#204 Genocide Survivor Tells Gut-Wrenching Testimony!

The history of racism in our country has evolved into narratives that have been created out of thin air in order to justify hatred that inherently dwells in our hearts. What does the response to racism, hatred, evil look like in the children of God outside of the US?  This is the story of Rose Mapendo, a survivor of the Rwandan/DRC genocide and a sister in Christ. 

Her story is gut-wrenching yet her faith is encouraging and convicting. Trapped in prison camp awaiting execution, the Lord did for her what He does for all of His children - he strengthened her with a peace that will surpass your very understanding of peace. It will also confound your understanding of forgiveness in a way that could truly bring healing, peace and revival to our country amidst the cold war of race-rhetoric and "injustice" claims. 

Listen closely to the raw, uncut story of a woman who depended on the Lord and was granted a strength that only He could provide. 

The Tutsi/Rwandan Genocide

Hutus/Tutsi Racism

SUPPORT THE ROSE MAPENDO FOUNDATION

Transcript

So as I can try to introduce myself, I am a Congolese woman. My name is Rosa Mapendo. I am a survivor from a genocide in the year, I am a mother of ten children. Right now, I have twenty-one grandchildren. Wow. The most mentioned about my family, It means I'm a busy woman. Doing this is not because it's easy for me, but because of the passion and what I have been through. Other people, it's still happening to them today. Nothing has been changed. I came as rescued with the U.S. government. We were not a refugee somewhere. After genocide of Rwanda, I think many people, many people in this country, they knew what happened in the Rwanda country. After half a million was killed of Tutsi, Rwandese people. After that, all the militia who have done genocide, they fled to Congo. because they lose the battle. So I was a Congolese, I am a Congolese until today, but the business people try. I was a business selling a cow and they're buying a cow. So, and our government, what was going on, we did not, because I'm not a politician, to be honest, I did not know much. And I never know what happened to Rwanda can happen to us. When we are just civilians, try to fight to raise the children, like everybody my husband was one child he had one sister and in my culture like when you are one one son they count you like one so our our hope was to see our children have education and life can keep you going so when the war break it was announced through the television our government To be honest, it did not even come for one day in my mind, it will be us. But the sooner when it was keeping the day coming is how our government was involved. They begin to announce in the television, to announce, try to identify how the Tutsi look like. They say they're looking for language, they're looking for your morphology. I was able to stay in the house. I remember one woman from the government. She was my friend in the church called Betel. Our pastor was Pastor Daniel Calombo. She came to my home and she said, Rose, I know you don't know that much what is going on, but your face is very dangerous. Please stay home. We can buy food for you because the government, for some reason, is really hunting that people look like you. We were able to stay home for two months. That woman, she was a government woman, but she was a deep Christian. Her name was Moana Talingomba. So after that, we was able to try to hide my husband Even though we will see the dangers, I never even think they can arrest a woman and children. For what? So to make a story short. You don't need to make it short, Mama. You don't need to make it short, but you can tell it however you want to. easy long and the people maybe who want to look our story to our website is rosa mapendo foundation.org so people uh we go i will send you that the website sooner and the people can google my name also read the okapedia because i haven't been across the country my angry, sad news, many people, they don't make a difference. They don't try to make an effort because this is people's life. So after that, sitting in the house almost two months, I heard my husband. So one day he said, I miss the children. He want to come home so he can say hello to us. I was keep pushing him and say, hey, you have to be careful. You know for sure they will not arrest a woman. She said, you never know. But he came as he come to say hello to us after one week. So really quickly, you were in your house and you were hiding in your house with your children for one week because you were afraid, since they were hunting Tutsis, that they would come after you and your children. No, it was the war began August the second. Okay. From that day, because the government sent the police to my home, they were looking for my husband. I see. And I kept my husband in that room. I said, let me respond because I think it was dangerous for men. And I talked to them in their language. They're asking me if I can give them money so they can protect my family. As before, they ask me if I have a television in my home to know what is going on a newspaper announcement for the government through the radio of killing of Banyamulenge. So, and I say, yes, I do. But we're looking for your husband to give us the money. so we can protect your family and i repeat exactly like what they say in their language and i repeat i said you told me government is announced president in the television it was a kabila kabila laura kabila to kill Banyamulenge in order to stay in the country. And I say, I am willing to give anything to protect my family. And I ask, how much? How much I can give to you so you can ignore the government announcement? To be honest, they were quiet because the commissary, the government, the guy who took me to his office, I had one of my youngest who was a ten-month in my back, try to protect, say maybe they can feel mercy for kids. They took me like it's for police to go to show up to report