In the first election, all voters were able to vote for the political party of their choice for local governance. The president’s party won 65%+ of the votes, a landslide. This was a huge surprise to some of the other political parties. While the international observers said it was, basically, a fair result, those in the other parties doubted that evaluation. So the other parties all banned together and created one opposition party and decided to boycott the next election in the series… the presidential election. If the numbers were true, then people voting for that party would most likely vote for the president of that same party. So the president was really pushing people to get out and vote – though his was the only name on the ballot. Meanwhile, the opposition was encouraging a boycott of the vote, to demonstrate a lack of confidence in the president and the election overall.

Prior to voting day, round two, there were some grenades lobbied into local restaurants and such. There were rumored threats of arresting all the opposition candidates. There were actual arrests of those involved with other parties, the government claimed this was to provide security since these people were stirring up trouble. It was minor, by many standards, but still troubling.

The result… on that voting day, few people turned out to the polls. It was a very quiet day. Most people stayed home. I don’t know if they were demonstrating their agreement with the opposition or not. Several friends I spoke with, people who were excited to vote in the first round, were opting out due to the futility of it all. With only one person on the ballot, why take the trouble to go out and vote? The result was already assured. So that may have played a part in the low turn-out as well. It was rather sad to see the initial political enthusiasm diminished to a quiet whimper.

So this seems like a rather bleak story of an anemic and flawed attempt at democracy. And maybe that is the truth. But there is another story I want to tell you, one that is more exciting and worthy of genuine enthusiasm. In Matara, 27 couples set out to vote on that day. They walked together to the polling site, voting for the president of their country for the first time. They dipped their fingers in the dark ink and affixed a thumb print on the books. They walked back to the village with stained fingers and a sense of excitement – they voted! For the first time they were recognized citizens of their own country and were eligible to participate in the election process, however flawed. For them, it did not matter so much who they voted for (or that there was only one name to select) but that they were able to vote at all. Participation in the election was a sign of membership, a declaration of belonging and a recognition that their voice would now be heard as all others. Election day in Matara was a success… as a sign of something larger! The overall voter turn out for the election that day was under 30%, and most think even that number is inflated. But in Matara, voter turn out was 100%… what good news!

There are three more election dates in the series. This week on July 23rd there will be the election of members of the legislature. On July 28th there is another vote for the senate members. As far as we know, all parties plan to run in these races. Please pray for peace amid the process that remains. Pray for all parties to show restraint and to forgo the use of violence or the inciting of unrest. Pray for the people to be able to engage in their political process with a sense of confidence that their vote will be counted, and their voice heard. Pray for good, competent and credible leaders to emerge from this election, for the sake of Burundi. And when you pray, take a moment to thank God for the good news coming out of Matara! Thank Him for one corner of the country where the voting really mattered in deeper ways!

Yesterday was an exciting day in Matara… the beginning of soap production!

Each family in Matara has been encouraged to start a business enterprise to help generate family income. We offered a class on micro-enterprise which included things like creating a business plan, considering the market for goods, recording expenses, accounting for the profits and how to evaluate success. Some families begun their first venture months ago – shoe repair, charcoal production, someone even tried to sell fish! But seven families were having a bit more difficulty coming up with an idea that they deemed worthwhile. Claude kept encouraging them to dream and not to give up on the idea of starting something new.

So at long last, these families came up with an idea… making soap! They decided to work together as a co-op. So together they researched the local need, what would be required to make the soap in Matara and estimated the potential profits. They put together a plan and requested the loan money from the CFB team – and got the loan. The families found a soap maker who was willing to teach them how to make the soaps and assist them in the early stages of production. Just before the Texas friends arrived in Matara last month, the families made their first batch of soap as a proto-type. It was a success! (We used some to wash our hands when we were there for the wedding celebration and work day!)

But yesterday they officially launched the Matara Soap Shop! The seven men were in ‘the factory’ making the soap with such excitement. David even got in on the action and helped with the cutting of the first white and blue bars of soap! Another man from the village, who has a business of his own now, was so intrigued that he had to get in on the action of helping his friends in this new endeavor. The excitement seemed to be contagious!

