The Final Countdown

Since I wrote this blog, four internet-free days have passed, meaning that I need you to read it as if it was Monday 24^th (Christmas Eve). Some of the facts have changed too, the biggest one being that I’m actually leaving Burundi on the 28^th (tomorrow) rather than the 29^th, contrary to what I go on to mention in this blog. Actually, I wouldn’t trust anything you read from here onward. Just have a laugh

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Final Update

The past two weeks saw The King’s School team’s stress levels hit the roof as everyone prepared for the Christmas Production. I learnt what it’s really like to be a teacher when I faced choir members who hadn’t learnt their words half an hour before the production, but the old cliché holds out; it’s always alright on the night - or the blazing hot afternoon. My choir performed some nicely rehearsed renditions of Christmas carols, including one in Kiswahili (NOT taught by me), and made me proud. Needless to say, I was handing out obscenely colourful sweets afterwards.  

Friday 21^st was party day, which is far less attractive than it sounds. The kids are allowed to wear home clothes (which apparently includes Beats headphones, PSPs, mobile phones and, in one case, an iPad), and can eat junk food and go mental all day. I dug out some speakers and played some music during the feast, receiving torrents of abuse because I didn’t have enough appreciation for OneDirection. However, at the end of the day I was able to say some heartfelt goodbyes, promising to come and say hi next Christmas when I’m out visiting my family.

I’m gutted to be leaving the school, but hope that I’ve left a legacy of catchy children’s worship music. I was able to go out with a bang, having spent the past two weeks filming a music video to Adam Parkes’ ‘You Make Me Sing’, to send to English churches as a thank you for their continuous and exceptional support of the school. The video will be uploaded to Facebook as soon as my internet’s strong enough next week, do check it out. Be excited!

What am I looking forward to?

Provided the Mayans don’t accurately predict the end of the world sometime next year (impossible – Matthew 24:36), 2013 promises to be an exciting year for yours truly. I get around 6 months to raise/earn money for the Message Academy up in Manchester which starts in September, a year-long course specialising in youth work, outreach, ministry and – my track – worship. I’ll be needing your support, but you’ll hear about that. Trust me.

Something I really won’t miss when I return to England will be having to wash my boxers in the sink every week. Since I’ve come to Burundi - and this surprised me - I haven’t enjoyed doing it once. You know what else will be great? Being called Andy, Andrew or even Wisdom – rather than my rather unflattering African title ‘Muzungu’. One thing, however, will top all that – a tin of baked beans and a bowl of coco pops. Probably not together.

On a serious note, (honest!), I cannot wait to see my grandparents next Sunday at 5:30am at Heathrow Airport, it’ll be great to spend a couple of days with them in Oxfordshire before I get thrown into my new life. After that, I’ll head back to Crowborough, hopefully with at least one job interview lined up, to stay with the Dillinghams – an incredible family from church who’ve welcomed me into their home. Can’t wait to catch up with my friends, and find out what adventures you’ve been having over the past four months. Obviously I have to say that, you’re the ones reading my blog...

What’s going to be hard?

Leaving my family’s continent was never going to be all fun and games. I’m not great with emotion, which any of my readers will know by now, but even the greatest actor couldn’t pretend that it won’t be hard being separated by 7,231.5 miles (give or take). When I see Caspar and Felicity in six months, they’ll look totally different. That’s what Skype will be for... just got to hope that this house’s internet begins to work at some point.

If I don’t get a job in January, it’s going to be hard to stay faithful and easy to panic. I need to start earning and fundraising as soon as possible, those who have done it before will feel my pain. Pray that God will make the way clear, and will keep me focused and trusting that if He wants me in Manchester, I’ll get there!

My friend’s fundraising for a Tearfund trip to Malawi at the moment, and her tweet the other day was really encouraging:

‘All i’m saying is that i’ve been praying that god will provide me with money for Malawi and then i’m handed a bucket with £470 in it’

Insane things happen when we step out in faith. Bring on 2013.

Adios

So in six days I’ll be packing my bags and heading back to England (because I’m guaranteed to put off packing until then), so all that remains is for me to thank the staff and kids at the King’s School for making my time out here so special, to thank Gustave the crocodile for not visiting me, and to thank you guys for reading my blog. This won’t be the last entry, I can promise that. I’ll continue to post what’s encouraging me to encourage you in the next year, God is sure to do great things. Blog might need a new name though.

I’ll leave you with some lyrics, as is probably expected of me by now. These oldies have been recycled due to their sheer power and truth. Be encouraged!

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ name.
Original – Edward Mote – Adapted by Matt Redman – My Hope/ Hillsong – Cornerstone

Big love. x

@AndyWisdom141

Immanuel: The Promise that came with Jesus

Immanuel: The promise that came with Jesus

I brought this message to my Burundian church this Sunday 16^th December, having been asked to bring something suitable for both children and adults in our Sunday school-centred Christmas service. Having been handed the graveyard slot at the end of the service, where I was sure to be time-pressured after everything else in the service plan had overrun, I did my best with a significant dose of prayer to carry me through. Please read this and be encouraged!

• A very special name

Most names have a meaning of some kind. Perhaps you know yours? Perhaps you don’t. Mine, for example, means ‘strong and manly’, which I’m sure doesn’t come as a surprise. If you don’t have an English name, perhaps your name translates into another language. When I came to Burundi, I met an ‘Ésperance’, a beautiful name meaning ‘hope’ in French. Similarly, being drenched in Kirundi when I went up country, I realised that the frequently-used words ‘Kwizera’ and ‘Mugisha’ (meaning ‘Faith’ and ‘Blessing’) make for very popular Burundian names.

