Witnessing change first hand

As Lorna described in her post the other day, we had the opportunity to visit the homes of a few of the street children. The children will be going back to these homes in August. 

The first home Dan and I went to was of a boy called Egide. The house was in Gitega but in a very rural part. As Dan and I walked with Bosco and Egide up the hill to the house, we passed many brick huts with thatched roofs. Often we would be greeted with children shouting "Mzungu, Mzungu" and we'd see mothers and grandmothers sat outside their homes. 

At the house we were greeted by some young women carrying a baby each. I was confused. One of them surely wasn't Egide's mother?! Neither of them was. Egide's mother appeared soon, rushing to greet us. She was overwhelmed that we were there. She couldn't believe her eyes - Mzungus were viditing her house! When we were inside she even broke into song. 

The doorframes in Burundi aren't designed for large people and normally the houses don't have windows. To enter the house we had to stoop down (Dan especially!) and move into the darkness. Once inside, our eyes soon adjusted to the light and we sat on a mat on the dusty floor. The two women who we'd just met outside were Egide's sisters. In the house, we were also joined by a couple of female neighbours. 

Egide wasn't himself during the initial encounter, even after he prayed. The explanation for his mood (he was obviously upset) and the mother's behaviour were explained by the same fact - Egide's mother was drunk. 

Alcohol is a big problem in this area, we were later told by Bosco. People use drink to help forget what their lives are like. 

We chatted with Egide's mother and her friends. We were watched the whole time by a group of local children who peered in through the open door.

 Egide's mother seemed incredibly happy to see Egide and expressed pride in seeing where he had come from. She appeared pleased to know that he had a faith, but was reluctant to talk about her own. 

Bosco turned to Dan and I at this point and said "I just need a few minutes to evangelise to her". A few minutes was more than ten, but at the end of it 4 people had come to Christ! Bosco invited them to join him at Eglise Vivante. 

As we walked back down to the car, I think both Dan and I were amazed at what we'd seen and experienced. It was a richly raw experience. 

Today we went to Eglise Vivante. Helen will fill you in on more details, but at the end of the service, I saw this woman coming over to me, smiling. It was Egide's mother. She had followed through on her promise and come to church. As we hugged, I could still smell the alcohol on her breath, but this was the first step towards her being set free! This was a woman moving forward by the grace of God. Amen!