Epitas took special care in showering and dressing… since he would be the salesman. He donned his COF shirt and set up a table on the dirt road so many neighbors pass each day. The road gets a lot of traffic as people walk to the market, to catch a bus into town or to escort their children to school, so he thought it was a perfect place to display the freshly made soap. The first purchase was made by none other than David Shook! He bought 24 bars of soap made in Matara. WOW!

We are all convinced that this might be the best enterprise yet. The potential is huge, as they are the only community in the area making fresh soap. They are on track to pay back their loan in a mere 4 months, if sales go as projected, and then all profits go to their families. Claude is so proud of them for coming up with this idea, investigating it and now implementing it with such energy. Their personal investment in this business is one key element in making it a success… they are committed to the soap making idea that they initiated!

There is more happening in Matara these days. Many of the men are making bricks for sale in local markets…

And the women are working hard in the fields… yesterday they were tending to the cabbage recently planted. (Look familiar? Some of you helped plant these ones!)

Life is good in Matara… bricks are being made, cabbage and new businesses are growing, too! These families know that they can begin ventures and have a chance at success. They have a growing sense of confidence in their own ideas, abilities and potential. No longer dependent on hand-outs, these families know they can provide for their families and community with their own hard work. What a great gift!

Planting together

Ubuntu is a Xhosa word that represents an African concept – we are persons through other persons. I am who I am because you are who you are, and our interactions contribute (or detract) from the other. My quality of life is enriched when you are healthy, when you are employed and your family is around you. But should you succumb to an illness, or you lose your job or your family is at odds, my life is somehow diminished and less complete. Because we are all connected, what happens to others matters to us in a personal way. This reminds me of Paul’s image in the New Testament about us all being part of Christ’s body, and when one part of the body is broken it affects the entire system. Again, we are connected to others in deep ways that impact us.

I just finished reading Desmond Tutu’s most recent book, Made for Goodness. He speaks of ubuntu, not surprising as an African elder who knows his continent’s wisdom deeply. He says, “One consequence of ubuntu is that we recognize that we all need to live our lives in ways that ensure that others may live well. Our flourishing should enhance the lives of others, not detract from them… God’s invitation to wholeness always includes more than ourselves. God’s invitation to wholeness is ubuntu.” He challenges us to live our lives in ways that ensure the livelihood of others. He cautions us that some of our choices could actually harm others, maybe even our friends.

I was thinking of this statement as I thought of our recent time with our Batwa friends in Matara. We worked together, side by side in the cabbage field. We sat together under the canopy of shade and made containers out of banana leaves for the tree farm. We took cotton, fabric, baskets and some string and sewed fireless cookers together. We were making life better for our Batwa friends as we labored alongside them. We were investing in the health of their land and the health of their families. But did we realize that we were also investing in the health of our own families and our own land? Our lives, Texan and Twa, were improving. This is ubuntu.

It is striking to consider Tutu’s final sentence … his claim that our wholeness depends on the wholeness of others. We cannot be complete on our own, we need to recognize our connection to others and seek their wholeness. Doing this improves their life, but also ensure the health of our own. We are only whole when we are all whole. Interesting thought, isn’t it?

Again, think of our Batwa friends in Matara. As the quality of their community improves, somehow your life is enriched in a tangible way. When the cabbage grows, when the kids are doing well in school (and not experiencing any discrimination), when the Batwa are able to engage in community service with their Hutu and Tutsi neighbors… we are better in America. When the trees are planted, mature and eventually provide shade cover and help preserve the rich soil of Matara… we are better in Texas. When the Batwa families all have identity cards and birth certificates, all are legally married and full members of society… we are better in Cypress. When Iribuka grows up with the proper nutrition and can be found running in the green fields alongside her mama… we are better at Community of Faith. We are more whole when they are more whole.

