In March 2026, we had another incredible International School of Reconciliation in Kigali, Rwanda, with 29 participants from 14 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. At this “school” our focus is on training new facilitators of the Healing Hearts, Transforming Nations (HHTN) immersive workshop so that they can use the workshop and the principles of the ministry in their home countries to bring healing and reconciliation to people groups in conflict.

On the day after we complete the workshop and before we begin training the participants how to lead the workshop themselves, we take the group on two excursions. The first is to the Kigali Genocide memorial, the final resting place of over 250,000 victims of the horrific 1994 genocide of the Tutsi. It’s a heavy place. The museum recounts in graphic detail the events leading up to the genocide and the horrors of the genocide itself. It’s heavy.

After lunch we go in a different direction. We head out to a village called “Unity Mountain”. This is a project of our partner organization in Rwanda, Rabagirana Ministries. Unity Mountain is the fruit of the HHTN approach. The goal isn’t to simply have people attend a workshop, even one as powerful as HHTN. In fact, HHTN is only the beginning of a much larger process that leads to Unity Mountain.

Unity Mountain is a community of genocide survivors and perpetrators who have experienced God’s healing power at an HHTN workshop and have forgiven and repented. Now they are living together in community and working together to rebuild their lives, families, churches and nation. They are truly “a city on a hill [that] cannot be hid.”

One of the most powerful moments at Unity Mountain is when we have the honor of hearing the testimony of a genocide survivor, perpetrator and an “untouchable”. This year Claudine shared her horrific story of survival with us. Her entire family was slaughtered, and she was taken as a sex slave, gang raped and then mutilated so that she would never be able to have sex again. Her mutilation led to cancer and a host of other health complications. It was at an HHTN workshop that she was able to bring all her pain, anger, shame and loss to the cross and give it all to Jesus. In exchange she received healing, belonging, a new relationship with God and others, and the power to forgive those who destroyed her life. She became part of the Unity Mountain community where victims, perpetrators and “untouchables” share life, faith and are learning to live together again.

Then we had the opportunity to hear the story of a genocide perpetrator, Pascal. Pascal killed many people during the genocide of the Tutsi in 1994. He was tried, served time, and returned to the community full of shame, in poverty having lost everything, and estranged from everyone, all alone. Pascal also attended a HHTN workshop, found new hope in a loving Father who was calling him by name, identified the pain and losses of his Hutu people as well as his own personal wounds, losses and sins. He too had the opportunity to bring all of it to the cross of Jesus. In exchange he received love, forgiveness and acceptance. At Unity Mountain he also received a new chance at life. He was welcomed into the community as a full and equal member. He was able to participate in income producing communities and got a job. He’s now a loved and valued member of the community.

Moise was the third testimony. He is from the “untouchable” tribe in Rwanda, the Twa. They are pigmies and considered completely worthless. He went through life with all the pain and shame of being “unseen” and unwanted. At an HHTN event he discovered that there was a God who sees him, a loving, heavenly Father who wants him so much that he gave his only Son to be able to have a relationship with Moise. He found forgiveness and healing at the cross. At Unity Mountain he found a community of healing and reconciling people who embraced him, saw him, valued him and welcomed him.

Healing Hearts, Transforming Nations isn’t just about having a fresh encounter with Jesus at the cross. It’s not just about finding healing from all the wounds we have suffered in life. It’s not just about finding forgiveness for the wounds we have inflicted on others. It’s not just about being reconciled with those we have hurt or who have hurt us. It’s about creating a new community of healed, forgiven, forgiving, and reconciled people living out the vision of the holy nation (1 Peter 2:9) every day as we build up ourselves, our families, our churches, our communities and our nations in the power of the resurrected One who bore all our pain as well as our sin on the cross (Isaiah 53:4).