Arriving at Homes of Hope |
Savana with Grace (from Uganda) and orphans |
Well, we made it to the orphanage (Homes of Hope) last
Thursday evening for our official introduction. The director likes to
officially introduce people so the kids know who is coming into the facility.
We were able to meet all the children at Homes of Hope and share in a special
meal with them. After the meal, we had formal introductions of all the new
people and we were able to share some of the candy with the kids that we
brought over with us. The candy (bonbon in French) was a huge hit…we were even
able to share a candy cane with the adults! Thank you to friends and family in
Canada who gave us candy to bring and share with our new friends. The evening went quite fast as Jean Paul was
quite efficient at sticking to the program and we don’t stay out much past
sundown.
Savana handing out candy |
handing out candy |
The sun goes down at 6pm and people try not to be out very
late without an armed guard. Usually if we have to be driven home after 7:30 or
8:00pm we have an armed guard accompany us…..this has been a new experience for
our kids but they don’t seem to be bothered by it. It just means we have to
squish an extra person into the vehicle!
It is a good thing we don’t have to worry about carseats anymore!! A vehicle that is made for 7 people usually
carries 10-15.
9B class from GIA |
Sorting through Beans |
Sorting through beans |
Washing floors for the first time |
Next Saturday morning, we will take another grade 9 class to
work at Homes of Hope and give new students the opportunity to put “Love in Action”.
You can pray for these students that God would take a hold of their hearts and
give them a vision to impact their country.
Charles has gone to Bujumbura today to pick up our new to us
van! It is an older vehicle but seems to be in pretty good condition. We are
thankful to God for providing this much needed vehicle for our family.
Currently, we have had to rely on Youth for Christ to provide transportation
for us to go to GIA or take a taxi to go to the school….it will give us freedom
to be able to get to places ourselves.
Please continue to keep our children in your prayers as they
continue to adjust to the schools here in Gitega. Elijah, our shy child, is
having some difficulty settling in so we are contemplating hiring a teacher to
teach him at home. Savana has done amazing at settling in at school and has
caught up with her class in most ways. Micah is his usual stubborn self….getting
to school is usually a chore but once he is there and in the program, he
settles in. He now will repeat the French that he is learning in class. Joshua
is doing ok but he does cry when I drop him off and he does not interact much with
the others. Darla usually stays with him for part of the morning to help him
feel more comfortable. We are contemplating just having him at home at least
until next semester. Please pray for wisdom in knowing the best ways to help our
children adjust.
Darla has not done much nursing with the school as of yet as
she is still helping the kids get settled in school. Whenever she is at GIA,
there never seems to be a shortage of medical issues that come her way. Everything from blocked tear ducts that are infected, to GI
issues, to typhoid, to sports injuries, to allergies and the list goes on. Pray
for wisdom for her to be able to learn about some of the local illnesses
quickly and to know who to send to the hospital and who she can treat at the
school.
Please continue to pray for the stability of Burundi....right now, there is political instability but it has not yet transcribed into tribal instability so things remain safe. We are continuing to follow the news as well as keeping contact with YFC leaders on the situation. Pray for continued safety for our family and for wisdom to discern situations.
Continue to pray for our financial needs to be met. We trust God that He will meet our needs as He has shown to us over and over. We still have needs financially...if you feel led to be a part of this journey financially with us, you can donate through the links at the bottom of this blog.
Please continue to pray for the stability of Burundi....right now, there is political instability but it has not yet transcribed into tribal instability so things remain safe. We are continuing to follow the news as well as keeping contact with YFC leaders on the situation. Pray for continued safety for our family and for wisdom to discern situations.
Continue to pray for our financial needs to be met. We trust God that He will meet our needs as He has shown to us over and over. We still have needs financially...if you feel led to be a part of this journey financially with us, you can donate through the links at the bottom of this blog.
Thank you to everyone who writes us and encourages us
through emails and phone calls. It is always good to connect with people back
home! We greatly appreciate you and the effort you put into communicating with
us. Thank you for those who have kept our family in your prayers. We know that God is answering the requests you bring before Him. We are privileged as a family to be a part of this journey that God has started us on and we look forward to where God will take us.
If you would like to donate towards our mission to help the young men and women of Burundi, you can donate through YFC Edmonton or Bridges of Hope. Please tag the donation as "Burundi Mission". Thank you and God Bless.
http://www.yfced.com/index.php/donate/how-to-donate
http://www.thebridgesofhope.com/index.php?p=Donate
If you would like to donate towards our mission to help the young men and women of Burundi, you can donate through YFC Edmonton or Bridges of Hope. Please tag the donation as "Burundi Mission". Thank you and God Bless.
http://www.yfced.com/index.php/donate/how-to-donate
http://www.thebridgesofhope.com/index.php?p=Donate