The Unity of "Amen"

Now, let me just tell you that this post is rather gruesome and upsetting. That being said, I left you with a happy ending!

Clothes from Victims

For my Peace and Conflict class, we went to two more Genocide memorials. The first one, Ntarama, was a Catholic Church where 5,000 people are buried. Many people went there thinking it was a hold place where they would be safe. People both inside the church and outside are buried and remembered at this memorial. The Church is kept in its original condition with holes from grenades in the walls and such. For the memorial, there is the main church, a sunday school building, and a kitchen building. In the Sunday school building, there are stains on the walls from where Hutus took babies by the feet and smashed their heads against the wall. They are stains from blood and brains. In the kitchen, the Hutus came in with grenades to blow up the building. Those who did not die from the grenade blows were tied to mattresses which were then burned. That building also remains in its original condition. The comes have been removed, but the clothes and mattresses and shoes remain where they were. In the main chapel, the benches remained. Clothes were everywhere and bones were placed on a shelf in the back. In the from, there were coffins of people who were recently found. Also on shelves were shoes, pots, and weapons. Those resources were there because people expected to live there and that it would be a safe haven. 

The Catholic Church

Our tour guide was a genocide survivor. Carly, a girl on my trip, asked him to share his story...and he did. This is his story:

He left his house to go to the hill where he could fight because he was a young male. At sunrise, he returned to his house to shower and change his clothes. He did this for several days and several nights. One day when he returned to his house, he found his father sitting in the garden. As he sat with his father, the Hutus came in and shot his father, however, he ran and survived. He did not mention the rest of his family. As the genocide continued, he would hide in the swaps and the hills. At night, he would go out and get cabbage and feet potatoes to live off. He is a survivor. He does not dwell in the past. He shared his story with an open heart.

Despite 1994, they remain one nation

The second memorial, Nyamata, was also preserved in a very natural state. It was a large Catholic Church and inside were the clothes of victims layer against the benches. This memorial has approximately 45,000 bodies. Outside were mass graves that you could walk down steps and see caskets and comes on both sides. In the basement of the church the memorial site preserved some bones to show the damage of different ways victims were killed. There was also a single coffin that was the body of a woman. It was there to represent the suffering of many women. Many were were raped my many men (20+) before they were killed. To be killed, men would shove a long stick up their private parts and they would then bleed to death. 

The 3rd Genocide Memorial We Visited

Mass Graves

"Never Again"

The Clothes of Victims

Inside the memorial, there was a woman who cleaned the floors. She is said to be a "walking dead" and she was given this job so that she would have something to do with her time. Our professor asked if she would be willing to share her story with us. She agreed, so we traveled a bit away so that we would not be around crowds and she would not be looked down upon for telling her story. She told us her story in Kinyarwanda and our professor translated for us. This is her story...

Professor Anastase and Sarafina

Sarafina (the woman that spoke to us), her husband and her children left their house when they heard that the presidents plane had been shot down and trouble would soon be coming. They stayed in several churches before going to the stadium where thousands of people were staying. There, the Hutu's would come in and kill the Tutsi's during the night, but one woman hid her and her family and they were safe. That being said they knew they wouldn't be safe to stay there when it turned day. They traveled to another church close by but it was too full to stay. When they were traveling somewhere else, her husband was shot right in front of her and her kids. She did not want to leave that place, but they wouldn't kill her and her children. Sarafina and her children went to a crowded church and stayed in the basement where it was crowded and people were dying because they didn't have food and water. They were just waiting there to be killed. They were waiting for the Hutus to come and kill them off. That did not happen. The RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) came and took them all to same places, but they split up the women and the children so Sarafina was separated from her children. A few weeks later, Sarafina was reunited with her children and they are all alive to this day...

As she told her story, she was so strong but she had moments when she broke into tears. What an incredible woman. She is by far the strongest woman I have met. She had an open heart and despite everything she was a believer. She has seen more than any of us could ever imagine seeing. 

When she was done telling her story, I was shaking and we were all in tears. Without thinking much, I raised my had and asked Pastor if I could pray for her. He translated to her and she smiled so I walked up, took her hands and our group of 14 crowded around her. I have no idea what I said, but it was such a powerful moment. I stood and prayed in English and Pastor translated for me. We were a unified group because we all have ONE Father who loves us and is looking down on us. It didn't matter that she couldn't understand my language and I couldn't understand hers. At the end, we all said "Amen." We were unified by a single word. "Amen"

Going into these memorials and seeing them preserved in a very natural state was nauseating, The realness of them got to me. It was right in front of me. I am sorry that I could not present much to you other than the facts of what I heard. As I have been challenged to learn and reflect about the Genocide in the last week, I have had trouble with the question, “Where is God in all the killing?” I realize that I am not the only person with this question, but at the same time, it is a question I want to try to unpack for myself. After visiting the three memorials, I have seen and heard some stories that have changed my life; however, I have still not been able to figure out the answer to my question.  All that being said, I have discovered an answer to the question, “Where is God now?”

            God is in Africa. He has been here and he always will be here. While some may doubt God because of the mass killings, you cannot deny that God is with these people now. After hearing the two testimonies at the genocide memorials, it was made clear to me that even though I don’t have an answer to God’s presence during the killings, I do know that he is with these people now as they continue on with their lives. Despite the devastation these people have faced, they still love God with their whole hearts. Through God, they have been blessed with the spirit of forgiveness, which is an incredible challenge. To me, I cannot fathom having the spirit to forgive the people who killed my family and friends. In addition, they still find a way to smile. Despite the fact that they have lost their families, friends, and feel like “the walking dead,” they smile the brightest, most beautiful smiles. These memorials have opened my eyes to seeing God work in this country. I look forward to my continual reflection of the history of this country and the lives of the Rwandan people.

NOW...I know this post is getting long, but I want to leave you with a more happy moment from here in Africa. WE FOUND FRIENDS! Now, they are all 11 years or younger, but that is    beside the point. They live a few streets down. We went out today with the sole purpose of finding children. We found 3 and within 10 minutes there were at least 30. They are so fun and I can't wait to hang out with them throughout the semester!

I am in love!

This is Germina and her friend. Germina is 11 years old and he birthday is on March 21st. She is in "level 5" at primary school. Her English was absolutely incredible! She would translate between myself and the other kids. An incredible young girl.

 

These kids were absolutely insane! They love chasing us around with grass and tickling us or playing silly high five games. They absolutely adore the camera if you can't already tell...

 

Much Love from Africa!