Good Friday - in this country it goes by almost unnoticed it seems; it's business as usual for most people. Makes me sad. May we truly reflect on the indescribable love of both; the Father in giving His Son, and the Son as He paid the price to reconcile sinful man to God.
We're doing well; Colton and I are currently enjoying a 2 week Easter break. Isaac is busy as usual between CRIB, school, Chrissie's, Pastor Ray's, and others.
Next week we are planning on going to Kigali, Rwanda with a good buddy of ours. Scott, who hails from Vermont, has been in Buj. since October of last year. He is setting up an organization for drilling wells for the villages. We're driving up with him, and staying at another good friend, Olivia's (from Colorado) auntie and uncle. So thankful for God's provision.
Planning on visiting the genocide memorials....
We're starting to think more and more about all the things that we have to say bye to in just over 2 months.
I seriously can't imagine being in the west again - I don't know how we'll be able to process everything without going crazy. I mean, I know how, with God's help obviously, but it will be so awfully hard to see/do life in absolutely filthy rich Canada. Excessiveness, waste, greed... I am really dreading that. I think God's going to have to physically hold my mouth shut often times. I know the temptation could be to just try and turn that part of me off completely and go with the flow, but I know that would be like a slap in the face for every person that lives without on this continent. I'm close to tears even now as I think of the extreme contrast. What we're gonna need is balance, and right now I have no idea what that will look like. Oh Jesus help us.
We had a grenade attack with heavy shooting at a communication tower 2 blocks from our house about three weeks ago - closest that it's been to our house up to this point.
Haven't had internet at our house for about the same amount of time... with the exception of a few rare times. However, don't let that stop you from emailing us. It's so encouraging to receive emails when we are able to access them.
Happy Easter!!!! Jesus is Alive!!
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Friday, April 22, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Let the little children come to me. Jesus
You gotta sit down for this; mind you, you probably are.
In the last week and a half 32 children have become Christians!!!!! How sweet is that!!?? And every one of them filled with the Holy Spirit and praying in tongues!!
Of these 32, 11 are Hindu and Muslim. All the kids are famished for the Word of God, and very eager to grow in their new found faith. They come into my room every single break time now just to pray and learn more. I have 20 + kids at a time, coming of their own volition. The Spirit of God comes on me and I start preaching. When I’m on duty on the playground, the kids gather around me and we form a circle and pray. I asked the kids to start praying that many of the Secondary kids are going to become Christians.
What an incredible sight - these youngsters earnestly calling out to God for the lost!!! Most of the kids are in grade 5 and 6.
Every soul that comes to Jesus is priceless, but I must confess that the Muslim and Hindu kids - seeing the Spirit on them - wow!!! What joy!!! You know, these kids could undergo severe persecution at home. In extreme cases girls are killed by their dad; boys I believe are generally disowned.
There are about 10 kids that were Christians before already, but they wanted, and received the in-filling of the Holy Spirit.
We’re praying for more children to come and experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Oh, by the way, in my previous blog about 3 or 4 weeks ago, I asked you to pray for 2 girls that both of them would receive Jesus. Prayers answered!!!! Shortly after I blogged, kids came into my room and said that one of them was scared and had cried when other kids had said the world was going to end because of the tragedies occurring in Japan. What a golden opportunity to speak truth into her. Praise Jesus!
Please pray for all the kids as they continue to grow in their relationship with the Lord. Pray for me as well, that God will continue to guide and direct me. And please pray for Isaac, Colton and myself because the spiritual warfare is not easy - the enemy is losing ground and he doesn’t like it one bit. Stand with us for a bigger harvest.
We had an all time low in temperature this week since our arrival in Buj 21 months ago. When we got up at 5:45 it was a mere 22.7 degrees!!! Brrrrr
You must have all watched footage of the Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake. One of the teachers at King’s is from that city. She did not lose any loved ones personally, but knows many that did. Please continue to pray for that situation there as well.
I dreamed that I was eating farmer sausage; boy, I dream good! (at least if it was Pioneer Brand ;-)) I wish I woulda’ continued dreaming; I definitely would have enjoyed a large slice of chocolate/rum cheese cake for dessert.
There is a great increase in rebel activity in the last number of weeks. There is much violence in the province of Bubanza, which is about ½ an hour from us. This is were we went a year ago with Honda to do the crusade.
But the blood shed is also very close to our home. Not even a mile from our house there is a large, very rough neighbourhood called Kanyosha. This is where our friend Deo (the husband of Divine who died of cancer last June), together with his 6 kids lives. A while ago we had gone for a visit to his house in the evening. A few hours later, just down the street from Deo’s house, there was a grenade attack. It killed 3 young children - siblings - and a women. The parents of the children were injured.
About a month ago, another friend Deo (Deo and Rosa - CRIB), lost a cousin in the same neighbourhood, together with 3 other men. These are just people/situations that we know of; there are many where we don’t know the details.
We often hear gunshots during the day, but it’s night time that they are the worst. At night time you don’t hear just 4 or 5 ‘pops’; sometimes it goes on and on. I lie there in the dark and imagine the people lying in a pool of blood….., and I pray. It’s hard to believe, but Isaac and Colton usually sleep through it all, except if it’s pretty close.
Please pray for this country.
In the last week and a half 32 children have become Christians!!!!! How sweet is that!!?? And every one of them filled with the Holy Spirit and praying in tongues!!
Of these 32, 11 are Hindu and Muslim. All the kids are famished for the Word of God, and very eager to grow in their new found faith. They come into my room every single break time now just to pray and learn more. I have 20 + kids at a time, coming of their own volition. The Spirit of God comes on me and I start preaching. When I’m on duty on the playground, the kids gather around me and we form a circle and pray. I asked the kids to start praying that many of the Secondary kids are going to become Christians.
What an incredible sight - these youngsters earnestly calling out to God for the lost!!! Most of the kids are in grade 5 and 6.
Every soul that comes to Jesus is priceless, but I must confess that the Muslim and Hindu kids - seeing the Spirit on them - wow!!! What joy!!! You know, these kids could undergo severe persecution at home. In extreme cases girls are killed by their dad; boys I believe are generally disowned.
