A 28 year dream is coming to fruition…

It’s always been my aim to do myself out of a job. As a missionary to Burundi, my long-term goal was to step aside and let Burundians flourish in leadership. That’s what GLO is about, and I’m thrilled that we’ve seen it time and again, with hundreds of thousands of lives transformed.

But there was always a missing piece of the puzzle…

The Dead Sea receives but never gives out, so nothing grows. More than 10 rivers feed it, but the water just sits there. There is a powerful personal lesson for us – you and I are made to contribute, not only consume, otherwise we end up stagnant. But the same applies to nations.

Now, there is no escaping the fact that Burundi is materially impoverished and that people are suffering horrendously. We need investment, support, and lots of prayer. But the story is deeper than that – Burundi has so much to give, and I don’t want it to be a ‘Dead Sea’ that only receives gospel help from outside. The world needs Burundi’s passion, resilience, and faith

Caleb and Gyslaine are two of four new missionaries preparing to leave Burundi, they embody the best of the Burundian Church.

As a young, passionate Christian, Caleb would travel on outreach trips with Harvest Initiatives. Four years ago, he encountered Gyslaine, who was just as turbo-charged as he, and particularly drawn to those in remote areas. She would spend long hours interceding for unreached people groups.

Although Caleb was excited to meet a girl who shared his heart, he said: “I never imagined she could become my wife. But our paths kept crossing at evangelism outreaches. Over time, our relationship deepened. There were times I’d get discouraged and want to give up, but seeing her kept me going.”

They married last year and felt a tug to serve abroad. “We knew God had called us, but we often felt unequipped.” How could they prepare to go?

Rewinding back to 1997, Onesphore Manirakiza had a vision of churches in Burundi working towards global mission in unity. It seemed inconceivable at the time, with Burundi midway through a brutal civil war. Nevertheless, years of relationship-building since then has led to barriers broken and trust growing.

In 2021, we launched Burundi Mission Alliance – a network of denominations and leaders headed up by my friend Francois. It exists to unite the church in sending missionaries to other nations. Francois has been grafting for the past four years, networking with leaders, running training sessions, and preparing Burundi to become a sending nation.

Today, 28 years since that first dream, Caleb and Gyslaine are among the first fruits. For the past six months, they’ve been trained by the BMA team, and spent two months in an isolated Burundian village to prepare further. Now they are headed for Senegal, where 97% of the population is Muslim.

They are moving to a Fulani area with little gospel access. They will need to study over 30 hours per week to learn the language in order to share Christ’s love in culturally relevant ways. Do pray for them, for courage, protection, and rapid language learning. It will not be easy, but their obedience is inspiring.

Also in their training cohort are Moses and Thierry, who are headed for South Sudan on a similar mission. And so from precious Burundi – full to the brim of inspiring, faithful, pioneering Calebs and Gyslaines – a new stream of hope trickles out across the continent. May that stream grow to a river, and Burundi be a reservoir of blessing to many nations in the years ahead!