" 'Son of man, can these bones live?' I said, 'O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.' "

The team longed for Christian burial for these exhumed bodies.

Deep breaths. "Take deep breaths," I told myself as I looked at the grotesque skeletons laid out before us. A few of the skulls still had curly black hair. Occasionally some clothing provided a bit of color that somehow shouted of time that was no more. Mostly the bones were clothed only in a transparent, tightly stretched skin. The seven of us walked and walked, peering in a seemingly endless line of school rooms where 40,000 Rwandese had been murdered in six hours on a day two years before. A group called "Remembrance" has dug up the mass graves and laid out the bones to call the world's attention to the atrocities of the genocide in Rwanda.

The horrific slaughter that occurred during three months, April until June 1994, killed between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people, and the facts are odious. The Tutsi people group was systematically targeted: a death sentence was imposed by virtue of the ethnic identity of the father registered on the obligatory identity card. Moderate Hutus were also targeted. Lists and plans were systematic and strategic. People were almost always killed in groups in savage and cruel ways. Citizens were forced to kill others through threats that it was "them or us."

And the international community turned its back. The world had no taste for intervention, and the UN did not designate this as genocide, a declaration that would have obligated its signatories to take action.

Even today most of the world still sees Rwanda as a place of the dead -- dry bones. I was asked many times before I traveled to Rwanda with Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA), "Why would you go there?" usually accompanied by a look that said, "You're crazy."

" 'Son of man, can these bones live?' I said, 'O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.' "[Text in italics here and following taken from Ezekiel 37:1-14, New International Version.]

SOMA was invited by the entire Anglican Church of the Province of Rwanda to facilitate reconciliation among its leaders of the eight dioceses. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. George Carey, endorsed the mission, commending it as one of the "efforts taken to reestablish the Anglican Church after such a difficult period."

God seemed to be saying to SOMA, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!' " We said, "Yes, Lord."

The international SOMA team in Rwanda.

All of the SOMA national bodies around the world participated as we gathered a team that included a bishop, the Rt. Rev. Dinis Sengulane of Mozambique, white and colored from South Africa, and a Roman Catholic and several Protestants from Northern Ireland. In all, thirtysix clergy and lay persons, men and women, met in Kampala, Uganda, from New Zealand, Australia, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda, Monaco, Mozambique, South Africa, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Canada and the USA. Five of us were Americans.

How does one meld such a diverse, multicultural group into one team to work for three weeks toward the goal of reconciliation? God had a unique plan: He took something meant for evil and used it for good to forge us together as a team.

On Sunday June 30, several leading newspapers around the world reported that a Rwandan militia leader had placed a bounty on the heads of all Americans and the American Ambassador in that country. Now there were so many questions. Had we counted the cost? Were we ready to "live into" the Gospel reading of Sunday, June 23:

"Jesus said, 'I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves. Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles_ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell_ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid...'"[from Mt. 10:1633]

Would the one who would kill for money check passports to distinguish Brits or New Zealanders from Americans? The American Embassy in Kampala strongly recommended that we not go in, "You will be risking your life," and "If you were my mother, my sister, or my wife, I wouldn't let you go."

These threats and admonitions galvanized our worldwide intercessors who were linked to us by FAX. Each team member was urged to enter into soulsearching and sort this out with God. Every possible decision was deemed honorable.

An evening and a night passed. Each person on the team decided to go into Rwanda. A new spirit of celebration, anticipation and worship enveloped our team on the last day of our team training.

The van and small bus held all of us only if we carefully settled in between and over hand luggage, cases of water bottles and sack lunches. Although there were some quiet conversations as we went, most of us were engrossed in our thoughts. My family members were very present in poignant memories. The road seemed interminable and each hour passed with the speed of two.

The border crossing proved to be routine, actually, which was just the way we wanted it. However, we were not without our anxious moments. We put all of our passport information on lists and waited for our interview. I had taken refuge in the shade of the overhang and was waiting for my name to be called. As I looked past the heads of my friends, I "saw" a beautiful sight "in the Spirit." The terraced hillside seemed just like stadium seats for the myriad angels that my spirit told me were there. I spoke of them to a companion and then, to capture the moment forever, I reached in my bag, grabbed my camera and took a photograph.

Blood rushed to my cheeks. My heart pounded so hard. I KNEW better than to use a camera at such a critical spot -- I have trained teams to cross borders.

