Carol found her friends almost the moment she walked into the worship service in Matara! The Saturday gathering is one hosted in the village center by our Batwa friends, welcoming their neighbors for a time of shared worship and prayer. We were welcomed into the dancing, praying and sharing.

Everyone was there – including the Bata leadership team and the COF staff.

We sang together “God is so good” in English, Kirundi and even Swahili. It was beautiful.

Later in the day we went to the student house to meet the Batwa students who are all in high school and working hard in their exams this week. Students were eager to welcome us into their home.

There was more singing and dancing as we celebrated another school year with the students. They shared sodas and donuts, we shared bracelets from COF so they’d always remember us.

Amid all the excitement of the day – it was fun to see a father and son sharing it all together! Greg and Garrett have really given their hearts to these Batwa friends, must be a family thing!

At the end of the day, we were all blessed by our time with with our Batwa friends in Matara and at the student house!

Tonight we joined Life Center, a large and growing church in the heart of Bujumbura, for their weekly night of worship. Donald was invited to lead a worship set. When he put down his guitar… and just sang… it was like he was free to soar! Wonderful to witness him leading a congregation of Burundian friends in worship, wonderful to share in that worship together!

After the service we shared a casual family dinner together. Words to describe today: impressive, energy, BIG, joy, unity, spiritual, presence, manly and family. Another great day!

We began the work day by jumping right in! The guys began working on laying bricks for two new homes in the community.

Garrett got right to work moving bricks. This is pretty much what he did all day long – with strength, stamina and a huge smile!

Trevor shared in both the heavy lifting and smiling…

The ladies got down and dirty in the fields, learning to plant cabbages. I can tell you this – you could hear their laughter echo through the valley. They were whistling while they worked… and even singing some songs in Kirundi together!

When they came up the hill, you could see connections!

After a short lunch break we returned to work. Since the cabbage was all planted, we all got into the construction action, mostly carrying bricks!

Now if he looks a bit intense -

and he looks enthusiastic -

well, it is because it is their homes we are building today! I think they will always remember having friends from both Matara and Texas helping build their homes, talk about a foundation of love.

We all agreed that it was wonderful to be in Matara on a regular work day, sharing in the labor and laughter, treated like old friends as we sweat side by side. You could feel this vibration of joy underneath all they did, the work did not feel like drudgery, but like a privilege that the families savored. They are planting their cabbage and building their homes, this is the best kind of work! Having friends along just made it more fun (we hope!)

I think Morgan found her sweet spot – surrounded by kids. Look at all those smiles….

There is only one thing to say now – WISH YOU WERE HERE!!!

We were welcomed to Matara by friends. We danced. We then were invited to listen to them tell their own story in their own words. They shared about life before and after Matara, about feeling inhuman and now living a fully human existence. They said that once their stomachs were filled, their brains turned on and they began to dream up new enterprises to improve their lives. They told of getting cows and, for the first time ever, drinking milk! They shared about kids enrolled in school for the first time and achieving high marks. They enthusiastically showcased their business enterprises: shoes out of tires, soap production, basket making, pottery, etc. Every one thanked COF for their friendship and the role their Texas friends have played in their journey toward a good life. Each one thanked God, knowing He is the one showering them with gifts and goodness.

(Donald had to give it a try! He said it is harder than it looks!)

Then gifts were given – baskets, shoes, vases and lots of soap.

(Garrett was eager to try on his new shoes!)

We walked around the community as friends, like Trevor and Epitas.

This little one gave an impromptu bouquet to his new friend, Teri.

Then we all decided to play together! Bubbles, braided bracelets, puzzles… and smiles became the common language between us.

(The mamas had fun learning to blow bubbles, too!)

We also celebrated 11 outstanding students – all are first in their class!

It was a great day! Stories were shared, gifts given, smiles exchanged and friendships planted. Tomorrow we will work alongside our Batwa friends. Imagine how these new friendships will grow… These are very, very good days!

We entered Bubanza this afternoon and were greeted by singing and dancing!

We could not contain our laughter with the smiling kids that lined our informal parade route through their community.

We sat as welcomed guests among our friends and listened to their words of welcome, celebration and appreciation for our continued friendship.

And then gifts were shared… handmade pots crafted just for us… delivered into our hands with singing and showers of smiles and hugs.

And then there was more dancing…

The dance began, as it always does, with our exuberant Burundian friends. Then a staff member jumped in and joined the dance with such enthusiasm that the crowd got louder and louder with cheering. Then Claude, Garrett and Trevor joined the dance. It was a matter of seconds before the entire COF team was dancing amid the Burundian friends – hands raised, feet stomping, smiles uncontainable and contagious! The hot African sun beat down like a spotlight on the makeshift dance floor. The dust from dancing feet rose like a cloud from below, enveloping the friends. But no one minded the dust, they were surrendered to the dance. It was a magical moment when connection happens – no one cared about appearances or aching feet, only about sharing in the moment of deep and jubilant presence together. No picture I can ever take can capture that moment…

Words that captured our day: amazing, honored, powerful, overwhelmed, hopeful… and love.

