Friday, August 17, 2007

Burundi Trip Update

Thank you for praying for our trip to Burundi this past week. We arrived back in Uganda on Monday night just before midnight. The bus trip took us through the beautiful rolling hills of Rwanda and then down to the shores of Lake Tanganyika and the capital city of Burundi, Bujumbura. We had a wonderful time and really sensed the Spirit of the Lord among the brothers there. We were visiting Pastor Emmanuel, the President of the Free Lutheran Church of Burundi, who just finished studying for one year at our Free Lutheran Seminary in Minneapolis. We had evening services Thursday through Sunday nights with the congregation in Bujumbura. It was a great blessing to see the people's hunger for the Lord and dedication to the Word of God.

It was a special blessing for me to bring Pastor Ludigo Charles who is one of our village pastors here in Uganda. He gained a different perspective on ministry as Lutheranism in Burundi has a much different flavor than in Uganda. The worship style was very lively with lots of singing. We were all very blessed and encouraged by Pastor Emmanuel. He is a great man of God and mighty in Spirit. He has a great zeal for the lost and a love for the Word of God. We came back to Uganda blessed and encouraged. Part of the purpose of our journey was to see the work and report to AFLC World Missions as Burundi could possibly be a future mission field of the AFLC.

We have two more weeks with the Monseths (Rhoda's parents) before they return. During that time we have two events planned with the local pastors. This Saturday (18th) we will be having a day for the pastors and their wives to meet together. Fran will be teaching the men and Ellen and Rhoda will be teaching the women. The theme will be "Building Godly Families". The following week Fran and I will meet with the pastors and their assistants for a two-day seminar on pastoral leadership and spiritual life. We would appreciate your prayers for these two events and for the Monseths as they return on the 29th.

May our God bless you with courage and strength for today!

Nate

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul." -Psalm 19:7a