Simply, this was one of the most incredible and humbling books I have ever read.
As told by Immaculee Ilibagiza, “Left to Tell” relates how her parents and brothers were among one million victims of genocidal annihilation in 1994 Rwanda. The subtitle, “Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” may benefit from some clarification. Immaculee was raised in a pious and ardently Catholic family. Though her family was not free of faults, her father’s faith inspired and strengthened his neighbors: “If the government plans to kill us, all we can do is pray. Let us use the time we have to repent. Let us pray for God to forgive our sins. If we are to die, let us die with our hearts clean.” Before Immaculee herself “discovered” God in the midst of her suffering, she was clearly an exceptionally devout young person. Through the deepening of her relationship with God, she was able to overcome unspeakable adversity.
In the face of abandonment and absolute betrayal by lifelong friends, Immaculee’s temptation to despair seems to have been incredibly rare. Early in the book, she does relate how she and a schoolmate – should their school be set upon by extremists – made a pact to “escape” through suicide. Yet, virtually every other page of this book is a testament to her foregoing despair and ever more deeply experiencing God’s love. To paraphrase the 23rd Psalm, she knew that God was walking with her in the valley of death, and she could see His providence in what others might attribute to incredible coincidence. She relates truly miraculous experiences of having looked evil in the eye and watching evil slither away.
Faced with the murder of members of her immediate family (to say nothing of her grandparents and others!), Immaculee’s faith (and that of her murdered family) allowed her to trust God: “God had shown me that my family was in a place beyond suffering.” “I may have lost everything, but I’d kept my faith, and it made me strong. It also comforted me and let me know that life still had a purpose.”
Immaculee offers a call to the incredible liberation which comes from forgiveness: “God’s message extends beyond borders: Anyone in the world can learn to forgive those who have injured them, however great or small that injury may be.”
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