Participants: Shelley Quinn (Host), Hans Thygeson, Mindy Thygeson, Lucie Trepanier
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY017029A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:07 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn 01:08 and we will once again 01:10 welcome you to 3ABN Today program. 01:12 We're so glad that you're joining us 01:14 and we have an incredible story, 01:16 it's a story that is... 01:19 When I first heard it, 01:20 it was rather shocking to me actually 01:24 and there's bitterness, but it's bittersweet 01:27 because we've got some people, some good Christian people 01:30 who are doing something about it. 01:32 Before I introduce our guests, 01:33 let me read to you Hebrews 6:10. 01:37 And actually our guest today chose this scripture 01:41 and this is Paul writing, 01:43 we assume it's Paul writing to the Hebrews and he says, 01:46 "God is not unjust to forget your work 01:50 and your labor of love, 01:51 which you have shown toward His name 01:54 in that you have ministered to the saints 01:58 and you do minister." 02:00 We're going to meet our special guests now 02:03 who are ministering to the saints in Rwanda. 02:08 Let me introduce to you Hans and Mindy, 02:11 and let me make sure I'm saying this right Thygeson. 02:14 That's correct. 02:15 What is that origin Thygeson? 02:17 It's a Danish. 02:19 Danish. Okay. 02:20 Well, we are so glad to have you here today 02:22 and, Hans, you are the founder of Impact Hope? 02:25 That is correct, Shelley. 02:26 And your wife is co-founder? Yeah. 02:28 Well, we're so glad that you're here. 02:30 Then we have, we've gone from Danes, 02:32 we're going to go to someone from Africa, 02:36 who is now living in the States as well. 02:39 Lucie, let me go ahead and introduce you first 02:40 but, Lucie, and your last name is pronounced Trepanier. 02:44 Yes. 02:46 You all are giving me a little challenge today. 02:48 So you were born in Africa, when did you come here? 02:55 I came here in 1963 at the end... 02:58 Okay. 02:59 To try and start college. 03:01 Okay. 03:02 Ended up going to high school again, 03:04 my last year. 03:06 All right. 03:07 So I won't guess, fascinating accent, 03:09 I love your accent. Thank you. 03:11 We're just very glad all three of you are joining us today 03:14 and we're going to be talking 03:16 about these three wonderful people 03:18 who, just ordinary people like you and me, 03:22 they were all ordinary people, 03:24 it's just that God's using them in an extraordinary way. 03:27 And isn't it amazing when we say to Him, 03:31 here am I send me, how He does send me. 03:34 But before we get into this, 03:36 I'm gonna give these people a little reprieve, 03:39 give them a moment to get used to the cameras 03:42 and we're going to have Jaime Jorge play for us. 03:45 He is one of my favorite people 03:47 and he's such a talented young man. 03:49 He's going to play for us, "His Eye is on the Sparrow". 08:59 Jaime Jorge I'd tell you, 09:02 God gave him a talent that can... 09:04 When Jaime is playing the violin, 09:07 I can absolutely, he can bring me to tears, 09:09 I put it that way, 09:10 he can transport you before the throne of grace. 09:13 Well, if you're joining us just a little late today, 09:16 we are interviewing the folk from Impact Hope 09:20 and it's an amazing story behind this, 09:22 and let me once again introduce a husband and wife team, 09:26 we have Hans and Mindy... 09:30 I always... Thygeson. That's correct. 09:32 With full freedom I'm gonna say that. 09:34 And then we also have Lucie Trepanier. 09:39 Either way is fine. All right. 09:41 We'll do the anglicize way. 09:44 Let's get a little back story 09:46 because you have an amazing ministry 09:49 but I'd like to hear a little about your lives, 09:53 you grew up both of you, 09:55 and we're gonna be speaking with husband and wife first 09:59 and we'll get to Lucie in a moment. 10:01 But you grew up in Adventist Christian homes, 10:04 in fact, Mindy you are a PK, a preacher's kid, right? 10:08 That's right. 10:09 Yes, and how did the two of you meet? 10:13 We met through the church up at youth campaign, Oregon, 10:17 and we're both, you know, Adventists 10:21 and we especially felt the call to try to do ministry 10:24 and so that's kind of... 10:27 So you met, you married, 10:29 you have three beautiful children 10:31 all under the age of seven? 10:32 Yeah. Have mercy. 10:34 And that's a handful. 10:36 You were a nurse, an OR nurse. Yeah. 10:39 And what is your business, Hans? 10:41 So we've build a business 10:43 where we build and develop commercial real estate 10:46 specifically apartments and senior housing. 10:49 Okay. 10:50 So here you've got this wonderful life going on, 10:54 but you both felt the call to ministry 10:57 before you married and once as you're married, 10:59 you're really feeling this call, 11:01 which I would say that anybody who is the mother of children 11:05 especially three that are under the age of seven, 11:07 that's a full time ministry. 11:09 Being a mama is a full-time ministry 11:11 and it's a blessing. 11:12 But you are seriously praying about, 11:16 "Lord, what would you have us to do?" 11:18 Right? Correct. Correct. 