Burundi is widely considered the poorest country in the world. It is roughly the size of the state of Maryland in square miles and has a population nearly twice the size of New York City. It is a densely populated country in the heart of Africa.

There are so many facets to poverty and most Americans, in my opinion, are uninformed particularly about global poverty. I honestly think we’re uninformed, because not many are informing us and we may think the poverty we see in America is equivalent to the poverty in other places.

I traveled to Eastern Russia around 2006 and that was my first experience visiting a true orphanage. I hated it so much, because I loved it and it broke me completely. I had no idea what to do with what I saw and experienced. I was in college, I couldn’t adopt. I had a young teen girl cling to me, in all honesty, I believe she saw the kindness and truth in my eyes when I looked into hers and spoke truth, love and grace. When it was time to leave they had to pry her off of me. It was the worst experience. I was shattered. How do you just leave? What was I supposed to do with this new knowledge that there are millions, roughly 140 million orphans in the world today and only 1% are adoptable?

That began a deeper part of my journey to brokenness over those God calls us to defend (Psalm 82:3). In 2009 when I first traveled to Burundi the first week I hated it. No one can believe that now with how much I love it, but it’s true. I remember looking up at the sky because it was the only thing familiar, there was NOTHING like “home” or life in the States and it was tough for me. I was listening to my Ipod and a Hillsong song came on and the lyrics say, “break my heart for what breaks Yours, everything I am for Your Kingdom’s cause.” I stopped and I prayed and I said, “Lord, I’m miserable here, and I can keep being miserable the next month I’m here or , I think, You could do something in me if I’m willing. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Show me what You want me to see in Burundi, move me to do something for Your Kingdom.” It was nothing in me, I wasn’t a very willing vessel, but He answered.

When I came face to face with the poverty in Burundi I was deeply stirred. When I heard testimony of such horrific atrocities from widows and when I held the crying orphan in a hug my world changed. I was given a gift that is so valuable to me. I believe I was able to walk where Jesus was, I was able to hear His very heartbeat in every story, I could see His eyes of compassion and love when I looked into the tear filled eyes of the broken.

We are so prone to avoid the uncomfortable and difficult. It’s so much easier to stick to things that make us feel good, especially in America. We avoid pain and anything difficult. We have convenience and opportunity like no other country in the world, and yet would you say we’re a happy country? There’s many problems with this way of life, #1 in my opinion is Jesus said, “In this world you will have troubles of many kinds…” It is unavoidable. Scripture also commands us in Romans to weep with those who weep. How can we weep with someone else when we’re so busy avoiding pain ourselves? To choose to walk someone else’s pain with them is the most loving thing we can do, and yet, in my opinion, American’s as a whole really, really suck at walking through hard things with other people. It’s easier to stay in your own bubble, it’s easy to say I’m praying for you and it’s easier to write a check for some. But when we choose to weep with those who weep, if we’re listening we can hear the very heartbeat of God. You will be challenged in what you believe and why you believe it. You will be shaken to see, “does what I was taught in suburbia, Christian America still hold true in the trenches of Ukraine, or the orphanages of Russia or in our case in the poverty stricken lives of those in Burundi?” Or in the myriad of other difficulties in our own lives, it’s an opportunity to learn, is this God I say I know really who I believe He is even in this circumstance?

Poverty is one of the biggest reasons I am excited to take my kids to live in Burundi. They will be shaken, they will struggle, they will hurt, they will have to wrestle with who God is and if they choose to not turn a deaf ear or blind eye, my prayer is that they will love God deeper and be moved to obey Him to love others in whatever trench someone else is in.

Lastly, I watched this free documentary recently, and even though it’s about orphans specifically in India I think it is really helpful to understand the plight of those in abject poverty. Slumdog Children of Mumbai

I would personally say the documentary is appropriate for 12-13+.