Update Letter - Winter 2008

Friends –

Hello again from Bujumbura! The snow and frost have come for you, our friends and family in the West, but we continue to be showered with sunshine and African rains here in Burundi. Alas, we won’t see snow again until nearly 2010! I’m sure you’re probably planning your holiday gatherings: who’s going to cook the turkey (we’re going without that this year as well!), when to build the first fire of the year in the fireplace (if you haven’t already), what to buy for that special someone (may I suggest some fine Burundian coffee beans from your nearest Starbucks?). We’re also preparing for the holidays here in Africa, and thought it appropriate to send you our season’s greetings along with an update of the latest news and events in our tribe. If you haven’t been keeping up, our blog has lots of stories and pictures to bring you up to speed.

HOME: We recently moved into a new house in a neighborhood called Kibenga, just south of the neighborhood where we formerly dwelt, at the end of a long, bumpy dirt road and 50 meters from a primary school. The house we lived in before is a guest house, and we were always meant to find housing of our own. We are living with Wendy and Jillian, friends of ours from World Relief. They live in the upper floor of the house, and we live in the ground floor. We live quite communally, but it’s nice to have a place where you can retire for a little privacy. The hallmark of the house is the upstairs balcony, which gives a beautiful view of Lake Tanganyika and the Congolese mountains, and is lovely while reading a book during a mid-afternoon rainstorm. We’re working out hiring new house staff and learning how to get around in this new context, as we’re living without a safety net, so to speak. But we really enjoy the new place, and it’s fun playing peek-a-boo with the curious young faces that peek out of the school’s gate each morning.

WORK: Karri is working hard at finishing both her graduate work and a five-year business plan for Turame, the microfinance institution where she is serving. (See story below) She’ll be finished with her classwork in December, becoming Karri DeSelm, MBA. And not a moment too soon, as her desk is quickly piling up with new tasks and responsibilities, shuffled into place by a Turame staff that is already convinced of her irreplaceable qualities. Jim is continuing to work with Church Mobilization at World Relief, and has been able to preach and worship with the staff here in Bujumbura, as well as upcountry in Nyanza Lac and Gitega. He continues to write music and has found a new joy in keeping the blog lively and interesting for you, the humble reader.

CHURCH: We continue to grow connected to our church here, PTI, and have begun to feel like a ‘regular member’ rather than a guest. We marvel each week at the diversity of attendees – Burundian, American, Scottish, British, Canadian, and many other Africans from across the content whose lines have crossed in Bujumbura. Pastor Emmanuel only grows dearer to use as we interact with him and he shares his passion and vision for training up young pastors in Biblically sound theology and shaking loose some of the ‘religious dogma’ which plagues denominations here and creates division, rather than unity, within the Church. In Burundi’s church, denominational, and ethnic context, it is a daunting task but one he continues to ‘suffer’ with great joy.

PRAYER: Our hearts are still constantly with you all at home and we grieve and rejoice with you as we hear stories of what is going on in your own lives. Thank you for all the prayers; we know they continue daily. All of the prayers for possible challenges of living here have been answered faithfully by God. We ask that you pray for God to continue to open our eyes, seeing and engaging Burundi in the way that God sees it. We pray that we do not miss opportunities to form relationships and love others that God is putting before us. Please also pray for the Church here and its divine role in bringing about peace in Burundi and refusing to engage in continued power struggles and violence. Pray the Church will have the courage to take a lead in ensuring the 2010 elections are peaceful.

SUPPORT: As a final thought, our fundraising support still stands at only 50%. World Relief will continue to send us funds through the remainder of our internship despite our support raised, but we would be indebting ourselves to them once we return to the States. Because of this, we’re thinking and praying about the wisdom of returning home early and cutting our time here short in lieu of going into a good amount of debt. We deeply do not want to end this experience early, and are asking humbly for you, our friends and family, to consider supporting us once again. We know the holidays are upon you, and you’re making choices about gifts, parties, and charitable giving, and many of you have already given very generously.

So our proposal is this. We welcome your support if you have not supported us yet, and if you have done so and wish to do so again, we thank you very much. We’ve included at the bottom of this letter a link to a site where you can donate and a form you can print and mail. If, however, you are willing, we ask that you pass on this letter to someone else we know, someone who might be interested in supporting us this holiday season. Our contact list is only so long, and we’d love to increase awareness about Burundi and God’s work in it, along with our donor base. If you’re receiving this as an email, forward it! If you’re reading it as a blog, tell someone about it! Let’s bring the warmth of Africa into people’s hearts this winter, and keep the DeSelms in Burundi!

We miss you all, and cannot wait to worship with you again. May the God of peace enrich your season greatly with peace and dreams of peace. May you experience the love of a God who took on flesh and moved into the neighborhood. And may you find new ways to take on the flesh of Christ himself, and incarnate His love, joy, justice, and mercy in the world around you. Let earth receive her King!

Grace and peace,

Jim and Karri DeSelm

MICROFINANCE STORIES FROM THE FIELD:
I recently had the opportunity to have a long conversation with the Gitega (the central province) Branch Manager, Gerard, and also travel with him to visit community banking groups consisting of 30-45 members (90% women). In our conversation, Gerard shared the story of his life, how he came into development, and “fell in love with Burundians” – his own people – later in life and felt called to serve them through microfinance. His English seemed to miraculously improve as he told me with excitement of the banking group that had managed to save over $1,000 (a huge feat!) and of those coming to him with lists of potential members begging for Turame to bring services to their province. He told me about asking permission of each one of the community leaders in the new regions in which Turame hopes to expand, and of how permission was granted with enthusiasm at each request. He told me of the challenges urban dwelling Burundians face – high living costs and expenses – and of the challenges of encouraging women in their ability to adequately manage their business and take higher loans in order to expand and increase their profit. He told me of the many consequences of the long war on the people – loss of businesses, assets, and even cows who once provided free fertilizer to crops. Now people suffer to rebuild their lives. Farmers cannot afford the high expense of chemical fertilizer and are failing to produce a harvest that can sustain their families.

And then I saw hope – in the faces of women and men who continue to take Turame loans. After the meeting prayer and sharing of the ‘Word’ through translation clients told me of their increased income which allowed them to send all of their children to school, to feed them without problems, to pay back their loans with ease. They were making plans for their future, plans for their children. One widow told me her children would not be alive if Turame had not come because no one would loan her money. They were proud and had dignity and confidence. Isaiah 1:17 came to me in clarity: “Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” In a new and real way the work I am doing everyday in an office behind a computer connected with its true purpose. To seek justice, to restore dignity, to serve those in need, to worship and glorify God with my work - to see the Kingdom of God growing, unstoppably, throughout Burundi.

TO SUPPORT US ONLINE:

WORLD RELIEF SUPPORT: JIM AND KARRI DESELM

To SUPPORT US BY MAIL: (Click the image and print)