a country, in general, amazes me. Even people who was part of the group who caused the genocide found hope in God and many people forgave them, and in response they lived out their purpose. A few times I cried just reflecting on this country’s past, everyone’s stories and their overcoming present. God is so good, and I am in awe.
We even got to host an event similar to Beauty for Ashes where we shared truth on how worthy and loved each women is by God. Rashad, Bonnie and I did different sections on their worthiness, Sarah Ann did a section about how they can forgive the past and the people who hurt them, and Samuel shared how Jesus washed his disciples feet. Afterward, we had a time where we got to wash the women’s feet, and even the feet of some of the men on staff. Isaac ended the night in prayer as we surprised them with Bibles. It was a powerful morning filled with hope, healing, reconciliation and joy. The organization Beauty for Ashes has a hashtag called #herstorymatters. Please look up the organization that the world race partners with.
On top of this, many of the women said they didn’t have a Bible, or the Bible they did own was old, worn and torn. So as a parting gift, my team and I had it on our hearts to give all 21 women a Bible in their language. I thought this was no big deal, maybe they will say thank you, and the end. BUT THEIR RESPONSE WAS UNEXPECTED! 21 women shouted for joy, they fell on their knees, tears fell from their eyes, a few even kissed their Bibles, and they collectively came together to dance in worship. Why? Because we gave them Bibles. I know, I was not expecting that either. But wow, it was an amazing sight to witness how grateful they were to receive a Bible.
Some may think a journey of deep brokenness may stop someone from wanting to read this book, but I had the honor to listen to their difficult stories, and their past of darkness makes them cling to these words more fervently. I will never take the Bible for granted ever again.
No matter how hard I try to stop putting God in a box, he keeps revealing that I still put him in a box. I must have put him in a bigger box than the last. It seems like the more I stop defining him from my own understanding, then the more I get to see him a little more clearer.
Goodbye Rwanda. A part of my heart will always be here. #herstorymatters
