Hello again. I want to tell you something very cool. Colton was at the CRIB house and Isaac and I had gone to get some household things at the Chinese shop. From what we gather from our friends here, if it's available, it's most likely to be found here. The quality of most of the items is equivalent to what you would get at a dollar store. So we were picking out these mugs, 6 to a pack. The package was very dusty and greasy, with even the mugs inside the package being dirty. The store by Canadian standards is not a place you would go shopping.
Normally the cook would wash our dishes, (we've been told that if we do them, that means that he doesn't do a good enough job.) but he wasn't around when Isaac and I got home. As I'm washing the mugs, all of a sudden I get a flashback of a dream that I had years ago. And guess what!? It's the Chinese store!!! I knew instantly that's what it was. It was very vivid. My guess is that I had that dream about 5 yrs. ago, and never would have remembered it had it not been from the Lord. It's confirmation that God has us right where He wants us! That's the best place in all the world to be. Man that's exciting to us!!
Continuation of our first days here before we had internet:
Day 3: We met Deo, Rosa's husband today. Deo & Rosa and Everiste & Anick each, with their families, live in a house that is located on the CRIB compound. Rosa is just over 8 months pregnant. She's super nice.
On Friday morning Maryanne picked us up and we went to Club du lac, which is a resort. It's right on the beach and it's beautiful. Colton, Boss David, who is Pastor Ray and Maryanne Bale's 5 yr. old son and Doo-Doo, who is an 18 yr.old boy that the Bale's have taken under their wings spent hours swimming in the beautiful pool while Maryanne, Isaac and myself sat under a tiki hut having Burundian coffee. Pastor Ray was still in the Congo, officially opening an other
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Thursday, September 15, 2011
Sabe Village - part two
Pastor Ray, Maryanne and Boss boarded a plane here in Bujumbura about 2 hours ago. They’re flying to Ottawa, where Pastor Ray’s parents lived. His mom passed away in June of this year, and on Sunday he received a call saying his dad had been found dead that morning in an armchair, presumably having suffered a heart attack. Please pray for them.
There’s no school again today, due to the fact that Burundi is commemorating the death of another past president. We really don’t mind though, a little R&R is very welcome.
We took the opportunity to go to Sabe village again with Honda and Libby. I will try to post pictures today; there are some other “mzungu’s” in some of the pictures, namely Andrew and Christine from England; he teaches at secondary, she teaches at primary; there’s Luke and Caleb, 2 guys from Niagara, Ontario who graduated from high school in June and are both at primary as well. The well dressed Africans in the pictures are some of Honda and Libby’s 60 plus boys that they’ve rescued off the streets of Bujumbura and have been transformed by Jesus Christ. There’s also sweet Donah, who’s from Uganda; she teaches at secondary. The kids wearing the soccer jerseys are the poorest of the poor, sporting the brand new jerseys that were donated by the head of a soccer club in England. This guy, a non-Christian, is coming out in April.
We went into the village today. No World Vision program could prepare you for what we witnessed today. Last week when we were there, we stayed at the edge of the village, and I stood there with tears rolling down my face. Today we went in, and there were no tears; tears may come once the shock has worn off.
The sewage system (holding tank) is only effective if it is utilized. Using the street is much faster and more convenient. The stench made Isaac’s stomach sick. The houses I wrote about last week, saying they’re the size of a small bedroom were the ones on the edge of the village. Today we saw many homes where I don’t know if a grown man could stretch out in; children with seemingly perpetually runny noses wearing short rags on the top part of their bodies with nothing at all on the bottom part. We saw the men sitting in the shade whiling the day away, leisurely sipping on their yellow banana hooch, gradually, wilfully blinding themselves.
We saw their tiny “market” consisting of perhaps 5 makeshift tables with the wares, mostly questionable to bad quality vegetables and fly covered little fish displayed. These are awful images. But the ones that get to you are the ones that are etched on the inside of your eye lids; when you close your eyes you see the big, empty, staring at nothing eyes of some of the children. Where is the happiness of childhood in these eyes; the curiosity of an ever inquisitive mind, the occasional glint of mischievous behaviour? Where is the hope in these big, black eyes?
Enter ‘Restoration Of Hope’. The Lord has given Honda a massive vision for this place. Believe me, apart from the Lord, one would think, ‘where do you start’, but we serve a God of all possibilities!! And when the Lord calls He makes a way.
The village is about the size of a residential block or smaller, housing about 400 dwellings. Like I said previously, it’s home to 1700 people. ‘Restoration of Hope’ is renting a large shed that is situated about 30 seconds from the entrance of the village. A congregation from England is paying for the rental of this property; a one time gift from an English lady paid for the water installation. Honda has plumbed in fresh, safe drinking water to this location in the last while. There are 6 taps where people come with their little jugs twice a day to get water. There is no electricity. Both times that we’ve gone so far Honda brings in a generator and the rescued street boys give haircuts; about 200 heads, male and female, get shaved each time. Meanwhile, some of Honda’s other boys organize kid’s games on the compound. It’s a wonder that these malnourished children have the strength and energy to run.
In one corner is a tiny chicken coop that Honda wants to grow into a big operation that will yield a few 1000 eggs per day. One chick costs $2500 francs - about $2.50 CND.
Honda and Libby, Lord willing, are planning on starting a school in January. Initially they will limit it to about 60 students. They’ve held 2 crusades here to date, with 153 people having accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour!!!
We are praying about how the Lord wants to use us in these peoples’ lives. Even though we pray the people that we touch will feel the love of Jesus through us, or that they will see the love of Jesus when we look into their eyes, this does not fill their distended bellies, or improve their hygiene, or provide much needed medicine or clothing. Will you please pray about how God wants to use you as well? Christmas is coming up; perhaps instead of buying gifts for family and friends, you want to contribute to the realization of the vision that God has given to Honda. If so, please email us at: ircfroese@gmail.com

Colton and Josiah, son of Honda and Libby.
Honda is Burundian, Libby is from England.