to myself to my own government. And I said, please tell me how much I can give to you if you were able to avoid the president's voice, please. And they were quiet. And I said, OK, we will think about it. And they took me back to my home. When I enter to my house and I begin to cry, I look to my children. Because at that moment, I have seven kids with me. One child, he was left with my father-in-law in my village. And also, I looked at my husband, and I see how our life is dangerous. What can we do? We don't have anywhere. Because it was just five families. One family, last night, she was already arrested. and i say have any god what can i do i begin to pray uh i just want to mention with the people who believe in god i pray i say god can the blood of jesus protect my family because i don't have any other thing to do and my family is going to be killed and this is in my only government. This is the second country I live. I never been to another country like many people do. I never been refugee somewhere. And I asked my husband, what can we do? And he said, I don't know really what can we do. And I went to talk to the man, you know, to the The house, the man who was a Kasai, he had many houses. I asked because the guy, the baby, young baby I had, I had named him after my youngest baby. And I pretend, I want to tell him, your dad, he's in a dangerous, because it's their culture. And I say, can you please give me a space? Because that small connection, they named my youngest child after him before even we know anything is going to happen. And he was able to say, okay, I cannot refuse. He gave me his one room very far from my home. So my husband was stuck in that room. and I stay home with my children. Each time, like at night, I would take the food, try to close myself, to hiding myself when the people still working in the street, and very afraid if the government can see me anywhere, they can push me to go to show them where I was taking the food. And so right now there are those people, right? Those men are sort of protecting you right now. No. I'm sorry. Maybe I lost you. So you, there's one whose name you used for your child, right? Yes. Is that, and did you promise him that you would do that in order for him to protect you? No, I named him because it was a dare culture before. To be honest, I was living like everybody. We have a very good, very successful business. People will come to buy cow. People like to eat meat. And the business, many people know us. We have a very good life. So when I named, I did nothing. That was before. Because the baby I named after him, he was already ten months. Oh, I see. Yeah. But when the situation happened, I tried to go to ask him if he can help. And I asked. I told him how the police came to my home. They were trying to look for my husband. And I said, please, you are the family right now. I have who can try to help. And he tried to protect my husband. But because there were so many, like my children and I, my kids were seven, I was number eight. And my husband, all the family was a family of eight, nine people. So that's how I took my husband to be hidden somewhere. So in the meantime, nobody was taking care for him. He could not be outside. I was myself having to leave at night. Only night I can go outside and took food where at that place my husband was hiding. So I did that whole month of August. And almost half a month over like two weeks, let me see, three weeks over September. And in September, my husband, he came home. He said, he was like, he would say, Rose, why you keep pushing me, hiding in the house when I knew you and my children, you are in danger? And I was saying, are you crazy? Do you think they can kill women? Do you think they can? I really make him believe they cannot arrest women. So in the end, my husband, he said, okay, can I come to say hello to my kids? Maybe I can one day go back. He came for one week. One of us, he went, one of my neighbor from my Banyamuleng tribe, he was, he report himself with red cross. They took her to the store to go to buy food for her children. She was arrested in the market with red cross car. They kept her, for a whole day from ten o'clock in the morning until nine o'clock at night. So when it was nine, his son come to me. He say, mom, I'm so sorry to take this long to tell you. My mother, she went to store to buy food for us. for the from a ten until now she never come back in my sister for me as all the knew the situation and i said oh my god why you did not even come to tell me before that it was already nine o'clock at night and i called my husband and i told him We don't know exactly what is going to happen. We chased kids to the room and I told my husband, number one, I know we are husband and wife. I asked him if he had something hold back, something he think I did wrong to him. And I said, my husband, this is the end of our life. We never know. Can you forgive me? That is one action we did. To be honest, my husband was a very close friend. Because only one. And I married him when I was sixteen. He was eighteen. So... We ask forgiveness to each other. And after, we just get into the room. And I said, what do you want us to do? And I said, let us pray. When I was praying, and I heard the movement of cars surrounding my house. And I looked through the window. It was a three-track car. Full with military, government military. And they jumped from the truck. They surrounded my house. And I said, oh, my God. Begin to ask God, I have been prayed. Please, Jesus, protect my family. What can I do? And immediately, I hold the hand of my husband, and I say, still my mind believe they can never arrest a woman. And I put my husband in the kitchen, under the bed, because we've been here for a long time, we will try to put the food the people we ask people volunteer to buy we give them money to buy food in the house because we cannot go to the store so i hiding him under those food and the soldier was knocking in my door Because I was trying to hide. And