Livin' the Dream

I am sitting in my room right now, listening to John play the piano downstairs, three kids laughing and rub-a-dub-dubbing in a tub across the hall, and watching an African sunset go down outside my wIndow. I am soaking in how blessed am I that God has taken me to this place and to this season. I am no longer in a drought. The rain has come.

Dreams have been a recurrent thought in my mind this week. Big dreams, dreams unaccomplished, dreams unavailable....I have seen all three in the time that I have been here. For example, the director of the school and the wonderful lady I live with, Jan, has amazing dreams that inspire--already, a school for the deaf has been built on our compound. It is the only school for the deaf in the entire country. Jan and John help facilitate having teachers for the school. They have made that dream come true and are changing so many lives. Another dream Jan has is to train a Burundian in speech therapy. For that, she would need someone willing to come for about a year and pass on the knowledge to a local Burundian so that that Burundian can be self-sufficient once the trainer leaves. In a country where needs as obvious as starvation and AIDS exist, Jan desires to meet the needs of people who can not speak, and give them the gift of a voice. It hasn't happened yet. But I'm so inspired by her faith that it will...She loves the big and the small. She does it hard and well. It challenges me to contemplate how well I spend my days here on this earth loving God's people that He created. . . .

There are also dreams that may never come true due to the preexisting conditions of the country and circumstances beyond one's control. For example, I had a dear friend share with me his desire to go to a university in Canada and study political studies and sociology. He wants to learn about these subjects, as well as improve his English, and make a difference not only in Burundi but in the East African Community. The desire of his heart is good and desperately needed, but the means to get there seemingly impossible. It would cost him $8,000 a semester at the university, not to mention a plane ticket and housing costs. This is a dream that may or may not come true, but the odds aren't stacked pretty.

How I am in this place, I can only thank God. For me, it is a dream come true. It did not come easy, and many sacrifices were made, but I am here, living out the story that I believe God has written for me. My favorite response from my past entries said the following:

"You are definitely living a life that reflects the fact that you believe in the story of Christ. You're an example to follow. I know that I probably won't end up in Burundi as a 2nd grade teacher as I try to follow God's story for me, but being a part of your life as you are doing this does motivate/encourage me to pursue His story for me. Try not to let all that go to your head."

I am realizing more each day, that I have the power to make people's dreams come true here.

It.

is.

absolutely.

cool.

I'm inspired, anxious, challenged, and excited all at the same

time. I know the pages God has written for me will reveal themselves in time. My story is about to get interesting.

Picture on top: Well, a pretty sweet Burundian sunset.

Picture on bottom: Some teachers at the school learning new strategies.