Back in Nyeshenza

  Nyeshenza, Burundi
Monday, October 6, 2008

This morning Moïse and Nathan arrived at 7:30 (with a different taxi) and we started out again for Nyeshenza. It took a little under two hours to arrive (as compared with about three yesterday). Eighteen congregational leaders, including four ladies, were present for a day of seminars.
 
We started close to 9:30.  They sang a hymn to begin and someone prayed in Kirundi. I then briefly explained what I hoped for us to do during the day.
 
On my laptop screen I showed two PowerPoint presentations. The first was an overview of the work of UCG, including the French-speaking areas. The second covered our governance and administrative structures. I commented and explained as we went, being translated phrase by phrase as we went along. The attendees asked many questions as we progressed.

During the seminar

 
Next I showed a video I had made that gave an overview 2007 as far as the French-speaking areas of our work were concerned. This gave them a view of happenings in neighboring Rwanda among other areas in Africa, as well as some view of the French Caribbean and French-speaking Europe.
 
We took a break at 1:00 to have lunch: a plate of beef with sauce, rice, beans, spinach and fried bananas, salted peanuts, and bananas for dessert, with a bottle of soda per person. By local standards a great feast.

The ladies' table at lunch

The cost was around three dollars per person; not too exorbitant.
 
At 2:00 we started again, intending to end and leave at 3:00 so we'd have a safety margin to get back to Bujumbura before dark.  This was a question and answer period. And of course it didn't end at 3:00; we didn't get away until 4:00, but the time was very well spent. We talked much of the time about what the Church is supposed to be, what it is supposed to do, and how it is supposed to do it. Toward the end, several people made impassioned please for financial help to purchase plots of ground for their congregations and to get them registered with the state so they have a legal right to exist and meet as a body. Right now they have no legal status, and can't legally meet, although up until now they have been granted derogations by local authorities. Even the unfinished hall in Masango has been built - such as it is - on a plot of land bought on credit. I'll have to look over the requests and see with which ones we can help. Everyone was very enthused by the day's activities, and Nathan requested that next time I come we plan for at least three days of such seminars.

The seminar participants

 
The drive back to Bujumbura was delightfully uneventful, no flat tires, only one police checkpoint (and no bribe demanded). Even though we left later than intended, we arrived back while the sky was still bright.
 
Moïse and Nathan and I agreed to meet again at 7:30 tomorrow morning and do a little visiting around Bujumbura before going to the airport where I need to be at 10:00 for my 11:45 flight to Kigali.