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A8-The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, July 31, 2007 Irnkwuuflow.mI COMM ". UNITY kb- On a mission of humanity Local man aids Rwandan families with World Vision By Stephanie Hounsell CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF It was a powerful story of forgiveness that Milton resident Greg Double believes could only happen with divine intervention. On a recent trip to Rwanda, Double came face to face with a woman named Alice who'd endured atrocities - including rape and the murder of her child - most people couldn't imagine, never mind experience, during the 1994 genocide. Standing beside Alice was her perpetrator. They're now friends. "Their love was God-inspired. Thats the only way this could happen," Double said, adding, "Its one of the events that still gives me shivers." Alice and her new friend are two mem- bers of a reconciliation team in Rwanda cre- ated to help bring unity and forgiveness to Rwandans, many who remember all too well the horrors of not long ago. Double travelled to Rwanda last month for two weeks as a team member with World Vision and said his eyes were opened over and over to the injustices of the world and the need for action. "I was greatly emotionally affected," Double said. There were several purposes for the trip, but overail it was designed to allow Double to see the needs in the country as well as the ways World Vision is working to meet them. Children orphaned by AIDS and extreme poverty are just some of the forces that are threatening to consume the country. But amid the hardships are kind and loving peo- ple unspoiled by money and possessions, Double said. "They have so much to teach us." One of the hands-on tasks Double had in Rwanda was to help build a home for an HIV/AIDS-stricken mother and her seven children. When Double arrived, they were living in a run-down makeshift structure with just two rooms. The roof was full of holes, and on nights it rained the family for- "Their I0ve was God-nspired. Thatl% the only way this oild feited sleep, instead crowding into one dry corner. Another tangible way the team was able to help a family was by purchasing a goat and a chicken and presenting it to three young sisters who were living on their own. Aged 15, 13 and 11, the sisters are just one of many child-headed households, a sit- uation created by the AIDS pandemic. "Your heart just goes out to them," Double said. The two animals cost just $24 and will help sustain the young family for a long time. "It's interesting how little it takes to make a huge impact," Double added. The team also helped oui at a nutrition clinic. Another part of Double's trip was spent visiting children who'd been sponsored through World Vision. It was rewarding to see just how differently these children and their families lived, Double said, and he knew he could honestly tell the people back home that sponsorship works. It was during a spiritual awakening that Double said he first felt led to visit Rwanda. It wasn't easy leaving behind his wife, three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son, but it was something he had to do, Double explained. In the end, one of the more difficult parts of the trip was returning home. "Coming home to this environment was very surreal," he said. "We have everything we could ever want and don't have to depend on anyone but ourselves." 'Embarrassing' was the word he used to • see DOUBLE on page A13 WCOGECQ Cogeco Cable Channel 14 CI/ (gMt www.cogeco.ca NORTH HALTON STUDIO Laurier Plaza 500 Laurier Avenue Milton, ON L9T 4R3 905-878-9306 905-87&9306 ......................................................... J