Left to Tell
Reflection Questions, Week 3, March 10, 2010
Chapter 13: A Gathering of Orphans
On page 104, Immaculee says:
I couldn’t understand how other countries, especially the so-called civilized ones in the West, could turn their backs on us. They knew that we were being massacred, yet they did nothing.
Are there times in my life when I feel that I have been abandoned by those who could help me? Are there times in my life, when I have turned my back on someone in need?
On pages 106, 107, Immaculee says that even though she knew that any Tutsis left would be like “orphans in a hostile homeland,” she didn’t feel like an orphan:
I felt like the daughter of the kindest, most powerful king the world had ever known. I surrendered my thoughts to God every day when I retreated to that special place in my heart to communicate with Him. That place was like a little slice of heaven….He assured me that I’d never be abandoned, never be alone, and never be harmed.…In the midst of the genocide, I’d found my salvation. I knew that my bond with God would transcend the bathroom, the war, and the holocaust…It was a bond I now knew would transcend life itself....
Do I feel like an orphan or a child of God? Do I have this kind of bond with God?
Chapter 14: The Gift of Tongues
On pages 113, 114, Immaculee describes illnesses she had during the genocide. She had no medicine and was sure that God healed her of the illnesses.
Illness wasn’t going to take me. I was certain that God had a greater purpose for me, and I prayed every day for Him to reveal it to me…But I came to learn that God never shows us something we aren’t ready to understand. Instead, He lets us see what we need to see, when we need to see it. He’ll wait until our eyes and hearts are open to Him, and then when we’re ready, He will plant our feet on the path that’s best for us…but it’s up to us to do the walking.
How do I understand the path God has “planted” me on? What is God’s purpose for me, and what kind of “walking” do I need to do?
Chapter 15: Unlikely Saviors
Why does Immaculee describe the French as “unlikely saviors”?
Who are the “unlikely saviors” in my life?
Chapter 16: Keeping the Faith
On page 134, the pastor says:
There, but for the grace of God, go any one of you…If you have a chance to help unfortunates like these ladies in times of trouble, make sure you do it—even if it means putting your own life at risk. This is how God wants us to live.
Are there people in my life who need “refuge”? How can I help them?
Chapter 17: The Pain of Freedom
On page 144, Jean Paul (a friend of Immaculee’s brothers) tells her how his friend Laurent saved his life and that of his brother, Jean Baptiste. He says:
He saved us by hiding us, but it was agony to be alive.
Why does Jean Paul describe this as “agony”? How does Immaculee explain Laurent’s behavior?
Jean Paul also tells Immaculee the details about the deaths of her parents and brothers (pgs. 144-147). How does Immaculee respond?
On page 142, Immaculee recalls favorite memories from her childhood, events that happened on the road they had travelled to the French camp. She says:
…..That road had taken me everywhere I loved. It had run through my life, but that life was gone. The road existed now only as a highway for killers and rapists. I was filled with a deep sadness as it slowly dawned on me that, no matter what happened in the hours and days ahead, things would never be the same. I closed my eyes and told God that it was up to Him to find me a new road to travel.
Has there been a time in my life when I needed “a new road to travel”, “a new path”?
Chapter 18: A Letter from Damascene
Why does Immaculee say that Damascene’s friend, Bonn, will always be a hero to her? What happens to Bonn after Damascene dies?
How does Damascene face his death? What does he do that confuses his killers?
Reflection Questions, Week 2, March 3, 2010
Chapter 7 The Pastor’s House
When Immaculee arrives at the pastor’s house, how is she greeted by the pastor and his guests?
On pages 61-63, Immaculee’s brother Damascene tells her what has happened to their house and parents. How does Damascene react to the situation; how does Immaculee’s response differ?
Why does Immaculee refuse to give up hope?
Have there been times in my life when I struggled with anger and despair like Damascene? Was there someone like Immaculee trying to give me hope? Are there times when I can share hope with someone who is struggling with despair?
Immaculee feels guilty for the fate of her parents and brothers although in reality she could not have saved them. Are there times in my life when I feel guilty even though I am not?
Chapter 8 Farewell to the Boys
How does Immaculee feel about her brother Vianney and his friend leaving the pastor’s house? What other choices does she have?
At the end of the chapter she says, “They walked out the door and were swallowed by the darkness.” Have there been times in my life when I had to say a difficult good bye?
