We Remember

There's Gold in Them There Turtles!

Rwandans overwhelmingly call themselves Christians, yet struggle to grasp the fundamentals of Christ.  Many abdicate their faith to priests and pastors.  Animism, witch doctors, curses,  etc. still govern people's actions.

One woman asked to see one of the Beck's teammates in private.  She opened a bag, showed him a turtle, and asked how one gets the gold out of the turtle.  She didn't want any others around to find out the secret.  I guess she thought he would know because he was seen as a religious leader.

Caleb has been combating this by talking and walking with people.  It is hard because many have difficulty processing concepts that conflict with what they've been taught and brought up with.  We could all do a better job altering or actions to reflect our professed belief in Christ.

Memorials

We had a powerful day seeing all the memorials.  We went to two churches that have been turned into memorials.  In the Tutsi killings between '59 and '94, people fleeing could seek refuge in churches.  During the genocide, this changed when priests and pastors were complicit or helped the killers.  In one case, after people found shelter his church, the priest locked the doors & called the Hutus to bulldoze the church.

The churches we visited were mass graves where tens of thousands of people are buried. The pews have the original victim's clothes inside.  Crypts have coffins and shelves of skulls and bones of the dead.  Walls had holes created by grenades thrown to stun victims so make it easier for people with machetes to kill.  Ceilings, floors, and walls had bullet holes.

The main memorial in Kigali was something closer to what we westerners would expect.  It was mostly displays with photos and history starting with the Germans, Belgians, and Hutus winning liberation from Tutsi rule but then immediately killing Tutsis and laying the foundation for the genocide.  We saw the "10 commandments for Hutus" seemingly straight out of Nazi Germany.  Everyone cried.

Mary was the First to be Shot

One Rwandan said that the first victim shot was Mary the mother of Jesus. I don't think he means that literally, although her statue does have pockmarks from bullets.  He meant that Rwandans saw the failure of churches to protect them as being abandoned by God.  They grew up thinking churches were holy ground Satan couldn't penetrate.  Now they see church as just a building.

The Rwandan killed not only families but their idea of God. If the church is just a building, then what is God?  This is what Caleb and Jenny are trying to rebuild out of the ashes of broken lives and broken trust in religious institutions.

Restore the Image of God in People

Caleb emphasized several times today that they view there purpose as to convince people they have God's image.  When you listen to a prostitute trying to better herself, you are giving her back the dignity God gave her she thinks she has lost. Survivors overcome despair by grasping at the hope that comes with being a child of God.


Big Sin, Big Forgiveness
It is frightening what happens when we let Satan have a free reign. I can't explain how the genocide could be explained any other way than Satan in control.

Then we hear stories of survivors seeking out the people who killed their families and friends - not for retribution but rather to forgive. They believe you can't forgive somebody whose name you don't know.  You have to find the person then forgive them.  You have to put yourself in their shoes and learn their story for the healing on both sides to begin. I can't explain how this could happen any other way than God is in control.

Kics

We stopped by to see the school where Caris is in Kindergarten and Aiden is in 2nd grade. Jenny volunteers there 2 or 3 times a week and the kids get free tuition.  Jenny was asked to do HR work, but quickly assumed a role of business officer bringing with it more work and more stress than she wanted for a volunteer position.  Next year, she be transitioning into a role where she can work with people, not numbers.

The school has 238 kids and will be over 300 next year.  It is a Christ centered school founded by Brian Dollinger when he and Christy were here. The school is American accredited and highly sought after by missionaries, NGOs, diplomats, etc.  Aiden took the STAAR test today. It is definitely the nicest school I've seen in a 3rd world country.  They are looking to build a larger campus that will allow the school to grow to meet the demand.

Teachers here were originally required to be self supporting. They move receive a small monthly stipend, insurance, and airfare.

ATN

We took a quick tour of the African Transformation Network. We'll see more tomorrow. This is where classes in business, entrepreneurship, ethics, welding, and sustainable farming are taught.  They are building a playground hoping to do more with street kids in the future.  We saw bananas grown larger and more abundantly using sustainable techniques.  We saw ironwork, desks, and tables made by people given their dignity back by learning a job skill.


There is so much more to say!  Look at the videos and photos.

Until tomorrow ...