The Rt. Rev. Dinis Sengulane of Lebombo, Mozambique, and Edwina Thomas.

God was gracious and only a few friends took notice. I did ask forgiveness from the team when we gathered a few hours later in Kigali. My mistake put us all at risk. I was also concerned that as a leader, my inattention to my surroundings might have opened the door for a lax attitude. The lessons were good and the prayers of forgiveness set me free.

Nothing I had read prepared me for the physical beauty of Rwanda. The verdant terraced valleys are laced with meandering canals watering various crops. We paused at vistas overlooking ten or twenty hills and searched the horizon for the volcanoes that are sometimes visible. Redtiled roofs brought to mind a certain romance. How could something so horrible as genocide and war happen in such a beautiful place?

I will not forget Bishop Sengulane's comment: "Does God still smile today? What have human beings done to the beautiful country and beautiful people? It means that we human beings can stop the smile of God. Sin is the cause of troubles that stop the smile of God. The story of Rwanda is the story of sin."

Our SOMA team divided into nine teams. Eight teams conducted simultaneous conferences in the eight dioceses and one team of two, including Linda Chapman from Christ Church, Brentwood, NY, stayed in Kigali and supported our mission with constant intercession. Dr. Robert Brown and his wife Celia from Messiah, St. Paul, MN, led a team to the diocese of Kibungo.

Women of this choir sing praises to find comfort in their losses.

Ron Davis and I from All Saints', Woodbridge, VA, teamed with a Canadian priest and a social worker from Britain to work in the Diocese of Butare. We were introduced to the realities of the horrible past by the women of the Cathedral Choir, a group specifically formed by survivors for their mutual fellowship and spiritual wellbeing. One by one they stood to tell us their experiences, some relating these painful things publicly for the first time.

Mothers telling their stories.

One mother told of the deaths of five of her seven children, two of whom were betrayed by their teacher. Our faith was challenged and strengthened as we heard that the teacher has since come to her and confessed, asking and receiving forgiveness. One woman described her fear as she evangelized military men implicated in killing people of her ethnic group. Others told of the pain of knowing the killers of their families, neighbors who have lived nearby for a lifetime. Several of the women were the sole survivors in their immediate family, now widows committed to helping others find support and healing for the trauma that plagues their daily lives.

Bible students teach Joseph's story of reconciliation through a dramatic presentation.

God spoke to our diocesan Conference on Reconciliation through the story of Joseph, a man hated by his brothers not for something he had done, but for who he was. Bible students enacted an hourlong drama that reminded us of the power of one man's forgiveness to bless, and indeed to save, his family and a nation.

Following one of the talks a young Bible student moved to the front and confessed, "I hate Tutsis. They killed my wife and babies." He fell on his knees, and God freed him from hatred that day as he was ministered to by a Tutsi.

The weeklong gathering in Butare included much testimony: many times, telling the story seemed like lancing the wound and the beginning of healing. We danced together and sang rhythmic songs accompanied by several drums and shakers. In Butare, we joined daily with Christians from all denominations who meet to pray together for their city. Times of ministry included spontaneous confession, healing and an outpouring of an anointing for ministry.

"And as I was prophesying there was noise, a rattling sound..."

On the last morning of the Butare conference, we celebrated the Eucharist and shared hugs all around during the peace. A profound silence accompanied the fire in the nave of the Cathedral when we burned confessions that had been written on scraps of paper. I carefully used a film container to gather up these ashes, knowing that they were a visible sign of God's unlimited forgiveness and mercy. Later when our little group from Butare visited Gikongoro, the school where thousands of skeletons were laid out in classrooms, I sprinkled the ashes over the bones as a symbolic act proclaiming that God's forgiveness covers all sins, even the hatred that drives genocide.

The evaluation of the conference in Butare concluded: "One of the most important things that happened was that we ate together [because fear of retaliation by poisoning had impeded hospitality for the past two years]. We also hugged and shared communion," things the Hutu and Tutsi clergy had not done together in Butare since the genocide.

Next, all parts of the large SOMA team regathered for a Prayer Retreat. Four representatives from each diocese and the bishops who were in the country joined us. We shared together the reports of the smaller diocesan conferences and asked, "What is God saying to this Church at this time?"

