Burundi L.I.F.E.

We drove back to the mountains this afternoon from being 2 days in Buja doing documents for the NGO... Malaki fast asleep this evening as I find myself meditating on our life here in Burundi. I have come to realize (not so obvious to me) how different our life really is from the states... and how different we really are as people living here. Things that have now become normal:

• Getting 2 (20 liter) containers of water each morning courtesy of our workers, one of them being nearly 60... they walk down to the valley every morning to get us water that we can use to cook, clean and flush toilets with. (Did I mention we don't have running water... we have the pipes, although Muramvya has never been to successful with having a flow of water.)
• Locking all our steel doors that lead to outside with padlocks (big metal locks). We have security guards, although they are old men... and our fence is rotted bamboo that often breaks all around when street dogs try to enter.
• Getting a worker just to "watch the car" every time we are parking in the city near the market. Just to watch the car... yes. A thief stole our spare tire one day, another day our mirror, another day one attempted to break into the car.
• Restraining ourselves from using the following words: maybe, possibly, might happen, etc. Some how anyone who uses these terms here finds someone claiming that "they promised to help them, they promised to do this, but... you promised". How we quickly learned to be as specific as possible talking to anyone and everyone. Absolutely no grey areas.

That's just a few thoughts, interesting enough... I have grown to love Burundi and the people regardless of always having to be on alert and often having to deal with deception and manipulation. I was recently talking to my friend explaining in the US we would maybe have a negative situation or two arise throughout the month... nothing to stressful. But somehow, here in Burundi it manages to happen everyday! Maybe to truly grasp to the extent I am speaking you would have to live here, but I would love to attempt to give a visual... We are beyond confident that the Lord has called us here (it feels good to say that!)... as we have endured so many trials and difficult times, yet we love our life here and we see the need in the hearts of the people. A hurting hurting people in need of restoration and hope. All we can do is take this life here in Burundi day by day. I love these pictures taken in 2006 exactly 4 years ago in Burundi... it reminds us of many amazing memories here; surly it gives us a hope for the future. Tonight I am speaking straight from the heart and upon meditating on things... I just felt the need to give you a glimpse of what life is often like here in Burundi! All our love...