Rwanda Day 3: Monday July 19

July 19--

Today was absolutely one of the most profound days of my life. It was profound because I walked away believing more in the possibility of goodness, believing more in meaning of hope, believing more in the potential for forgiveness and reconciliation and lastly believing that Jesus is alive and well even in the darkest of circumstances. I’ve been believing for years now that God is the greater of all that is good and the redeemer of all that lacks goodness. Thank you Julian of Norwich for this. I’ve seen this come to light in the circumstances of my own life. But I’ve never had a neighbor kill my family. I’ve never had someone I know take everything from me--house and family and livestock--and leave me for dead. As I’ve learned about some of the unspeakable evil in our world it has had me question the possibility for goodness and the potential for forgiveness let alone reconciliation. Could God really redeem the worst in our world?

At the start of summer I read the book that or freshman are going to be reading come fall. It is a book on forgiveness and reconciliation in Rwanda titled “As We Forgive”. It spoke to the real difficulty and pain involved in the process of forgiveness and reconciliation. When I am honest about such an issue as “reconciliation” I have to acknowledge that it is a romantic idea in my head. It is something that is so beautiful on the outside and heart warming on the inside. “As We Forgive” did a good job of demystifying reconciliation for me. The timing of my reading that book couldn’t have been more perfect.

Today I went with Philbert who heads up Reach Rwanda, Pastor Fidel who works alongside Philbert for Reach, Bishop Mark from Northern Ohio(from the Episcopal church), his daughter Sophie and son Eli on a trip. We traveled about 21/2 hours out of Kigali to the Eastern province of Rwanda near the Tanzania border. This is an area that Reach has been working in the longest to help facilitate forgiveness and reconciliation after the 1994 genocide. It has been a big deal for Bishop Mark to be here. It turns out that he was the first bishop from the US to come to visit Reach participants in this area. So you can imagine how excited the people were when an American bishop arrived with Philbert and Fidel. Of course they were excited to see the rest of us who are Muzungu’s too.
We met for a gathering in a Pentecostal church. There were pastors from several churches, a choir of young people and maybe 100 others. It could have been any church gathering in Africa. But it wasn’t just any gathering at all. The people in the room and the stories they are host made this gathering anything but a regular church meeting.

As the gathering started pastors made introductions. One of the pastors who works with Reach asked all those who have been trained by Reach to stand up. Quite a few people stood up. Then he asked all those who are survivors of the genocide to stand up. More than half of the room stood up. Then he asked those who killed someone during the genocide to stand up. Maybe 1/3 of the room stood up. In that number stood both men and women. I was sitting in a church with survivors and perpetrators of the genocide. Reach has been going into some of the prisons and helping those who killed others to know about God’s forgiveness, his love and helping them to know Christ. Many of the perpetrators have finished their prison terms and returned to their communities. I can’t imagine how hard this must be for them as well as the survivors. Yet some of the perpetrators are returning to seek forgiveness. I felt in awe that I was sitting among those who had killed and those who survived. Some of the survivors even sat with people who had killed their own families.

Philbert asked Bishop Mark and I to introduce ourselves and to say a few words of encouragement. I was glad he warned me before we got there because I had an idea of what I could say. I think I would have been totally speechless had I not come in with some thoughts. What in the world could I say to these people about God when they “get it”? They understand the pain and struggle of the long road to forgiveness and they are participating in God’s life in a way I only hear about. I thanked them for their witness to the resurrection. Their lives are proof that Jesus is living in this world today. Bishop Mark thanked them for their living testimony to hope. Later he commented that these pastors and people are not only teaching their community and Rwanda about forgiveness and reconciliation but they are teaching the world. God is redeeming the horrendous events of 1994 in small pocket communities all over Rwanda. God has been using the work of Reach and other organizations that are doing reconciliation work to show the world that forgiveness and reconciliation is possible. It sounds like, however, that the work has a long ways to go.

When Paul talks about the church being an ambassador of reconciliation he isn’t talking about a pipe dream. He is calling us to be this and Paul for one knew how painful for the journey was, the heart ache of being the wrong doer and the triumph and freedom of being forgiven and forgiving. Today I met people who prove that the call to be reconcilers is real and that the possibilities are just as real.

During the service we heart 3 people give their testimonies. Agnes shared in general about what happened in 1994. She shared how hard it was and how hard it continues to be. From her I sensed that this road of forgiveness continues. There is still a lot of pain involved in living in a community of survivors and perpetrators. She asked us to pray for them.

