The Road to Kigali: The Story of Annonciata Mukandoli
I visited Rwanda in 2017. That is one holiday etched indelibly in my memory. For days after my trip, I found it difficult to sleep because of what I saw.
On one of my several tours in Rwanda, I went to the Catholic Church at a town called where a lady, Rachel was my tour guide. Over 10,000 people who had sought refuge in the church during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 were killed.
She took me round the premises of the church which had now become the burial site of the victims. I saw the crypts holding the bodies. We entered a crypt and saw rows upon rows of coffins where families who had been identified were buried.
WHAT TO DO IN A TIME LIKE THIS
(I wrote and shared this on our church platform today. Hopefully, it will be a blessing to someone here too). Read on.............................
Let me quickly share what has been a burden upon my heart throughout this week.
There is a lot of confusion in the nation as a result of the economic challenges and I believe there is a need to address this.
What do we do at a time like this?
Isaiah 8: 12 MSG
"God spoke strongly to me, grabbed me with both hands and warned me not to go along with this people. He said:“Don’t be like this people,always afraid somebody is plotting against them.Don’t fear what they fear. Don’t take on their worries".
I was so shocked that I still recollect the event as vividly as it happened then around 2004/5. The guy was very popular then in Warri. A high-flyer who always dazzled everyone at our meetings. His presentations were always top notch.
He always looked dapper in his pin-stripe suits. His bulging biceps showed even in his suits. He always looked like someone that stepped out of a GQ magazine.
Then it was Christmas that year. He was home with his wife when robbers struck. Till date, I wonder if he struggled with them. His wife said he didn't. The robbers entered their Warri home, took their valuables and shot him. He died on Christmas day.
Whatever you see around you started in someone's mind as an idea. Every product or service started as an idea. One idea that is well thought out and clinically executed can guarantee your breakthrough. That's the breakthrough idea.
4 guys sat outside a gate at a time of national crisis. Things were so bad there was no food and everyone was starving. Their country had been hit very badly by the war. The situation was similar to the Russia/Ukraine War- just that theirs was worse.
One of them just had an idea as they were talking about the fate of their country. It was a very simple idea. Most ideas are so simple we don't even care to give them a second thought.
That organization was the rave that year circa 2003/4. Everyone I knew wanted to work there. The branding was impeccable. I remember all their buildings were painted white inside-out. They were the first major corporate to do that then.
The aesthetics in their offices made one breathless. The look and feel was top notch. The organization was the highest paying then.
I also wanted to join. Who wouldn't with that kind of salary ? I applied and got invited for an interview in Lagos. I was so excited when I got the invite. I prepared for the interview like my life depended on it. I already dreamt of what I would do if I earned that new salary.
I was discussing with my Oga, Rev Victor Odunjo yesterday on the influence of believers in the marketplace when he asked if I had seen the video of Adeola Fayehun titled 'I Almost Died'.
Apparently, my wife had watched the video but I hadn't. It was released almost two weeks ago.
If that's the only thing you'll do today, I urge you to please watch it- especially if you're pregnant or know anyone close to you who is.
I just finished watching the about 28 minutes video and I'm lost between thanking God for her and admiring the access she has to quality health care.