| www.HeartsForTheWorld.org |
| Rwanda A STORY OF LOSS, RECOVERY AND FAM I LY By Brandy Campbell When Sydney Eitel first saw Musabyimana 14 years ago, the 6-year-old smiled up at her from a Compassion child packet. Sydney had always felt God calling her to work with children in Africa, and the young mother had been able to take a few short mission trips there. But as she held the picture of this young Rwandan child in her hand, she wondered if God was somehow showing her a different path — one that would begin with the snaggle-toothed grin of little Musabyimana. Thousands of miles away in the farming community of Nyenda, Rwanda, Musabyimana was thrilled when project workers told her she had a sponsor. For eight months, Musabyimana had waited for a sponsor. Each day when project staff passed out sponsor letters filled with stickers and photos, Musabyimana prayed that her name would be called out. And now, finally, it had! Musabyimana tugged at the hand of a project worker, eager to begin her first letter to her sponsors. Too young to write, she drew pictures while the worker rushed to keep up with the child's excited chatter. January 1993 — I am so happy that you chose me to be your child! I will go to school soon. I pray for you. — Musabyimana in her first letter to the Eitels You chose me to be your child. The phrase stuck with Sydney when she read Musabyimana's letter. To this young Rwandan girl, the Eitel family was an extension of her own family. To her, the definition of family was not limited by the blood that ran through her veins — a family was a group of people who took care of each other. She couldn't have known then just how deep those family ties would go. As 1993 passed, Sydney found herself growing closer to the little girl who drew pictures and wrote about memorizing Bible verses in Sunday school. When Musabyimana started school, Sydney's letters were filled with questions. What is your favorite class? What are you learning about? Tell me about your teacher. All questions she had asked her own children around the dinner table each evening. When the Eitels received Musabyimana's child update in 1994, they were excited to see the progress she had made over the previous year. Instead, they were shocked at the enclosed photo. The once smiling child looked serious and gaunt. Her brow creased with worry. Her blue dress faded and dirty. The words in her letter offered no explanation for the sudden change. Sydney and her husband Jan had no way of knowing that Musabyimana's homeland was being destroyed by war. Musabyimana had been born in a country of unrest and hostility, but even she could not understand the escalating violence and threat of tribal war. There was no way this frightened 8-year-old could find the words to express her fears to her sponsors — fears she couldn't even understand. The escalating violence in Rwanda slowly attracted media attention. Sydney and Jan tried to piece together what was happening from the images of mass graves and somber TV reports of massacred villages. The news they were receiving from Compassion headquarters was just as disturbing. May 23, 1994 — We have located 12 sponsored children ...we assume most families have fled areas where fighting has been heaviest. — Wess Stafford, President, Compassion International June 6, 1994 —According to some estimates, up to 500,000 people have been brutally massacred ...we lost all communication with our staff, children and partner churches. As of today, we have located the first 30 of our 11,000 sponsored children. — Wess Stafford June 27, 1994 — The situation in Rwanda is as bad as anything you've seen on the news. ... Because virtually all Rwandans have been displaced from their homes, it makes the job of trying to find staff and children even more difficult. We have now found nearly 80 sponsored children in camps. — Dan Brewster, Program Development Director Sydney and Jan were devastated. "We had lost our daughter," Sydney remembers saying. The family prayed for Musabyimana, that she would be found. "We just needed to know what had happened. If she was still alive, we needed to pray for her well- being. But if she was dead ... well, I knew I would see her again in heaven." Months passed with no news of Musabyimana. The dull sense of loss was constant, but life had returned to normal. One evening in November 1994, Jan took the couple's oldest son, Josh, to the library to do research for a school project. For hours, the two hunched over magazines and newspapers, their fingers turning black with ink. Jan's eyes burned as he looked at dozens of microfilm articles, and finally he told Josh it was time to pack up and go home. As they picked up scattered photocopies and re-shelved books, Jan saw a Newsweek magazine buried under a pile of papers. He flipped to the table of contents, thinking maybe he could find something useful. His