Former Refugee Speaks in Duluth Friday
Posted at: 03/05/2010 4:42 PM
"My testimony is a message of hope for anyone, for any life," Rose said.
Rose travels across the country sharing how she and her family survived the genocide in the Congo.
"When I talk to the students, I think it is to give them a picture," she said. "And tell people how you can make a difference in people's life."
Rose, her husband and 10 kids lived a happy life in the Congo. They were a part of the minority ethnic group called the Tutsis. But in 1998, the Rwandan army invaded the Congo and declared Tutsis the enemy. Thousands were massacred.
"The situation, you can't explain to somebody," Rose said. "I don't know if somebody can understand."
The family was sent to a prison. Rose watched as soldiers executed her husband. The women and children were left to die in their cells.
"They said, 'We can't waste the bullet,'" Rose said. "We die one by one from starvation because we slept on a concrete floor."
In prison, Rose learned she was pregnant. She knew if she didn't die from starvation, she'd likely die giving birth.
"I wished to die free," she said. "I said, 'God, you know the truth. I am not the enemy. Really, I am not.' I made the decision to forgive, and I became free in my heart."
On the prison cell floor, Rose gave birth to twins. As a gesture of forgiveness, she named her babies after the two guards who had killed her husband.
"In culture in Congo, when you name someone, it means you love that person," she said. "Because no one can name her child after the enemy."
Miraculously, she and the twins survived. After a total of 16 months in prison, Rose and her children were released to a refugee camp in Cameroon, and then brought to the United States by a rescue group.
Rose says she shares her story to honor her husband.
"My husband was a great man," she said. "We was like a team. He was my best friend."
And, to help other refugees who have given up hope.
"The reason God saved my life," she said. "I can give other people hope. You can forgive somebody, too. And you can choose to live in peace."
Rose is speaking Friday night at 7 pm at the College of St. Scholastica. The event is free and open to the public.
If you would like to learn more about Rose Mapendo, or the Mapendo International Organization, please visit their website at www.mapendo.org
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