\u201cGenocide is like an oil spill, either you die from it or you remain glued to it forever,\u201d says Gael Faye, in Mon Petit Pays. Is there any hope for this country, any possible healing and reconciliation? Can light shine again through this intense darkness?<\/p>\n
Gilles and Myriam Bonvallat did experience a sense of darkness living in Rwanda, hearing testimonies from so many Rwandan friends. But they also saw the light gently piercing through.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned\u201d Matthew 4:16.<\/p>\n
The majority of the population of Rwanda is under 25, so we offered the youth, through camps, the opportunity to discover biblical values through games and experiential teaching. We saw so many lives transformed. The younger generation has a real desire to discover God\u2019s goodness and to trust him, and even to forgive the past. They want to build a new country based on hope and grace. We saw young people realise that God was in Rwanda during the genocide, that even though human madness took over and ruled, God is not finished with Rwanda. He has a project of hope and peace for this beautiful country, and for each person born on this land.<\/p>\n
The valley of tears is long (Psalm 84:6). But God is a God of healing and he can extend real reconciliation through people who have firstly experienced reconciliation with him. We have seen God using young people to bring healing and reconciliation in families, in villages, and in churches. Today, Rwandans are beginning to have a vision for mission, for other people groups in Africa, and further afield, who have suffered and are suffering without knowing about Jesus\u2019 light. They know that they have good news to share.<\/p>\n
Noblesse, a young Rwandan, is currently part of an AIM team sharing Jesus among the Laarim in South Sudan. He was able to share his experiences with many young Rwandans who attended a Kairos (mission awareness) course. Now, three more Rwandans are currently studying theology with the goal to impact Rwanda and beyond, with the truth and the light of the Bible.<\/p>\n
The Great Lakes region has been exposed and is still exposed to insecurity and ethnic tensions. Darkness has reigned and with it so many lives have been trampled, so many have lost dignity, humanity and hope. But darkness won\u2019t have the last word. We\u2019re excited to see a new emerging generation of godly men and women being Christ\u2019s light in the midst of their families, communities, churches, country and into Africa\u2019s unreached people groups.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The scars in the history and the lives of Rwandans cause many to ask, \u2018where is God?\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":38629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"wpupg_custom_link":[],"wpupg_custom_link_behaviour":[],"wpupg_custom_link_nofollow":[],"wpupg_custom_image":[],"wpupg_custom_image_id":[],"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"aim_location":[726],"aim_ministry":[740],"aim_media_types":[],"unreached_people":[],"class_list":["post-38627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-stories","aim_location-rwanda","aim_ministry-children-youth"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n