Children taking care of children.

The “barbers” are risking infection from var-
ious things.

The smartly clad soccer players.

What a joy to see the children having fun!!

Camera distraction

Libby showing up to where the flood waters reached
In April. Her daughter, Abigail (Abby) in front,
Andrew on the left.

Immediately to Isaac’s right is the entrance to the village.

Sewage holding tank with stairs going up on the
Other side of the tank.

A wealthier hut with a wooden door instead of a rag
Sheet for a door.

A tiny portion of the UN compound in the background.
This village is literally almost on their doorstep. The ab-
sence of their involvement here is mind blowing. But be-
Cause this village is about 17 yrs. Old, it obviously
Doesn’t fall under refugee status and doesn’t meet the
UN criteria for aid.

Preparing lunch, and it’s not just Bugali today!!

I wish you could see the flies feasting here.

Home sweet home.

Many people, adults and children alike, ask you to take
A picture of them.

This is a wide distance between the two houses. In
Many instances you have less than half of this.

A village senior. This lady would be considered very
Old, especially for this village, but for Burundi as a
Whole, as the female life expectancy is 46 and the male
43.

There were trucks like this lined up for many, many
Blocks about 100 feet from the dire poverty; laden with
Supplies, presumably for the UN since their property
Is all around, perhaps for a flour mill that ships in wheat
From Tanzania, and once ground up, gets shipped back
To Tanzania.

All the trucks have dried thorn bushes like this pulled
Through the bumper to discourage people from
Grabbing on when they are on their bikes for a free,
Life-threatening and all too often life taking ride.
The thorns are about 1 inch long. Also, this way
It’s much more difficult to get on board to hitch a ride.

The water station that houses 6 taps with fresh water.

This boy is in obvious need of medical attention.

Restoration of Hope Centre

Colton having fun with the boys.

The tiny chicken coop that by Gods’ grace will grow into a
Huge operation of producing a few thousand eggs per day
To help support the village.

Bethany, the eldest of Honda and Libby’s 3 children holding a
Distended bellied child.

How precious. If this picture could speak to you, it would say that
This and the next scene, more than any others, where the most heart
wrenching. These two cherub faced darlings are just being children,
Cradling a very filthy teddy bear. The tenderness of this moment…

What can I say? He was just lying there. He didn’t look well.

Some children scream in terror when they see a white person because
When they misbehave, the adults say that the ‘mzungu’ will come and
Eat them. Most, however, want to hold your hand or just touch you;
some carefully inspect your white skin that won’t rub off.

The middle one was the one lying down a few pictures up.

Isaac joining in the fun and games.

Luke, Caleb and the Astington’s with Isaac and Colton.

Look at the distended tummy of the little one on the right.

This new little one was completely naked under the cloth.

Sweet!!
Thus concludes a taste of what life is like for a large part of the Burundian population. A vast majority of the people of this capital city of 700,000 are very poor; however, they are the rich compared to most of the country of 8 million.
Does your heart hurt?
Rosel
P.S.(This was written last week Wednesday, the 21st , but due to not having internet access quite frequently, things get a little behind. Sorry for the delay.)
P.P.S. So apparently you'll have to imagine the pictures, as today is an off day again with the internet, but because it's taken so long already, I'll at least post the text.
There’s no school again today, due to the fact that Burundi is commemorating the death of another past president. We really don’t mind though, a little R&R is very welcome.
We took the opportunity to go to Sabe village again with Honda and Libby. I will try to post pictures today; there are some other “mzungu’s” in some of the pictures, namely Andrew and Christine from England; he teaches at secondary, she teaches at primary; there’s Luke and Caleb, 2 guys from Niagara, Ontario who graduated from high school in June and are both at primary as well. The well dressed Africans in the pictures are some of Honda and Libby’s 60 plus boys that they’ve rescued off the streets of Bujumbura and have been transformed by Jesus Christ. There’s also sweet Donah, who’s from Uganda; she teaches at secondary. The kids wearing the soccer jerseys are the poorest of the poor, sporting the brand new jerseys that were donated by the head of a soccer club in England. This guy, a non-Christian, is coming out in April.
We went into the village today. No World Vision program could prepare you for what we witnessed today. Last week when we were there, we stayed at the edge of the village, and I stood there with tears rolling down my face. Today we went in, and there were no tears; tears may come once the shock has worn off.
The sewage system (holding tank) is only effective if it is utilized. Using the street is much faster and more convenient. The stench made Isaac’s stomach sick. The houses I wrote about last week, saying they’re the size of a small bedroom were the ones on the edge of the village. Today we saw many homes where I don’t know if a grown man could stretch out in; children with seemingly perpetually runny noses wearing short rags on the top part of their bodies with nothing at all on the bottom part. We saw the men sitting in the shade whiling the day away, leisurely sipping on their yellow banana hooch, gradually, wilfully blinding themselves.
We saw their tiny “market” consisting of perhaps 5 makeshift tables with the wares, mostly questionable to bad quality vegetables and fly covered little fish displayed. These are awful images. But the ones that get to you are the ones that are etched on the inside of your eye lids; when you close your eyes you see the big, empty, staring at nothing eyes of some of the children. Where is the happiness of childhood in these eyes; the curiosity of an ever inquisitive mind, the occasional glint of mischievous behaviour? Where is the hope in these big, black eyes?
Enter ‘Restoration Of Hope’. The Lord has given Honda a massive vision for this place. Believe me, apart from the Lord, one would think, ‘where do you start’, but we serve a God of all possibilities!! And when the Lord calls He makes a way.
The village is about the size of a residential block or smaller, housing about 400 dwellings. Like I said previously, it’s home to 1700 people. ‘Restoration of Hope’ is renting a large shed that is situated about 30 seconds from the entrance of the village. A congregation from England is paying for the rental of this property; a one time gift from an English lady paid for the water installation. Honda has plumbed in fresh, safe drinking water to this location in the last while. There are 6 taps where people come with their little jugs twice a day to get water. There is no electricity. Both times that we’ve gone so far Honda brings in a generator and the rescued street boys give haircuts; about 200 heads, male and female, get shaved each time. Meanwhile, some of Honda’s other boys organize kid’s games on the compound. It’s a wonder that these malnourished children have the strength and energy to run.
In one corner is a tiny chicken coop that Honda wants to grow into a big operation that will yield a few 1000 eggs per day. One chick costs $2500 francs - about $2.50 CND.
Honda and Libby, Lord willing, are planning on starting a school in January. Initially they will limit it to about 60 students. They’ve held 2 crusades here to date, with 153 people having accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour!!!
We are praying about how the Lord wants to use us in these peoples’ lives. Even though we pray the people that we touch will feel the love of Jesus through us, or that they will see the love of Jesus when we look into their eyes, this does not fill their distended bellies, or improve their hygiene, or provide much needed medicine or clothing. Will you please pray about how God wants to use you as well? Christmas is coming up; perhaps instead of buying gifts for family and friends, you want to contribute to the realization of the vision that God has given to Honda. If so, please email us at: ircfroese@gmail.com