11:20 And exploring mission opportunities. 11:23 Okay. 11:25 So you've been on a few mission trips, 11:26 taking your children on mission trips. 11:29 But something happened and tell us what happened? 11:34 We had an Easter celebration with some church members, 11:38 and at their house we were having Easter service, 11:42 and there's a gentleman that told us about impact 11:45 about these refugees in Rwanda. 11:47 And he said that all these refugees 11:50 are predominantly Seventh-day Adventists 11:53 and they are some of the smartest kids 11:55 in all of Africa that they're working with 11:58 and we've never heard of that before. 12:00 All right, so he tells you, now was he an Adventist? 12:02 No, he wasn't, he wasn't, 12:04 but he was at the Easter celebration. 12:06 So you meet this man 12:07 who is telling you about 80,000 people there 12:09 and the smart kids. 12:13 Interesting story you've not heard of, 12:15 but what cemented the deal for you, Mindy? 12:18 Well, it was actually Hans decided to go to Rwanda. 12:22 Did the gentleman... 12:24 How did you get that your interest 12:26 for PK as you speak. 12:27 When he said because I really felt he was speaking 12:30 through the Holy Spirit, he said these are your people. 12:34 What are you as a church doing for these refugees 12:38 who've been living in Rwandan refugee camps 12:41 for over 20 years? 12:43 What are you doing as a church for these people? 12:46 And so we met with him several times 12:49 to try to verify the story 12:51 because we never heard about 12:52 all these Seventh-day Adventist refugees. 12:55 We met with him several times and had him over to our house 12:58 and we heard this amazing story of these people 13:01 that had been living for many years in these refugee camps 13:06 and they were, you know, the man told us 13:09 they were devout Adventists 13:10 and we talked to people around the church 13:13 they hadn't heard the story. 13:15 So in the spring of 2015 13:22 I went with this organization to Rwanda 13:25 to visit these camps and actually see if it was true 13:27 because I really questioned 13:31 if there was a true story that they were telling. 13:34 And when you got there, 13:36 you found that these poor people 13:39 had been in these camps many of them for 20 years. 13:42 Tell us about the Rwandan camps? 13:44 And then we'll get to... 13:46 Tell us about the camp condition 13:47 that we're finding our brothers and sisters in Rwanda, 13:51 and then we'd like to hear why they're there. 13:54 So going with this group, 13:56 we went to this one specific camp, Gihembe, 13:59 which is been around since '97. 14:02 And basically these people are living 14:04 on the top of a mountain. 14:06 There's over 13,000 people in a very tight camp 14:11 and living in mud huts that are 12 feet by 15 feet 14:16 in a remote location, harsh living conditions, 14:20 basically you could say like the surface of the moon 14:23 or you know a gravel field. 14:27 And so there are very tough conditions 14:31 and these people are basically there 14:33 because the safety of their life. 14:35 All right, so how did... 14:37 They're refugees from where? 14:38 They're refugees from the Congo. 14:41 So what happened was in 1994 14:44 after the genocide that happened 14:45 against the Tutsis in Rwanda. 14:48 The perpetrators who had committed 14:50 the atrocities against humanity, 14:52 they started to fear for their own lives and safety 14:55 because they had done terrible things, 14:57 and so they began to flee Rwanda 15:00 by the hundreds of thousands. 15:02 And they fled into neighboring countries like Tanzania, 15:06 and Burundi, and Zaire, 15:08 which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. 15:10 Okay, and these are the Hutus right there? 15:12 These are the Hutu perpetrators, yes. 15:15 So in the Congo they found 15:18 that the tribal systems are the same, 15:20 there is a Hutus and Tutsis 15:22 and so genocide began again in the Congo. 15:25 It's unbelievable. 15:27 And so as in the area that was particularly targeted 15:31 happened to be primarily 15:32 Seventh-day Adventist Christians 15:34 and it was fertile land and it was price to the Hutus. 15:38 And so the killing began, 15:40 meanwhile the Hutus are fleeing for their lives 15:43 back into Rwanda. 15:45 The Hutus or the Tutsis? 15:46 The Tutsis. Okay. 15:48 So we've got this horrible massacre 15:52 that happened in Rwanda, 15:54 and the Hutus were the ones 15:55 who were carrying this out against the Tutsis. 15:57 Yes. Correct. 15:59 Now the Hutus go into the Congo find more Tutsis there 16:02 and begin it again, so now the Tutsis, 16:05 we've got the Hutus fleeing into the Congo 16:08 because they think they're gonna be 16:11 prosecuted for war crimes, 16:12 but then they do it again and now the Tutsis are... 16:16 Am I saying that right? Yeah, Tutsis. Yeah. 16:17 Tutsis are fleeing back into Rwanda. 16:22 Did the Rwandan government welcome them? 16:25 Well, initially they were put up 16:27 in an Adventist University called Mudende 16:30 but unfortunately held as refugees at the university... 