My friend Mrs Amy Mawson asked the question already- "Wait, we don't really live here do we?"
Although it's easy to be overwhelmed by the poverty and the corruption and everything else that comes with living in one of the poorest countries in the world, it's is also a very beautiful place if your eyes are open to see it.
An arid 40 degrees is one thing; an intensely humid 40 degrees is quite another thing. Whereas the intense, dry heat at the beginning of my week in Dubai was somewhat of a novelty (after all, it’s expected when in the middle of the desert), the same 40 degrees was an altogether different experience when 100%+ humidity was involved, as I experienced at the end of the week. The brief, intermittent walks between the air-conditioned hotel room, vehicle, shopping mall and restaurant were about all that one could handle, unless walking around with luggage containing a change of clothes for each subsequent item in the agenda.
Dubai really is the booming, Arabic paradise city that it’s cracked up to be, albeit somewhat difficult to navigate outside of the various visitor-friendly air-conditioned capsules. Perhaps just as I’ve acclimated to the “more moderate” temperatures here in Bujumbura, one’s body could also theoretically become accustomed to the heat in the Middle East. But it’s difficult to imagine.
In any case, Cassien and I found ourselves in Dubai last week in order to purchase vehicles and computers for Help Channel Burundi, and we were successful. I am very enthusiastically awaiting their arrival to see the ways in which Help Channel’s capacity will be extended to do the important work they are doing. It will be quite a step; up until now, the rural offices that oversee all projects have been operating without computers at all. And because of the decrepit state of their current fleet, it is not infrequent that they have been required to rent vehicles at a significant cost in order to visit rural projects found far off the beaten track.
Additionally, I returned to somewhat of a Christmas in October yesterday, as several wonderful friends had sent out gifts and cards with a recent visitor. Coffee and chocolate and music chosen by those with impeccable taste will enrich my daily experience for months to come- thanks to my parents, Aunt Betty and Uncle Larry, Tammy, Laura and David and Karla. You are sorely missed.
Mr. David Bretherick has played a particularly large role, as he was responsible for the project of printing the promotional materials I designed for Help Channel a while back. They’ve finally arrived after lots of work on his part and generosity on the part of Westside Church, and they will undoubtedly have another big impact on the capacity of the organization. If you are interested in receiving a brochure, please request one by leaving a comment or sending an email (include your address if you suspect I don’t already have it) and I’d be happy to mail one out.
Happy Thanksgiving! from me and my cat. I miss you all, and my cat is missing a name. Perhaps you can help me out with some inspiration. She's a feisty little African feline with an identity crisis...
(the following is taken from Jim Wallace's blog God's Politics, September 28th)
Gene Stoltzfus is a friend who worked in Southeast Asia during the 1960s and 70s, and then became director of Christian Peacemaker Teams, a program of Brethren, Mennonite and Friends churches and other affiliated organizations that places teams in high conflict zones to emphasize human rights protection, nonviolent action, and peacemaking campaigns. On his blog, he comments on the religious roots of nonviolence for the Buddhist monks leading the demonstrations against the military junta. [He writes:]
"Two groups with countrywide power and influence in modern Burma are now facing each other across potholes in the streets. The military with Chinese-supplied weapons, is determined to retain the grip it has had on the nation since 1962. The Buddhist movement, with an institutional life going back more than 1000 years, is led by monks armed with spiritual disciplines and a commitment to an ethical system that combines practical living with a deep sensitivity to all of creation. The Buddhist way is nonviolence empowered by love, honed by teaching and meditation. However, this does not mean that monks are not tough, persistent, and even militant."
