An Unexpected Adventure

After 5 months as a missionary in Rwanda, we didn't expect to get to go to Bujumbura, Burundi.

Burundi is a tiny country that borders Rwanda on the south in eastern Africa. It vies for the position of the poorest country in the world. That's what decades of war and fighting produce.

We were getting ready to leave to teach/train on the subject of how to best set their branch goals for 2025 when our Mission President sent a message inviting us to go with him to Burundi. We would participate in a youth conference and do some priesthood leadership training. As Member and Leadership support missionaries, it was very exciting. . .and a little scary. There are strong travel warnings for Americans.

The flight was uneventful. We were met by two cars that whisked us to a spectacularly beautiful hotel. The sun was setting over lake Tanganika in a soft sky in shades of gray and quiet pinks.

That's the Democratic Republic of Congo in the haze across the lake.

The FSY conference had already started when we got there on Thursday morning. All those beautiful young faces touched our hearts from the very beginning.

We started by teaching the story of Nephi and his desire to "go and do what the Lord has commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men save he shall prepare a way that they may accomplish the thing He has commanded.

When we got to the part where Nephi was told to build a boat, we discussed how they would face such an impossible task. Our point, of course, was that with the Lord's help and obedience to His commandments, we can do anything. Then I showed them how to make a piece of paper fly by folding it according to instructions. (I happen to know how to make an AWESOME paper glider) When I threw the airplane the first time, there was a gasp of surprise and delight. Soon the air was filled with a flock of airplanes.

The conference was well planned we ended up teaching another short workshop on finding their family stories and preparing to go to the temple. We taught it four times.

Then we joined in a lengthy game of keep away, in a very undignified way, but the kids seemed to love playing with us.

The kids gather to be assigned to their groups.

These are the cooks preparing the noon meal.

This salad is pretty tasty.

The cooks drain the mixed vegetables in the compuond's gutter.

Every meal included a protein source. This is beef.

This is a different meal for two people. Note that there is no silverware? You flatten the Fufu, (top) (cassava cooked to the consistency of cold polenta) in your hand. Then you use your little pancake to pick up the sauce and greens. The meat in this photo is cow intestine. Rubbery on the outside and sort of furry on the other side.

We only ate about half, and soon a boy came over and grabbed our second fufu ball and our unfinished plate and took it back to a group of boys.

The next day, we helped with a drawing activity for one of the groups. We helped them draw temples from a photograph of our beloved Saratoga Springs Temple on our phones.

Unfortunately,I failed to get this pretty girl's name.

First thing after breakfast each day, they gathered in their small groups to study the scriptures.

The attendees spoke either French or Kirundi, a dialect similar enough to Kinyarwanda that translators who only knew one or the other were fine.

Back to the drawing activity. We had started our workshop by saying, "Isn't it interesting how we look different and we're from different places, but we're all brothers and sisters and our Loving Heavenly Father loves every single one of us the same, because we are all His family. "

They had been instructed to draw something that they liked about the conference. When we went to see what the other groups had produced, a boy named Chaste Fally Ihezagirwe ran up to us and said, "Elder and Sister Stephenson" (pronounced "Stefanson" instead of "Stevenson" in this case,) "I drew you. " Note that he captioned it (between our necks)

"Family, The Musungu." Musungu pretty much means white people. It's not a slur, it would be like calling someone "Hey, Black Guy."

Jeff Likes this because he has a LOT of hair. I like it because though I don't have a chin, he apparently remembered our smiles as our identifying characteristics.

Another young man named Dieudonne Kabesha Mirindi drew this of the First Vision. He only had about an hour and a half to do it!

At one point , they had a talent show. There was a break in the action and we stepped outside for a breath of fresh air. There were kids out there and we showed them a little swing dancing. The conference director saw us and begged us to go show the kids. We complied. It was my first and no doubt the last dance concert Jeff and I will every perform.

They got pictures of it and I'll add it if I ever get access to it.

Later, we joined in the dance party. We each know one interesting dance move and the kids LOVED it. Several told us we were "Very good dancers"

We left when it was getting late. We told them that we loved them. . .and meant it. I will always remember those youngsters who burrowed into our hearts in a matter of hours. It was a profound spiritual experience that I will always treasure.