A special birthday with Prison Fellowship Rwanda

Last Tuesday, Katy and I, PFR’s current volunteers from the UK, visited Rilima prison with some members of the PFR team. It was the first time either of us have visited a prison, either in Rwanda or in the UK, so we didn’t really know what to expect apart from what had been relayed to us from other PFR visitors. To be honest, although I was really keen to go, and I knew that it would be a fundamental and profound part of my experience here in Rwanda working for PFR, I was very apprehensive and somewhat nervous. I understood that it was expected of us to talk to the prisoners; and no, that did not mean having a chat with one or two inmates to find out more about conditions and experiences – oh no – Katy and I were asked to formally address a crowd of 300 or 400 prisoners! How scary is that?!

We arrived at Rilima somewhat bewildered and what we experienced took us by surprise. The prison is set in beautiful surroundings, deep in the countryside; and there is a pervasive atmosphere of peace. The prisoners have created their own community within the confines of the prison boundaries – they keep livestock and engage in productive activities. PFR has been able to contribute to these activities by donating sports equipment, stationary and various other practical tools and materials. Such activities boost morale, promote health and prepare the prisoners for a return to a functional life when they have served their sentences.

Players rest after a football match at Rilima prison

 To meet the staff and prisoners, we were led into the prison’s main courtyard, where we encountered a large crowd of male prisoners who had assembled to listen to the preaching and speaking. It was unnerving at first, but so many faces bore expressions of welcome that it was difficult to remain uncomfortable for long. We were invited to take our places on the stage and shook hands with staff and preachers – some of whom were inmates. Katy and I wondered where the female prisoners were, as we were keen to meet them and their children, so we were pleased when they eventually took their places in a central seating area in front of the stage. Once the crowd was fully assembled, one of the two prison choirs sang a song to welcome us, accompanied by the prison band, complete with home-made electric guitars! Everybody was soon up on their feet, dancing and clapping to the music. It was rather overwhelming for me – I was really touched and very much humbled by such a display of positivity in a place of confinement: the human spirit is alive and kicking at Rilima prison.

After the initial introductions (including much mirth and applause at our feeble, yet earnest, attempts at Kinyarwandan) Katy and I were invited to speak, with Guma, PFR’s Communications Director undertaking translation. Nervous but courageous (warning all that her cheeks may turn bright red), Katy took the microphone and addressed the crowd with a beautiful, personal and heartfelt speech about her Rwandan experience; an extract of which is below:

Rwanda has taught me how to be patient. To know that when a waiter says your food will be ready in two minutes, he really means twenty. To smile and relax when a friend is an hour late, because you know she had the best of intentions for being there on time. To take the time to struggle through a conversation where a language barrier is preventing either of you from fully understanding one another, because by the end of it, you both will have learnt something. This new found patience has calmed me, has given me the time to realise that there are more important things in life. That meal that took that extra twenty minutes, was delicious. That friend, who is always late, has been a true blessing my life. Those numerous difficult conversations have made me realise that I must learn another language! Rwanda has given me patience, and taught me that it is often the things you wait longest for in life, the things you prayer hardest for, that are the things really worth waiting for.

I have also learnt what true kindness is. From a stranger saying ‘sorry sorry’ when you trip up on the street, like it was actually their fault, to a child who has absolutely nothing offering you a sip of their drink or a bite of their food.  From the smile on a lady’s face when she hears you speaking even the smallest bit of Kinyarwandan, to a driver offering you a ride home from work. From a friend bargaining you Rwandan prices for a taxi, to a family welcoming you into their home and sharing with you their most precious moments.  To treat others with this level of kindness is the ultimate way of showing your love for God: if everybody treats others how they expect to be treated themselves, than I believe this can only result in great unity.

And finally I have learnt the innate importance of dignity and respect, for yourself and for others. What has become apparent to me in the time I’ve spent here is that Rwandans are proud of themselves and of their country. It is not arrogance but a deep respect for what they have accomplished. It is in the way you carry yourselves, how smartly you dress, the way you greet one another, how respectful you are towards women, and the ease with which you welcome visitors into your country...undoubtedly with a smile and an offer to show them around. Yet it seems the people I meet here are always eager to hear about my life, to learn more and to find ways to better themselves: understanding that there is always room for improvement. This attitude has inspired me to accept that whilst I am by no means perfect, I should have pride in my own accomplishments, and should continuously look to those around me to work on the ways in which I can personally improve. 

Pinned on my refrigerator door in the house I am sharing with 3 other women is a verse from Corinthians Chapter 13. It says, ‘Love is always patient, love is always kind, love is never envious or arrogant with pride.’ So really, being in Rwanda, and spending time with Rwandan people has taught me how to love. Not how to love my family, or friends, because I have always been blessed with that, but how to open my heart and to love humanity, to see the best in every single person I meet: to understand that whilst we are all profoundly different, we are also all the same. We all have the power to love and we are all loved, by God, and by our fellow men.

Being rather more disorganised than Katy, and my speaking style being somewhat “off the cuff”, I shall refrain from attempting to match Katy’s eloquence by writing a remembered extract from my speech, but its general theme was hope for the future and, through faith in God, making it a reality. I spoke about Rwanda’s miraculous emergence from great strife and devastation into a nation of rapid development, peace and stability; but most fundamentally, a nation of hope. I told the prisoners that they too could participate in this new Rwanda, because other ex-prisoners had done so before them - a number of whom I had met and whose positive stories of reconciliation had inspired me: they had turned their lives around and found faith in God, in other people and in themselves. God loves us and wants the best for us – all of us, no matter what we have done in the past. Each of us has a purpose. Each of us is meant to be here. Each of us has a right to be here on this earth because God put us here. Therefore, we must have and hold on to hope because it is our most treasured possession.

So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess, and our acknowledgement of it, for He who promised is reliable and faithful to His word.

Hebrews, Chapter 10, Verse 23

I shared some of my own personal story with the prisoners, about finding faith and regaining hope. I described feeling alone in the darkness with no desire to see a new day, but through the support of others, finding a spiritual path which took me towards the light. I shared my belief that God works through each of us, so we should seek comfort in each other as fellow human beings. Furthermore, I shared that I have found it important to have compassion and forgiveness for myself. I told the prisoners that I had faith in them because I now have faith in me.

Following Katy and I, Guma preached – showing us how it is done! He shared his personal spiritual journey and the glory now in his life brought to him by his Christian faith and love of Jesus Christ. He spoke passionately and sincerely, engaging the crowd and drawing them in. Finally, we were blessed with another musical performance by the other prison choir to end the visit in joy and celebration of God.

Finding faith is of paramount importance to the prisoners because finding faith means restoring hope for a future life in freedom. Faith makes that possible. In Rilima prison alone there are 8 places of worship for prisoners of different religious beliefs.

Upon leaving the stage, Katy and I shook the hands of many prisoners, and I felt overjoyed to be among them and to reach out to them. We are all just imperfect people muddling along in the best way we know how, and we all make mistakes along the way – some tragic and terrible; but no matter how serious and harmful a person’s actions, he or she is still a human being deserving of forgiveness and a chance to change.

The day I visited Rilima prison in Rwanda is by far the most unique, inspiring, and indeed humbling, birthday I have ever had. I couldn’t ask for a more sacred birthday present! Thank you PFR.