A Memorable Day Part 2

The high point of the week definitely was the dedication of Burundi by Elder Holland. But all the events associated with it made this week a memorable one.

We prepared all day Monday for our visitors, making sure that everything was as perfectly planned as possible. Here nothing ever goes just as planned and this was true of this visit. Elder and Sister Koelliker were supposed to come and on Monday we got a call saying that he was ill and they wouldn't be coming. We also found out that Sisters Holland and Snow would be staying in Johannesburg. We were sad to miss seeing them, but quickly amended the plans for hotels and restaurants. (Flexibility is the name of the game in Africa.)

We also picked up Sister Andrea and Elder Gene Puckett on Monday. They flew in from Kenya. They are public affairs missionaries who came to take care of PA things for the dedication and to do some training while they were here. We were excited to have them come, since they had stayed with us in Lubumbashi and we had stayed with them in Kenya. Nothing is more fun than good friends with whom you can share important things.

They are great missionaries. One of the blessings of being senior missionaries is other couples who become friends. Since we've spent most of our time alone, we have had to make friends with people quickly when we got the chance and friendship with them was easy. They went with us to make a few last minute arrangements and we spent the rest of the day together. We were happy to have them here in Burundi.

Tuesday morning we were making last minute arrangements when we realized that we had forgotten to clean and set up the meeting hall for the general member meeting to be held after the dedication. So we, and the Frogleys, jumped in the car and hurried to the meeting hall to give it a quick once over. When we arrived we were delighted to see all eight elders almost finished cleaning the building from top to bottom. It sparkled and so did they. We were so proud of them for taking the initiative to take care of those arrangements. It was one of those proud parent moments!

We had made arrangements for our taxi driver, Jean, to get a bus for us to simplify transportation in the crazy Bujumbura traffic. We had pictured a nice Greyline bus with air and soft seats. What we got was a giant Kermit the Frog bus. No problem! In Africa, we can adjust!

Fortunately everybody was good humored about it and we had quite a good time all being together.

At the end of the trip Elders Holland and Snow piled in the back of the bus with the missionaries. It was great!

We had a nice luncheon with the couples before the dedication. It was wonderful to talk with the General Authorities about our mission hopes and concerns. They were so knowledgeable and interested in Burundi. The brethren really do know what goes on in every little corner of the world. It was very relaxing and pleasant to share a minute of causal conversation during this otherwise very busy day.

We all went together in the Kermit bus just up the hill from the restaurant to the Monument to Unity for the dedication . It was the perfect site with a beautiful view of the valley below and Lake Tanganyika in the distance.

I especially loved seeing our young elders as they, literally, sat at the feet of an apostle and learned from him. It was a great experience to see Brent standing by the side of Elder Holland and Elder Snow as he translated for them. We will never forget it.

Immediately following the dedication we held a meeting for the members and friends of the church. We arrived 45 minutes early and found about 25 people in the group from Uvira, DRC already there waiting for us. This group of investigators, some of whom had traveled 120 km to be there, was planning to be right up front to hear these special witnesses of the Savoir.

By the time the meeting started we had 77 people, about 30 0f whom were members. Brent conducted the meeting and also did the translation into French, while a young member, Aimable Otis Burundi, translated from French to Kirundi. Other missionaries in the audience translated to members who only speak Swahili. It was quite amazing to have four languages going at one time. But all were reverent and accepting of this necessity and the spirit was not hindered by the many languages needed to communicate.

Elder Snow read from Ephesians 2 where it says that as members of God's church we are no more strangers, but "fellow citizens in the household of God" and then from Alma 7 about the atonement of the Savior. After his talk our great young missionary choir sang "Joseph Smith's First Vision." It was awesome!

Elder Holland told those in attendance that he had never been to meeting where there were so many members and even more non-members when an official unit of the Church didn't even exist yet. He expressed his love and welcome to all, both members and friends of the church. He promised wonderful blessing and a great future for the Church in Burundi. He encouraged all in attendance to be patient as the Church begins to grow and develop after the order of the priesthood. He told them to look to Joseph Smith as their example. Joseph Smith waited and prepared for many years to begin the work of the restoration. He reminded them that the restoration itself didn’t happen for 1800 years after the gospel was lost from the earth in the time of Christ. He told them that God is very patient and they must be patient too. He asked us to be faithful and obedient to the commandments and commitments as we wait upon the Lord. He promised that this work will go forward, but we must do it right, as we begin the great task of gathering the Lord’s children into His flock and spreading the gospel throughout the newly dedicated country of Burundi. It was a great meeting and just what needed to be said. These people have been patient already for a long time, but we have the very strong feeling that it will not be a much longer wait until they can have the full blessings of the Church to fortify their faith and bless their lives.

After Brent and President Packer took the General Authorities to the airport at midnight, it was hard to even settle down enough to sleep, although it had been an exhausting 18 hours. Having these great church leaders here with this new little group of saints and having Elder Holland pronounce a blessing on this tiny country was a wonderful miracle that will strengthen this land for generations to come. It just doesn't get any better than this!

A Tiny Piece of History

Today, October 19, 2010 on a hilltop high above the city of Bujumbura, Burundi, we were privileged to share personally in a tiny piece of the history of the Church as Elder Jeffery R. Holland dedicated the land of Burundi for the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was accompanied by Elder Steven Snow, of the Presidency of the Seventy.

We had been preparing for this visit for some time but had been asked not to talk about this event before it happened. We had worked on transportation, housing, food and other details since we arrived in Bujumbura and things went just as hoped. Even the elements, which are not always cooperative during the rainy season, seemed to honor this day by being overcast and cool, but with no rain.