Colton and Josiah, son of Honda and Libby.
Honda is Burundian, Libby is from England.

Children taking care of children.

The “barbers” are risking infection from var-
ious things.

The smartly clad soccer players.

What a joy to see the children having fun!!

Camera distraction

Libby showing up to where the flood waters reached
In April. Her daughter, Abigail (Abby) in front,
Andrew on the left.

Immediately to Isaac’s right is the entrance to the village.

Sewage holding tank with stairs going up on the
Other side of the tank.

A wealthier hut with a wooden door instead of a rag
Sheet for a door.

A tiny portion of the UN compound in the background.
This village is literally almost on their doorstep. The ab-
sence of their involvement here is mind blowing. But be-
Cause this village is about 17 yrs. Old, it obviously
Doesn’t fall under refugee status and doesn’t meet the
UN criteria for aid.

Preparing lunch, and it’s not just Bugali today!!

I wish you could see the flies feasting here.

Home sweet home.

Many people, adults and children alike, ask you to take
A picture of them.

This is a wide distance between the two houses. In
Many instances you have less than half of this.

A village senior. This lady would be considered very
Old, especially for this village, but for Burundi as a
Whole, as the female life expectancy is 46 and the male
43.

There were trucks like this lined up for many, many
Blocks about 100 feet from the dire poverty; laden with
Supplies, presumably for the UN since their property
Is all around, perhaps for a flour mill that ships in wheat
From Tanzania, and once ground up, gets shipped back
To Tanzania.

All the trucks have dried thorn bushes like this pulled
Through the bumper to discourage people from
Grabbing on when they are on their bikes for a free,
Life-threatening and all too often life taking ride.
The thorns are about 1 inch long. Also, this way
It’s much more difficult to get on board to hitch a ride.

The water station that houses 6 taps with fresh water.

This boy is in obvious need of medical attention.

Restoration of Hope Centre

Colton having fun with the boys.

The tiny chicken coop that by Gods’ grace will grow into a
Huge operation of producing a few thousand eggs per day
To help support the village.

Bethany, the eldest of Honda and Libby’s 3 children holding a
Distended bellied child.

How precious. If this picture could speak to you, it would say that
This and the next scene, more than any others, where the most heart
wrenching. These two cherub faced darlings are just being children,
Cradling a very filthy teddy bear. The tenderness of this moment…

What can I say? He was just lying there. He didn’t look well.

Some children scream in terror when they see a white person because
When they misbehave, the adults say that the ‘mzungu’ will come and
Eat them. Most, however, want to hold your hand or just touch you;
some carefully inspect your white skin that won’t rub off.

The middle one was the one lying down a few pictures up.

Isaac joining in the fun and games.

Luke, Caleb and the Astington’s with Isaac and Colton.

Look at the distended tummy of the little one on the right.

This new little one was completely naked under the cloth.

