One BIG 20 Cent Avocado (2-15-14)

One BIG 20 Cent Avocado (2-15-14)

Yesterday, we sent our house girl to the local market to buy a few fruits and vegetables to eat over the weekend: 1 papaya, 1 mango, 1 pineapple, 3 potatoes, 2 tomatoes, and 1 avocado.  All of these were huge, and quite cheap (by our standards). 

The avocado (we just took several photos of it) is the largest we had ever seen.  It measures almost 15” around the girth!  And it cost less than 20 cents!!

Remembering Mark’s Birth Day (2-14-14)

Remembering Mark’s Birth Day (2-14-14)

On February 24, we will be celebrating our older son’s fiftieth birthday.  Across the past 50 years, Mark has been a source of many blessings in our lives.  He is a fine Christian man, whose primary career has been as a teacher and coach in Christian high schools.  We are very proud of him.

I (Wayne) remember the night Mark was born (I’m sure Darlene remembers too!). 

At the time, I was serving as Assistant Pastor of the North City Free Methodist Church in Seattle.  I had a committee meeting scheduled at the church the same evening Darlene began having contractions.  I began formulating a plan: I would take Darlene to the hospital, leave to conduct my meeting, and then return for the delivery of the baby.  However, she contended against that plan.  So I cancelled the committee meeting or asked someone else to serve as chair (I don’t remember which).  As an alternative plan, I brought with me to the hospital a briefcase loaded with books: I was a graduate student at the University of Washington and had an essay to write. 

At the hospital, I had the entire waiting room to myself.  Thinking I would be there all night, I proceeded to spread out (in an orderly fashion!) my books and notes on the nearby chairs and over half the floor…and set to work, “redeeming the time.”  (Those of you who know me well are no doubt laughing by now.  But this was 50 years ago!  J) 

In ca. 15 minutes I was interrupted (I had barely got started on my essay): a nurse entered the waiting room; she escorted me in to see Darlene for a few minutes.  Ca. 15 minutes later, she interrupted me again…to announce that Darlene had already delivered and I was the father of a boy!  I was delighted to hear the good news.  But I was surprised “it had happened so quickly”…and quite honestly, disappointed that I had been allowed so little time to work on my essay…which I had planned to finish that night. 

From time to time, I have felt sorry for Mark that he was born to such a father as this!  Happy birthday, son: I love you.

Bright, Hard-Working Students (2-11-14)

Bright, Hard-Working Students (2-11-14)

Across the seven years Darlene and I have been working at Hope Africa University, we have met some bright, hard-working students.  We had three of them in our apartment today. 

One of the Master’s students with whom I (Wayne) am working is Senior Pastor of the nearby/campus Free Methodist Church and District Superintendent for 31 other churches in Bujumbura.  This morning, Ephraim came to get my final input on the Questionnaire he plans to use in his thesis on Effective Preaching.  I called in Darlene to help with some of the research methodology involved…and we “went at it.”  I was impressed—even somewhat amazed—how Ephraim was able to keep pace with both of us.  When he left, Darlene and I commented to one another: he is not only a good preacher, but very intelligent.

Later in the morning, a graduate of Darlene’s Master’s program in Nursing paid us a social visit.  Edouard is now employed by the Burundian government as a researcher in Public Health and currently serving as Acting Director of that department.  As Edouard talked with Darlene about substantive matters in Nursing Education, and I sat by and listened, we both were impressed not only by his knowledge but also by his analytical and administrative skills.

The third former student to visit is now the Director of the School of Nursing at Hope Africa University.  Eric and Darlene have been working daily, long hours, on multiple drafts of a self-study for the Master’s program.  We see him daily; and Eric never fails to impress us.  He is a hard-working young man (perhaps too hard-working), very bright, and blessed with good administrative skills and savvy.  I recently asked him where and how he learned to be such a good administrator.  He responded, “Just by observing others.”

Can you imagine the satisfaction Darlene and I experience in having a small part in the education of persons such as these three (and there are many others)?  It is good to be here: We are fulfilled; we are blessed!

The Power of Hope (2-10-14)

The Power of Hope (2-10-14)

The title on this blog refers to an autobiography we both read this past week.  The author is the First Lady of Burundi, Denise Nucumi Nkurunziza.  Denise is a “born again” Christian (her own words), an ordained pastor and a student in Bible and Theology at Hope Africa University.  (Two of her children are also students here.) 