There are about 10 kids that were Christians before already, but they wanted, and received the in-filling of the Holy Spirit.
We’re praying for more children to come and experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Oh, by the way, in my previous blog about 3 or 4 weeks ago, I asked you to pray for 2 girls that both of them would receive Jesus. Prayers answered!!!! Shortly after I blogged, kids came into my room and said that one of them was scared and had cried when other kids had said the world was going to end because of the tragedies occurring in Japan. What a golden opportunity to speak truth into her. Praise Jesus!
Please pray for all the kids as they continue to grow in their relationship with the Lord. Pray for me as well, that God will continue to guide and direct me. And please pray for Isaac, Colton and myself because the spiritual warfare is not easy - the enemy is losing ground and he doesn’t like it one bit. Stand with us for a bigger harvest.
We had an all time low in temperature this week since our arrival in Buj 21 months ago. When we got up at 5:45 it was a mere 22.7 degrees!!! Brrrrr
You must have all watched footage of the Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake. One of the teachers at King’s is from that city. She did not lose any loved ones personally, but knows many that did. Please continue to pray for that situation there as well.
I dreamed that I was eating farmer sausage; boy, I dream good! (at least if it was Pioneer Brand ;-)) I wish I woulda’ continued dreaming; I definitely would have enjoyed a large slice of chocolate/rum cheese cake for dessert.
There is a great increase in rebel activity in the last number of weeks. There is much violence in the province of Bubanza, which is about ½ an hour from us. This is were we went a year ago with Honda to do the crusade.
But the blood shed is also very close to our home. Not even a mile from our house there is a large, very rough neighbourhood called Kanyosha. This is where our friend Deo (the husband of Divine who died of cancer last June), together with his 6 kids lives. A while ago we had gone for a visit to his house in the evening. A few hours later, just down the street from Deo’s house, there was a grenade attack. It killed 3 young children - siblings - and a women. The parents of the children were injured.
About a month ago, another friend Deo (Deo and Rosa - CRIB), lost a cousin in the same neighbourhood, together with 3 other men. These are just people/situations that we know of; there are many where we don’t know the details.
We often hear gunshots during the day, but it’s night time that they are the worst. At night time you don’t hear just 4 or 5 ‘pops’; sometimes it goes on and on. I lie there in the dark and imagine the people lying in a pool of blood….., and I pray. It’s hard to believe, but Isaac and Colton usually sleep through it all, except if it’s pretty close.
Please pray for this country.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
New Creations in Christ
Spring is around the corner for the western world - yeah! Daylight savings begins today we were reminded by a friend over lunch today. Enjoy!!
I have the huge privilege of teaching Christian Education to 3 grades, and very often I also incorporate Christian teaching into the art lessons that I teach from grades 1 - 6.
One project that I did recently with some of my kids was making a bamboo scroll. I spent much time prayerfully selecting the verses that Jesus wanted to have me teach them. So once I had compiled them and designed all the scroll ‘pages’ to match with the verse the kids would write on them, I started by having the kids memorize the verses in fun ways. Following that I thoroughly explained the meaning of each verse.
I get very passionate when I present the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit was so present. My heart’s desire is to see the students come to an experiential relationship with Jesus, and as I expounded on the verses, you coulda’ heard a pin drop. I ended by telling them that if they wanted to respond to what they had just heard, they could come and talk to me in my room any time during break time.
Well, in grade 3 there were 2 Muslim boys that responded with great sincerity, as well as 2 other boys that had already accepted the Lord. What I’ve learned is that sometimes kids think they have to accept Jesus again when their understanding of the gospel is deepened. I tell them that when they first opened the door of their heart to Jesus, He came in and closed the door behind Himself, and that He hasn’t gone out. This reassures them about their salvation.
Back to the 2 Muslim boys. Wow, there is hardly a greater joy than to see the Father snatch children from the clutches of satan. Isaac and I spend every morning in prayer for the kids (especially Muslim), school, etc., and to see God drawing these precious ones to Himself is so terribly exciting. I fully believe that there is not one Muslim student at The King’s School by coincidence. The parents want the English education, but God has so much more for them. I believe these 2 boys are going to influence many people for the kingdom of Jesus in the Muslim world.
I made sure that the boys understood and believe who Jesus is and what He’s done for them.The boys and myself held hands as God’s kingdom grew by a few more chosen ones!!! What incredible joy to witness this!!
Right after we prayed and rejoiced, I told the boys that now that they were Christians, God had just given them a very special gift. I explained what speaking in tongues is, and I asked if they wanted to start using that right away, to which they eagerly responded with a ‘yes’. I laid my hands on them, prayed, and almost immediately these boys where conversing with the Father in that heavenly language. Praise Jesus!!! Wow! Is there anything more fulfilling than that?
The following week another Muslim boy (grade 4) walked into my room. I went through the same steps as with the other boys, and him and I knelt down and this child also had his name written in the Book of Life!! He comes into my room now sometimes just to talk, and once we both just worshiped God together in tongues.
The 2 grade three boys came to The King’s School after school had started in Sept., and so they did not receive a Bible when Gideon’s distributed them last school year. I was able to bless them both with a Bible, and I love how they have special smiles for me when they see me now.
A few days later a grade 4 girl came into my room, and God performed one more miracle! This one was shy about praying in tongues. I told her that was okay, that she could do it alone at home, and that I’d love to know once she did. The very next day she excitedly came to tell me that she had!! How sweet is that!?!
I so love how kids believe and accept the Truth so readily. I think we as adults often underestimate their ability to understand and respond to Jesus. And I also think that sometimes we perhaps subconsciously think that there is a ‘junior’ Holy Spirit for children. Wrong!!! Jesus knew explicitly well what He was talking about when He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Young children tend to have an unadulterated understanding of who Jesus is, void of religion and man’s traditions. I love that!! No wonder they can hear and respond to the Father’s voice when they hear Him calling their name.
So I want to ask you, please pray for the precious souls that have given their lives to the Master.
