We have video!

The video of our trip is finally available. Check it out here: http://www.danforthdesigns.com/burundi/

pics pt. 2

yo yo yiggity yo! hey there. we are all trickling back in the states. skyler is on her way back and she should be getting home very soon. kieran and is on his way to thailand. and everyone else is home safe. we are starting to get some pictures up on flickr finally. theres the link on the right and we will try to get some more up soon. once you get there you can also click the link on the upper left to view it in the normal view (as opposed to the slideshow).

LOVE

pics

Hey all,
We've been pretty busy the last few days, but I wanted to get at least a few pics up. I created a Facebook album with just a few pics... enough to get you to come back for more in the coming weeks. There is no rhyme or reason to them. I just flipped through my thousands of pics and grabbed a few. Very few. Sorry they're on Facebook... I don't have access to the Flickr account (you don't have to be a member to view the album).
Click here to view the album or follow the link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2057911&l=c3cba&id=56902383

Europe

Friends and family,

We arrived safely in London a few days ago. We are currently in Grenoble, France. We are currently figuring out what we will be doing for the next week. We are paying for this entirely out of our pockets, and some of us have a very constrained budget, so I have a feeling I will be spending the majority of my time very close to Grenoble. Not that I am complaining... this is the most beautiful city I have every seen, fully surrounded by the French Alps. I love the Rockies of Colorado, but they have nothing on the Alps - the sheer rock faces of the Alps are... beyond words.

I find it rather ironic that I have come down with a cold in the last couple days. I went an entire month in a very under-developed country in Africa with nothing more than some minor diarrhea (I've been told this is too explicit, but anyone who has traveled to such a place knows the reality of it), but I step into Europe for a couple days and get a cold... bah. I'll live.

Ok, enough typing on this European keyboard. Blessings.

_Mahoro (I don't think I explained before, but Mahoro is the name the Burundi church gave me)

GIC- Global Impact Celebration!

Yes indee we did have a GIC. Felicien planned a very big celebration with the local churchs to dedicate the new church building. They only had about 1/6 of the roof completed but that did not stop them from celebrating. There were hundreds of people there singing and praising God. It was a wonderful way to spend out last Sunday (Eventhough Sklyer, Kieran, Felician and myself got food poisoning). We leave tomorrow which make everyone very sad. Pary for our flights.

Amahoro

And the time came and went

Alright. Here we are. Our last night in Burundi. I'm getting teary eyed just writing this, oh dear! Today was a fun day, we rested, did a little shopping for those back home, and chilled around the house getting things ready for tomorrow. Emily and I wanted to do something special for the sweet ladies of the church that have been cooking for us and helping us all around town. We have become so close with them that i truly feel as if i have another family here in Bujumbura. We put together a little package for them consisting of a little makeup kit, some nail polish, mascara, and earrings. They broke into tears upon receiving it from us with shouts of thanks to God. They are so sweet and deserve all of it an more. It turns out women everywhere like to feel special with a bit of makeup and some accessories! They are so sweet and give so much of their time to the church. Rose and Rosine are both widows, the church is trying to save enough money to send both of them to the local university so they can increase their education and learn english. This will both help with their ministry and communication. Emily and i are currently looking for ways to support them through school because as we have gotten to know them, we have found that they are such godly women and we want them at the forefront of sending the good news throughout all of Africa.
We did a bit of debriefing today. Talked about the pros and cons of this trip, what could have been done better or worse. And at the end we each went around and told each other what that person did which was noticed and praised. It was so great to hear everyones heart and opinions on the trip. I think God has some big ministry plans that will continlue through the years and i feel honored to have served such a small role. We look forward to seeing all of you soon! YOu are dearly loved and missed!

leaving tomorrow...

It is so crazy to think that we've been here for a month. It doesn't feel like it. I will definitely miss it here.



Overall, our team has been very sheltered from the abject poverty that is found in this city. But every once in a while we get a glimpse, and it is apalling. We live in a very nice rented house with some housekeepers to clean and do whatever other minor jobs we might need. The pastors and our friends take us to decent places and protect us from dangerus places. But once in a while, there's something that is just sad.



Like the AIDS kids begging in the market.

The drunkards wandering around spending their families' last pennies on Amstel beer.

The toilets that many of our friends use - little more than a hole in some concrete... and most people miss and it stinks.

The fact that most people cannot afford even the most basic of services and sometimes even food.

That the ladies of the church spent so much money on clothes for us when they themselves have nearly nothing - it brought us all to tears.



This place has definitely left a mark on me. And then I remember that I'm heading back home to my posh (granted not the greatest paying) job in the States serving high end coffee. The price of a triple venti white mocha at Sbux is more than the average person makes here in a couple days. The conversion rate is about 1200 Burundi Franks to $1 USD, and 60,000 BRF is decent pay for a month's work.



But that aside, there is much to be hopeful about. We have made good friends in Pastor Felicien, his wife Dina, the widows Rose and Rosina, and others like Djudonai (I spelled his name way wrong), Bosco, the choir members, and some of the youth among others. They have blessed us beyond what we could have every anticipated. There truly is a debt of gratitude that we owe to all of them.



