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Today was the National Day of Remembrance. Twenty-one years ago the last genocide
began. 300,000 people perished. It’s a day that brings up deep hurts and
sorrow, and we witnessed the lasting results of those dark days today as the
women shared of their experiences. Two of the ladies shared for the very first
time great details of how they struggled to survive as children. It was obviously a painful process of
recalling the horrors they faced.
One young woman told us how her mother had dug a pit to store
vegetables from the harvest, but when the genocide began, she told her two
children to hide in the pit. She covered
it with leaves, branches, then dirt and even put some plants on top to look
like a garden so they wouldn’t be found.
She told them goodbye, that they probably wouldn’t see her again, and
she left. She remembered the day and
hour she entered that pit where they stayed for 2 days. On the third day, they heard gunfire everywhere;
they were terrified. Then they heard
soldiers yelling for anyone hiding to come out, that they were there to rescue
them. They didn’t know whether they
could believe them or not, so they didn’t move.
Eventually they decided to come out; they would die of starvation, so
they might as well climb up. They were rescued
by the military and brought to what was considered a safe place. It was filled with dead bodies. Told to stay there while they tried to rescue
others, the children clung to each other, not knowing what had become of their
father or mother. They went into a
village to scour for scraps of food.
They were told they had to hide at night, so they slept in ditches. Filled with fear, she said she didn’t want to
go on living – she had run out of hope.
Several days later another group of rescued people came, and her mother
was among them. She could hardly believe
it! The soldiers moved them again in
heavy rains. A soldier told her mother
that he’d take her to Bujumbura and care for her, leaving her little brother
with her mother. She stayed with the soldier
and his wife for some time. She met a
friend in Bujumbura who told her about Homecare. They both came to apply, but her friend said
she wasn’t as needy as she, so if there were only one place, she should get
it. But there was a place for them both. She shared about how much the first two weeks
at Homecare changed her life. They spent
those days being discipled, learning who they are in Jesus, learning from His
Word. She discovered her true identity
in Christ! “Here at Homecare, we find love.
We are ONE, not two ethnic groups.”
She came to know Jesus, and she praises God for those who provided for
Homecare Center, for the teachers who love them and nurture them. She now has
hope; she has life, Life in Jesus, and great aspirations for the future.
Another women shared for the first time of the horrors of
the latest genocide when both her parents were killed, leaving her an orphan at
3 years old. She remembered soldiers
coming into her house. She was asleep,
not aware of what was happening. When
she awoke, there was no one left in the house.
She was rescued and taken to join other survivors. Her mother had hidden in Rwanda and returned
when she thought it would be safe. She
was with her for a month before her mother was also killed. She went to live with her grandmother, but
soon she died. Her seven year old sister
searched for food for the three children left.
When she was 6, a man took her as his own, provided for her schooling
and cared for her. She said, “I always
felt God’s love for me from the time I was little.” Some while later she fell ill and went into a
coma for two weeks. Again, she thought
she would die. She came out of the coma,
but her sight and hearing were affected.
Everyone told her that she would never be able to do anything, get work
or have a future. She was in
despair. A previous graduate brought her
to Homecare. She said, “Before, I had no
hope at all. But God has honored
us. I never smiled, but now I am full of
joy. I am so thankful for my own Bible. It means so much to me! I find comfort in God’s Word. I am a new person.” She was afraid that she wouldn’t be accepted
to Homecare because of her poor sight and hearing, but as she said, “Nothing is
impossible with God!” She also said she
thinks she is the best in the class (the class giggled at this, but seemed to
agree!). Her face radiated JOY,
PEACE…..HOPE.
These were only two of the stories we heard today. These were hard stories; hard to tell, hard
to hear. As they shared, it stirred the
deep, painful memories of others in the group; many wept, as did we. On this Day of Remembrance, we heard their
sorrows, BUT we saw the joy they now have in Jesus! He has truly turned their mourning into
gladness and comforted them with joy!
These who have endured horrors are now ones of hope. It is truly impossible for us as westerners
to fully grasp the cruelty and terror of those days, but as we prayed for them,
for this country, our hearts joined theirs in looking forward to that day when
there will be no more sorrows, tears.......only eternal peace.
This afternoon the atmosphere lightened from the heaviness
of the morning as we had a “craft time” together with the ladies. Suzanne, Heather, and Brenda had brought many
sewing and craft ideas for the ladies to make, things they would enjoy having
and possibly reproduce to sell. What a
great time they had! And what
creativity! As they worked on necklaces,
bracelets, and headbands, you could see the “wheels turning” in their heads
with inventive takes on the designs. You
can tell that several of them really are designers; we don’t doubt that they
will become known for their designs one day.
It was a great time of fun, crafting, relaxing, and just being together.
One of the team members remarked that she wondered how long
it would take to feel comfortable with the women, or if they would truly “fit
in.” She was amazed at how quickly (as
soon as you enter Homecare for the first time, really) you feel at ease,
comfortable, welcomed. They are so
loving and accepting; it is easy to feel “at home” with them. And that is so very true. As strange as it may seem, you do feel at
home here; they do feel like family. And
we are blessed.
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