I just got home from a service learning trip to Rwanda with a bunch of high school and college students. The students were awesome. They were polite, respectful, kind, super funny and they worked their butts off.
As a part of our trip we visited a couple of Genocide memorial centers. We learned a little of the history of the country and some of what led up to the genocide. Of course you can't very much in a few short hours but you can see and learn enough to be completely overwhelmed. We all were. Rwanda seems to be a country on the upswing. There are building projects through out the capital of Kigali and the city life appears to be vibrant and stable 16 years after the genocide.
When I got home I picked up a book my wife had read on the genocide so she could get a feel for what I was learning. The book is "Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust' by Immaculee Ilibagiza. I had seen evidence of the general history and seen some pictures depicting real people including children who were brutally murdered but nothing compares to hearing a story of a young university student who lived through that hell. It is difficult to understand the depth and scope of evil that humans are capable of. Now I am even more overwhelmed by this tragedy. It is amazing to think that this country is recovering at all. It clearly points to God's grace and mercy on individuals and on the country as a whole. How can people learn to live together again? Tustis and Hutu's, former friends, family and neighbors turned butchers being reconciled? Only God can bring about that level of forgiveness. Even from the eyes of an outsider 1/2 the world away I am amazed. My initial instincts are not to forgive when I'm merely reading the book. God is working wonders in Rwanda. It just seems like the progress is super slow. God bless and heal Rwanda & let us know how we can help.
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