There are 2 other girls, both Muslim, that we’re praying for. I believe that Jesus is really touching them through the conversations we have a few times a week during break time when they come to hang out with me in my room. Please include them in your prayers, and I can hardly wait to give you the good news…..
I have the huge privilege of teaching Christian Education to 3 grades, and very often I also incorporate Christian teaching into the art lessons that I teach from grades 1 - 6.
One project that I did recently with some of my kids was making a bamboo scroll. I spent much time prayerfully selecting the verses that Jesus wanted to have me teach them. So once I had compiled them and designed all the scroll ‘pages’ to match with the verse the kids would write on them, I started by having the kids memorize the verses in fun ways. Following that I thoroughly explained the meaning of each verse.
I get very passionate when I present the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit was so present. My heart’s desire is to see the students come to an experiential relationship with Jesus, and as I expounded on the verses, you coulda’ heard a pin drop. I ended by telling them that if they wanted to respond to what they had just heard, they could come and talk to me in my room any time during break time.
Well, in grade 3 there were 2 Muslim boys that responded with great sincerity, as well as 2 other boys that had already accepted the Lord. What I’ve learned is that sometimes kids think they have to accept Jesus again when their understanding of the gospel is deepened. I tell them that when they first opened the door of their heart to Jesus, He came in and closed the door behind Himself, and that He hasn’t gone out. This reassures them about their salvation.
Back to the 2 Muslim boys. Wow, there is hardly a greater joy than to see the Father snatch children from the clutches of satan. Isaac and I spend every morning in prayer for the kids (especially Muslim), school, etc., and to see God drawing these precious ones to Himself is so terribly exciting. I fully believe that there is not one Muslim student at The King’s School by coincidence. The parents want the English education, but God has so much more for them. I believe these 2 boys are going to influence many people for the kingdom of Jesus in the Muslim world.
I made sure that the boys understood and believe who Jesus is and what He’s done for them.The boys and myself held hands as God’s kingdom grew by a few more chosen ones!!! What incredible joy to witness this!!
Right after we prayed and rejoiced, I told the boys that now that they were Christians, God had just given them a very special gift. I explained what speaking in tongues is, and I asked if they wanted to start using that right away, to which they eagerly responded with a ‘yes’. I laid my hands on them, prayed, and almost immediately these boys where conversing with the Father in that heavenly language. Praise Jesus!!! Wow! Is there anything more fulfilling than that?
The following week another Muslim boy (grade 4) walked into my room. I went through the same steps as with the other boys, and him and I knelt down and this child also had his name written in the Book of Life!! He comes into my room now sometimes just to talk, and once we both just worshiped God together in tongues.
The 2 grade three boys came to The King’s School after school had started in Sept., and so they did not receive a Bible when Gideon’s distributed them last school year. I was able to bless them both with a Bible, and I love how they have special smiles for me when they see me now.
A few days later a grade 4 girl came into my room, and God performed one more miracle! This one was shy about praying in tongues. I told her that was okay, that she could do it alone at home, and that I’d love to know once she did. The very next day she excitedly came to tell me that she had!! How sweet is that!?!
I so love how kids believe and accept the Truth so readily. I think we as adults often underestimate their ability to understand and respond to Jesus. And I also think that sometimes we perhaps subconsciously think that there is a ‘junior’ Holy Spirit for children. Wrong!!! Jesus knew explicitly well what He was talking about when He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Young children tend to have an unadulterated understanding of who Jesus is, void of religion and man’s traditions. I love that!! No wonder they can hear and respond to the Father’s voice when they hear Him calling their name.
So I want to ask you, please pray for the precious souls that have given their lives to the Master.
There are 2 other girls, both Muslim, that we’re praying for. I believe that Jesus is really touching them through the conversations we have a few times a week during break time when they come to hang out with me in my room. Please include them in your prayers, and I can hardly wait to give you the good news…..
Monday, February 21, 2011
Oreos and Pomegranates
February 14 - Happy Valentine’s Day
Some recent BurundiHappenings: (or soon to be happenings)
We are getting some lovely visitors.
Feb 28 - March 6 - Dave and Edith from our church (Calvary Chapel) are coming to spend some time with us.
In April (dates pending) my (Rosel) brother John, together with his wife Carol and their daughter Becki are coming for a very short visit. They are going to Uganda to be present when the water gushes out of the well that will be drilled on the property that was donated to Ramona’s Reach for the orphanage that will be built on the 5 acres of land. Love it - Ramona lives on……..
Colton’s new year wish/prayer was that a cousin would come to visit us this year. There was positively nothing of the sort even on the radar as far as we knew. So you can imagine the rejoicing in this house when I read, out loud, the email from Carol announcing their plans to come for a visit.
We are very excited to welcome our guests.
Colton is now taller than me. He likes that.
There was a green, venomous snake found in one of the classrooms at Primary last week. And killed.
Two weekends ago I got bitten by our friend’s pet monkey - Pete - on the inside of my right hand wrist. Our friend released Pete last week. Sad - I liked Pete; apparently he liked me to - or not….
The weekend after that I got bitten by another friends’ dog on my right foot. She cut deep. It’s still painful when I apply pressure on the wound. I didn’t know I was venturing close to her pups….
This last weekend I didn’t get bitten by anything. Actually, come to think of it, the flu bug!
We have what we thought was a long dead tree branch that holds up one end of our clothes line. Colton was outside when he excitedly called Isaac and myself to come out and look at something. There, at the top of that used-to be-dead branch were lovely green clusters of leaves at the ends of young, tender new twigs. Reminds me a lot about God and mankind - He transforms the dry, dead parts into something that again is full of life and vitality. But sometimes that too takes a long time…
February 21
Well, I’ve tried posting this and every time I try it doesn’t work.
So….
My dog bite is healing nicely.
Only one week from today that our first visitors arrive… yippie!!
Isaac often works long days; between both schools, Chrissie’s, CRIB, Pastor Ray’s new house (new for them), other teachers’ houses, etc, it’s often well past six when he finally comes home.