Please continue to keep us in your prayers. And even more so, keep this church, Glory Outreach Assembly, and their pastor Felicien in your prayers. They have given so much and are still in need of so much just to get by from month to month. Felicien's story of coming back to Burundi and sacrificing as he has is itself quite amazing, and I hope to tell that sometime.



Amahoro (peace)

300 maybe more

well statistics proved right. our numbers didnt just return but doubled!!!! i got to witness the miracle that Jesus performed on the mount. we were able to feed over 300 children with one big pot of rice, one of beans, and a few meat scaps. i couldnt believe it. i was exhausted after that day and respect camp counselors even more. i dont know how to manage 300 children with only 10 adults but we managed. we taught them songs. and sang them while standing in a GIANT circle holding hands. they colored and were fed. we told them the story of david and goliath through a skit where emily was on davids shoulders with a blanket wrapped around them so they looked like one person. she wore a pot on her head as a helmet and sunglasses because...it looked cool. david would rawwrr and talk while emily mouthed the words. it was pretty hilarious and the kids loved it. jer killed goliath with a sword (piece of bamboo) and the children cheered. i felt like i was at sooner stadium the cheers were so loud. the kids were so grabby and even the adults were pulling our shirts for just one colored pencil. can you believe it? none of these children or parents have ever colored! God created us to be in a world of color and love it as muhc as he does so this disheartened me.

sunday morning emily and i got up early to get to sunday school a little before 8. little did we know we wouldnt be leaving the church for a while. we ended up staying until 7 that night due to the Global Impact Celebration. our church hosted about 5 other churches inour new building that is not quite done yet. and by that i mean there is no roof. we took a break for lunch after church at one of the members house. they are so sweet to host us. then went back for the celebration. we heard every church do a singing number and even our guys did a couple. they had a guest evangelist come in and give some very ecstatic preaching that involved jumping up and down and also some dancing. we wore our new outfits the ladies of the chruch made for us and everyone kept telling us how smart we looked! sadly we didnt drink enough water and due to the hot sun and overexposure emily and i felt quite sick. we had to leave before saying goodbuye. we were both just very dehydrated and feel much better now after lots of water and some sleep. we were told later that the pastors and many women were needed to help the crying children who were distraught at the thought of not getting to say goodbye to emily or i and not getting so see them again. emily and iheard this and we brought to tears ourselves. i think it is better though because i dont know if i could have left without bringing all of them home with me. we went to ethiopian airlines today to check on our tickets and will be out of here the day after tomorrow. thank you for all your prayers this trip has been blessed by God and those that showered it with prayer! we love you!

Almost done

Well...we can see the finish line. We have one day left tomorrow to pack up, say our last goodbyes, and then we're on a plane to London on Wednesday. We've had a great but jam packed last week. Our second day of vacation bible school was insanity with around 300 kids showing up. I guess word got out! By nothing short of a miracle we were able to feed all of them and keep some sort of order throughout the day with only 10 adult leaders. We sang a few songs, including the craziest round of "Father Abraham" you've ever seen, played some games, colored some pictures, and did a skit of David and Goliath that involved Emily, David, a blanket, and a metal pot posing as Goliath.

Sunday we had our final service at the church and wrapped up our time at Glory Outreach Assembly with a "Global Impact Celebration." We were amazed and encouraged out the huge turnout of pastors and representatives from surrounding churches who showed up to sing together and support Pastor Felicien. We got to meet a lot of the pastors from neighboring churches, and they also pledged funds to help Felicien finish the roof of the new building (currently about 1/4 complete). We were so encouraged to see the African churches taking responsibility to complete their own buildings and run their own ministries without expecting outside donations and support.

It is amazing to see the progess on the church building. It was just a foundation when we arrived, and now the walls are up and work has begun to complete the roof. A lot has happened in the month we have been here. We have some great relationships here that we are all excited to continue once we're back in the States.

Thanks so much for your prayers, it has been a very high impact and successful trip.

