Miracle in a Zambia Prison
Belgian Bishop Says Bible is Hope for Burundi
Forgiveness Takes Root Behind Bars in Rwanda
Scriptures Destroyed by Sudan Students

Africa News in Brief

But while in Senanga Prison, fellow inmates encouraged him to attend a meeting with a visiting preacher, and Humphrey became a Christian. Later he was moved to another prison where he met with fellow believers.

From 1983 to 1990, he continually wrote to the President asking for mercy – but there was no response.
 

“There is nothing,” Humphrey remembered his feelings at that time. “It was all hopeless. You are isolated and kept on your own as condemned people. You are not sure if you will be alive tomorrow. You are forever tortured in your mind. You regret the wrongs you committed. But then you cannot rewind events and circumstances.”

Humphrey explained that among condemned people there are believers – those who have fully trusted God – but there are also those who have chosen to blame God. They spend their time in bitterness and cursing, waiting their turn to be executed.

One day, Humphrey saw a newspaper article about the Bible Society of Zambia and decided to write and ask for prayer and Scripture material.

“Thank God they responded,” he recalled, “and that is how my relationship with the Bible Society began. Right up to the time of my release from prison, I was receiving messages of encouragement and Bible study materials.”

The new President responded to Humphrey’s pleas for mercy, and he received a pardon in 1996, his death sentence commuted to 15 years in prison. He was released on 4 July 1998.

After his release from jail, Humphrey returned to his home village, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) west of Lusaka. But, “It was a changed people after 16 years. Many of my relatives and friends had died, including my father, who died the year I was sent to jail. However, I found my mother was still alive.

“My mother, relatives and friends could not believe their eyes. They thought I had died in the ’80s. It was strange that letters I wrote never reached home. I found that houses had collapsed and my belongings were not there. I had nothing to begin my new life with, given the circumstances I found at the village.

“Everything I had left was gone, and no-one could explain what had happened or take responsibility. I had only one option left: prayer. I asked God for a job, but there was nothing in Mongu.

“I continued to pray. Later I wrote to the Bethel Baptist Church in Kabwe, a church that works with Prison Ministries, and requested sponsorship for a driving school. “The Lord granted my request. Bethel Church agreed to help me by paying my driving school fees. Soon I shall begin my lessons.

“Through God’s Word I have learnt to know Jesus and God the Father for my life and to share with others, and learnt more about the people of God in the Old Testament, their problems and how God delivered them. God is helping me and I look forward to finding a job after obtaining my driving licence. Later on, I would like to find a wife, though this is not a priority just now. I wish to express my thanks to all that helped me in one way or another. Thank you and God bless you all.”

Frazier Khatanga of the Bible Society in Zambia, explained that Humphrey has completed his driving lessons and passed the road test. “We have been involved in the life of a dear brother during and after his jail term,” he added. “The Lord miraculously delivered and set him free from both bondage to sin and jail. The lives of people who have contact with Humphrey have not remained the same. It is our hope that someone shall be as blessed as we have by this testimony.” (WR 342/1 - 7/8.99) [PHOTOS]

BURUNDI — Burundi, a country marked by a severe economic boycott and ethnic violence, needs help in making God’s Word available, according to the Bishop of Bruges, Mgr Vangheluwe. He says that it is critical that the Bible be available, because the Scriptures offer the key to the future of this troubled land.

During his visit last autumn, the country was commemorating the Centennial of the “coming of the Gospel.” While there, he heard stories of just how important that Good News is to believers.

“Of course we are,” was the reply.

“What do your parents say about all this?”

“They want us to come home.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“We’re staying. We want to become priests. Our country is in great need of the Gospel.”

Explaining the significance of the Bible for the people of Burundi, Bishop Vangheluwe continued:

“They attribute an altogether different, more personal meaning to the Word of God. They see it as a mirror in which they can see their own reflection and that of their country.

“To them, the power of the Bible does not lie so much in ethical instruction as in its stories and parables. These they carefully take to heart, pass on to one another, then put into practice. Africans tend to apply this contemplative manner of interpretation to a lot of biblical stories, and it provides them comfort for the present and hope for the future.

“A great number of charity organisations are providing food, clothes and shelter. But very few organisations are concerned with spiritual and moral support. Those who do offer pastoral care – like those who distribute the Bible, train for priesthood, and support the churches – need our help.” (WR 342/2 - 7/8.99) [PHOTOS]

Part of the following is drawn from a story published by the editors of Religion Today on-line service on March 16, 1999.

KIGALI, Rwanda — The Rev Antoine Rutayisire has a unique ministry: he is able to reach many of Rwanda’s 135,000 prisoners with the Bible’s saving message. In fact, while other Christian workers have found it difficult to gain access to prisons, Mr Rutayisire, who works with Africa Enterprise, enjoys open access to prisons across Rwanda. 

In February, more than 200 prisoners became Christians in Kibungo prison. This followed a sermon about the burden of sin, based on Psalm 32, which Mr Rutayisire preached to some 2,500 people.

