Rwandan refugees find new home at Hardin-Simmons

ABILENE—Venantie Uwishyaka and Evariste Musonera took the long way around to meet one another.

They did not know each other in their native Rwanda, but both fled their homeland following the genocide in 1994. Years later, they were introduced in the hallways of Logsdon School of Theology at Hardin-Simmons University.

Evariste Musonera, standing in front of the chapel at Logsdon School of Theology at Hardin-Simmons University, fled Rwanda to escape genocide in 1994.

The two Rwandans may not have known each other, but their stories—like those of thousands of others—are similar.

"We looked for refuge because the war was very, very bad," Musonera said.

He and his family found sanctuary through the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, which resettled them in Albany, N.Y., in June 2008. When winter came, the weather was too cold that far north, so Musonera accepted the advice of a friend—another Rwandan refugee—to move to Abilene.

His friend in Abilene had been resettled through the International Rescue Committee, a nonprofit organization that opened a branch office in Abilene in 2003. Since then, the IRC has resettled about 1,000 refugees from all over the world in Abilene.

Musonera, now 52, didn't have to think twice about the invitation to move south, where the weather was much more like what he had known back home. In 2009, he packed up his family and moved to Abilene.

He and his family attend Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene, and the congregation helped them secure a Habitat for Humanity home, said Nathan Adams, missions minister at the church.

In time, Musonera met Uwishyaka, whose memories of the 1994 genocide are just as vivid as his.

"I lost 28 family members during the genocide," she said. Those included one brother, one sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends. "It was terrible."

Uwishyaka, 47, came to Hardin-Simmons as an international student, largely because of her association with Baptist missionaries Stan and Marlene Lee, whose bravery still is revered in Rwanda because they chose to remain in the country, even after genocide began.

Venantie Uwishyaka demonstrates an African musical instrument called an "inanga" at her home in Abilene.

Uwishyaka's husband is a Baptist minister who still lives in Rwanda while his wife finishes her degree at Hardin-Simmons. Because of the Lees' inspiration, Uwishyaka chose to attend a Baptist university far from home so that she, too, can serve.

"God called me during the genocide," she said. "They (the Lees) really inspired me and encouraged me."

Uwishyaka has done so well in school that she was named to the dean's list for the spring 2011 semester. She is deeply involved at South Side Baptist Church in Abilene—a congregation that became so involved in ministry to refugees it launched International Evangelical Church. The young congregation, which meets regularly at South Side, has about 160 members, most of whom are refugees. Some refugees attend services and participate in activities offered by both churches.

The response and attitude displayed by Abilene churches helped sway the International Rescue Committee to open a satellite office in Abilene eight years ago.

The IRC's office in Dallas surveyed several Texas cities to determine the best fit for a second Texas location. Abilene was chosen for several reasons, including support offered from its three church-affiliated universities and its congregations.

Baptists in Abilene have been at the forefront of assisting refugees, providing a range of services such as hosting English as Second Language and citizenship classes, helping set up an apartment, and mentoring.

Trinity Baptist Church in Abilene hosts New Song ministry, of which Uwish-yaka, her daughters and niece are members. The 35-member group sings and performs liturgical dance and dramatic skits. They frequently are asked to sing for weddings, funerals and other religious occasions.

"The main thing is evangelism," Uwish-yaka said.

"We share Christ through song and the word of God."

New Song was founded by yet another refugee, Romulus Rushisha, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Rushisha family of eight was resettled in Maine but later moved to Abilene for the same reason as Musonera—it was too cold up north.

Uwishyaka expects to graduate with a bachelor's degree from Hardin-Simmons in December 2012. Her goal is to return to Rwanda and start a missionary training center.

Musonera, who was a principal at a technical high school in Rwanda, earned an associate degree from the Abilene campus of Cisco College last spring and now is working on a bachelor's degree in ministry at Hardin-Simmons. He hopes eventually to earn a master's degree in ministry.

He and his wife, Esperance, both work at Abilene State Supported Living Center, and he also volunteers at Love & Care Ministries, which serves Abilene's homeless and needy.

"I work and I study full time," he said.

In addition to her school work, Uwishyaka works part time at Hardin-Simmons and does volunteer work.

She and Musonera both came from backgrounds that could have left them devastated and questioning God's love. Instead, they both relied on their faith to survive, and now that they are free to share their stories and their faith, that's exactly what they are doing.

"I am very grateful to be here," Musonera said. "And I praise God for what he has done in my life."

–Loretta Fulton is a freelance writer in Abilene. She previously was the religion writer for the Abilene Reporter-News.