Do you think you live up to your name? Jesus did, and He didn’t even just have one name. People called Him ‘Messiah’ (anointed one), others called Him ‘Rabbi’ (teacher). His God-given name, Jesus, is in fact a later version of the name ‘Joshua’, meaning ‘the one who saves.’ Isn’t it incredible that Jesus was given so many names, and managed to live up to every single one?  

In the gospel according to Matthew¹, we see Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled² when the angel of God appears to Joseph, telling him that he is to call Mary’s son ‘Immanuel’, which means ‘God with us’. That wasn’t just a name, it was a promise, and what a promise.  

• The reason behind Immanuel

Hang on – in sending His only son to earth as a baby and calling Him ‘Immanuel’, God made this incredible promise, but was it a new promise? I don’t think so. It doesn’t take an in-depth Bible search to see God’s constant pre-Matthew reminders to His people that He is with them, and He loves them:

·         Isaiah 41:10 – ‘Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God’.

·         Joshua 1:9b – ‘The Lord is with you wherever you go’.

When God rescued the Israelites from Egypt in Exodus, He was with them in the form of a massive pillar of cloud, and by night a pillar of fire!³ How incredible is that? And yet, for some reason, it wasn’t enough. God’s constant reminders of His love and care for us never satisfied. Why?

Here’s one possible explanation. Imagine me standing above a huge swarm of ants – not those dirty great wood ant things, but the tiny ones which try to carry off food you leave on the floor. I could spend days, months, years, shouting down to those ants ‘I LOVE YOU! I’M WITH YOU! I’M ON YOUR SIDE!’ but they wouldn’t believe me, not even if they’d somehow learnt English. They’d just take one look at my size 12 shoe and say ‘there’s no way he can be for us, he’s too massive! He could crush us in a second!’

I don’t think the situation between us and God is all that different. However many times God shouted down to His people ‘I LOVE YOU! I’M WITH YOU! I’M ON YOUR SIDE!’ people were never able to comprehend how such a huge, powerful, creator God could love and care for ants like us. Look how much the Israelites grumbled at God in Exodus, despite the fact that He was rescuing them from slavery.⁴ 

Perhaps that’s why God sent His son to earth as Immanuel. Perhaps the only way I could convince that swarm of ants that I was on their side – that even though I was huge and powerful, I cared for them, would be to become an ant myself, understand their limitations, and show them how far I was willing to go to convince them of my love and mercy. God made the ultimate sacrifice in sending His only son to live to die on earth to convince doubting people that His love and mercy for us is genuine and constant.

In the service, I pulled out a colourful puppet who asked me the following questions. Unfortunately there was no easy way to re-enact that in a blog!

• Who is this promise for?

Anyone and everyone. It’s a simple answer. Whether you’re English, Russian, Vietnamese or Burundian, this promise can apply to you. God is not just with preachers, ministers and worship leaders. Jesus is not just on the same side as white people, or rich people. God promises to be with anyone who calls his or herself a child of God, and He promises even more than that – In John 3:16, God promises eternal life to ANYONE who believes in Him⁵. What incredible love! 

• Isn’t it too hard for God to be with us all the time?

Nothing is too hard for God. Even when the devil appears at his strongest, and our Christian lives become long, dangerous roads, God remains with us wherever we go⁶. The Bible says that we will face persecution⁷, and never claims that life on earth as a Christian will be in the walk in the park, but states clearly that if God is for us, NOTHING can stand against us.⁸

• If Jesus is no longer walking with us as a man on the earth⁹, how can the promise of Immanuel still apply?

If I had left the message at ‘God sent Jesus as a man to be with us’, there would be a gaping hole. It would be perfectly justifiable to question how God is still with us, as Jesus does not currently walk the earth as a man. But the Son of man himself promised to send someone, or something in His place.¹⁰ The Holy Spirit is living proof of the Immanuel promise. What’s more, if we choose it, the Spirit will actually inhabit us!¹¹ You don’t get closer to ‘God with us’ than that. The Spirit of God offers help and strength in weakness.¹²

• How should we react this promise?

Be excited! No one else can offer you a promise like this; a never-ending, never-failing, trustworthy promise of the constant watching presence of God. Don’t keep this promise to yourself! This Christmas, let’s remember to tell people ‘God is with you.’ How do we know that? Because He sent His son, Immanuel, ‘God with us’. Amen. 

• Bible References

¹Matthew 1:22 ‘All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet.’
²Matthew 1:23/Isaiah 7:14 ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’)’.
³Exodus 13:21 ‘By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.’ 
⁴Exodus 14:12 (To Moses) ‘Didn’t we say to you in Egypt “leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians”? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!’
⁵John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not die, but have eternal life’
⁶Joshua 1:9b ‘The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go’.
⁷2 Timothy 3:12 ‘In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.’
⁸Romans 8:31b ‘If God is for us, who can stand against us?’
⁹Acts 1:9 ‘[Jesus] was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.’ / Luke 24:51 ‘While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven’.
¹⁰John 14: 16 ‘I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.’
¹¹1 Corinthians 3:16 ‘Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit lives among you?’
¹²Romans 8:26 ‘In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.’