Recently he had to rescue Colton’s home room teacher from in the washroom; lucky for her, it was after school. Doorknobs are awful quality here, which in this case was the problem as well. She had to yell for a guards attention through the window, who then had to go to the teachers house to tell one of the teachers to call Isaac about the predicament. All in a days’ work… J
Debbie, the head teacher, has lovely parents that come to visit every 3 - 5 months from the UK. John and Hazel, bless them, have brought us 2 small pkg. of Oreos twice when they come for a visit. You should see the ceremony we make out of the event when we consume these wonderful morsels of nostalgia inducing treats. Mmmm!
Colton took the plastic wrapper of one of the pkgs. and taped it to his bedroom wall….
Funny, the kinds of things that make a person miss another era in one’s life.
Will return - going for a walk with sweet Ali…
Colton and I just returned from a walk around the neighbourhood with Ali. I spotted a tree laden with pomegranates so we decided to knock on the gate to inquire if we could buy some. They were very surprised to see 3 mzungus at their gate, and yes, we could have a few fabulous fruits. As we were walking down the street, I verbalized the fact that I loved walking and eating a freshly picked tropical fruit - certainly not something we would be doing in Canada at this time of year. Just saying…
Some recent BurundiHappenings: (or soon to be happenings)
We are getting some lovely visitors.
Feb 28 - March 6 - Dave and Edith from our church (Calvary Chapel) are coming to spend some time with us.
In April (dates pending) my (Rosel) brother John, together with his wife Carol and their daughter Becki are coming for a very short visit. They are going to Uganda to be present when the water gushes out of the well that will be drilled on the property that was donated to Ramona’s Reach for the orphanage that will be built on the 5 acres of land. Love it - Ramona lives on……..
Colton’s new year wish/prayer was that a cousin would come to visit us this year. There was positively nothing of the sort even on the radar as far as we knew. So you can imagine the rejoicing in this house when I read, out loud, the email from Carol announcing their plans to come for a visit.
We are very excited to welcome our guests.
Colton is now taller than me. He likes that.
There was a green, venomous snake found in one of the classrooms at Primary last week. And killed.
Two weekends ago I got bitten by our friend’s pet monkey - Pete - on the inside of my right hand wrist. Our friend released Pete last week. Sad - I liked Pete; apparently he liked me to - or not….
The weekend after that I got bitten by another friends’ dog on my right foot. She cut deep. It’s still painful when I apply pressure on the wound. I didn’t know I was venturing close to her pups….
This last weekend I didn’t get bitten by anything. Actually, come to think of it, the flu bug!
We have what we thought was a long dead tree branch that holds up one end of our clothes line. Colton was outside when he excitedly called Isaac and myself to come out and look at something. There, at the top of that used-to be-dead branch were lovely green clusters of leaves at the ends of young, tender new twigs. Reminds me a lot about God and mankind - He transforms the dry, dead parts into something that again is full of life and vitality. But sometimes that too takes a long time…
February 21
Well, I’ve tried posting this and every time I try it doesn’t work.
So….
My dog bite is healing nicely.
Only one week from today that our first visitors arrive… yippie!!
Isaac often works long days; between both schools, Chrissie’s, CRIB, Pastor Ray’s new house (new for them), other teachers’ houses, etc, it’s often well past six when he finally comes home.
Recently he had to rescue Colton’s home room teacher from in the washroom; lucky for her, it was after school. Doorknobs are awful quality here, which in this case was the problem as well. She had to yell for a guards attention through the window, who then had to go to the teachers house to tell one of the teachers to call Isaac about the predicament. All in a days’ work… J
Debbie, the head teacher, has lovely parents that come to visit every 3 - 5 months from the UK. John and Hazel, bless them, have brought us 2 small pkg. of Oreos twice when they come for a visit. You should see the ceremony we make out of the event when we consume these wonderful morsels of nostalgia inducing treats. Mmmm!
Colton took the plastic wrapper of one of the pkgs. and taped it to his bedroom wall….
Funny, the kinds of things that make a person miss another era in one’s life.
Will return - going for a walk with sweet Ali…
Colton and I just returned from a walk around the neighbourhood with Ali. I spotted a tree laden with pomegranates so we decided to knock on the gate to inquire if we could buy some. They were very surprised to see 3 mzungus at their gate, and yes, we could have a few fabulous fruits. As we were walking down the street, I verbalized the fact that I loved walking and eating a freshly picked tropical fruit - certainly not something we would be doing in Canada at this time of year. Just saying…
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Christmas Season 2010
Hello everyone;
Hope you’ve had a great start to 2011.
Some recent Burundi happenings:
The pre-Christmas season was easier this year because we knew better what to expect, and by far the bigger reason is that we know a lot more people and were with them a lot over Christmas. A brief run down of what it looked like:
Astrid organized a cookie exchange with some expats. Interesting how the biggest challenge is not which delectable treat to settle on based on preference, but on availability of ingredients. Choices are very limited.
Our school Christmas program was again very good. The absolute best thing is that so many Muslim and Hindu families come to watch their children. I am repeatedly reminded what it says in Isa 55: 10-11: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
Dec. 24 - morning. A family member sent $400.00 for Sabe Village, so after consulting with Honda and Libby (the friends that are the hands and feet of Jesus in that awful place) it was quickly decided where exactly the money would go. Last year we had the honor and privilege to help them with the distribution of some Christmas goodies to the children of Sabe. This year, however, they had no idea how this would be possible due to a lack of funds. Well, with this $400 we bought 20 crates of Fanta, 1200 “doughnuts” (pieces of deep fried dough), and a big box of lollipops. What a joy to see these kids come running to meet you!! With distended bellies and skin covering their fragile limbs the thought crosses your mind that the money could perhaps be used to buy nutritious beans instead, but when you see the sheer delight of those little ones receiving an “extra”, it just changes everything. We were able to bless about 600 children that morning.
Dec. 24 - afternoon. Straight from Sabe Village we headed to the beach down the street to meet our precious Canadian friend Ali, together with Deo and his kids. (Remember Divine that died of cancer in late July? Deo is the husband. We met Deo and Divine through Ali ) We spent a great afternoon enjoying each others company. Those kids are great; they really felt the loneliness of Christmas without their mom.
