2. Seminars within the country
Our team conducted 3 seminars for students in Gisenyi and Byumba. Our approach is to raise teams of young volunteers who will be Community change agents. In Gisenyi, students came from different schools to share their pain and worries about the future. Most confessed their mistrust towards the older generation accusing them of being hypocrite. They appealed on those in government to be consistent and truthful and not to plunge them into bloodshed anymore. Both in Byumba and Gisenyi, students confessed bitterness and prejudices. The Hutu students expressed their frustration about the support that is given to genocide survivors. Most of them were very young and some were not born during the genocide but they could learn how to keep away from the different group. Some confessed the shame of having parents in prison and others brought to the cross the trauma caused by seeing their parents being killed before their eyes. Another seminar was organized for pastors in Kigali, a young men opposed all the teachings, especially the idea of forgiving the Hutu. He saw his parents being beheaded, burnt and other many horrible things. He saw young Hutu open the womb of a lady, taking the heart, grilling and eating it. He only had his grandmother to comfort him but last year 2007, some genocide suspects cut her into pieces fearing to be exposed! That was the end! You can’t understand the contractions in his heart. This handsome young man is a fervent Christian, intercessor and worship leader but he has completely denied God access to his pain. Our team is doing personal follow up to help him release his pain to Jesus.
As the team is heading toward the Advent, God is helping us to do some adjustments with our work in the community, focusing more on the youth. God has anointed us among the younger generation. Every small seed we plant in them becomes the tree that bore 100 fruits. Our strategy will be to recruit and train them and released them as community change agents. We will work with government and church leaders, schools and other partners to strengthen the work of the youth but ultimately God is leading us to shift our primary focus from pastor in general to younger Christian leaders. God is already blessing us with younger associates on the team.
Our team conducted 3 seminars for students in Gisenyi and Byumba. Our approach is to raise teams of young volunteers who will be Community change agents. In Gisenyi, students came from different schools to share their pain and worries about the future. Most confessed their mistrust towards the older generation accusing them of being hypocrite. They appealed on those in government to be consistent and truthful and not to plunge them into bloodshed anymore. Both in Byumba and Gisenyi, students confessed bitterness and prejudices. The Hutu students expressed their frustration about the support that is given to genocide survivors. Most of them were very young and some were not born during the genocide but they could learn how to keep away from the different group. Some confessed the shame of having parents in prison and others brought to the cross the trauma caused by seeing their parents being killed before their eyes. Another seminar was organized for pastors in Kigali, a young men opposed all the teachings, especially the idea of forgiving the Hutu. He saw his parents being beheaded, burnt and other many horrible things. He saw young Hutu open the womb of a lady, taking the heart, grilling and eating it. He only had his grandmother to comfort him but last year 2007, some genocide suspects cut her into pieces fearing to be exposed! That was the end! You can’t understand the contractions in his heart. This handsome young man is a fervent Christian, intercessor and worship leader but he has completely denied God access to his pain. Our team is doing personal follow up to help him release his pain to Jesus.
As the team is heading toward the Advent, God is helping us to do some adjustments with our work in the community, focusing more on the youth. God has anointed us among the younger generation. Every small seed we plant in them becomes the tree that bore 100 fruits. Our strategy will be to recruit and train them and released them as community change agents. We will work with government and church leaders, schools and other partners to strengthen the work of the youth but ultimately God is leading us to shift our primary focus from pastor in general to younger Christian leaders. God is already blessing us with younger associates on the team.
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