Chris

Too Sexy for these shirts? and VBS day 1

Hey yall! So today abunch our lady friends from the church showed up at our house this morning. It turns out they managed to cook up a little surprise for us...the ladies(widows) of the church had gotton together what little money they had and made shirts for each of us! They are made of beautiful, colorful, and giant patterns of African goodness! Each of the boys got a shirt, which oddly matched each of their personalities and Emily and I recieved matching shirts and shorts (cute? i think so). We sat in a circle as they expressed how unlike our group was compared to other groups they had seem come through Burundi. They said they were touched by our hearts and how we created relationships with the people here. Apparently that is rare and that broke my heart. Later that afternoon we went to the church for our first day of VBS. Since there are usually about 30-40 children at Sunday school (which is double than the usual due to the fact there are white people at the church) we were expecting a good 50-75 children because we figured they would tell their friends. Oh they told their friends all right....we lost count but came to the conclusion we had at least 120 children there!!! this was interesting considering there were only 7 leaders... :) We taught them the story of Jonah and the big fish. We taught them a few American songs such as "Ive got the joy, joy, joy" and "this little light of mine." They even sang a song for us at the end in Kirundi! We also gave our paper and colored pencils so that they could draw their own fish.I spend about the next 30 minutes awing at every fish picture that was thrust in front of me from a child desperately seeking a nod of approval. Which they all received. There was chaos. There was mahem. It was crazy. But we all agreed it couldnt have gone better! Tomorrow will beinteresting because it will be even longer and were supposed to be feeding them a meal. The numbers very well may double so please pray for the miracle of the sermon on the mount because we were not counting on this many sweet children. They are so easy to love. When i get back i will show you all pictures and names of the sweet ones that constantly touch my heart! Thankyou for your constant prayers!!!! I LOVE AND MISS YOU IMMENSELY!!!

rush of the last days

It is hard to believe that we only have less than 5 days left. We've been here a month, but it hardly feels like it.

We did VBS for the kids today - we just got back. We had upwards of 150 kids there! It went well until we had them draw pictures and return the colored pencils for candy. It was chaotic, but at least it was fairly organized.

Anyway, I need to get off so Emily can get on. The internet cafe is a bit full today.

Blessings.

-Mahoro

I carry, You carry, We all carried many loads.

Today was an incredibly long day. We took apart the old church and carried the pieces to the new church which is almost finished and lies about 3/4 or a mile down the opposite side of the road. We had hoped for a better turn out from the people of the church, but those that came worked hard. Actually the biggest turn out were Emily and my little friends! They desperately wanted to help us! We carried and we carried and we carried load after load to the new church. People on the streets stopped and stared to see Buzungu ( white people) carry and work. People from the church were even correctly them telling them that whit people would not do this, they explained we were Burundians. Therefore i had to learn a new phrase "Jawe urundikazi" which means "i am a burundian!" We worked long and hard in the hot hot sun and it showed on all our faces after such a long day. We were ther from 8-5! wow lots of carrying! we carried bundles of wood for the roof together, giant pieces of tim on our heads (African style), and many many more things. We are so tired but i had to tell you all about it! Thank you for your continual prayers, Emily an i are still getting for VBS and we are so excited! it will be these childrens first one! Please continue to pray w love you all and think of you constantly!

Another day in African life!

So we took a day off yesterday! and it felt great! we went down to Lake tangynyka and enjoyed a day on the sand. after 3 weeks our group definately needed some bonding time with each other to get strength for the busy week ahead. We even ordered a pizza and it wasnt half bad. Here we are with only a little over a week left! and im already starting to feel emotional! oh dear! Please pray for Emily and I, we are preparing lessons for VBS this week with the children. We usually have about50 chidlren in sunday school but we are doing al we can to get as many of the neighborhood children as possible and they are coming. We are thinking we are going to have around 100 kids with the way they keep turning up each time we show up for church. So were going to need some prayer! We just had an incrdibly blessful weekend. We went to a party that the youth threw for us! so fun! it was just like a youth party in the states we ate, talked, joked, and laughed alot. And what do you know...boys here are looking for girlfriends in their youth groups as well. Emily and i were never lacking for a conversation and somebody even tried to hook jeremy up with a date. He told him he couldnt do long distance, what a heartbreaker! :) Please pray for our dear friend Bosco here. He is head of evangelsim at the church and is the one who builds relationships with people like the pygmies whom we visited last week. He just lost his job and his wife is 8 months pregnant. He is such a wonderful man of God and needs all the prayer you can give. Thanks alot for all you prayers and thoughts! we love you all so much!

Lake Football

Well we had our day off today and spent it really suffering laying on the white sandy beaches of Lake Tanganyika, doing a little swimming, and inventing the game of lake football. Sometimes our work is just reeeally difficult.

Yesterday we had a great church service followed by more great relationship building with a lunch at one of the church associate pastors house. We also did dinner with the youth of the church and had a great time with them.

Plans for our last week include 3 more church services, a vacation bible school for the neighborhood kids around the church on Friday and Saturday, and trying to solidify plans for long term involvement and how we can keep these relationships that we have built strong. Thank you for your prayers, please continue to pray for a strong finish to the trip for the next week.

Much love from Bujumbura,

Hoffman

Tacos in Africa?

So just a little update here, emily and i went to market and decided to cook for the ladies for once. We wanted to give them a little taste of home and being from Southern california and texas what could be more american that a lunch of fajitas!!! it was delish! we had guacamole, pico de gayo, fish tacos, beeef and grilled oinions and peppers. tortillas proved to be a bit of a hastle but emily and sayler did a great job. we made ur own tortilla\pita\whatever kind of breadd thing they were. the ladies loved it! it ws great! not quite as good as home but we tried! we love all of you and thanks for your prayers!

