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

Finishing the Packing and Beginning the Goodbyes

It’s been a while since we last blogged. Life has just got in the way!

We’ve had family days, baptisms, hiding indoors and going swimming days….all sorts.

Work

So I’m writing this on my last day at work. I’m ready to move on, but it’s a bit weird giving up the commute to London after 13 years.

Thank God for the experience that this, and previous jobs, have given me.

Goodbyes

We’ve started our goodbyes. The other week and on Monday we saw friends that we won’t see for a year…and perhaps longer. Although we’ll stay in contact (hurray for Facebook and the internet), it’s quite an emotionally and exhausting experience.

On the weekend before last we had Harry’s baptism on the Friday and the children’s goodbye party on the Sunday. There was a pretty big age range, as all the kids invited friends, but we had a wonderful & noisy time!

Had to say goodbye to one of my best friends yesterday…which was really rubbish L

Thank God for friends and the way technology can keep us in touch.

Pray that God will watch over our hearts and emotions.

Packing and Stressing

Every day involves packing now. It’s tiring and stressful, but we are making progress. The children’s rooms are pretty empty and much of what we’re storing at Allie’s parents has been taken up to Oxfordshire.

I think we’ll have enough space to pack everything we hope to take; but things pop up. We discovered that car seats count as one piece of luggage. 1 excess bag costs about £165….that would be an expensive car seat. They are light and will probably go into a couple of our bigger holdalls…but another late consideration. Andrew, who’s only going for a couple of months, will have to manage with just one bag so that he can take his guitar (which again counts as a bag…regardless of weight).

It’s the things that we can’t pack that are hard for the children. Felicity loves her red, wooden kitchen…but there’s no way that we can take it. Allie, particularly, is finding the ‘we can’t take’ conversations hard…it makes you feel so guilty.

Please pray that we’ll remember that everything will get done…but in His timing.

Please pray that we, and the children, will hold on to our possessions lightly.

Not Stressing

We bunked off everything on Sunday and had a lie-in; which was wonderful! In the afternoon we went swimming at a leisure pool in Burgess Hill…which was great fun and, afterwards, Allie noticed that we hadn’t mentioned or discussed Burundi the whole time we were there!

It was so nice to switch off for one day.

Thank God for down time!!!

End of Term Letters

I had a very weird experience the other week. I felt that it was appropriate to send a letter home to parents at the end of term; introducing us and briefly explaining my early thoughts and plans for the coming academic year.

I’ve received many of these over the years and it was very strange to be writing one for the first time…especially as I wrote it in Starbucks in Westminster…such a different world.

Please continue to thank God for this exciting opportunity.

Please pray that God will give me wisdom (no pun intended) in my new role

Raising Awareness

All our blogging etc… seems to be paying off. People are forwarding our blogs to other churches for prayer and we occasionally find out that we are in other church’s newsletters. It’s great that people are taking such an interest.

The other week also saw me speaking at a Men’s Breakfast, which was a great opportunity to share our journey with people we hadn’t had much contact with. And we were also delighted to be asked to come to our church’s 09:15 service (not a congregation we’ve ever been part of) to be interviewed and prayed for.

And then on Saturday we were at a party in Cambridgeshire and were chatting to two lovely women/ladies/girls (I never know which one to use…they all always seem wrong) about our trip…and it turned out that someone mentioned us to them at a wedding the week before…but we have no idea who and what the common link was.

WAS IT YOU?

A big part of our mission was to excite and encourage others. It really feels like this is happening and it’s fantastic to have so many people supporting us and taking an interest.

And, excitingly, we already have a couple of serious enquiries about gap-yearing or working at the school.

If you’re even remotely interested in spending some time with us in Burundi, just drop us a note and we can have an exploratory chat. We’d love to have you!

Thank God for all the support we’re getting!!

Fundraising

We continue to be blessed by people’s generosity and a general reduction in costs.

To date we’ve raised 62% of our costs; which is amazing.

Though we still need to raise £25k…our money runs out in October!

If you would like to support us financially, do visit our blog [here] for details on how to support us.

If you’ve already decided that you’d like to support us…but haven’t got round to it yet…don’t delay, the gift-aid system is a bit slow.

And we still need a 2 or 3 month loan of £6.5k to temporarily fund our car. It’ll take 6 weeks to arrive, so if we don’t sort it soon we’ll be without transport. If you think you might be able to help with this, please do drop me a note at jez.wisdom@gmail.com

Pray that we will remember that everything is possible for God and that He will provide.

Thank God for our generous supporters.

Dogs

The dogs have homes! Ruby’s already left us and seems to be settling in well with the Westwoods. Lucy will leave in a couple of weeks.