16:35 Unfortunately one night Hutu militants 16:39 came across the border from the Congo 16:41 and massacred around 1,200 Adventists at that university. 16:45 After that event the Rwandan government said, 16:48 we'll put you in a safe place 16:50 and so they're not giving them prime real estate, 16:53 they're giving them the tops of hills, 16:55 places that are not very usable. 16:59 And so that's where they put the refugees now 17:02 and they set up several camps initially 17:05 and now there are five 17:06 Congolese refugee camps in Rwanda 17:08 with nearly 80,000 people, 17:11 most of whom are Seventh-day Adventist Christians. 17:14 And that's where Lucie is gonna come in just a moment. 17:17 It's such a fascinating story 17:19 how she connects as a friend with this group 17:24 because her grandfather... I'm gonna give away... 17:27 Her grandfather was the one 17:28 who first evangelized these precious people. 17:32 Now I think we have just a few pictures of the camp, 17:37 I want to just put this in your mind right now. 17:40 So let's just show the first three pictures of the camp. 17:43 This is the welcoming sign to Gihembe. 17:44 Yeah, this is Gihembe refugee camp. 17:46 Okay. 17:48 And this was the very first camp 17:49 that was started from the massacre 17:52 at the Adventist University in '96. 17:55 All right, and then they have these children 17:58 if we go to the next picture here, we've got... 18:01 Life is tough for these kids, isn't it? 18:03 Yes. 18:04 They are living in... 18:06 I think the next picture shows us some mud huts, 18:09 they live in these mud huts, 18:10 where do they get the tarps for their roof? 18:14 The UN issues them tarps for the roofs 18:17 and so each family is able to have a mud hut 18:21 that's roughly 12 by 15 feet in size. 18:26 And all water is coming from one or two water spigots 18:30 for the entire camp. 18:31 And so it's very common to see 18:34 children of young ages hauling water uphill 18:36 typically to their homes. 18:38 There's no electricity in the camps 18:41 and they're living on 24 cents a day 18:44 which is provided by the United Nations, 18:46 which is essentially enough for one meal a day. 18:49 Oh, that's amazing. 18:51 So what is the country of Rwanda, 18:55 is it fairly developed compared to many African countries? 18:59 Fairly. Yeah. 19:00 Yeah, it's, you know, 19:02 it's still relatively third world 19:03 but it's advanced as far as an African country. 19:08 All right, so they have a fairly good education system. 19:11 How do out of these 80,000 19:15 mostly Seventh-day Adventist Christians, 19:18 your brothers and sisters, in these camps 19:21 how many of these are children would you say? 19:26 There's a huge number of children 19:28 because most of these people 19:30 have these kids have been born into the camps 19:34 and we figure there's roughly 10,000 high school aged kids 19:39 that are not able to obtain education 19:41 because of the remoteness of the camps 19:44 and just the lack of opportunity to them. 19:47 All right, they do have some education there 19:50 for the younger ones, is that correct? 19:52 Yeah, primary school. 19:53 They're being provided a basic education in primary school 19:58 but it's just not enough to really give them a leg up 20:02 or give them an opportunity to succeed 20:05 once they are an adult. 20:07 All right. 20:08 So they're educating them 20:10 they at the camps through what grade? 20:14 Through the ninth grade. To the ninth grade. 20:16 But they wouldn't have much success in getting a job 20:19 or doing anything. 20:21 Rwanda has a very difficult job market, 20:23 it's very hard to get a job with a ninth grade education, 20:26 almost impossible. 20:28 And so really the children in the camps are helpless, 20:33 and they will say, "We were helpless." 20:36 And they really mean it, there's nothing to do. 20:39 And so unfortunately this leads to early family, 20:44 they have families at young ages 20:46 because there's really nothing to do. 20:49 So unfortunately 20:50 and this is where we decided to try and make a difference. 20:54 All right, So these poor precious people, 20:57 they fled there 20:58 because they didn't want to fight, 21:03 partly was to preserve life 21:05 but they didn't want to engage in warfare. 21:07 Yeah. And so they're there. 21:09 And now the camps have been there for 20 years, 21:12 you said most of the kids there have grown up in the camps, 21:15 but there's been some recent genocide again, hasn't there? 21:20 Yeah, and there is some of these camps 21:22 that's formed as recently as 2012. 21:25 So we have students that are in our program 21:28 that have experienced genocide in the Congo 21:32 and have had to flee, 21:35 a lot of them have lost family members, parents, 21:37 so we have a high number of orphans 21:40 and just kids that have experienced 21:42 just unimaginable situations, 21:45 and when you hear their stories it's just, it's very grippy. 