Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Getting prepared

Along with going to Burundi, my colleague and I will be stopping over in Kenya to possibly visit with Biola students and other people. Also, I have been on the waiting list for my yellow fever shot for about 3 weeks now. Many county Dept. of Health offices just don't carry any! Tomorrow I will see if I can get a shot from another place but I need to go through a "counseling" session to see if I need the shot. I believe if the CDC says I need the shot, I need the shot.

The more I think about traveling to Burundi and not knowing what to expect, the more anxious I become. I do understand in theory the need to assist this country but cannot fathom what I will be seeing. I also understand the need to give all things up to the Lord and not to be anxious on anything (Matt. 6: 25-34). So I continue to think about the people of Burundi and what is in store, praying for the wisdom to assist.

Now to only get my last shot and my visa!

Friday, May 15, 2009

First Entry

If you are reading this, you are interested to find out more regarding what I am doing with Biola and Regent Universities to assist the country of Burundi and their education reform.
As of today, I am awaiting to find out how the project will be funded, but I believe God will give us the timetable to work from. Too be honest, I never believed I would be on the cusp of working in Burundi. I thought I would be doing something in Latin America. But, someone had other plans.
I have received some of my shots and just waiting to see when I can obtain my yellow fever shots. I didn't know shots were so expensive! Another shot I may need is a rabie shot for we may be staying in some villages.
I've been looking at flights and it seems I may need to leave 2-3 days early to get there on the specific day. Also, there may be some lay-overs of over 8 hours in some places. I'll just bring along a good book....or two.
If you are reading and interested in how you can support this project, I will be in Burundi from June 22-26 then leaving again in the late summer or fall. My colleague and I will be in need of prayer. Please pray for our safety and our work for the country. In a nutshell we are being asked to revamp their educational system. No small order. The countries of Benin, Liberia and Rwanda also wish for assistance so what we do in Burundi could serve as a framework for others. Our goals? At first it would be to obtain information on the primary and secondary schools. Many of the children do not go on to secondary school and there are many refugees returning to the country after years of bloodshed and genocide. The President of Burundi is a Christian man, which was why he asked Regent and Biola to work with his country. Please pray for him as well.
We also need financial contributions for the project for Burundi cannot afford the effort and personally I an unable to fund this approximately 5-10 year project. Biola University has an account set up for the Burundi project and it is tax deductible. Let me know, and I can fill you in with more information as to what we will be doing, and I will use this blog to keep you updated.