Counselors for Hope

Counselors for Hope was our team name. What does hope mean? The Rwandese people embodied that well for us. I was humbled and inspired by the hope that seemed to hide in unexpected places all throughout that remarkable little nation.

But my sense of hope was shaken on one day. During much of the time we were in Rwanda, we were largely cut off from worldwide media. Although we could have turned on the television and watched BBC coverage, we simply did not have time to do so. However, on the morning that we were to depart Kigali and drive to Gisenyi where we would take a boat across Lake Kivu to Iwawa Island, our driver was late. We were finished all the tasks that needed to be done. So we flipped on the television, and found ourselves glued to the worldwide coverage. The big headline that day was Syria. Children were being tortured by the government in attempts to get information concerning the possible subversive activities of their parents. The news anchor stated that genocide is happening in Syria. There was a quiet solemnity that hung over us for a period of time; the long-term effects of genocide on individuals, families, on the church, and on a nation is what our team was witnessing in Rwanda.

After a beautiful drive up to Gisenyi, we pulled up to the gate of a refugee camp built to house 2000 Congolese people fleeing the violence in the DRC. That day, over the past weeks, over 100 refugees a day had been pouring over the border until the camp now contained somewhere around 11,000 people - more children than adults. That day, if you stood on the border between Gisenyi, Rwanda and Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, you could hear gunshots. When we stepped into the camp, we were immediately separated and surrounded by children who wanted attention. It was the only time during the trip that I was completely emotionally overwhelmed with a feeling of helplessness, powerlessness, and hopelessness. The Rwandese worker who was accompanying me while we were in the camp used the G word - "It's a genocide." It was terrifying to know that on that single day, two genocides were happening not too far away. Entire families are being killed. One or two might survive. Women and children are experiencing unspeakable trauma, yet have to continue eking out food, water, and shelter to survive. Cycles of violence, cycles of trauma.

What is justice?  Where is the God of all comfort and hope?