praying for class 3. what an AMAZING group of kids in this class. thankful that God knows His plans for each and every one of them too...

with anne & class 3 on my last day - we made tie-dye tshirts! they were a little confused about what was happening in the process (i don't blame them... we looked crazy!), but all turned out GREAT! so proud of them.

home sweet home...

hard to believe the last time i posted, i was in africa - and now, i'm not! it's been almost 2 weeks back in the States - though not all of it has been in south carolina...

many mixed feelings, as i'm going through this process of re-adjustment to my own culture, and a period of processing all that happened while in burundi - all that i've learned of myself, of Jesus - all that i've experienced for the first time, and what i'm supposed to get out of it all - all the ways that i've changed, at the same time that no one at home has. that, yes, is strange. i've realized, life goes on without me at home... basically the same that it always does. and here i am trying to make sense of post-Burundi me - what the Lord's trying to teach to me and tell me through it all - how this all ties in to my life and my future and my own visions and passions. so many questions, all at the same time that i'm attempting to still "be myself" at home.

for any who may have tried to call me, or who may be wondering why i have not called yet and think it's really strange that you haven't heard from me (you're right, it is) - i'm sorry. truly. and i thank you for your patience with me too. don't worry too much - i'll be back. just in need of time to re-enter society... i'm half-way in my own world that still feels strangely foreign (how is that possible?!) , half-way in the other world of burundi... where, indeed, part of me still is now.

... God is so good. in the midst of all of my crazy confused state of being right now, He gives me blessed comfort and assurance of His leading hand on my life. Thank you, Jesus.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

... could not have left Burundi properly without this verse on my heart. forever thankful for abigail for being the one to place it there my last night in Gitega, amidst my precious children gathered around me praying & being such sweet comforts to me in my sadness at leaving. moment could not have more perfectly met me in my need than it actually did. thank you, thank you, thank you, Jesus... for these people who loved me because of You.

4.27.10

It took no time or effort to have 2 examples of people here in Burundi who display this kind of servitude and humility come to my mind. First is Karita, one of the house moms here at Gitega orphanage (by the way, from now forward to be called Homes of Hope!). I read the Philippians passage, and thought immediately that this kind of humility, this – this is Karita. Even at the time I had the thought, Karita was sitting in the back of the church with all of the children while Kiki, Steve, Abi and I had prime seats toward the front of the church. Though there is much we cannot communicate for language differences, there is still much that absolutely can be communicated. There is a warmth and genuineness that radiates from Karita that I can’t help but notice. I understand from the way she is with the kids, with the other moms and helpers, us that she is so much a gracious servant. She has unclogged our showers and mopped our floors, not to mention cooked many a meal for us too. Foster says that in the realm of the spirit, “real issues are found in the tiny insignificant corners of life,” rather than the ‘big deal’ things. Yes, Karita’s service is found in these small acts of everyday life. Do I find the same joy in small acts of service for the people I am here to serve? Or, is the excuse of lack of time or my disregarding of the importance of some 5 minutes to complete a chore for someone too often what I am guilty of?

Did God really have to take me all the way to Burundi to teach me about the humility and servitude of Christ? Yes, very likely so. Maybe it really is part of why I am here. Many of the people I am working with, Karita included and many of the children too, are some of the most service-oriented people I’ve ever met. I think this servitude thing really is sort of built in to the culture in some ways also. The moms here literally spend their days cooking (over hot coals, entirely from fresh foods bought that day from the market), doing laundry for themselves and 10 kids (no machines - entirely by hand), cleaning (no vacuums, no swiffer, etc – broom & homemade mop only), and caring for the children! They truly amaze and challenge me.

Prayers…

& praise for the new name for Gitega and upcoming Cibitoke orphanages: “Homes of Hope!”

4.25.10

lovely Sunday in Gitega yesterday. it seems the rainy season is coming to a close early here – we have had beautiful warm, sunny, and dry days this past week – quite a change from when i first arrived here and had so much rain!

abi, steve (friend from UK), and I joined Kiki, kids, and house mom Karita to the Eglise Vivant (Living Church) for services. first, I am so not used to the duration of African churches – 9 to 1, and they weren’t actually quite finished when we left at 1! second, not understanding the majority of what is spoken in Kirundi (minus the few words I’ve picked up) for those hours poses for a great challenge to my patience that I am discovering here in Burundi is not so plentiful or unconditional as I’d before imagined. found myself with a question, “Lord what are you trying to have me hear today though I cannot understand the language of the songs or prayers?”

