And it’s all because of Jesus!

Former Olympian Charles Nkazamyampi’s (FCN) Team reach out to a local community through sporting events. They encourage youth to commit to principles of peace and nonviolence and share a Gospel message. As they have travelled around Burundi, they have impacted a wide variety of communities with many thousands responding to the Good News.

While re-visiting a community in Kirundo back in April, they found a group of young people who had recently given their lives to Jesus through a previous outreach event, making a beautiful contribution to the village where they lived. 

Spotting elderly people in their community living in crumbling mud huts with roofs that leaked, they grabbed their machetes, climbed up on the roof and re-thatched them (with permission) so these old Batama* would have the shelter they so desperately needed. Nobody asked them, they just did it – Gospel in action! 

As the pictures show, these young people are climbing on top of fragile buildings, repairing roofs that have been destroyed by the harsh environment of the Burundi climate and rebuilding them to give the older generation a safe, secure place to rest.

The most beautiful part of this story is their motivation. Having truly discovered what Jesus has done for them, and their heart to bless others because of their newfound faith and joy. They could do no other than fully engage themselves in blessing the community around them and saying, “This is done in Jesus’ name.”

The recipients of all this hard work were so pleased with the young people’s efforts. They can truly be peaceful in their homes.

We celebrate with FCN on teaching the young people well. And we look forward to more stories of this good news being worked out in the society of Burundi as the Good News reaches more and more parts of the country.

*Batama is a Kirundi term of respect for older people. In a culture of honour, the wisdom of old age is highly valued!