“At the end of the service, many hands went up wanting to pray for Christ’s salvation,” Mr Rutayisire said. “We were unable to make an accurate count of them, but we distributed some 200 Bibles that day.”

These Bibles were part of an order of 400 Kinyarwanda Bibles supplied by the Bible Society of Rwanda (BSR) to Africa Enterprise specifically for this prison ministry.

Mr Rutayisire’s ministry is all the more effective because it is based on his own experience of repentance and forgiveness. He is a Rwandan Tutsi who suffered much violence in the past. Hutus reportedly murdered his father when he was five years old.

“I was very angry, and I had a long list of people I hated – with just cause,” he said. “But it was during this time that I met the Lord Jesus.”

God helped him to overcome much sin, but he found it hard to conquer his deep anger, frustration, and bitterness. Then he came across Scripture texts dealing with love and forgiveness for one’s enemies, and these challenged him.

“When I had finished that exercise, 20 years of hatred and bitterness were wiped out in one day,” he smiled. Now the Rev Rutayisire, an Anglican minister, he got involved with Africa Enterprise following the killings that began in April 1994.

At the height of this ethnic violence, the murderous Hutu Interahamwe came to his front gate. His first thoughts were to fight them to protect his wife and children.

“Something told me to go out and die like a man,” he said. “But then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: ‘Why not die like a Christian? You have been preaching that you can love your enemies. This is your opportunity to show it.’” Moments later soldiers from the Rwanda Patriotic Front arrived and drove the militia away. His family later escaped to a UN safety zone.

He has witnessed a remarkable revival in many of the prisons he has visited. A Sunday service in Kigali Central Prison last December turned into a four-hour session of confession.

About 1,000 people met for the service. After a time of worship, prayer, and a short message, Mr Rutayisire led a time for repentance which was far longer than anyone had anticipated. Men just kept coming forward throughout the afternoon to confess their crimes, Mr Rutayisire said.

“I want to open up a sore inside me, would you give me the time to do this?” said one prisoner.

“I want to confess before God and before all of you the sins I committed when I was still in darkness,” said another. “A time like this gives me a chance to off-load the burden of guilt on my heart, and I am even prepared to confess before the judges because the Lord has emboldened me by his forgiveness.”

“I kept my eyes to the ground as I was afraid to look into the faces of those people confessing their murders, rapes, and looting,” he said. “It is strange but when sinners open their hearts to God like this you feel as if you are listening to a private conversation.”

Astonished prison guards and officials watched in silence. The prison director was called and arrived with his deputy, chief supervisor and other officers to witness the event.

“They came and stood first at the door, and then tiptoed into the room so as not to disturb a sacred ceremony,” Mr Rutayisire said. Many people were liberated from a guilt they had carried since the crimes had taken place years ago.

The Central Prison in Kigali houses some of Rwanda’s toughest criminals. When a judicial body offered minimal sentences in exchange for confessions of crimes committed during the atrocities, very few from this prison came forward. Two weeks after the service mentioned above, more than 1,000 prisoners from the Central Prison agreed to make confessions before the chief prosecutor of Kigali City.

“There is an openness among church leaders to find common ground,” he said. “The Bible Society is uniquely placed to offer that common ground. Everyone accepts the basic meeting point of the Word of God, and many see the Society as the central focus of the Bible and Bible work here. Almost everything we do can and should involve all the churches, and it offers them a forum to get together, share ideas and bury old prejudices,” he said.

He is not surprised that one of the most effective areas for changing hearts is the prisons.

 “In prison you have time to reflect upon what has happened. Also, you realise that punishment is awaiting you, a long sentence, perhaps even death. It is easier to focus upon the basic things of life. That is when you start to ask questions about life after death, and faith, and that is when the Holy Spirit can work,” he said.

Prison Fellowship International, the USA-based ministry founded by Chuck Colsen, has approached the BSR asking for a large quantity of Scriptures to be distributed among Rwandan prisoners.

“Unfortunately we do not have the funds to help supply an order of this size,” said Mr Kajugiro. He has tried to get funding from other Christian organisations but has so far been unable to find support.

“It is sad that we have the opportunities to distribute Scriptures where they are most needed and where they could have a major impact, but we lack the funds to supply even part of this project,” he said.

 “We have hundreds of testimonies from people who say they have left the seminars with a new spirit,” one seminar leader explained. “They say that their hearts have been healed and they are ready to forgive.”

 “It is up to the government to punish people guilty of crime,” Mrs Mukamurara said. “But to forgive those who hurt my family – that is my business as a Christian, and I have done it.”

 “Having a powerful response to the Christian message can be potentially disruptive in a prison,” said John Beaver, a spokesman for Africa Enterprise. “But Mr Rutayisire is blessed in this work. He has been given complete access to every prison. He can go places and do things that other organisations cannot.” (WR 342/3 - 7/8.99)