Dec. 24 - evening - As is our tradition, we opened some gifts. Another wonderful friend, Olivia, went home to Colorado in Nov., and she offered to bring back some stuff for us, so we took this opportunity to ask her to bring some items for Christmas for Colton. He was so surprised!!! So much fun to watch his reaction.
Dec. 25 - Christmas day - morning. After breakfast Colton opened a few small gifts. At 9:00 am we again went to CRIB to watch all the kids rip into their presents. Every year they have all their presents flown in from England - so this is a sight to behold as they dive into the gifts. After helping the kids with figuring out how this game or that ‘thing’ works, installing batteries, Isaac setting up the soccer nets they received, etc., Dave and Sheena (England), who are the house parents at CRIB, invited us and the other guests in for tea.
Home for Christmas lunch - not your typical Christmas spread. We had vegetable beef soup and flour tortillias. We just simply couldn’t cough up $167.21 US for a 3 kilo turkey. (I almost went cross-eyed when I saw that price!!!)
Dec. 25 - afternoon til evening. Olivia, together with the wonderful folks that live with her, invited us, Travis and Astrid, Ali, Deo and his kids, and a few other people over. Felt so blessed to have these people in our lives.
Dec. 26 - Ali over all day, Tim and Jeannette - friends from South Africa - dropped in, as well as Astrid with a visitor of theirs.
Dec. 27 - Dec 29. Astrid, co-founder of Sozo Ministries (see my fb likes) had asked if we wanted to part take in a three day church leader training seminar that Sozo was doing. Isaac is not on the school holiday schedule and therefore had to work, but Colton and I attended, and are now qualified to train and teach PowerClubs with Kids in Ministry International.
We again witnessed a beautiful working of the Holy Spirit during this seminar as God became very real to one of the attendees and had a super encounter with the Almighty. During a teaching on the Holy Spirit, she for the first time was filled with the Holy Spirit. At first she said that she thought she was having a heart attack - it was so powerful, and also foreign to her. I immediately whispered to Colton, “spiritual warfare, pray.” One pastor, Colton and myself quickly went over to her and started to pray for her. Within moments the power of God was so heavy on her…. I sat with her for about two hours and prayed as the Lord was “on” her. What a joy to see some of the fruit that God did in that time.
The seminar was in a one room mud and brick church, dirt floor, tin roof, walls only partially completed due to a lack of funds. We had wonderful respite from the heat, as it rained all three days for a majority of the time. Astrid and the translator where often drowned out by the absolutely beautiful sound of the rain hammering on the tin roof. We just gathered around them closely and continued. Colton helped with worship on African drum and guitar. There were no doors, so we had an audience for most of the three days; by the third day they didn’t just stay in the very back, sitting on the partially completed wall, but came in and sat on the wooden planks. We surrounded the people and prayed into their lives; man, I’m telling you - that’s life!!!
On the third day in the afternoon we went out into the neighborhood and did an actual PowerClub. We had 4 groups; Colton and my group, together with a few local pastors and other locals from Bujumbura had about 100 kids and adults combined that attended. We just walked around for about 5 minutes and our entourage just grew out of curiosity. It’s very rare to see mzungus in that part of town - it’s very poor and incredibly crowded. So the mzungu factor, I believe, played a huge factor in being able to see about 85 adults/kids come to Jesus!!!!! Curiosity leading to salvation - love it!!
These were long days - Astrid picked us up at about 8:00 am or sooner, and the latest we got home was well past 6:00 pm. Tired but so pumped to see God move so powerfully.
Dec. 31 - New Years Day. Months ago some of us already started talking about going down to Makamba province for New Years. This is where Travis and Astrid are starting a children’s village for orphans, and they are in the process of acquiring land right on the lake for this mission and vision that God has given them. They are not 4 km, as I said earlier on a Facebook entry, but only 2 km. away from the Tanzanian border. They’ve rented a small house in the village that serves as the field office and 10 of us flooded their tiny compound with 4 tents; 5 in total with their existing one.
The villagers are all returning genocide refugees from Tanzania. They have almost nothing; literally. It’s not uncommon to see children naked up country, apart from a rag that serves as a shirt, but in this area there were so many children with no clothes or just a rag for a shirt. Many, if not most or all, had ever seen a mzungu before. (About a month ago Pastor Ray told us that there are probably no more than 200 mzungus in this country of 9,000,000)
When we were leaving and had to stop on the road due to one of the vehicles having trouble, we were completely surrounded by faces. At one point I counted and there were 11 looking in my side window alone!!!! The ’front’ row literally had their faces pasted against the window. If you don’t think that’s possible, experiment with some friends. We often have 5 - 6 at any or a few of our windows, but that felt a little claustrophobic.
We had 24/7 soldier security. Three, armed with their AK-47’s at night, and 1 or 2 during the day, on top of other security. When Travis and Astrid (Withrow) are at the house this is the norm.
The Withrow’s left on Sat., but the rest of us stayed till Sun., the 2nd. Isaac, Colton, myself, Ali, and 4 other friends decided to hike to Tanzania. We were escorted by two armed soldiers, the border chief, the town chief and others. And of course our entourage of curious mzungu watchers grew as we went along.
The scenery was beautiful; the dirt road turned path turned trail was right along Lake Tanganyika, surrounded by huge mountains. We were allowed to take only very limited pictures because we crossed the border without visas, and the border chief seemed a little jumpy when I asked if I was allowed to take pictures. We received very warm welcomes everywhere we went - immigration office, police “station” etc., but no photos. HAHA!!
Enough for today.
Hope you’ve had a great start to 2011.
Some recent Burundi happenings:
The pre-Christmas season was easier this year because we knew better what to expect, and by far the bigger reason is that we know a lot more people and were with them a lot over Christmas. A brief run down of what it looked like:
Astrid organized a cookie exchange with some expats. Interesting how the biggest challenge is not which delectable treat to settle on based on preference, but on availability of ingredients. Choices are very limited.
