God’S Love and Hope: Looking at the World Through the Window of My Life

By Marie Providence Nyirabagenzi

The book talks about a nine -year- old girl attracted to a beautiful white uniform. She persuaded her mom to send her to school. There she was taught different lessons including religion. The existence of hell and heaven captured her attention and changed her spiritual belief. Frightened of hell, she committed to believe in God and follow Jesus. She started to communicate her wishes with Jesus. It didnt take long for her to hear from God through dreams and audible voice. Her book insights how the voice of God, along with her strong faith and obedience, helped her either to overcome life challenges or find her divine purpose. Her book tells a must read divine revelation on a global scale, which everyone ought to know to stand against the devils tactics. She tells her audience to fight against discrimination by avoid generalization. She ends her story by saying that heaven and hell do exist. She invites her audience to get out of ignorance and make the right choice before it is too late.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Dec 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781504389297

Marie Providence Nyirabagenzi

The author talks about how listening to the voice of God along with a strong faith and obedience can either help you to overcome challenges or enter in your divine purpose. Having gone through discrimination herself, she invites her audience to fight against it and make their contribution to make this world a better place to live. Thus, she doesnt limit herself to the narrative, she counsels her audience. She encourages her audience not to give up in life, instead to put their trust in God.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 Marie Providence Nyirabagenzi.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

KJV: All Scriptures quoted are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-8928-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-8929-7 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 12/21/2017

CONTENTS

Chapter 1: The Beautiful White Uniform

Chapter 2: Does God Still Speak To His People Today?

Chapter 3: Revelations

Chapter 4: Getting Right With God

Chapter 5: Acknowledging Jesus

Chapter 6: The Power Of Prayer

Chapter 7: The Genocide

Chapter 8: My Promised Companion Part I

Chapter 9: My Promised Companion Part II

Chapter 10: The Prayer Room

Chapter 11: God Never Sleeps

Chapter 12: God Is Jehovah Jireh, The Provider

Chapter 13: The Generosity

Chapter 14: The Power Of Faith And Obedience

Chapter 15: Praying To Unite My Family

Chapter 16: The Last Fight

Chapter 17: The Generalization

Chapter 18: Racial Discrimination

Chapter 19: Law Enforcement And Police Brutality

Chapter 20: We Are All God’s Creations

Chapter 21: Praying For Peace

Chapter 22: Canada

Chapter 23: Mistaken Identity And Islamophobia

Chapter 24: Life And Hope

TESTIMONIALS

Lord,

Thank you for your love, your forgiveness, and your mercy.

Jesus,

Thank you for dying on the cross for all humanity.

Holy Spirit,

Thank you for lighting my path. Without your help I don’t know where I would be today.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I want to thank my mother for sending me to school. By doing so, she taught me to pay attention and listen to children. We need to remember that God loves children. He may use them any time to talk to us.

Despite our family’s limited resources, my mother worked very hard and sacrificed so much to pay my high school fees and buy my school supplies. Without her inestimable contribution, I would not have become the person I am today.

There is nothing more valuable than education. She gave me a good starting point in life that I needed to move on.

I thank all the moms around the globe who continuously make differences in people’s lives. Whether they are alive or not, we will always remember them in our hearts. South African singer Brenda Fassie sang the classic song, Mama.

In his book My Mama Made the Difference, TD Jakes details the great impact moms have in our lives.

I thank my dad for listening to me when I was standing for my mom’s rights. I thank him for his good legacy of love to all of God’s people without distinction.

I owe a debt of gratitude to my lovely husband Jean. In fact, apart from being a great father of my two wonderful sons, I will mention a few of the countless things he deserves to be thanked for.

First, I thank him for having honored his promise he made to me before marriage: allowing me to pursue my university studies with all the financial assistance it took for this to be accomplished.

Second, even though Jean was far away from us for eight years, he continued to provide for me and our two children.

Third, I express my gratitude to him for making countless phone calls to us during those eight years without getting tired, despite his hard work schedule.

