Partner's Spotlight - Annet Kalissa

By Rev. Verna Del Turco

Attending church every week brings with it the opportunity to see familiar faces, greet people, smile, and exchange pleasantries, but without taking advantage of the many opportunities to really connect with people, we will never know the stories their lives represent. Such is the case with Annet Kalisa.

Annet’s story could be a movie, but for Annet and her family, it was real life. The genocide in Rwanda, as we know it now, actually began decades ago with the killing of millions of people. The genocide is not just history, a book, or a movie, it is real… and it is now.

Annet’s father, Silas, was a leader among the Tutsi people. The Tutsi people and the Hutus have been violently opposing each other for years. One night, the Hutus invaded Annet’s home and arrested her father and horrifically beat Annet’s mother severing the artery in her neck leaving her in a pool of blood. She was left for dead, but God had other plans.

A royal Hutu, who risked her life to rescue Tutsi people, found Annet’s mother, nursed her back to health and helped her to leave Rwanda for the Congo. She was only able to leave with one child, leaving the other six behind with relatives. Not too long after, Annet’s father was able to escape from the tortures of prison and helping him to escape was the same individual from the Hutu tribe that rescued Annet’s mother! A way was made for Annet’s father to join his wife and child in the Congo. God will always make a way where there seems to be no way!

After a period of time, Annet’s parents relocated to Uganda where they began to settle into life there and that is where Annet was born. Her brothers and sisters remained in Rwanda, however, through the years many were tortured and killed leaving only a few remaining.

Annet’s parents were refugees in Uganda – they had absolutely nothing but a dream to begin again. The next years were spent working diligently to provide for the three children that were remaining.

Annet grew up in a strict Catholic home where Catholocism was the way of life. As Annet grew, so did her curiosity about God especially when a preacher began visiting the area proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Annet said she would go to the Catholic church in the morning out of respect for her parents, then she would go to church with her neighbors who took her to the local Bible fellowship.

Annet’s parents were very angry and opposed her decision to attend the Bible fellowship, but seeing the change in Annet’s life and the joy she had, they also opened up their hearts to the Gospel and eventually both her parents received Jesus.

In 1989, a precious Christian woman began to disciple Annet and saw the leadership qualities in her. She took a special interest in Annet knowing that God’s hand was upon her and took her to California to a Morris Cerullo Leadership class and paid for the entire trip! Plane fare, hotel and food were all taken care of!

This was Annet’s first visit to the United States. Just sharing the story caused her face to light up as she recalled the first time she stepped off the plane on to American soil. She said, “I thought I was in heaven! Everything looked so big, so clean, so bountiful and no dirt roads!”

God showed Himself strong to Annet during this trip. Before she arrived in the States, she asked the Lord for two very specific desires. First, she asked him for a Living Bible and second, she asked him for a watch. She had neither of these items and they were the desire of her heart. She had just learned that she could ask the Lord for desires as she was just taught Mark 11:23,24. She took the Lord at His Word and believed she received when she prayed. She told no one of her prayer request – this was too special to share with anyone but Jesus. Before the trip was over, someone had given her a new Living Bible and someone else had blessed her with a watch. Annet was getting to know her God in such an intimate way and He was overwhelming her with His love and care. She would never forget her trip to the United States.

Annet continued to nurture her relationship with the Lord and grew in her love for Him and His Word. In 1994, she again returned to California for another conference on leadership development. While she was there, she just “happened” to run into the family from Uganda that took her to the Bible Fellowship. She hadn’t seen them for years and here she is in California, in a restaurant having breakfast, and “suddenly” they see each other! They were so happy to see her and while catching up on the latest news in each other’s lives, they told her they had relocated from Uganda to the Boston area and invited her to come be with them. In fact, Annet says they insisted she come to Boston and join them.

This would begin another adventure with the Holy Spirit. She had absolutely no finances to get to Boston. Other Ugandans at the conference were made aware of the situation and they got together and combined their finances. These strangers paid for her bus ticket, one way to Boston. God had provided again!

During Annet’s years here, God has continued to intricately weave together the fabric of her life. She supernaturally received her green card in the mail from the state lottery. Other Christian Ugandans paid for her to take nursing courses for her to be a home health aide. Annet is now a Company Coordinator in the health aid field and the story goes on and on …the supernatural favor of God.

In 2000, Annet attended Victory Bible Training Center and IFC became her church home. For the past seven years, Annet has served the body here at IFC in many different capacities – altar care, prayer ministry, outreaches and she currently is a Life Group leader.

During the past seven years, many of her friends have asked her why she attends a “white church.” Her response to them has been, “Once you have experienced the richness of God’s Word and the freedom there is in Him, there is no going back – my eyes are now wide open and IFC is my spiritual home.”

Annet’s life is quite a story. Not only has she overcome the pain of the past, but she has had to also overcome the death of her 6 year old daughter. Annet says she takes great comfort in knowing that this is a temporary separation from her daughter and they will be together again soon. Annet’s son David, who was very active in IFC’s media ministries, is now attending university in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Annet said that the Word of God she has learned at IFC has been vital to her spiritual growth and that God’s word has become her very sustenance.

Next time you are in church, why don’t you take the time to get to know the person you are sitting next to and ask them to share their life’s story with you? It is amazing how God has gathered the IFC family from the four corners of the earth!