after the end, they kicked with guns. They kicked the window over my door. It was a glass window. And they took the key and they broke the door. And when I heard that, I ran to the living room. My kids were still in the room. All of us panicked, scared, without knowing who to tell. So, and I come into the living room and I says, they begin to tell me the bad word. Where we were knocking, where were you? Were you hiding somebody? What is going on? And they ask, is your husband in the house? And I said, no, my husband, he went to buy merchandise in the Kamina. Because the Camino is where we was buying the cattle for the business to sell. Because they knew the job he was doing every single day, they did not really dig in the house. So that same... You know, they took all of us. My young baby who was ten, I asked them if they can allow me to take extra clothes. They said, just put your hands up. Work the way you are. Don't pick anything, anything. We did not took the shoes. We did it. The kids was already in the bed. They did not take even a chest. Only the clothes, night clothes that we had. Wow. So like blink of an eye, all of us, five Banyamulenge, we was in the same cage. That's exactly what happened to us. So, and we spent one day, two days, three days. My mind, I was, because the same night I was arrested, my husband was in the house. So, and I did not know I did not knew I was, so my husband is going to give up. So three days and three nights without eat, without drink. One of the neighbor, they will try because he was arrested that night when the population of Kasai was already slept. They were looking in the prison where they took them. They said, they come to my home. They found that they took everything in the house. The document of my business, the money we have in the house, the key of the house, the clothes in the house, and all the equipment, it was taken away. They tried to look where they took us. After three days, one of my neighbors, she found out where we were. She cooked the food, and then she came, because three days without eating, without drinking, she came. And when she came to the prison, she said, this is the food. We were looking where you are at, and we could not have found you. And the bad news as well. We tried to keep your husband hiding. He completely refused. He said he cannot hiding, hidden somewhere when he knew his family is going to be killed. As I was talking, trying to push him, he said, please, please go back. and tell him that we not kill woman. How I can encourage him that we not kill woman when we already arrested? He could not believe anymore. So as I was talking like that moment, and my husband, he show up. The soldier brought him, and they call me, who's Moise's wife? And I went, I looked at him, with big tears in the in our face and i asked him why and he told me rose i'm sorry i'm sorry to tell you that but to remember i'm a demand The man, I have to die before my family. I can never ever be hidden in the house when I knew you and my children, you are going to be killed. As we were talking, the soldier came and separate. We did not really have much to talk. So that was the last time to see each other. And the government, the same prison is where they kill our husband. There was many, many, but they left a woman. And then because of the population, it really, they knew us. The population, we never even have any issue. Most of them, they were so sad. They say, we don't want the blood of children and women in our city. So as there were population, found out where we were, they march. Because the government, only one decision was to kill Banyamulenge Tutsi in the Congo. They took us, they choose to took us to the different, to the military base, the place called Kananga. They took us from four o'clock in the evening to big truck and after the transfer us the place no one know us. That's where we was suffering beyond suffering. there was a three there is many male who was killed with our husband i think they were forty but three women from Banyamulenge from my own family close our husband was killed we were three of us so the sad those two women They spent a sixteen month, sixteen days, fifteen days without giving food. One, she had a three month baby. Without clothing, without water, without any food, she was so weak. Because she was nursing the baby. So, we told them how situation. She was taken, they pretended they took her to the hospital. but after one day one the soldier who was there were we were spending with the four soldiers during the day and during the night you cannot be outside you cannot you cannot do anything until when he allowed even though you went to use the restroom because but to be honest There was no way to use the restroom. Maybe after two weeks. How can you use the restroom without eating? The kids, the small food, the kids was eating the mango, the flesh mango because it was under the trees. The mango, it caused them diarrhea of blood. The place we were, it was like garbage. The flies from the mango, the flies from where the children use the restroom, the lice, it was understandable. That's many people. I used to be like that, think I am a stronger woman. I can do this. I can protect my family. I can work for my family. But come to point, only somebody who have a life is only God. Our God creation, I am proving to people is a God who kept us alive. Because of my family and I, We were eight people. My husband was already gone, and I was pregnant. And my kids, they would give us two cup of rice uncooked, just lunchtime, with one pan, thirty-five people. I can ask anybody, how exactly You can survive with two cups of rice uncooked, no breakfast, no dinner. My friend, God, I don't know how, I don't know, but He did. How He can protect us, the miraculous people Rain, we was wet at night when it was rain because the war was not, they say, is women in prison. The soldier, when it rained, we were all of us wet. Next day, the boxes they give us to sleep on was wet. We have it to dry in