Sweet!!
Thus concludes a taste of what life is like for a large part of the Burundian population. A vast majority of the people of this capital city of 700,000 are very poor; however, they are the rich compared to most of the country of 8 million.
Does your heart hurt?
Rosel
P.S.(This was written last week Wednesday, the 21st , but due to not having internet access quite frequently, things get a little behind. Sorry for the delay.)
P.P.S. So apparently you'll have to imagine the pictures, as today is an off day again with the internet, but because it's taken so long already, I'll at least post the text.
Bubanza Crusade - Part 2
Long over due again.
We had three wonderful friends from Canada visit us for 10 days. Marvin and Rachael, together with Andrea were a breath of fresh air. We love you guys!!
So, part 2 of the Crusade:
The church wasn’t nearly big enough to hold everyone, so the event was held outside which proved to be problematic at times due to short but intense rains. We were under a canopy of tarps and palm branches resting on bamboo sticks. The edge of the mountain was about 20 feet from where we sat. The view was beautiful; there was a deep valley/ravine separating us from other majestic mountains - real mountains, like in B.C., not just ’wannabe’ mountains. (Mind you, all Burundi mountains are the real kind of mountains.)
People had walked/hiked from a distance of up to 15 km. from all directions. First introductions where made - the visiting team as well as all the local pastors representing their churches.
Eddy, who is Honda’s administrator did most of the interpreting for us, and time and again he said how the various choirs were singing songs of condemnation. He said this is very common in rural churches, where worship is often not worship, but judging. The choirs can sing beautifully, and often times are very, almost painfully long winded. They always have synchronized movements throughout the entire song - often times quite funny to watch. Whether it was mixed adult or childrens’ choirs, babies were on the backs of the choir members, bobbing back and forth. The ground was saturated from the rains, and so all the dancing was on slimmy, red mud. Most are bare foot anyway, no need to worry about their expensive Lacoste or Adidas getting ruined.
Many, many responded to the alter calls, and the angels in heaven rejoiced!!
Isaac spoke on the Holy Spirit, and I spoke about who we are in Christ Jesus according to Eph.1:3-14. In the evenings people were able to watch ‘Pilgrim’s Progress” and another Christian movie. The first evening Honda figured there were close to 1500 people, the second night there were more. They stretched out a white sheet on tall branches, thus enabling viewers on both sides.
The second night after preaching, Isaac very suddenly felt very sick. We had just entered the church to have supper, and Isaac knew he needed to get out - now!! We excused ourselves in the nick of time. After vomiting a few times he was completely well again. We fully believe this was a spiritual attack, as Isaac had previously felt a heaviness and darkness in his spirit. But praise be to Jesus - He who is in us is more powerful than he who is in the world!!!
I know I’ve written very little of the spiritual things, but really, when Jesus sets free the captives, that’s the bottom line. We were blessed beyond measure by being able to pray for, encourage and walk along side a beautiful people.
Isaac, Colton and I were all changed on that mountain.
Our dear friend Alli, the one that runs the sewing/mechanic project with ex-prostitutes and child soldiers, has a guy working for her by the name of Deo. Deo is her “right-hand-man” at the project; he’s an extremely soft spoken, gentle spirited father of six. He had malignant cancer from 2002 - 2004, with a huge visible lump on the side of his throat. He was hospitalized, and the doctors gave him just a little while to live. However, God told him that he was healed, and so Deo would tell people this, all the while having this lump on his throat. Well, Jesus completely healed him, and that was 6 years ago!!!
Deo’s wife, Divine, age 30 (Mama Queen - oldest daughter’s name is Queen), was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago; it is now all over her body. She is very sick, and in need of prayer. The way things work out here is if you have someone working for you, you are responsible for the medical bills that the employee and his family accrue. Well, needless to say, the bills are stacking up, and Alli is left almost by herself to pay for them.
Burundi does not have any kind of cancer treatment, so before Christmas Deo and Divine took a bus to Kampala, Uganda 6 times for chemo. Alli said it’s not a pleasant ride at the best of times, never mind when you’re so sick. Hospitalization in a government facility is not expensive by our standards - not even $10.00 per night, but this does not include any medicines, painkillers, tests, nothing. Also, hospitals do not feed the patients, so all food has to be brought in by family/friends. The custom here is that there are many people with the sick almost constantly, so these people also have to be fed. So for the most part, Alli is feeding 5 - 6 people daily on top of all the medical bills. We have come to know and love Deo and Divine, and have been so blessed by them.
If Jesus prompts you to help out with the bills, please email us at: ircfroese@gmail.com
Blessings!!!
We had three wonderful friends from Canada visit us for 10 days. Marvin and Rachael, together with Andrea were a breath of fresh air. We love you guys!!
So, part 2 of the Crusade:
The church wasn’t nearly big enough to hold everyone, so the event was held outside which proved to be problematic at times due to short but intense rains. We were under a canopy of tarps and palm branches resting on bamboo sticks. The edge of the mountain was about 20 feet from where we sat. The view was beautiful; there was a deep valley/ravine separating us from other majestic mountains - real mountains, like in B.C., not just ’wannabe’ mountains. (Mind you, all Burundi mountains are the real kind of mountains.)
People had walked/hiked from a distance of up to 15 km. from all directions. First introductions where made - the visiting team as well as all the local pastors representing their churches.
Eddy, who is Honda’s administrator did most of the interpreting for us, and time and again he said how the various choirs were singing songs of condemnation. He said this is very common in rural churches, where worship is often not worship, but judging. The choirs can sing beautifully, and often times are very, almost painfully long winded. They always have synchronized movements throughout the entire song - often times quite funny to watch. Whether it was mixed adult or childrens’ choirs, babies were on the backs of the choir members, bobbing back and forth. The ground was saturated from the rains, and so all the dancing was on slimmy, red mud. Most are bare foot anyway, no need to worry about their expensive Lacoste or Adidas getting ruined.
