Rwanda: Tired, Excited, and Sad

After three flight and numerous in-flight games, laughter, movie watching, and sleeping, we made it safely to Rwanda. We are starting our second full day here and have been completely overwhelmed by the warm welcome we were given when we arrived by the staff, the people or Rwanda, and Laura and Robert.

Our first day was spent at the Genocide Memorial in Kigali. Robert and Laura led us to memorial in vans where we saw Rwanda for the first time (during the day). So much to take in. All of our senses were on high alert as we passed all there was to see. People everywhere, smells of fresh fruit and breads and also of cars and other city smells. When we arrived at the memorial we had an idea of what to expect, but nobody really knew how powerful it would actually be and how it would affect each of us. We spent a few hours at the memorial and when were debriefed about the experience later that evening, we had each students write in their journals some reactions from what they had expreienced and what they were feeling while at the Genocide Memorial. Here is are their responses:  

Keegan Amrine: The genocide memorial today. First, I was struck by the images of rotting corpses strewn abou the countryside. Then, on the second floor, there was a presentation on several other genocides through history, including Bosnia, WWII, Cambodia, and Armenia. I was filled with a righeous anger at the seeminly insurmountable weakness of man that this continues to happen. I want insight into the healing process, but even more, I desire for this to be totally taken from the world. How can I reconcile such boundless evil with the knowledge that all men are created in God's image?

Alec Cluff: One should never have to read an 8 year old's last words or cause of death. The memorial center sparked many questions, I can't understand how friends can turn on eachother in an instant.

Raleigh Winchester: When walking through the memorial, I mostly experienced anger. Anger that genocides keep happening and nothing is being done and no one is learning. One question that is always asked is if God is a loving God, how can He allow such suffering. My answer has always been that we as humans have free will and we are allowed to make our own decisions even if it is against Gods will, and its what God does with the tragic event that matters. How he is able to rebuild and reunite a nation given the fact that millions of people were murdered. But if he can make something good out of this, why couldn't God prevent it? So my main question is what is the point of these genocides and what is Gods role in all of this?

Isaac Morse: when walking through the memorial the more i got through it the more diguisted i felt. I literally wanted to get out of the museum I started feeling so aweful. I also felt so sorry for those who had lost something or were affected by the genocide.  The thought of how powerful sin can be also ran through my head during this.  But then so did the thought of how unbelievably powerful God is.  He uses things just like this to bring his gospel, truth, and glorification of Himself into presence even more powerful then it was before.  It shows in the beauty that I see here now.  Every little kid and person on this base i feel loves and are more selfless than me when they already have nothing.  Am I worthy to even step in the museum when I come from a country who could of helped and didnt, I come from people just as bad as those who killed in Rwanda.

Jordan: It was remarkable to me how little the western world did. We were so able to help. We were so well equiped, and yet we shut our eyes to Rwanda. How could we stand by and do nothing? How could we so easily ignore the atrocities taking place?

Madison: I was challenged today. Every new picture made me angier. Meeting all of the wonderful, kind, beautiful people of Rwanda made going to the memorial heart breaking. I saw one coloful sweater, the size of a 5-6 year old, had four slashes all over it. I was challenged by God. Why Rwandans? Why these kind hearted people?

Francesca: Today, I experianced beautiful pain...my heart was broken for what breaks God's heart. I saw things that I could have never imagined before. Realizing that people lost their families, that little innocent children had their lives taken and that human beings had the ability to hurt other human beings so badly overwhlemed me with mixed emotions. I was sad and angry yet I was joyful about how God has used the genocide to further Rwanda. What I excperinced today, was beautiful.

Katlyn: Today I had my heart broken at the genocide memorial. There was a room upstairs dedicated to the children that were lost. The walls displayed pictures of children, and below them were listed things such as their favorite food, sport, activities, etc. However, then it came to cause of death. To see how the lives of these innocent children were taken brought me to tears. I thought about the many times the Bible talks about how Jesus loves the children. They are innocent and truly precious to Him. I found myself angry. They were supposed to be living their childhoods, being protected and watched over. Yet many of the people who were supposed to protect them were the ones that ended their lives. I asked myself how could God allow such a thing? I'm sure I will never truly understand.  I am still caught in a wave of confusion and sorrow for these children. It was a powerful experience that I will never forget as I struggle with the questions over the next two weeks.

Joel: The room that really struck me was three cases of human skulls. Each with a story, family, friends, and lives. The worst part of this exhibit was that most of the skulls were broken and/or missing sections. I can only imagine what happened to those people as they were dying to leave such tramatic injuries. Two stood out to me; the first, everything below the eye brown line was missing. All the nose, eye sockets, jaw, everything, gone. The other was a full skull with a complete hole the size of a lemon in the side. These impacted me the most.

Jasper: My question is how and why people could simply stand by. It does not escape my notice that most of the violence of the genocide took place within churches. It does not escape my notice that people fled instinctively for protection in God's house, and were rewarded with pain. Today, for the first time, the genocide provoked a reaction not of anger but of shock and being overwhelmed in me.

Kayla: What shook me the most was not the pain that the country experienced 18 years ago, but the intense and overlooked pain the country is experienced today. It breaks my heart to hear about all the post tramatic stress the victims and the persecutors are having to live with every stinking day. It blows my mind that first of all, people were not willing to help when it was dangerous. What is even more unreal though is that the country is in peace, they are welcoming outsiders, and still nobody is willing to sacrifice time to help. People are dying to tell their stories and to be counceled through their pain but nobody is servicing their needs. It breaks my heart that people are still suffering perfusely.

Haydn Wooster: Normally I am a very patriotic person but looking at the memorial today I became angry at America. It is amazing to me that the people of Rwanda are so friendly and carry out their daily lives with a massive smile on their face(even with all the crazy drivers.)

As you can see, the Lord is already challenging us to ask difficult questions about the evil that took place in this country. It’s difficult to figure “why” and there is always an opportunity to ask “what if,”.  We are thankful that we have more time to hear more stories and see what God has done and is continuing to do to redeem and restore the people of Rwanda.