This book tells the story of Denise’s upbringing in Burundi, her life during the civil strife in the 1990s as the wife of a prominent “rebel,” as well as her current (significantly improved!) circumstances as First Lady of the nation. 

This autobiography, throughout, gives testimony to the power of prayer and the reality of divine protection…as well as the power of hope.

 

P.S.: Denise was on campus today!  We watched her entourage arrive from our third floor apartment.  From the positioning of her security detail, we concluded that she spent several hours in the library. 

Busy, busy, busy (2-7-14)

Busy, busy, busy (2-7-14)

Obviously(!). blogging is not high on our list of priorities.  We are too busy—doing more important things!  That, plus frequent interruptions of electricity and internet access, make blogging challenging.

Darlene has spent many hours working on a self-study for the Masters in Nursing program.  Final approval is anticipated before we leave.  Wayne has spent many hours meeting with individual students in the Masters in Theology program: they are working together to complete the required thesis and public defense before mid-March.  He has also had several meetings with the Rector, including one on the two proposed PhD programs on which he has been working.

On Monday February 10, 2014, both of us begin teaching courses in our respective Masters programs; we will be teaching two while we are here.  Darlene will be teaching Nursing Theory, followed by Curriculum and Teaching; she will also be structuring a third independent course for her students.  Wayne will be teaching Systematic Theology followed by Biblical Leadership; he has 27 students enrolled.

As in previous years, we are trying to do as much as we possibly can in the short time we are here!

An Easy Trip (2-1-14)

An Easy Trip (2-1-14)

This year our travel to Burundi was as smooth and trouble-free as could be.  We were traveling on Cheapoair tickets, so we were surprised that we were not charged an extra fee for our third checked bag…neither at the United Airlines counter in Rochester, nor at the re-check counter in Brussels.  Out flight pattern was quite direct: from Rochester to Newark, Newark to Brussels, Brussels to Bujumbura.  Both layovers, in Newark and Brussels, were ca. 2.5 hours (enough time but not too much for international transfers).  All three flights were on time.  It was a fairly easy trip.

Of course, we had to endure a long “sit.”  Our total time in transit was ca. 25 hours, and the Economy class was a tight squeeze.  But as they say in French, “C’est la vie.”  That’s just part of the overall experience.

Our Brussels Air flight into Bujumbura, Burundi arrived Wednesday evening January 29 ca. 8 pm.  Checking through Immigration was a bit of a process and took some time, but we had no problems.  We know the routine quite well.  Every police officer who examined our passports was curious to find so many entry visas for Burundi; the current one, of course, was on the last page.  After collecting our suitcases, which all arrived intact, we were warmly greeted in the airport reception area by Gerald and Marlene Bates as well as LaCharite Buconyori. 

We arrived at HAU (a distance of ca. 10 miles from the airport) at 9:30 pm.  We had been assigned the same guest apartment in which we lived during our previous three years on this campus.  Before going to bed at 11 pm, we were able to unpack our bags and put most of our things in their familiar places.  Surprisingly, given the 7-hour time difference, we slept quite well that first night.

We feel like we are “back home.”

 

Getting Ready for Africa...Once Again (1-20-14)

We have updated our blog to include our upcoming visit to Hope Africa University, January 28-March 17, 2014.  We have our tickets and visas.  We are now packing.  Twelve textbooks are on order, and six routers. 

Darlene has been assigned two courses to the new cohort of 12 students in the Masters of Nursing program.  Additionally, she will be lecturing in one of the major undergraduate courses (which she developed).  She will also be working with the director of Nursing (one of her students in both the baccalaureate and masters programs) on accreditation of the Masters program.  She is also expected to visit (and serve as consultant) at both the Van Norman Clinic and the Kibuye Hope Hospital.

Wayne has been assigned two courses in the new cohort of Masters in Theology program.  He also will be working with the Rector (president) on several agendas, including the launch of the first two Ph.D. programs (for which he has prepared proposed draft), one in Education and the other in Theology.

We are likely to report more on all of this in future blogs, plus many more involvements of which we are not yet aware.

Your prayers are needed and appreciated!