I thank my first-born Axel Eric Iradukunda for being a parent to his younger brother while living in a foreign country. I thank him for his intuitive observations that helped him to make wise decisions.

I deeply appreciate my son Hervé Patrick Rukundo for being such a peaceful and loving child not only to his older brother, but also to everyone he met. He did not cry for Mom and Dad as he crossed the wilderness without complaining about God’s schedule. His love, friendship, and leadership helped him to endure situations without worry. I thank you sons for being more brilliant than ever before, despite the circumstances in which you found yourself.

To my sons, I have no shame, dishonor, and or disgrace because of you. Even during childhood you acted like‘men.’

To my brothers, thanks for your determination and courage for standing up for me, particularly when I needed your help the most.

To my housemaids, thank you for being such irreproachable servants and especially for taking care of my children, day and night. Without your presence, I could have not worked or studied at the university.

To Siborurema, Kabendegere, and Ndabazi Frodouald of Kibimba in Birenga old district, old Province of Kibungo, thank you for caring for a stranger groaning in the banana plantation, when you were ordered to throw me into the hole. When all human rights and God’s commandments were broken throughout the entire country, you made a difference and saved my life. To rescue me, you pretended to be my family.

I take this opportunity to thank anyone who risked their lives to save others during the genocide of Rwanda in 1994. Whether you were recognized or not, the most important thing is that God knows the great sacrifice you have performed. The Bible makes this clear statement, "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." Hebrews 6:10 KJV.

To my divine companion during the genocide, thank you for accepting God’s mission for walking and staying with me during such a bloody trip. You tried your very best to protect me until I reached my home village. I am sure the Lord led us with the pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire during the night, to give us light as the Lord guided the children of Israel on their way. "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night." Exodus 13:21KJV.

Thanks to the three Ugandan families for caring for my children, Axel Eric Iradukunda and Hervé Patrick Rukundo in your country, schools, homes, and hearts. May you continue to care for other children in your path. You will surely be rewarded.

Jesus said, And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. Matthew 18:5 KJV. In doing so, you have received Jesus Himself in your heart.

Moses, I thank you for delivering my children from captivity. I couldn’t make it without God using you in such an incredible way.

To all my family members and friends, your presence along with a strong faith in God helped me through all the tough times.

Thanks to the founder of the Université Libre de Kigali, Professor Rwigamba Barinda, for creating the initiative of implementing evening programs. Many people who couldn’t attend university otherwise received the education they needed.

To my fellow colleagues of law school, thanks for the powerful studying strategy available to help those with hectic schedules like me. Gathering on weekends was very helpful to many.

To CNN, Oprah Winfrey, Google, CBC, and CP24, thanks for providing a window of insight to the world, which I would not have otherwise had.

Thanks for your prayers to everyone who prayed for my family to reunite. Undoubtedly, because of your prayers my family was reunited.

Finally, to those who harmed me in one way or another, I have completely forgiven you, for I’ve seen God’s might throughout my life, which opened my heart to forgiveness.

The Bible makes it clear in these words, For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15KJV.

It is in my interest to forgive in order to receive God’s forgiveness as well. I take this opportunity to apologize to anyone I might have offended in whatever circumstances. Then, we can make this world a peaceful and better place to live. Most importantly, we can get right with God.

CHAPTER 1

The Beautiful White Uniform

On Monday morning September 1976, I watched over Daddy’s goats in the fields. I saw children on their way to school wearing beautiful white uniforms. The sight of these girls moved and touched my heart. Ever since that moment, I wanted to wear those dresses and go to school. At that time, I was surprised to see them going to school, for no child from my neighborhood attended school that time.

That year, I ran straight to my mother and pleaded with her to send me to school.

Mom, I want to go to school like the other children, I said.

I don’t have the money to pay your school fees, buy your uniforms, and a slate for you, right now, she replied.

Back then, we didn’t have a kindergarten in the village. School began in the first grade. The children also had special chalk to write with.