Chapter 9 Into the Bathroom
Reread pages 73 to the top of page 75. In these 2 ½ pages, what are some of the different emotions Immaculee uses to describe how she feels?
What is Immaculee’s prayer on page 74 (middle of page)? How does she pray while the killers are searching the house?
From where does the idea to use the wardrobe to block the bathroom door come from?
At the top of page 80, Immaculee says:
I realized that my battle to survive this war would have to be fought inside of me. Everything strong and good in me—my faith, hope, and courage—was vulnerable to the dark energy. If I lost my faith, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to survive. I could rely only on God to help me fight.
What are the battles in my life? The times when I need to “rely only on God”?
Chapter 10 Confronting My Anger
On page 84, Immaculee resolves “to pray during every waking moment.” Why?
On page 85, she says:
Even a few minutes not spent in prayer or contemplation of God became an invitation for Satan to stab me with his double-edged knife of doubt and self-pity. Payer became my armor, and I wrapped it tightly around my heart.
Are there times in my life when I can use prayer in this way, “as armor around my heart”?
On page 86, we read:
Young Hutus were taught from an early age that Tutsis were inferior and not to be trusted, and they didn’t belong in Rwanda. Hutus witnessed the segregation of Tutsis every day, first in the schoolyard and then in the workplace, and they were taught to dehumanize us by calling us “snakes” and “cockroaches.” No wonder it was so easy for them to kill us—snakes were to be killed and cockroaches exterminated!
What about our American culture, are there times when we “dehumanize” people also?
In my own life, are there times when I look at other people as someone less than a fellow child of God?
Some people have described Immaculee as a saint because of how she forgave the killers, but she insists that she is not a saint, and in fact struggles with pain, fear, and anger like every other person. On pages 87, 88, the pastor attempts to describe the extent of the killings. How does Immaculee react?
Chapter 11 Struggling to Forgive
This chapter is like a turning point in Immaculee’s prayer life. What happens?
When I pray the Our Father, are there times when it is hard for me to pray “forgive those who trespass against us”?
Chapter 12 No Friends to Turn To
On page 95, Immaculee describes entering her prayer space:
I found a place in the bathroom to call my own: a small corner of my heart. I retreated there as soon as I awoke, and stayed there until I slept. It was my sacred garden, where I spoke with God, meditated on His words, and nurtured my spiritual self.
What is my prayer space?
Reflection Questions, Week 1, February 24, 2010
Chapter 1: The Eternal Spring
How would you describe Immaculee’s childhood?
What about her childhood may have helped her during the genocide? What may have prepared her to become a forgiving person?
What in my own childhood may have affected my ability/tendency to be a forgiving person?
When we think about children in our culture, what can we do to foster a spirit of forgiveness?
What elements of our culture foster a spirit of forgiveness?
Chapter 2: Standing Up
Reread page 14, bottom paragraph to the top paragraph on page 16. (“But our parents didn’t teach us about our own history…..They didn’t want their children growing up feeling paranoid or inferior because they were born Tutsi.”)
What are my thoughts/reactions when I read about the Hutu/Tutsi history in Rwanda?
How did Immaculee’s parents respond when their house was burned down in the 1973 “coup”?
How does Immaculee experience prejudice in school?
Chapter 3: Higher Learning
How do Immaculee and her family experience prejudice during the 1990-91 war?
How do her parents and brothers respond?
Chapter 4: Off to University
Who are the Interahamwe, and how does Immaculee react to them?
(Middle of page 33) After describing her joy at university, Immaculee says, “…life was so good that it was sometimes easy to forget that there was a war going on—while other times it was impossible to forget.” Can I think of times in my life, when I would say this?
Chapter 5: Returning Home
Why does Immaculee return home for Easter instead of staying at school?
In reaction to the Hutu threats, what does Immaculee’s brother Damascene suggest?
How do the other members of the family (and Augustine, Vianney’s friend) react to his suggestion?
Easter, 1994…..April 7, 1994. What was I doing in April, 1994? What are my memories of the Rwandan genocide?
Chapter 6: No Going Back
When the Interahamwe attack the village, many seek guidance from Immaculee’s father. Reread his speech (pages 50-51). How does he integrate his Catholic faith with his own fears and worries about protecting his family and neighbors?
On pages 51,52, Immaculee gives her father her scapular, and he in turn gives her his rosary. If I were in a similar situation, what gift would I want to share with a loved one?
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