Saturday in Matana, beautiful rolling hills and tea plantations

Saturday was a rest day of sorts, since we didn't get much sleep last night at the hotel here. The electricity doesn't seem to be working very well in the recent months, so we didn't have any last night from about 11:00 pm till 8:00 am this morning.  A bit hard to sleep after the long flights over on Thursday and Friday.

Saturday morning is a community work day in Burundi, so everyone gets out and helps clean the streets and the areas around heir homes.  Always a good project, but Peace usually lets us stay in and rest up which she did again today.

We headed out of town towards Matana this morning with Peace and Phoebe, their home town, to let Josh see the country side and the areas where farming is taking place.  He was very impressed with how they are using their land, so we discussed how we might be able to help them manage the land better to grow more crops that can be consumed by the families in these areas.  Lots of possibilities since Burundi was recently named the Hungriest Country in the world now, not a label you want to have.  So it was good to talk with the sisters and get their view of things in this area.  We also looked at the possibility of opening another HCF in Matana which has been a dream of Peace's for years.

After having a great lunch in Matana at the local hotel, we went to see the church where Peace's Dad lead during her early years.  We were greeted by many children who just seemed to come out of the woods when we arrived.  They came into the church and started singing songs and playing the Arican drums for us.  Josh got some videos that I will post later.  Great kids and of course we took lots of photos that will come out later.

We made it back into town before dark, so that Phoebe could go home and get some rest.

Tomorrow, Sunday will be a very special day to spend with our church friends at Life Center Burundi.  Check them out on Facebook and see if you can see us there.  It will be a great time of worship.  Then a trip to the Lake for lunch and some rest before heading to HCF on Monday to visit with all the ladies and staff.

Thanks for your prayers, Josh and I are doing well and enjoying the time together.  Would love to hear from you if you get a chance, we always like to receive mail from home.

Blessings to all....John and Josh