It seems that God likes to answer these kinds of questions. worship time was long, joyful and energetic. not the quiet stillness of sometimes worship at home. I couldn’t help but to feel so moved by that time, surrounded by Burundians worshipping God in their own tongue. I don’t know exactly what we were singing, but I know the thought overwhelmed me throughout the time: Jesus. Jesus died for me on the cross. For me?!? Yes, for me. And for you. Nothing matters more than to know him.

I didn’t know what the sermon was on, but did catch that one of our readings was from Philippians 2. I opened my Bible: “Imitating Christ’s Humility.”

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition, or vain conceit, but in humility consider

others better than yourselves.”

The passage goes on to a call for us to live with attitudes like that of Jesus Christ – God, who made himself nothing and taking on the very nature of a servant, became obedient to death and died on the cross for us. Wow. As the sermon goes on, I remember that I also have a borrowed copy of Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, and so I open it to the page someone else has marked to have a look, maybe read a little. The chapter that is marked is, Discipline of Service. Oh boy. I know for sure that God has something to tell me now, on this subject of humility and servitude.

To be continued…

prayers…

for the arrival of the container from Canada with medical supplies that are needed for the opening of the medical clinic in Gitega. it was supposed to arrive last week, but is not here yet.

for the upcoming opening of 2^nd YFC orphanage in Cibitoke in just days time!

for God to change my own heart.

only in Burundi…

do grown men hold hands in the street, and it’s a totally normal way of expressing friendship. however, to see a man and woman who are not engaged or married holding in the streets – this is scandalous!

4.11.10

It’s a rainy Sunday afternoon, sitting in Aroma in downtown Buj with friends Abi & Shegz. We came for lunch (cheeseburger and fries!) & chill time on computers, reading, writing, and people watching. Great treat for the afternoon!

We said good-bye today to a group from the UK who have been here working with GLO. For their last night yesterday, the YFC drummers performed live for us and other guests, including others from the missionary community here in Buj. It was my first time seeing the drummers perform live here – and let me tell you, they are absolutely incredible! For any of you who come to Burundi one day, make sure you have the opportunity to see these talented men perform in person. The drumming is complex and energetic, demonstrating such athleticism and skill in these men – drumming on drums that they balance on their heads, even sometimes kicking the drums with their feet! A very Burundian tradition. Pretty cool that YFC has its own team of performers to be stewards of Christ through this tradition as they perform throughout the country. Check out the video for a taste!

Since the kids at Future Hope School are on break at this time, my fellow English teacher Abi & I spent the past week involved in some other projects of YFC. We went with the team to Ngozi (north of Bujumbura) to be a part of the work that is going on there with the Batwa tribe. The Batwa are the third tribe, the most forgotten of all the people in Burundi. Our group was there to assist in an distributing clothes, food (rice & beans – the Batwa rarely have these), and to work on one of the houses under construction. And ‘help’ we did, carrying huge red mud bricks on our heads like the locals showed us how –one brick at a time only! They are incredibly heavy. These bricks are made out of mud, left to sit in the sun and dry, and then transported to the site of the house, often by children of the community who are up to my waist in height, and have only a meal (of limited variety) to eat a day. I was absolutely exhausted from a morning spent doing this work… for the Batwa, this is daily life and work. No school. No education. Houses made of sticks and grass (houses of bricks, as I’ve mentioned, are in progress). Extreme poverty like I have never before seen in such close proximity.

To be honest with you, the whole experience being there felt extremely overwhelming… emotionally draining. It’s much easier to choose to believe that this kind of thing does not exist in the world. I think that God has used this world of the Batwa to majorly challenge me in my faith… “Okay, heather, you want to see need like you’ve never seen before? Here it is. Now what will you do about it?” I wanted to run; God said no, no running. “These people are my children too. Many have forgotten and ignore them, but not I. Now you see them too, and you have the power to do something to do things in their lives that no one has.” Christians of Burundi, will we answer the call?

many thanks to Olivia for helping me to see this too…

Only in Burundi…

One of my American bills was denied exchange into Burundian francs because of a minute tear in the bill.. I’m talking, 1/8 of an inch here. Turns out, any flaw in foreign money can potentially deem it “invaluable” as far as exchanging money to local currency goes!

Prayers…

*so important for the present and future of the country of Burundi!!! upcoming elections – including presidential. pray for strong Christian leaders for the country, for peace throughout the process.

the Batwa people.

for my own humility in the work that I do here.