21:49 Okay, so, Hans, you go over, you visit, 21:51 you see these deplorable conditions, 21:53 you see what's going on, what happened then? 21:56 So, Shelley, what was so inspiring 21:57 I go there, I see, and I'm... 22:02 I've experienced some rugged conditions 22:04 and stuff like that, 22:06 but it was something that I had never seen before, 22:08 these people living basically in dirt, 22:11 and they were clean and happy and that was so inspiring to me 22:16 was that just the overall morale, 22:20 these people's faith was in God and their heavenly home. 22:24 And I was so moved visiting with them 22:27 because I was with this secular group touring 22:30 and when I would say that I'm a Seventh-day Adventist, 22:33 their whole focus would change as a group 22:36 and they would just, 22:37 all they wanted to do is talk to me about my faith 22:40 and about my Seventh-day Adventist heritage 22:43 when the host that had brought me there 22:45 had spent a huge amount of money 22:48 taking their kids to university. 22:51 And so I just really realized that the most important thing 22:55 to these people was their faith, 22:58 and their spiritual life, and their hope in heaven. 23:01 And so we instantly bonded 23:04 and these people, I spent a couple of weeks with 23:10 and I was very moved and I said, "You know what, 23:12 we've got to do something for these people." 23:15 All right, so you've been praying earnestly 23:16 that, you know, when you ask God 23:18 to give you a ministry He will. 23:20 And He just actually pop this one into your lap, 23:23 did He not? 23:24 It was not exactly what we expected as ministry 23:27 but we've been so touched by these people. 23:32 So you go back, you form a 501c3, 23:35 a nonprofit organization called Impact Hope. 23:38 What is the mission? 23:40 I mean, you can't meet all of their needs. 23:41 What is your specific mission for Impact Hope? 23:45 We believe that all children 23:47 should have the equal opportunity to education. 23:50 And so because of Impact Hope and funding, 23:54 we are able to send 234 children 23:57 from the refugee camps 23:59 to Adventist boarding academies in Rwanda 24:02 in the very first year. 24:05 This year we have 362 young children, 24:10 high school-aged children from the camps 24:13 and boarding Adventist boarding academies. 24:15 It's wonderful. 24:16 But did these children not... 24:18 Does the Rwandan government not say come, 24:22 go to our public schools? 24:23 Tell us about that? Well, in fact, they do. 24:26 The kids in the camps came together 24:28 and they formed a hope school. 24:30 They said that we're not gonna get an education, 24:33 so we have to provide it for ourselves. 24:35 So after the ninth grade 24:37 they've started this school called, 24:39 they call it the Hope School 24:41 because they finally had hope in something. 24:43 And they called anyone in the camps 24:46 who had a education before they became refugees 24:48 and they begged and they say, 24:50 please, you teach us math, teach us science. 24:52 And the students did very well 24:54 and they studied, and they were very diligent. 24:57 While in 2015 the Rwandan government 25:01 closed the Hope School down saying it wasn't accredited. 25:04 And so after that happened, 25:08 the students were now hopeless but the government said, 25:10 "Well, you can attend local Rwandan high schools." 25:14 Unfortunately because of where the camps are situated, 25:17 it is very hard to get to local Rwandan high schools. 25:21 And some camps that are close enough 25:24 are still a 16 kilometer walk round trip, 25:28 which is about 10 miles round trip each day. 25:31 From the top of a mountain, 25:33 this is not just a walk down a city street. 25:37 It's top of the mountain down into town 25:41 in remote areas. 25:42 And unfortunately there's victimization 25:45 that is happening along the roadways. 25:47 I mean, we're talking rape 25:48 and abuse to specially the girls 25:50 who are going risking their lives to become educated. 25:54 It's amazing that they have such a strong desire 25:57 and commitment to get their education. 25:59 Yes. 26:01 you know, it's very strong 26:03 and so because of their desire to be educated 26:06 and our desire to help our fellow Adventist people 26:11 is the reason that we started Impact Hope 26:13 and make a difference. 26:15 So just a little story, Shelley, 26:17 about these kids walking to school. 26:19 In September we took Walla Walla University students 26:23 who have adopted this program. 26:25 This was September of 2016 or... 26:28 Yeah, of 2016. 26:30 Yeah, so this last September in 2016, 26:33 I was fortunate enough to take a group 26:35 from Walla Walla University 26:37 because they had adopted this refugee program 26:40 as their specific mission fundraiser for the year there. 26:44 And so I was visiting the camp 26:47 and meeting with the UN, 26:52 meeting with the education directors 26:54 and they're in the camp 26:55 that ADRA director her name is Betty 26:58 and she specifically asked me 27:00 and she said, "Mr. Hans, we have 98 girls 27:04 that are walking this 16 kilometers, 27:07 which is roughly 10 miles everyday into town 27:11 and these terrible things are happening to them. 27:13 What can you do for these girls?" 