World Day of Prayer.  It is today, May 3, 2018. I’m sitting here in tears on behalf of my dear friend Claudine.  She was born in the Congo then traveled to a Rwandan refugee camp where she lived with little to nothing for many many years.  Two nights ago she called me crying her heart out after learning that her uncle was shot and killed by the government, policing the refugee camp.  Word from the refugees is that they were minding their own business other than asking for food because their families were hungry.  The police came in and started shooting and her uncle was shot in the leg.  He apparently bled so much that he died.  This morning, Claudine actually sent me photos of her uncle in the wooden box they made for him as a casket.  Despite how graphic it is, I WILL post this because people need to know the reality of it.

I searched for articles on line and found one written by Reuters World News titled, “Rwanda police arrest 23 Congolese refugees after violence in camp”.  The title of the article is misleading and presents more of what the media wants us to “think” is truth but may very well not be the truth and certainly not the whole truth.  I read the article and the messages of the Congolese people in the refugee camp seem to fall in line with what Claudine is trying to express to me.  It is sad that we have to try and read between the lines of news these days and truly use discernment to get the truth.  I pray that the Holy Spirit reveal to us truth and give us the wisdom to know how to handle the yucky truths’ we might learn about.  Here is a link to the article written by Clement Uwiringiyimana:  Reuters World News Article, May 2, 2018.

   “The problem is, they don’t put this news on social media because they don’t want their country to look bad.  They will write things in Kinyarwanda, a language they know the majority of the world does not know because they don’t want the world to know what is really going on with refugees.  I wish someone could help these people so that the world can better understand the reason why these people are dying everyday.  Innocent people are asking for food.    They would rather even go back to their own country of Congo than be in the refugee camp.”

What is really going on in the refugee camps today?  What is really going on around out world?  I think that we need to better listen to the everyday ordinary people in our world.  We need to better listen to our neighbors.  We need to sit down and have heart to heart conversations putting aside all of our own previous conceptions and ideas that are distorted by fears developed by movies, books, news, TV and other media sources.

Two volunteers of Asha Refuge said it best, “You go seeking freedom and then you lose what little freedom you did have;  you lose it all… at one time atleast you could decide to go to the refugee camp and now once you have signed up, you don’t have the freedom to get back out.  Maybe it is like a concentration camp… and now labeled a refugee camp.”  So many refugees are born and raised in refugee camps and know nothing but the camp life.  Getting out of the camp is scary.  They don’t know what to expect or how to act.

I have come to know many, many, many of the Congolese people while serving refugees in Memphis and they have my heart!   Many of them are solid Christians standing strong in their faith. Their faith has been tested and tested.  Because of Claudine’s request to get the word out regarding what is really going on in the Rwandan refugee camps, I post this article today on National Day of Prayer.  Yes, our world needs prayer.  We are NOT fighting against people; not against flesh and blood!!  We are fighting the evils of a dark world that are unseen.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” -Ephesians 6:12

We as people need to come together.   Pray for the Congolese people; pray for our world as a whole.  The kingdom is here….it is within us!  Believers must become Love and a light to a very dark world.

Photo below in memory and love for Elisa Kanyandekwe (name pronounced Elijah). Newly married father of two precious children. Innocent and just trying to take care of his family like many. Our prayers and heart are with this family.