Our school Christmas program was again very good. The absolute best thing is that so many Muslim and Hindu families come to watch their children. I am repeatedly reminded what it says in Isa 55: 10-11: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
Dec. 24 - morning. A family member sent $400.00 for Sabe Village, so after consulting with Honda and Libby (the friends that are the hands and feet of Jesus in that awful place) it was quickly decided where exactly the money would go. Last year we had the honor and privilege to help them with the distribution of some Christmas goodies to the children of Sabe. This year, however, they had no idea how this would be possible due to a lack of funds. Well, with this $400 we bought 20 crates of Fanta, 1200 “doughnuts” (pieces of deep fried dough), and a big box of lollipops. What a joy to see these kids come running to meet you!! With distended bellies and skin covering their fragile limbs the thought crosses your mind that the money could perhaps be used to buy nutritious beans instead, but when you see the sheer delight of those little ones receiving an “extra”, it just changes everything. We were able to bless about 600 children that morning.
Dec. 24 - afternoon. Straight from Sabe Village we headed to the beach down the street to meet our precious Canadian friend Ali, together with Deo and his kids. (Remember Divine that died of cancer in late July? Deo is the husband. We met Deo and Divine through Ali ) We spent a great afternoon enjoying each others company. Those kids are great; they really felt the loneliness of Christmas without their mom.
Dec. 24 - evening - As is our tradition, we opened some gifts. Another wonderful friend, Olivia, went home to Colorado in Nov., and she offered to bring back some stuff for us, so we took this opportunity to ask her to bring some items for Christmas for Colton. He was so surprised!!! So much fun to watch his reaction.
Dec. 25 - Christmas day - morning. After breakfast Colton opened a few small gifts. At 9:00 am we again went to CRIB to watch all the kids rip into their presents. Every year they have all their presents flown in from England - so this is a sight to behold as they dive into the gifts. After helping the kids with figuring out how this game or that ‘thing’ works, installing batteries, Isaac setting up the soccer nets they received, etc., Dave and Sheena (England), who are the house parents at CRIB, invited us and the other guests in for tea.
Home for Christmas lunch - not your typical Christmas spread. We had vegetable beef soup and flour tortillias. We just simply couldn’t cough up $167.21 US for a 3 kilo turkey. (I almost went cross-eyed when I saw that price!!!)
Dec. 25 - afternoon til evening. Olivia, together with the wonderful folks that live with her, invited us, Travis and Astrid, Ali, Deo and his kids, and a few other people over. Felt so blessed to have these people in our lives.
Dec. 26 - Ali over all day, Tim and Jeannette - friends from South Africa - dropped in, as well as Astrid with a visitor of theirs.
Dec. 27 - Dec 29. Astrid, co-founder of Sozo Ministries (see my fb likes) had asked if we wanted to part take in a three day church leader training seminar that Sozo was doing. Isaac is not on the school holiday schedule and therefore had to work, but Colton and I attended, and are now qualified to train and teach PowerClubs with Kids in Ministry International.
We again witnessed a beautiful working of the Holy Spirit during this seminar as God became very real to one of the attendees and had a super encounter with the Almighty. During a teaching on the Holy Spirit, she for the first time was filled with the Holy Spirit. At first she said that she thought she was having a heart attack - it was so powerful, and also foreign to her. I immediately whispered to Colton, “spiritual warfare, pray.” One pastor, Colton and myself quickly went over to her and started to pray for her. Within moments the power of God was so heavy on her…. I sat with her for about two hours and prayed as the Lord was “on” her. What a joy to see some of the fruit that God did in that time.
The seminar was in a one room mud and brick church, dirt floor, tin roof, walls only partially completed due to a lack of funds. We had wonderful respite from the heat, as it rained all three days for a majority of the time. Astrid and the translator where often drowned out by the absolutely beautiful sound of the rain hammering on the tin roof. We just gathered around them closely and continued. Colton helped with worship on African drum and guitar. There were no doors, so we had an audience for most of the three days; by the third day they didn’t just stay in the very back, sitting on the partially completed wall, but came in and sat on the wooden planks. We surrounded the people and prayed into their lives; man, I’m telling you - that’s life!!!
On the third day in the afternoon we went out into the neighborhood and did an actual PowerClub. We had 4 groups; Colton and my group, together with a few local pastors and other locals from Bujumbura had about 100 kids and adults combined that attended. We just walked around for about 5 minutes and our entourage just grew out of curiosity. It’s very rare to see mzungus in that part of town - it’s very poor and incredibly crowded. So the mzungu factor, I believe, played a huge factor in being able to see about 85 adults/kids come to Jesus!!!!! Curiosity leading to salvation - love it!!
These were long days - Astrid picked us up at about 8:00 am or sooner, and the latest we got home was well past 6:00 pm. Tired but so pumped to see God move so powerfully.
Dec. 31 - New Years Day. Months ago some of us already started talking about going down to Makamba province for New Years. This is where Travis and Astrid are starting a children’s village for orphans, and they are in the process of acquiring land right on the lake for this mission and vision that God has given them. They are not 4 km, as I said earlier on a Facebook entry, but only 2 km. away from the Tanzanian border. They’ve rented a small house in the village that serves as the field office and 10 of us flooded their tiny compound with 4 tents; 5 in total with their existing one.
The villagers are all returning genocide refugees from Tanzania. They have almost nothing; literally. It’s not uncommon to see children naked up country, apart from a rag that serves as a shirt, but in this area there were so many children with no clothes or just a rag for a shirt. Many, if not most or all, had ever seen a mzungu before. (About a month ago Pastor Ray told us that there are probably no more than 200 mzungus in this country of 9,000,000)
When we were leaving and had to stop on the road due to one of the vehicles having trouble, we were completely surrounded by faces. At one point I counted and there were 11 looking in my side window alone!!!! The ’front’ row literally had their faces pasted against the window. If you don’t think that’s possible, experiment with some friends. We often have 5 - 6 at any or a few of our windows, but that felt a little claustrophobic.
We had 24/7 soldier security. Three, armed with their AK-47’s at night, and 1 or 2 during the day, on top of other security. When Travis and Astrid (Withrow) are at the house this is the norm.
The Withrow’s left on Sat., but the rest of us stayed till Sun., the 2nd. Isaac, Colton, myself, Ali, and 4 other friends decided to hike to Tanzania. We were escorted by two armed soldiers, the border chief, the town chief and others. And of course our entourage of curious mzungu watchers grew as we went along.
