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Adventures in Burundi: Volunteers Share their Stories!
Posted on September 09, 2009

When we heard about the trip to Burundi which was being organized jointly by Samaritan’s Feet and Forest Hill Church, our first reaction was: “Where’s Burundi?” We had to go to our world atlas to discover that it is nestled in the heart of Africa, and is in fact shaped like a heart.

Through further study we learned that Burundi, the third poorest country in the world, is about half the size of our home state of North Carolina with about the same population of almost 9 million. We also found that it had been torn by genocide like its neighbor Rwanda.
Our flight plan was brutal – Charlotte to Detroit to Amsterdam to Nairobi to Bujumbura – over 20 hours in the air. We picked up elements of our group of 10 along the way. Who could have imagined how close this all-star team would become? We never heard a gripe, a snipe, or a discouraging word from these folks over the course of our 7 days of ministry and 4 days of travel.
Once on the ground we discovered that the shoes we had come to distribute were caught up in a web of political and ecclesiastical intrigue. We knew going in that our mission was part of a much larger occasion. The country was celebrating the fourth anniversary of the election of their President following years of strife and bloodshed.
President Nkurunziza is a deeply committed Christian who invited Samaritan’s Feet to participate in his celebration with a ministry of reconciliation. He personally led a 4 day crusade, and it is the first time we have ever seen a head of state dance, sing, and lead worship with boundless enthusiasm. We even had the privilege of participating in a worship service (and dinner!) at the Presidential palace, a weekly event. 
 We did have some unbelievable opportunities to wash feet and distribute shoes to needy folks at several events. One day we went to a refugee camp in Bubanza Province and, in the most difficult of conditions, did over 1300 pairs of shoes with help from a cadre of local volunteers.
The President himself participated in the foot washing, evidence of his heart for the poor in his nation.
Two young men we met were Innocent and Jean-Pierre. They lead a band of orphan drummers who play 40-plus pound African drums while carrying them on their heads. When Jean-Pierre's Tutsi parents were killed in the ethnic violence, he fled to the home of his Hutu best friend Innocent. Innocent's parents sheltered him from the gangs who sought to kill him, and helped the boys escape to safety, losing their own lives in the process.
The young men now care for the 20 or so younger orphans with the support of a local church. We were privileged to share shoes with this group and later they helped us minister to others in their community.
We also visited a village of Twa pygmies and a group of women who had been brutalized in the war. We will never forget the joyful song they were singing as we rode up in our bus.
We learned more about faith, love, and hope from the people throughout Burundi than we were ever able to share with them.
We don’t think we will ever be the same. And, Lord willing, we hope to return to Burundi soon to continue the ministry there. We can’t wait to see what more God will do in that country and us.
 Dick & Desiré Osman