Hopes and Fears

Three months have gone by, six cars have been driven, four guitar strings have been replaced, and an unholy amount of pineapples have been eaten. Burundi life so far has been an adventure.

Having said that, where on earth has it all gone? It seems like yesterday that I was apprehensively boarding a plane, spending the flight grumpy because this time I didn’t get any complimentary peanuts. Time has quite literally flown by, and now I get the chance to worry about returning to England.

For those who haven’t twigged yet, when I go back on the 29^th December, I’m going back by my lonesome, which is an adventure in itself, but a bit of a challenge considering I have 8 months to raise £4,000+. To fill in, I’m doing the worship track of The Message Trust’s ‘Genetik Course’ up in sunny Manchester, starting in September 2013. Your prayers and support would be hugely appreciated as I get going!

How are things going?

It’s been a fairly chilled out couple of weeks, but I’ve still got stuff to blog about. My guitar students, for example, have been making huge progress, and all are now managing to play a couple of songs each. Not bad going for about 10 lessons right? I’m still gutted to be leaving them at such a critical stage though, and will be praying and trusting them to carry on learning on their own, like I did!

I’ve suddenly realised that I have at least 5 great children’s songs that I haven’t yet taught to the TKS junior school, so have begun to rectify that at pace. The song that went down the best the other day was previously one of my least favourites – ‘Touch a finger, touch a thumb... every bit of you is special.’ But they loved it! The only slight issue is that I’m not sure how the tune goes, but it sounds alright my way. Good thing the children are fast learners, because there’s no mercy now, they are going to learn the rest of these songs!

Finally managed to take a trip to the central market the other day with a friendly Burundian who didn’t speak any English or French, so when I tried my very best to explain that I wanted to go and look at a particular T-Shirt again, we ended up leaving. Oh well, I ended up with a pair of very fake Barcelona shorts for the gym, which I managed to haggle down from 30,000fb (about £15) to 7,000 (about £3.50). They really do think we muzungus are chumps.

I was gutted when, on the same day, we visited the local music shop and I grabbed some Mexican Fender strings, which I’m still convinced are genuine. However, genuine though they may be, there were only five in the packet when I got home. Perhaps I AM a muzungu chump.

What’s not going so well?

There are so many things we can thank God for, because every minute here is proving a valuable experience. However, there are always things to struggle with. After one particular challenge I faced a couple of weeks ago, where the Dad of a new friend I’d made suddenly died of Malaria, causing the family to move back to America and destroying a potential friendship, I messaged someone in England expressing my anger and confusion. He reminded me that when you go to do great things for Jesus in places like Africa, or anywhere for that matter, the devil makes it really, really hard for you. That reminded me that we as missionaries and as Christians really are on the front line. That’s why we have the armour of God. Just going to share the verses I was given, because they were extremely encouraging for anyone who’s going through one of those situations where we feel completely abandoned:

If I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. – Job 23: 8-10

I know an incredible song which says a similar thing, too:

Even if the healing doesn’t come,
Life falls apart, and dreams are still undone,
You are God, You are good, forever faithful One.
Even if the healing doesn’t come. – Kutless – Even If

On a less critical note, I’ve got a dodgy back, probably caused by a gym trip, which wasn’t clever. Please do pray for it, because leaning over kids to work their computers is a big part of my job! The gym’s been pretty good otherwise, and I’m really feeling the effects. I can no longer fit my thumb and forefinger round my bicep, for example.

I’m hoping I can say this without accidentally bigging myself up, but please pray for the family as they get ready for me leaving. The younger two don’t really know what’s going on, but Mum in particular is struggling with the fact that she won’t see me in 8 months. I keep reminding her that it’d be similar if I was just heading off to uni, but I suppose in that case I’d still be in the same country. The number of people telling me to stay is really racking up, as my guitar students’ parents start to face the reality that I’m leaving and the school starts to wonder who will teach ICT and sing!

Summing Up

I’m honestly very excited about my return to the UK, if a little worried about one thing: Today I e-mailed the manager of Crowborough’s Waitrose – the one employer who seemed interesting in my advanced application. When he told me to contact him in December, I knew I’d be e-mailing him on the first of the month! Please pray into the situation, I guarantee that I’ll start to worry if this opportunity falls through. But God has a better plan than me. Must remember that.

There are so many things I still need to do in my final 28 days here. I need to check out the dodgy shop in town which sold Dad some fake, but apparently decent quality Beats headphones for about £12. I missed an opportunity yesterday to visit the waterfalls of Burundi, which I’m now desperate to do before I leave, and I need to complete Farm Frenzy 2 on one of the ICT computers, or my classes might lose all respect for me.

Let me leave you with another set of song lyrics which have encouraged me recently, the second set in this blog. Aren’t you lucky!

How many times have You found me wandering
In the rubble of yesterday’s hope?
Weighed down with burdens, barely standing, but
I am desperate to see You again,
To see You again.

I’m running into Your arms of grace,
With no reason to hide away,
It’s not the first time I’ve been in this place,
I’m coming home again.
I’m welcomed home again. – Beth Croft – Arms of Grace

God will always welcome us home when we turn to Him, realising that we’re sinners desperate for His love. Bless you.

Twitter - @andywisdom141

Like Glastonbury in Africa

It’s 9pm local time, and it’s pitch black. An annoying ringtone pierces the silence, otherwise unbroken but for the tapping of keys as I return, fed, showered and ready to blog about an extremely exciting weekend far outside Bujumbura. Prepare yourself.

