GUERILLAS IN THE MIST – PREACHING CHRIST IN KIGALI, RWANDA
By Rayola Osanya-Nyyneque

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:3,4

Rwanda is a small, stunningly beautiful, landlocked country of endless rolling hills, meandering rivers and gentle lakes that sits in the heart of Central Africa. It is home to 8 million people and has its capital city in Kigali. The mention of the name “Rwanda”, however, often provokes thoughts of instability and the civil war which did not end without exploding into the 1994 genocide in which an estimated 800 000-to-1 million people were literally slaughtered in the space of three months.

The vast majority of those killed were of the Tutsi ethnic group, eliminated by members of the majority Hutu tribe for little reason other than their ethnic identity. The climate leading up to the tragic events of 1994 was tense, and today, in its aftermath, while many have strived to move on and put the past behind them, emotional scars remain and suspicion, mistrust and bitterness prevail.

It is in this climate that the Kigali International Church of Christ stands as an oasis of peace and a beacon of light to a society thirsting for love. Planted in May, 1997 by 2 disciples sent out from the Nairobi International Church of Christ, the church in Kigali is a living testimony to the healing and unifying power of God’s word, of the cross of Christ and of unconditional love. In the 4 years since, the church has grown to a membership of 50.

The cross-section of Rwandan society is represented in the congregation, from those with university degrees (there are 2 engineers, a marketing executive and a public relations director) to those without specialized training; from married couples to single parents, college students and teens; from those born and raised in Rwanda, to those who as part of the Diaspora did not know their country until well into their adult years; from those of French-speaking education to those brought up with English; from Hutus to Tutsis to those of mixed parentage. There are 3 widows, 1 widower, and the vast majority of the members have lost at least one parent. But what makes it all so incredible is that the very differences that divide the society at large, bond the disciples together in unity and love.

Rwanda is popularly known as “The Land of 1000 Hills.” Many locals cynically add “and 1000 problems as well.” The disciples, however, prefer to look at them as challenges, not problems – challenges which are joyfully overcome by faith. Larissa, Valia and Julien, for example, are orphans, and so Larissa, the eldest, finds herself as head of the household at the tender age of 19.

Unemployment is high, and so is the cost of living. Few people earn more than 20 000 Rwandan Francs (about 50 US Dollars) a month, yet many products are imported and as such the prices end up being highly inflated. Getting to church ends up being a challenge to those who live a great distance from downtown.

One sister, Francoise Murakatete, who like her husband, Pascal, is unemployed, had no money to take a public taxi to come for midweek service one evening, and so walked all the way – and she was 8 months pregnant at the time.On another occasion she walked in the rain with her baby strapped to her back simply to be part of the disciples' Saturday afternoon outreach to the sick in hospital.

Abraham and his son, Ancette, live in the town of Gitarama, about 75 kilometres from Kigali, and faithfully travel that distance to and fro every Sunday to be with the rest of the disciples.

In some cases, disciples actually witnessed the killing of their relatives before their very eyes during the 1994 genocide. Even those who did not lost many dear kin. Some non-disciples have been unwilling to study the Bible with disciples of the opposite ethnic group. It has taken the message of the cross and a surrendered understanding of God to cut through the thick layers of bitterness and revenge that many have harbored for years.

The members of the church encourage one another, help each other and disciple each other regardless of ethnic background. They eat together, pray together and together dream great dreams about the future impact of the kingdom of God in their families and in their country. It is radical in Rwanda to see Hutus and Tutsi genuinely hugging and loving each other, and in the Kigali congregation men and women are finding new dreams and purposes for their rejuvenated lives.

Disciples are finding joy in serving and in being outward focussed. For several years the disciples would regularly visit sick children in the hospital, and in a country where prisons are teeming with men and men awaiting trial following the genocide, went to the main prison of Kigali as well, to show compassion and give food to the inmates. There have also been many days where the church hosted street children, played soccer with them, fed them and gave out clothes.

Richard Mulihano was expelled from the national university in 1999 and imprisoned for five months for stealing, which had become a compulsive habit. In prison he started thinking seriously about God for the first time in his life. He was eventually released and soon after, was invited to church. He came to the service and after many weeks of Bible study and repentance "which was very hard for me", he attests, was baptized into Christ. Richard now has a good job using his information technology skills, and recently, all on his own with no one having asked him to, raised money from his salary to help the congregation buy itself a P.A system. His desire now is “to help everybody, to work for those who can't work for themselves, so that they can realize that God loves them.”

Simon Rwema was baptized in early 2001. He is a nationally renowned actor and has appeared on local TV, done local radio theater, and has acted in plays broadcast on the BBC. He uses his talents for the kingdom, too, and has written and directed plays for special Sunday events and benevolent programs. Simon is an orphan and grew up embittered by that reality. But he has now learnt to depend on God, for which he is extremely grateful. His dream is to act in one of the KNN productions. “More still”, he says, "I have a dream of actually making the whole world aware of God by whatever means possible, preaching, dancing [and] acting."

Pascal Nyaminani is another of the brothers in the church in Kigali. In 1997 he, his wife and their 4 children were refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo when war broke out there, forcing the whole family to walk 700 kilometres through forest and jungle for safety. He was ultimately to lose his wife and 2 of the children before making the decision to return to Rwanda. He married Francoise Murakatete, and in early 1999 Francoise ran into Georgeanne, then the women’s leader in the Kigali church, with whom she had studied the Bible 2 years earlier. This time she invited herself to church and brought along Pascal too. Pascal and Francoise were at the time members of a breakaway church that sought to return to biblical truth and abandon denominationalism but which was fraught with disunity and retained certain denominational doctrines. Pascal had to work through his deeply religious background, his leadership position in his congregation, and 3 previous baptisms.

In August of 1999, after studying the Bible for 6 months and having come to conviction, he not only was baptized into Christ but baptized his wife as well on the same occasion. Fired up to have finally found God’s kingdom after a life-long search, he continues to inspire the church, leading songs in 4 different languages, and also preaching on occasion. A kingdom-first disciple, he once had surgery late on a Saturday evening on 2 fingers that were severely lacerated at work. Hours later, on Sunday morning, rather than recuperate in bed at home as most expected, he was at church with his family, fingers heavily bandaged, and insisted on even leading some songs. He and Francoise have been personally fruitful several times. At 38, with the enthusiasm of men half his age, he continues with his wife to faithfully and powerfully serve the Lord and dream of one day working in the full-time ministry.

Charles Omollo and Janet Waweru (photo at top of page), both Kenyans, lead the Kigali church. Says Charles, of God's miracle in Rwanda, "Bringing together people who would otherwise be enemies is a fulfillment of Scripture." Janet adds, "I am encouraged to see people change. The women struggle through their difficulties because they love God."”

Diane Fossey wrote a famous book about her time with the apes in the Rwanda mountains known as "Gorillas in the Mist". In a way, I guess you could call the disciples in Kigali "guerillas in the mist" men and women fighting not with guns but with the Gospel, not with bullets but with the Bible, not with weapons of destruction but with weapons of redemption, as they hold out life and love to their generation, and turn "The Land of 1000 Hills" into "The Land of 1000 Hopes."