My Father, Maker of the Trees: How I Survived the Rwandan Genocide - Softcover

An inspiring story of survival, renewal, and hope

In 1994, sixteen-year-old Eric Irivuzumugabe climbed a cypress tree and remained there for fifteen days with little food or water. Eric is a survivor of the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, which claimed the lives of more than one million people in just a hundred days. In the midst of indescribable loss, and without a job, a home, or an education, Eric was determined to start a new life for himself and his two surviving brothers.

My Father, Maker of the Trees is not only the story of his physical survival; it is the story of his spiritual rebirth and the role he is playing in the healing and redemption of his land and his people. His incredible account lays bare both the reality of evil in the world as well as the quiet power of hope. Eric's message of God's relentless love through our darkest circumstances will both encourage and inspire you.

"Through Eric's story you will hear about the beauty of my beloved country, Rwanda. His story shows how God's love and presence can overcome suffering and evil in our world."--Immaculée Ilibagiza, author of New York Times bestseller Left to Tell

"This story of horror and tragedy is also a story of healing and hope. It teaches us there is still a large role for Christians to play in helping Rwandan orphans. Read this book and catch a glimpse of the heart of God."--Dean Hirsch, president, World Vision International

Eric Irivuzumugabe is the founder of Humura Ministries, an organization that supports orphans of genocide, through which he ministers to hundreds of fatherless children in need of hope.

Tracey D. Lawrence is a freelance writer and collaborator who has written for Chuck Colson's BreakPoint, the Wilberforce Forum, Promise Keepers, FutureLead, Gary Smalley, and others.

"Though fear and darkness have tried to consume my heart, an incandescent light hovers now over my family's story when I'm willing to share it with others. I know now that evil cannot destroy my heart, even as I remember its force again and again. As you read the accounts of terrorizing escape, don't let the darkness overtake you. I know this to be true: the River's grace sings louder and is much more powerful. The hellish killing ground could not thwart God's plan.