After two wonderful and long weeks, camps are officially over! Each year Sister Connection puts on a 2 day camp/retreat for all the widows and orphans ages 5-12, 13-17 and 18-25. It’s a unique experience where those who are considered less than in this culture get to come together with friends and those in similar situations to worship, fellowship and learn from Scripture.

This year 2 teams came in, 1 from America with about 6 people and 1 from Australia with about 8 people. Our boys liked the teams and love fellowshipping and riding in the bus and ministering with the other people who speak English and are experiencing Burundi. Many of the team members taught during the camps. Josh and I both taught; he spoke to 5 groups of widows about prayer and to the entire group of widows about life in the Spirit from Galatians. I spoke to the children about the passage in Matthew “Let the Little Children Come to Me.” I find few things more enjoyable in life than to get to share the Good News to these precious orphans. Everyday we as a family we played soccer with all the kids. These are long, hard days but worth it too.

Josh and I also helped provide counseling to the widows and orphans, you meet with a widow or orphan and an interpreter. It is always exhausting and difficult but we pray God encourages their hearts.

Some of the highlights for us is at the close of each camp the orphans each receive notebooks for school. They dance and sing and hold their notebooks in the air rejoicing with gratitude. The widows actually give an offering, they come with baskets on their heads and bags in their hands bringing rice and beans for the Batwa Villages-the poorest of the poor in Burundi. They’re secluded villages of 50-200 people and we used to not even be able to visit them, but now they allow us in and we are able to bring the widows offering of food to bless the entire village. I’m always amazed at how happy the widows are to give. They know what they have been given through sponsorship-a full belly for them and their children and they are so happy to do that for another family even if they never meet them.

We are having a lot of issues with our internet so it looks like zero pictures will be uploaded for now. Hopefully, that will come soon!