The scenery was beautiful; the dirt road turned path turned trail was right along Lake Tanganyika, surrounded by huge mountains. We were allowed to take only very limited pictures because we crossed the border without visas, and the border chief seemed a little jumpy when I asked if I was allowed to take pictures. We received very warm welcomes everywhere we went - immigration office, police “station” etc., but no photos. HAHA!!
Enough for today.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Rejoicing Angels
Hey family and friends;
Happy December!!!!
The only clue that we’re in the Christmas season as far as the senses go is the Christmas songs the kids at school are learning for the program and the Christmas projects that I’ve been doing with all the classes for a month.
I miss the beautiful winter wonderland that is all lit up at this time of year where many of you are sitting. In fact, 2 nights ago I dreamt I was driving by field after field that was beautifully decked out with lights, and I was just mesmerized by the beauty, and was slowly making my way along. There were others around me that were rushing me and telling me to speed up. I gently told them that these were the first Christmas lights I’d seen for the year, and was enjoying the sight.
I encourage you to stop and really take in the beauty that surrounds you and not just rush from party to party and appt. to appt., without really pondering Whom and why we are celebrating.
So, I was supposed to go to Kigali, Rwanda last week Thursday morning till this past Monday for a women’s conference. I was very excited to go. Jabe Iglese Vivant blessed us so much when they volunteered to pay for all my expenses minus about $17.00 US. Around nine in the evening the night before we were to leave, Aime, the very helpful admin. from school that helps the expats with Visa’s, Passports, etc., called and said that he had just heard that the Rwandan border denied David Micklefield (Pastor Andrew’s brother that was visiting Buj. and wanted to go to Rwanda with a buddy) entry into Rwanda because he didn’t have a Visa.
Till 2 weeks ago Canadians did not need a Visa for entry into Rwanda, but we heard that Kagami - Rwanda’s president, slapped this on Canadians because Canada doesn’t give Rwanda enough aid!!!
To process the Visa takes between 24 - 48 hrs., so that meant I could not go. Pastor Ray’s wife, MaryAnne, and her guest from Vancouver were supposed to fly out the following evening to the conference, and they had to cancel their flight.
Oh well, this way I got to spend the weekend with my 2 boys, and we had a great weekend. Went to the beach on Saturday and Sunday with friends. Lake Tanganyika is perhaps 6-7 blocks from our house as the crow flies; we can see the lake from our kitchen window with the Congo mountains behind the lake.
On Sunday was our 18th anniversary for when we got engaged. Wow, that makes us sound old. God has so richly blessed me with the gift of my Isaac.
Today was so cool. On Wednesdays I do Christian Ed. with the year ones. Almost every week I reiterate what it means to be a Christian, what Jesus did for us on the cross, and why, etc. I do this because of all the Muslim/Hindu kids in all the classes, and because I have a passion to see them come to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A number of these kids come with the religious signs painted on their faces day after day, and with their bracelets and necklaces that are supposed to protect them.
Let me start at the beginning….
Last year, there was this little boy (don’t know whether he’s Muslim or Hindu) in kindergarten that would worship the sun when outside. When his teacher saw this she would obviously stop him. We as staff prayed for this boy and his family, as it was pretty obvious that the parents are very devout followers of the religion, and as such could bring that spirit into the school when dropping off/collecting the son.
This boy is very intelligent and hangs on to every word I say as I tell them about Jesus. He repeats what I say almost verbatim when given the chance. He’s usually the first to raise his hand to answer questions, learns Bible verses well and easily, etc.
So this particular day I’m in their class again, he answers a question, and without a seconds warning, the Spirit comes over me in power and I instantly stretch out my hand to him and declare: “One day you will be a mighty man of God!” I immediately started crying and I quickly turned away so the kids wouldn’t be alarmed to see me cry. Luckily, sweet Olive, the teacher, happened to be in the class as well, and saw the whole thing unfold. She started asking questions about the lesson as I regained my composure.
Well, after this event, this boy was on my heart so much. I prayed for him often; during summer holidays, he continued to be in my prayers. In my spirit I knew what was said about him was not of me, but entirely of God, and I prayed into that. I would often think and wonder how much God would be glorified in and through this “mighty man of God.”
Well, that little boy started that journey as a mighty man of God this morning, praise Jesus!!!
After explaining again that Jesus was born so that He could die for our sins, that He is the Son of God, that God raised Him on the third day, and He is ALIVE, and if we invite Him into our hearts and lives and ask Him to forgive our sins, and we live for Him, then we are Christians and His children.
I often have the children repeat after me core truths pertaining to Jesus and or God, because I know the power of hearing yourself speak words, whether positive or negative. Over the months when I would have them repeat some aspect of those truths, I would always look at this child as he loudly proclaimed those truths, and in my spirit I would rejoice. His mouth was speaking truth, it was only a matter of time before God would line up his heart/soul /spirit with his mouth.
Today was the eclipse of his heart and mouth. He raised his hand and said; “I want to be a Christian.”
Man, I’m telling you, inside I was just yelling and screaming and praising Jesus and doing flips…..
I asked him to come to me where I was sitting on the little kiddie chair. I put my arm around him and asked him if he believed who Jesus is and what He did for him, to which he answered yes after each question. He very clearly and succinctly said the sinners prayer after me.
I told him that the Bible says that the angels in heaven rejoice when one sinner repents, and that he had just caused that to happen. This child was absolutely beaming as I raised his hands with mine and rejoiced with him.
Meanwhile, the whole class quietly sat on the mat in front of us and observed the scene as it unfolded.
Now let me back track.
When ‘A’ raised his hand to say he wanted to become a Christian, ‘B’ was right on the heels as he raised his hand for the same reason. I wasn’t surprised by this, because I had sensed that God was really working in this little Muslim boys heart as well. So after ‘A’ prayed, I asked ‘B’ to come to me, and went through the same steps with this boy.
Wow, what an awesome time!!!