27:16 And so she asked me twice, 27:19 then she is there in front of the UN 27:21 and she is asking me, 27:23 these girls, we really need to do something 27:25 because of the terrible things that are happening to them. 27:28 So that day it was a hot miserable day, 27:32 I'm a person that, 27:35 you know, I think I can handle a lot but it was, 27:38 you know, 90 plus degrees, 27:40 the sun and the dust was blowing, 27:42 I was having a hard time breathing in the camp 27:46 and I'm seeing all these kids 27:48 that, you know, are living in difficult conditions 27:52 and I'm leaving, 27:55 riding out in air condition vehicle. 27:59 And I see all these girls walking back 28:02 and the feeling that went over me 28:05 is a feeling that I haven't experienced much in my life 28:07 and it was a feeling of fear and I basically got a chill 28:11 and I thought, Shelley, of the story 28:15 that we all know so well of the good Samaritan. 28:17 Yes. 28:19 And thought came to me as am I gonna be a priest, 28:23 or a Levite and just drive by, 28:25 or am I gonna be a Samaritan? 28:27 And am I gonna help these kids? 28:29 So I merely got back to my hotel 28:34 and I contacted Mindy 28:36 and I told her about these 98 girls. 28:38 And I said, you know, 28:40 now we have another group of kids 28:43 that we have to help 28:44 and so we immediately said, we're gonna do something. 28:47 And fortunately we were able to reach out to sponsors, 28:52 fellow believers, 28:54 and tell them about these devout Adventist kids. 28:59 And they've rallied around 29:02 and we were able to help those 98 girls. 29:03 Praise God. 29:05 So you've got all 98 in schools now. 29:07 I think we have some pictures of the kids 29:09 and we'd like to see those now. 29:12 Walk us through these, Mindy? 29:14 Well, this is at each refugee camp 29:16 where we have students 29:18 coming from the camps is a plaque 29:21 there you see that shows 29:22 that we're reputable organization 29:24 that's working in partnership with ADRA Rwanda. 29:27 And they're actually implementing our program 29:31 in Rwanda 29:32 by guaranteeing that the students are in school 29:36 that they have what they need. 29:38 This is a student who's coming to school 29:41 the first time in her life. 29:42 She is gonna have a new mattress to sleep on, 29:46 the first time in her life 29:47 that she will have three meals a day, 29:50 and the first time 29:51 that they will have a roof over their head 29:53 instead of a tarp. 29:56 So this is at the school dorm? 29:58 This is in one of the school dormitories 30:00 and they are very happy to be in this place. 30:05 They say, they've come to Europe 30:07 because the contrast between 30:09 the refugee camps and the schools 30:11 are so extreme that to them 30:14 even though it's a very humble academy, 30:16 even by our standards in America, 30:18 this is like Europe. 30:20 Oh, I bet. 30:22 And these are precious faces here now. 30:25 And we'll just keep going through these 30:26 because we've got some more questions but there is... 30:29 So these kids and you'll see how their bright shining faces. 30:34 We're so proud to have these kids in these programs 30:37 because they are the top kids in the school, 30:41 they are the heads boys and the head girls 30:45 and as a whole our refugee students 30:48 are academically the top students 30:51 and there are the spiritual leaders 30:53 in the school, in fact... 30:54 Praise God. 30:55 We got a call from ADRA 30:58 who we have an employee running our program with 31:02 and said, the president of the Central African Union 31:05 wants to take and put your refugees 31:08 in another boarding school 31:09 because of how these refugee students have set the tone 31:14 and the spiritual life at these schools. 31:17 And so, I actually 31:18 this September in 2016 when I was over there, 31:21 I got to meet four different times 31:23 with the union president and he said 31:27 because of our program in these schools 31:29 we were able to keep one 31:30 Adventist boarding school in operation, 31:33 and we were able to help build a multipurpose building 31:38 at another school. 31:39 So we feel like these dollars are not just helping 31:43 these devout Adventist kids, 31:45 but they're also helping 31:46 the Adventist education program in Central Africa. 31:49 Amen. 31:51 You know, when we first met, Mindy, 31:52 you told me that God was really stretching you 31:55 and getting her outside of her comfort zone 31:57 because neither one of you enjoyed public speaking 32:01 and that now God is putting you in churches 32:05 to talk about this and to raise these funds. 32:07 And basically what you are doing 32:09 is kind of a formula that's familiar to many 32:12 is that you're raising sponsorship for these children 32:16 so that they can go on to school 32:19 and it's really very reasonable. 32:21 Explain to us how $50 a month or $600 dollars a year, 32:26 how can you get into a boarding school 32:30 with your, for tuition 32:31 and your room and board and everything 32:35 for $600 a year? 32:36 You know, and that's where we were inspired 32:38 to really feel like God worked 32:40 and by putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. 32:45 All the dollars that we raised 100% of it goes to Africa 32:50 and all our time is donated. 