The Build-Up

Sorry that I’ve been off the radar for a while, it’s not because I don’t love you guys, I’ve just been busy (lazy.) My most exciting experiences so far in Burundi, or perhaps in my life, have just happened, so I feel a blog is in order. I’ll try to keep it short even though it covers more stuff than usual!

No complaints on the work front: loving teaching ICT and guiding the kids through programs such as ‘Paint’ and ‘Rapid Typing’. Soon we’ll be able to put their newfound skills to use, which is exciting. My Tuesday afternoon choir is also thriving, and we’re starting preparations for the Christmas celebration. Some pure quality voices in there, trying my best not to be upstaged.

I’m rapidly spending less and less time at home, as it looks like I’m going to be busier and busier until I return to England on the 29^th December, but that’s ok. It’s easier to function as a family unit when we’re not treading on each other’s toes all the time, and each of us has our own life outside the house. Makes the time when we are together more special.

Escape from the city #1

Last week I was given the opportunity to take a much-anticipated trip to Gitega, Burundi’s ‘second city’ – probably about the same size as Crowborough, my home town. We were taken to visit some of the children rescued by the Restoration of Hope street children project, and it was a brilliant experience. The twelve children we met were so fun, so full of joy and so eager to meet and greet visitors that it was impossible to tell that they were born on the street. The project is an incredible demonstration of God’s love, and you should have seen the kids’ conviction in praying for our meal that day (savoury bananas and beans!), and how excited they got to worship when I got my guitar out, despite the language barrier! The song I kicked off with is actually called ‘I get excited (when I think about God)’, so isn’t it a blessing that language isn’t a barrier to Him? In fact I loved being deafened by the kids’ brilliant Kirundi version of ‘Jesus’ love is very wonderful’. I’d love to visit them again, and this project is one I’d love to fundraise for. Expect to hear more about it in the future.

Escape from the city #2: The Wild Weekend

We’ve been blessed enough to set up a cell/home group for ex-pats, with whom we meet once a week. It was in such a meeting that I was asked on Thursday night if I wanted to go back up country on Friday afternoon. Having been aching to go back for five days solid – a surprisingly long time – I saw it as an answer to prayer and accepted, not really knowing what I was letting myself in for. The preparation advice I was given wasn’t too encouraging; ‘You’ll have the opportunity to preach for 30-40 minutes... I’m not sure what we’ll eat... If you have a portable mosquito net, best bring it... Last week I got seriously dehydrated, bring water... Better bring a loo roll.’ I left school on Friday lunchtime feeling rather unprepared and a little apprehensive... But God had a much better plan.

The journey up to Ngozi, a small town three hours from Bujumbura, was a mixed one. Pleasant conversation with our Burundian translator (his first question was ‘are you still a bachelor?’) was disrupted by the occasional stop for bananas or a bit of overcooked corn. The scent of petrol from the portable generator mixed with the whiff of the ever-growing pile of banana skins honestly made me want to show everyone what I had for lunch, and none of this was helped by the twisting mountain roads which feel much faster than they are.

However, the journey remained vomit-free and we arrived safely, if a little queasy, at our hotel... At least, a building which had ‘hotel’ written on the outside. Imagine a travel lodge, then put it in Burundi and remove anything pleasant about it, and you might have a rough idea of the situation. There wasn’t running water, and a very questionable towel hung over the bathroom door, but there was a bed, a mosquito net and a table. What more does a preacher need?

That’s right, you read correctly. This weekend I really was commissioned to preach in four different areas which, to be frank, I would’ve said was crazy 72 hours earlier. I’m a singer, not a speaker. When I speak into a microphone, I frequently worry that I’m going to say something inappropriate, and at the end hope and pray that I didn’t offend anyone. But God’s plan was a bit better than that. On Saturday, myself and a friend of mine from Buj spoke in a breakfast cafe to the pastors of the local churches, my chosen topic being ‘what is worship?’ It was extremely encouraging and stopped my shaking legs when one pastor stood up at the end and told me that his church had been struggling with worshipping outside the service, and this message had come at the perfect time. God’s work, not mine – I didn’t know I’d be going this weekend!

We spoke to a meeting of about 600 students afterwards, to which I brought the messages taught to us by the story of the Lost Son (Luke 15), my personal favourite. As a rookie speaker, I realised I couldn’t go wrong with explaining a message given directly to us by Jesus. I brought the same message to a rural church later that afternoon, where we remained until dark. This church hosted the poorest people I’ve ever met, probably the poorest in Burundi – which makes them the poorest in the world. This didn’t stop them from worshipping God, though, far from it. Their choir was ridiculously loud.

Here’s the most exciting bit: Scripture Union Burundi goes to different parts of the country with a portable generator, speaker, screen and projector, with which the team shows one of a variety of videos to a crowd who gather from surrounding towns and villages. On Friday night, my first experience of ‘The Jesus Video’ (a 1970s-made account of the gospel of Luke, translated into over 2,000 languages worldwide) was encouraging, with around 1,000 people – it’s quite hard to tell in the dark – appearing from nowhere to watch and potentially hear the gospel for the first time in their mother tongue. Yesterday night, however, was something else; people simply kept appearing, and I’m told it was one of the biggest turnouts since the start of the project all those years ago. Between 5 and 6,000 seems a sensible estimate for how many people there were gathered around a screen in a muddy field. It was like Glastonbury in Africa. Hallelujah?

