The group from COF made it safe and sound to Burundi and miraculously their luggage did too!!

Tomorrow we’ll be having some Kirundi lessons before we head off to Bubanza and the student house. You can check this site for more updates soon!

“I have always felt that it is impossible to engage properly with a place or a person without engaging with all of the stories of that place and that person. The consequence of the single story is this: it robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.”

Chimananda Adichie makes a stunning statement about how we engage with others. Through her own story she encourages us, maybe even exhorts us, to engage with many stories to form a more true picture of a place or a person. When we can hear many stories about a person – he is a farmer, a father, a Batwa man and a person of great joy and humor – we will know him better. When we observe the many stories of a place – Burundi is one of the poorest nations on earth, it has suffered a tragic civil war in the past, it sits on the edge of picturesque Lake Tanganyika and it has some of the best food in the region – we have a more accurate sense of this place that is home to our friends.

Too often we have a very flat understanding – seeing only the poverty of a person or the broken places of a society. Such a stereotype, as Adichie points out, is not only untrue, it is incomplete. You are coming to a place with dimension and people who live in full color! You have the opportunity to see them more fully and embrace the variety of stories that reveal who they are as people and friends. You are coming to Burundi to develop a more complete picture, and as such, a truer one.

You are invited to Burundi to meet our Batwa friends. Part of the invitation is to come and hear the many stories of the Batwa people, to hear the many stories of Burundi today. In doing so, you will restore dignity to the people and place of Burundi. You will have ‘a balance of stories’ that reflect the truth of this land.

Claude and I look forward to sharing time together in the coming days! We are excited to present the many stories of Burundi and its people to you so that you can have the most complete sense of this amazing land!

Claude and I eagerly await your arrival…

The very first day in Burundi, the very first meeting, the very first friend…I want to tell you my story.

I was a little bit anxious. I am a very introverted person, social networking and making conversations with strangers is not my strong suit. But I had been praying and preparing for this mission trip for months. I had the names and information about 2 students, Dieudonne and Lyduine. I had been praying for them by name. I was looking forward to meeting them for the very first time. Before I went to the dining area, I said a quick prayer, “Lord, help me to know where to sit. Put me at the right table with the people you want me to talk to.” I chose a table and sat at the head of it so I could see the whole room from my chair. Within a few minutes a very nicely dressed man came and sat next to me. On the other side of the table sat a translator prepared to help us have a conversation. I don’t remember who spoke first. But his smile was so warm and engaging; I couldn’t help but feel at ease. He told me his name was Sylvestre and I said my name was Jana. I asked him about his family. He shared that he had 6 children. He told me their ages and which were girls and which were boys. I asked him what his hopes were for his children. He proudly shared what they were studying in school and what they would do when they graduated. He asked about my family and I told him I had 3 children, 2 boys and a girl. My boys happened to be the same age as two of his children, so we had much in common. Soon lunch was over and it was time to watch the Burundian drummers perform. Using gestures and smiles, I encouraged him to sit next to me as we watched the performances. What a surprise it was to me when they announced that the students were here to greet us and perform a ceremonial dance! As the students were standing near the pavilion, my translator, Aloys, leaned over and said, “That boy in the striped shirt is Sylvestre’s oldest son.” I spotted the boy, but we didn’t make eye contact. After the ceremonial dance was over, the students started grabbing the Texans and inviting us to dance on the beach. It was then that I met my students, Lyduine and Dieudonne, face to face. To my amazement and great joy, the boy in the striped shirt was MY STUDENT! Dieudonne was Sylvestre’s son! It’s no surprise to me that God had that planned from the beginning.

Later that afternoon during tea time, Sylvestre came and found me. He shared with me that when he and I talked at lunch he was very touched. He felt a connection between us, mother to father, both sharing our pride and hopes for our children. I told him it was just the beginning of a lifetime long friendship between two families.

I will always remember Sylvestre as my very first Mutwa friend. He has and his family hold a special place in my heart. I shall never forget them.