The boy who met Jesus

During early 1980s in the remote village of Kibeho, three school girls started having apparitions of Virgin Mary. Initially people around did not believe them but gradually it became known that they are carrying an important Divine message. Soon, another boy named Segatashya from a nearby village, who was having vision of Jesus Christ joined these girls at the school. The Church authorities arranged an official enquiry about all the visionaries and also approved public display of their meetings with Mary and Jesus.

Thousands of people used to come to the Kibeho school in order to view the meetings real time. Though the people could not see the Gods or listen to them directly, they were able to hear one sided conversation from the three girls and Segatashya. All the conversations were recorded and were also broadcasted over radio during that time. The enquiry commission would meet each of them after the meet to get the second part of the conversation and would prepare the total conversation.

Segatashya was a boy engaged in farming along with his family less than 15 years age at that time. First time Jesus appeared to him in his farm and gave a message to deliver to a neighbour. Segatashya never read bible, never heard of Jesus Christ and in fact did not even go to school and so could not read or write. Their family was not even Christian. Biblical messages coming from an uneducated farm boy surprised many and people started coming to their house to listen him causing lot of inconvenience to the family which was very poor. Later following advice from Jesus, he joined the Kibeho school girls for public broadcast of his visions.

Segatashya had public visions in the Kibeho school for one hear after which the visions stopped. He was asked to tour through the country in order to spread the message further.

Segatashya’s main message to the people was to love and be tolerant towards each other, keeping in view of the future problems. Segatashya had to face many difficulties in doing this task, however he did everything possible to follow the God’s voice. The message is universal and is required even to the present day world.

Immaculee Ilibagiza who was fromRwanda, a nearby African village, was associated with the visionaries by listening to the radio and from family members and others, though she could not see them at that time.

Immaculee did finally meet Segatashya while she was at the University later and she describes about her meet in her latest book 'The boy who met Jesus'.

Later in 1994, the difficult days as spoken by Segatashya as a part of message from Jesus came and in an unfortunate genocide most of the people in that region were killed including Segatashya and many family members of Immaculee.

Immaculee took the task of spreading the message of forgiveness and love to the world. She collected all the information related to Segatashya and other visionaries and published the following books.

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust

Led By Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide

Our Lady of Kibeho: Mary Speaks to the World from the Heart of Africa (with Steve Erwin)

The Boy Who Met Jesus: Segatashya of Kibeho (with Steve Erwin)

After two decades after the apparitions, the three girls were officially approved by Vatican Church. Kibeho was also recognized as one of the sacred places where visions occurred. Many people across the world travel to Kibeho to have a glimpse of the historical location. Though Segatashya’s visions were not yet approved by the Church, the enquiry committee already gave a report endorsing his visions. It will be only a matter of time Church will include his name as well in the approved list of visionaries.

Irrespective of religious beliefs, Segatashya’s message of love is equally applicable and essential to each and every one in the world.