32:52 And we were able to get the buying power 32:54 and the expertise of ADRA. 32:57 We have an employee that runs this program 33:00 and works through ADRA and then we went 33:03 to the Adventist church in Rwanda 33:06 and we said what are we doing for these refugees? 33:09 How come nobody is there helping them? 33:12 And they said, "Mr. Hans, 33:14 if you guys put together a program, 33:17 we will see that these people got helped." 33:20 So less than a year later 33:23 we came back to almost some dollars 33:24 and they have given us tuition 33:26 at 40% to 60% of the actual rate 33:30 for these boarding schools. 33:32 And then ADRA was able to put 33:34 and with their significant buying power 33:36 has able to really stretch our dollars, 33:38 so for $600 33:40 which is significantly less than boarding school tuition, 33:43 we're able to get their clothes, their food, 33:47 their actually medical insurance, 33:49 transportation... 33:51 Spoon and forks, Bibles, the mattress and sheets, 33:54 two sets of uniforms and tuition. 33:59 And they get three meals a day. And they get three meals a day. 34:02 Now tell us a little, we have a picture of a sign 34:05 it's the Gitwe. 34:07 Am I saying that right? Yes. 34:08 Gitwe College. College. 34:12 I think it's French. College Adventiste. 34:15 This is actually a high school, it's one of the schools 34:18 where we have about 70 students this year. 34:25 Are we going to talk about Lucie? 34:28 Well, that's where we're leading into. 34:29 You are at a camp meeting 34:32 and you're presenting your story 34:34 and you bring up the Gitwe and what happens? 34:39 We're working with four Adventist colleges 34:42 or boarding academies and Gitwe and Ron Carrey 34:46 are some very predominant old Adventist names in Africa. 34:51 And so we're presenting 34:53 and, Mindy, you can kind of tell about that. 34:56 We were presenting at the Oregon camp meeting, 34:58 and right after we had finished we went to our booth 35:01 and not long after Lucie and her mom 35:06 being pushed in a wheelchair came as quickly as they could 35:08 and they said, "Do you know 35:10 why all those refugees are Seventh-day Adventists? 35:14 My grandfather was one of the first 35:16 Adventist missionaries in Rwanda and the Congo 35:19 back in the early 1900s." 35:21 Okay, Lucie, so this is grandpa, huh? 35:24 This is grandpa Delhove. His name is David E. 35:30 Delhove from Belgium 35:33 and accepted the message very young, 35:38 dedicated his life to mission service. 35:41 During World War I, he was in... 35:48 At early he was in the Tanzania area serving the Lord 35:55 and then World War I came around 35:57 so he couldn't go back to Belgium. 35:59 So he was one of the allied spies 36:03 so to speak during the war 36:05 and he was going back and forth, back and forth 36:08 in Rwanda, and Burundi, and also part of the Congo. 36:12 And he said, "Oh, man, this is a great place 36:16 to establish some mission 36:17 because the place was populated." 36:19 So when the war ended, he went back to Belgium 36:22 and told his wife... 36:24 They had two children then, "We're going to Africa." 36:29 And they approached the German mission, 36:30 they said, "Yes, let's go. 36:32 We'll send you." 36:33 So they ended up there, no roads anywhere 36:36 but they finally made it into Rwanda. 36:40 And he was given three Protestant missions 36:43 that originally were German. 36:45 And my mother was born at one of those in 1919. 36:50 And so that started the work there, 36:57 they were working with the people 36:58 that had already been Christians and they... 37:01 He hadn't worked with them long enough 37:04 so that they would become Adventists 37:06 before the Belgian government came and said, 37:09 "You can't have these missions anymore, 37:10 there's a Belgian Protestant Society 37:12 that's gonna come take them, 37:14 so you need to go find your own mission." 37:16 And so he prayed and he started walking, 37:20 walking, walking and he finally came to this place, 37:24 this hill everybody called it Gitwe Hill. 37:28 And there were no trees, there were no villages, 37:32 there was nothing living up there. 37:34 And he found out the story 37:37 that there was a king of Rwanda, 37:41 we assume that his name the one that we're talking about, 37:46 his name was Musinga. 37:49 He had come from a campaign, a war campaign 37:52 and he was crossing Gitwe Hill 37:53 and it was just pouring down rain, 37:55 he got so mad when he ended up crossing the hill, 37:59 he turned around and he cursed it with his gods, 38:01 he says, "No one's ever gonna live there." 38:03 And there's a big curse 38:06 and so that's why nobody was there. 38:08 And so grandpa said, "I'm gonna pray about this." 38:13 And he was impressed this is the place. 38:16 So he went, climbed the hill and he put up his tent there, 38:20 and eventually he built a house 38:25 and that's where my mother remembers her first years. 38:28 And then he built a big church. 38:30 And then he built this huge church 38:33 called Gitwe Church. 38:35 And that was built in between 1922 and 1923 and he really... 38:41 This is on a hill where there were no villages, 38:43 he just had incredible faith. 