We’re pleased to have it sorted…but it is very sad.

Please pray that Ruby and Lucy will bless their new owners.

House

The house is on the market…but no tenants yet. It’s really easy to be impatient with this…but, again, we trust in God’s timing.

Please pray for the right tenants and the right timing.

Final Days

In 6 weeks I’ll be living in Burundi! In 8 we’ll all be there. It’s exciting…but starting to feel scary.

The next couple of weeks are going to be pretty rubbish as we finish packing and preparing the house for tenants.

Allie and the children will be going to Allie’s parents on 16^th July.

On 20^th August we’ll be off to New Wine…which we always enjoy so much. Wonderful worship, teaching and fellowship with some of our church family.

Then, during August, we’ll be spending some time in Crowborough (living with the Mills’) and some time in Thame.

Please ask God to protect us during these difficult days.

We’re….

…weary and a bit fed up…both to be expected…and need all the prayer we can get.

But we’re still keen and positive about our mission…but this bit’s hard.

God Bless,

Jez

Life is a rollercoaster... (by Allie)

The last few weeks have been really mixed. We’d probably all identify with the saying that ‘life is a rollercoaster’ with all its many ups and downs, and this is certainly how the Wisdom family is feeling at the moment!

Thank goodness that Jesus says

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11 v 28-30 NIV)

It can be so tempting in the busy-ness to skip reading our Bibles or praying, after all, there’s always tomorrow, I’ll do it then. But the reality is that I need that time with my Father. Time spent resting in his presence, just ‘being’ his precious child, finding a quiet and stillness in my heart that I had forgotten was there. God is the ‘still axis’ of my wheel – the bit that does not move, stays constant, unchanging, whatever else is happening around it. I don’t have to be feeling ‘holy’ to come to God, he’ll take me however I’m feeling! Just look at David in the Psalms, we can see almost every human emotion shown there. He certainly didn’t hide anything from God, and we don’t need to either, after all he already knows every single one of my weaknesses, mistakes and shameful secrets and still loves me – wow! So I know I can come to him with anything and everything:

^“ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4 v 6-7 NIV)

What a promise!! In EVERY situation...we can present our requests to God... and he will give us the kind of peace that is beyond our human understanding – who wouldn’t want that?!

These are some of our recent ‘thanksgivings’ and things that have encouraged us...

Harry, Caspar and Felicity’s attitude to their belongings has really changed. They no longer get so emotional about letting go of things, and have even surprised me with offers to give things away before I’ve asked! I’m also finding it easier to be ruthless with what are, after all, just things.

Shopping for 10 months supply of everything eg. summer clothes, shoes, suncream etc.etc.etc. has been far less stressful than I had anticipated, and my Burundi shopping list is looking much smaller now – hooray! I’ve realised how much time I wasted worrying and stressing about it beforehand. Lesson learned? Perhaps ;0)

The funds increasingly growing in our Stewardship account have been further confirmation for us that this is God’s will. Initially the funds we needed to raise felt impossible, but we know that with God anything is possible, and financial provision is just one of the many ways he is providing for us.

Mr Jeremy (as I now call him) had a brilliantly blessed fortnight in Burundi. Thank you God for good health, great relationships, growing friendships, many practical arrangements arranged, safe travelling and many, many other blessings.

The BEST presents from Burundi were given to Harry, Cas and Fliss on Daddy’s return: the children from each child’s new class at The King’s School had sent welcome gifts. Fliss was sent a book with pictures in by all her classmates. Cas has a book of handprints with messages on from his new class saying “Welcome to Burundi. We will be happy to see you/play in the sandpit with you/have car races”. Harry has letters from each of his classmates, whom he spent a day with in February. The children have written such encouraging words to him, and several have said they understand how he is feeling about moving to Burundi because they have done the same. What a precious gift, and the children were thrilled.

The house is gradually reverting to it’s ‘blank new-build’ status (though an awful lot grubbier!). We’ve found new homes for most of our furniture, and got rid of lots and lots of ‘stuff’. It’s a long, slow process (and getting a bit boring), but we’re getting there. I’ve just ordered some proper packing crates to store our fragile things in, and have several large rolls of bubble wrap ready to receive our wedding china, pictures and a few ornaments, some of which were handmade by the children, so are very precious.

It’s always surprising when people say they read our blog! We know there are several hundred readers, but don’t know who many of them are. It was great to discover at the weekend that several of our teenage relatives are regular readers and in some cases are keeping their parents up to date with what’s going on! Thank you if you’re reading this :0) it’s a great way to support us and keep up to date with our progress and is a huge encouragement to us.

