David & Sheena Pailthorpe in Burundi

Hello everyone. We are hoping to take a Journey of Compassion to Burundi in Oct. or Nov. 2010. David & Sheena have been working closely with us for several years. A few months ago, the left there in the London, England area and moved to Burundi for six months to help out. Here is David's latest report. It reminds us of both the joy and the challenge of reaching out to rescue lives.

Dear family,


Life here in Burundi can at times be heart wrenching. At the moment Sheena has gone back to the UK for her dad’s funeral. She will be there for a total of 10 days and returns on Thursday. While she has been away the long awaited rains have come. This is a blessing and a curse. Those farmers and families with fields to plant have been waiting for their crops to get the water they need. 10 minutes drive from my home there is a village of 1700 people and the rains came with such wild force that their stick and mud dwellings were totally wrecked. Added to that they do not own any land to grow crops as they are a displaced people. The government knows of their whereabouts but has done nothing to help them. Some friends of mine ‘took on’ the village last year and managed to get running water to them. This last devastation has been particularly hard. On Monday I went over to the village to help serve the porridge (just this one meal a day) it was heart breaking to see the poverty. As I walked around the village, the stench of effluent was unbearable and I had to watch where I was walking as diarrhea was everywhere. They had about 1 ½ mtr of water pouring into everything and the waters were only beginning to subside. Fortunately I did not see the common water snakes and certainly could not see the Cholera or typhoid that was laying waste to many of them. It was a morning I will not forget in a hurry.

Our 46 children are doing well and yet at the same time a challenge. We are in the right place at this time in our lives and thank God each day for all he is doing through us. The church of 8000 receive me with a warm welcome and I appreciate being able to minister to them all. Last week I went round to a business man and prayed and prophesied over his 3 companies. It was a good time and I expect to see significant change in his life.

I manage to obtain food from the market… an experience all of its own. Over a 1000 sellers proffering all manner of goods from fruits and veg, meat and fresh fish from Lake Tanganyika. I refrained from buying the goats heads as I was not sure how to cook them! It is strange to go to the market and be the only white person there. Most white people send their workers but I like the experience and dance to the shouts of ‘Muzungu’ (white man). The only thing I have to be careful of is the band of pick pockets but as my worker used to be one of them (a street kid) he walks street wise and keeps me safe. Today he is a born again believer and loves the Lord with all his heart. I trust him a lot. Today he was walking round the house doing his chores singing the chorus ‘ I will enter his gates with thanks giving in my heart’ in Kirundi and I broke out in singing it in English much to his delight.

I wish you well. Fortunately there are no signs of Christmas here at all and so I don’t have to even think about it… except for the kids asking me if I have a red suit and white beard!!!!

Bye for now



Every Blessing,

David


David and Sheena Pailthorpe
Kingdom mission
T: 00257 76299 825
E: david.pailthorpe@gmail.com