Filled with gorgeous hills and AMAZING weather, the land of 1,000 hills,Rwanda
is a breathtaking country. Not only is it physically beautiful, but the people
are also filled with so much joy and hospitality. It’s crazy to think that only
17 years ago the Rwandan genocide wiped out nearly 2 million people. It’s crazy
to think that the streets that I walk on now were once filled with dead bodies.
As I walk the streets of Rwanda I begin to wonder whether I
just smiled at a genocide survivor or a murderer. I met people that survived
the genocide and I heard the extreme suffering and pain that they had to go
through. And I heard how God has brought them out of that. One survivor, Oscar, said he
was filled with anger towards the people that killed his family. He desired
revenge so he joined the army, but he began to notice the joy that some people
had. He wondered what that was. He felt God pulling at His heart after the
genocide. No one told Him about Jesus,
but He wanted to know more about God and he wanted to experience joy. One day,
as he was walking down the street, a pastor came and invited him to church. He
ended up accepting Christ and it change his life. He has been a Christian for a
few years now and he works as an
assistant Pastor at his local church. One
of his ministries includes reaching out to genocide survivors. Many of them are
still living in fear, pain, guilt and hatred, he knows the feeling. He knows that only God can bring healing to
those wounds.
I was able to speak with another woman that survived. She
lost her husband and 2 sons during the genocide, but she managed to save 4 of
her children (one who was a new born at the time). She praises God because He
protected her family as they were trying to escape. As she was running she did
not think she would survive. She remembers hiding in the bushes with her
children, they were all completely naked because everything they had was
stolen. She was praying that God would shield them from the Hutus and
miraculously they were not spotted. Her family took refuge in Uganda until the genocide ended.
and on the radio here in Rwanda.
The people here treat us so well. They say that God is what gives them hope and
joy. I can see the joy in their eyes. There are many Christians in Rwanda now and
they desire to serve God. And man, can they worship!!! They have taught me much
about true hospitality and being a servant of God.Please keep Rwanda in your prayers.