Pygmies

Yesterday we went to visit the Pygmies. It was quite the experience. They were essentially refugies in their own country, driven in from the forest to these small communities that consisted of mud homes with tarp-and-straw roofs and reduced to below a subsistence level, dependent upon outside aid. We brought a decent bit of food... over 100 kg of rice and the same amount of beans, but it seemed to do so little. Some people were grateful, but many others were not. They complaned and were very picky. It was a bit of a shock for all of us to see such a reaction to people who were bringing them food. We expected them to be grateful, and some were. Many others were not. We handed out a bag of food to every hut in the village and still had some left over, so we gave a bit to the next village over. We didn't have enough to go around to everyone in that village. Some old ladies there were fuming that we didn't bring enough food for them too. A couple people on our team were afraid they would attack us. And we just came to give them food! But it's the handout mentality.

I'm reading this great book by Dr. Yanus of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh (winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize). He is discussing his experiences in lifting the poor out of poverty through microfinance and other businesses. One thing he mentions is how people in situations like the Pygmies we visited are always chasing what's free. Because there is always something free coming in (even if it's just enough to survive on), they never take responsibility for themselves. They continue to live in extreme poverty. It's really sad.

It was also very sad to see the potential in so many places here. When we were at the Pygmies, I saw that even though they didn't have a ton of land, they had enough that they could have been growing vegetables and fruit trees. Someone could have taught them how to do that. There are so many opportunities, but so few financial resources and so few workers. I hope that one day this will change.

On the bright side, the FNL (last rebel group) and the government agreed to peace a few days ago. This is very, very good news. The UN is now planning on moving in to work on development (I didn't realize initially that we beat the UN here and that it was too unstable for even them). Kieran says that they'll work on evaluating the infrastructure first and then work with the refugees. But that's such a touchy topic too because many, many people here are like the Pygmies, refugies in their own country. And that technically isn't a refugee according to some.

Blessings on you all. May the peace of Christ reign over our team, over our local friends here, over this nation, and over you, our faithful supporters and readers to the glory of God.

Sawa sawa (Swahili... indicates the end of a conversation, agree, or OK)

A Hot and Sticky Place...

that's exactly what Bujumbura is. Luckily we are all adpating to it...somewhat. This week has been somewhat slow compared to the previous weeks. The church services have been limited to two a week rather than four. I am speaking on Saturday...I am already a little nervous about it. Tomorrow we are going to visit the pygmies. We bought them rice, beans, soap, and tomato paste...hopefully it will be a blessing to their community. Skyler and I took our braids out last night- or rather the boys took our hair out for us. It took four hours to undo all of our braids...oh we slept so well last night! Bosco gave me a name at church - Munezero which means Joy. I love that man...he is such a blessing.

Amahoro (Peace)

New Friends Everyday!

So Kieran finally got here to join the group and we are so happy to have him! Also today we took him to see the new church being built! and it is amazing what these people can accomplish with so little! they are so resourceful. I hope that next year we can bring back a possible builder of some sort to train people here to make things a little easier on themselves. My heart just gets fuller and fuller of love for these little children here. Emily and I have developed a pretty good sized fan club. Whenever we pul up to the church there is a group of children waiting who begin to scream and jump and run with thecar shouting with excitement when we arrive. Everywhere i go chidlren want to shake my hand. Some say hi some say bonjour some say mwirdiwe but they all just love attention from us no matter how small. As i sit in church i find myself wishing i had 10 hands to i could hold more hands. They just want to be loved. And as of now that is all we can offer. I almost dreading coming back home where i know i will not be quite so popular ;)

titles are overrated

Hey all,

Everything is still going well here. Like D said, Kieran arrived yesterday, and it's been great to have him here. Yesterday was my first time meeting him, and he's a great guy, so I'm sure we'll get along great. He went with Felicien today to get his baggage from Kenya Airways, so he's now fully here.

I think I mentioned something before about the way that time is viewed here, but it's really central to our lives right now. Punctuality is nonexistent. It's kind of funny because at times, Felicien says things to his church about wanting them to be on time to service, but I'm not even sure they really understand what that means.

There's a lot that I've been working on regarding starting businesses to help the church, but it would be very difficult to get into that in detail here, so you'll have to wait until we get back to the States for that. In brief, I'm working on a model which would start a business in an entity separate from the church, but the profits from which would flow into the church. I need to check on a lot of legal and practical things, but it looks like this might become reality soon.

I guess that's about all for now. Tomorrow we're going to visit the Pygmies and take them a massive amount of food. I accidentally bought twice as much rice and beans as I should have, so they'll have plenty. How was I supposed to know that the bags we wanted were 50 kg instead of 100 kg? Oh, well, more food for them.

ciao

Kieran

Yay... Our ceptagon of love is finally complete. Is it a ceptagon? I dont even know. Kieran arrived yesterday morning. Kenya Airways lost his bag though. He Jer and Felicien are gonna go soon back to the airport to go pick them up. Things are still going well. Weve had a couple emails about pictures and whatnot. We have a whole plethera of pictures we want to share but the internet connections we get are REALLY slow. Were talking like AOL 2.0 slow... So we will get pictures up as soon as we can but it is very hard. We have like 8 or so up now. Check the link on the right. Were sorry. Pics and video though are being taken. So dont worry/ You will see the church emily and skylers hair and spitting cobras. promise. Much love from Bujumbura.

