Vision for Rwanda

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:4, 9

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our troubles,

so that we can comfort those in any trouble

with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Hello Everyone,

As I have talked with supporters about my trip to Rwanda, the question "How did you choose to go to Rwanda; what is your purpose for going there?" has been brought up several times.

Up until now I don't feel I have adequately answered the question. Yes, I am going to teach Rwandan youth while I am in Kigali, but that is not the full vision I see when I think about Rwanda over the long-term. I would like to let you in on what I have prayed and thought about many times throughout the past year.

In the West, Rwanda is most often associated with the 1994 ethnic genocide. Since that time, there have been efforts by organizations like ALARM to teach the people about reconciliation and forgiveness as the answer to healing broken relationships between neighbors and family members caused by violence and injustice.

Is transformation by the Holy Spirit happening in the hearts of the people? For those who choose to be transformed by God's power of forgiveness and reconciliation, what could their future role look like within their community, country and world?

As I think about genocides in places like Armenia, Bosnia, Kurdistan and Darfur, could Rwandans be sent as ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) to other parts of the world effected by ethnic conflict? In the next ten to twenty years, could Rwandans be peacemakers to the world?

As an example, between 1975 and 1979, Cambodians witnessed nearly 2 million people die at the hand of the Khmer Rouge. Even though it has been 29 years since the genocide, there is still anger and frustration by victims over unresolved injustice.

In this case, could Rwandans, who witnessed nearly a million of their neighbors and family members die in 100 days, relate to victims and perpetrators still alive in Cambodia today? Could a victim or perpetrator of the Rwandan genocide, who has experienced the transforming power of Christ, witness to a Cambodian victim who still bears the scars of injustice? What might it look like to bring Christ-following Rwandans and Cambodians together to prayerfully intercede between God and the broken-hearted of Cambodia.

At this point, I want to remind you, I am prayerfully thinking of what God is capable of doing through Rwandans; the idea of Rwandans as peacemakers may not come to pass in the way I envision it or maybe at all. I am asking the Lord to give me insight into what he is doing in Rwanda and within the hearts of the people there already, so that I might be in step with the Spirit's work before I arrive and while I am there over the next six months.

As prayer and financial partners joining me in this trip, I am asking you to prayerfully ponder over the questions I have suggested? As people seeking the kingdom of God, how might God expand our vision of what he is doing throughout the world today and in particular Rwanda?

Will you join me in prayerfully seeking God's will for Rwanda?

While you are thinking about these questions, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Rwandan and Cambodian genocides by watching the movie "Sometimes in April" and the Frontline/World program "Pol Pot's Shadow" <http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia/thestory.html>. As you familiarize yourself with the burdens these two people groups bear, begin thinking and praying about what the Lord might do through Christ-following Rwandans to bring the grace of God to those who morn in places of ethnic conflict like Cambodia?

Thanks for listening and sharing in the journey.

Andrew