Burundi Blog

Goodbye Burundi Hello Nairobi
Saturday night the team and Ray Mary Anne were the honoured guests at Pastor Edmund’s home and we ate the most incredible meal of our stay here.  Faith, Edmund’s wife has a well deserved reputation for being a great cook.  We sat on the front terrace of his home and the fish in particular, with curry sauce was probably the best fish I have ever tasted.
Pastor Edmund shared a “vision” for a ministry in a specific area, one Pastor Ray had never heard of.  The really fascinating thing was that afternoon as we had our final meeting with Pastor Ray; Amanda wanted to put some money towards a very specific ministry.  But Ray did not know of such a ministry.  Yet, as Edmund described his dream for a ministry, it was exactly what God had laid on Amanda’s heart for a ministry here in Burundi—God never ceases to amaze or bless us!!
Sunday morning we were blessed to take communion at the Jabe church, and I (Dave) was blessed with the privilege of helping to serve.  I had already been invited to pray blessings on a baby as part of the baby dedication.  Communion with 5-6 thousand people can go very well.  During the initial worship time I was starting to take a little video, although I really just wanted to be engaged with the Lord, when Pastor Rueben (from the Nyakabiga home) asked if I wanted a video of the entire service.  I affirmed and I am bringing it home with me!
Our final goodbyes with the CRIB were tearful, for all concerned and yet it was so very sweet.  There is a real sense of family here, not just with these children but with many of the team and other children in the community.  The cords that bind have been multiplied and strengthened. 
Pastor Ray and Evariste would really like to see a team out for next year, so there is something we can already pray about.
Although the travel from Burundi to Nairobi was not very far, it seemed to take all day, and after getting through the traffic, we finally arrived at our destination, The Methodist Guest House  www.methodistguesthouse.org if you want to check it out.
Today we went to the Masi market in downtown Nairobi.  It was a blast; please pray that all the warrior blades I bought make it home (still no purse for Lynn).
Brad & Kelly have stayed in touch with Joseph, (this is a Masi they met in Canada and he was in our church last year at Christmas).  He came back to our Guest house and joined us for lunch.  After a little chit chat on the lawn, he went on his way.
I sit on the balcony with Brad & Kelly and the team is really resting well.  We still need to finish our report for Sunday and I hope we can squeeze this in with our resting.
We are confirmed for evening meal with the other family here in Nairobi and look forward to encouraging them.
God bless
Yours in Christ
Dave Kehler

2 hours on winding pavement, another 1½ on the roughest “road” imaginable and we stop on the side of a mountain, at around 7500 ft. above sea level.  The air has a sharp bite to it and as we stop we are surrounded by the village people coming out to greet us.
ARM (African Revival Ministries) has been invited by these people to help get stabilized.  Dr. Aline from ARM teaches on hygiene, on the advantage of washing clothes, and on the need to learn to read.
ARM has committed to replacing their mud and straw huts with brick and tin roof houses, each costing $500.00 US to build.  The bricks are made by each family and then doors and roof are provided.  The first to get houses are the widows and orphans.  They are also learning better farming and business practices so that they can be more self-sufficient. 
While there, leaders’ offered a traditional welcome dance, dressed in full regalia and natural rattles on the ankles and straw hats, spears and a cows horn trumpet—it was truly a scene out of National Geographic, except that it was for us.
For many of these people they seldom have seen a white man, this was Pastor Ray’s 4th time up. 
We had an impromptu children’s lesson, on the side of the mountain and it looked like a scene out of the Bible when Jesus would teach.  Then we had a quickly organized game of soccer, with one of the 4 balls we brought up.  The balls were given to 3 different communities and one soccer team—the team did not own a soccer ball and 2 of the communities had never had a soccer ball.  It was quite an ordeal to determine who should be entrusted with this priceless commodity.
Some of the team made “animal balloons” whiles others that could not do that (like me) simply blew up balloons and gave them away.  We had various other gifts and they were all received with great gratitude.
After teaching on hygiene we handed out many bars of soap so they could wash their clothes with them.  We also had a large number of baby blankets that were given to the newest moms, and once Amanda demonstrated what they were for, they were very well received.  Then everyone lined up and we gave out hundreds of candies.
As they gathered around, Dr. Aline invited us to sing some songs and to preach.
Brad led the team well and the community really enjoyed it.  The chief later said that the music was a real connecting point for them with us.
Then Amanda stepped up to the plate, addressed around 600 people, including children and adults and Dr. Aline interpreted.  As she began to share what the Lord had given her, I sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit settle on us, you could feel Him moving.
After all this, we toured the village project, their existing homes, and then walked back to our vehicles.  Many of these people are very poor—I don’t think anyone has underclothes and many of the children had only a t-shirt or whatever on—which may never have been washed.  I was wearing a t-shirt, a shirt, my polar fleece vest and a windbreaker jacket.  With these clothes I was comfortable but uneasy as I saw many of the children’s teeth chatter with the cold.
It was a privilege to be invited up here and to minister to and bless these precious people.  God is working in their midst and they need our continuing prayers.
After all this, we traveled about 20 minutes and stopped to have a picnic lunch on the side of the mountain, with a breathtaking view, and silence all around, it was the best seat in the house, God sure knows how to make them.
All of the team was there and each of you would have been very proud of their work, I know I am!!

