Resilience: From Death to Life

LIFE: John with school children in Nyamata

Clothes of the people that died in and around the church at Nyamata

During my time in Rwanda John, Daneen’s friend and my new friend took us to a few Genocide Memorial sites. Even though I was in my early twenties when the horrific genocide took place in Rwanda I didn’t know much about the actual event or the events leading up to the 1994 Genocide that killed as many as 2 million peoples within 3 month’s time!

I was amazed find out that the 1st genocide in Rwanda started in 1949. This is when my friend John’s grandparents left their home village and fled to Uganda. John’s mother did return to the family village up until 1991 when more genocide broke out. She then moved her and her 3 children along with thousands of other Rwandans, to an IDP (Indigenous Displaced Peoples) Camp outside of Kampala, Uganda. There John grew up and during that time saw his two sisters die in the camp of starvation. God spared his life and that of his mothers. The two of them were Blessed in some weird way because they weren’t in Rwanda for the massive genocide that systematically took place throughout the country on 06 April, 1994.

John took us to his home town, Nyamata, and the Genocide Memorial that has been set up there to memorialize that 10,000 people were killed there within or around the Catholic Church grounds. It was so moving! I couldn’t believe that so many people were killed in one place but John explained that they sought refuge in the church because in previous uprisings the church protected them. This time the priests were “bought off” by the rebels or hated the Tutsi peoples so much that they just turned them over to be killed. I was in awe that people could do this to each other. I just stood and looked at the blood stained cloth that hung over the alter and all the clothes of the people that lie on the floor where the people were killed. As I turned around I saw John standing at the corner of the church. As I walked up to him I could tell he was almost in tears. I hugged him tight and we both began to cry. What an emotional day!

I’m so happy to say that through the death there is new life!! I’m amazed that after 14 years the people have rebounded from this horrific, devastating genocide to find their smiles again! It was so evident in the school children that we meet outside John’s home town. Those children where so happy, and full of such life! All the adults that John introduced us to seemed to have forgiven, put the past behind them and moved on with life. It was also apparent in the villages, towns and the capital city of Kigali. There was new building and new life everywhere! I thank the Lord that we can forgive each other, seek comfort and find love with Him.