eyes were drawn to a photograph on page 3 — a young African girl lying on a mat. A large bandage covered most of her forehead, and her dress was torn and bloody. Jan quickly flipped to the cover of the magazine — August 1994. The headline screamed: HELL ON EARTH: RACING AGAINST DEATH IN RWANDA. Jan flipped back to the picture. The oval face. The shape of her eyes. The faded blue dress. A thought flickered in his mind. He had to know. Glancing around, he pulled out his pocketknife and quickly cut the picture-out, carefully slipping it into his shirt pocket. Jan and Josh rushed to the car, and when they arrived home, he yelled for Sydney. "Get the picture of our daughter!" Sydney grabbed Musabyimana's last Compassion update photo, and Jan laid the ragged picture next to it. The recognition was immediate. "That's our daughter," whispered Sydney, "She's alive." March 10, 1995 — It is my pleasure to inform you that Musabyimana Nsabimana has been found alive! —Wess Stafford Although it would take months for Musabyimana to return to Rwanda and reregister in Compassion's program, Sydney and Jan had peace they would hear from their daughter again. When the official word came in March of 1995, the letters to Musabyimana began immediately. They had been warned that even though Musabyimana was back in Rwanda, life was no longer "normal." Her first letters were short, with little mention of the war. The broken, choppy sentences hinted at underlying fear and shock. Sydney gently encouraged Musabyimana to share only what she was ready to talk about. May 1995 — I'm sure you saw very bad things in the war and the refugee camps. I pray that Jesus helps you to not be afraid. I love you, daughter, so very much. — Sydney Eitel Musabyimana gradually emerged from the shadows of war, and in each letter she expressed her desire to one day meet her American family. In 2006, her prayers were finally answered when Sydney and Jan traveled to Rwanda on a Compassion sponsor tour. "By the time I met Musabyimana, I felt we already knew her," says Sydney. "Her mother did an incredible job raising her. I'm just so glad God allowed us to be part of her life." Musabyimana graduated from the Compassion program in 2006 with a vocational degree in sewing and tailoring. She plans to open her own tailoring shop in Rwanda. Even as she busies herself with plans for the future, she will never forget her American family who prayed so fervently for their Rwandan daughter. Her last letter to Sydney and Jan was a bittersweet reminder of God's providence. October 2006 — My parents, you sponsored me since I joined Compassion. I am going to graduate from the program soon. Even though we are going to separate, in spirit, we are together. I wish you God's blessings. — Musabyimana |
| The following story is taken from a Compassion International Newsletter 2007. For more information about Compassion or to find out how you can sponsor a child CLICK HERE |
| Musabyimana, 6 years old |
| Musabyimana, 1994 update photo |
| Sydney, Musabyimana and Jan together in 2006 |
Musabyimana
In 1992, I desperately wanted to do something to help the people of Africa to come to know God. I sought a girl from Africa with
Compassion International thinking I could make a difference in her life, giving her hope in her part of the world. Soon came a
photo to Jan and me of a precious child in Rwanda missing her front teeth and smiling so shyly.
From that day, we knew she was to be our Rwandan daughter. We had no idea that we would walk through a genocide with her
all the way through her life to this day where she has graduated from school, trained in tailoring, 21 years old, a beautiful young
woman.
We met Musabyimana Clarisse last year with a sponsor tour group. We had knit our hearts together through the years and we
met with great anxiety knowing this divine meeting was hello face-to-face for the first time and quite possibly good by. She had
completed her program with Compassion. Jan and I had a few hours with her. We carried fabrics, thread, scissors and other
sewing supplies for her, trying to give her all the tools for tailoring she would need to begin with. We parted with hugs and tears.
You can read a more detailed story (below) of our walk with Musabyimana up to this point in time. Jan and I just returned from
Rwanda a 2nd time. You see, God had a bigger plan than we knew.
We had the Divine honor of going into Musabyimana’s home. Pastor John and Therese Mutabaruka came to pick us up in his 4-
wheel drive. Out of Kigali we traveled down a long, dusty road. Jan and I were filled with hope of helping Musabyimana to begin
her tailoring business; the dream she shared with us when we first met her. As we journeyed further and further down the road
through a small city, a small village, deep into the woods winding back and forth it was looking hopeless for her dream to be
fulfilled.
