Day 1 & 2

I’m here...I live in Africa...I’m ‘on mission’. It feels extremely weird and fairly normal all at once.

Day 1

A relatively uneventful journey here. The staff at Heathrow weren’t terribly happy with my one way ticket but, thankfully, I had a copy of my school contract in my bag. It wasn’t signed and could’ve been written by anyone...but it did the trick.

On the Nairobi to Bujumbura flight I got upgraded to Business Class. Woo Hoo!! This meant that I got my orange juice 10mins early, an orange seat cover instead of a blue one and...a choice of two horrible breakfasts. How the other half live!

Please thank God for watching over my journey.

Please pray that Allie and the children will have an equally blessed trip.

The bags made it through customs with little fuss and I arrived at the house to find that Zebron (the weekend guard) had swapped with Nestor (the night guard). Nestor just doesn’t get my French.

In fact none of them do. I was practicing my French with Claude, the cook, and he didn’t understand...which worried me. But it turns out that my French was correct...it’s just that my accent is horrible.

Please ask God to bless my conversations.

Having not slept on the flight over, I arrived feeling very tired. And tiredness = doubt. I explained to Nestor, unsuccessfully, that I was going to sleep...which he found funny...and crashed. I woke feeling much better.

My friend Libby had left me some food, made my bed and left a card and cookies...it made me feel really welcome.

Milly, the dog, and I are friends. She’s bouncy, but lovely.

The power situation here’s pretty good. There are major cuts each day...but they’re scheduled, which is very unusual. My district seems to get it from 3pm – 3am...which works for me...except that the hot water needs electricity. More cold showers.

Power means internet, which means Facebook and Heart FM, which (combined with Allie’s old copy of Prima) made me more at home.

Praise God for His provision.

Day 2

Claude turned up an hour early for his 1^st day, which meant that I wasn’t ready for our first chat. I think he understood his terms of employment...though dinner was 2 ½ hours early and I think he’s coming at 6am rather than 7:30am tomorrow; but I’m sure we’ll get past the confusion.

Both Claude and Sylvestre, the day guard, have been lovely and we’ve been collectively misunderstanding each other all day.

Two full-time workers is over-kill for one person. There’s not a lot for them to do; but I’ve been telling them to make the most of it as it’ll all change when the kids arrive.

Claude wanted to do some food shopping today, so took me to the giant, covered market place. Imagine all the images of markets and souks from films like India Jones...exaggerate it several times...and then you’re close. The path ways were barely one person wide and the stalls were stacked with impressive amounts of food. It was amazing. There were probably a thousand people in there...and one muzungu. I don’t think they noticed (Ha!Ha!).

I made sure my pockets were empty before I went in and spent the next hour being ‘frisked’ by an army of fairly ‘unsubtle’ pick-pockets.

Although we got charged a higher rate, thanks to my presence, we weren’t ripped off as badly as I imagined. Though in future I’m dropping him off and going for a coffee so that he gets the local prices.

Some time I should get someone to take me back there with a camera...I'd love you to see it.

I was adamant that I wouldn’t withdraw when I arrived here alone. So the trip to the market was ideal. I’ve also been driving a lot in a tired, rented Toyota....and I love driving in this country. It’s hairy, but great fun...you just have to be bold and get into the spirit of it. And you get to use your horn loads.

On the way to the market we got stopped by the police who were checking for insurance documents. We couldn’t find them and I didn’t have a phone yet. We got pulled over for about 30mins while Claude made call to a colleague of mine, after which a few calls were made and we were sent on our way. The papers have now been found.

I feel blessed that I’m settling in well and I’m half way through the unpacking...but I also feel like a child. All of a sudden you’re not street-wise anymore and old assumptions are redundant.

Praise God for His protection and for refining me.

Day 3 will be bank account opening day, more unpacking and a swim or run. Then on Wednesday I’m going to pop into school.

Back at home

Allie’s having to manage with the kids on her own...which isn’t easy...plus getting ready for their departure.

More than anything, please pray for protection and abundant blessings for Allie over the next week. I miss her and can’t support her...but God can.

Our tenants should be in by now, though the letting agents are asking us to fork out an astonishing amount of money on another clean. Perhaps Andrew’s room needed a deep clean.

Extra costs aren’t fun and I’m fretting about whether our budget out here is correct...but we’re following God and trust Him, so it’ll be fine.

Again...please continue to pray that we’ll trust in God’s provision and His timing.

God Bless,

Jez

Nearly There

Oops...we've neglected you a bit...but we've been a bit busy and away on holiday...here's Allie:

Countdown...

...only 13 days until Jez flies...

...and only 23 until Andy, Harry, Cas, Fliss and I fly!

It’s hard to believe we’re leaving for Burundi in just a few weeks. I thought I’d be a mess by now -  stressed, emotional and having doubts - but strangely I feel very peaceful about the move, and the children seem very calm and accepting of it too. We’re still in the middle of all the normal school holiday stresses of entertaining young children on a budget, whilst trying to run a home (sort of!), but over the last 15 months God has transformed our hearts and we feel ready now – it’s amazing!

Thank God that his timing is perfect, and that knowing Jesus can transform every part of our lives :0)

Please pray for our stress-levels over the next few weeks. We have been moving around a fair amount since we moved out of our home on 16^th July. It’s not easy living out of suitcases, and my poor family have been putting up with my crabbiness a lot recently :0(

Farewells

RAFT – this has been our model for ‘leaving well’ from the UK and has been just one of the really helpful things we’ve learned in the last year (I did a short online course with All Nations Christian College on cross-cultural mission, we went up to Redcliffe College for a day on preparing families for life overseas, and we’ve read lots of books that have helped us hugely. If you’d like details of any of this do let us know).

