Visiting and visitors

When I first came to Burundi, and especially when I moved upcountry, it was always a joy to go out visiting. To see how people live. To practice my Kirundi. To pray for people. To laugh together and use hand gestures when verbal communication failed. In recent months and even years it feels like this has happened so much less. I guess my role has majorly changed into being a full time Mama to two toddlers and running a home. And sometimes it can feel like I am continually in survival mode with sicknesses, water shortages, flea infestations and meal planning to name a few, so the thought of venturing out to visit people was never really at the forefront. However, last week, at the prompt of a new missionary friend in our town, I went out.

One of my favourite things to do is going to visit a Mama in the proper upcountry (Bush bush). This time it was Mama Roy who had given birth to her second baby, a girl, a few weeks before.

Walking to visit a family

We parked the car on the little dirt road and then walked on the dirt path past newly planted fields. Esperance carries with such grace the gift basket on her head – some rice, sugar, porridge and little baby girl clothes for the newborn baby.

The new baby girl

Nathan loved being in a new place and seeing the goats, especially when they all came inside the little mud house when it started to rain. He wanted some of the Fanta which was given to only the three guests. I distracted him with his water cup, but then Papa Roy gave him, and the other children, glucose biscuits which are exactly as the name suggests! Full-of-glucose. I went with it. Nathan then proceeded to bang his hands on the little table as if it was a drum and belt out “Uri Mana Mana” You are God God! His favourite song. Everyone laughed and joined in. He was quite at home and for me it was one of the first times to really see him in the limelight without his older brother around.

Thunder rumbled overhead and soon the rain was beating down, thankfully only for 10 minutes or so. The goats bleated in the back room and Nathan toddled off to see them, quite at home. The new baby was swaddled in blankets and wasn’t too happy. Her older brother Roy shared Esperance’s Fanta on top of the glucose biscuits and he soon became quite chatty. Various family members entered the small dark room, with only a few wooden chairs and a small table as furniture, to greet us. These people live so simply and yet have so much joy. I’m forever challenged and inspired by their resilience, joyful faith and generous hospitality.

After praying for them all, the whole family walked us back to the car and the gift basket was returned full of plantains (savoury bananas).

The following day we had arranged for a Mama to come and visit us. We met her on one of our first Sundays here in Mwaro. She came to ask us for help as her child was sick. She has become a good friend and we are so impressed with how she cares for her children. Last year we supported 3 of her kids to go to school with uniforms and copybooks and shoes. She came to visit us at the beginning of September and I was sure she was coming to ask for money for the school materials, but no, she came to tell us she had been able to buy everything for them this year! Wow.

I love having visitors. But if I’m honest I struggle when they come when the boys are napping. That’s ‘my time’. Time to drink tea and eat biscuits. Time to zone out. Time to catch up on admin. Time to phone a friend. Time to pray. Time to rest.

Mama Japhet arrived 1.5 hours late for lunch. And yes the boys had just gone for their nap and I was putting the kettle on. I can’t blame her as she had to prepare lunch for her 4 kids coming home from school before she set out on the two-hour walk cross-country carrying a basket of potatoes on her head. There was torrential rain en-route and she stopped to shelter for a while.

So while the boys napped we chatted and Mama Japhet ate half her lunch and drank a Fanta. I tried to stifle my rain-induced yawns and listen to the Kirundi words. She really does inspire me, no husband around, 4 well-looked after kids, living in a mud brick house and she is SO joyful. We prayed together and then she set off home with the basket on her head with some sugar and rice in.

Praying with Mama Japhet

And there in two short days I had been out visiting and hosted a visitor. Just like that. And deep within me, something was stirred once again. This is what I was made for. To step out. To reach out. To visit. To host. To love. And to pray. And as a Mama myself I can already start to teach my boys a little of what love looks like, including them with the joy they carry.