Mwiriwe! (Greetings) Things continue to thrive here in Burundi. On Sunday, Emily and i did a sunday school lesson for the children. We chose to teach them about Joshua and Jericho and dicided that there is a universal truth when it comes to children...they all like to yell at the top of their lungs. So we had them march around Jericho (a group of chairs) and on the last time yell as loud as they could. It was so sweet to hear the children read the story to each other in thier own language. The farther i travel, the more i learn people are still people and children are still children no matter where you go. They love alot of the same things. It was a big hit to say the least. they even asked if there were any other Bible stories we knew about that included yelling...any suggestions? Yesterday we took a long walk so our Burundian friends could show us some of the city. It was a cool evening and quit refreshing. But after such a long walk the ladies were extremely tired. They do so much for us. They cook, translate, clean, and are always willing to help us with a smile. So after a long day of walking in their best sunday heels, when we returned to the house Emily and i decided to wash their feet. They were so grateful, i just wish there was more i could do for them. Hope you are all well! Please continue to pray! We love and miss all of you! :D

Skyler

Lions and tigers and spitting cobras...oh my.

So we went to the Bujumbura zoo yesterday. We were the only ones there so we got a private tour from the "zookeeper." One example of this little jaunt...we came to the spitting cobra cage and the snake was hiding in his log. The little zoo man then proceeded to open the cage, shake the snake out of the log, and provoke it to get into attack position and spit at us. I think its safe to say that zoos in Bujumbura are NOT like the U.S. Haha animal rights activists would have a fit, but it made for a pretty entertaining trip to the zoo.

Chris Sayler and Skyler are out at the market (which is one of the most overwhelming experiences you could ever imagine) buying food to take to the pigmies we are visiting on Wednesday.

The grand opening of the new church building is next Sunday, so pray for the funds to come in to finish the roof before then. Alright, gotta go!

Imohoro N'Urukundo (peace and love!)

Hoffman

yep... chillin' in burundi

It's been a week now, and I can really say that I enjoy it here. Everything is going well.

One lesson we are really learning is with reference to what we're calling "Africa time". In America, everything is fairly punctual, and we get upset when people are too late. We plan our time and our events days or weeks ahead of time. Here... not so much. We had a tentative itinerary when we got here. I don't think we've done much of anything to schedule. In other words, not only does Africa time apply to minutes (and hours), but it also applies to days. I called someone from Turame (the microfinance org here) to see if I could meet with them in about two weeks, and the guy replied, "uh... that too far... call me next week." It really made us laugh.

And speaking of Turame, I met with them initially the day after we got here, and the meeting went very well. I'm looking forward to meeting with them again sometime soon to see how they operate in the field.

I'm also very excited for our opportunities that are developing with our church here. I can see so many opportunities for small investments that would provide a good return for the church and the people. I'll develop that more after returning to the States.

Our days usually consist of something like this:
Get up (7-10 am)
Go to the market or somewhere else (10-12 pm - this is only occassionally)
Lunch (12-1 pm)
Sermon preparation and relaxing (1- 4:30 pm)
Church/Bible Study (4:30 - 6:30 pm)
Dinner (7 - 9pm)
Sleep (10-12 pm)

Some women of the church (the pastors wife and a couple widows) cook for us and their food is delicious!!! That has really been a blessing. Also, the coffee here is really good.

We haven't been affected by misquitoes too much, which has been nice. The one exception is Emily who seems to get bit by everything (we keep joking that she has pure evil running through her veins and that such vile creatures are attracted to her for that reason). But I think we're doing better and not getting bit much any more.

Be sure to check out the link with group photos to the right. We uploaded a couple. The internet is very slow here (like 28.8 dialup) so we could only get up a couple yesterday.

Blessings upon you all.

I am still alive!

Yes it is true I am still alive! Yesterday was such a miserable day. I have never been in that much pain before. After five hours we finally went to the doctor who just pushed my stomach and gave me medicine for the pain and nothing to cure it. I called my mom who called my doctor and he was so nice to actually give me a call all the way from San Diego. He figured out that I have a parasite living in my large intestine and that it was causing all the pain. I took some anibiotics and tha pain is now gone! Imana shimwe! (Praise be to God). This trip so far has been such a good time learning about the different culture and language. Skyler and I have really made it a goal to try and learn Kirundi. Everyone is so gracious and kind in our attempts to learn it. The children have found their way into my heart. Off to church again...man I have never been to so many church services in one week. Oh one last thing...Skyler and I got out hair done...we will post pictures in a couple of days.
Turusubira (See you later)

Mwiriwe! (greetings)