the sun after bringing the rack and try to stretch. because when when the box you put in water it can never be the same you cannot sleep on that's because that was a lot of rice they will take us the time they want to take us to the little pound of water without the supper without the brushing our teeth they will take us to the little pound of water the little pound of water And, you know, you feel like you want to touch the sand to put in your mouth so you can brush it with your finger. And after you take the sand, you try to scratch because of the rush from the lice in your body. And they had a whistle. When the whistle, they give us three minutes. When the whistle, you still have the sand, you have to get out. When you get out, you have no clothes to change. That clothes you wash yourself with because they put us together, children and moms, in the water, dirty water. When we get out, you have to dry your body. As a mom, you cannot take the clothes to wash yourself when you are with your kids. You have to wash with the small clothes you have in your body. and dry, it causes even more lice in your skin. So, and again, I thank God when I share people this testimony, you know, I don't know what's going on. Because all of us will not be in the same situation. Maybe some people have a different. But let us trust God. God is the one who have our life. If it was not God, I can never survive. So in the end, when I was praying, I was angry. Like some situation when it happened to us, you angry, you ask God, what have you done to deserve that? I can tell somebody is sick, ask a question. Some people was abandoned. Some people may be different situation. People who will hear this testimony. I don't know really the situation, but any situation when it happened to us, you're really angry against God. Why this happened to me? but because we don't know exactly i was asking god god i'm not a prophet i am a human but i never plan to hurt somebody i never have what i have done how come you can let my husband be killed the government took everything belong to me my business They took even my clothes, even my equipment. Right now, we don't have clothes. And you let me come in the prison, in the death camp, with seven children, youngest is ten, and you let me come with pregnant. How can you do that, God? How can you do that? He never, ever, even respond, even dream, Even any voice of encouragement, it was kept even more angry. I said, God, even you cannot respond to me. But friend, we have some question we ask God. God, he will never respond to us. Because God, maybe he wants you to pass through. So you can be testimony to many people who does not believe in God. or to anyone who's in that situation. I can tell right now when I come to this country, God, you know what you are doing. God, maybe we have a scripture in the Bible in Jeremiah. I know what I have for you. Is it for good? Is it not to harm us? God is a faithful God. Even though I was it was even begin my mind a devil try to say hey check your life because the situation it was a worse more than how i can try to explain to you to to be honest i will never ever ever try to explain to people how the situation was they look like but i begin to think Can I check what this is going to be in the end? The kids begin to have a diarrhea of blood. I have no solution. My body, because I'm pregnant, begin to peel off, like skin come off. I cannot sleep. I cannot go to one side. I cannot go to another side. I cannot even lie on my back. Because the pregnancy was like both women carrying the baby. My body was the bones. And I felt I don't have to take my life. I'm going to die anyway. When I think about that, I went to the bush. And I said, God, this is the end of my life. I know I asked you a thousand questions. I know I was touching my face, only pray I can communicate with God. Because the soldier, we were able to change our language, change our name, but we could not change how our morphology. So, and I said, God, this is the end of my life. When after in the morning they will count us, I went to the bush to pray, hiding. My prayer, I want to die not physical, not spiritual. If I can die, let me die with peace. I wish I had enough time to spend the time with my husband. We can talk and maybe he can say, Rose, be strong and take care of our kids. I know the situation, but we did not have. I wish to talk to my kids in my departure to die. But because I was so angry, I can tell a friend, I don't know who's listening to me, angry is highly contagious. Very highly contagious. When you're angry, most people you hurt the most is the people who are close to you. Your family, you can hurt your family through your anger for someone else. You can hurt your children through your husband. You can hurt your children through the disease in your body. You can hurt different way. But my friend, don't keep the angry. Angry is most our enemy. My kids was a victim of what happened. The kids, when I was thinking to take my life, I was looking at my kids. If I took my life, who's going to be with my children? Also, I was looking at people who are killing us. And I say how I took my life and myself will be like those people who are killing us. And I will not be like them. When I was trying to negotiate with God, can you kill me? Can you take my life? God, even to ask God, can you take my pregnancy? How you think? We don't have anything to hold the baby. I don't have anyone to pound. And I ask God, do you think if I have a baby, I will take the baby to wash the baby with the sand? God, look, the wind every day, it's raining. Do you think that we keep the baby without even one cup, without milk, without anything? And I say, God, do you think these two cups of rice, you think it will be enough? These kids are dying to eat, they are eating mango. And look, the mango causes them diarrhea for blood. Try to show God the situation. Again, God did not respond. I will tell you just one day God did respond to me. It's the time I went to pray. My