The Biblical account of Steven's death is straightforward. Because of his faith in Jesus he was stoned to death; the first follower of Christ to be martyred for his faith. It is not surprising to me that I have met a number of "Stevens" in Rwanda...the most recent of whom is a friend of a friend. We spent a few hours together yesterday and I have to share a bit of his story.
Rwanda Steven was born in Uganda 37 years ago. He was part of the diaspora of Tutsis from the 1960s. He grew up as a displaced and eventually orphaned child. caring for his siblings in the absence of his parents. He now cares for a bit less than 100 children and I think he said 60 HIV/AIDS women who are the victims of rape during the genocide. I told him of hearing a devotional recently by Christiana in which she explained the purpose of prayer as the preparation of our hearts to receive the seed of God's purpose in our lives. The candle was lit.
Rwanda Steven said it is wrong to focus prayer on outcomes...health, answers to our problems, etc. If the hypothesis is true that God exists He by definition will have His way. However, if I view my life as His gift to me daily, prayer is an opportunity to both thank Him and prepare myself for His provision...If I can do that the seed will grow into a tree from which the fruit of the Spirit will grow in ways I can never imagine...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. Steven said that in his situation he has placed it all on the line. One alternative is to be bitter about the loss of his family, the limitations of his life, etc. The other alternative is his: By faith he believes the hypothesis is true and therefore there is nothing to lose...begin throwing the rocks.
As a lawyer I have always had respect for testimonies. If truthful, a witness' account of his or her experience is unshakable. It is in fact that person's experience. This guy has accepted more responsibility than most people I know without as much native support or resources. And he appears to wear that responsibility with a kind and generous heart. I guess one could call his life "faith in action". And so, thanks Kelly Bean, for the introduction. And thanks to you for reading.
dlm
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Doug
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled that you and Steven met. Were you able to visit the women's cooperative and the orphan commune? If not, I do hope so. It would be wonderful if Sue were to look at the commune with the eyes of a medical provider and see what she could imagine there.
How was the gorilla trek? And, if you don't mind being peppered with questions, do you think you will try to get to Burundi. If so, just say the word and I'll put you in touch with my friend Claude who will make arrangements for you. No pressure though! I am sure you have established an abundance of connections and possible places to visit right where you are!
Peace
Kelly