The Reality of Reconciliation

Hi friends,

Burundi is not a place that often makes it onto the news, for some reason the problems and issues here never really make it onto the world scene. So, I’m sure you aren’t aware of the last few days in Bujumbura. Here’s an excerpt from an email that an amazing contact of ours here Simon Guillebaud sent out, before you read it though, know that we are all safe and sound on the team:

‘Last night was the biggest attack on the capital for several years. Earlier in the day policemen were stationed on every street corner and rumours were flying around. Then at about 8:45pm gunfire and shelling kicked off in a big way as the FNL rebels embarked on an audacious/futile attack on various military installations about town. We had fourteen people in our lounge for home-group at the time. It is a surreal thing to listen to the big thuds of shells landing, the occasional whoosh of a rocket hurtling through the air, and the rattling of machine gunfire whilst knowing that it is all real, that people are dying - maybe friends - certainly plenty of innocents caught in the crossfire.

This morning I rang various people to check they were OK. American friends across town had a gun battle going on right next to them on the street. They shifted their 3-year-old and newborn into the corridor on the floor and the kids managed to sleep through the incredibly loud noises. Ours slept through as well, but it was all a bit further away from our part of town. Shadrach, who works for us, came to work and asked to be excused. Two of his children were missing, as they’d fled during the night and got separated. He’s looking for them right now.’

So, there it is. As you can hear it’s been a crazy few days. We could hear these events unfolding pretty clearly from where we’re staying in the capital. This is something that for us isn’t commonplace at all, but for those whom we are working and staying with, this used to be an everyday way of life that everyone hoped would stay in the past.

So, this blog is a call out for prayer for our team, and also for this country. We as a team have prayed about our program over the next few weeks, and we feel God telling us to keep it the way it is. He is our protector and our provider, our strength and our shield. Please pray as we travel upcountry that we will have a safe journey surrounded by God’s overwhelming presence.

Some of you may think us crazy for staying, but you should know that as Simon said, hopefully this is an isolated incident. Also, unfortunately this is the consequence of seeking to work in reconciliation. Divison and violence is real and exists in the world today, and this is just a small part of it here in this corner. As the word says, God ‘gave us the ministry of reconciliation’ (2 Cor 5:18) and to truly be involved in this ministry, to be peacemakers, I suppose it means that we have to go to the places that are in need of peace.

You should however know that we are not taking unnecessary risks or putting ourselves in places of obvious danger. We seek to be as 'wise as serpents and innocent as doves' (Matthew 10:16), wise in the way of making smart decisions about things like this, and innocent in remembering that we have a God who is assuredly our protector, living in the realisation that being here in Bujumbura at this time and in the will of God is a much safer place that safely back at home in Belfast outside of His will. Our God is a faithful God, and we believe in His sovereignty and love for us.

Please pray for us as we live and minister here, and also for those who live here and those perpetrating this violence, that they would be convicted of their actions and lay down their weapons.

One quick story…

Around about 8:30 the other night, a few students and I sat down to discuss a few things that have been causing conflict on the team, a slightly tense situation ensued, and then the fighting started in the background. Although we realised that we couldn’t continue on without these team issues being solved, this fighting in the background served us as a reminder that we are here in Burundi as a team, that if we can’t sort out these relatively minor issues here, then what chance does this country have of even beginning to address it’s history of conflict? What chance does OUR country of Northern Ireland have? We seek to live lives that not only teach about reconciliation, but LIVE it too. A group that loves each other deeply and ministers out of this spirit of unity and love.