Having safely arrived in Bujumbura, along with all of our luggage (thanks for everyone's prayers for both!), we are now settling in and meeting the people of our new community. They are all very gracious to us, pleased to meet us and ready to make friends. It is great to finally see their faces and learn their names! This first picture was taken at a gift shop called "Amahoro" (it means "peace") where the baby's mother was working as a seamstress. The shop sells purses, bags, jewelry, and other items, with the proceeds helping Burundian widows.
We've done a lot in the past four days! We've taken a tour of the university, fellowshiped with fellow visiting faculty, met with the rector and vice-rector (president and vice-president) of the university, eaten delicious Burundian food in the dining hall, made acquaintances of some students and staff, unpacked our bags, learned how to shop for food using French (and Burundi francs), washed some of our clothes by hand, and discovered that we can sleep without fans when the power goes out! Today we hosted our first guests: Wayne and Barb Vibbert (long-term visiting profs from Spring Arbor and retired missionaries) for Sunday lunch, and a young Congolese teacher named Justin with some of his family for tea (pictured here with Jeff).
Our apartment on the third floor of the only dorm on campus is small by American standards for a family of three, but we are not discouraged. It has some great advantages: a view of the campus and surrounding neighborhoods, a nice breeze nearly all day and night, and Wi-Fi (inconsistant, but better than none)! We are getting used to the "fishbowl" effect of living in the middle of a very busy campus (5,000+ students come to three (AM, PM, EVE) sessions each weekday, with make-up classes on Saturdays. So, we live in close quarters with each other and the students...we are going to to need your prayers for patience and calm when the newness wears off! :)
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