Left to Tell

I've just finished reading one of my Christmas presents. It’s a book called 'Left to Tell' and is the story of a young Rwandan lady by the name of Immaculée Ilibagiza.

 

(Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza and Steve Erwin)

This book is an autobiography which portrays Immaculée's life and experiences during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

I'm not going to give a history lesson here partly because Rwanda's history and the events leading up to the genocide go back years. I will say for those not familiar with this shameful period of human history that the conflict was mainly between two tribes, the Hutus and the Tutsis. Over come by evil, the Hutus tried to kill all Tutsis.

Immaculée's story is about so much more then these killings. Her story is about an incredible relationship that she has with our Almighty God. This relationship is tested in ways that seem totally unimaginable for me. Some of the things described in this book that Immaculée and her family went through made me sick to my stomach but some how Immaculée is able to hold on to God through it all.

Can a person forgive as God calls each of us too? This story describes the struggles Immaculée had in forgiving but also the amazing truth of how God can make it possible for a person to forgive the worst of human atrocities.

As I read this book I went through all kinds of emotions and thoughts, I found myself questioning myself.

In 1994 I was a train driver on London Underground and it’s likely that while Immaculée was going through such terrible things I would have been simply getting on with my life complaining about my job and paying little attention to what was going on in the world.

• Why are we so numb to such horrors today?
• Why are such things happening in this civilized world of ours?
• Weren’t the terrible killings of thousands of Jews in the Second World War meant to have taught us to never allow such things to happen again?
• Are we aware at this very moment what maybe happening right now in parts of the world, maybe in Kenya with all its political unrest or in Pakistan for example?

Immaculée turned to God in prayer seeking for Him too intervene, I think we all need to follow her example.

This book, if read by you, will shock, upset and anger you. It will also challenge, inspire and remind you that God is real and can be found by anyone who seeks Him.

A braai with friends

Last night Louise and I went to a braai around Alfred and Michelle's house, there were a number of us there and we had a great time. I off cause didn't really fancy going when it actually came to getting ready to go there. I tend to always feel like that when it comes to social events, why? I had a great time with everyone, which is normal, so why do I never really fancy going to such things? I think it may be due to a lack of confidence in my self in social settings. I sometimes don't know what to say or do and then feel un-comfortable!

Social skills are like most skills, they are learnt, and this year I want to get better at such things. It’s going to take me stepping out of my comfort zone, at least to some point, but the truth is, doing so is often very rewarding. My friends at the braai were all Christians and our conversations actually encouraged my faith and my desire to live for God. I hope that I too may have been able to encourage others in the same way.