From Genocide to Forgiveness: One Survivor's Journey of Faith in Christ
How do you forgive the man who murdered your uncle? Who helped destroy your family?
For Alex Nsengimana, a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Christ’s command to forgive others as He has forgiven us became a deeply personal struggle.
Speaking at Cornerstone University’s Community Chapel on October 21, Nsengimana, a spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child, shared how a shoebox gift introduced him to Jesus Christ and how God eventually led him back to Rwanda to confront and forgive his uncle’s murderer.
A Childhood Stolen by Genocide
Nsengimana was six when the genocide against the Tutsi in Africa began. His mother had died of HIV Aids, and his grandmother was raising him and his siblings. Neighbors attacked their home, forced the children inside and murdered their grandmother, later killing his uncle whose final plea was to spare his house so his children would have somewhere to live.
In 1995, he entered an orphanage where Samaritan’s Purse delivered Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to 250 children. For children haunted by violence and nightmares, the gifts brought unexpected joy.
“This time we’re not running for our lives, we’re not scared, but this time we’re screaming because we could not contain the joy of opening a gift and seeing the items that were in there.”
The shoebox contained toys, school supplies and a coloring book that helped him begin processing his traumatic memories. But its greatest significance came when the orphanage director used the gift to introduce the children to Jesus Christ.
“In my life, that’s when a seed of the gospel was planted.”
When Faith Confronts Unimaginable Pain
Nsengimana initially questioned God’s love and presence during the genocide. Later, studying Jeremiah 29:11-13 and reflecting on his survival, he began recognizing God’s protection throughout his childhood. Through the influence of Christians who discipled him, he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ, but it did not erase his bitterness against those who murdered his family.
In 2013, Nsengimana returned to Rwanda with Operation Christmas Child to distribute shoeboxes in his former community, bringing that same gospel message to another generation.
While there, he entered a prison and sat face to face with his uncle’s murderer.
Displaying a photograph of the murderer wearing orange, Nsengimana challenged Cornerstone students to consider their own painful experiences and the people they struggle to forgive.
“Who would be the man in the orange for you?”
He acknowledged that his journey of forgiveness continues. His testimony, he explained, was not about his accomplishments but about giving God the glory and showing what Christ can do in a wounded life.
Sharing the Gospel, One Shoebox at a Time
Nsengimana’s powerful and inspiring testimony continues Cornerstone’s relationship with Samaritan’s Purse. Chief Operating Officer Edward Graham participated in Cornerstone’s 2024 Wisdom Conversations and returned as 2025 commencement speaker, receiving the university’s inaugural Christian Influencer Award.
Cornerstone students are preparing to support Operation Christmas Child through fundraising and a shoebox-packing event to help share the hope of Jesus Christ with children living in war torn areas and extreme poverty — children just like Alex Nsengimana.
