What an incredible 2 weeks! Get comfortable because this is going to be a short novel of an update. Ok so starting from where we left off, the bus ride to Burundi… I took a bus from Kigali to Bujumbura that turned into an African rollercoaster of a ride. The roads and the crazy driver caused me to be on the verge of ralphing the entire trip. It didn't help when the women in front of me puked all over the place and the smell and sight of vomit made my stomach turn even more. But I arrived in the Heart of Africa with my lunch still inside so that was a bonus. The first thing you see coming into the capital of Burundi is the entire city stretched out along Lake Tanganyika, very beautiful and one of a kind. The heat here is unlike anything I have ever experienced, although having +34 degree weather is nice during the afternoon it's the +29 degree nights I am having trouble with. Humidity is something Canada is better off without! Our main purpose here in Burundi is to work with Childrens Homes (you don't call them Orphanages anymore I found out). We never had the chance in Kigali just to hang out with kids and do what they wanted to do, here we get to meet the kids where they are at. If they want to play soccer we play soccer, if they want to play cards we play cards, that kind of deal.
Turning the Little Kids into Little Tigers
We have about four different ministries we are consistently working with here. The first is a children's home that a lady for the UK founded during the war. She rescued 45 kids from certain death and gave them the opportunity at a full life. One of the boys at the house is an incredible artist. Lucky, I packed all my art supplies on this trip so twice a week he and I just draw in silence and compare sketches. Another project we have underway is doing much needed renovations at a different Children's home. We are painting, fixing, and replacing much of the compound these parentless kids live in. It's great to do some really practical work where we can instantly see the fruits of our labor. We have also spent some mornings teaching English at a pastors house. Pastor Ray and his wife Mary Ann Bale are two Canadians that came 8 years ago to Burundi from Vernon BC. The first time I met them I told them I grew up in Smithers BC and amazingly enough they also spent 5 years in my home town. It is where they came to know the Lord and where they're incredible lives of faith began. Pastor Ray preaches at a church of over 2000 people here in the capital of Burundi. It’s very awesome to have met these people and share some stories of the Great White North. The last major project that is filling are time here is speaking/teaching/playing with some kids from a very poor village. The village is called Sabe village and is more like a refugee camp of people displaced by the war and is by far the worst display of poverty I have seen on this trip. Pictures don't do it justice because you can’t capture the smell and sense of hopelessness in the place. Luckily an amazing couple has been called by God to intervene where the UN won't and start a preschool for all the kids. Among the garbage and feces filled streets is an amazing example of mercy ministries. This is a link to that couples website www.rofh.org.
Tanja showing love to a little girl at Sabe Village
In personal matters the last week has been very difficult. I feel like I hit the metaphorical wall marathon runners talk about, but with only 3 weeks left I do not want to drag my feet to the finish but rather catch my second wind and explode with enthusiasm and energy for the little time I have left on this amazing continent. This is where you come in my readers, thank you for your amazing support over the last months but if you could all rally behind me in prayer for the remainder of my trip that would be very much appreciated. Some things needing prayer are my health and getting accustomed to the weather. Also I am still short of my financial goal of $4000 for this trip, and lastly pray that I will make the most of my time here as it is nearing the end. I uploaded 20 new photos to FlickR so click the link.
Like I said, pictures can’t do it justice
One thing I heard over and over before I came to Africa was how bad the mosquitoes are and to prepare yourself for all the itching and buzzing. Maybe its because I just spent the previous summer tree planting in the deep woods of central BC but I was not impressed or troubled at all by the great African “mosquitoes problem.” One thing though that has troubled me and makes it on the appreciate more segment of this Blog the amount of bugs and other critters of the night. This is a shot of the light outside my room at night, all the other lights looked like this one too.
No comments:
Post a Comment