I ask you with great, great sincerity, please pray for these 2 boys very regularly. The opposition will be extreme, both from parents when they find out, and obviously from the enemy.
“The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 Jn 4:4b
Happy December!!!!
The only clue that we’re in the Christmas season as far as the senses go is the Christmas songs the kids at school are learning for the program and the Christmas projects that I’ve been doing with all the classes for a month.
I miss the beautiful winter wonderland that is all lit up at this time of year where many of you are sitting. In fact, 2 nights ago I dreamt I was driving by field after field that was beautifully decked out with lights, and I was just mesmerized by the beauty, and was slowly making my way along. There were others around me that were rushing me and telling me to speed up. I gently told them that these were the first Christmas lights I’d seen for the year, and was enjoying the sight.
I encourage you to stop and really take in the beauty that surrounds you and not just rush from party to party and appt. to appt., without really pondering Whom and why we are celebrating.
So, I was supposed to go to Kigali, Rwanda last week Thursday morning till this past Monday for a women’s conference. I was very excited to go. Jabe Iglese Vivant blessed us so much when they volunteered to pay for all my expenses minus about $17.00 US. Around nine in the evening the night before we were to leave, Aime, the very helpful admin. from school that helps the expats with Visa’s, Passports, etc., called and said that he had just heard that the Rwandan border denied David Micklefield (Pastor Andrew’s brother that was visiting Buj. and wanted to go to Rwanda with a buddy) entry into Rwanda because he didn’t have a Visa.
Till 2 weeks ago Canadians did not need a Visa for entry into Rwanda, but we heard that Kagami - Rwanda’s president, slapped this on Canadians because Canada doesn’t give Rwanda enough aid!!!
To process the Visa takes between 24 - 48 hrs., so that meant I could not go. Pastor Ray’s wife, MaryAnne, and her guest from Vancouver were supposed to fly out the following evening to the conference, and they had to cancel their flight.
Oh well, this way I got to spend the weekend with my 2 boys, and we had a great weekend. Went to the beach on Saturday and Sunday with friends. Lake Tanganyika is perhaps 6-7 blocks from our house as the crow flies; we can see the lake from our kitchen window with the Congo mountains behind the lake.
On Sunday was our 18th anniversary for when we got engaged. Wow, that makes us sound old. God has so richly blessed me with the gift of my Isaac.
Today was so cool. On Wednesdays I do Christian Ed. with the year ones. Almost every week I reiterate what it means to be a Christian, what Jesus did for us on the cross, and why, etc. I do this because of all the Muslim/Hindu kids in all the classes, and because I have a passion to see them come to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A number of these kids come with the religious signs painted on their faces day after day, and with their bracelets and necklaces that are supposed to protect them.
Let me start at the beginning….
Last year, there was this little boy (don’t know whether he’s Muslim or Hindu) in kindergarten that would worship the sun when outside. When his teacher saw this she would obviously stop him. We as staff prayed for this boy and his family, as it was pretty obvious that the parents are very devout followers of the religion, and as such could bring that spirit into the school when dropping off/collecting the son.
This boy is very intelligent and hangs on to every word I say as I tell them about Jesus. He repeats what I say almost verbatim when given the chance. He’s usually the first to raise his hand to answer questions, learns Bible verses well and easily, etc.
So this particular day I’m in their class again, he answers a question, and without a seconds warning, the Spirit comes over me in power and I instantly stretch out my hand to him and declare: “One day you will be a mighty man of God!” I immediately started crying and I quickly turned away so the kids wouldn’t be alarmed to see me cry. Luckily, sweet Olive, the teacher, happened to be in the class as well, and saw the whole thing unfold. She started asking questions about the lesson as I regained my composure.
Well, after this event, this boy was on my heart so much. I prayed for him often; during summer holidays, he continued to be in my prayers. In my spirit I knew what was said about him was not of me, but entirely of God, and I prayed into that. I would often think and wonder how much God would be glorified in and through this “mighty man of God.”
Well, that little boy started that journey as a mighty man of God this morning, praise Jesus!!!
After explaining again that Jesus was born so that He could die for our sins, that He is the Son of God, that God raised Him on the third day, and He is ALIVE, and if we invite Him into our hearts and lives and ask Him to forgive our sins, and we live for Him, then we are Christians and His children.
I often have the children repeat after me core truths pertaining to Jesus and or God, because I know the power of hearing yourself speak words, whether positive or negative. Over the months when I would have them repeat some aspect of those truths, I would always look at this child as he loudly proclaimed those truths, and in my spirit I would rejoice. His mouth was speaking truth, it was only a matter of time before God would line up his heart/soul /spirit with his mouth.
Today was the eclipse of his heart and mouth. He raised his hand and said; “I want to be a Christian.”
Man, I’m telling you, inside I was just yelling and screaming and praising Jesus and doing flips…..
I asked him to come to me where I was sitting on the little kiddie chair. I put my arm around him and asked him if he believed who Jesus is and what He did for him, to which he answered yes after each question. He very clearly and succinctly said the sinners prayer after me.
I told him that the Bible says that the angels in heaven rejoice when one sinner repents, and that he had just caused that to happen. This child was absolutely beaming as I raised his hands with mine and rejoiced with him.
Meanwhile, the whole class quietly sat on the mat in front of us and observed the scene as it unfolded.
Now let me back track.
When ‘A’ raised his hand to say he wanted to become a Christian, ‘B’ was right on the heels as he raised his hand for the same reason. I wasn’t surprised by this, because I had sensed that God was really working in this little Muslim boys heart as well. So after ‘A’ prayed, I asked ‘B’ to come to me, and went through the same steps with this boy.
Wow, what an awesome time!!!
I ask you with great, great sincerity, please pray for these 2 boys very regularly. The opposition will be extreme, both from parents when they find out, and obviously from the enemy.
“The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 Jn 4:4b
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Remembering Ramona...
Remembering Ramona….
Today, November 27th marks the 1 year anniversary of when our sweet Ramona put on her heavenly dancing shoes…
There is so much that I could write…
Today, November 27th marks the 1 year anniversary of when our sweet Ramona put on her heavenly dancing shoes…
There is so much that I could write…
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