prayer to God, I was the pastor's daughter. I grew up, I was a woman, a leader in my church when I was very young, when I was a second child. I was taking care of other mothers to tell them how to be a good woman, how to take care because I grew up in the pastor family. So that time I was angry, everything messed up. And I remember God. I went to Bush to pray. My prayer was to ask God, okay, God, this is the end of my life. I ask, I pray you to take care of my kids in my absence. And also asking God, forgive me all the bad words that came from my mouth when I was trying to argue with you. Why you create me as a tootsie? Why you create me as a woman? What I have done to deserve that? When I ask you to... thousands of questions even to say god you are the one who caused that because how we look our morphology is not our choice also this country we are in was not our choice it was a you god you let me born in the congo and you let me born as a tutsi so what exactly what i have done all those things I come everything with the whole package put in front of God. Father, forgive my word. Please let me die in your hands. And please, God, take care of my children. As I'm not going to be alive, my husband is only gone, and I begin to feel compassion to look at my kids. When I was praying, God said, forgive your enemy. It was understandable, but it was worth it. I did not get it for the first time. And I was asking to forgive who? Look what they have done. Really tell me. And God said, forgive your enemy. It was the biggest thing. And when I was really hesitant, I feel like description in the Bible. Because I was an angry gardener, I responded to my prayer. And the description is, I remember Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. When it was a night he was going to be betrayed, he went to pray with the disciples. And Jesus, he was a prayer to his father. Please, if it's not possible, let this cup pass away from me. Because it was so heavy. But God, he never responded to Jesus. Jesus, he went to pray first day, first time. He asked Peter and other disciples, can you be awake at one hour with me? Nobody was awake with Jesus. Jesus was suffering himself. When he saw the death, he was going to die, but God never responded to him. And when the scripture came to me, I felt how bad I am, how bad a believer I am. how can even angry because the god did not respond to me people make a choice uh people make a choice for for what they want to do never god send the people to do bad thing to other so and i pray and i ask i feel like look Instead to look at my enemy, what they have done, I begin to look at the bad, maybe angry mouth was coming from my mouth. When I should not even complain because I know most trouble we have cause a lot of sin, a lot of hatred come from the devil. That's not hatred, it does not come from God. And when I was praying, keep praying, remind God all my mistake. And God said, remember Job in the Bible as well. Job, he never even angry against God. When he lost everything, his children, what was belonging, he said, God he give and God he took away. He said, let the name of Jesus be glorified. Brother, and the people who will listen to this message, I looked, beginning to weep like crazy, cry in the ground, cry, asking God to forgive me and to forgive the enemy. When I just did that really deep, forgiving my enemy, Because it was the end of my life. And that was not pretending. Because really, I want, really, really, whatever you have been through, think about eternal life. Don't think about today. Today, the temporary life that we have today. And I say, God, I want to have eternal life. I was crying after that. When I forgive the enemy, I feel like something was heavy and my shoulder fell, and I feel peace in my heart. To be honest, nothing changed outside, but something changed inside me. I think, God, sometimes we cannot change somebody without changing ourselves. and i come like in you you know have a piece and i say god let your will be done yeah not not what i want if you think if it's the end of a life and i said i will not die twice sorry the battery is almost dead let me go to look at that okay we can keep talking. Yeah, that's fine. And I say, God, I will not die twice. If I die today, then my children, we will not die again. But if we don't die today anyway, I was talking about it that time, if we don't die today, we got to die anyway. Nobody can be, can be alive forever. That's exactly what was going on. And I come back to my family and I come as a new person from that place I was, encouraging my kids, encourage everybody, say, hey, be strong. No matter what it is, what it is, God is going to be in control. So it was a time, as I told you, was a time for me to give you birth. Oh, my God. I told the people when I shared this testimony, I told people I believe it was like a baby shower. You say like a baby shower? Like... I don't know how to explain this. It was like when the woman, she's almost having a baby, she invited a friend to do a baby shower. I think the baby shower for me was the forgiveness. It was God who was preparing for my kids to be born in that situation without nothing. I can try to explain to you. Pregnancy from one day, no one day to see a doctor. Pregnancy from one day, no one day to have enough food in your mouth. Pregnancy, no one day to have a vaccine. Pregnancy, no one day to sleep at least better place. Nine months, because we spent sixteen months in the death camp. The kids, was the time I was so different person. After forgiveness, I was, it is what it is. Whoever is going, and my baby was the time to give birth. Who, I believe most women that we understand, How come to have a baby without a doctor, to have a baby without light, to have a baby without a season to cut the umbilical cord. But when I begin to have, you know, contraction and I ask my friend, I said, please, what can I do? They ask all of them, they prove it. They say, you have to stay here. We can see how you did. Because I