This last Saturday, Amanda and I got extensions put in our hair.  We had no idea it would be SOOO painful!!  It took 4 girls 10 hours to do our hair; 8:00-6:00.  There were definitely some times when I was ready to cry, but Shane was kind enough to bring us the Tylenol.  Towards the end, we started to sing songs to take our mind off the pain.  I think the girls doing our hair thought we were a bit strange. J  I really enjoyed meeting the girls, even though most of them only spoke Kurundi.  Now having done it, I’m glad we were able to get it done, although I’m not sure I’d want to endure that pain again!  The girls were very encouraging, telling us, “Pain is beauty.”  We figured for the amount of pain we went through, we’d have to be gorgeous!

~Pearl J

Like Pearl already said, she and I got extensions last Saturday. I would also have to say, it’s probably one of the most painful things I can remember doing. But, like the girls said, “pain is beauty!” So for most of the time, there was two girls working on my hair, but after three, two more girls came to help so there were three girls pulling on my hair! Then, Pearl’s hair finished before mine, so two of the girls who were doing hers joined my girls. So at one point, there were five ladies pulling my hair in all directions like they had a grudge against me! As most of you know this is quite a far cry from the amount of attention my hair usually gets. I can’t say I ever plan on doing that again either, it was absolutely horrible. When the braids were done we hung our heads over a chair while they poured boiling water on our hair. Finally! The pain was all over!… Or so we thought… next came the challenge of sleeping! I didn’t sleep the greatest as I spent the night trying to come up with a comfortable way to sleep on my face! For the first two days it hurt with a vengeance, and the third day it was so itchy I could barely function aside from sticking my fingers through the wads of hair to scratch my scalp! Now, despite how much fun I’m having complaining, I am glad I did it. I can say that I’ve done it, and it doesn’t look too bad. Ha ha!! Probably the best part about it, is that it takes two people to put it all up in a ponytail! It’s too thick to get a hand around! (you should see Pearl and I tag team to put it up every night, it’s quite hilarious!) So hope you guys all enjoy the pictures, we do!

  - Amanda -

Dave Kehler

I was reading devotionally this morning and came to Matthew 9:³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸“Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” This sums up the situation in Burundi. 

Most of the educated and experienced people have left this country, and are still leaving.  “All that is needed for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing!”  I think more of the good people here should stay here, unless God tells them to go, and more of the good people back home should go, unless God tells them to stay.  (One may need to be careful what one prays for, do we really want God’s will for our lives?)

Yesterday the team (minus Shane who stayed home because he wasn’t feeling well) spent the day with Ray.  We were supposed to go upcountry but God knows.  So we ended up at the Jabe hospital with Dr. Elouge, and what was to be a tour of the hospital turned into a much extended time of ministry.  The anointing of the Holy Spirit came as we were obedient and prayed for the sick.  It just kind of started when in the first room there were 4 sick—various life threatening and terminal cases, so we prayed for at least 3 specifically and the room in general.  From there it seemed like a good idea to pray for everyone in the hospital, well we didn’t intend it to be that, by the time we were done that is what we did.  We would enter a ward, Dr. Elouge would tell us stuff about the hospital, the area, and the patients and we would split up and each pray for one and if there were more we would make sure everyone in the ward was prayed for before we would move on.

I was so very, very proud of the team.  Rudy, although initially rather white faced and praying from about 2 feet away, remained faithful and embraced what God was asking of him.  Brad, whose worse place on earth to date has been a hospital in the west, stayed the course, laying on hands and praying.  Kelly sometimes praying alone, sometimes with Brad; Amanda and Pearl just stepped up and prayed.  Only a few pictures were taken, and only after the praying. Dr. Elouge encouraged us to take pictures, but we did not take that many as there was a sense of reverence and awe.

Dr. Elouge was riding the wave of prayer and had us pray for all the staff as they came along, he sought out the staff in various areas and everyone that came across our path was prayed for.

There was a room with the door closed and Dr. Elouge said this was a special, extremely difficult case.  There was a 75 year old woman inside, sick with body organs shutting down do to alcohol abuse and she refused to stop drinking, refused to accept Jesus, and remained incredibly belligerent, even resisting and rejecting prayer.  As we stood outside the door we could smell the alcohol, yes coming from her room in the hospital.

