Category: Story

Kent’s Story – The Same Breath

“Once you realize God loves me regardless of how I’m broken, it’s just a no-brainer, you just want to share with others.”

What would you do in the face of unspeakable horrors that befell your family and your country?

For Kent, an international student from Rwanda, he put his hope fully in the gospel. Growing up in the wake of the mid-90s genocide, he faced the specter of hatred and violence. But through the rebuilding process, he saw how the only way for one man to make peace with another is through the cross.

Kent saw the shared humanity of those who would otherwise be labeled enemies. And he saw how we all have the same problem of sin, that is solved through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here’s Kent’s story:

Transcript:

My name is Kent Kamanzi. Well technically, my first name is Mugisha. That’s the first name I was given, back home. It means “blessing.” I think it’s easier to just say “Kent” as my first name because everybody actually knows Clark Kent. 

I am from a small country in East Africa: Rwanda. I’ve been in America for about seven years now 

The genocide happened 1995 and I was born in 1997. So I never got to experience it. But I got to experience the aftermath of it, and the rebuilding process.

The story of my country in a lot of ways exemplifies the extreme of humanity or how bad a person is evil.

Actually I struggled with that at first. I was like, “God how would you let that happen? Why would you let that happen?”

Some of these people that committed these crimes of violence were, they didn’t necessarily want to but the government said, “If you don’t do it we’ll kill your family.” What do you do then? What if I was put in that same position? What would I do? I could easily make that same decision.

I’ve been only part of Bridges for maybe the past year, and it’s just blown my mind how people just want to love on you. 

I’ve come to a place of understanding that I’m no better than the person that committed that crime.

My grandparent’s killer are broken people as well.

So I would totally invite him for him to come and just experience and see what God does when he’s with international students from Thailand to Rwanda. He loves us both the same way and he’s invested in our lives.

Once you realize God loves me regardless of how I’m broken, it’s just a no-brainer, you just want to share with others.

We have faced a lot of difficulties, but yet we find a lot of ways to overcome it. We are one of the fastest growing countries in Africa.

In a lot of ways actually, I think that’s what God intended it for it to be. For each other to love each other regardless of the political differences, their ethnic differences.

Knowing God has no racial boundaries, it has no boundaries at all, period. Everyone was created in God’s image, and God breathed the same breath that he breathed into everybody.

So I can take that to my campus. Radiate that love again, and radiate the good gospel which is that God is our Lord and Savior. And that he cares about you regardless of skin color or ethnicity or wherever you’re from.

God died for my sins and he’s my redeemer. He gave me a better lens to look at life.

Wendy’s Story – Hurricane Harvey Relief

“I’m not the best person in terms of manual labor, but I try my best,” said Wendy, a Rice University student from China. It had been a long day of Hurricane Harvey relief work. “My hometown is a really dry place; we don’t get a lot of storm like this,” she told us. “It’s heartbreaking to see people’s homes like this. They used to be a home, but now they’re trash.” She had to wipe away many tears. Watch her story:

Wendy was part of a Cru student team from Rice who helped Houston residents gut their homes. She also noticed something beautiful happening. “Harvey has given the community an opportunity to break down barriers between different classes, and different races,” she said. For Wendy, the whole experience was a mixture of heartache and hope, as she saw firsthand the incredible unity on display throughout Houston.

But even deeper than that is the hope Wendy found in Christ. She came to the U.S. “really skeptical about the existence of God.” Out of curiosity, she attended a talk called, “Do Science and God Mix?” Then, God used the faithful witness of Cru students to make Wendy into a new creation. And because of her faith, she is out there serving others.

Our vision is for international students to become Christ-centered laborers like Wendy. Please join us in prayer for many more “Wendys” in 2018!

Jesus is My Everything – Marshall’s Story

Who is Jesus to you? We asked this question in a video interview with Marshall, an international student from South Africa. “Jesus is so many things to me,” he said. “He’s a friend and he also plays the role of a father to me…who comforts me and gives me hope. Jesus is my everything.” But it wasn’t always that way for him. Marshall told us how he can relate to others who struggle to find out “why we are really here on Earth.” Though he remembers clearly when South Africans gained independence, Marshall laments the lack of control most of his countrymen still experience. Nevertheless, many doors opened to him that were closed to his parents, such as studying for a Master’s degree here in the U.S.

As a key student leader of Bridges in Sacramento, Marshall realizes the unique potential for fulfilling the Great Commission at college campuses. “When you come to the U.S., you find all these people in just one country. It allows you to interact with different cultures without leaving the country.” With a team of fellow students, Marshall went on a Bridges mission trip to the Bay Area. Despite feeling nervous at times, Marshall was able to share his faith in Jesus with other international students, as well as American students. “Americans need Jesus, too,” he said. Through his involvement with Bridges, Marshall realized God is helping him discover his destiny. “I think my vision is becoming more clearer and clearer. I’m still praying about it, but I feel like God has called me to be an ambassador for Christ.”

Marshall is one of many students that Bridges is training and sending out into the world. Wherever he lands, there will be one more ambassador asking people, “Who is Jesus to you?”