My heart hurts.
Its not just that it's a sad movie. Its because its a REAL movie. There were ACTUALLY one million people MURDERED. Innocent people. Children. Parents. Neighbors. Friends. Gone. People killed simply because some years back, they were given a race by random choice and without a say.
I was prepared to see shocking images of corpses, and desperate fleeing people. I've already seen them because I've done research. I've read articles, looked at pictures, and watched videos about this. But the thing that shocked me the most that I didn't know before was the response from other countries in reaction to the genocide. Or should I say, lack of response. Hotel Rwanda showed the way that Rwanda really was left alone, to fend for themselves.
I read an old article from The New York Times that was written in 1994 during the genocide. On June 10, 1994, right in the middle of it all, American leaders instructed our spokesmen not to call what was happening a 'genocide.' They announced that "acts of genocide may have occurred," implying that there wasn't enough to label it with such a weighty title. At the time that was said, there were already up to 400,000 dead. Since there isn't anything "in it" for America, we turned our heads, and allowed this massacre to happen. The article's exact words said, "Without oil or other resources as a rationale, the case for military intervention would have to be based on whether ending the killing is worth the cost in American lives and dollars." Read the rest of the NY Times article here.
As I cried after the movie ended (yes, I bawled my eyes out), I was crying because no one came to save the helpless. It hurts so much to know that people would rather let innocent people die than lift their finger to help them. Almost 20 years ago, NO ONE did anything. No one was courageous enough to send help. And because no one did anything, another Holocaust occurred in Rwanda. The Rwanda Genocide ACTUALLY happened, and so many people STILL don't know about it.
Things like this are hard to talk about because its sensitive and it hurts. We love to stay in our little comfortable spaces, and to push anything away that comes too close to our safety zones. This is not okay. We HAVE to stop turning our heads at injustices happening around the world. It is our responsibility, ESPECIALLY as Christians, to fight for the people who are helpless.
It scares me to think about all of the things that I've turned my head at too. I definitely can't say I've totally looked out for the needs of others. But I'm learning to stop turning my head at the things that hurt. I need to experience the pain of others because sometimes, that's the only thing that moves me to do something. And now, I'm done. I'm done pushing aside the hard things. And I'm ready to DO SOMETHING about injustice, brokenness, and pain happening around me.
A good friend told me about my hurting heart for Rwanda, "Let it hurt. It hurts God's heart too." So I'm gonna let my heart hurt, and I'm gonna let myself cry over this country, because its better than ignoring the pain around me. I'm so thankful to have a God of hope that is also broken over the hurt in our world. I'm going to pray for Rwanda, and the one million orphans and widows left in that country every single day. I'm so privileged to be going to go to Rwanda to do something about this.
I'm reminding myself of this calling in Isaiah 61 that God gives us. And I'm getting ready to do these things in Rwanda.
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison
to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord,
that he may be glorified."
- Isaiah 61:1-3
Will you do something with me for Rwanda? Will you help me raise the funds that I need to go?
Will you pray for me as I prepare to go to Rwanda and minister to the
orphans and widows directly affected by the genocide? Will you pray for
my team and I to have courage while we are there? Will you pray for the healing of the wounded hearts of the Rwandan orphans and widows? Leave a comment if you'd like to find out how to donate to my missions trip, and if you'll commit to praying to me.
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