#82 Rwandan Genocide Survivor in Search of a Savior - Alex Nsengimana

Alex Nsengimana grew up in Rwanda during the 1990s, surrounded by racial tension and anger that eventually boiled over into full-scale violence.

As a child, Alex witnessed the unimaginable horrors of the Rwandan Genocide.

But after being exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Alex was challenged to do the unthinkable... to forgive the unforgivable.

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🔗 Helpful Links

• Operation Christmas Child

• African Children’s Choir

• A Gift of Forgiveness in Rwanda (story on Alex from Samaritan’s Purse/Operation Christmas Child)

• Portraits of Reconciliation (The New York Times highlights victims and perpetrators from the Genocide living side-by-side today)

• Rwanda genocide: 100 days of slaughter (historical details about the Genocided explained by the BBC. Caution: some of the photos are graphic)

📷 Photos

Alex Nsengimana

Alex growing up in Africa

Alex toured the USA, UK, and Canada with the African Children's Choir from 1997 - 2000

In 1999, Alex (2nd from left) and a friend stayed with a Minnesotan family for 3 days.

4 years later in 2003 the family sponsored Alex, his brother, and 2 other friends to return to the US for education. The family eventually adopted Alex.

In 2013 Alex returned to the Rwandan orphanage where he used to live to deliver shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child

Alex opening shoeboxes with children

Alex speaking with the children at the orphanage

On that same trip, Alex was able to finally meet and extend forgiveness to the man who killed his uncle during the Rwandan Genocide

Alex spending a moment with his surviving uncle who cared for Alex and his siblings during the opening days of the Rwandan Genocide

🎞️ Videos

A short documentary from Operation Christmas Child about Alex’s journey of forgiveness.

🎧 3 RECOMMENDED EPISODES:

• #30 Forgiving My Kidnappers - Gracia Burnham: Gracia and her husband were missionaries in the Philippines, when they were kidnapped by terrorists, and held hostage in the jungle for ransom. They endured every imaginable hardship including gun battles, beheadings, and starvation... yet Gracia was confronted with one ultimate question, was Jesus asking her to forgive these men?

• #35 A Muslim Converted - Yusuf Agoro: Yusuf Agoro was raised in a faithful Muslim family in the Houston suburbs. But when as a teenager he placed his faith in Jesus, his devout Muslim parents, relatives, and mosque ordered him to recant. Could his brand new faith stand firm?

• #69 Hope for the un-Chosen - Steve & Susan Vinton: For the last 30 years, Steve and Susan Vinton have fulfilled a unique calling - serving as the hands and feet of Christ to rural communities in Africa.