From: Simon Guillebaud [mailto:simon@greatlakesoutreach.org]
www.greatlakesoutreach.org
6 March 2009
Dear Warriors,
Whirlwind Week in Burundi
I don’t mean to bombard you, but there’s a lot going on right now.
We have never been so blessed financially in a week as this last one, but the battle is raging.
We were due to open the conference centre today. We are simply NOWHERE NEAR ready. It’s a mixture of things outside our control (like late arrival of containers) and mistakes on our behalf, which I’m very frustrated by. If you’ve been involved in a building project, you’ll understand. I CAN’T STAND building projects, aaargh! Anyways, there’s a long way to go. Providentially, our first booking cancelled, although it means we’ve lost that income. But we wouldn’t have been able to deliver. So our first booking now is on the 14th. Our kitchen is still non-existent! There are big issues to deal with. The order of stoves and other equipment from India was far from satisfactory so we need to blast to Uganda or Tanzania and buy a load of stuff. Thefts of our goods have taken place from customs. It’s such a headache. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s still some way off. Please pray for unity, for efficiency, for safety of personnel and goods, for speed of purchase, for grace to do everything with excellence, for late local orders to come through, as well as the last container. Aaaargh! You get my drift.
I’m off on Monday (Lizzie’s birthday) to South Africa to represent the Great Lakes at a conference on Islam, then I am the speaker at a church weekend away, followed by speaking at a supporting church, and then back the following Tuesday 17th. May it be a valuable and impacting time, and do pray the family does well in my absence.
My brain’s fried. I feel under a lot of pressure, although as we’ve just done a film in which I said “we are never ‘under the circumstances’ as followers of Jesus”, I shouldn’t feel under anything! May the joy of the Lord be all of our strength!
God bless you, have a good weekend,
Simon Guillebaud
Great Lakes Outreach
www.greatlakesoutreach.org