Hello to all! i can tell that this trip is absolutely drenched in prayer. things continue to go smoothly. i just did my first sermon on tuesday night and i felt more encouraged by them than anything i felt i could have given. I simply read verses of encouragement to them from Paul in 1st thessolonians an colossians. I wish you could have been there mimi. If they think i am wise, they would be blown away by you! After my sermon the pastor gave me a new name, in kirundi the language of Burundi. My new name is "inarukundo" which means "one who presents love" The way these people worship God continues to amaze me. They are always jumping clapping singing whistling and smiling for the God almighty. I have never seen such joy in all my life. It is pretty easy to find me here bc our group is the only white people we have seen thus far. We are called by a different name in the market place "buzungu" which means white person. So if one heres shouts of buzungu it is safe to say that it is our group walking. Another way to find me is by scanning the church for one person surrounded by a flock of children. I hae even been invited by the pastor to help lead sunday school by the childrens request. I do love them. Please continue to pray. i dont even want to think about what this trip would look like without your prayers. I miss family and friends but love the new ones i am making here. I wish you all could meet them. They LOVE to hear all about you! And girls the bachelors are always practicing their english to impress us here so if you ever want to feel special just come on over. They will show you their english skills by counting for you or saying hello and goodbye several times. :)
you are all dearly loved and missed! thanks for all your prayers again! please continue to pray for safty, health, the new church that is currently being built, and the economy that is struggling with a 70% unemplyment rate. and dont worry, I have many stories for you!

ndagukundo chane! (i love you very much in Kirundi)

Skyler

Update from Chris

What up friends,

Comin at ya from a wonderfully slow internet cafe in bujumbura, burundi typing on a french keyboard thatmakes no sense to me so please forgive the typos and lack of punctuation because i have no clue where it is. Ha.

Its been a long couple of days as emily and i have been sick, but I got better yesterday and she is looking much much better this morning. We had a great service at church on sunday and I had a great time working on vocal techniques with the church choir last night. We toured the construction site for the new church building yesterday as well, and it is getting close to being ready for the roof to be put on. We have been able to donate a significant chunk of cash towards the completion of this new community center thanks to all of our amazing supporters.

David is trying to post new pictures at the computer next to me right now, so be sure to check the pictures link on this page for some updates.

Plans for the next week include helping the church remove the roof of their old building so the iron sheeting can be recycled for use on the new building, visiting a tribe of pigmies on the outskirts of the city with some aid packages (clothing and food), and Chris Sayler is meeting with the local branch of World Relief that deals with micro financing and small business loans. Busy week ahead.

On a great side note, as i was writing this one of our new Burundian friends came in the internet cafe and stopped to talk to David and I. Its great to feel like we know some people around town after only being here for a week.

Peace and love from Burundi,
Chris Hoffman

Hello

Hey there... let me just say how fun it is trying to type on french keyboards... my what a busy couple of days... sorry we havent updated... things though are going well. its thursday morning right now. we had a really good sunday service. jeremie spoke to a packed service about reconciliation... then we went to lake tanganyka sunday afternoon and went swimming with Felicien, Dina, and Rose. that was a lot of fun. the water was nice and warm but the lake is stinking HUGE. we also went to the market on monday and got a bunch of food. we bought over 100 kilos of rice and beans, 50 kilos of sugar, and a lot of soap and tomatoe sauce for the orphans, widows and hiv victims in the church.... we distributed that along with a bunch of donated clothing yesterday evening and that went really well... well thats about it. hoffman is gonna post another blog for everyone in just a minute. i guess people have told us that yall dont get email updates when anyone posts on the blog except me... sorry about that i guess we didnt have it set up correctly like we thought we did... just keep checking back. here comes hoff and thanks for your love!!!

amahoro n'urukundo!!!

that means 'peace and love'

Finally Arrived!

Hello all!

We arrived at Bujumbura Int'l Airport yesterday afternoon. It was a ridiculously long 36 hours of travel. London was a nice break between long flights, but after posting there, we flew another 12 hours to get to Burundi.

It's nice here. I like it. The food is really good, the fruit is incredible, and our guest house is great.

Anyway, I spent most of my time on the internet checking on other things and now I just have a minute until our time is us. Please continue to pray for us.

Blessings.

What do you mean it smells funny? Texas smells of cows and crude oil - doesn't it? Wait till you smell parts of Africa. We stand closer to each other because we are usually not afraid someone will pull a gun on us at any minute and also because we don't want isolation if we can help it. It's lonely. Anyway - maybe I should write more my view of what it feels like to be in the U.S. or have you all heard me loud and clear already? Well - I have one week left in beautiful California and I will be really sad to leave and yet I know God has other plans for me. Thank you all for your prayers. I keep getting wonderful confirmations regarding going on to Thailand after Burundi and all. I am really proud of you all and I still need to hear what psalms you would like for me to read at your closing events. Friends of this blog - thank you for reading my ravings.

London!!