We celebrated the Queen’s Jubilee with my parents, where we escaped to for half term. Several people had kindly given me some money to spend on the children so I was able to spoil them a little. They couldn’t quite believe they were able to go to the cinema, have popcorn, go to McDonalds, go swimming and have ice-creams all in one week!! Let’s hope we haven’t set a precedent for future school holidays!

A Wisdom family get-together, where we all refused to let the rain prevent us spending the day outdoors! It was absolutely wonderful to catch up with everyone, and to see our newest nephew, born only 3 weeks ago. There were lots of opportunities for great photos to take with us, and we all had a fab time.

Please pray for...

It’s only...

28 days until the children and I move out (Jez is staying a few extra days to unscrew beds and pass them on to their new owners amongst other things!)

31 days until we go to New Wine (huge YAYYY!!!!!)

2 months until Jeremy leaves on the 18^th August...

...followed by me and the children on the 28th

Frustratingly, I hurt my back during half term. I’m having treatment for it but it’s still very painful and is going to take a while to heal. This has seriously restricted the amount I can do in terms of moving things around, reaching into cupboards, lifting and carrying. Basically, packing :0( However, I believe this is part of God’s plan (nothing comes as a surprise to him after all), and so I’m trying to trust him on this. And be patient (those of you who know me will know this isn’t one of my strongest points!). Please pray for healing, trust in God and patience.

Buying our 'new' car has become something of an issue. It is being bought for us in Burundi, but the funds won't be available until mid-Sept. So in addition to our fundraising, we're looking for a 3mth interest free loan of £6,500.

If this is something you might be able to help with, then do let us know.

Help! We still have a lot to do, and we’re going to need some help. The main things are:

Finishing packing – we’re accumulating all the things we want to take with us in our room – this is not the look Phil Spencer would recommend for attracting potential tenants, but we have God on our side. It will be fun when we need to transport 22 x 23kg cases downstairs (our room’s on the 2^nd floor!). We also need to finish clearing out all the bits to go to friends, charity shop, tip, and packing up the fragile bits that are going to be stored at my parents.

Preparing the house and garden in order to let the house (not a huge amount to do). We need to start viewings in about ten days, something I’m trying not to think about...

This is the same room as the photo further up...just with everything piled out of sight.
The far side of the bed has loads stuffed down by it!

Andy’s  A-levels began last week and finish on the 20^th. In the midst of everything else that’s happening it’s easy to forget what a pressured time this is for him, but in true laid-back Andy style, he seems to be coping well and we’re managing to get time to chat about his exams and all that’s going on.

Our dogs still don’t have a new home to go to. We’ve pursued possible homes 6 times now and each time, for various reasons, it hasn’t worked out. This hasn’t been because of the dogs, but for other reasons. We’ve had a firm offer for one of them, and still have several people to contact about the possibility of taking them both. Please pray for wisdom over this, that we will know what is best for the dogs, but also for the children (is it best to re-home one dog with someone local so the children can stay in touch with that one, but may never see the other again, or is it best to have a clean break and never see either dog again?)

At time of publishing, we have a couple of options that have opened up!

We seem to be hurtling towards the end of the summer term.  Please pray that Andy, Harry, Caspar and Felicity would ‘ finish well’ at their schools.

Goodbye parties, presents, cards and letters need to be organised. Please pray for the people organising things for us, and that we would have time to do what we need to in order to say ‘good goodbyes’ to people.

And finally... please pray :

For us to be an encouragement to others considering overseas mission

For us not to feel ‘down’ when we’re tired and stressed

That we will be able to have regular time as a family and as a couple

That we’ll be able to see all the people we want to see before we leave

Thank you :0)

Mr Jeremy (Part 2)

We don’t normally blog every week, but I’ve a little time to kill before I go the airport and a whole week I haven’t blogged about.

Jubilee

Went to our new church on Sunday. Wonderful worship and great sermon.

After lunching  with my friend we went to her house to watch the boats on the Thames on BBC World News with some other expats. Alison had managed to get hold of some Jubilee bunting and flags and….some cakes, cheese and crackers appeared…a real treat out here.

It was great to get to know the guys better…except most of them are leaving L. A fact of life out here is that people come and people go.

Walking back was a little darker than normally advisable…but we did get to a wonderful flock(?) of bats.

Please pray for God to bless our friendships with those staying and those who we don’t know and haven’t arrived yet.

Assemblies, Stories, Budgets and Devotions

I managed to do a couple of assemblies this week to the infants and junior pupils which was lovely. Being prayed over and commissioned by small children is amazingly powerful stuff!