But take it a step further… and think of things that we can do better in Texas to make things better in Matara. How can ‘our flourishing’, as Tutu says, bring them bounty? Are there ways in which we seek to flourish that might actually due them harm? These are questions worth considering, as we understand that in Christ, we are all members of the same body. And part of the mystery of this body is that what happens in Matara matters to Cypress, and what happens in Texas matters to the Batwa friends in Burundi. It is amazing how Christ has connected us in, as the Africans say, ubuntu. And it should challenge us and the choices we make at home.

I loved hearing Martha share how she plans to buy fewer shoes and save more money to contribute to our friends in Matara. That is a very direct expression of ubuntu. I imagine there are some other ways to think of this, too. Think about how the Batwa friends were refusing to use plastic bags in the tree nursery, opting for banana leaves instead. This was a choice to minimize waste in Matara and avoid plastic bags that are not good for the earth. Maybe we can use reusable bags when we go to the market and try to minimize the plastic bags we consume in Cypress, caring for our locality with the same diligence. Maybe we can commit to using less plastic water bottles – remembering that Joel recycles them into pavers in Congo! What if we planted a few trees this year in solidarity with our Matara community, caring for our land as they care for theirs. Trees are the lungs of the earth… we could strengthen them here and there. What if we considered all the energy we use daily, and how we might lower our usage by using eco-friendly bulbs in our lamps and turning off the lights when we leave a room. That is what the fireless cookers are all about – consuming less energy in the daily task of cooking (here it is coal and firewood we are trying to conserve). These are some ways to think of ubuntu, to consider bettering our lives and their lives, knowing that they are doing the same in Matara today!

Ubuntu is like an embrace, realizing we are connected. Let us not forget to hold each other tight as we work to ensure that our flourishing brings our friends benefit. Let us be creative in expressing our solidarity with the Batwa friends we made in Matara. Your coming was just the beginning, how you live is the daily expression of that friendship you embarked on when you first walked (and danced) in Matara!

Friends embrace...

P.S. The women have their pots with lids and are staring to experiment with the fireless cookers! And the cabbage you helped plant is growing! Goodness continues…

“We are official now!” was his pronouncement to the friends gathered at the wedding celebration. Over recent generations, the Batwa had fallen out of sight. They were pushed to the margins and so began to relinquish the rights of civil society – like marriage. They stopped getting married, opting for cohabitation without any legal accountability or protection. But last week 10 Batwa couples decided to get married and enter society in the fullest way possible. The governor of the province came to Matara in all his ceremonial garb, and he brought the marriage book and ink pad. One couple at a time, they signed their names in the book, a permanent record of their marriage in this province. They rolled their thumbs in ink and pressed with pride… they are now official! Their names in this book, alongside all the other married couples of the entire region, means that they are now full members of society. They have moved from the shadows and into society with all of us as witnesses. They wanted us to celebrate with them – they have birth certificates for all children under the age of 5, all the adults have identity cards, and now they are all married and in the book. They are official. For our Batwa friends, this is a monumental statement of belonging.

“We will build it together,” the governor said. He was referring to a road that the commune (like a county) had wanted to build for years, but could never get the permissions or have ample manpower to complete. The road would have to run alongside the Matara property line to reach from the highway to the more remote country road deeper in the region. But, he told us, now they can do it because the Batwa families of Matara have agreed to allow the road to run on the edge of their property. And… the Batwa families volunteered to help build it. They volunteered to work alongside Hutu and Tutsi neighbors to build a road that will run alongside their land and create access for others. With this the governor said that ‘we will build it together.’ Stunning! Our Batwa friends are making a better life for themselves, but they are also making a better life for their neighbors. They are contributing to the community at large, because they know they are members of that commune and can now engage as such. For the first time, they will work on a road not as hired help, but as fellow volunteers helping the community. Later the local chief of the zone added that the Batwa families are ’showing us our prejudices.’ Another statement worth reflection, as these families are helping reveal and improve the character of their community.

These are astonishing statements from the Batwa families and their local leaders. Astonishing announcements just one year into this community development project.

