this is me today

.. just taking a quiet day to read and listen to podcasts and Skype with my mom and Harrison. I missed Avery because my internet went out with the storm that rolled in-- but then I did get to watch the birds taking a bath in the puddles that were left behind.

I haven't been feeling great this week, so I'm glad I've had yesterday and today to spend time resting so I can have enough energy for 5 days of travel next week. I'll be going upcountry with an organization to do some photojournalism of a few of their projects. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this beautiful country, and to use my camera to help this organization tell it's story in a way outsiders can experience the good work they do. But I'll also be honest, I'm a little anxious about traveling into the rural lands without Billy. Just keep praying for good things with us... will ya'? For great stories and faces filled with the joy of humanity because of the life Jesus give us. Pray that I am able to tell the story of the clean water or eduction or health care they are able to receive and how lives are blessed because of sponsors to this organization who believe in being a part of something they can't see or hold but somehow they know they need to be a part of. And pray that these images make it clear that their sacrifices are truly making a difference in the world and inspire them to do more. Pray for safety for me and for the staff that will travel with me, there are not so nice things going on in Burundi that I honestly don't want to come across at all. And pray for my spirit, for my health, for my technical game to be right on target, and for my eyes to be able to see clearly God's big heart for each individual we meet on the road. I don't know why this one is making me anxious. Maybe it's just the first time I'm traveling alone in a country I don't all together trust. I've read too many stories I suppose. But i have to remember that in the month I've been in Burundi, I've never felt unsafe here. And that there is something so much bigger at work than me. I am honored to get to be a part of that. The work God is doing here in this country.

I had someone say to me the other day that even though Rwanda and Burundi are twin brothers, and they share the same history - in fact the genocide began here a year earlier and civil war lasted a decade longer - Rwanda is famous to the world and no one has heard of Burundi. My friend cupped his hands together like he was holding a tiny sparrow and said "I believe God has hidden Burundi so that he can do his healing work here without the influence or agenda of outside churches coming in to change the essence of who we are. So that His brilliance will be the only thing we shine with once we are healed. I see Him working now and Burundi is ready to shine. And then the world will know Burundi, not as a torn and limping country, but as a strong nation: the story of God's light to Africa."