The Amani Children’s Choir created an effect on the life of more than 100 local citizens on Tuesday night through vigorous song and dance and a heartfelt testimony. The 20-member choir— consisting of Ugandan kids— conducted a range of musical pieces from “Amazing Grace” to traditional African praise songs.
The concert, which has become more of a worship, is a way for the choir to achieve its four main goals of sharing God’s love through song and dance; raise awareness of the need for poor and orphaned children in Africa ; raise funds for continued support, and the international educational effort of the choir provides unique training for the choir’s children.
“What an honor for St. Marys,” said Wayne Street United Methodist Church Rev. Tim Benjamin.
“These children literally came halfway around the world to be here and how often can you say that?”
The concert on Tuesday served as a rallying point for Samaritan’s Purse— Operation Christmas Child’s parent organisation— which sends shoebox presents to kids around the world who may never receive any other donation in their lives. For many of these kids, the shoeboxes are more than the classroom supplies, toys and hygiene goods in the packages; they are a sign that individuals care about them and often the packages lead the kids to a life with God.
Alex Nsengimana was one of the kids who had got a package that altered their lives.
As an orphan of the 1996 Rwanda conflict, in the earlier years of his life, Nsengimana had seen terrible tragedies including his grandmother’s murder at the age of 6. His uncle was also murdered later that same year, prompting the young kid and his siblings to flee the country.
Nsenginmana also outlined two other occasions when he almost ended his life as a kid in Rwanda. He and his brothers were playing outside in one example when they were surprised by a militia soldier pointing a weapon at the kids. The magazine dropped to the floor as the soldier attempted to load his weapon and knocked the bullets out of the gun. Soon after, the soldier left.
The other time, Nsenginmana remembered to be afraid of his life as he and his brothers walked towards a town as they escaped, they met roadblocks where armed troops told them to turn around as they generally did before shooting individuals.
“The soldiers told us to keep walking,” he recalled. “God was looking out for me.”
Nsenginmana came to understand how God made an effect in his life through the donation he got in the Ugandan orphanage. By participating in the Amani Children’s Choir, this realization leads the young person down a road to accept God and praise him.
Nsenginmana now travels with the choir, telling his story to show the importance of a simple shoebox on the lives of children halfway around the world.
Information on the children’s choir can be found at AmaniChoir.org. Information on Operation Christmas Child can be found at SamaritansPurse.org/OCC.