Next John got up to share with us. John was in prison for around 10 years. He killed people in this community. While in prison people from Reach ministered to him. He became a Christian and then when he was released he found some of the family members of people he had killed to repent and apologize. Yet Reach made it possible for John to go further than just say I’m sorry. John shared how he has been working on building a shelter for one of the families. The family was asked to stand up. There was a man in the back of the room who was standing on crutches. This was the man that John was building a house for. I was sitting there feeling like I was living in a dream. But I wasn’t. This is real. I remember reading in “As We Forgive” about a similar story. Yet here I was meeting people who are living this story out.

A third lady got up and shared about what happened to her during the genocide. She survived at first by hiding in the roof of her home. She was found and then “survived” by being handed to many men to be raped. Her story represents so many women’s stories during the genocide.

At the end of the meeting some of the ladies presented all of us visitors with a token of thanks for being with them today. The ladies in the community have created a cooperative and they are weaving baskets. They presented each of us with a basket they hand crafted. One of the pastors explained that our baskets had a specific purpose. These baskets he said are to hold inside of them all of our experiences and all the stories we have heard. We are to take these baskets and open them up when we get home. We are to share what we’ve seen and what we’ve heard so that the rest of the world knows what is happening in their community, within Reach‘s ministry, and in Rwanda.

After the service ended we greeted the people. The ladies had some more baskets for sale too. After spending some time with the people we got in the car and drove to two of the homes that was built for the survivors. Both were homes John was working on.

John met us there with the man on crutches and his wife. We were welcomed in the home to see it. Inside the home John explained how no one had told him he had to build a house but that he felt like he had to do something for this man. Saying sorry is not enough. We learned that John had beaten the man on crutches and left him on a pile of dead bodies for dead. The man survived but has been disabled ever since. The man on crutches also shared with us. He said that he has been so grateful for what John is doing. He never could have guessed this would happen to him. He said that when John came out of prison John came to him and told him about Reach. The man also got involved with Reach and learned about forgiveness and reconciliation. He said that it was too hard to hold the hatred any longer. Forgiving has set his heart free. He commented that no one in his family helped him build a home after the genocide yet John came to him, told him about Reach and has been building him a home. As he spoke you could see the sheer amazement on his face. I too felt amazed by what I was hearing. I felt like I was in the presence of Christ. I’m not sure there is a moment in my life where I’ve been as keenly aware of God’s real presence. Later Bishop Mark commented that today we had witnessed the miracle of the Incarnation. I think he is right. I also think that today I was able to witness the miracle of the resurrection too. Both were so clearly being witnessed today in our midst. Jesus has been giving new life and Jesus has been present through his people for them and for us.

I’ve read about how holding onto hatred and resentment and anger keeps people from living the lives they want. In small ways I’m coming to know this to be true in my own life. Yet today I felt like God gave witness to this reality in a way that I’ll never forget. While I can not deny the pain and difficulty in forgiving and reconciling I also cannot deny that it is both possible and freeing for the soul. If it can happen among killers and survivors, then it can happen among anyone.

Today there was an appeal for more building supplies. More freed prisoners would like to participate in reconciliation and would like to help build homes. Reach has helped provide resources for 30 homes to be built for victims by their perpetrators. I think it would be incredible to help provide the resources for a home. How cool would it be to participate in this process of reconciliation by helping victims and their perpetrators have this experience? We saw two homes today. They are simple houses but their meaning to all involved is far from simple.

The day didn’t end here. We gathered with Reach leaders for lunch and had opportunity to share more with each other. We also stopped by Philbert’s parents house. That was fun for us. Philbert has been an awesome host and so it was special to meet his parents. Just down the road from his parents other youth who are involved in Reach were waiting for us. There was another choir and a dance team that was preparing a performance for us. We sat and listened and watched. It was wonderful. The choir has been together for many years now and their ages are between 15 and 30. Philbert explained that they have spent a lot of time and money on this group of youth. They have had training and they have uniforms. Often when Reach puts on a workshop for reconciliation the choir comes to sing for the people. Philbert said that often the choir helps people to begin thinking about their need for Christ and their need to forgive. The dance team invited all of the visitors to join them. I danced…not very well…but I tried. We all did. It was a very fun ending to a hugely meaningful day.