The weekend wasn’t even over at this point, there was more to come. So far when I’d preached, it’d been for about 20 minutes, a comfortable amount of time for me to bring a short, memorable message. Imagine my surprise when I was told that in this morning’s church service, not only would I be separated from the rest of the SU group, but I’d be expected to preach for at least 45 minutes in keeping with the traditional service plan. A lot of preparation took place both last night and this morning as I wrapped together the messages of the prodigal son, what worship means, and living our worshipful lives as if we’re running a race. (Hebrews 12:1)

Now imagine how incredible it was to hear the church’s pastor mid-way through interpreting my message say to me that my time was nearly up, just as I was drawing to a close. Somehow, I had miraculously prepared the perfect amount of material, and the nodding heads of my congregation showed me that at least most of what I said wasn’t heresy. I wonder how that came about.

Just some thoughts...

I don’t want to miss this opportunity to mention some thoughts on the big news stories of the past couple of weeks which tie in to the fact that being in Africa changes my perspective considerably. I will continue to pray that one day the situation in Burundi, the hungriest country in the world, where life expectancy is under 45, will receive as much media coverage as Hurricane Sandy did when it tragically claimed over 40 American lives.

Another TV statistic really caught my eye, and I have a question: If Messers Obama and Romney had spent their $2 billion of campaign money, most of which was spent on self-promotion and attacking their opponents via adverts, on a worthwhile cause such as saving lives, would the result have been any different? We can only wonder.

I’ve got a lot more to say on these issues, but that’s another blog entirely. Plus, I’d quite like to upload this one this evening to follow through with my claim that it would follow my Facebook status. Let’s make sure, however, that while we support the victims of the suffering that we see on the TV, we remember those who have never seen a camera or a microphone, and are forced to suffer in silence. There are more of them than we could imagine.

To wrap up

That’ll do from me tonight, I think I’ve conveyed my excitement at everything that’s been going on. I’ve also enjoyed snippets of pure comedy in my everyday life here. Seeing a 20-year old man in a bright pink Hannah Montana T-Shirt was definitely a highlight, not to mention seeing someone jogging along with a table balanced on his head. However, nothing beats today’s experience, when one of the Burundians travelling with us decided to buy a live chicken and keep it in the back of the van, where it promptly sat down, clucked, and enjoyed the ride of its life.

This morning I preached on how important it is not only to sing praises to God, but to listen to Him too. What is our relationship with Him if we speak, but don’t listen? Here are some incredible lyrics encouraging us to listen and wait on God. Be blessed.

My heart is restless, let peace wash over me.
Lost in distractions, but You, God, I will seek.

I will wait for You, I will wait for You.
Let my heart be still, for You are God.
You are always good, Lord, forever kind.
I will trust and know that You are God.  – Nikki Fletcher – Wait For You

Yesu Ashimwe.
(Praise Jesus!)

The Good, The Bad and The Sweaty

I think I’d be cheating all of your expectations if I made it seem like life in Burundi is all fun and games. Yes, I’m having a great time and will bring home plenty of valuable experience, but it’s not always easy living here. What do you think sounds worse: The fact that four consecutive days of no internet caused me to miss a close friend’s birthday? The fact that I have to get my gym shorts ironed so that something doesn’t burrow under my skin and eat me from the inside? The fact that Burundian bus drivers and children alike are addicted to the music of Chris Brown?

These are just a handful of things which make me pine for the sunny UK. Despite the fact that the start of the rainy season was supposed to provide us with a burst of hydroelectric power, we’ve been relying on the generator for an unhealthy portion of the past few days, which isn’t helped by the fact that there’s a fuel shortage. Hopefully the rains will come soon. (What an African thing to say!)

Similarly, the internet has been shaky, and I’m hoping that when I come to upload this blog entry it won’t be outdated. Rain tends to block the signals from the satellite, which is ironic. Seems to be the case that we can have power OR internet... tough call.

Creepy Crawlies

Just thought that some might be interested in the weird and wonderful creatures found in deepest darkest Africa. Naturally, as an over-cautious Western family, certain of us (naming no names) tend to rush to the computer to look up the latest potentially dangerous bug we’ve seen. My worst experience so far was when something that resembled a 5-inch long shield bug, sporting a fabulous stinger, fell from the inside roof of the car onto my stomach as I reclined in the boot. Naturally, I reacted with cat-like reflexes and flicked the thing off with the end of my iPod. The Western way.

We’ve reached a consensus that actually we shouldn’t trust the guards’ opinions on whether animals here are dangerous. With a mixture of broken English, a lack of experience and the sheer number of poisonous animals over here, it’s probably not worth the risk. Still really hoping I see a snake at some point though. The closest I’ve been so far was a snake’s skin near the basketball court when I took the year fours for sport a couple of weeks ago. Obviously, they were all terrified. I was disappointed.

 Computer Geek

Now we get to move on from the depressing stuff, because I’m loving working at the King’s School. I still get to teach the kids a bunch of contemporary children’s worship songs, which is seriously fun. Not sure if they get it all the time though, they remain convinced that ‘like David, Elijah, Noah and the rest of the team, I’m gonna be a giant face.’ That’s ‘Giant of Faith’, for the many who weren’t there for Boulder Gang 2012!

