Externally Focused at Watermark

By Stephanie Schweinfurth

We have truly been to the other side of the world and seen Jesus in the people of Burundi Africa! Our journey started in the capital city of Bujumbura. We were met by the warm and welcoming ALARM staff and the first sights on the road were overwhelming; women carrying large baskets on their heads and babies tied to their backs, people washing clothes in ditches, men on bikes carrying very large bundles and the automobile traffic as dense and aggressive as in New York City. Our first night’s dinner was unforgettable as were served whole fish, eyes and all. But we were blessed to hear the personal story of Deo, the director of ALARM in Burundi. At the time of the rebellion, his “neighbor” killed his uncles and hired someone to kill his father. Deo later became a believer and went back to this man and forgave him and asked for forgiveness for the terrible thoughts he had through the years. It was a powerful story and a somber reminder of what these people have been through. We started the next day, Sunday, with an incredible worship experience. Each of the choirs sang for us, the children, the young adults and the women. The music and singing was angelic.

After worship, we headed north to Bubanza. As we would later learn, we were the first white people to spend more than one night in the Bubanza province since 1993. The reception was warm and welcoming and many joined us in our three day conference. We covered topics including conflict resolution, bible study methods, health and hygiene, AIDS/HIV, parenting and family planning. The women were eager to learn and brought to tears when they received bibles as gifts and reading glasses. One woman began crying as she put on her glasses, as she had not been able to read in quite some time. The women learned bible study methods and broke into groups to practice their skills. They also had many questions and difficult situations which they shared with us during the conflict resolution session. During our time together we were serenaded often by these sweet women and their harmony. By day 3 we were embracing these women and they sent us off with special blessings and testimony as to how much they had learned.

Our last day in Bubanza was spent serving and being with the community. The governor arranged for us to plant trees in the town’s center where we were quickly surrounded by hundreds of elementary students, many of whom had never seen a white person. They loved shaking our hands and practicing the few phrases they knew in English. We also got to witness a dance group practicing for the final dance competition in the province - the same competition documented in the movie “War Dance.” We were then taken by the governor to a remote refugee village, home to 300 families. The governor addressed the people and knew the families by name. We distributed beans and cornmeal to each family. The dwellings in this area were small and made of sticks and we were told that the water source was a 2 mile walk one-way. It was hard to see a people with such hopelessness in their eyes, but we were encouraged to see in the crowd one of the women who attended our conference.

Our last night in Bubanza was spent at dinner with the governor; he was appreciative of our service to his people and encouraged us to return. We left Bubanza to return to Bujumbura for one more night. We were treated to a great meal at Deo’s home and were excited to experience AC and warm water. What a treat! The ALARM staff and drivers took incredible care of us and were such an encouragement to us through the entire experience.

Thanks also to all of you who prayed for us during this incredible experience. What a privilege to serve people so far away in the name of Jesus and on behalf of Watermark. I pray that we would continue this service both here in Dallas and also in far away places. There is much more work to be done.