This week Prison Fellowship Rwanda (PFR) said goodbye to our dear friends and partners, International Reconciliation Ministry (IRM). Their parting was bitter-sweet as although it is never easy to see people go, the team left having accomplished a great deal in the three weeks they spent with us in Rwanda. We look forward to them joining us again in the future to continue their work, but for now let us tell you about just some of their achievements, highlighting the benefits that accrue from strong, and long-lasting partnerships.
Pastor Deo poses for one last photo with Arlene and Roger after the PFR staff and IRM team share a final meal together
During their stay the IRM team visited many of the prisons in Rwanda including Rilima, Musanze, Butare, and Nsinda. In these prisons, Arlene, IRM’s founder, conducted mass preaching sessions incorporating messages of transformation and reconciliation. These teachings are a vital part of prisoner transformation, as demonstrated by one of PFR’s own staff members and ex-prisoner Sekamana Jean de Dieu who gave his testimony to IRM.
Sekamana explained to the IRM team that after being imprisoned for genocide atrocities, Pastor Deo and the other servants of God that started visiting prisoners in 1995 opened his eyes to the sins he had committed and he began to repent.
IRM also distributed Bibles in order to enable the prisoners to learn and read the word of God for themselves. In Rilima Prison, the male members of the team, Jon and Pastor Roger conducted pastor training and at the end were able to reward 77 participants with certifications! Not only does this provide those trained with hope for future employment, but it also allows them to spread the word of God to other inmates when it is not possible for outsiders to visit. Furthermore, preaching was not confined to the prisons, the team spread messages of healing, forgiveness and unity in Kimonyi Reconciliation village to over 200 village members encouraging them to live and work together peacefully.
Finally, the female members of the team spent a memorable day with the 35 women that PFR serves. These women are widows of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, during which many were also violently raped and as a consequence contracted HIV/AIDS. They now lead an extremely difficult life, having to support children alone, cope with their illness, and grapple with past memories of the genocide. It is all too easy for these women to blame themselves for what happened to them during 1994 and so this was the issue the IRM team addressed. Using their own personal stories, Bible teachings, and symbolic gestures, Arlene, Tanya and Pastor Dorothea showed the women their worth, stressed that they were not to blame for what had happened to them, and showed the greatest compassion when explaining that whilst they understood how hard life was for these women, at the end of the day, they were blessed to be alive, they all faced the same challenges, and the best way of overcoming these was to work together and to share their experiences. It is difficult to put into words the effect that this had on everybody involved, to use the team’s own words, the experience was overwhelming.
Tanya blesses one of PFR’s widows before giving her a ribbon that symbolises her worth. The women are also given a spare ribbon to give to another woman that they love and admire.
IRM strongly believes that faith must be put into action, and they proved this by not only donating Bibles within the prisons but also providing the widows with Bibles, hand-sewn shopping baskets (made by their church at home), and a hot meal.
The PFR women admire their new shopping bags
IRM continue to be a source of great hope to PFR and all those we work with. We hope that on their next trip they may have the opportunity to visit more prisons, and expand their work into other areas including PFR’s street children, and imprisoned mothers. PFR thanks the IRM team for all their dedication and support.
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