Chivalry is not dead

Rwandan man demonstrates God’s love by holding doors open for others

At 6 feet 3 inches, Elie Bizimana is hard to miss.

He stands like a sentry outside the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall, holding the door for weary diners seeking dinner after a long day, his bright smile wide as he nods hello or tells his fellow students to have a good evening.

serving — Elie Bizimana has experienced much grief, but he now shares joy with dining hall guests by holding doors. Photo credit: Rachel Graf

Serving — Elie Bizimana has experienced much grief, but he now shares joy with dining hall guests by holding doors. Photo credit: Rachel Graf

On his right wrist, he wears a black bracelet that bears a simple message in white letters — T.G.I.F.: Today God Is First. On his left wrist, above a burn scar that runs the length of his left forearm, he proudly wears a bracelet colored with the green, yellow and blue of his native Rwanda.

Life for the 20-year-old freshman has not been easy.

“A lot of times, as adults, we make choices to abuse our lives or to miss out on life,” Bizimana said. “We just live and do nothing.”

And that is exactly what Bizimana does not want to do.

Born in Kigali, Rwanda, the nation’s capital, Bizimana never knew his father, who was killed in the 1994 genocide between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes. His mother passed away in 2011 after a battle with cancer.

Bizimana, whose name means “God knows,” understands that he has been given much. And he knows that to whom much has been given, much is required. Giving back is exactly what Bizimana has set out to do.

“I have a big future and big dreams that I want to achieve in my life,” Bizimana said. “I have a heart with kids. I love kids with all my life. I lived in a country where a lot of kids are really abused in a lot of ways. They’re told, ‘You’re stupid. You can never make it in life.’ A lot of them run away from home and become street children.”

Currently pursuing a degree in computer science with a minor in cinematographic arts, Bizimana is a visionary who wants to serve God’s kingdom by doing what he loves best: making videos and telling stories. He has created something he calls T.I.M.E.: Truth that Inspires, Motivates and Educates. The videos Bizimana posts on his Facebook page and YouTube are intended to speak truth into the lives of youth that are struggling — to encourage them to not give up hope.

“For me, I’m a guy who is, in a way, protecting the kingdom of God,” Bizimana said. “The thing that kills a lot of the kingdom of God is the society shaped on Hollywood or videos. My main thing is to impact and protect the kingdom of God by showing a lot of videos, films, everything on Christ’s basis.”

Thinking about the future, Bizimana said he would like to earn enough money in the field of computer science to one day open his own cinematographic company, making videos that will encourage, inspire and motivate people to better themselves. He hopes to invest the money he earns from his company in education for youth around the world.

“A lot of kids I want to work with — they’re broken kids. I want to give them hope,” Bizimana said. “But I want to show them that this is a favor that someone is actually investing in them for no good reason (other than) just loving someone without actually expecting anything back from them.”

Before coming to the United States to finish his senior year of high school and attend college, Bizimana attended high school in Uganda, which shares a border with Rwanda, a school that Bizimana can only describe as “hell.” It was a place where three hours of sleep a night, one meal a day, caning and carrying jerricans of water long distances were common. It was a place that both crushed him and brought him to the knowledge of the God he now joyfully serves.

“I’m just trying to make the best out of this opportunity, because I feel like I didn’t deserve to have this opportunity,” Bizimana said. “It was God who gave me this opportunity, so I’m always a happy guy.”

Give — Elie Bizimana shows the Gospel by greeting people with a smile at the Reber-Thomas entrance. Photo credit: Rachel Graf

Give — Elie Bizimana shows the Gospel by greeting people with a smile at the Reber-Thomas entrance. Photo credit: Rachel Graf

Amid the tumultuous years of high school, Bizimana’s mother passed away, leaving him feeling stranded, alone and hurting.

“When she died, that killed my whole entire dream, killed my whole entire purpose,” Bizimana said. “I became really mad, frustrated. I was losing my only hero in my whole entire life. I really lost hope in life. I was like, ‘I don’t know what exactly what God wants me to do in life.’ I had given up. I was studying just to study and get out.”

