Donna Bloomfield and the team at City Gate Church in Bujumbura, Burundi continue to see people come to faith, mature in Christ and be lifted out of extreme poverty through their initiatives such as Foundations for Farming. This is in the context of very difficult circumstances at every level. At grassroot level the poverty leads to massive social issues such as rape being a common thing, theft and illnesses that could be avoided but either there are no medical facilities or there is no money to pay for medicine. At the broader level the country remains in turmoil, for example in recent weeks rebels launched 4 mortars at the airport and grenades were thrown in the town centre.
There is much that we can pray for to support our church there and so here are 5 key things that are currently underway that I’d love us to really get behind in prayer.
1. Education
The team has just finished getting 327 children into school by making them uniforms and providing school kits. They hope to get others into school in the days ahead.
Most children, especially the girls, do not receive formal education so this is a hugely important area. Please pray for these 327 kids to be able to remain in school and for the team to be able to get more into school.
2. New building setup
The church has just managed to rent their first building which is a massive answer to prayer. The building will be used for the church and to grow the Foundations for Farming (FFF) ministry using it as a training centre. This week will they start kitting it out with everything from chairs, tables, beds, cooking pots and toilet rolls, ready to run the first FFF training block in a weeks time!
There are scores of people wanting to learn, from right across Burundi, so there are very exciting opportunities to serve more widely.
The week after they start day training sessions for local people. Our trainers will follow up after the training to ensure FFF is implemented successfully. We believe this is a step towards helping Burundi have enough food. Many will be helped out of poverty and we pray will meet with God through the training.
3. FFF Strategy
We also have a new strategy launching this week for the families we have been training so far. We have rented 6.5 hectares to allocate between all our families so they have their own plots to manage and can take another step towards feeding their families. The land will provide enough food for 6 months using FFF as opposed to one month using traditional farming methods. Amazing! God’s ways are best!
Let’s pray for these crops to be protected from natural and human issues and that they produce a large harvest for these hungry families.
4. Buying land to farm
We have finally found an amazing piece of land we would like to buy. (We are having ongoing issues with our rented training sites) Please pray God confirms to us if it’s right for us. If so, more of our families will be able to feed themselves completely for a year.
5. City Gate Church Sunday Services
The team is preparing and working towards meeting as City Gate Church on Sundays in our building later this term. We have been praying, worshipping and planning lots. There are significant things to overcome in starting a Sunday service as generally churches in Burundi are very legalistic and the members are passive onlookers. We wish to be a church that displays the glory of God and demonstrates New Testament values. We’re excited by what God is doing but it’s pivotal days and we’d so value your ongoing prayers and support.
