Surrounded by violence and tragic family death, OC scholar shines brightly for Christ

Phanuel Munezero grew up as one of 10 children in a Christian home in Rwanda. He was greatly influenced by his father, a Presbyterian minister and “faithful servant of God,” who regularly included him in prayers and Scripture reading. Later in life, he faced tragic family deaths when his five older siblings, who were influential in the country’s governance, were assassinated in 1990 when the war began. Phanuel managed to continue his studies. The war intensified a few years later with genocide, and his parents and four younger siblings had to go into exile in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

It was then that Phanuel heard a street preacher speak on Psalm 146. “[The preacher] said that people had put their trust in parents and family members who were influential in the country, rather than putting their trust in God and believing in Him for their salvation.” After the sermon, Phanuel asked the preacher how he knew his story. The preacher said he didn’t but advised him to repent and receive Christ as his personal Savior. Phanuel tearfully did.

Believing that God was calling him into full-time Christian ministry, Phanuel studied at a seminary in the DRC for about a year until war broke out in the area and suspended his studies. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he reached his parents’ tent in a refugee camp – both had been killed by a bomb that had fallen on their tent. Phanuel, his wife and little brother survived and eventually made it back to Rwanda, where he served a Presbyterian church for two years before graduating from Scott Theological College (STC), Kenya.

Today, he is an OC scholarship recipient earning his MDiv in Biblical Studies at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST), Kenya. He also serves as assistant pastor of a church in the Mathare slum of Nairobi. After graduation, Phanuel plans to serve as a Presbyterian pastor, as well as train pastors at an evangelical Bible school in Rwanda. He writes, “Through my courses, I have learned many skills for the pastoral ministry and for sermon delivery…and I have witnessed the faithfulness of God. Thanks be to Him for your scholarship help. I could not make it without your support. May God bless you.”

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