ELYVANIE MUKANGOGA recently released “The Power of Forgiveness: One Womans Story of Narrow Escape from The Rwanda Genocide of 1994 against Tutsi, Domestic Violence in America and Epic Redemption”, a book that is based on her true-life story. In the book, she appears as a voice of inspiration to many who have suffered loss, anxiety, depression, fear, and mental health by teaching, empowering, encouraging, motivating, and inspiring them to receive healing, restoration, and recovering through her God-given steps of forgiveness. Mukangoga left Rwanda five years before the Genocide happened but her family members were still in the country. Book cover of ‘The Power of Forgiveness ‘. Courtesy photos. “My family was attacked the first day the Genocide started. No one told me that my parents and siblings were killed. I dreamed about it. I saw my parents’ house on fire and that is exactly what happened. It was burned. Even though I was not there physically, I suffered mentally, emotionally, and psychologically and it was worse for I had a hard time grieving. It was terrible to always imagine that my parents had been killed and to accept that I will never see them again when I return home and that actually there would never be home,” she said. On top of suffering and overcoming the effects of Genocide against the Tutsi, while she was outside of Rwanda and away from her family, Mukangoga suffered domestic violence and rape which affected her entire life while living in the US. “I raised three children by myself because I had no family or any immediate support group to help me. As a result, instead of healing from the wounds caused by the Genocide, my situation became worse and took longer than a normal process of grieving and loss. That affected my life negatively as well as my children,” she said. After suffering and losing so much, she encountered a voice of God, which told her to forgive in order to be worthy of living. She said that when she heard that voice, she asked, Forgive what? and then her past life played in her mind like a movie preview, showing her the murders of her parents and family in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, her battered life experience, and injustice done to her as she pursued a higher education at Loma Linda University in California, USA. Quickly, she took a pen and began to write what God began to talk to her and received a revelation to steps of forgiveness concerning her life experiences. Right at that moment, she was also inspired by a song of forgiveness which she recorded later on. What she wrote birthed the book “The Power of Forgiveness”. She revealed that the need to share it with the world was sparked by the love she had for others within her heart. “My purpose to share this true story is to make people know what exactly happened while also educating and teaching them the benefits of forgiveness. I also clarify what forgiveness is as opposed to freeing others from the bondage related to forgiveness,” she said. “I also wanted to give back to my community, nation and the whole world by educating, teaching and advocating through sharing my true life experience of domestic violence, Genocide against the Tutsi and the strength of how I overcame the related struggles.” In her book, she reveals that she retained strength from trusting and believing in the power of God and His supernatural voice which ordered her to forgive. “Forgiving those who hurt me helped and brought me peace. I experienced freedom from the burden I was carrying. Sharing my story in a book and talking about it, knowing that I am also helping others to heal, is now the most healing power I am experiencing,” she said. So far, according to her, many people have directly shared how the book has encouraged and transformed them by reading it. Some were able to go back to school and try again on what they thought they would not be able to do, she continued, adding that she also plans to launch the book in Rwanda. She urges people to remember that they are stronger than whatever they are going through in life, and that they have power and ability within themselves to overcome and achieve success. She added: “Partner with me by sharing the book so it gets to those who need to heal from domestic violence, rape, depression, anxiety and have not yet embraced forgiveness. Always remember that forgiveness is a power given by God and that you can have the power through prayers, asking God to give it to you,” she said. Mukangoga is a mother of three adult children, a licensed vocational nurse, a Christian artist and a songwriter. Her 10 songs were recorded on a CD titled “The power of Forgiveness”. It can be found on her YouTube channel. “The Power of Forgiveness: One Womans Story of Narrow Escape from The Rwanda Genocide of 1994 against Tutsi, Domestic Violence in America and Epic Redemption” can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles or Walmart.
