a new year

sunset in kigoma

Christmas in bujumbura was a wonderful holiday celebration, and a welcome escape from the consumerist frenzy that most of us are accustomed to getting sucked into, including myself, despite our yearly resolutions to behave otherwise. i am very encouraged by my friend joseph, who, rather than making an extensive list of current gadgets of desire, told everyone that he only wanted for them to donate trees through mcc on his behalf, in order to help reforestation projects in environmentally poor countries such as burundi. thanks joseph. on Christmas eve, a number of people gathered at the brose's house after church to celebrate. in the morning on Christmas day, together with doug, deanna and maddy hiebert, as well as brian and erin rowaan, who are at the midway point of their extensive four-month tour of africa, we exchanged a few small gifts and ate a wonderful breakfast. in the afternoon, we returned to the brose's for an incredible turkey dinner that was perhaps even more elaborate than i would have had with my extended family at home!

after Christmas, the hieberts, the rowaans, and i travelled to kigoma, tanzania, to spend new year's at a beach front guest house on lake tanganyika. more so than any place i've been yet, it was paradise. a secluded, cinnamon- sand beach on a crystal clear, salt-less ocean. we shared it only with the monkeys and the occasional monitor lizard. beyond the sandy beach stretched kilometres of rocky coastline, offering boulders and cliffs from which to jump into the water. we ate our fill of fresh fish each afternoon and evening, and consumed an alarming number of pineapple (better than any i've ever had before, purchased in town for about $0.09 each!)

so, it's difficult to miss home when you are in paradise, but i was often thinking about you, my friends and family, and how it would have been even more enjoyable had i been able to experience these things with you. perhaps one day i will get to show you some of the wonderful places i've discovered. thank you to everyone who has been sending emails; it is a gift to be reminded that friends and family are remembering me, especially during the holiday season.

Christmas blessings to each of you as we begin this new year.

here are some photos of the holidays:deanna and maddybrian and erinsettlers at the brose's on Christmas evegift exchange game at the brose's on Christmas evedoug showing us how it's done in kigomabrian and erin watch the sunset atop a mammoth boulder on new year's eve in kigoma