38:45 Yeah. 38:47 And the first Adventists 38:50 were baptized in 1921 38:54 and that was the beginning. 38:56 That is such an amazing story. 38:57 Now your family, your father 39:00 actually kind of took up 39:03 the work after your grandfather. 39:05 The Congo Union approached my dad 39:07 because dad and mom were married at Kirundu mission 39:12 in the Ituri Forest 39:15 while grandpa and grandma was serving there. 39:18 And grandpa married them and they went to Gitwe 39:22 that grandpa had started to begin with. 39:24 Okay. 39:25 And things happened, kids were born etcetera, 39:30 and they were moved from one station to another. 39:32 And that's us there at Kirundu mission. 39:35 No, excuse me 39:36 that was Tsonga Hospital where I was born 39:38 and my brother was born there in south part of Congo. 39:42 And so as time went by, 39:48 grandpa got retired. 39:50 And then the Congo Union came to him and said, 39:52 "Would you take over 39:54 the pioneering of Adventist missions." 39:56 So one of the missions he pioneered was Nebasa mission 40:03 in the northern most part of the Congo. 40:06 And in 1950 that was in 1948... 40:13 Yeah, 1948 and then in 1950 40:16 the first Adventists were... 40:21 That's them right there were baptized. 40:24 And not too long after that because of these folks, 40:29 there was this thatched 40:34 first church there and there's the group. 40:37 Oh, praise the Lord. 40:39 And dad and mom served there for 35 years. 40:42 Well, then... 40:44 Then you ended up getting involved in Rwanda? 40:47 Then one day I was watching the news 40:51 and I saw terrible pictures in '94 of the genocide 40:56 and I'm like, "Oh, my goodness these are my people." 40:59 Yeah. 41:00 I'm sorry, these are my people and I got to do something 41:06 so I went to the bedroom and knelt and I said, 41:09 "God, do something with me." 41:12 And He allowed me to raise money 41:15 and I was able to go with this group 41:19 that they have a major 41:24 international medical teams. 41:28 And I went with them, 41:29 they're not Adventists but I went with them, 41:31 I was the only Adventist in there. 41:33 And we went and served for three months 41:35 in the refugee camps. 41:38 So then when I heard them 41:42 at the camp meeting last year, 41:45 I thought, "Oh my, you know, 41:48 this is gonna make a full circle for me." 41:50 So I went to talk to them and introduced mom 41:54 who's going on 98 now and she lives with me but... 42:01 And it was wonderful to see that these folks 42:06 were doing something wonderful for the refugees 42:09 that we had worked within, you know, years before. 42:13 And it just kind of making a full circle and I just... 42:19 I wanted to be involved so here I am. 42:21 And, Lucie, you know, just praise God to for you 42:24 to be able to see that the work that your grandfather 42:28 or the work that Lord accomplished 42:30 through your grandfather and your father 42:32 had such a lasting deep impact on these precious people 42:36 because you have said, Hans, that they were just... 42:40 As you said their faith 42:42 is more important to them than anything. 42:45 And that's just so amazing. 42:47 So when you, how often do you go over? 42:53 Well, we go, Mindy, between Mindy and myself 42:57 we're going about four to five times a year. 42:59 All right. 43:00 And you get to see the kids at the school and... 43:02 Yeah. 43:04 We make sure and follow up and, you know, 43:08 just kind of assessing the program, 43:10 spending time with the kids, trying to mentor them 43:14 and just run the program. 43:17 Mindy basically runs program full time from our house 43:21 and we're, you know, very passionate, 43:25 God's blessed us by being able 43:27 to be involved in this and just, 43:30 it's been a transforming experience for a family. 43:33 Every time I think about my lack of desire 43:37 for public speaking, 43:39 I think about the kids because they have Christianity 43:42 that we just don't see every day. 43:44 And they're carrying their Bibles everywhere they go 43:47 because it's the most important thing to them 43:49 and they're just incredible kids. 43:51 And they kind of get under your skin 43:53 and you just, you know, you want to stay 43:55 and so worst part is leaving. 43:57 Oh, I'm sure. Excuse me. 44:00 And that's one thing that when you have been in Africa 44:04 especially involved in something like this, 44:07 it grabs your heart so strongly that you don't want to leave 44:13 and you want to go back, you know, so... 44:16 I'll just praise the God. 44:18 Praise God to thank that, you know, He stirred your heart 44:23 and that He brought the young man into your life 44:25 to introduce this to you. 44:28 And I don't know about you 44:29 but God is stirring my heart as well. 44:31 If you would like to perhaps 44:34 sponsor a child for $50 a month, 44:37 they can go to the Adventist boarding schools, 44:40 they can be educated, 44:41 and they're just trying to give them hope 44:44 that this cycle of living, 44:47 you know, for generation after generation 44:49 in a refugee camp 44:51 that this cycle can be broken and that there can be more. 44:54 And because they are such strong Christians, 44:58 you know, that they will continue to evangelize 45:01 as they go forward in their lives. 