R = reconciliation (restoring relationships where necessary)

A = affirmations (making sure those we’re leaving behind know how much we love and appreciate them)

F = farewell (leaving parties, presents, cards, memory books, photos etc.)

T = think ahead (plan for when we arrive in Burundi)

When you read something like this you can’t always see the point of it all, but now we’re moving through the process I can see how beneficial it has been and is to us.

We’ve said goodbye to our house, our All Saints church family, and some of our friends and colleagues already, and in the next few weeks we’ll be saying farewell to lots of other people, as well as a final goodbye to our dogs – of course it’s really ‘Au revoir’ as we’ll be back next July :0)

Thank God for our wonderful families, friends and neighbours and the love and support they’ve given us, particularly in the last year. Also for the wisdom gained from the abundance of resources available for those preparing for mission.

Please pray for us and all the people we love as we say goodbye to them until next year.

NEWSFLASH: the sun shone all week at New Wine!!!

We had an awesome week camping  and spending time with lots of friends both from our church and other churches we have links with. It’s always an amazing feeling worshipping with thousands of other Christians :0) and the continuous good weather was the icing on the cake.

I think the main thing God said to me during the week was not to be complacent just because He has called me to Burundi and I know what he wants me to do with my life (for the next few years anyway). I need to continue to seek his will, and press in to this calling, asking him to keep showing us the way forwards. Although we have a calling, there are lots of details still unknown to us, and thankfully our God is a God of details , as I’m constantly reminded when I look at the incredible detail in the world around us.

The children learned about ‘running the race’, the Armour of God and that ‘God is with us and will never leave us’ – yay!

Now

Since New Wine we’ve been at my parents’ house near Oxford, doing lots of lovely summery things and saying goodbye to friends. The children have been having a great time in the garden making ‘smelly-boss’! This is a revolting mixture of rainwater, mud, stone, sticks and leaves which they stir with an old spoon. When it’s raining they peer longingly at it through the back door! We’ve no idea where the name came from!!

This weekend we’re saying farewell to my family, and then we’re heading back to Sussex and staying with friends for a few weeks until Jez leaves. After that we’ll be returning to finish the last little bits of packing before Thirstyfest in Sussex over the bank holiday weekend (I was trying to think of how to explain it, if you’re interested google it – it’s basically lots of Christians camping in a field again, but a LOT smaller than New Wine!!), and then it’s back to my parents for a couple of nights before we leave. It will be lovely to be back in our ‘home’ town and able to see friends there :0) Cas and Fliss will also be having the last of their vaccinations (all the kids’ BCGs have nearly healed after they had them in April!), as well as Harry’s first orthodontist appointment (how’s that going to work when we’re in Burundi?!).

Jez still needs to do quite a lot to the house before our tenants move in mid August, just before he leaves. There are also lots of admin bits that need completing, like cancelling child benefit, TV licence, utilities and all the other mundane but necessary bits – I’m very grateful that he’s doing all that and not me! Andrew passed his driving test a few weeks ago too so we need to sort out his driving licence before we go, ready for his ‘baptism by fire’ on Burundi roads!

Thank God that we have loving places to stay until we leave and that WE HAVE TENANTS!

Please pray that we’ll be able to have some family days together and that the work on the house will be done quickly and easily. Also for our tenants, moving into the area, that they will settle quickly and feel welcome and at home.

Our journey

I was chatting to someone last night about our preparations in the last year, and was reminded how totally overwhelmed I had frequently felt. It seemed we had this huge mountain to climb and I wasn’t sure we could do it. And now it’s mostly done: the packing, studying, vaccinations, reading, sorting out the house, finding tenants, rehoming our dogs, saying our goodbyes etc. Wow, it is so true that “with God all things are possible” (Matt 19v26)! He has given us the strength, patience and wisdom to do everything , and I know he’ll continue to equip us and meet the needs he already knows we’ll have in Burundi.

It’s been an incredible journey so far. We’ve seen the most amazing answers to prayer, including praying for specific costs and receiving that amount within 24 hours (several times!). I’m feeling more excited now than I’ve felt before and we’ve learned to walk closer to God and trust him more, especially as we have no back-up plans!! Keeping this blog is a great way of looking back at all the things God’s done already, and is a real encouragement when we have the occasional wobble :0)

We sang this song at New Wine:

God I look to you, I won’t be overwhelmed

Give me vision to see things like you do.

God I look to you, you’re where my help comes from

Give me wisdom, you know just what to do.

I will love you Lord my strength

I will love you Lord my shield

I will love you Lord my rock, forever all my days

I will love you God

God I Look to You (YouTube)

Jez back again...

The King's School

Many things progress over the summer; including building work and building repairs...my Administrator Aime has been busy!

Today we had lunch with my two Headmasters, who are in the UK visiting family for the summer. Everyone's really enjoying the summer, but already we're aware that the start of term will be on us soon. David (the Head of the Senior School) and I are heading back early to encourage along the final works...though we suspect it'll miss its deadline.

We're also aware that many things will need to change next term as the school grows and spreads of more sites....and, whilst we need to let the staff and pupils settle in, some of how the school operates will need to change as soon as we start.

We've also been blessed with an excellent UK school that's keen to form a relationship with The King's School...and we even have the tentative offer of two minibuses next academic year!

Please pray for peace for our teachers...especially the new ones. Pray that they'll enjoy the remainder of their holidays and return keen and refreshed.

Next blog may be from in my new home!!

God Bless,

Jez