The variety has been wonderful too! On Wednesday I went from a budget meeting about final plans for our new building to reading ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ to the Nursery children.

On Thursday morning I was killing time in the staff room and heard what I assumed was an assembly in the play ground. I snatched my camera and managed to catch a minute of what turned out to be the teachers’ morning worship that had spilled out into the playground and swept up most of the Junior School.

Thank God that we are being sent to a job with such strong Christian foundations.

Parents Evening

I was unveiled at Parents’ Evening on Tuesday. I managed to launch into my talk and completely forget my interpreter; but apart from that we survived unscathed. That I will have three children of my own at the school seemed comforting the parents.

Please pray that the parents will support the school as it goes through significant changes over the next year.

Ready

Over the last two weeks I have been able to do everything I came here to do.

I’ve met all the school staff and most of the pupils. I’ve gone through the school finances and plans.

I’ve starting moving stuff into our new house and have met more friends at church.

I’ve done two working weeks and found some new running routes….and got a personal best.

I’ve had a long meeting with my new boss and regular catch ups with ARM.

I’ve had dinners with old and new friends.

I’ve ordered some bunk beds and chosen a car. (I went into a furniture store to see what was available with my administrator. The staff saw a ‘muzungu’ in a linen suit and thought that Christmas had come early. Little did they know I was a poor missionary in the making and not a diplomat)

The classes that Harry, Caspar and Felicity will go into have made cards for them to help them feel welcome and to not worry about coming over.

In short I feel really ready.

It’s just packing up in the UK that’s the hassle now…and fundraising that last 40%.

Thank God for giving us so much preparation.

Pray for God’s strength as we battle through the final few weeks in the UK.

Future Blogs

Blogging’s going to be a bit of a challenge once I’m working here. There’s so much to do in the school; but I have to discuss and develop these ideas with my management team, the staff, the parents and ARM before I can tell the whole world.

It’s really frustrating as I have so many plans and I want to tell my supporters about the work that we’re doing…but you’ll have to wait.

No doubt Allie will keep you up to date with what she’ll be doing…plus there’ll be many stories about our family settling in.

Off for a quick midday run (mad dogs and English men stuff!), then off to the airport.

God Bless,

Jez

Mr Jeremy

Well it’s official…from mid-August 2012 my professional working title will be Mr Jeremy!

It’s been a wonderful, crazy, fun and challenging 1^st week. On Monday, Debbie, my Head of Junior School, sprung on me that I’d need to choose my name. I had assumed that convention would dictate that for me; however both surnames and first names have been used in the school. After a few chats I decided to go with the Burundian practice of using first names (as family names can be a little challenging)…so Mr Jeremy it is for the next few years.

It’s really exciting to be writing my first blog from Bujumbura and, internet permitting, there should be some up-to-date photos below.

Starting School

Having arrived on Sunday and spending Monday at the ARM offices, I turned up for duty for the first time on Tuesday morning.

I’ll be really honest and say that it was very daunting at first.

A typical school day starts at 7am with the Junior and Senior school staffs holding their own times of devotion…sharing the Word, praying together and worshipping. I may not be getting up any earlier than normal, but at home I’m not expected to function until 9am…so this week has been a bit of a shock and highlighted my early morning dependency on black coffee. Mama Stacey, a Primary School Cook, has now sussed out that an early cup of coffee guarantees a happy principal. Starting the day in this way is wonderful (the devotions, not the coffee) and really helps to put God at the centre of the day.

Various assemblies take place from 7:30am and the day is already starting to feel hot! Next week I hope to do a Junior and Infant assembly; sharing how God has called us to Burundi.

Most of my time has been spent meeting with teachers, staff and the current principal (Andrew). They’ve all been really welcoming and it’s been great getting to know them; though I think some felt like they were being interrogated. It’s interesting that many of the teachers are from Uganda and Kenya following God’s call to come and work in Burundi.

There are so many cultures both within the staff and pupil communities…a real challenge for me. This was celebrated on Friday when the Junior School pupils wore national dress to school.

 On Wednesday I had a wonderful time, and surprised a few teachers, by joining in song and story time at the Nursery. My days of running our church crèche has held me in good stead and I was able to join in with the ‘twinkling stars’ and ‘bobbin winding’. I think I shall make a point of attending this every week next year; it’s such a good way of interacting with our smallest pupils.

Interacting with the Senior school children is harder…they’re so often in classes and then hang around in ‘packs’ during break-time. Though a small group of Yr 7 girls came and chatted and made me feel very welcome.