45:02 But if you'd like to get in touch with Hans and Mindy 45:06 to maybe come speak at your church 45:09 or just to make a charitable donation 45:13 to their nonprofit organization, 45:15 here's how you can get in touch with them 45:18 Impact Hope was formed 45:19 to enable sponsorship for students 45:21 so they can attend boarding school. 45:23 There they can enjoy quality education, 45:25 better living conditions, 45:26 and an opportunity to learn more about God. 45:29 If you'd like to know more about this ministry, 45:30 you can write to Impact Hope, 2500 Willamette Falls Drive, 45:35 Suite 207, West Linn, Oregon 97068. 45:39 That's Impact Hope, 2500 Willamette Falls Drive, 45:44 Suite 207, West Linn, Oregon 97068. 45:49 You can call (503) 673-3905. 45:52 That's (503) 673-3905 45:56 or visit them online at Impact-Hope.org. 45:59 That's Impact-Hope.org. 46:03 Well, I'm sure that the Holy Spirit 46:05 is moving upon many people's hearts 46:07 and Hans and Mindy would love to hear from you. 46:09 Now, I've just learned that we have a video roll 46:13 and we would like to show. 46:14 Can you set that up, 46:15 one of you to tell us what this roll is about? 46:17 Well, my daughter narrated the video, 46:20 so the cute little voice you hear is my seven-year old. 46:24 And it just shows our program 46:26 and show some pictures of our kids 46:29 and the camps where they're coming from. 46:30 Okay, then we'll roll that now. 46:36 My name is Lea 46:38 and my parents go to Africa a lot. 46:43 There is a big city in Rwanda called Kigali. 46:50 But not far from the big city 46:52 something called a refugee camp. 46:56 My parents told me that there was a war 46:59 that made people have to run away 47:02 from their own homes and live in another country. 47:07 People who had to leave their homes 47:12 have been living in Rwanda refugee camps 47:15 for over 20 years. 47:19 They have to hike to get water 47:24 and there are no lights and no showers. 47:28 They even have only enough money 47:31 for one meal a day. 47:38 They can only go to school until ninth grade in the camps. 47:46 When my mom and dad heard about these people, 47:50 they were sad because most of the people 47:53 are Seventh-day Adventists like us. 47:56 Let me ask if any of the students 47:58 are Seventh-day Adventists? 48:01 Yeah. Can you do it? 48:02 Can I ask? Yeah 48:07 Can you raise you hand? Almost. 48:09 Almost all of them. Almost all of them. 48:12 I am a Seventh-day Adventist 48:15 and almost the population of Gihembe refugees' camp 48:20 are Adventists also. 48:22 There are many, many students who need the help 48:25 so we can tell you 48:30 that our students need to really the help 48:35 to attend the university 48:36 because they do not have that chance. 48:38 Thank you so much. 48:40 My mom and dad started something called Impact Hope. 48:44 They're trying to raise money to send kids 48:47 to go to school and college, so they can get jobs 48:51 so they can take care of their families. 48:55 Because of your support 48:56 Impact Hope was able to add more students 49:01 for the 2017 school year. 49:04 Now we have 350 refugee students 49:11 attending safe Adventist boarding schools. 49:17 As far as refugees are concerned, 49:19 we were all hopeless 49:22 but you have come to support us. 49:25 With this, we would like to show you 49:28 that we are going to work hard and succeed, 49:32 not only in school, but even in everyday life. 49:38 Hoping that you are going to be the one 49:42 who will help us in order to fulfill our dreams. 49:47 There are lots more kids who want to go to school, 49:51 will you help us? 50:05 Well, once again this is moving story to think 50:08 that there are so many Christians 50:11 and Seventh-day Adventist Christians 50:12 who are living in these camps who've been there, 50:16 some of them for over 20 years. 50:19 So approximately 10,000 are high school-aged children 50:25 and do you ever get this... 50:28 I mean, you made to think 50:29 that you've got 360 kids in school, 50:32 it's amazing in a short time, 50:34 but do you ever just feel like more and more and more, Lord? 50:38 You know what? 50:39 We definitely do and what has been so inspiring 50:42 is going to these refugee camps 50:44 like last September I was in a refugee camp in... 50:50 The teachers there in grade school teacher said, 50:56 "You know, Hans, your program has inspired 51:00 and made teaching so much easier for us 51:03 because these kids finally have hope." 51:05 And out of that camp 51:07 there's 17,000 people living there, 51:09 we were able to only take 54 kids out of that camp. 51:14 Well, the thing if we could do it ourselves, 51:16 we would do it but we can't. 51:19 And that's why we're here 51:21 part of the reason collectively though 51:24 as Seventh-day Adventists 51:26 we can come together and together we can. 51:28 Ten thousand is nothing for God. 51:31 You're absolutely right, Mindy. Amen. 51:34 Well, we're going to take a short break 51:36 and we'll come back in just a moment 51:38 to have a final word 51:40 with Hans, and Mindy, and Lucie, 51:42 but stay tuned. |
Revised 2017-06-29