Here's a little insight into what our evenings were like when we spent time at the Youth for Christ orphanage in Gitega, Burundi.... plenty of dancing and lots of good times!
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Youth for Christ, Gitega
Here's a little insight into what our evenings were like when we spent time at the Youth for Christ orphanage in Gitega, Burundi.... plenty of dancing and lots of good times!
Saturday, 17 May 2008
Back in Belfast
I'm in a dilema....
I'm sitting here trying to figure out if Belfast is actually cold, or if it's just the fact that I've been in near-equatorial Africa for 6 weeks that is skewing my judgement.... Regardless, it's colder here! Though I think i'm okay with that, it's funny how you miss things like clouds!
So, I'd say you can guess from that last paragraph that I've arrived safely home on Northern Irish ground! It was quite the trip with a few overnights gaining us a few extra stamps on our passports, but before we knew it, we were flying high over Loch Neagh, preparing to land!
I'm staying at home tonight before heading off to Closkelt tomorrow (the other YWAM NI base) to debrief with the DTS before they leave next weekend. It's hard to believe that this busy year is coming to an end, at least this part of it.
This blog has been missing pictures for a few months... So, here's a very select few just for now!
Rwanda & Burundi team at Lake Tanganyika in Bujumbura.
The pastors from the conference in Buhiga:
Playing with the parachute at the orphanage!
Prepare for a few more great pictures to appear over the next few weeks on this place, none really taken by me! Our team had some talented photographers...
But for now, I'll leave you with a little comedy... You may remember a few weeks ago when I told you about the over-zealous Burundian Westlife fan I met in the internet cafe? Well, I received an email from him where he makes it clear he still believes I'm holding out on him with their addresses... An excerpt can be found below:
Hello .
My friend it's me Tonny Billy Clinton the small boy that you talked about westlife in the cyber . Now I wanna that you'll be my best friend as the westlife Please tell them everywhere you see them that in Burundi there is a boy who love them.
Bye bye
I'm afraid I'm likely not going to be able to pass on the message...but if there's anyone out there with access, be sure to pass it on to the boys!
Blessings,
Tom (Back in Belfast!)
I'm sitting here trying to figure out if Belfast is actually cold, or if it's just the fact that I've been in near-equatorial Africa for 6 weeks that is skewing my judgement.... Regardless, it's colder here! Though I think i'm okay with that, it's funny how you miss things like clouds!
So, I'd say you can guess from that last paragraph that I've arrived safely home on Northern Irish ground! It was quite the trip with a few overnights gaining us a few extra stamps on our passports, but before we knew it, we were flying high over Loch Neagh, preparing to land!
I'm staying at home tonight before heading off to Closkelt tomorrow (the other YWAM NI base) to debrief with the DTS before they leave next weekend. It's hard to believe that this busy year is coming to an end, at least this part of it.
This blog has been missing pictures for a few months... So, here's a very select few just for now!
Rwanda & Burundi team at Lake Tanganyika in Bujumbura.
The pastors from the conference in Buhiga:
Playing with the parachute at the orphanage!
Prepare for a few more great pictures to appear over the next few weeks on this place, none really taken by me! Our team had some talented photographers...
But for now, I'll leave you with a little comedy... You may remember a few weeks ago when I told you about the over-zealous Burundian Westlife fan I met in the internet cafe? Well, I received an email from him where he makes it clear he still believes I'm holding out on him with their addresses... An excerpt can be found below:
Hello .
My friend it's me Tonny Billy Clinton the small boy that you talked about westlife in the cyber . Now I wanna that you'll be my best friend as the westlife Please tell them everywhere you see them that in Burundi there is a boy who love them.
Bye bye
I'm afraid I'm likely not going to be able to pass on the message...but if there's anyone out there with access, be sure to pass it on to the boys!
Blessings,
Tom (Back in Belfast!)
Monday, 12 May 2008
Shortest update....
This is going to be a quick one! I have 9 minutes left at the internet cafe.... So, we just arrived back in Rwanda safely after our time in Burundi and then a few days relaxing and debriefing by Lake Kivu, a beautiful place.
It's been a busy time, and we're just about ready to get on a plane to head back to (i hear tell of) sunny Belfast! It's been a great few weeks since i last got to internet. We've had some incredible times of ministry, and some great experiences of God here in these countries. I realise this is pretty brief...but i can't even start to think of recounting tales!