School finishes at 1pm in the blazing heat with a very tired Mr Jeremy desperate to go home!

More of the same next week…plus a meeting with parents at which I will be ‘wheeled out’/’unveiled’.

Please pray that God will continue provide opportunities for me to meet and interact with the children.

Please pray that the staff will be encouraged by our meetings a look forward to September.

Challenges and Doubts

My first couple of days found me wrestling with two doubts.

Firstly, Bujumbura is beginning to feel more normal and less challenging…which is good. But consequently I found myself wondering whether we’re making a lot of fuss about nothing and that we’re not facing the big challenge we’ve been telling everyone about.

Secondly, I’ve been made aware that there is more education in Burundi than I originally thought and so is this the ‘mission’ we thought it was?

After rest and reflection, it is clear to me that the devil is using these doubts to undermine the work that God has commissioned us to do.

Moving a family 4,000 miles to an alien culture in one of the world’s poorest countries is a whopper of a challenge.

There may be other education in Burundi but none can produce the quality of education we can, none provides an English education and none have a joint focus of producing young disciples of Christ…all of which is desperately needed in Burundi.

Plus the school will be taking in some additional Congolese orphans from September; increasing the provision for the neediest.

I don’t write this to remind you of our purpose, but as an example of how, in the face of glaring evidence to the contrary, doubts can grow and undermine callings.

Please pray that God will help us remain convicted in our mission.

Please pray that we will trust God fully.

Opportunities

God has really blessed this visit with opportunities.

On Wednesday the school held a 1.5km fun-run through the streets of Bujumbura, organised by the visiting British Ambassador. It was hot, hard and chaotic…but a wonderful opportunity to engage with the 200ish school kids that turned up to run…and I got a certificate for ‘Fastest Teacher’.

That evening the Ambassador held a drinks reception for the good, the great…and British citizens. The pan-pipe music from Titanic was interesting, but it was a great opportunity to meet some more faces from home.

Today (Saturday) the church which we will join held a fun-day. Football, fun and food…plus another opportunity to make new friends.

Earlier in the day I went for a run (I’ve managed to keep up my exercise) and had fewer shouts of ‘Muzungu’ and more of ‘Mr Jeremy!’

I also went with David, my Head of Senior School, down to the new secondary school building with the boys from the CRIB Orphanage. As well as being an opportunity to hassle the builder (it should’ve been done in April), it was nice to meet and chat with some of the boys.

Thank God for the many friendships we will have been blessed with before we arrive.

Water

I discovered the other the day that the chilled water in the fridge here was not filtered…so I’ve been on Burundian tap water for a week now!

So far, no ill effects!

Please pray for continued good health.

Finances

Finances continue to cause stress. We’re spending now, and with that comes the real pressure to be good stewards of the gifts we’ve been blessed with. Gifts arrive in a variety of ways and keeping track of these and distinguishing between our personal finances and mission finances is a real challenge.

Fundraising continues to go well. At time of writing I estimate that we have raised something in the region of 58% of our 2012/2013 costs!

A BIG thank you to everyone who’s supported us so far!

If you would like to sponsor our work, follow this link to the donation documents on this website.

Praise God for his continued generosity.

Pray that He will help see and deal clearly with what we’ve received.

The next few months hold some real challenges. Moving the family. Fundraising. Settling. Growth and changes in The Kings School. But we have His strength to help us (see the helpful notes from UCB this week)

Finally, please pray for God's blessing on Allie as she looks after the children during half-term.

God Bless,

Jez

Working for God-His Way

 ...Created in Christ Jesus to do good works... Ephesians 2:10

God had a plan for your life before you were born. Indeed, it's why He brought you into the world. Simply keeping you 'busy' was not His goal. He wants to see you doing the work He 'prepared in advance for you to do.'

Joining a worthy cause and working hard is commendable, but you can end up as a square peg in a round hole, expending time and energy without achieving the you-shaped purpose God had in mind. He wants you to be purpose-driven, not work-driven!

So:

1) Ask Him to reveal His will to you. 'It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose' (Philippians 2:13 NIV). God will actually create desires within you that guide you toward accomplishing His purpose. It's not serendipity or super-spirituality, but God at the helm, steering your ship.

2) Expect to do more than you are capable of. Self-directed activity is self-limited activity. God-directed activity is unlimited activity. God never calls us to do what we can; He calls us to do what He can! '[He] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us' (Ephesians 3:20 NIV). Listen, act on His promptings, and all things become possible to you.

3) When the work is demanding, draw on His indwelling power. Paul says, 'I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.' How much divine energy is needed for your assignment? 'All His energy.' Awesome! And it is available to you today.