A True Princess

“God is the one who gave me the person to take care of me.” Sara Nyirahimana

Amongst a group of children, there is always a hair-stroker! One that will always cuddle beside you and find some way to always be within touching distance. Sara Nyirahimana is just that girl.

From the minute I arrived at Asante choir house, she was the first to play with my hair, stroke my arm while sitting beside me, or tell me how much she missed me even if I was only away for an extra hour or so. 

At thirteen years old, Sara has already faced a lifetime of sorrow that would leave many of us crippled for life or forever bitter at God. Sara lost both her parents at a very young age and lived with her grandmother and older brother in very poor village outside of Kigali until she became a sponsor child through AMA and a member of the Asante Children’s Choir. 

To me, Sara’s situation contradicted her loving attitude. I expected orphans to be shy, reserved, scared to attach and possibly angry at God for what they had faced. However, while chatting with her over homework, she proved me wrong. Sara shared that when her mother died at the age of four (having already lost her father earlier), she remembered her brother crying. And she asked him, ‘Why are you crying? Let’s go to the church and pray.’ While many of us would feel that we had been treated unfairly by God, this thought never entered Sara’s mind, and to this day she continues to praise her Father, saying ‘God is the one who gave me the person to take care of me’. 

Sara’s sponsor was sent by God to provide for her here on earth. Our Heavenly Father does not leave his children alone and helpless. More than that, Sara’s name means ‘princess – daughter of a king’ and this absolutely explains her position before the Lord.

While I sit here, I am humbled at the loving nature of Sara and her complete trust and devotion to the Lord. These are the children that remind us of the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father and these are the children I want to be surrounded by to remind me that our lives are in his hands.

Written by: Mishal Whyle, AMA Volunteer in Rwanda