A Reflection by Sammy Nichols

On my first day in Africa we went to a museum and a memorial for the Rwandan genocide, an terrible event that the world has seen as over since July 12, 1994, but at Bideka I saw the effects of the genocide still actively effecting and ruining the lives of young girls. When I think about the day we spent at Bideka it still seems unreal. My dad taught a short, powerful lesson to the women and then the girls went outside. One by one they came in and told us the “short version” of their horrific experience and we prayed for them.
It was heartbreaking to listen to their stories and see the deep pain in their faces. What made it even more terrible for me was that many of the girls were my age or younger and had experienced unspeakable horrors in their short lives. I will never forget those girls. I will remember their stories, their pain, but also their beautiful smiles, and their hope that they had in the midst of everything. Visiting the village of Bideka is an experience I will never forget.