Construction for Ndava Church Building Underway

Thanks to the generous contributions of several Transformation Ministries churches, a new worship center is under construction for the Ndava Free Baptist Church in Cibitoke, Burundi. Rev. Raymond Giddens, Sr., Pastor of Unity Baptist Church in Las Vegas, NV was passionate about a new facility for Ndava after he preached there on his first trip to Burundi in 2007. The small church that was feature in the last entry was full, with people standing outside to hear God’s Word. Working with Transformation Ministries leaders and leaders of the Free Baptist Church of Burundi, he committed to raising the funds to make this new facility possible.

Rev. Giddens’ commitment was timely, as local officials told the church they would need a new building if they were to continue ministry at this location. The old building made of mud bricks and a thatched roof was deemed inadequate for the growing congregation. Funds were sent to Burundi to begin the work. The church had gathered stones to place in the foundation, additional land had been purchased, and drawings were approved by local officials. It was time to begin.

The congregation was excited to begin construction. Burundi is the third poorest country in the world, with over 68% of the population living in poverty. Well over 80% make their living through subsistence agriculture so there isn’t much cash for purchasing building materials. But there is an overflow of love for Jesus, as well as praise and a willingness to work to make their dream of a new worship center come true.

Here you can see the beginning of the work at Ndava. Over the next few weeks, we’ll show you progress of the walls going up and we hope to have pictures of the finished worship center soon.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Burundi.

Building a church in Burundi

Over a year ago, we asked churches to help build a new building for the Ndava Free Baptist Church in Cibitoke, Burundi for $50,000. It took some time, but construction is well under way, thanks to generous gifts from Unity Baptist Church in Las Vegas, as well as New Beginning Christian Fellowship in Azusa, CA, and Second Baptist Church of Santa Ana, CA.

Our team worshipped at Ndava last May. The facility was far too small to accommodate the number who came to hear God’s Word and rejoice in His goodness. A new facility was clearly needed. The church building ws little more than a hut, as you can see from the pictures. The congregation had gathered large stones from the nearby riverbed to use in the foundation. Additional land had been purchased. Everything but the funding was in place.

Over the next week, you will see the progress on the building–from the rude hut and pile of stone, to a building that will house the growing congregation and provide a base for continued outreach.

You can be part of this effort as well. Contact me at sroblee@transmin.org to learn how you can be part of this amazing ministry.

Margo’s Memories

Margo Malone from Second Baptist Church in Santa Ana, CA, was part of the team that traveled to Burundi in May to train women, pastors, and children. I asked Margo to share one or two of her best memories or experiences during our time in Burundi. The following is what she told me:

The one memory that sticks out most is the first day we were at the church with the women.  Prior to the start of the workshop, I felt led to share my testimony with the women so they would know a little bit about me.  Lo and behold after I shared, the women opened up and began to tell stories of how they came to the Lord.  They told stories about their encounters with witch doctors and the darkness in their lives which brought them to Christ.  After my sharing, there was woman after woman, story after story.  It was so exciting.

In addition to ministering in Burundi, Margo brought a large supply of hand crafts made by the girls at Jacqueline’s Home for Orphans. These hand crafts were sold quickly and more than $550 was sent to the orphanage to support 21 girls who live there.

Women of Burundi

In most developing countries, the lives of women are difficult. Burundi is certainly no exception. Fifteen years of civil war has displaced many families, created many widows and orphans. Literacy levels are low, with free, universal primary education available since 2005. Generally, women and children must grow crops, prepare meals, carry water, and do most of the household work. Men work as day laborers in many cases, to bring a small amount of cash into the family. If the husband and father was killed or displaced during the conflict, the entire responsibility for the family falls on the woman to be mother and father, caregiver and provider.

Recently, a team from Transformation Ministries made our annual trip to Burundi to provide training. For the first time, the training included four days of instruction, Bible lessons, encouragement, and fellowship for 105 Burundi women (accompanied by 60 small children). The team from the US included Christeen Hopkins (Truevine Missionary Baptist, Lynwood, CA), Margo Malone (Second Baptist, Santa Ana, CA), and Sharon Dumas (First Baptist, Honolulu, HI). These ladies taught lessons of women in the Bible so that the women of Burundi could see how God worked in and through the lives of women. Margo used drama and costumes to emphasize the character of Bible women. Sharon taught about the “model woman” found in Proverbs 31. Christeen taught pastors’ wives about the unusual issues facing those married to pastors, and also lead a “women-only” seminar that allowed the women to speak freely without any men present. In addition, two members of the Free Baptist Church leadership, both of whom are nurses, taught lessons on health, nutrition, and sanitation.

1Sharon teaching

2 Burundi women and children

3Margo teaching

The response to the training was more than we could have imagined. Attendance exceeded our goal and expectations. The Burundi women repeatedly expressed not only their appreciation for the training, but a deep desire to meet again next year. While I wasn’t able to spend a great deal of time with the women during the training, I was able to hear the story of several Burundian women. One lady shared her story of how six of her eight children died at a young age and how she coped with the loss through prayer and calling out to God. Another told of being abandoned by her husband and praying that God would restore their marriage. Her husband did return to her, surrendered his life to Christ, and became a pastor.

Taking a break

The classes on nutrition were well received. There were a lot of questions about the material presented, as the instructors taught ways to prepare more nutritious meals using the items most Burundian families have available. These new concepts intrigued and excited the women. Since the material was presented in Kirundi, their own language, the women were able to have a more intensive training. What a great experience to see the staff and leaders of the Free Baptist Church training the women. With the Bible and spiritual training provided by Transformation Ministries’ volunteers and the training offered by the local leaders, the women returned to their homes better equipped to be leaders in their church, community, and country. Praise God for His goodness. Imana Ishimwe!

Welcome to Burundi

It wasn’t that long ago that I wouldn’t have been able to tell you just where Burundi is located. Perhaps it’s the same for you. It’s a small country, about the size of Maryland with 8 1/2 million people, located in central Africa. It’s borderd by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Bujumbura, the capital, is located on the shore of Lake Tanganyika. Burundi is a beautiful country, with lush green hills, forests, lakes, and streams. But according to the 2007 CIA Handbook, it’s the world’s second-poorest country.

It didn’t take me long to fall in love with the people of Burundi. Transformation Ministries has formed a partnership with the Evangelical Free Baptist Church of Burundi (EBLB). The leaders of the EBLB are committed to sharing the Good News of Jesus with the men, women, and children of their country. These leaders and the pastors of the churches are deeply committed to the mission God has given and do incredible ministry with few resources.

EBLB  has grown from a handful of people in 2004 to more than 80 churches today. I’ll be telling more of their story in the coming weeks but want to introduce you to what God is doing there and the small part that Transformation Ministries has in His work. I hope you might want to join us in this ministry. It might just change your life, too.

Thanks for starting this journey with me. Check back often for new posts on thoughts, messages, and more pictures and videos of my experiences in Burundi. By the way, Imana Ishimwe is Kirundi (the language of Burundi) for Praise the Lord! I do praise the Lord for the opportunity to serve the people of Burundi.