Every neighbor, friend and family member of Musabyimana’s who lived under those trees in their tiny huts greeted us. Her
mother welcomed us into her humble home. Sitting in a mud hut in a room with a dirt floor and about 8 chairs with our knees
touching, we talked. Musabyimana shared with us of how she has been walking to the open market in her village two miles away
twice a week to sew little projects, mostly mending. She needed to be in a shop to bring in larger projects. She showed us some
of the beautiful things she made from the materials we previously took in.
It was decided we needed to go into town with her to find a shop and to open a bank account. As we walked to the car the
neighbors all followed with little children calling out Musa, Musa. She was the queen of her village that day when the muzungus
visited.
In the small village two miles from her home, we found a shop for her to set up in. The owner will let her use power and the other
machines in the shop. She will share customers with Musabyimana and allow her to bid her own prices. All of this for about
$20.00 per month. This was good news!
Musabyimana graduated top in her class from tailoring school. This qualifies her to bid on sewing projects from Compassion.
She is beginning small in her little village. Her life ahead of her with a heart full of dreams, she sets out to be a successful
businesswoman. She wants to own her own shop and have one or two people work for her. She loves God with all of her heart
and I am pretty sure she knows that God loves her. She is our precious Rwandan daughter and we love her deeply.
Compassion International thinking I could make a difference in her life, giving her hope in her part of the world. Soon came a
photo to Jan and me of a precious child in Rwanda missing her front teeth and smiling so shyly.
From that day, we knew she was to be our Rwandan daughter. We had no idea that we would walk through a genocide with her
all the way through her life to this day where she has graduated from school, trained in tailoring, 21 years old, a beautiful young
woman.
We met Musabyimana Clarisse last year with a sponsor tour group. We had knit our hearts together through the years and we
met with great anxiety knowing this divine meeting was hello face-to-face for the first time and quite possibly good by. She had
completed her program with Compassion. Jan and I had a few hours with her. We carried fabrics, thread, scissors and other
sewing supplies for her, trying to give her all the tools for tailoring she would need to begin with. We parted with hugs and tears.
You can read a more detailed story (below) of our walk with Musabyimana up to this point in time. Jan and I just returned from
Rwanda a 2nd time. You see, God had a bigger plan than we knew.
We had the Divine honor of going into Musabyimana’s home. Pastor John and Therese Mutabaruka came to pick us up in his 4-
wheel drive. Out of Kigali we traveled down a long, dusty road. Jan and I were filled with hope of helping Musabyimana to begin
her tailoring business; the dream she shared with us when we first met her. As we journeyed further and further down the road
through a small city, a small village, deep into the woods winding back and forth it was looking hopeless for her dream to be
fulfilled.
Every neighbor, friend and family member of Musabyimana’s who lived under those trees in their tiny huts greeted us. Her
mother welcomed us into her humble home. Sitting in a mud hut in a room with a dirt floor and about 8 chairs with our knees
touching, we talked. Musabyimana shared with us of how she has been walking to the open market in her village two miles away
twice a week to sew little projects, mostly mending. She needed to be in a shop to bring in larger projects. She showed us some
of the beautiful things she made from the materials we previously took in.
It was decided we needed to go into town with her to find a shop and to open a bank account. As we walked to the car the
neighbors all followed with little children calling out Musa, Musa. She was the queen of her village that day when the muzungus
visited.
In the small village two miles from her home, we found a shop for her to set up in. The owner will let her use power and the other
machines in the shop. She will share customers with Musabyimana and allow her to bid her own prices. All of this for about
$20.00 per month. This was good news!
Musabyimana graduated top in her class from tailoring school. This qualifies her to bid on sewing projects from Compassion.
She is beginning small in her little village. Her life ahead of her with a heart full of dreams, she sets out to be a successful
businesswoman. She wants to own her own shop and have one or two people work for her. She loves God with all of her heart
and I am pretty sure she knows that God loves her. She is our precious Rwandan daughter and we love her deeply.
| Musabyimana's father and Jan |
| Musabyimana, her mother & Sydney |
| Negotiating a space to rent |
 | |  | |  | |  |
| Nyenda |
| Musabyimana and her parents |