Mr Jeremy

Well it’s official…from mid-August 2012 my professional working title will be Mr Jeremy!

It’s been a wonderful, crazy, fun and challenging 1^st week. On Monday, Debbie, my Head of Junior School, sprung on me that I’d need to choose my name. I had assumed that convention would dictate that for me; however both surnames and first names have been used in the school. After a few chats I decided to go with the Burundian practice of using first names (as family names can be a little challenging)…so Mr Jeremy it is for the next few years.

It’s really exciting to be writing my first blog from Bujumbura and, internet permitting, there should be some up-to-date photos below.

Starting School

Having arrived on Sunday and spending Monday at the ARM offices, I turned up for duty for the first time on Tuesday morning.

I’ll be really honest and say that it was very daunting at first.

A typical school day starts at 7am with the Junior and Senior school staffs holding their own times of devotion…sharing the Word, praying together and worshipping. I may not be getting up any earlier than normal, but at home I’m not expected to function until 9am…so this week has been a bit of a shock and highlighted my early morning dependency on black coffee. Mama Stacey, a Primary School Cook, has now sussed out that an early cup of coffee guarantees a happy principal. Starting the day in this way is wonderful (the devotions, not the coffee) and really helps to put God at the centre of the day.

Various assemblies take place from 7:30am and the day is already starting to feel hot! Next week I hope to do a Junior and Infant assembly; sharing how God has called us to Burundi.

Most of my time has been spent meeting with teachers, staff and the current principal (Andrew). They’ve all been really welcoming and it’s been great getting to know them; though I think some felt like they were being interrogated. It’s interesting that many of the teachers are from Uganda and Kenya following God’s call to come and work in Burundi.

There are so many cultures both within the staff and pupil communities…a real challenge for me. This was celebrated on Friday when the Junior School pupils wore national dress to school.

 On Wednesday I had a wonderful time, and surprised a few teachers, by joining in song and story time at the Nursery. My days of running our church crèche has held me in good stead and I was able to join in with the ‘twinkling stars’ and ‘bobbin winding’. I think I shall make a point of attending this every week next year; it’s such a good way of interacting with our smallest pupils.

Interacting with the Senior school children is harder…they’re so often in classes and then hang around in ‘packs’ during break-time. Though a small group of Yr 7 girls came and chatted and made me feel very welcome.

School finishes at 1pm in the blazing heat with a very tired Mr Jeremy desperate to go home!

More of the same next week…plus a meeting with parents at which I will be ‘wheeled out’/’unveiled’.

Please pray that God will continue provide opportunities for me to meet and interact with the children.

Please pray that the staff will be encouraged by our meetings a look forward to September.

Challenges and Doubts

My first couple of days found me wrestling with two doubts.

Firstly, Bujumbura is beginning to feel more normal and less challenging…which is good. But consequently I found myself wondering whether we’re making a lot of fuss about nothing and that we’re not facing the big challenge we’ve been telling everyone about.

Secondly, I’ve been made aware that there is more education in Burundi than I originally thought and so is this the ‘mission’ we thought it was?

After rest and reflection, it is clear to me that the devil is using these doubts to undermine the work that God has commissioned us to do.

Moving a family 4,000 miles to an alien culture in one of the world’s poorest countries is a whopper of a challenge.

There may be other education in Burundi but none can produce the quality of education we can, none provides an English education and none have a joint focus of producing young disciples of Christ…all of which is desperately needed in Burundi.

Plus the school will be taking in some additional Congolese orphans from September; increasing the provision for the neediest.

I don’t write this to remind you of our purpose, but as an example of how, in the face of glaring evidence to the contrary, doubts can grow and undermine callings.

Please pray that God will help us remain convicted in our mission.

Please pray that we will trust God fully.

Opportunities

God has really blessed this visit with opportunities.

On Wednesday the school held a 1.5km fun-run through the streets of Bujumbura, organised by the visiting British Ambassador. It was hot, hard and chaotic…but a wonderful opportunity to engage with the 200ish school kids that turned up to run…and I got a certificate for ‘Fastest Teacher’.

That evening the Ambassador held a drinks reception for the good, the great…and British citizens. The pan-pipe music from Titanic was interesting, but it was a great opportunity to meet some more faces from home.

Today (Saturday) the church which we will join held a fun-day. Football, fun and food…plus another opportunity to make new friends.

Earlier in the day I went for a run (I’ve managed to keep up my exercise) and had fewer shouts of ‘Muzungu’ and more of ‘Mr Jeremy!’

I also went with David, my Head of Senior School, down to the new secondary school building with the boys from the CRIB Orphanage. As well as being an opportunity to hassle the builder (it should’ve been done in April), it was nice to meet and chat with some of the boys.

Thank God for the many friendships we will have been blessed with before we arrive.

Water

I discovered the other the day that the chilled water in the fridge here was not filtered…so I’ve been on Burundian tap water for a week now!

So far, no ill effects!

Please pray for continued good health.

Finances

Finances continue to cause stress. We’re spending now, and with that comes the real pressure to be good stewards of the gifts we’ve been blessed with. Gifts arrive in a variety of ways and keeping track of these and distinguishing between our personal finances and mission finances is a real challenge.

Fundraising continues to go well. At time of writing I estimate that we have raised something in the region of 58% of our 2012/2013 costs!

A BIG thank you to everyone who’s supported us so far!

If you would like to sponsor our work, follow this link to the donation documents on this website.

Praise God for his continued generosity.

Pray that He will help see and deal clearly with what we’ve received.

The next few months hold some real challenges. Moving the family. Fundraising. Settling. Growth and changes in The Kings School. But we have His strength to help us (see the helpful notes from UCB this week)

Finally, please pray for God's blessing on Allie as she looks after the children during half-term.

God Bless,

Jez

Working for God-His Way

 ...Created in Christ Jesus to do good works... Ephesians 2:10

God had a plan for your life before you were born. Indeed, it's why He brought you into the world. Simply keeping you 'busy' was not His goal. He wants to see you doing the work He 'prepared in advance for you to do.'

Joining a worthy cause and working hard is commendable, but you can end up as a square peg in a round hole, expending time and energy without achieving the you-shaped purpose God had in mind. He wants you to be purpose-driven, not work-driven!

So:

1) Ask Him to reveal His will to you. 'It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose' (Philippians 2:13 NIV). God will actually create desires within you that guide you toward accomplishing His purpose. It's not serendipity or super-spirituality, but God at the helm, steering your ship.

2) Expect to do more than you are capable of. Self-directed activity is self-limited activity. God-directed activity is unlimited activity. God never calls us to do what we can; He calls us to do what He can! '[He] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us' (Ephesians 3:20 NIV). Listen, act on His promptings, and all things become possible to you.

3) When the work is demanding, draw on His indwelling power. Paul says, 'I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.' How much divine energy is needed for your assignment? 'All His energy.' Awesome! And it is available to you today.