What they said is what matters. What we say, less so. We can talk about strategies, intentions, attempts and high hopes. But they speak and witness to a new reality – their hard work bearing fruit, their efforts bringing results, their new life proving to be better than the old one. They say they are healthier this year – all births and no deaths in Matara. They say they are better fed – fresh crops and a variety of vegetation resulting in full pots on the fire at dinner time. They speak with such pride about their accomplishments, what they have achieved on their own land. They offer us words of gratitude for friendship. Their words tell the story we need to hear. Their words say that they are living better in Matara, that they are building something for their children and that they are now integrated into society in ways they never dreamed before. They are, as Francois said, walking tall.

Our words echo theirs… but their words carry the weight and show us what it looks like when hope takes root and transforms a community. Our best word in response: Amen!

However, I must start with Iribuka. Iribuka was the first baby born on the Batwa land in Matara last August. Her name means, “God remembers.” This is in stark comparison to two years ago when we learned the tribe leader’s name was, “No Name,” because he was not worthy of a name and he would probably not live very long anyways. Mark Shook told him that God has not forgotten them and neither will he. (Which started our relationship with the Batwa!) They acknowledge that this land is from God and that God has indeed REMEMBERED them! Here she is, 9 months later, Iribuka.

One group helped plant trees in the tree nursery. We planted indigenous trees that would help their topsoil, help not to disturb rain patterns, etc. Our group worked hand-in-hand with the Batwa. “Little Claude,” their agricultural specialist, had a wonderful idea to use banana tree tusks from their own land to use as the bases to plant the trees in. Previously, they have always had to use plastic bags which were not sturdy or good for their land. Talk about resourceful!!

Another group worked with some of the Batwa women learning how to make fireless cookers: insulated baskets that would continue to cook something due to residual heat. Kelley got this idea from a missionary in Kenya who achieved tremendous success. They offer many benefits – such as cutting fire time down from about 4-5 hours to about 30 minutes, providing more time for other work to be accomplished, minimizing the use of firewood and charcoal, and providing more safety for the children (less fire). Our women and the Batwa women learned together how to make the baskets, then the Batwa women will teach the other Batwa women.

When the children came home from school, we played all kinds of games and activities with them. It was amazing to feel the connection with no need for interpreters. We needed no language – just our presence and smiles and love.

Each group member brought a stack of coloring books and a few boxes of crayons. We ripped pages out and distributed crayons. The Batwa had never seen this before. They loved it! Little ones AND big ones! The moms and dads were creating some lovely pieces of art! Not surprising considering that they live in the middle of God’s creation. They truly understand the use of color.

This morning, Kelley led us in a Bible study of Micah 6: “This is what the Lord requires from you: to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” We talked about what justice looks like – or should look like – in Houston and in Burundi. Kelley then prayed for God to give us an imagination of justice flowing like a river and pouring like a waterfall – and to be creative with ways BOTH justice and righteousness. Each of these things are definitely being lived out here in Burundi. We still have a long way to go, but each of us have learned so much about God’s calling for us to do justice.

We will miss our Batwa friends when we return home, however, we are so thankful for them and for our time with them. We are bringing back pictures, videos and memories to help us tell their story. After all, IRIBUKA.

Next, Kelley cooked lunch for us and served us at her house. After lunch, we were sitting outside on their porch, and in the distance, we heard drumming. Before we knew it, a group of men came marching (kicking) into our driveway and into the front yard. They gave us two performances of traditional Burundian dancing and drumming! It was breathtaking!

Then, we headed to the beach on Lake Tanganika where our students met us to swim and play volleyball and just bond with each other. For dinner, we all headed back to Star Light and ate pizza and sang and prayed over each other.

As David Shook so eloquently stated, “In Christ, there is no mzungu or mutwa!” (white or black).

We spent the evening at the student house, finished the day off with a little Indian food and are now resting up for a day in Matara tomorrow!

Tomorrow we’ll be having some Kirundi lessons before we head off to Bubanza and the student house. You can check this site for more updates soon!