Burundi On My Mind

Bolts of fabric at the market

Two years ago just now I was on my way home from Burundi where I had spent two weeks with a team from Sister Connection, a ministry to widows and orphans* of that small central African country. We visited the homes of widows that had been built with funds provided by Sister Connection donors, assisted in a retreat for the widows and one for their kids, toured Mt Hope, visited a hospital and the Busoma Project (a feeding program for undernourished, and delivered quilts to the orphans that were donated by Quilts Beyond Borders. Please indulge me one more time as I share a few photos from that trip.

(*The word orphan is used for a child without a father in Burundi.)

A widow and her 2 children (and a crowd of friends) stand outside her home, which was
built by funds provided by a donor. 

To date, 1244 homes have been built for widows and their families, at a cost of $600 per home. And there are now 658 widow and orphan-led households that are connected to sponsors. For just $30 a month these funds provide food, seed to plant, clothing, routine medical care, school supplies and household necessities. Learn how you can be involved with Sister Connection!

This woman gave us an extravagant thank you gift for visiting her home

Neighborhood kids

Kicking the retreat off with a welcome from the women

Joy was a hallmark of their worship

Listening

These ladies knew how to pray

Bringing their offerings to the altar

Denise and Joy, co-directors of Sister Connection

Waiting in line for lunch

Praying at Mount Hope

Mount Hope is being developed as a center for the widows -- offering job training, retreat site, a place of prayer. When we were there two years ago there was no water or electricity on Mount Hope. This summer a team has been addressing the water issue, having located a spring at the bottom of the mountain and preparing to pipe it to the top of the mountain,  digging over 2000 feet of trenches to house the water pipes. The picture below, taken by Craig Reese a month ago, shows the work in progress.

Photo Credit: Craig Reese 

With the widows sponsored by the Warm Beach Free Methodist Church

A mama let me hold her newborn baby at the hospital

Mothers and children waiting for the Busoma clinic

Just a few of the wonderful handmade quilts we took for the widows' kids

They loved them!

Such a great team to travel and work with

The fence at our mission house, edited, just for fun