Well...like Skyler said we're halfway there. Everything's gone really smooth so far. We've killed a super long layover just walking around London and it has been a very welcome break from flying. London was gorgeous and sunny today. Enjoyed a fish and chips lunch along the river next to the Globe Theatre. What more can you ask for?? We're about to hop back on the tube and head back to Heathrow to catch our Ethiopian flight down to Africa. Love you all!!

Chris

We're Halfway There!

Hello dear loved ones! I am currently sitting in a London internet cafe with my traveling companions Sayler and Hoffman. The flight here wasn't bad. It was quite possibly the bigger airplane i have ever seen, much less flown on. London is chilly and reminds me of home...wait, no i was just kidding. I have used the underground for the first time, which was exhilerating. Britains are much more comfortable standing close together in a tube. This was also a new experience. And to confirm rumors, it does indeed smell kind of funny in London. I am too excited to describe myself, but i cannot wait to arrive at our final destination. More to come soon! I LOVE ya'll!

3 days in

We have been here 3 days and although right now it seems we haven't been doing much, at least the church was very encouraged to see and meet us. The fact that we will be here a month is especially heart-warming to them. We were also encouraged by the fact that even though there is a languge barrier, we have already started bonding with several people from the church. Most of the Burundians we have met are truly kind and affectionate, and of course, they all tell us they would love to go to America. Emily especially seems to be appreciated. Between sharing her story of grief, talking with some of the women, and making real efforts to learn the local language (Kirundi), people here have truly taken a liking to her. And of course some of the young men here think she's cute. Word has gotten out that she's not married.
Other than that, we were able to get a local phone and register with the local US embassy which gives us a little more peace of mind. We are excited for the work that is ahead of us and for the rest of our team to join us on Thursday. But I should go. Tonight we lead a Bible study, and we have to get ready! We however have images for you to look at. Check them out via our link to flicker.

Bujumbura!

Hey there!!! Greetings frum Bujumbura. Jeremie and I met Emily this morning in Addis Ababa around 830a local time, and we arrived in Bujumbura around 1p this afternoon. We didn't have any problems finding her, and her stay in Ethiopia went really well. It's about 6p here now. Felicien and Dina and a few other members of the church came over to our house. it's a nice 3 bedroom/2 bath house. gated. safe. etc. so, tomorrow morning we are going to head to church and meet the whole body! we are all very tired, but they brought over a very good meal when we arrived and we all sat around and talked over dinner. so yes!!! WE ARE HERE!!! all of our bags. We can't wait for the rest of the team to get here, and we'll try to take some pictures here, soon!

I wish I were leaving too

Hey Everyone, the team is leaving without their very heavy practically unscalable mountain. It's sad but I won't get to Burundi until June 3rd. Even so, from there God is taking me to the Nuba Mountains of Kenya and to South Sudan for more mission work. If martyrdom does not happen in those places - I will be home in Europe for a few weeks before I leave for Thailand where I will be for 8 months doing mission work and finishing my dissertation. Your prayers and support would be much appreciated. I have been signed on by the mission organisation TEAM. I will be doing networking with students and ministries as well as training locals in a variety of types of outreach and education. I can tell you more if you are interested. Thanks for praying for us. I still need a couple more vaccinations but more or less am ready to go. I need to pack away my life in the U.S., give things away, move out, finish teaching summer term and all that in the next weeks. It's very hectic. God is teaching me to rest in Him.

Here we go!

Alright, i must admit with a little less than 2 weeks before departure i am getting a little nervous. But i find myself mostly filled with anticipation because i am so ready to be there already. I am currently back home in Texas and loving time with my family. It is so incredible to see how many people from back home love and support me in this trip. Right now my prayers are including cultural awareness and sensitivity, courage, kindness, and a loving heart. Please continue to pray for our group! im so excited and cannot wait to see what he has planned for us and the burundian people!

PROGRESS

Ladies and Gentlemen - We have some more good news about the trip. It's very essential for the trip, actually. But exciting nonetheless. We have received passports and visas for all of the group members. We still have a few vaccinations to get, but we are all officially cleared to go! We have all of our flights, and we're starting to finalize the schedule for when we are in country. The first wave leaves on May 15th. So, we are less than a month away. There's a lot to get done but we are very close to being ready! We would love for your thoughts and prayers as we get ready and when we are over there. So, bookmark the blog and check back with us frequently!

Miracle of Miracles

Today I received very exciting news about my sister’s adoption. They finished all their paper work and are now #12 on the list to adopt. I hope they are able to get the baby before the courts close in August. I really can’t wait to meet him when I go over for a couple days before arriving in Burundi. If you would like more information about my sister’s adoption please visit her site at www.gossettadoption.blogspot.com. I’m going to be an aunty this summer!

It's official...this is my first blog post ever!