Dr. Elouge and I entered while the team, at the Spirit’s prompting stayed outside the room and prayed.  She was sitting up in bed, drink in hand, and had 4 of her grandchildren on the bed across from her there to visit their Grandma.  After Dr. Elouge spoke with her for a while and explained who I was, I asked for and got permission to pray for her. When I finished, Dr. Elouge invited her to say “Amen” and she refused, although the grandchildren (aged 10-20) were praying in agreement.  This lady remained hard.

She then started berating Dr. Elouge and complaining about her aches and wanting to be released and then she had a piercing pain in her leg, which came regularly.  She said she needed the doctor more than she was getting.  I said she did not need the doctor but she needed the healer.  So I prayed again for her, this time I got more energetic in my praying, inserting Hallelujah’s and amen’s, as is often the custom here.  As I ended Dr. Elouge again invited her to respond with an Amen and this time she did, even with a few Hallelujahs.  Dr. Elouge was very encouraged.

There are many stories but it seemed like the doctor didn’t want us to leave—he kept finding people and areas of the hospital for us to pray for.  We then went to the finance department and prayed for the administration team.

This hospital survives on prayer. The waiting area has regular prayer and preaching, the staff meets at least two times a week for prayer and Bible study, and people are regularly getting saved.  So many of the people that have died, came to Christ first and are now in heaven.  No one is turned away or refused treatment, although many have no possible means of paying.

The hospital and clinic does all kinds of diagnostic tests but most of it is still with limited computer technology. Brad was really impacted at the meager computer systems and the incredibly urgent need for upgrades in hardware, software and networking, which to date is non existent. Recognizing that in order for any gift of equipment to be a blessing, it should come wired for 220 volts and setup before being sent to ensure optimum usage.

Recently a newly trained gynecologist has returned to Burundi.  He is a specialist in woman’s surgery, and the only doctor in Burundi qualified to do many of the reconstructive surgeries so required due to the vast number of violent rapes.  However, there is no operating room or equipment for him to work with.  Therefore he spends only 2 days a week here and the balance at the state hospital, whose facilities are slightly better, but he would love to be full time at the Jabe hospital.

The need is for a woman’s ward, 10-12 beds with a maximum of 2 per room, and an operating room.  This facility would also be frequented by the wealthy of this community and as a result would carry the operational costs for the rest of the hospital—so very many of the patients are the poorest of the poor that do not even have the $1.00 that is charged for a consult.

There is also a counseling center attached to the hospital, again, way understaffed and dealing with only a fraction of the cases, mostly helping the people deal with facing the fact that they have AIDS.  There is a great need for sexual abuse counseling and the hope is to establish this in the same facility as the woman’s pavilion, but to date there are no funds available for this.

Although I am not sure what we will be doing up country, I know we are going to the BaTwa, and we are supposed to be ready to work with children, and to worship, and do whatever is needed.  But as we know, that is what a trip like this is all about.

Yesterday we went to the “zoo” and saw the crocodiles’ eat lunch and Amanda could not get enough of interacting with the snakes.  Interesting when the zoo keeper opens the cage of the 2^nd most poisonous snake on earth to take it our and show her!  Many of the team left the room for this part—but Amanda loved it.

The highlight of our visit was a show of local Burundian Drummers; we got some great pictures and video.  This is a musical and athletic event all in one. There are several very large trees that are the home of thousands of very large bats, and if you clap your hands they get agitated and fly around, dropping as they go, another truly interactive event.

Had an absolutely amazing time with the Nyakabiga children, these are Congolese children that most recently have been rescued.  The “mamas” are cheerful and do a great job; some of them are actual mothers of children in the orphanage.  This is the place that Andrew and Bill first felt God say to invest by buying sewing machines.  These have been a great blessing.  They have been undergoing a major renovation and the next step is to reconstruct a sewing center.  Until now it has been in part of a room, but they want to establish a center and use is as a training facility, so that they can train people in a marketable skill.  We should find out tomorrow what the cost of construction is to be, maybe we can help?

I am honoured to be part of this team, to be used by God to minister to and bless these people.  Each worship time started with Brad leading in a few songs that we mutually knew, we sang in English and they sang in Kirundi, then they would kick in with a few songs in Kirundi.

At the party, they gathered around and sang traditional songs of blessing, doing traditional African dance to honour us, their new found friends.  Then they prayed for us, blessing us singing over us and gave each of us a parting gift—yes there were tears, on both sides.  The best way to bless a mama is to bless her children, and God helped us to bless them both.  They were quite unaccustomed to us serving all of them the party meal, but I think we were more blessed by their affection and open display of appreciation.

Shane has been sick at home and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to join us as we head up to see the Batwa and help them make bricks to build houses, and do some teaching; should be another incredible experience.  The Batwa represent about 1% of the population here and really are the lowest wrung on the socio-economic ladder. 

We have been blessed with cool breezes and cool nights, once I had to put a sheet over me because the fan that is on all night gave me a chill!  The power has been staying on all night and rest has been great.