Heaven's Family Magazine
March 2017 Issue

Prison & Rehab Ministry

Special Issue: 2016 Ministry Directors' Reports

Bob Collins, Prison & Rehab Ministry

Former enemies, Mary and Leonard, now loving neighbors by God’s grace

Mary told her harrowing story of how her husband and five of her seven children were murdered during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Then, remarkably, she told about how God has healed those wounds, and filled her heart with His mercy and forgiveness.

Even more remarkable, however, was when Leonard, the man next to her, then confessed that he had murdered Mary’s family members, and that the two now live as neighbors in a peace and love that only Jesus can provide. And that was just one of the many incredible stories we’ve heard coming out of Rwanda.

The Prison & Rehab Ministry of Heaven’s Family is partners with Prison Fellowship of Rwanda in this tremendous ministry of reconciliation in the prisons of Rwanda. Project “Ubumwe” is an ongoing program to bring repentance to the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide and reconciliation with their victims’ families.

It begins with inmates responding to the gospel and demonstrating true repentance for their crimes, and then writing sincere letters of confession. Many families are shocked to learn of the guilt of their husbands and fathers for the first time, having been told for years that they were incarcerated falsely. Families of victims find some closure in finally knowing how their family members died. Inmates then meet with those they’ve sinned against to begin the long process of forgiveness.

And then when all are persuaded the inmates are sincere, they are released to live and work among the families of their victims in one of seven reconciliation villages built for the purpose of continuing the restoration process.

It truly takes God to make all this happen, and the Prison & Rehab Ministry of Heaven’s Family is very privileged to be a part of this miraculous work of God. In 2016 we also:

• expanded the fruitful Malachi Dads program, with our partners Awana Lifeline, throughout Kenya, where God has given us an open door to bring the program of reconciliation into every prison;

• launched Malachi Dads, again with our partners Awana Lifeline, into Cuba, where we trained 80 spiritually-hungry chaplains last year in two conferences, and then participated in a National Chaplaincy conference attended by about 1,000 chaplains and pastors;

• continued to support our ministry partners in Cameroon, DR Congo and the juvenile aftercare facility in Kenya.

We thank God and we thank our Prison & Rehab Ministry partners for the great opportunity to invest in God’s kingdom last year as we ministered to the “least of these.” Thank you so much!

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