The exciting news, however, is that ICT lessons have started! All of a sudden, I’m a full-time teacher, with three classes a day, sometimes including sport with a side helping of music. The kids are loving learning how to use a computer from a mixed bag of skill levels. The great thing about the programs we have is that they allow the nerds to try and wallop their high scores while the kids who haven’t touched a computer before (predominantly those from the orphanages subsidised by the school) can receive most of the attention, and can learn quickly. My personal favourite program is a quality geography map one. Thanks to SeTerra, I can now point out all of the countries of Africa on a map, something which I felt I should be able to do! Don’t worry, the kids learn too. It’s amazing how many of them couldn’t show Burundi on a map until their first ICT lesson. Obviously we have to check that the kids remain on educational games before we let them make a beeline for ‘Farm Frenzy 2’. Even I have to keep it a secret when I play that one. 

 Musik

Yeah, I could easily have put a subheading ‘music’, but that wouldn’t have been fun would it? Now alongside my assembly responsibilities, I have the privilege of teaching 7 kids (at last count) of different ages and nationalities to play their guitars. Only discovered yesterday how valuable I am, however, as apparently there are ‘literally no other teachers’. Valuable, or just a last resort? Anyway, better make sure they’re diploma standard by Christmas or I guess they’ll burn my passport...

One of my students reliably informs me that he acquired a fairly genuine-looking set of Fender acoustic strings for 7,000F (about £3) from a (the) music shop in town, definitely a place I need to check out. To tell the truth, Louis and I are both desperate to check out the covered market, an experience I’ve had once before without buying anything, and it’s pretty surreal. Thing is though, you don’t go there without someone who speaks the language and knows the system. As Muzungus (white people), we’ll get ripped off!  

Gymming it Up

After many weeks of being really busy (lazy) and of finding it quite hard to organize my time (lazy), I took the plunge and bought gym membership at a conference centre nearby. (The equivalent of £10 a month if anyone’s interested...) Wish I’d done it sooner, because my first three gym experiences in Burundi have been great. Sweaty, but great. There’s no air conditioning but there is a water cooler, which basically means that between every 12-rep set, I need to drink about half a litre of water to replenish what I lose, but that’s ok. Today I decided that this country is too hot for sleeves, and mutilated one of my T-Shirts. Felt much better au gymnase though!

To finish...

I can finish in true Andy’s Blog fashion, because I still haven’t done some key Burundian things. Unfortunately, despite Facebook’s best attempts to recruit me, I haven’t become a client of ‘Burundi’s best dating site’. I don’t care if they’re the best or not, they won’t get me. I haven’t been for an evening picnic on the beach either, although it looks like the country’s mosquitoes would make very pleasant company, and I haven’t met the President. I’m sure he’s really nice.

Facing hardships in Burundi reminds me of how blessed I really am. When I’m sitting in church and finding it hard to concentrate, I thank God for the fact that I have a church where I understand the language, and the transport to get there. When I lament a faulty internet connection, I realise that having internet and knowing how to use it in this country very much puts me in the minority. As a result, I’m learning not to take for granted what I have and to be forever grateful instead. It’s hard, but our God deserves all the glory, and I was reminded of Matt and Beth Redman’s song ‘Blessed Be Your Name’ which was written in a great time of family hardship, but explains that ‘when the darkness closes in, still I will say ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord’.’ I feel that the following lyrics give a similar message, and I hope they’re encouraging.

I’ve had questions without answers,
I’ve known sorrow, I have known pain.
But there’s one thing that I’ll cling to:
You are faithful, Jesus, You’re true.

When hope is lost, I’ll call You Saviour.
When pain surrounds, I’ll call You Healer.
When silence falls, You’ll be the song within my heart. – Tim Hughes – When Silence Falls

Every blessing. 

Why Electrocuting Children is Frowned Upon

As I sit here, poised to write the second entry to a blog which will surely gain worldwide fame, I must confess something. As it buzzed around my wrist with one sole intention, I politely told a mosquito that it didn’t deserve to live and, for want of a more delicate way of putting it, mashed its face in. You can’t be too careful out here.

Now, this blog might have a slightly different flavour to the last one, as I’ve been issued with a writer’s challenge, three words: ‘Keep it clean’. This statement means that I’ve had to alter my vocabulary significantly. The words ‘skinny’ and ‘dipping’, for example, are no longer allowed to be used together. I’m sure you understand. Sensitive content. 

New Jobs Galore

Those who read this sub-heading and wondered who would be crazy enough to give me a job, I’ll tell you: the parents of The King’s School. All of a sudden, I’ve become a professional music teacher, by which I mean I’m being paid – which doesn’t really mean much. In England, how much would you expect to pay for private guitar tuition? £20 per hour? £30? I’m charging 5,000 Burundian Francs. That’s about £2.50. And these are the rich parents!  

Maybe I should explain why I thought this blog’s title was appropriate. Last time I said that my main responsibility, alongside my fellow gappy Louis, would be ICT. That was true, and the two of us have spent a lot of time diligently planning our lessons; how should we separate the kids who have computers at home from the kids who haven’t touched one before? What shall we teach them first? How can we come up with a system so that the two of us don’t wear matching clothes by accident? All of these questions have been given serious thought, but we've hit a bit of a snag; The computers don’t work. I’ve been told by an expert that this is going to be a problem for ICT.

Actually, I lied. They do work, and we’ve run a couple of them. According to the electrician, however, we’re lucky to be alive after that. Due to the Burundian wiring of the building, which doesn’t include an earth wire, plugging in the computers makes all 17 live, pumping 340 volts through the first unwitting mug who touches one. Apparently this isn’t an experience we should be exposing 10 year-olds to.