Your family and loved ones from COF have arrived safely in Bujumbura, Burundi! They all have their luggage, visas and a clean, cool room for the night. They are a bit tired and ready for bed, needless to say! This above picture is not a glamor shot, but proof of their arrival. They would want me to remind you that they have just traveled for 30 hours, so keep that in mind as you look at their glowing faces!

You friends are here and happy, best we can tell! They are anticipating a great day tomorrow – one they have a little sleep. Now you can rest assured, too.

Stay tuned… we will post again tomorrow as the adventure unfolds on Burundian soil. In the meanwhile, please keep us all in your prayers for a safe and significant time in the days to come.

Matara has become a land flowing with milk and honey! The cows are now producing milk, milk enough to to pour into cups for each child each morning. The families are so proud of having milk, knowing that it provides crucial nutrients for their children. They see this as another indicator of abundance in their community. Ready access to the sweet and sustaining milk means health will increase, energy will be prolonged and children will grow ever strong in the households of Matara.

In the Old Testament, we read of God giving a land ‘flowing with milk and honey.’ This was an image of sweetness and sustenance, a symbol indicating that the land would have what is both necessary for life and what makes it worth savoring. When we read of milk and honey flowing, we should think of ‘the good life’, ‘abundant life’ and a life where you want for nothing. This is what God gave to the Hebrew people in a land of promise. This is what He gives now to the Batwa families in Matara, another land of promise.

I hear the Batwa are dreaming of more cows someday. They are dreaming of more milk. They are dreaming of delivery trucks to share that milk and sell at the marketplace. They dream of milk and honey flowing… Good dreams coming from a land already so rich, dreams growing out of God’s kept promise to these friends.

Yes, our Batwa friends ‘got milk’ – and so much more!

Friends, this is a more sobering update. Today we learned that a cow in Matara died due to a sudden and undiagnosed illness.

Only recently, after much dreaming and planning, the families of Matara purchased 4 cows premium milking cows. The selected one male and three females. Just last week a new calf was born to one of the female cows – this was the plan. But the male cow has now died… apparently the cow was ill for 24 hours, and then succumbed to the sickness. This is a loss of life but also a loss of potential productivity and revenue for the families. These animals are quite an investment for the community, both in terms of financial commitment and hopes for future fertility. The loss of the one male cow has prompted sadness.

This is part of life and so we share with you so that you know the full story as it unfolds.

Good News! The first calf was born in Matara this week!

Many months ago Claude and Little Claude spoke with the Batwa families about livestock in Matara. The families were very excited to include animals in their burgeoning village! They began with some goats, then rabbits… but were dreaming of the day they could have cows. And they did not want just any kind of cow – they wanted the premium variety, the kind that produced the best milk.

At one point there was ample funds to purchase some premium cows. But then the realization came – they would need grazing land! If they got the cows too soon and did not have grazing land with enough grass, then there could be a problem. Neighbors do not like cows eating their grass! And we know how important neighborly relations are in Matara. So they had to wait until they had set aside land, laid seeds and allowed the grass to grow on their land.

So the cows were purchased and delivered to Matara. And this week the first cow gave birth! Fertility in Matara! The families are so excited, it is like a star has been born! Both cow and calf are healthy and doing well, as you can see.

Having fresh milk both to consume and sell sets a new standard for Matara. Owning healthy cows and calfs is good news, indeed!

Last July when the Batwa families celebrated the wedding of ten couples, they made a stunning announcement. They were donating some of their land to build a road from the main road to the surrounding villages. More stunning still, they volunteered to help make the road with their neighbors. What a great gift, right!

In the past set of months, every Saturday the families from Matara gather alongside their neighbors to work on the road, clearing a bit more each week. When David and Sydneyann joined in the work one Saturday this summer, they spoke of the laughter and good spirits as everyone worked together toward a common destination. What was evident is that they were constructing more than just a road, they were building lasting relationships across tribal lines, they were becoming true friends with a shared interest in the future of their community.

Claude visited Matara yesterday. He witnessed the final work begin done on the road. Men and women, Matara residents and neighbors, Batwa with Hutu and Tutsi friends finishing the work project together. Again, he reports some high spirits as they could taste the accomplishment! This is real development – the Batwa initiated this project themselves, wanting to improve the lives of their neighbors. They collaborated with them every week, working toward the completion of the road that would benefit them all. They cultivated relationships each step of the way. They have developed much more than just a road.

As of today the road is finished! And from what I can see, they have so much more than just a road! No car or foot has yet to tread on this road… but it is already a road to somewhere good! It is a road to somewhere I want to go, to a place where neighbors care for one another, work together and shape a better life alongside one another. This is something of what God meant when He told Abraham that he was blessed in order to be a blessing to others. Our Batwa friends understand this in a deep way, not cognitively but in a concrete way. They has once again showed us what it looks like to be a blessing to others and expand that blessing you received from God. How compelling to walk that road!

P.S. For our friends in Houston… The Batwa families did have another inspiration as they built the road. They said that they wanted us to be able to drive up to their village this summer when we return! So they want to be a blessing to you, too! Such hospitality awaits you when you come!