Representatives from each diocese met several times with the SOMA team members who had visited their diocese. The four men from Butare fashioned a vision for forming a reconciliation team along with their wives: together they would be three Tutsi and five Hutu. To "seal" and celebrate this decision, the four SOMA team members asked to pray for these very young and courageous men. We gathered in front of the altar and asked the Holy Spirit to come and minister. One priest was filled with the Holy Spirit. The other three were greatly blessed by the Spirit. Afterwards we asked the only one who spoke English, "Did God speak? What did he say?"

"He asked me if I would trust my brothers? I said 'yes, I would.'"

The men from Butare embraced as tightly as four can and wept together. A miracle. Weeping is almost taboo in Rwandese culture, something just not done.

So much of God's work occurred in the hearts of individuals, yet many important things were accomplished in the corporate setting.

The bishops and representatives from each of the eight dioceses met together in an "unofficial" capacity, without the SOMA team, and wrote what might be called a new vision statement for the Rwandan Church. The eleven statements call the Church to act in ways profoundly different from current experience: for example,

• The Church needs reconciliation with God: to repent of their sins, ask for forgiveness, and then reconcile with others.
• Leaders of the Church should be people who have a calling from the Lord, and known as faithful and without guile.
• The Church must find new ways of evangelizing which encourage Christians to grow and stand firm, rather than be tossed to and fro by the wind.
• Christians should be taught about the Holy Spirit and should be led by the Spirit.
• The Church should hate sin but love the sinner.
• The Church must be careful not to take sides, but should speak out against any violation of the rights of human beings.

"Prophesy to the breath... "

The Holy Spirit was present in power during our Prayer Retreat. We entered into a time of corporate repentance which was modeled mostly by the SOMA team members. We are all members of countries, classes, races which bear some responsibility for the current situation in Rwanda. We asked God's forgiveness and theirs.

On a Wednesday evening the Spirit ministered to all of us in prophecy, healing, pictures, tears and laughter. A series of visions resulted in a calling forth of the Church from the darkness of a cave, much as Jesus called forth Lazarus from the tomb. Those of us who had a burden for the Church soon found ourselves prostrate, weeping and sobbing. "...breathe into these slain, that they might live."

"They [the bones] came to life and stood up on their feet -- a vast army."

My own experience of this was deeply internal: I have no idea how much time passed, or whether 10 or 20 persons were a part of this expression of the Holy Spirit. I remember pressing my face into the cement and my tears and drippy nose making puddles. At times I recall deep grief and sorrow, but I also remember a pleading and crying for mercy. I could not stop these waves of gutwrenching sobs that came and went like birth contractions for an indeterminate period of time.

Indeed, prophecies were spoken that a new Church was born that evening. Many words came forth from the body gathered, words about tending and caring for this newborn, words about newness and fragility. During our worship the next day, our SOMA team leader, Don Brewin, prayed "a cutting of the umbilical cord," as he separated the new Church from its parent.

Bishop Norman Kayamba of Kigeme spoke of the event this way:

"We were in tears as we gave the Church to the Son of God. We repented, personally and on behalf of the whole Church. [We asked God] to take His position in the Church and make it the way it should be. We have no doubt He accepted . . . We took that day, July 17th, as the rebirth of the [Anglican] Church in our country."

My personal hope and vision for the new Church is greater than the political borders of Rwanda can contain. There were representatives of many parts of God's body interceding for His mercy . . . "We too have no doubt He accepted."

The last event of the Prayer Retreat was a fivehour Eucharist. Bishop Dinis Sengulane, assisted by a translator, gave a significant address as the sermon. He began by saying, "SOMA people came from different countries around the world. Is sin in short supply in your country? We are here as people who are beggars. We come to you as beggars. We haven't come to give anything but to share with you where you can beg and be successful . . . We go to the Word of God. That is where we can be successful beggars . . . Who told you sin has the final word?"

He continued by sharing how the Church in Mozambique was led to respond to a decadelong, violent civil war. Christians were directed to pray, to fast and to intercede for an end to violence. Political leaders were persuaded that dialogue was the only way forward, and Christian leaders used their only agenda, the Word of God. At the end of the war, Christians proclaimed that swords must be changed into plowshares [Micah 4:35] and found ways to practice this. Through the founding of the Anglican Peace Center families were encouraged to adopt a culture of peace instead of violence, particularly in reference to games and videos used by children. Christians have gone to the places where the horrible things happened to pray and reclaim the land for God.

Interior of church in Ruhanga where massacres occurred in 1994.

