Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper,
Light in the darkness:
My God, that is who You are.
There are some moments in life you wish you could bottle; preserve; savour for ever. For me, one of those moments occurred on Easter Sunday this year, as I headed to Living Church in Kigali. There I was in the crammed-full people-carrier of David Gasana (who is himself a rescued street-kid and now director of Comfort Rwanda), and squashed in around me were Lindsay, Michael and Anne (my wonderful Comfort Babies teammates), four of our amazing Comfort Babies mums, and their precious kids, who were clambering about, landing on various knees and collecting hugs from us all. Over the speakers, the song “Waymaker” was playing and I tuned into the lyrics: way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness. What better day is there to reflect on miracles than Easter Sunday? We celebrate new life; redemption; healing; forgiveness; love on an impossible scale. And in the 7 years I’ve had the privilege of working with Comfort Babies I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve heard testimonies of all of these things; profound stories of lives transformed and light shattering the darkness.
I hug Alicadia (right), the boy on my lap, whom I first met when he was two weeks old. His mum, Noella, had been working the streets in a desperate attempt to survive starvation and ended up with not only this baby, but HIV too. Her life is still not easy, but over the past 7 years I’ve watched her regain her dignity and hope, her joy. Noella has a beautiful singing voice and I hear it from the back of the car as she sings “Waymaker”, giving thanks to God for the life she now leads. Alicadia looks up at me and grins and I squeeze him tight, so grateful that this child’s life has been redeemed and he need never experience the depths of despair that his mum has lived through.
Beside me Lindsay is cuddling 4-year-old Alexander. I remember the day he was born, David calling me from A&E. Alexander’s mum, Clemantine, had been rushed to hospital in early labour, after being in a road accident which killed her boyfriend. This wee premature baby was clinging to life in an incubator whilst his mummy was treated for her own injuries. At the time, many CB supporters rallied round to make donations to cover the family’s medical bills and a sponsor was found whose love and friendship towards them has been part of the healing process. Clemantine has known more than her fair share of trauma, having also been orphaned in the 1994 genocide. During our recent visit we had the humbling experience of being in Rwanda over genocide memorial time and Clemantine was one of the mums who spoke to me of her grief. She said that she thanks God for providing her with a new family in Comfort Babies. It doesn’t take away the pain, but it does help her find a way to move forward and to have hope for her son’s future.
To my left, an energetic toddler, Chris, climbs onto Anne’s knee. He and his mum, Immaculate, are the most recent additions to Comfort Babies and we really enjoyed spending time with them during our trip. They have the most amazing rescue story. For four months before they met David they were living in a forest on a mountain known locally as Prayer Mountain, and were sleeping in a long-drop toilet hut. Immaculate clung to a promise she felt God had given her that he was going to send someone to rescue her. Meanwhile, two different people spoke to David saying that they believed God wanted him to go to Prayer Mountain. Neither of them knew each other, or Immaculate. David had no idea why God would want him to go, but the second time he heard this message he was curious enough, and obedient enough, to investigate! It was a joy to hear David and Immaculate both recounting their meeting on Prayer Mountain and to see how drastically Immaculate and Chris’s lives have changed since joining Comfort Babies.
So there we were on Easter Sunday, a noisy, happy car-full, our lives entwined, our hearts united in recognition of the Waymaker in our midst, and I wept with joy and with gratitude that my life has been so enriched by sharing the journey with these friends, and all the others who are part of the Comfort Babies community.
And that was just one moment out of a very special trip! Another highlight involved somehow ending up in a meeting with president Paul Kagame, and hearing his annual genocide memorial address. It was very humbling to be included in such a painful and significant time of reflection for Rwanda. We also loved the time we spent with the Comfort Rwanda team, and even though chats about spreadsheets, planning and calendars (shown above) are not as fun as all the baby cuddles and African dancing with the mums, we felt that our time together was productive and helpful for us all as a wider team as we strive to continue developing and enhancing the work of Comfort Babies and Comfort Rwanda’s other projects. There is no shortage of work to do; there are so many families facing so many challenges. But we will continue to pursue hope and to rejoice when the Waymaker works miracles and puts a new song in the hearts of those whose lives have been transformed.