Many, many responded to the alter calls, and the angels in heaven rejoiced!!
Isaac spoke on the Holy Spirit, and I spoke about who we are in Christ Jesus according to Eph.1:3-14. In the evenings people were able to watch ‘Pilgrim’s Progress” and another Christian movie. The first evening Honda figured there were close to 1500 people, the second night there were more. They stretched out a white sheet on tall branches, thus enabling viewers on both sides.
The second night after preaching, Isaac very suddenly felt very sick. We had just entered the church to have supper, and Isaac knew he needed to get out - now!! We excused ourselves in the nick of time. After vomiting a few times he was completely well again. We fully believe this was a spiritual attack, as Isaac had previously felt a heaviness and darkness in his spirit. But praise be to Jesus - He who is in us is more powerful than he who is in the world!!!
I know I’ve written very little of the spiritual things, but really, when Jesus sets free the captives, that’s the bottom line. We were blessed beyond measure by being able to pray for, encourage and walk along side a beautiful people.
Isaac, Colton and I were all changed on that mountain.
Our dear friend Alli, the one that runs the sewing/mechanic project with ex-prostitutes and child soldiers, has a guy working for her by the name of Deo. Deo is her “right-hand-man” at the project; he’s an extremely soft spoken, gentle spirited father of six. He had malignant cancer from 2002 - 2004, with a huge visible lump on the side of his throat. He was hospitalized, and the doctors gave him just a little while to live. However, God told him that he was healed, and so Deo would tell people this, all the while having this lump on his throat. Well, Jesus completely healed him, and that was 6 years ago!!!
Deo’s wife, Divine, age 30 (Mama Queen - oldest daughter’s name is Queen), was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago; it is now all over her body. She is very sick, and in need of prayer. The way things work out here is if you have someone working for you, you are responsible for the medical bills that the employee and his family accrue. Well, needless to say, the bills are stacking up, and Alli is left almost by herself to pay for them.
Burundi does not have any kind of cancer treatment, so before Christmas Deo and Divine took a bus to Kampala, Uganda 6 times for chemo. Alli said it’s not a pleasant ride at the best of times, never mind when you’re so sick. Hospitalization in a government facility is not expensive by our standards - not even $10.00 per night, but this does not include any medicines, painkillers, tests, nothing. Also, hospitals do not feed the patients, so all food has to be brought in by family/friends. The custom here is that there are many people with the sick almost constantly, so these people also have to be fed. So for the most part, Alli is feeding 5 - 6 people daily on top of all the medical bills. We have come to know and love Deo and Divine, and have been so blessed by them.
If Jesus prompts you to help out with the bills, please email us at: ircfroese@gmail.com
Blessings!!!
Bubanza Crusade - Part 2
Long over due again.
We had three wonderful friends from Canada visit us for 10 days. Marvin and Rachael, together with Andrea were a breath of fresh air. We love you guys!!
So, part 2 of the Crusade:
The church wasn’t nearly big enough to hold everyone, so the event was held outside which proved to be problematic at times due to short but intense rains. We were under a canopy of tarps and palm branches resting on bamboo sticks. The edge of the mountain was about 20 feet from where we sat. The view was beautiful; there was a deep valley/ravine separating us from other majestic mountains - real mountains, like in B.C., not just ’wannabe’ mountains. (Mind you, all Burundi mountains are the real kind of mountains.)
People had walked/hiked from a distance of up to 15 km. from all directions. First introductions where made - the visiting team as well as all the local pastors representing their churches.
Eddy, who is Honda’s administrator did most of the interpreting for us, and time and again he said how the various choirs were singing songs of condemnation. He said this is very common in rural churches, where worship is often not worship, but judging. The choirs can sing beautifully, and often times are very, almost painfully long winded. They always have synchronized movements throughout the entire song - often times quite funny to watch. Whether it was mixed adult or childrens’ choirs, babies were on the backs of the choir members, bobbing back and forth. The ground was saturated from the rains, and so all the dancing was on slimmy, red mud. Most are bare foot anyway, no need to worry about their expensive Lacoste or Adidas getting ruined.
Many, many responded to the alter calls, and the angels in heaven rejoiced!!
Isaac spoke on the Holy Spirit, and I spoke about who we are in Christ Jesus according to Eph.1:3-14. In the evenings people were able to watch ‘Pilgrim’s Progress” and another Christian movie. The first evening Honda figured there were close to 1500 people, the second night there were more. They stretched out a white sheet on tall branches, thus enabling viewers on both sides.
The second night after preaching, Isaac very suddenly felt very sick. We had just entered the church to have supper, and Isaac knew he needed to get out - now!! We excused ourselves in the nick of time. After vomiting a few times he was completely well again. We fully believe this was a spiritual attack, as Isaac had previously felt a heaviness and darkness in his spirit. But praise be to Jesus - He who is in us is more powerful than he who is in the world!!!
I know I’ve written very little of the spiritual things, but really, when Jesus sets free the captives, that’s the bottom line. We were blessed beyond measure by being able to pray for, encourage and walk along side a beautiful people.
Isaac, Colton and I were all changed on that mountain.
Our dear friend Alli, the one that runs the sewing/mechanic project with ex-prostitutes and child soldiers, has a guy working for her by the name of Deo. Deo is her “right-hand-man” at the project; he’s an extremely soft spoken, gentle spirited father of six. He had malignant cancer from 2002 - 2004, with a huge visible lump on the side of his throat. He was hospitalized, and the doctors gave him just a little while to live. However, God told him that he was healed, and so Deo would tell people this, all the while having this lump on his throat. Well, Jesus completely healed him, and that was 6 years ago!!!
