A brisk couple of weeks for me since I last updated you. I’m not sure the best way to inform you so consider this an update/photo dump.
Leaders training in Makamba province – Pastor Samuel and I visited approximately 30 leaders in the Makamba province (southern border of Burundi). We discussed how Jesus empowered the disciples and what are the characteristics of disciples and disciple-makers. I enjoyed the discussion as we tried to understand our cultural differences and similarities.
First day of school at Karubabi Harvest School – September 18 was the first day of school in Burundi. KHS got off to a good start as the students were welcomed to school by the headmaster and they also received their materials for the school year. Pray for the leadership, teachers, and staff as they organize and engage the students and families for 2023/2024.
Emergency roof repairs to the mission house in Muramvya – Rainy season revealed severe leaks to the structure resulting in rainwater inside the house. It was necessary to engage an engineer as quickly as possible due to the amount of rain in Muramvya. With much stress I scrambled to find both an engineer to complete the project and the available funds to begin the work. By God’s grace we experienced two weeks of dry weather conditions while the work was starting. The repairs are scheduled to be complete at the end of October.
Business initiatives – I serve on the board of directors for an organization which walks together with local businesses. The initiative is designed to coach and teach a core group of Burundian entrepreneurs as well as listen to their business needs. This past month a conference was held for the business leaders to share what they’ve learned from being a part of this group. It’s been a long journey but the members were grateful for the coaching and commitment to the group.
In a separate initiative I was invited to a workshop with young entrepreneurs to share the Aspire materials. I’ve shared about similar cohorts in the past. For the workshop we modified the format and tried to condense a 9-week course into 5 days. Entrepreneurs in this workshop had businesses in salon care, honey manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, engineering services, and personnel consulting services. We’ll finish this workshop at the beginning of November, but I was very pleased with the questions and engagement by the participants.
And for full disclosure, some restful vacation photos to follow at a later date…