Only a few invited members were there. Elder Holland commented that down below us in the city people had no idea that this great event was happening, quietly and without fanfare, on the moutain side above them. But the hand of the Lord was extended over this tiny, long-suffering, war-torn land. Now the blessings of the gospel in it's fullness will be extended to Burundi and thousands will hear and embrace the gospel. This was our little group.

Back row-Jamesons, Pucketts, Elders Holland and Snow, Packers and Frogleys

Middle-Elder N'Gondo and the Malabis

Elders Kintembila, Moussa, Diazola, Mpoyi, Moussele, Kizimbou and Tshituka.

Brent was asked to translate for Elder Snow and Elder Holland. It's always a great deal of pressure to translate, keeping the spirit and meaning of the words, but putting it in the language and style that makes sense to the listeners. He did a wonderful job and it was an honor for him to be able to do it.

This was a tender moment for all of us. The elders, who have come so far from the rest of the Lubumbashi missionaries, to spend the rest of their missions in a land where language and culture are somewhat different for them, were so proud to be here. They are the best of the best and the groundbreaking elders, who will pave the way for many future missionaries who will come to Burundi. For the senior couples, who have worked hard to prepare for this day, it was a joy to see it come.

But for no one was it as tender as for the Malabis. They have lived in Burundi for four years with no Church presence. They had no sacrament, no auxiliaries, no home or visiting teachers, no priesthood leaders to support and shepherd them. They have taught the gospel to their children, who were not even able to be baptized when they were old enough because there was no permission to do so here. They held Sunday school and family home evening in their home, saved their tithing in a bank account for four years in preparation for the day when somebody would come so that that they could pay it. They have prayed without ceasing for the Lord to bring the Church to Burundi so that their family could have the full blessings of the Church. Today they saw this fulfilled as this land was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel and the establishment of the church here and the emotion was overwhelming.

We are here to help them for a short time. They, and others like them, are the pioneers on whose shoulders the future of this land rests.

We are so blessed to share this wonderful day and this unique experience with them, with other missionaries and with two special witnesses of Christ.

The blessings pronounced on Burundi by Elder Holland were powerful and beautiful. We will pray every day for the rest of our mission that we can consecrate our efforts to begin to bring these great blessings to the land and people of Burundi.

And the Wall Came Tumbling Down

When we came to Burundi the mission rented two apartments next to each other to use for the chapel. We planned to take down a wall between them and make the chapel bigger when the need arose.

Well, we decided when we couldn't all fit in the chapel the first week and we just about filled it the second that we better do it sooner than later.

So we hired a company to take down the wall. They promised that they could do it in a week and.......................they did!!

The crew started early Monday morning with only chisels and hammers, and canvas bags for block removal to work with. We were not totally convinced we would have a place to meet by Sunday. Notice that the walls are made of two bricks two thick.

By Wednesday they had the whole arch removed and were plastering and patching. Notice what the older man is standing on to do his work. I was a nervous wreck.

The clamp system was amazing. I wish my Dad could have been here to see how they worked and what a great job they did with almost no tools and in only five days. It was amazing!

Saturday when we got there, this is what we found.

We are so happy. We quickly set up and we are ready for another great Sunday!

Children of Africa

The children of Africa tug at our heartstrings ever day. They are, in general, gentle, well-behaved little people. The young are the hope of the future and we see it in their sweet, shining faces. They are filled with light and promise and are a joy to watch. Some of the little ones cry when they see us and won't get too close to us scary, ghost-looking, white folks, but we still love seeing them and trying to make friends with them. These are the faces of some of the little people in the church in the Congo and Burundi.

The lucky children go to school. They have double sessions with half days morning and afternoon. Sometimes they have to walk a long way to a school. They come in their uniforms and are serious students. Parents pay tuition for school at great sacrifice and are also serious about their children's education, if they can afford to send them.

Sadly, the children are also the great tragedy of Africa. There are many who have no family. AIDS and other diseases have left large numbers of children to be taken care of by other family members or to fend for themselves. Some families are just too poor to send their children to school. These children work at jobs that are never going to help them to progress, learn & grow.

These boys sell hard boiled eggs on the streets and the young boy in the corner on the right sells black plastic sacks at the marche.

This little girl is selling popcorn and sugar cane. This cute boy works in our yard every day. Look at his clever lawn watering system.

These children are selling small piles of charcoal, which is the major source of cooking fuel here.

Sometimes the circumstances of these innocent little people are the hardest things to see and it's hard to imagine what the future holds for them.

They are precious children of God and knowing that brings great blessings.

As with so many things in the Congo and Burundi, there's a long way to go. But the faces of children in the church give us hope for a better, brighter future for them & their home lands.

We're not having fun!

This weekend our hopes for continuous water and power in Burundi suffered a serious blow. We were without power for 7 hours on Thurs., 26 hours on Sat-Sun. and another 5 hours later on Sunday night. It was NOT fun! We can cook because our stove has two gas burners, but it's quite hot here (about like June in Arizona) and without any fans or air (which we have in our bedrooms) it's pretty miserable. The tender mercy in it all was that the 6.5 hours that we had power was during the Sunday session of conference, which for us was 6pm to midnight. So, we got to hear these two sessions of conference on KSL radio. We were so grateful for the uplift that this great conference gave us and the respite from the heat at the same time. It was a wonderful few hours and we made it through the rest of the time. Today the power is on. So, we keep walking!!