Our Weekend “Safari”

We took a “safari” (= journey) to the “up country” this weekend. The main campus of Hope Africa (HAU), where we are living, is located in Bujumbura, the capital city of Burundi. Bujumbura is situated along the northeast shore of Lake Tanganika, at an elevation of about 2500’. Leaving the HAU campus heading east = inland, one immediately begins a steep climb into the mountains. For more than 20 miles, the road zig-zags back and forth, climbing to about 7000’.

Except along the shore of Lake Tanganika, the country of Burundi is almost all mountainous. Between the mountains lie valleys, some of which are very deep. The countryside/landscape is absolutely beautiful. Farms and huts dot the steep hillsides and gardens fill the valleys. Fields of tea, coffee, banana, and/or corn are almost always in view. Eucalpytus trees add a touch of silver to the green farm-like landscape. Some of the mountain views from the road, whether down into the deep valleys or up to the mountain peaks above, are breath-taking. A camera is inadequate to capture the scene; one is better to imprint it in memory.

Eleven of us (in one van) made the trip this weekend, leaving Friday afternoon 3 pm and returning Sunday evening 6:30 pm. We visited three sites of both historical and contemporary importance to the Free Methodist in Burundi: Kibuye, Moiye, and Muyebe.

Kibuye is the site of the University hospital, where the medical and nursing students come for 2-3 months of clinical field experience as part of their education at HAU. Darlene and another nurse practitioner, our friend Carol Vitolins, were sent on up to Kibuye Friday night (I tagged along as Darlene’s spouse and help mate). The three of us stayed both Friday and Saturday nights in the mission house on site with Dr. Frank Ogden and his wife Carol, while the other eight members of our troupe stayed mid-way to Kibuye at a motel in Gitega, the only city “up country.” Darlene and Carol did rounds in the hospital with Dr. Ogden, while I put together a puzzle (the first in a long while!).

On Sunday morning, we all went to church at Moiye. It was a wonderful service. Before Pastor Mark Abbott from our troupe preached, seven choirs presented more than two hours of music and dance, which we thoroughly enjoyed. During a special song of welcome, one choir showered us, handful by handful, with a basket-full of fresh flower petals (my head and white shirt were covered…beautifully). After church, we were served a grand dinner.

To reach Muyebe, we had to drive for an hour on gravel road. The last 4 km (2.5 miles) were VERY rough. Muyebe, which is situated in the mountains, is the site of the first Free Methodist church in Burundi. Its origins date back to 1935. The church itself accommodates more than thousand people, and is filled every Sunday with half again that many! On the grounds of this mission compound is a large elementary school, two high schools (one is residential), and a medical clinic. Our stay here was too brief to see it all. We had to hurry to make it back to the HAU campus before dark. This required another hour of driving on gravel roads, and a total of 2.5 hours which included climbing over a mountain range, and then descending via switchbacks about a mile to Bujumbura. Darlene and I had been on this road before, and I remembered vividly some of the scenes, among the most beautiful I have ever witnessed.

It was a tiring journey, but what a wonderful weekend. It was made all the more meaningful because Wayne and Barb Vibbert, who had lived as missionaries in Burundi many years, served as our tour guides (Wayne also served as driver, a demanding task). We are grateful to them for this experience…and to the LORD.