This sermon moved the translator in such a profound way that he gave testimony to the SOMA team some days later. He recognized the unique place in which God had placed him, one of influence where he had inappropriately encouraged what we might call a "party spirit." He was now convicted that God was calling him to be an agent for reconciliation instead. He asked our prayers for his future, which, in the natural, may be very difficult.

We found these children playing on the mass graves.

"Be careful not to take sides" took on new meaning when the SOMA team visited Ruhanga, a parish fifteen kilometers outside of Kigali. We stopped our vehicles between a church building and a new sanctuary under construction where workmen watched from the walls as we entered the church. A hush of holiness fell on us as we noticed sun shining through the bullet holes in the tin roof making oval light spatters on the wall behind the broken masonry pulpit. 13,500 Christians of all flavors -- Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Pentecostals, Baptists, and others -- had gathered in this place for refuge. When the militias came, they ordered the Hutus and the Tutsis to separate themselves by tribe. The people refused and declared that they were all one in Christ, and for that they were all killed. We wept as we held a service at the five mass graves of these martyrs.

As we stood by the flowers surrounding the graves, my camera attracted a bevy of stunningly beautiful little children. Their torn clothes were all the same color, mud brown, and were tied on their bodies. All I could think of was that no children I had ever seen in Africa would be cared for like this if they had mothers. I spent my time there stroking their arms and heads and praying, not for the dead but for the living.

Our SOMA team returned to Kigali, with the admonition spoken in story from a Canadian team member that the last hours were perhaps the most dangerous and we should be the most watchful. The situation in Kigali is difficult because there is a faction of the Church that stands in opposition to the current bishop of the Diocese of Kigali. Leaders of our team met with all parties in an attempt to bring understanding. The team began three days of roundtheclock prayer and fasting as we implored God to intervene and unify these internal divisions.

Team members pray together.

Turmoil within the leadership of the Anglican Church in Rwanda is wider than just in the Diocese of Kigali. Some leaders, including bishops, have been accused of not denouncing the genocide and distancing themselves from it. Some of the bishops live outside the country and have not returned for various reasons, including threats to themselves and their families. Dioceses without a resident bishop are led by a senior priest who is designated "legal representative," which seems to translate into "responsibility without authority."

The SOMA directors met with four bishops and the legal representatives of dioceses whose bishops are not in the country. We met for an uninterrupted four hours -- a first in five months. All other Provinciallevel gatherings, particularly with these leaders, have been met with coordinated, concerted disruptions from those determined to continue disunity within the Church.

The legal representative of one diocese had to return to his home province in order to identify the body of a layreader, who had been beaten to death that week. He knelt among us and asked that we pray for him. He spoke with new courage of his intention to speak to the authorities about the situation for his people: "Pray for me. It is dangerous to speak [the truth] and my life will be in danger."

"Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off."

(These are the words spoken by the bones to whom Ezekiel has prophesied and who have newly come to life.)

Even those who experience a new infusion of hope and a new measure of wholeness in Jesus must live in a difficult situation and deal with a perilous future. Armed militias are poised in the refugee camps outside the borders ready to “finish the task.” A coup has recently occurred in neighboring Burundi and busloads of Hutus who had taken refuge there have been forcibly returned to Rwanda. What has their fate been?

The last three days of the SOMA trip were difficult for us. Just as the mind could begin to make sense of “what it knew,” other facts, opinions or observations would come forth that gave a slightly different perspective. We came away convinced that truth about the past, or even the present, was illusive, and maybe impossible.

The Sunday service of July 21 at the Cathedral in Kigali was disrupted: a man from the congregation grabbed the microphone and made an angry speech; many stood shook their fists; others marched up and down the aisles making a lot of noise. This was startling to us who are used to worship that usually progresses undisturbed except for perhaps a restless baby.

What an emotional roller-coaster. Seventeen persons had committed their lives to Jesus and hundreds had written their sins on papers that were gathered to be burned on the Cathedral steps. We left the service amidst the turmoil of shouts and anger and saw a military presence outside. Deep grief engulfed us.

Pray that there is a future for these children.

As I walked back to lunch that day, God gave insight. If our prayer and fasting had produced the results we wanted -- a peaceful and reconciled end -- we would have been deeply entrenched in spiritual pride. No matter what our words, our hearts would have been proud, as in, "We did it!"

As it happened, we left Rwanda burdened by pain and unresolved conflict. All of us feel a measure of relief at leaving, and probably some guilt for that; but we also carry the realization that we do not understand all nor do we have all the answers. I know the fasting and prayers availed much in the Spiritual realm: we wait, in the physical realm.