told you in the beginning, two women, our husband was killed, the three of us. Two women, our husband was killed same day. There was already taken them. No one went to the hospital and come back alive. So it seems like her phone cut off. I'm going to try to see if she can come back on, but just in case she doesn't. Okay, here she is. And I give you both in the dark. And I never knew I carry twins. And the guy, he gave me twins. in the death camp. I have my two boys, and after I give the baby, you know, in the dark, I struggle without cry for pain, because we were all the prisoners in the same place, without light over all of us. I believe we found a small, small piece of a candle. One woman who was remaining alive, she tried to hold the small candle, And the other one, you know, try to put the small clothes separate, giving me like small private. I could not cry because I don't want the kids to see how I'm a struggle, how I'm suffering. And I give the birthday for one kid and I was so hungry. and I was so thirsty, I asked my friend, I said, can you give me water? When I touched, after one baby was born, and I touched my stomach, and I thought it was the last one, and I said, it's going to kill me. Asking my friend, can you give me water to drink, please? My friend, she said, no, no, no. Can you wait until the last one came? And I said, Sister, anyway, I'm going to die. If you give to me, I'm going to die. If not, anyway. And she was so afraid. She gave me water, and I drank water because I was so thirsty and hungry. And that water, God used the water to help me to push another baby. When a baby was so surprised, whoo, another baby came. Because after forgiveness, I was not even complaining to anything. I would say, God, whatever is going to come to my life, I'm going to receive it. This is my case, whatever, God. After I gave the baby, it was a struggle at night to find the clean wood. night and the clean also sharp can cut it every woman you know how umbilical cord is different things sometimes it's stiff you cannot cut it easily you have to have something very sharp like like season like something but we did not have imagine wood to cut the umbilical cord And we have nothing to do, but we did, and I took the thread, and I tied the umbilical cord. I spent, and the next morning, I was thinking, I see my kids, they feel so compassion. I look at how handsome, and I would say, what is the name we can name the babies? I was able to name my kids after the commander enemies who was in charge to kill us. Wow. The reason, to be honest, was not because I'm happy for them. Number one was the experience from the other baby I named, one of them, and the guy, he was able to give me space for my husband to go hiding. Yes. And I said, let me try to do this if they can feel mercy. Because in the culture, when you name somebody, you love the person. You can never, ever name your child after your enemy. Actually, they told me in the history, History, they never, ever see someone who can name their child somebody who was killing him. But it was like for three reasons, if they can have mercy for my children. And second of all, to tell them, I'm not your enemy. And number three, say, I forgive you. If I did not forgive you, I can never, ever, ever name my kids after you. so the good even though was not if though i named my kids after commanders i was they say who's willing to accept that name they will call us a cockroach even though i try they call all the kind of about the name The situation he was in, no one, no one can be even happy to be named after him. But with God's amazing help, he touched one commander's wife. When she heard, I named after her husband. I named my child after her husband. She went, she cooked very big in the thermos, tea, and she come with the whole bread. She came with one piece of cloth, and the cloth for baby, one each. She come with two pastors. The wife, I love to be a woman. Women, they are stronger more than how you can think. When a woman, she want to do something, she can do it. There was not allow to help us. I believe the woman, she said, I will do even though we don't allow to. She was a commander wife. She came in the prison. She asked me to show the baby I named after her husband. She looked my face, my face. She said, mom, she called me a mom. When they would call me cockroach. When they were calling us the enemy God, he never cared to see Banyamulenge to be happy. All kind of name. But she looked my face. She called me a mom. She said, thank you for the honor to name your child after my husband. This was not husband who took an action. The action the woman she took, it changed her atmosphere. But it was just one day. Guys, one day can make a difference in your life. Where we was in the death camp, we did not have. Anybody knows where we were. No Red Cross, no intervention. But one day, with God, with God open the door for you can make a huge difference. That woman, she asked a pastor to pray for a baby who was named after her husband. And she gave me a piece to cover my bottom. You can't believe the small house I was arrested with, we never changed. We never have another piece of cloth. That was the first piece of cloth to put in my body. I was naked. complete with the lice my king one of my twins he doesn't not have it to uh fit his finger like finger yeah each time when the lice was a bit you know where is it fingernail it was a camo yellow and was taking the the nail out each time If his bed bag was biting, because it was a bed bag, it was lice everywhere. My kids, I was taking, like, in the evening, like, trash, like, plastic trash bag. It was like a diaper. For whole night. Teach them how to put, like... Like how the women put something, pacifier, for the baby's mouth. Oh, pacifier. Yeah, pacifier. Yeah, wow. Because when I was in nursing for a whole night, two babies, when they nurse them, I can feel maybe they are putting the blood. Myself, I was hungry. I spent three months without even stretch. But you can't believe