Deo’s wife, Divine, age 30 (Mama Queen - oldest daughter’s name is Queen), was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago; it is now all over her body. She is very sick, and in need of prayer. The way things work out here is if you have someone working for you, you are responsible for the medical bills that the employee and his family accrue. Well, needless to say, the bills are stacking up, and Alli is left almost by herself to pay for them.
Burundi does not have any kind of cancer treatment, so before Christmas Deo and Divine took a bus to Kampala, Uganda 6 times for chemo. Alli said it’s not a pleasant ride at the best of times, never mind when you’re so sick. Hospitalization in a government facility is not expensive by our standards - not even $10.00 per night, but this does not include any medicines, painkillers, tests, nothing. Also, hospitals do not feed the patients, so all food has to be brought in by family/friends. The custom here is that there are many people with the sick almost constantly, so these people also have to be fed. So for the most part, Alli is feeding 5 - 6 people daily on top of all the medical bills. We have come to know and love Deo and Divine, and have been so blessed by them.
If Jesus prompts you to help out with the bills, please email us at: ircfroese@gmail.com
Blessings!!!
We had three wonderful friends from Canada visit us for 10 days. Marvin and Rachael, together with Andrea were a breath of fresh air. We love you guys!!
So, part 2 of the Crusade:
The church wasn’t nearly big enough to hold everyone, so the event was held outside which proved to be problematic at times due to short but intense rains. We were under a canopy of tarps and palm branches resting on bamboo sticks. The edge of the mountain was about 20 feet from where we sat. The view was beautiful; there was a deep valley/ravine separating us from other majestic mountains - real mountains, like in B.C., not just ’wannabe’ mountains. (Mind you, all Burundi mountains are the real kind of mountains.)
People had walked/hiked from a distance of up to 15 km. from all directions. First introductions where made - the visiting team as well as all the local pastors representing their churches.
Eddy, who is Honda’s administrator did most of the interpreting for us, and time and again he said how the various choirs were singing songs of condemnation. He said this is very common in rural churches, where worship is often not worship, but judging. The choirs can sing beautifully, and often times are very, almost painfully long winded. They always have synchronized movements throughout the entire song - often times quite funny to watch. Whether it was mixed adult or childrens’ choirs, babies were on the backs of the choir members, bobbing back and forth. The ground was saturated from the rains, and so all the dancing was on slimmy, red mud. Most are bare foot anyway, no need to worry about their expensive Lacoste or Adidas getting ruined.
Many, many responded to the alter calls, and the angels in heaven rejoiced!!
Isaac spoke on the Holy Spirit, and I spoke about who we are in Christ Jesus according to Eph.1:3-14. In the evenings people were able to watch ‘Pilgrim’s Progress” and another Christian movie. The first evening Honda figured there were close to 1500 people, the second night there were more. They stretched out a white sheet on tall branches, thus enabling viewers on both sides.
The second night after preaching, Isaac very suddenly felt very sick. We had just entered the church to have supper, and Isaac knew he needed to get out - now!! We excused ourselves in the nick of time. After vomiting a few times he was completely well again. We fully believe this was a spiritual attack, as Isaac had previously felt a heaviness and darkness in his spirit. But praise be to Jesus - He who is in us is more powerful than he who is in the world!!!
I know I’ve written very little of the spiritual things, but really, when Jesus sets free the captives, that’s the bottom line. We were blessed beyond measure by being able to pray for, encourage and walk along side a beautiful people.
Isaac, Colton and I were all changed on that mountain.
Our dear friend Alli, the one that runs the sewing/mechanic project with ex-prostitutes and child soldiers, has a guy working for her by the name of Deo. Deo is her “right-hand-man” at the project; he’s an extremely soft spoken, gentle spirited father of six. He had malignant cancer from 2002 - 2004, with a huge visible lump on the side of his throat. He was hospitalized, and the doctors gave him just a little while to live. However, God told him that he was healed, and so Deo would tell people this, all the while having this lump on his throat. Well, Jesus completely healed him, and that was 6 years ago!!!
Deo’s wife, Divine, age 30 (Mama Queen - oldest daughter’s name is Queen), was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago; it is now all over her body. She is very sick, and in need of prayer. The way things work out here is if you have someone working for you, you are responsible for the medical bills that the employee and his family accrue. Well, needless to say, the bills are stacking up, and Alli is left almost by herself to pay for them.
Burundi does not have any kind of cancer treatment, so before Christmas Deo and Divine took a bus to Kampala, Uganda 6 times for chemo. Alli said it’s not a pleasant ride at the best of times, never mind when you’re so sick. Hospitalization in a government facility is not expensive by our standards - not even $10.00 per night, but this does not include any medicines, painkillers, tests, nothing. Also, hospitals do not feed the patients, so all food has to be brought in by family/friends. The custom here is that there are many people with the sick almost constantly, so these people also have to be fed. So for the most part, Alli is feeding 5 - 6 people daily on top of all the medical bills. We have come to know and love Deo and Divine, and have been so blessed by them.
If Jesus prompts you to help out with the bills, please email us at: ircfroese@gmail.com
Blessings!!!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Birthday Blessings
I had the absolute best birthday of my life!! (By the way, 29 and holding for those of you that are wondering. :)) Not!!!
It started with ’Happy Birthday’s’ from my 2 favorite boys, and a brilliant variety of freshly picked flowers from our garden, all beautifully arranged. Over breakfast Colton presented me with the drawing he had made for me; another one of his incredible creations, this one being the head of a lion.