Soon thereafter, his stepfather kicked him out of the house — four days before he was to return to school in Uganda, without the $400 school fee he needed. It was then that Bizimana said he began contemplating suicide.

“I felt like every single thing I did was for no good reason,” Bizimana said. “I really felt (like) everything was pointless. I’m out of school. I’m kicked out. I really, really never had any future. And I was like, ‘This is the end. This is how people die.’”

A cousin provided the money Bizimana needed to return to school, and he was able to complete another year in Uganda. Afterward, two of Bizimana’s sisters, who were living in the United States, encouraged him to finish his high school career stateside.

After a series of mishaps and miracles, Bizimana set foot on American soil for the first time and became a student at the Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Virginia, making history as the school’s first international African student.

“(E)verything was like a dream or like heaven. Nothing was actually making sense,” Bizimana said. “Everyone was super happy. Back in Africa, when someone is interested in you, he wants either to get money from you, or he is making a deal with you. People were interested in me and trying to help me, and I was really ready to give them money.”

Adjusting to a new culture took some getting used to, Bizimana said. Things like laundry rooms and hot water were all welcome changes — not the least of them being a trip to Wendy’s and his first taste of an American cheeseburger.

Senior year in the United States also brought with it another challenge: applying to colleges. One of those colleges was Liberty University, a university Bizimana said he never thought he would attend.

“I wanted to be where everyone’s bulbs are dark, and I am the one who is like the light, and show them that they can actually light them,” Bizimana said. “I wanted to go to a non-Christian school so I could try as much as possible to light their bulbs.”

God had other plans, however. He gave Bizimana a bulb-lighting job at Liberty University.

“There (are) a lot of people who are broken. There (are) a lot of people who are just pretending they’re Christians and they’re not really Christians or they’re confused,” Bizimana said. “Even though we’re in this Christian place, we can still encourage people. We can still show them that they can actually do much more than what they are doing. We can still be the mirror of Jesus Christ and let Jesus Christ work though us. That’s one thing that motivates me, and that’s one thing that makes me do whatever I do. I want people to see Jesus Christ when they see me.”

And, as part of his God-given mission, Bizimana holds doors — sometimes for as long as two hours — outside the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall.

For Bizimana, holding doors for others is a simple way to share the gospel and love his neighbors as he loves himself.

“A lot of times, I’ve found out that you can actually do a good deed to someone … and it actually means a lot,” Bizimana said. “I want to do it because I want them to see me as Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ was going to do it, how was he going to do it?”

Just as holding the door at the dining hall is a tangible way of showing God’s love, the bracelets that adorn Bizimana’s wrists are tangible reminders of where he has come from and where he is going.

“This is my past — this is my country’s flag. This is my future and my present — today God is first,” Bizimana said. “When I have a bad day and everything is not according to plan, I just look at (my Rwanda bracelet and) realize that there were days like that, that I can actually (get) through. And then I look at (my T.G.I.F. bracelet) and I say, ‘God is in control.’ I relax. And then I smile.”

Although Bizimana is finishing up a semester of 18 credits and working in the Testing Center, he still takes time out of his day to make someone else smile.

“It is amazing how people react to actually doing a small deed because, for me, it’s not a big deal,” Bizimana said. “Doing an act of love is not supposed to be a dramatic thing. … I’ve learned that to change someone’s life does not mean a big, dramatic change. You can actually do something small and just impact them in a way no one has ever impacted them.”

Graf is a feature reporter.

One comment

  • You are an inspiration to me Bizimana. My husband and I have supported a young man in Uganda for 8 or 9 years through Compassion International. He will be 16 in January, 2015. We hope that he can spend his life in service to God. He has attended Christian schools in Uganda and has taken care of his grandmother. He has feared for his life many times.
    I am so thankful that God has brought you to Liberty University. I pray he uses you in mighty ways. Your story is a blessing to me. We will be watching for your videos!
    Blessings,
    Mrs. Carolyn Richards

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