that woman, I saw her just one night. One, that one morning when she come to the prison, accepted the name. I never saw her again. So more eight months in the prison, the life began to be worse and worse and worse. But because something is changing me, I was strong. i was it is what it is i say god is in control encourage that at that prison don't give up whatever if they kill us today it is what it is other people they already take a rest so when was the time for us to be killed there is many people when i share the store say how you were released how you came out from the death camp. Those exactly, when was the time they say, we don't want to see these people enough. We want to kill them. The commanders, I named them, they all feel so guilty. Who can kill somebody who was named after him? That was a big, and I did not know. Again, I give Heavenly God credit. Who give us wisdom? Who forgive us? Who give us the new mind? Who give us direction what to do to do the right things? When was the time they said, we cannot kill them here. Nobody can kill somebody who was named after him. Impossible. They choose us to send us in the capital here in my country, in the Kinshasa. They put us in an airplane to go to be killed in the Kinshasa. When they push us there, i can't try to explain the situation how was it look like they will say angry angry tell you angry about us they say why they did not kill them the night the description in bible you maybe cry a night joy come in the morning it was a night the night meal when we knew exactly we were going to be killed the same night. The son of... I told people there is some story very hard to share with other people. Because my daughter... one of my daughter she was taken away from me the guy was the taker with the soldier and the guy we left without knowing he he followed us after i was in kinshasa he went to tell the son of a president kabila that by the night He came with the Kabila son. Who's like right now in the South Kivu, Kabila, Joseph Kabila. I met him in the two, two thousand eight in the Goma. He released our death. He said, I don't want you to kill these people anymore. Please take them to the human right. So is how we was God. He was a transfer three location. They go to kill them this location and that location. Hey, they have to be killed in that location. It was just God planned. So I encourage everybody who is almost giving up. Don't give up a sister. Don't give up a brother. Giving up is not an option. After this life, I never thought after my husband, everything I had was taken away. I never thought I would be happy anymore. But God, he take care of my kids. Now I have the children. Did I knew America? Never. I never heard about this country. I came as a blind. As I told you in the beginning, I rescued with U.S. government. They send the people to rescue us. We have a great country. We wish our president to keep doing like how other president before did for refugees. Because many people, they don't understand refugee life. But I still struggle for my thinking. you know no i think about it like to lose your country no no is it crazy so and also uh i come here i begin to share the testimony i cross the country i be i believe the time i come to you You know, you saw me, I shared the story in person. Actually, it's not easy to share your story online, but in person, it makes a huge difference. But this opportunity God has given to us, we can use. I might not explain exactly. You can say maybe my situation is not like that. Since any situation, He hurt us. And the devil, he does not care about our flesh. He cares about our soul. Don't blame yourself when something happened because I did that. Because myself, I would say, maybe I should escape a long time ago. Maybe I should hide my husband a long time before. Maybe I should leave my husband with one child. Maybe I should keep him alive. Maybe I should take my belonging somewhere. All those crazy questions. Don't ask yourself a lot of questions. When things are going to happen, it's going to happen. And also, I think I sent you the picture. Same exact genocide happened. When I come here, it does not mean when I introduce to you, I say I'm a mother of ten children, I have these grandchildren. My life, I think God is saving my life for a reason. Not because only my family. We are sticking for family. After your absence, who's going to be with your family? I think the work we do is going to take care of our family because the Bible said, when you give to Paul, you lend to God. And I started, when I come here, I went to my country. I went to visit the refugee camp. I tried to help them to come, but I found that widows and orphanages, they are suffering. Genocide is still happening today. And I opened the foundation called Rosa Mapendo Foundation. By the way, most people who speak Swahili, I don't know why my dad, he gave me that name. Mapendo, you can google Mapendo, in the language, in Swahili, is love. Same meaning my dada give to me, but it was in my language. But in the death camp, I was myself to change the name to put in the Swahili language. Because I told you we're hiding the name and the language. So I did not know that name. We connect with somebody. Somebody who came to our rescue. He was come as an American living in Massachusetts. His name is Sasha Chanoff. He came, he was in a refugee camp in Kenya. He understood exactly Mapendo mean. is the one who helped me to start Mapendo International to try to help refugees. I did not know even to change a name, God have a purpose. Please give opportunity to God to use your name. Any opportunity you can do to God's work, just do it. We don't do because we understand. We do without even understand. Because I remember the woman who brought the food the last after three days. I used to give like meat, just small or not even much. I never know even he can think about us. So, Monster, God bless you for your time. No, I want you to share one thing. I want to ask this one question you can share