Like always, we were at school before 7, and before we were even in the gate, kids were already chorusing ‘Happy Birthday Miss Rosel.’ (yes, I’m Miss, just like other married Mzungu teachers - it’s easier and faster than Mrs. The locals are Madam.) During staff devotions Isaac and Olive had some very powerful words of blessing for me. This was the high light of the day for me, because God poured so much into me.
The kids were reminding me for about 2 weeks that my birthday was coming up; they were so excited about it. I received probably 50 or more cards, and some small offerings of gifts like a little package of ‘Maria” cookies, and such. My favorite/most interesting/unique gift? A gooey, melting, sticky mess of a 2/3 eaten KitKat chocolate bar!! Now you need to understand that real chocolate bars are very rare out here, and they are stored in the meat fridges in stores to prevent them from melting. They are crazy expensive, and we never buy them. So, I had a dilemma on my hands; was I going to let all that good ‘chocolatetiness ‘ go to waste? I mean, this was the real McCoy!!! Not just flavoured wax!! True, the thought of Carol opening the wrapper with probably unwashed hands, and consuming over half of it minutes earlier wasn’t appealing to me, but honestly!!! Chocolate! And… it was a gift…! What to do…?
Well, I did the only thing any chocolate starved chocolate lover would do… I ate it! With great enjoyment!
At break time sweet Madam Olive surprised me with a party. She truly is a wonderful friend; I love her so much.
Isaac is a very gifted artist as well, and he too drew a picture of a lion’s head for me, only this one isn’t docile like Colton’s is; this one looks lethal with his teeth bared and his head back as he lets out a fierce growl. God had spoken to Isaac a few days before my birthday about something that He wanted to impart into me, and this picture was inspired by that. I’m planning on getting the 2 pictures I received from Isaac and Colton matted and framed in Canada. I’ve received many brilliant drawings from both of them, but these two have a very special meaning.
Isaac also got me a fabulous ‘igetengi’ - which is the 3 piece outfit commonly worn by women here. It’s simply 6 yards of fabric cut into 3 equal size lengths - one for wrap around skirt, one for wrap around the wrapped around skirt or to drape over one shoulder, and the last pc is the headpiece. You wear a shirt of your choice with it. I have a number of African outfits - gifts a lot of them. And yes, I plan on wearing my African clothes in Canada.
In the evening Isaac and Colton and I went out for supper by ourselves - a rare occasion to go out.
We had celebrated with some of our closest friends the Sunday before my birthday, which was also a huge blessing. Olivia (wonderful you!!) suggested that we go around the table and each one say 3 things that each one loves about me, and 3 things they like about me. Wow!! If you want to really bless someone on their special day, this is great. Thankfully, Astrid wrote as people spoke, and I have 2 wonderful pages to remind me that I am loved and special.
Because of not having had internet at our house now for over 2 months, I did not get to my emails/Facebook messages for a while, but a big thank you to all who remembered me on my birthday.
It was a truly blessed day!!!
It started with ’Happy Birthday’s’ from my 2 favorite boys, and a brilliant variety of freshly picked flowers from our garden, all beautifully arranged. Over breakfast Colton presented me with the drawing he had made for me; another one of his incredible creations, this one being the head of a lion.
Like always, we were at school before 7, and before we were even in the gate, kids were already chorusing ‘Happy Birthday Miss Rosel.’ (yes, I’m Miss, just like other married Mzungu teachers - it’s easier and faster than Mrs. The locals are Madam.) During staff devotions Isaac and Olive had some very powerful words of blessing for me. This was the high light of the day for me, because God poured so much into me.
The kids were reminding me for about 2 weeks that my birthday was coming up; they were so excited about it. I received probably 50 or more cards, and some small offerings of gifts like a little package of ‘Maria” cookies, and such. My favorite/most interesting/unique gift? A gooey, melting, sticky mess of a 2/3 eaten KitKat chocolate bar!! Now you need to understand that real chocolate bars are very rare out here, and they are stored in the meat fridges in stores to prevent them from melting. They are crazy expensive, and we never buy them. So, I had a dilemma on my hands; was I going to let all that good ‘chocolatetiness ‘ go to waste? I mean, this was the real McCoy!!! Not just flavoured wax!! True, the thought of Carol opening the wrapper with probably unwashed hands, and consuming over half of it minutes earlier wasn’t appealing to me, but honestly!!! Chocolate! And… it was a gift…! What to do…?
Well, I did the only thing any chocolate starved chocolate lover would do… I ate it! With great enjoyment!
At break time sweet Madam Olive surprised me with a party. She truly is a wonderful friend; I love her so much.
Isaac is a very gifted artist as well, and he too drew a picture of a lion’s head for me, only this one isn’t docile like Colton’s is; this one looks lethal with his teeth bared and his head back as he lets out a fierce growl. God had spoken to Isaac a few days before my birthday about something that He wanted to impart into me, and this picture was inspired by that. I’m planning on getting the 2 pictures I received from Isaac and Colton matted and framed in Canada. I’ve received many brilliant drawings from both of them, but these two have a very special meaning.
Isaac also got me a fabulous ‘igetengi’ - which is the 3 piece outfit commonly worn by women here. It’s simply 6 yards of fabric cut into 3 equal size lengths - one for wrap around skirt, one for wrap around the wrapped around skirt or to drape over one shoulder, and the last pc is the headpiece. You wear a shirt of your choice with it. I have a number of African outfits - gifts a lot of them. And yes, I plan on wearing my African clothes in Canada.
In the evening Isaac and Colton and I went out for supper by ourselves - a rare occasion to go out.
We had celebrated with some of our closest friends the Sunday before my birthday, which was also a huge blessing. Olivia (wonderful you!!) suggested that we go around the table and each one say 3 things that each one loves about me, and 3 things they like about me. Wow!! If you want to really bless someone on their special day, this is great. Thankfully, Astrid wrote as people spoke, and I have 2 wonderful pages to remind me that I am loved and special.
