Rwanda :: Freedom Reigns In This Place

Recently, Amanda Ibrahim, a student at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA went to Umuryango, a Christian orphanage near Kigali, Rwanda. She graciously allowed me to post some of her thoughts and photographs from her life-changing trip. You can read even more at Amanda’s trip blog here. She also filmed a documentary while working with her team.–Amy

By Amanda Ibrahim I am sitting in the Rwandan airport right now already missing all of the beautiful relationships I have made with the boys at the home. There is so much to think about and so much to take in. Many of the boys told me that they will never forget me. It is a really sad thing to leave. We have shed a lot of tears together (and we are talking tough street kids that are crying). I desperately want to come back here. I’ve never thought that I could develop a relationship with boys that couldn’t speak my language that much and for just intruding in their lives for two weeks. I feel that a piece of my heart will always be left in Rwanda, and I hope that one day I can come back and piece together my heart again. Last night we had a party for the boys at our home in Gitarama (and it feels like home). We danced to many crazy American songs for hours and hours and ate plenty of good food, we broke bread and shared communion together at the very end, then we shed our tears.

I don’t know how to describe what God has shown me, but the song “Freedom Reigns” still echoes in my head: Freedom Reigns in this place, showers of mercy and grace, falling on every face, there is freedom. I hope that I can piece together this documentary as soon as possible, there is so much to share with all of you, and I hope that you will come and watch it once I finish it. I still have two more interviews to do, these will be conducted in the states (two people that run the home live in the states), then I will have all my pieces together and hopefully I can finish it.

Many of the boys have told me that they wish for me to tell you about them. I wish to tell you about them too. That is why I documented their lives; they are meant to be shared and for us to praise God about. Their lives are miracles, and I don’t know how else I can describe their love. They send their blessings and wish for you to listen.