When we finally get the computers up and running, we’ll face the ever-present problem that the power is off three mornings a week, and the generator can’t support 17 computers. I suppose ICT lessons will be on Tuesdays and Fridays!

A Visit to the Zoo

Some people might have seen my Facebook photos of some of the animals we saw in Bujumbura zoo. Prepare for a brief rant from an animal rights sympathiser who didn’t realise he was one until a week ago. We saw some beautiful creatures: a hilarious monkey, a majestic leopard, and a crocodile lass who, with her deep brown scales, hugeness and, of course, delicate grace, could have made a fine wife for Gustav. The Zoo’s resident pessimist, however (yours truly), will tell you that these animals are treated horribly. They’re kept in tiny enclosures, and they’re alone. Animals by their very nature want company and entertainment, the latter of which tends to come in the form of the occasional log or a tourist poking his fingers through your cage. The leopard’s situation in particular hit me hard, as she threw herself against the bars of an enclosure which made my bedroom look huge. That animal should be allowed to run, like God made her to.

The Jesus Column

On that note, it must be time for an all-out Jesus column. I’m not in Burundi because the weather’s amazing, or because the people are lovely, or because you can eat some wonderful things for very little money. All of those things are true, but I’m just rubbing it in – they’re not why I’m here. God called my family to Burundi, and we’ve seen His power so clearly present here. It feels incredible to be used by God in the ways in which we know we’re strong. Dad is managing a huge project in his post as principal of TKS, and finds himself snowed under with work, but coping better than most would with the constant challenges faced by the school. Mum is teaching RE without a syllabus or exams which, in a Christian school, means she gets to effectively lead a Bible study with groups of teenagers who happen to be in school. Such situations have seen her develop her gifting in youth work over the past years in England, so it’s exciting to see God using her gifts.

 For me, it’s seeing the kids’ passion for music which dispels my doubts as to whether I’m in the right place or doing the right job. I get to help children develop their musical gifts for worship, which is just incredible. There’s so much talent out here waiting to be brought to the surface, and if I can be a part of that, I’ll jump at the opportunity.

To Wrap Up

Unfortunately, I can’t rap, or I’d stick a verse in here, employing wordplay on the word ‘wrap’. Seriously, on a scale of good rap to bad rap, I’m not even Vanilla Ice. Sorry to disappoint you there. Instead I’ll just sum up with a couple of disappointments. Yesterday I discovered that there are Burundian cinemas, which is pretty cool. What’s not cool is that there's a rather concerning ratio of mosquitoes to people. I haven’t visited one of those, but did watch ‘The Amazing Spiderman’ at an embassy yesterday. Unfortunately, it was far from amazing. I also haven’t experienced Burundian night life yet, which I’ve been reliably told by a Belgian dude is ‘raving’. And, finally, we haven’t yet got our new Toyota Land Cruiser, which means that I get thrown about in the boot of the cockroach-infested hire car. The only way is up.

As I finish this blog, I can hear another mosquito as it flies around my head. Clearly it can’t see its mate’s shattered remains on the next chair. It’s in for a surprise.

My brain contains a substantial library of worship music, so once again I’ll sign out with some song lyrics which I hope will mean something to you as they do to me. Keep your eyes on the prize.

Never once did we ever walk alone.
Never once did You leave us on our own.
You are faithful, God, You are faithful.
Every step, we are breathing in Your grace.
Evermore, we'll be breathing out Your praise.
You are faithful, God, You are faithful. - Matt Redman, 'Never Once'

Until next time. 

A Dangerous Obsession with Crocodiles

I’ll be honest; I have no idea how to start writing a blog. Unfortunately, English Literature A-Level didn’t explain it in much detail. I should start by saying that this isn’t my first blog entry. My first, however, wasn’t published due to obscene content. Clearly my graphic description of a skinny-dipping escapade to Lake Tanganyika wasn’t well-received.

Just to ruin the joke, I have not in fact been allowed to go and visit the infamous Gustav and his crocodile mates in their watery dwelling. In the words of my father ‘the lake’ll kill you before the crocodiles do’. Absolutely no sense of adventure.

Casa Del... me. 

Perhaps I should kick off with some news from the home front. We’ve been here for just over three weeks now, and I’d say we feel safe behind our razor-wire-topped walls and massive metal gate. We also have guards patrolling which – and people will definitely be surprised to read this – is new. It’s probably a good thing that the situation hasn’t arisen where they have to act thus far, because I’m not sure what would happen if it did. The assumption is that as Burundians, they would know exactly how to react in case of an emergency where we Westerners wouldn’t have a clue. The emergency number of Burundi? Who knows?

We tend to see the guards more as ‘helpers’, and they’re more worthy of that name than I can write. In the wise words, again, of my Father, on our night guard, Nestor: ‘that man irons a good shirt.’ Definitely worth a mention is our cook, Claude, who made a remarkable recovery from Malarial Typhoid to return to work and make some of the most amazing food I’ve ever tasted, often out of the most basic ingredients like rice, beans and cheese. His English, however, isn’t perfect, so it’s always somewhat of an adventure when Mum asks him to buy some ingredients and cook a specific meal. So far though, everything we’ve eaten has been delicious!