Because of not having had internet at our house now for over 2 months, I did not get to my emails/Facebook messages for a while, but a big thank you to all who remembered me on my birthday.
It was a truly blessed day!!!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Christmas in May
We had the blessing of going up country with Drs. Aline and Euloge and Evariste to distribute Christmas Shoe Boxes.
Dr. Aline is the country director of African Revival Ministries, and as such has connections with many wonderful organizations, ‘Compassion’ being one of them.
We started the morning by going to A.R.M. headquarters and completely filling up 2 large SUV vehicles with 300 beautifully wrapped packages. We headed out to the beautiful mountains where the cooler weather greeted us mercifully. After a long, winding, and very bumpy road, we finally arrived at our destination - a Bat’wa village - situated high up in the fog and clouds and rain.
We were immediately greeted by local ‘dignitaries,’ and ushered into the tiny building that was bursting at the seams with people, waiting with anticipation. Upon our arrival, the tiny choir of about 8 people started singing as we were ushered into the building to take our seats at the front of the church. After introductions and greetings, Dr. Euloge preached. He spoke on Jesus being the best gift of all, and many people accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. After this I (Rosel) had a short message about God being their provider, not man.
At this point the adults were asked to vacate the small building to make room for the 300 children. You should have heard the noise and excitement as their eyes alighted on the huge stacks of presents at the front. We separated the boys and girls, and then further separated them by age. Our piles of presents were organized into age/gender specific piles as well. We started with the smallest ones, and worked our way up to the oldest kids. They were instructed to not open their gift until every one had received theirs.
We literally tripped over presents and bodies as we worked in our cramped quarters; finally, everyone was clutching a box of blessings to their chest.
Ready, set, OPEN!!!
Imagine children that have nothing… nothing…. tear into those shiny parcels!!! The noise of the excitement was almost deafening as they began to wave little trucks and pretty dolls and bags of candy and pencil crayons and socks and stuffed animals in the air. Radiant joy!
Our team just stood at the front and watched all these precious ones. At one point I looked at our team and I’m not sure who was beaming more, the givers or the recipients, with the exception that we just quietly took it all in.
After some time I noticed that there were children that were still clutching their unopened box to their chest, as if the pretty package was the gift itself; they didn’t understand that they had to open the present for the true gift that was inside. I knelt down and showed them that they had to rip the paper off and see what’s on the inside. This yielded much more happiness and satisfaction when they saw the contents of the package.
How often, I wonder, do people accept Jesus just for fire insurance, and they never unwrap more of who He is, or of what He has to offer them.
Without a doubt, the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is the absolute best gift there is. But, let’s not stop there; He has so many added gifts for us, if only we pursue a vibrant relationship with Him.
Dr. Aline is the country director of African Revival Ministries, and as such has connections with many wonderful organizations, ‘Compassion’ being one of them.
We started the morning by going to A.R.M. headquarters and completely filling up 2 large SUV vehicles with 300 beautifully wrapped packages. We headed out to the beautiful mountains where the cooler weather greeted us mercifully. After a long, winding, and very bumpy road, we finally arrived at our destination - a Bat’wa village - situated high up in the fog and clouds and rain.
We were immediately greeted by local ‘dignitaries,’ and ushered into the tiny building that was bursting at the seams with people, waiting with anticipation. Upon our arrival, the tiny choir of about 8 people started singing as we were ushered into the building to take our seats at the front of the church. After introductions and greetings, Dr. Euloge preached. He spoke on Jesus being the best gift of all, and many people accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. After this I (Rosel) had a short message about God being their provider, not man.
At this point the adults were asked to vacate the small building to make room for the 300 children. You should have heard the noise and excitement as their eyes alighted on the huge stacks of presents at the front. We separated the boys and girls, and then further separated them by age. Our piles of presents were organized into age/gender specific piles as well. We started with the smallest ones, and worked our way up to the oldest kids. They were instructed to not open their gift until every one had received theirs.
We literally tripped over presents and bodies as we worked in our cramped quarters; finally, everyone was clutching a box of blessings to their chest.
Ready, set, OPEN!!!
Imagine children that have nothing… nothing…. tear into those shiny parcels!!! The noise of the excitement was almost deafening as they began to wave little trucks and pretty dolls and bags of candy and pencil crayons and socks and stuffed animals in the air. Radiant joy!
Our team just stood at the front and watched all these precious ones. At one point I looked at our team and I’m not sure who was beaming more, the givers or the recipients, with the exception that we just quietly took it all in.
After some time I noticed that there were children that were still clutching their unopened box to their chest, as if the pretty package was the gift itself; they didn’t understand that they had to open the present for the true gift that was inside. I knelt down and showed them that they had to rip the paper off and see what’s on the inside. This yielded much more happiness and satisfaction when they saw the contents of the package.
How often, I wonder, do people accept Jesus just for fire insurance, and they never unwrap more of who He is, or of what He has to offer them.
Without a doubt, the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is the absolute best gift there is. But, let’s not stop there; He has so many added gifts for us, if only we pursue a vibrant relationship with Him.
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