Brooks
Coming into Bejumbura, Burundi last week all I could see was miles of desert plains. Even flying in, I could feel the dirt, dust, and poverty from high above the region...with all the tin roofs and small shed buildings on small, less than acre “farms” and the dirt roads criss-crossing everywhere. We then road into the city, which was very dusty and trashy, but amidst it all, we climbed out of our taxi with it’s grimy, ripped up seats and followed the driver through a little alley-way into the most amazing little hotel equipped with not only a hot shower and wonderful bed, but internet and amazing French food! After more than 50 hours of travel this was our sweet reward. No need to tell you, we were wasted and slept for a good 24 hours, but then were surprisingly refreshed and ready to go…
All that to tell you that I had no idea what poverty looked like. That was last week and Burundi before The Crossing. Now let me tell you about this week and after The Crossing! The moment we got into DRC, everything abruptly changed…no more pavement for starters…only dirt and rocks, big ones! In Uvira there is one main, paved road, even though it’s a city of 400,000, which means everything else is dirt, dust and rocks. It’s the very beginning of rainy season, so once a day it rains for a while and the dust is subdued for a short hour or so, and then because of the intense heat and wind coming off Lake Tanganyika it quickly stirs up again.
There are three markets in Uvira, and no, I’ve not been allowed to go to one, even yet! I spied a beautiful basket as we sped along one day that cost a whopping $1 U.S., but the oger I get to travel with put the kabash on that one right away (I think it was the size or something. Yes, the same oger who was all upset about the teddy bear.). We had hoped to stay in a decent, safe hotel in town and got all settled in only to discover there was no water. So, after much ado, oh my gosh, so much ado, we were able to move to another hotel, fortunately with water. The only glitch is that the water is downstairs in the water tank, but no matter, they do help us with bringing the full tub back up the three flights of stairs. And, the bonus is that when the electricity is working, and when the stars are lined up and the intercessors are praying, then the water system does work! Well, kind of, sort of. It doesn’t actually come out of the sink faucet or the shower faucet. It comes out of the bidet faucet, if there was a bidet, so I guess it comes out of the toilet faucet. But, we are THRILLED when it works, which is usually around 10 p.m., if it’s going to work, so we take turns standing in the “tub” and soaping up and spraying down. Oh, did I tell you the toilet seat is broken, so when you sit on it, your booty gets a nice little pinch? Both sides! Nice! All of this for $35 and, yes, of course, breakfast is included!!
We are adjusting well, though, and have become accustomed to “Bonjour, Madame”, or “Jambo”, etc., as French and Swahili are spoken here and the fish from the lake is fantastic – and it’s a good thing as it’s the mainstay along with rice and beans and “chips”. Stephen, our contact, and lead church planter has been incredibly supportive and helpful in every way. The main conference was very well attended and now we are in the middle of the trainings for his church planters. The people are warm, friendly, passionate, even though their country has been through more than you or I could ever possibly imagine. I know I always say this about everywhere I go, but this time I really mean it, I truly do wish I could live here.
All that to tell you that I had no idea what poverty looked like. That was last week and Burundi before The Crossing. Now let me tell you about this week and after The Crossing! The moment we got into DRC, everything abruptly changed…no more pavement for starters…only dirt and rocks, big ones! In Uvira there is one main, paved road, even though it’s a city of 400,000, which means everything else is dirt, dust and rocks. It’s the very beginning of rainy season, so once a day it rains for a while and the dust is subdued for a short hour or so, and then because of the intense heat and wind coming off Lake Tanganyika it quickly stirs up again.
There are three markets in Uvira, and no, I’ve not been allowed to go to one, even yet! I spied a beautiful basket as we sped along one day that cost a whopping $1 U.S., but the oger I get to travel with put the kabash on that one right away (I think it was the size or something. Yes, the same oger who was all upset about the teddy bear.). We had hoped to stay in a decent, safe hotel in town and got all settled in only to discover there was no water. So, after much ado, oh my gosh, so much ado, we were able to move to another hotel, fortunately with water. The only glitch is that the water is downstairs in the water tank, but no matter, they do help us with bringing the full tub back up the three flights of stairs. And, the bonus is that when the electricity is working, and when the stars are lined up and the intercessors are praying, then the water system does work! Well, kind of, sort of. It doesn’t actually come out of the sink faucet or the shower faucet. It comes out of the bidet faucet, if there was a bidet, so I guess it comes out of the toilet faucet. But, we are THRILLED when it works, which is usually around 10 p.m., if it’s going to work, so we take turns standing in the “tub” and soaping up and spraying down. Oh, did I tell you the toilet seat is broken, so when you sit on it, your booty gets a nice little pinch? Both sides! Nice! All of this for $35 and, yes, of course, breakfast is included!!
We are adjusting well, though, and have become accustomed to “Bonjour, Madame”, or “Jambo”, etc., as French and Swahili are spoken here and the fish from the lake is fantastic – and it’s a good thing as it’s the mainstay along with rice and beans and “chips”. Stephen, our contact, and lead church planter has been incredibly supportive and helpful in every way. The main conference was very well attended and now we are in the middle of the trainings for his church planters. The people are warm, friendly, passionate, even though their country has been through more than you or I could ever possibly imagine. I know I always say this about everywhere I go, but this time I really mean it, I truly do wish I could live here.
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