Mom promised to send me to class the following year.

I’m going to school, I sang every day.

A few months before school began in September 1977, my mom bought me a white fabric, and took me to the tailor to take my measurements in order to sew for me a white dress. She bought also my school supplies.

Finally, my dream became a reality. I wore the beautiful white uniform, the most important thing for which I wanted to go to school. Apart from wearing the beautiful white uniform, school was also for me the best place to play with other children. Unexpectedly, I found that there were much more valuable things waiting for me; ‘Education.’

Nelson Mandela said, Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world. www.brainyquotes.com.

I knew that education could make a great difference in a person’s life. My teachers enjoyed a nice lifestyle, and I wanted to be like them.

I set up two goals: punctuality and regular school attendance. I was never late. Even when the morning meal was not ready, I preferred to leave for school without eating.

My younger brother had to eat before he did anything else.

Instead of food, I wanted to feed my brain with education.

I don’t recall missing a single day during my eight years of elementary school. I went to school even when sick.

Therefore, I became a very brilliant student. In my first grade I ranked 6th, in my second grade, I ranked 2nd, and my third grade, I ranked 1st. In higher grades, I became even more successful. In the 8th grade, we had many bright students. They failed the national exam and had to repeat that grade. Thus, I couldn’t rank 1st anymore.

The first three years of elementary school, we studied a half-day. Either before noon, or in the afternoon during alternative weeks. My parents were happy to have me at home that half-day, to watch the goats, gather firewood, and get water for the household.

In the 4th grade, I was required to study all day and could no longer watch Daddy’s animals. After eight years of elementary school, we had to take the national exam to attend high school. The national exam was a very difficult test to pass. Through the years, I had seen many brilliant kids fail. They came back to work on the farms. I did not want that to happen to me.

If a student failed the national exam, the Ministry of Education allowed the student to retake the test only once. I would not have gotten a chance to retake the exam. Dad had already told me that he would not allow me, for he did not have the money to pay the school fees in high school. A couple of times, I heard him saying that he did not want me to pass the national exam.

Dad did not hate me, he couldn’t see where the money would come from to pay for me six years in high school. He worried about it, for he knew I was very smart. Most likely I would pass the national exam.

Even though I did not know what fasting prayer was all about, I prayed and fasted in the 8th grade until the results of the exam came out. God answered my prayers. I passed the national exam and went to high school. There, I performed successfully during the next six years. I wished to study at the university right after finishing high school, but I had no money to register.

At the time, the registration fees was twenty thousand Rwandan Francs. I had to look for a job. I thought in my heart that I would do all it took to study at the university. It took me nine years to attend a four-year university program. There, I earned my law degree.

According to my experiences, I have noticed that the more you wait after finishing high school, the more complicated it becomes to go back to study at the university. I made it through despite many challenges. In the meantime I got married, had two kids, and worked to help my husband.

The university was helpful to students with complicated situations like mine.

Day and evening classes allowed us to keep our jobs, provide for our families, and study.

I’ll always remember how God used the famous white dress to change my life and my family members’lives. When I look back and think about the beautiful white dress, what does it mean to me?

The white dress was a clean piece of cloth compared to the dirty and torn clothes I wore while herding goats. Most shepherds did not even wash their clothes, since they walked along with the animals through the bushes, an obviously dirty place.

As a Christian, I see the beautiful white uniform as a metaphor. God used it to speak to me. He showed me the right way. As the Bible says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."John 14:6 KJV.

God used the white dress to lift me up to a higher spirit. The beautiful white garment was the loveliest dress of all.

In my case, I was domed to look after my dad’s goats, but God took me to school. There, I learned about Jesus in religion lesson. There was a distinction between hell and heaven. Scared about hell, I made the commitment to follow Jesus to escape from going to hell. The white dress was not good enough to save my life, I believed. My spirit was touched by a heavenly and powerful transformation. Soon afterwards, I was baptized.

The Bible says, "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father; and before his angels." Revelation 3:4-5. KJV.

Wearing