God did marvelous and glorious things during our time there, but there is the sense that they are fragile, new beginning. I believe that God’s intention is to say, as He did over the valley of Dry Bones, "O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them. I will bring you back . . . Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord . . . I will put my Spirit in you and you will live."

"I will put my Spirit in you and you will live."

Bishop Norman Kayumba’s Testimony in St. Etienne’s Cathedral, Kigali -- July 21, 1996

The Rt. Rev. Norman Kayumba of the Doicese of Kigeme, Rwanda

(The text of this testimony is reported as recorded in Edwina’s journal at the time)

We should thank God that He allowed the SOMA team to come to Rwanda at this time. The theme was, "What is the Lord Saying to Me as a Believer?" and "What is the Lord Saying to the Church in Rwanda today?"

Thanks be to God, our brothers and sisters have come to us with their love from God. Through works, prayers and everything they have done, we have seen the Love of God. They have sacrificed all. Some of them have sacrificed sleep so they could talk to the Lord so they can hear what God says and present us to Him. We have learned the ministry of intercessors.

We are still sharing the fruit of the Spirit among them. We even believe their departure will be difficult as they leave us.

We have seen their love for us. They have obeyed the Love and come here. That love we have failed to show to one another, they have showed us. They have not come with answers to our problems, but have come to kneel with us and pray for our problems.

Dinis Sengulane (Bishop of the Diocese of Lebombo, Mozambique) said, "We come to you as beggars. We have come to you who are also beggars. But we want to show you where you can beg and be successful."

They (SOMA team) have showed us that we should not center our eyes to them, but to God. Their teaching revealed what the Bible says especially about the strength we need today. Together, we strengthen the Church. This has not only come as teaching about the Spirit, but we have witnessed the Spirit moving among ministers of this country. The future is bright because of Love released among us.

The Lord sent SOMA to minister among us. God released barriers of the heart.

On Wednesday night (July 17) we prayed, and Thursday we completed the retreat. During time of prayer the Lord visited each one of us in a special way. What the Lord revealed to us is the need in our church today.

God does not lack love, grace, strength . . . but in the Church of God, all these are available. We were broken down especially when we saw our situation bare before us. Although people got reconciled to God, we saw how pathetic the Church is, the situation the Church is in.

We were in tears as we lifted up the Church. The Church belongs to the Son of God. We repented, personally and on behalf of the whole Church. [We asked God] to come and take His position in the Church and make it the way it should be. We have no doubt He has accepted.

The Lord accepted that He is coming and that He is coming to save. He needs people ready to come with themselves. It was clear to us that the Lord is ready to receive every prayer and is answering every request. We took that day, 17 July, as the rebirth of the Church in our country. As a conclusion, on Thursday, as we prayed, we had before us the liturgy and wanted to stick with it. The Lord "ruined" it and chose a different liturgy for us. We opened the liturgy so that the Spirit found a place. We saw the Lord touch the lives of priests, lay leaders, and Christians. The Lord had been doing all this throughout the week. As Anglicans, we are faithful to the Eucharist liturgy -- God changed it. We began to see the peace and love of God working there and then.

There was a young mother, really young, who came to worship as any other person. She stood at the back. I [the Bishop] didn’t know her. That woman had decided to commit suicide. Others followed her there in the forest where she had planned to die. She found her way into the Cathedral. When we began worship, we don’t know what’s in the heart of people ... the Lord knows every secret and every heart.

As we went on with prayers, it was revealed to one of us that there was someone who felt like dying and was going to do such a thing.

Someone wrote down this word and brought it forward to the leaders. When we announced it, that very person came forward. She spoke to ministers, was prayed for and went back having been healed.

[Note from Edwina: SOMA leaders see the ministry to this young woman as prophetic, an event that encapsulates SOMA’s ministry in Rwanda, and in many ways challenges Christians everywhere to reach out to this needy land.

After several persons prayed with this young woman, the Bishop invited forward for ministry other persons in the congregation who felt hopeless and who had felt like they didn’t want to continue living. A crowd of people, characterized by eyes that had no life in them, streamed forward and were prayed for by the SOMA team members.]

God is aware of every problem. No man or woman is going to give the answer.

As has been exemplified by SOMA, the Lord needs people committed in prayer, lifting up every problem in prayer.

Pray for us leaders.

Glory to God!