In terms of all of us fitting into a three bedroom house, so far it’s proved very manageable. Caspar (5) and Harry(11)’s staggered bedtimes mean that they’re not always crashing into each other, and I feel that I sensibly judged Felicity (3) as the lesser of three evils as a roommate. Our room is fairly girly, her bed takes up far more than half of it, and she occasionally wakes up noisily in the unspeakable hours of the morning, but it’s not all bad. I’ve been very impressed by her progress with her snoring problem.

Back to School

The other half of my Burundi life is spent predominantly at The King’s School, where my responsibilities to date have included music, sport, maths, English, French, reading with students in English, reading with students in French, sharpening pencils, sticking labels onto books and making thesauri. That’s right, thesauri. If you think that sounds like a lot, apparently my main responsibility from Monday onwards is going to be ICT, which I’ll teach alongside Louis, my fellow gap-year student who arrived this morning. Having never met him before, it was always going to be a bit strange as we suddenly became each other’s close work colleagues, but he’s extremely easy to get along with and our first meeting was a very positive start; what an answer to prayer.

A school day at TKS starts at 7am with a teachers’ devotion, which has so far led me to take up a role as a travelling musician, visiting every school building (secondary, junior, infant AND nursery) on different days with my guitar to lead brief sessions of worship. Finally got my head around the type of music which is used out here yesterday, having realised that my audience were probably a bit tired of ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Awesome God’. (The system tends to be if it’s about 10 years old and used in England, it’s probably well-known!) Similarly, in assemblies, I’ve been having a great time building up an ever-growing library of songs to use with the kids, ranging from classics like ‘Jesus’ love is very wonderful’ (awful grammar there, ‘wonderful’ is a superlative), to newer stuff like ‘Superhero’. The best song that I’ve taught the kids is ‘Holy Mission’ by Adam Parkes which, to the tune of the Hokey Cokey, yells ‘WOOAHH, WE’RE ON A MISSION’. I’m sure you can understand why it’s been popular. It’s a bit of a challenge teaching the kids songs without on-screen words, but they’re a bright bunch who love to sing and are keen to learn, so they’re picking them up at a rapid rate! The kids at the CRIB orphanage (Children Rescued In Burundi) are particularly excited to learn hundreds of new songs. Going to help these guys with their homework on Wednesday and Friday afternoons (although I’ve only done it twice so far) honestly brightens my day. After they’ve finished their work, I’ve been staying behind to play football, dodgeball and the like, and today took my guitar along, to their delight. I can’t express how fun they all are, and so keen to get involved in everything. Can’t wait to see God work through them.

Is that really all you do?

For those who are already in mourning for my sad, workaholic life in Burundi, I’ll comfort you with the knowledge that I do other things as well. I’ve been trying to swim at least three times a week, which has been a total failure this week as I’ve been bombarded with commitments. However, there’s nothing like swimming lengths with the sun beating down on your back. It’s a fabulous mix of relaxation and an ability to push myself hard because it’s so enjoyable, a sensation I never had when training in an indoor pool in rainy England at 6am. Plus, all of a sudden the bugs floating in the pool don’t mean anything, because the water’s so wonderfully refreshing. (Some pools are far nicer than others!) We spent Sunday by the pool at Hotel Club du Lac for one of the teachers’ birthday, and experienced the power of the African sun as it roasted my shoulders as I swam.

Sunday morning church has also proved a volatile experience. We’re at the most westernised church in Burundi, but the sung worship is still in a mix of French, English, Kirundi, Swahili and apparently once some Kenyan dialect unique to one small tribe. It’s fascinating to see the merging of styles as a medium band including a drum kit, bass and piano mixes with a six-strong gospel choir. Tomorrow, I’m booked in for a meeting with the pastor about becoming part of the worship team, which is exciting, a blessing, and a bit intimidating. There’s no way in the world that I want to embarrass myself by singing in any African language, since my vocabulary currently stretches to around 10 words. I’ll stick to English and French, and perhaps co-lead with someone.

We’ve had interesting (to say the least) experiences of the sermons at BICC so far. They’re always pretty long, stretching over an hour partly due to every sentence being translated as the sermon goes on. It’s also fair to say that different speakers are far easier to engage with than others, but where in the world is that not going to be true? Perhaps this is a challenge to listen harder and to stop being so one-dimensional and critical...

To Wrap Up...

Ok, so I haven’t been swimming in Lake Tanganyika yet, I haven’t ridden a hippo and I haven’t fed a live guinea pig to the crocodiles at Bujumbura Zoo, but I feel that a lot has happened in the past three weeks. Time has rocketed by, and before I know it I’ll be back in England complaining that I’m cold and that the pineapple tastes rubbish. That, along with many other things, is motivating me to treasure every moment in this beautiful country.  God is using me, and that’s more exciting than anything else. Pray that he can use me even more. Let me leave you with an extract from a song, which I hope will encourage you to seek God’s calling and to follow his will, which often seems impossible but brings a cornucopia of undeserved heavenly rewards.

I let go of all I have, just to have more of You,
And no matter what the cost, I will follow You,
Jesus, everything I’ve lost, I have found in You,
When I’ve finally reached the end, I’ll say
‘You are worth it all’. – Ben Cantelon

Follow me on Twitter @AndyWisdom141 for short, sharp updates on what I might be up to out here. I also urge you to ask me questions, there are huge gaps missing from the blog! For example, why do we have/need guards? What kind of food do we eat out here? Will Gustav the crocodile ever find love?

N’agasaga.