Christmas shoebox helped genocide survivor create new memories

CRESTVIEW — A survivor of the 1994 genocide and civil war in Rwanda, East Africa will speak at two local events on behalf of Operation Christmas Child, a program run by Samaritan's Purse.

Alex Nsengimana, 28,  will speak at 6 p.m. June 24 at Woodlawn Baptist Church, 824 Ferdon Blvd. N., Crestview. His second presntation is 10 a.m. June 25 at the Convergence Coffee House, 498 Wilson St N., Crestview.

"A lot of people here pack shoeboxes, but they never get a chance to see the other side, so we hope to share the impact of that shoebox…so that more people can get a chance to participate.

"Because each and every time a shoebox is packed, that's a chance for a child to receive a shoebox like I did. That's what I get a chance to do," he said. 

Creating new memories

A Samaritan's Purse video of Nsengimana's experiences during the war and his work with OCC is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo-oz_IYZWA.

Nsengimana, his brother Fils, and sister Lillian lived with their grandmother and two uncles in Kigali, Rwanda's capital. They saw two of them, his grandmother and one of his uncles, killed by their neighbors, members of the militia in Rwanda.

They were among almost one million people killed from April 6 through July 4, 1994, making over 400,000 children orphans.

Nsengimana and his brother came to live in an orphanage with 250 other children, and his sister lived with friends of the family.

They lived at the orphanage for several years, and it was where he received his OCC shoebox.

"I remember I was so excited, because we still had to hold it until everybody had got one, but for some of us we had to hold our presents for about five minutes, five long minutes," he said.

School supplies, hygiene items, toy cars, balls, coloring books, paintbrushes, and other items were inside.

"At 7 years old living in an orphanage, we really didn't have that many toys to play with, so the shoebox items brought us that joy. They reminded us that we are cared for—we are loved, and it gave us something to hold on to.

"And it planted new memories in our mind, because of what had happened during the war and what…was so traumatic that the shoebox became an opportunity to plant new memories in our lives."

The items themselves had lasting value for Nsengimana.

"One of my favorite items was a hair comb that I kept for the next three years … I would take it everywhere I went for the next three years. That's how special the items were." 

After Nsengimana and his siblings survived their experiences, two came to the U.S. He and his wife are Minnesota residents and his brother lives in Wisconsin. His sister lives in Rwanda with her family, including two sons.

"I'm a very blessed uncle and I get a chance to see them every time I go back," he said.

As an OCC spokesperson, he has met other shoebox recipients as well.

"It is so encouraging to see all of us shoebox recipients coming out and sharing a very unique story of how that shoebox made a difference in our lives, made an impact (and) launched a process in our lives of hope and love," Nsengimana said.

Since the OCC ministry started in 1993, volunteers have packed over 157 million shoeboxes and distributed them all over the world.

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Christmas shoebox helped genocide survivor create new memories