My friends from Burundi and Canada... sharing so much goodness!
There is nothing I love more than sharing friends… bringing together people I love and witnessing what happens as they discover each other. Our friendships, now shared, go deeper and expand exponentially with the added element of our together-ness. New things happen as my friends share their stories and find their own connections – being generous with my friends has never disappointed me, but always left me in grateful awe.
This story is no different…
First group of women to get identity cards... and stir Idelette's heart.
I shared my friends, the women of Bubanza, with my friends Idelette and Tina. The connection was first felt by Idelette, so deeply and immediately. She welcomed these women into her heart when she first heard their story back in December. So she decided to act – and help these new friends all get their identity cards. Idelette, Tina and our whole SheLoves tribe decided to put love in forward motion and instead of red roses for Valentine’s Day, they opted for blue identity cards for their sisters – what we now affectionately call ‘blue roses.’
200 blue roses... now all the women of Bubanza have their identity cards!!!
Last week all my friends finally met on Burundian soil – they were finally face to face! They danced, smiled, laughed, hugged, took pictures and celebrated together. In a display of God’s goodness, the final 200 blue roses for the women were ready when Idelette and Tina arrived. This meant that they not only visited their friends, but they got to share in distributing their identity cards! They got to put the blue roses in their hands and allow smiles and tears to mingle in the exchange of that catalytic gift… because an identity card equals dignity for these women.
Idelette and her new sister-friend!
Tina meets another new friend in Bubanza!
Look at her smile... dignity+friendship+hope!
As I said, sharing friends is never disappointing. This time, sharing friends meant that all the women of Bubanza got a piece of their dignity. They found new friends who truly see them and want the best for them and are willing to move some mountains and travel thousands of miles to see it happen. I think we all, as a company of friends, saw that sometimes the Kingdom of God looks like bouquets of blue roses given on a sunny Burundian day, dancing that stirs the dust and shakes the ground and smiles shared between sisters. My friends, both Burundian and Canadian, have once again left me in grateful awe. I am so glad these friends all found one another…
P.S. All these amazing photos were taken by my sister-friend & photographer Tina Francis.
P.P.S. I love my friends!!!