quickly. In our country here, I'm sure maybe you've seen it. You're here in this country. There is a lot of hatred going around. There are a lot of different events. It's the news on your phone, on your TVs. So many people have so many reasons to hate their neighbor. And as the Lord has brought you, he has transformed your heart and given you a heart of forgiveness to enemies of yours. And you have had enemies in a very different way than a lot of people in this country. Here in this country, people have enemies because they think differently. Meanwhile, you had enemies who actually wanted to harm you and your family and did harm your family. And yet the Lord gave you the command to forgive as he's given us all. How can you encourage people to trust the Lord and His forgiveness and to extend it to their enemies? Amen. Thank you for asking that question. We have to know. After all that I have been through in my life, I count these people, this guy and two people in this life. I don't count them. color black or white i don't count it to see and the other enemy was fighting with us in this life there is two people good people and bad people you can be white you can be good person or you can be bad you can be black You can be a good person and be bad. Two people. There is a good people and a bad people. And always it will be. Always. You have to know our God is love. Devil is hate. Because the Bible said the devil come to kill and destroy. He don't kill physical. If believer, hatred is coming very high level. I've been to this country for twenty-five. I never see the hatred like now. Why? My friend, who can listen to me? You have to be on God's side. Don't let the devil take over. Make you angry for enemy. Angry be like that bad person. As a believer, we have to pray and show the love. Jesus, God, he said, this is the new commandment. John, John, John, John, John, John, Is it the world that can hate us? We have to love. And love your enemy. To be honest, when I took that action, I never even knew what that description was. But for me to name after my enemy, it was a huge, huge connection. Within those people, some people they will say, how come you can name somebody who killed your husband? Somebody who's putting, somebody who's raped your child, somebody who's holding food, you see how baby dead in your own eyes. How somebody who's taking your friend or your family member, pretend is taking it to the hospital and kill him in the hospital. Women left one, she left five kids in the hospital. My husband was killed the same day with my husband. And me, I was mad that she was taken. Left five kids. What kind you cannot forgive? Forgiveness is the key. You don't forgive somebody because he did a small thing. Mm-mm. Jesus, when he was hanging the cross, he said, Father, forgive them because they don't know what they was doing. To be honest, people who does not have a destiny, people who hurt because they never have found destiny in their life, they struggle. Those people who have to be light, The how, it might maybe not make sense, but mine, God, he used the work. I forgive my enemy to die, but through my forgiveness, God, he rose me again. And it was a way to connect with the enemy because without God, he was able to give me exit. I don't know. This is a very heavy question you ask me about it i don't know even but to be honest i can share my experience i can tell somebody if i forgive somebody be a without have a credit i'm not asking people to give me credit glory to god Just give glory to God. Because I am a human being, I was angry like you. I would say, I will revenge like you. But today, today, my orphanage, I have all those kinds of kids in my orphanage. Enemy. The people who kill us. The people who are still killing us. Because we are the light of the world. i am not be able to to chase kids because of what their parents was done if we do that we got to be don't hate somebody because they hate you stand for love show the love show the forgiveness be positive don't be negative Because you can never change somebody to be a positive when you see a negative. You change somebody to be positive when you are positive yourself. Amen. Amen. sister i'm very grateful that you took time to share with me once again i heard your testimony almost ten years ago um and now today it's still um it points my heart and my eyes to the lord in the same way that he is done so for you and i praise his name for the way that he has carried you uh throughout this life um for the sake of his glory right and for the sake of father's encouragement and i pray that he would continue to use you in that regard amen amen to the listeners think i want you to think prayerfully over the testimony that you just heard from sister mappendo she as you heard her say she has an orphanage where she continues to be a bright light you can i'm going to post the link in the episode description rose mappendo foundation you can look into that you can donate to it and support the work that she is doing there but i'm going to leave you with this question The Lord has called for his children to die. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints, it says. And he has assigned for his children to die. Now we are all going to die in the flesh in one day. And because of Jesus Christ, that death doesn't have a sting. We shall dwell with him and we shall be like him. But in this life, that death can look a different way. And we die to ourselves. If he calls you to sacrifice yourself, he says that there is no greater love if he calls you to sacrifice yourself. If he calls you to do that, would you be willing to do it? Or if he calls you to die to yourself in humility, that you would exalt your enemy over yourself and honor your enemy, giving forgiveness, would you do it? because they both glorify him, and he has called his children to do such. Thank you guys for listening to this episode of Black and Blurred. We are guaranteed to hear one of two things, a humble opinion or the facts. Holler at us.