Aspire – ALIVE and ACTIVE

BRISK

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.

Words of encouragement from Donatien (the National Director)

First grade lining up to enter the classroom for the first time.

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.

Removed some of the old, sloped roof in order to install a new, pitched roof.

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…

BETTER WAY

Uncategorized / By tjkansas

Toni NDIKURIYO is a logistics coordinator at a local Christian organization in Burundi. This organization ministers to marginalized people in five sites throughout the country. Outside of her full-time job, Toni uses her gifts in food preparation to operate a catering business. She offers clients simple refreshments for groups as small as 15 people to full event meals for groups as large as 300 people. It is a lot of work, but Toni is passionate about helping her clients celebrate life’s events with refreshments and good food.

Toni recently participated in a 9-week teaching course called Aspire (see my previous post from Novembe r 2020). The course is designed for idea stage and early stage entrepreneurs who seek to build a scalable business model while integrating their faith into the business. “I really enjoyed my time in the Aspire course, especially meeting new people. As fellow entrepreneurs we spoke the same language and we could challenge and share with one another.”

Toni has seen an increase in referrals for her business and she believes it is through these Aspire alumni connections. “A large organization contacted me to cater an event. I do not know how they heard about my business, but I believe it was through the Aspire network [in Burundi].” This opportunity challenged Toni on how to advertise her catering business. “Today, I ask my clients for feedback on the services I provided, and I adjust accordingly. I wish to maintain the relationship. I want my clients to be heard and hopefully they will recommend me to other businesses.”

The Aspire course helped Toni to see how God uses business to further His Kingdom. “Personally, I used to think business was for others. How can Christians maintain integrity in business? But I realized we reflect His character in how we operate our business and ultimately, we are a witness for Him. His leading can guide us into a better way of doing business.”

“This whole experience was life changing for me and my family.”