Reflections on Living in Africa

2 weeks in the USA and I still can’t think of how to write a blog to summarize my experiences in Burundi. Part of this is because returning to America has forced me to put a serious wall up. This is a wall that God is thankfully breaking down, because behind it lie many emotions regarding my response to the question, “What the heck are we Christians with means really supposed to do about poverty and injustice?” This is a question that I think is crucial in following Jesus, a guy who said things like…

Luke 12:33. "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys."

Matthew 5:42. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

I think that the message of scriptures like these is extremely simple and straightforward; but it’s super tough to implement. While living in Africa, I would justify my volunteering and teaching as the best way for me to personally help raise the nation out of a state of poverty and despair. Yes, I do believe that education is the best way to equip future leaders to help lift their country out of an economic pit, but what about the people that are currently hungry today?

 In Burundi, probably 50 times a day, kids who looked seriously poor and famished would yell at me “Muzungu! Amahera!” An extremely loose translation of this means “Hey white guy! I’m hungry. Give me money because when I see a white person, I see a dollar sign!” It was tiring to constantly be begged for money, but I didn’t become upset about being singled out for looking like someone with wads of cash. I understand why they begged me, and if I were in their place, I would have done the same. But what became tiring to me was how much it hurt to deny money to probably 95/100 who asked. (Remember that verse, Matthew 5:42 that I just quoted?) So I could justify this feeling of unease by saying, well if I gave money to everyone who asks, I would be the one begging.  But when I thought about how 40 hours of minimum-wage work in my country would leave me with more money in my pocket than the annual Burundian per –capita GDP, I suddenly didn’t feel like such a “poor missionary.”

When I say things like this, I know that people will want to send me comforting Bible verses that essentially say “let go and let God.” Sure, I absolutely believe that God is in control, but I also believe that he wants to use us to help solve inequality in the world. I think that we, perhaps, too often look for “comforting” verses to appease our consciences, when the reality is that we might need to feel and marinate in this discomfort and anger.

Maybe as I reflect on situations where I rejected malnourished kids, God wants me to be flustered and ticked off. And I think he wants me to figure out something to do in addition to keeping people at a safe and comfortable distance by “praying for them.” I believe that God has grace to make up for the places where I’ve failed, so I don’t feel guilty. But as a citizen of the world and a child of God, I do feel a conviction and a responsibility to help bring light and life to those who need it the most.    

Even though the physical poverty was always heavy on my heart, I do believe that my time in Burundi was well spent as I helped Youth for Christ found Gitega International Academy.  The vision and mission of the school is simply fantastic. (Read more at www.gitegainternationalacademy.com). And in only 1 semester as a teacher, I could see that we were equipping young men and women with mental, physical, and spiritual tools to mold their nation. Wow! And I not only fell in love with the enactment of the vision for the school, but with my 92 wonderful students that I could see transforming before my eyes. (A quick praise for them: When they came on day 1, they knew zero English. After 3.5 months of classes, I was able to have a nice conversation in English with about 75% of my students! Incredible!) I hope that I was a fraction of the blessing to them that they were to me.

GIA Basketball Team

I am seriously pumped up about the impact that GIA will have on Burundi. But I’ll need to be patient, because corruption and sin won’t vanish in an instant. So as I’m being patient, I also want to be proactive in supporting the good work of the organizations that I’ve observed first hand in Africa. After reading the Bible and seeing what I’ve seen over there, I can no longer simply close my eyes in the comfortable American suburbs (yes, I realize that we have our own serious issues of stress, isolation, and depression) and continue to think that the world is at peace.

Thanks again to everyone who helped get me over to Burundi. The money that you gave towards this mission has forever changed me, and hopefully many others, for the better. Before I knew them, I decided to put my butt through a month of pain as we rode bicycles across the USA to raise funds for orphans, schools, and pygmies in Burundi. Now that I know and love them, I would ride around the world to tell their stories! 

Here is a great documentary about world poverty and the vision of Jesus. If you have an hour to spare, it’s VERY MUCH worth the watch.

Here’s a little short video of me with my running team. Fun times.

After falling even more in love with education while in Burundi, I decided to further pursue teaching as a career. I'm now back in the USA pursuing a Masters of Arts in Teaching (Middle School Science and Social Studies) at Clemson University. Thanks for all of the support along the way. I'm pumped up for the next part of the journey!