And it has been a pilgrimage. By that I mean that we have walked on holy ground, ground made holy by the suffering of the people, and by the hope that continues to transform this land from the deep darkness of genocide toward the light of peace and reconciliation. And that is what is happening through the ministry of REACH.
Early Thursday morning we left Kigali for Kirehe. Our first destination was to the site of a house being built for a woman who is a genocide survivor.
I don't know a lot about her story except that her husband and children were all killed in 1994, and she has been destitute since then, getting by as she is able, living with other people, and living at the subsistence level. She has been a participant in a REACH Unity Group, and chose to take part in the restorative justice program.
Restorative justice is a term used in the peace-building community to refer to justice that is achieved not through revenge or retribution, but through the desire for the restoration of
relationship. What that means in the context of REACH's ministry is that ex-genocide prisoners who are coming out of prison after serving their sentences and being trained by REACH to re-enter their communities -- often the very communities where they killed their neighbors, to help them be able to live alongside the survivors of the genocide. One way the offenders can demonstrate the
genuineness of their repentance is to do community service, and REACH helps facilitate that with projects to let them build homes for the victims of their crimes. And through this process, many people are asking for and receiving forgiveness from the survivors. We worked alongside about 15 ex-prisoners to lay the foundation for a house for the survivor I mentioned above. There were about a hundred people there including us, and we hauled rocks, got our hands in the
mud used for mortar, and formed conga lines to pass the rocks and mud into the trenches that had been prepared.
There was something mildly haunting about working alongside men who had murdered hundreds of people with their own hands -- and in the most brutal ways imaginable. And yet,
there we were, with both offenders and survivors who had been reconciled to one another, and were now living in community together and helping to build a house together. Restorative justice, indeed.
From there we met with another Unity Group in Kirehe, where we heard yet more stories of survivors and offenders, and of the reconciliation they had found with one another. It was sometimes hard to tell as they were telling us their stories and they were being translated for us just how genuine the repentance and forgiveness really were. The memories and the pain still go very deep. But then, you see the two people embrace one another and tell stories of how they are helping one another, and it begins to feel like there really is something to this.
We checked into our rooms where we would be for two nights at the Seeds of Peace conference center, which is owned by the Diocese of Gahini in the Episcopal Church of Rwanda. After dinner, our reflection time was once again filled with thoughtful reflections on the day's events. I wish I could remember them all. This group of sixteen people really are remarkable, and they are getting so much out of this experience.
On Friday, we went first to a waterfall on the Akagera River, right at the border with Tanzania, and we walked across a bridge into Tanzania to see it from the other side. During the genocide, this river was flowing with bodies. We learned that the bodies of Lydia's two children had been thrown into the river just near the border. Many miles downstream in Uganda there is a burial ground for all the bodies that had traveled down the river, and into Lake Victoria, and had washed up on the shores in Uganda. Perhaps Lydia's children are buried there.
From there we traveled to the Akagera National Park, a game preserve, where we saw lots and lots of wildlife: zebras, giraffes, Cape buffaloes, antelopes of many varieties, baboons, monkeys, and many other animals. The bird life is also very diverse. We saw birds of paradise, yellow weavers, Marabou storks, black-billed cranes, and lots and lots of others. I wished by daughter and son-in-law had been here to tell me what all the birds I was seeing were.
We next made a visit in Rwinkwavu to the Partners in Health hospital. We had made arrangements through Ali Lutz, our PIH friend from Cange, Haiti, to visit one of their hospitals
in Rwanda, and we were hosted by a wonderful group of four staffers, two Americans and two Rwandese. In addition, we met PIH founder Paul Farmer's wife, Didi, who lives and works here in Rwinkwavu. She was delightful. They served us a lovely lunch, and gave us an orientation to
PIH's work in Rwanda, which was followed by a tour of the compound, including the gardens where they grow food and teach agronomy.
From there we traveled to Kayonza, where we were entertained by a fabulous youth choir, some dancers, and saw a skit about the genocide played by a group of young people, all of whom were born after the genocide. It was disturbing on the one hand, but hopeful to know that Rwandese youth are learning the lessons of their troubled history, and hopefully will not repeat that history again. Philbert's parents and sister live in this community and were present for this event. It was a privilege to meet them and thank them for what their son and brother has come to mean to all of us!
Today, Saturday the 19th, we had a relatively leisurely morning, then met with Bishop Alex of the Diocese of Gahini where we were staying. He was very hospitable toward us, and spoke at length about the history of the church in this area, including East Africa's apparently famous
Gahini Revival that began right here in 1935 and was influential in the growth of the church throughout East Africa. He has big ideas, and he's apparently someone who has achieved many of them. We were, however, skeptical when he announced to us that he has a plan to eradicate illegal drugs from Rwanda within six months. I told him that once he has done so, I hope he will share his secret with us in the US. He also invited us to drive up the hill to see the grounds of the Diocese of Gahini, which we did. It is a fairly impressive complex
of buildings and the cathedral on over a hundred acres.
We then drove to Rwamagana, where we
had the most amazing experience. Prior to our arrival, the latest installment of 120 goats bought by Christ Church Andover had been distributed to their proud new owners in this community. And we arrived to find them all lined up alongside the street on the outskirts of the downtown area in celebratory dress -- people of all ages, children, youth, middle age and older people -- all proudly standing with their bleating four-footed creatures. It was a moment I will never forget. We mingled with them for some time, taking pictures and videos, and talking with gestures and the few words in Kinyarwanda that we have learned.
"Murakoze chani" was about the best we could do to thank them for welcoming us in this amazing display of gratitude. We gathered people and goats as best we could to offer a blessing of the animals. And then we went down the street to a local Pentecostal church -- a sort of open air structure with a roof of corrugated iron. Here we were once again feted with song and dance, and a presentation of gifts to the REACH Director, Philbert Kalisa, and to Thomas Brown of Epiphany Winchester and myself. It was joyful and humbling to be received in this way.
Then back to Kigali this evening -- it felt like coming home, here to the Center for Unity and Peace, where we reclaimed our rooms and rested for a while before gathering at
the bar for some refreshments, and then going to the large hall where we partied the rest of the evening away. There were lots of guests for the celebration -- both Rwandese and American - about 50 people in total. A few folks have come for the Amahoro gathering that will begin in Burundi on Monday. It was quite a surprise to find my birthday (today) being celebrated, along with three others in our group who have May birthdays. We blew out the candles on two large (and delicious) cakes. Throughout the evening we were entertained by a group of Twa dancers and singers. It was quite a cultural immersion experience. And toward the end of the evening they had us all out on the floor dancing with them in their traditional dances. As I write, I can still hear the sounds of music at the other end of the building. Apparently some are still partying!
What an incredible experience this has been -- and it's not over. Gifts were presented from the REACH staff to Thomas Brown and me, representing our two parishes. We were humbled yet one more time for their display of hospitality and gratitude. Michael Marcinelli spoke on behalf of our entire group to offer our thanks for the experience we have been having. He was absolutely eloquent as he described what this experience has meant to him and to us. And he described how challenging it will be to adequately share it with others back home. But we will do our best.
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