We leave on Thursday from Kigali, spend the night in Ethiopia, then fly to London, spend the night there, and back to Belfast on Saturday! So, it's going to be a long travel! Please pray for us as we travel, for safety and that all our connections would be met in time!
Blessings from Kigali.
tom
God is good, all the time.
All the time, God is good.
It's been a busy time, and we're just about ready to get on a plane to head back to (i hear tell of) sunny Belfast! It's been a great few weeks since i last got to internet. We've had some incredible times of ministry, and some great experiences of God here in these countries. I realise this is pretty brief...but i can't even start to think of recounting tales!
We leave on Thursday from Kigali, spend the night in Ethiopia, then fly to London, spend the night there, and back to Belfast on Saturday! So, it's going to be a long travel! Please pray for us as we travel, for safety and that all our connections would be met in time!
Blessings from Kigali.
tom
God is good, all the time.
All the time, God is good.
Friday, 2 May 2008
And now for something completely different....
So, i realised that with the exception of that last 'westlife' related blog, the last few entries have been pretty serious, so i thought i would make you aware of a few good things that have been happening here in Burundi, good...and weird...
- Discovering on the plane that chocolate jelly isn't nearly as delicious as it sounds....not even close...
- Lying underneath the darkening sky on concrete heated by the hot african sun and a back worn out from a day lugging bricks around, watching the stars pop out one by one, reading the passage in Job (somewhere around Job 39 i think...) about how the Lord is the creator of the Heavens.
- Sitting outside the house in the early morning and seeing items such as buckets, bunches of hundreds of bananas and bags of sweet potatoes 'walking' by. (Our fence is about ( and a half feet tall, the height of the average burundian woman walking by with a full load on her head!)
- Buying 15ft of sugar cane for 25p...that should keep us going for a while!
- Seeing the look of peoples faces when they realize that reconciliation really could work and just might be the answer for the country...
- The house we stay in being inundated by HUNDREDS of large flying insects during a particularly heavy evening rainstorm... i think i saw a side to amalia i never knew existed...and didn't want to!
- Washing dishes in buckets with the sun on our backs and a breeze on our faces.
- Singing goodnight songs together as a group to Danny, one of the orphaned babies at a place we were staying.
- a whole lot of laughter!
This is just a snapshot, and i gotta go here, but i look forward to being a little more specific, and also sharing pictures sometime in the near future!
You should know that things are well here, the team is safe and well, burundi is still a little uneasy, but things are great and we're walking in the will and power of God, so keep praying for us, and we'll let you know how things progress!
Please pray in particular for me as i try and figure out what it means to lead this outreach not in MY power, but in God's.
Nagasaga from Burundi!
- Discovering on the plane that chocolate jelly isn't nearly as delicious as it sounds....not even close...
- Lying underneath the darkening sky on concrete heated by the hot african sun and a back worn out from a day lugging bricks around, watching the stars pop out one by one, reading the passage in Job (somewhere around Job 39 i think...) about how the Lord is the creator of the Heavens.
- Sitting outside the house in the early morning and seeing items such as buckets, bunches of hundreds of bananas and bags of sweet potatoes 'walking' by. (Our fence is about ( and a half feet tall, the height of the average burundian woman walking by with a full load on her head!)
- Buying 15ft of sugar cane for 25p...that should keep us going for a while!
- Seeing the look of peoples faces when they realize that reconciliation really could work and just might be the answer for the country...
- The house we stay in being inundated by HUNDREDS of large flying insects during a particularly heavy evening rainstorm... i think i saw a side to amalia i never knew existed...and didn't want to!
- Washing dishes in buckets with the sun on our backs and a breeze on our faces.
- Singing goodnight songs together as a group to Danny, one of the orphaned babies at a place we were staying.
- a whole lot of laughter!
This is just a snapshot, and i gotta go here, but i look forward to being a little more specific, and also sharing pictures sometime in the near future!
You should know that things are well here, the team is safe and well, burundi is still a little uneasy, but things are great and we're walking in the will and power of God, so keep praying for us, and we'll let you know how things progress!
Please pray in particular for me as i try and figure out what it means to lead this outreach not in MY power, but in God's.
Nagasaga from Burundi!
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