We are delighted to see positive developments happening in the work in Burundi.
Land Purchase
Our coworkers in Bujumbura, the capitol of Burundi, have been able to locate land with easy access from the city. It is about .88 acres which is the standard size of arable land (60m x 60). This is a huge step forward as the fields that were rented last year were way outside the city and took a huge amount of time for the women to reach the fields. They will start working the land in September.
New Sewing School
With funds we have provided, our partners have been able to purchase many of the machines needed to launch this new project. They were also able to find facilities in which to hold the school. To differentiate this new advanced school from the existing one, we have called it the Oholiab Sewing School after one of the two skilled workmen who helped construct the tabernacle. In Exodus 35 it mentions that he was able to teach others to do embroidery among other skills.
Meanwhile our original projects of farming and the Dorcas Sewing School continue. The ladies in the farming project have completed the harvest of corn and soy beans. There are 24 folks taking the second phase of the basic sewing school and the next graduation is set for August 15.
We recognize that with change and transitions come with difficult passages and that working in Africa means adapting to methods and functions unfamiliar to us. Getting land titles requires going through several steps and the local authorities have just changed because of recent elections which means that our partners have still not received the land title documents. The new school has not started yet as we are having trouble finding a teacher and clarifying some of the details of the project.
With our new projects things are moving more slowly than we anticipated. Could you please pray for the following issues:
- Obstacles for the granting of the title for the land that has been purchased will be overcome.
- Our partners will find the right teacher or teachers for the Oholiab Sewing School.
- That we will be able to finalize the project details.
Warmly in Christ,
Tim & Leslie Boettcher