Please do everything you can and everything possible to get us started in Rwanda. They are anxiously awaiting us. When you come, you will feel it. Now it’s time for Rwanda too. Let’s not leave her.
Dear Mr. Prantje and colleagues of the “Orthodox Foreign Missionary Brotherhood”, Christ is risen. I am contacting you again to bring you the good news of the recognition of our Church by the promising State of Rwanda. Quite unexpectedly and after “the fullness of time” God decided to allow us to work in Rwanda, where there is nothing from the point of view of the Orthodox Church. My dear people, you supported me in my beginning and you support me to this day, so I wanted to share the good news with you.
Key facts about Rwanda
Rwanda was made famous in 1994 by the genocide in which 800,000 people were massacred, most of them in the churches of another church during Mass, including thousands of children. It is a small state just below the Equator, covering an area of just 26 338 square kilometres and a population of 10 473 282, who unfortunately have not forgotten the difficult days they have had. Most of them do not believe they are alive. Most churches of other denominations are not functioning today. They are monuments to the genocide. The recognition of the Orthodox Church is an important event, because Rwanda is wary of ‘newcomers’.
The identification
After being informed about the recognition of our Church by Rwanda, I informed His Beatitude in turn, while I postponed my planned visit to the missionary centres of Uvira and Camanila in Eastern Congo and went to Rwanda, where I had successive meetings with the leadership of the Ministry of Local Government and Religious Affairs and the Deputy Mayor of Bugeseras, where the first Orthodox Church and the first Missionary Centre in Rwanda will be rebuilt, once funds are secured. During the meetings I presented the administrative system of the Orthodox Church, which was requested by the Government, focusing my speech on the Primate of the Alexandrian Throne, Mr. Theodore, and the missionary, social, humanitarian work, which is carried out under his blessing and supervision. I stressed that the Orthodox Church is not a political but a spiritual Church, which tries in every way to offer man the love of Christ. This was necessary to emphasize because another Church contributed negatively and helped to slaughter thousands during the genocide. For its part, the leadership of the Ministry referred to the investigation conducted before proceeding to recognize the Orthodox Church. More specifically, the following was said: “…
we researched the Orthodox Church and found that it has not created any problems in the African countries, on the contrary, it offers a lot. So we welcome you to Rwanda. We expect a lot from you. . Please contact the Mayor of Bugeseras for further details.” In fact, I was struck by the remark of one of the secretaries of the Ministry, who told me “…we wondered why the Orthodox Church did not come to Rwanda and we wondered why the Rwandans do not want the Orthodox Church or the Orthodox Church does not want Rwanda” Subsequently in a meeting with the Deputy Mayor of Bugeseras, as the Mayor was absent, I was officially handed over the permission to rebuild a Missionary Centre in the area, with the freedom to carry out whatever work the Diocese deems necessary for the spiritual advancement of the area and help the suffering Africans, who are also the survivors of the genocide. “Everyone is scared, everyone is living with the horrible scenes of that ugly time, we hope you will help them, we hope you will make them smile again” were the first words of the Deputy Mayor.
His Eminence with the Authorities of Ruanda
The situation in the region
The Deputy Mayor also described the dramatic situation in the countryside with families without homes. Even those who have houses (earthen 2×2) have no money to build roofs, leaving them exposed to all weather conditions. There are also no Schools, nor medical clinics. Finally, he thanked the Diocese for choosing this area, which is in great need of help. During our visit to the site we saw the dramatic situation: people scared, most of them physically and mentally injured. A tall dark skeletal woman with scars on her face, obviously remnants and memories of the ugly and shocking period of the genocide, approached me and said a single word that I did not understand. I asked what he said and was told that he said “we are waiting“. He did not say another word. He walked away. He didn’t ask for money or food or any other material. That “we are waiting” told me a lot. I understood that they need spiritual nourishment, they need the presence of God.
Hope for your help
Dear Ones, I know the difficulties that Greece, which is the only one that helps the Mission, is facing at this time . But I would like to ask for your help to acquire a 2 hectare plot of land in Rwanda. It is a small country and the land has been distributed, everything is expensive, but one of the inhabitants of the area, who lost his wife and children during the genocide and who wants to see something done in this painful region, is selling us a plot of land at a price of EUR 35 000. For the price of Ruanda, he is giving it to us. I managed to raise the amount of 15.000 euros. If there is a possibility to help me in this case, so that we can start in Rwanda, it would be a pleasure, because we are not going to find anything else cheaper.
Now we begin. It’s a beginning. It will be difficult, but as in Burundi, I believe that God and the love of the Orthodox Greeks will not let us down. . Our first concern is to acquire the land. I also feel an obligation towards this man, who handed over the relevant ownership documents of the land without a second word, so that we can investigate the authenticity of the ownership, which is confirmed by the local municipality, because the land registers in Rwanda are kept by the municipalities. I also feel that Rwanda will become our country, because from the beginning we were received with love and respect, formal in everything, without any attachments and without any self-interest. You can clearly see that the people want to help their country and this impressed me. Their words, his thoughts, all thought out on how to help the country. The key thing is the promise “do what you can and whatever you need us for, we are here”. Also, their consistency in the appointments we have made, their system is indescribable. I’ve never seen it before.
Please do everything you can and everything possible to get us started in Rwanda. They are anxiously awaiting us. When you come, you will feel it. . Ακόμα και οι ευκατάστατοι μάς ρωτούσαν: γιατί δεν ήρθατε τόσο καιρό;
Now it is “full time” for Rwanda. Let’s not leave it .
With the love of Christ and thanks in advance
+ Burundi and Rwanda Savas.
Bujumbura, 15 May 2011