Yes it's true...I know I am behind on the times in the world of blogging, but please don't hold it against me. Today I got some of my shots, and my arms are very sore. I need to go back next week to get the yellow fever shot. Boo...more shots. I am super excited to go to Burundi. It has all happened so fast. Kieran came up to me at my roommate's art show on March 4th and told me that I should go to Burundi with him and a group of students. I met everyone the next Tuesday and decided that I had to go. Now two weeks into it I know for certain that I am to go. Oh today I also found out that I was accepted to go to Ethiopia for a year! And I am going to be able to stop over in Addis Ababa for two days where my future nephew is! I might be able to meet him before my sister and brother-in-law will. Ok so I think that's it for the first blog.

Support

Hey Everyone, I have my vaccines.... all of them except the second and last for Hepatitis A&B. I also have a support letter ready to go. You know that you can all donate to me via- http://themillonline.org ; go to details -> donate. Go to the bottom of the side page and click the donate button. You have to log in and then go to the 'Mill Mission Trips' section and you should find my name Gaya, Kieran as a subfund person. I need to raise at least 2500 to be able to go and it all needs to happen very soon. We leave in exactly 2 months. I am excited and yet hurting because with this move - I also leave the U.S. permanently. I have been "let go" to put it mildly by Azusa Pacific University because I don't have my PhD completed yet. That is a priority for me and God recently confirmed clearly that I am meant to continue. Even so - Africa might end up more long term than I expect right now. I need funds to finish my doctorate and all scholarships and other jobs I have applied to have fallen through. This one is completely on God - where it should all be resting anyway. I am looking into working in Rwanda or Thailand or something while I finish writing. Your prayers are much appreciated. Contact me directly with any questions. kmgaya@libero.it

Bills...bills...bills...aah...

Well, the trip is definitely on, as I just got my credit card bill for my little jaunt over to Africa this summer. Lets just say that fund raising efforts are now in full swing, otherwise I may not be eating this month =). I say that light heartedly, though, because God has already proven himself to be so faithful to this team and I don't doubt that he has us covered financially as well as in every other way imaginable. Well...I should go get back to mailing letters. I think I may permanently taste envelope glue for the rest of my life. There has got to be a better way to seal letters. All the technology in the world today and we still have horrible tasting envelope glue. You would think someone would have at least come up with flavors by now. You know, like...kiwi envelopes or mango envelopes or Taco Express burrito envelopes. Anything!!!

Oh, and just to clarify, I disagree with Sayler and think that we are actually bringing the whole K2 mountain with us on the trip. Go big or go home, yeah? It'll be like a portable hiking, ice climbing, death at high altitude training center.

more logistics...

I've decided not to go to China after Burundi. I realized for one thing that I would be quite exhausted by the end of both trips (I would have returned home to the States around mid-August). Burundi will probably quite exhausting by itself, so by the time I add on another month and a half in a different foreign country (with a totally different culture, nonetheless)... it would be no good. In addition, I realized that my motives for going to China were not quite where they should have been.

And just to clarify, I believe that K2 is not a mountain, though that would be cool. Pretty sure that's Kieran. And to clarify for anyone else reading... we have two groups of two people going on this trip. Jeremie and David are leaving from LA to London on the 15th of May and arriving in Burundi on the 17th. Chris (Hoff) and myself (Christopher) are going from Denver to London then to Bujumbura leaving Denver on the 20th, and arriving in Burundi on the 22nd. From what I can gather, Kieran (in LA) is still up in the air as to whether he will join us for a bit of the trip. Hope that helps!

PS: I just bought round-trip tickets to London from Denver, and I'm on the same flights as Hoff, so we're good to go for flights!

We have liftoff!

I'm proud to say we've gotten past the first of our hurdles thanks to God. We all have tickets to Bujumbura and have managed to all get the same return flight, which is amazing. As we move forward, here are a few things to pray for:

- Chris's decision to go to China or not: that God would give him direction and clarity.
- The safety of our team: keep praying not only for safety during our trip but before and after, as the enemy will try to deter us from the path that has been set before us.
- Kieran's decision to join us or not: that God will give Kieran the means to come with us if he is to be on this trip (I for one think he should come).


Some thoughts:

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." - Mark 8:34-35

"My yoke is easy and my burden is light" - Matthew 11:30

so... uhm?

Who's K2? Is that Kieran? Or do we have a really tall mountain going on the trip with us?

Wow...a real blog!

Ok we must be officially doing something because we have a blog for it. It must be true folks cuz now its on the internet. Except for that in this case...it is true. Sayler and I are in the process of looking for tickets from Denver to meet up with the boys from California and hit the beautiful shores of Lake Tanganyika (try saying that 10 times fast...) in Bujumbura, Burundi. If all goes well, we'll have a nice little layover to hang out in London on our way down to Africa. So there's your update from the Colorado half of the team...more coming soon =)

-Hoff

Finding Tickets...

Well it's official! We have a blog and we're committing to our trip to Burundi! Of course there's the small matter of getting plane tickets but we're closing in on resolving such minor details. It's a shame we don't have a picture of just the four of us but I'm sure we'll have plenty when we get back! As far as we know, the plan is to go to Burundi through London and Amsterdam, and spend a week or two in Europe on our way back. Weekend fun includes writing support letters. =P