Mugenzi (my friends), where can I begin? I could begin by telling you how hard it has been to have all my documents deleted, to find a computer that works, flash drives without viruses and internet that is not ridiculously slow. But that would all be too boring to elaborate on. Instead, I will give you the best update I can for a month and a half in Burundi, although this may be a difficult task.

I have worked with two teams from both America and the UK since I have been here, I have travelled back and forth from Bujumbura to Gitega helping to meet the needs at the orphanage, which are endless. I have done everything from buying sheets and clothes for the kids, to cooking for kids and visitors, to milking cows (I’m getting good!), to hauling bricks for the new building, to loving on the kids and welcoming 6 new orphans. I have met regularly to speak English with a Korean missionary in Burundi who is attempting to learn English, French Kirundi and Swahili. And I thought I had it hard! I have been meeting with a Kirundi tutor regularly for the past two weeks, I have worked with street kids in Muyinga, 3 hours north of Buj, I have participated in bible studies with Buzungu, and joined in church services, leadership meetings and days of fasting and prayer with Burundians. I have watched politics take dramatic and positive turns over the past two months, and I have shared joy with Burundians as they thank God for this new season of peace in their nation. I have made friends from all over Africa and the world, and I am letting relationships and life stories shape who I am becoming. While I have done much in these two months, the most important parts of my time here cannot be measured in quantifiable terms. God is working on me, building me into a person with a strong foundation. He has had to rework the theology I lived life by, and make it His own again. He has had to speak truth into my life so I am not held captive by doubt or fear. He has made me aware, once again, of the spiritual battlefield in which we live. He is building me into a spiritual house where he can make himself at home. He has reminded me that the prayer I should be praying is not: “Lord give me a sign and give me direction”, but, “Lord I long to be near to you, to hear my heart beat in rhythm with Yours.” It is through this nearness to our Father that he will reveal his plans for us. Trust must come before the answers are revealed, I am learning this day by day.

Africa is a great place for Americans to learn that we have a lot to learn. For example, I had no idea prior to this week that the Nairobi red-eye fly actually carries a chemical on its body that can burn a hole in your skin if you touch it. I am currently suffering from these chemical burns. Who would have known? I have also learned that Kirundi has 16 different classes of nouns, making this a daunting language to attempt to master. Honestly, I am just happy to understand if the orphans are hungry, or they want to play. By the way, I’m sure you’ll all be excited to know that I can count to 10 in Kirundi! Learning a new language is certainly humbling. I have learned to drive in this country, which is not fun AT ALL. I am very happy to be driven around, even if it means I have less freedom. When my friend Surpeace drove with me the first time, he quietly commented Christine, you shouldn’t hit that car right there. Thanks for the advice, friend! I have also been reminded of the value of cross-cultural friendships. Both Americans and Burundians love to laugh, although I admit that we often laugh at very different things. My host mother, Josee, almost fell off her chair laughing when I told her that we drink iced tea in America. I just smiled and nodded. But they didn’t understand why I thought the man walking down the road with 12 mattresses balanced on his head was incredible. On a side note, I have attempted to carry a jug of water on my head, which is quite difficult. I have a new found appreciation for all that Africans manage to carry on their heads. But it’s what Africans carry in their hearts that is changing me. The friendships I have here make me rethink my life completely. One of my dear friends, named Alice, is 26 and works full-time at the YFC office in Bujumbura. Both her parents died when she was 8 years old, and she grew up with her sister in a government funded orphanage. She works mostly as a volunteer at YFC because there isn’t money to pay her a proper salary. All her life, she has struggled to get by. The other day Alice showed me the passage in Exodus where God provides daily manna for the Israelites in flight from Egypt. Through tears, Alice told me how this is how God is teaching her to live. She trusts that God will provide for her needs day by day, and she can’t worry about tomorrow. How many people do you know that live by that kind of faith? I wish you could be here, I wish you could meet the friends I’ve made.

Please keep Burundi in your prayers! There have been floods in the past weeks that have killed and displaced thousands of people in this country, causing widespread starvation. Among the YFC staff, 5 of us have contracted malaria, and Freddy, my host dad has come down with a sickness that the doctor’s have not yet identified. And I already mentioned the Nairobi red-eye…please pray the burns would heal quickly. There have also been many YFC youth who have lost friends and family members in the last 2 months. Pray that they would find a supportive and loving community within YFC while they grieve their losses. We also need prayer for continued funds for the orphanage! We have received 6 new children, there are a total of 12, and $50 a month will support one child. Funds for the second building have run low, so 14 people are currently living in the first building of the orphanage. We would like to have no more than 9 kids per home. If you feel led to give to this cause please email me at cbuettgen@northpark.edu. Please remember that your prayers are heard! Write these prayer requests on a post-it and put it on your bathroom mirror, or near your coffee maker so you can remember every morning to keep this struggling nation in your heart and on your mind. God Bless you, each and every one.

Christine Merle