...he leads me beside quiet waters,

Kakuma, Kenya — In a place marked by dust, displacement, and deep emotional wounds, something remarkable happened. What began as a vision of healing and hope finally came alive in May 2025 as we launched the Kakuma Edition of the East African School of Reconciliation—an intensive, 21-day journey that drew together refugees from across nations, tribes, and stories of loss.

From May 6th to 22nd, hearts were opened across URHC Centre and Kalobeyei village, where we held two HHTN (Healing Hearts, Transforming Nations) workshops, each hosting over 50 participants. Many were survivors of conflict from South Sudan, DRC, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya—now living side-by-side in a camp not free from the tensions they fled.

But God had other plans.

There, in a place known for food rations, trauma, and forgotten names, God chose to reveal Himself—not just as a provider, but as a loving Father. From the opening session to the final prayer, the heartbeat of the workshop echoed what the HHTN Manual teaches: that knowing God as a loving Father is the beginning of every healing story.

Many participants shared how their image of God had been distorted by pain—an angry God, a distant one, or a silent observer to their suffering. But through this process, they encountered Him again—a God who runs toward His children, who embraces them through wounds, and who whispers: “You are mine.”

'...knowing God as a loving Father is the beginning of every healing story'

After the workshops, 31 courageous men and women were selected to undergo a Training of Facilitators (TOF), where they spent five intense days learning to teach, guide, and minister the same transformation they had just experienced.

They then conducted their own 3-day practicum workshops within the refugee camp—a powerful multiplication of healing. At the end of this journey, on May 22nd, we awarded them with certificates and prayed them into purpose.

These 31 are now facilitators of reconciliation, equipped to bring peace into the very fractures that once defined them.

One participant shared:

“I came with bitterness toward my own tribe. I leave having forgiven my enemies… because I met my Father again.”

Another said:

“This is not just a training. This is the first time I have truly wept and let go since fleeing my home.”

Pastor Martin Lokosen, Chair of United Refugees & Host Churches, summarized it beautifully:

“This is a different kind of peacebuilding. Not about handouts. Not about lectures. It’s about healing the heart—and from there, the camp will change. These 31 are the start of a new beginning.”

To everyone who prayed, supported, gave, and believed—THANK YOU. You’ve been part of a divine ripple effect that we believe will continue to grow.

But we are not done. These new facilitators need your continued prayers. They are walking into some of the most emotionally and spiritually wounded communities in the world, armed only with faith, love, and the cross. Let’s stand with them.

Kakuma is not just a camp. It is a mirror of our global woundedness—wars, prejudice, trauma, and displacement. And yet, it is also proof that reconciliation is possible.

When we introduce people to the God who is not just just—but tender, close, and good, we do more than change their hearts—we change communities. We sow seeds that resist war, that disarm bitterness, and that rebuild nations one healed soul at a time.