This week saw us host the National Prayer Breakfast in Bujumbura. It’s the chance to get all the movers and shakers from across the political, military, business and religious divides to come together for a few hours, leaving our divisions at the door, and gathering around the table to eat, talk, pray and listen to a few speeches about Jesus.
(The President giving his speech)
A whole lot of planning had gone into the event. And I’m glad to say, it went superbly – by all accounts the best one yet. One of the most senior politicians in the country even wrote to me yesterday to say it was the best day of her life! The Christian members of the National Assembly and the Senate sang exuberantly together in a choir, the President gave his speech, and our visiting key-note speaker, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Tamrat Layne, shared his truly inspirational story. The only technical hitch was with the translation microphones, so in the end I was asked to jump up on the platform and interpret for Tamrat directly.
His story of building a guerrilla army of 150,000 troops, overthrowing Selassie, being PM, becoming disillusioned with socialism/communism, being betrayed by his best buddy the President, 12 years of solitary confinement, attempted suicide, revelation of Jesus, having no pastor or church or denomination to mess him up, just a Bible and Jesus – wow, what a message! Scroll down to read it in an earlier post.
Essentially he called everyone in that room to turn to Jesus. Just Jesus. The fantastic thing was that all the big guns came, people who hated each other. The potential was/is huge. Burundi faces many challenges, and this was one of the few arena where all such folk could gather and be challenged in such a sensitive but powerful way.
So thanks to all of you who prayed. We need many more prayers, and God’s intervention for our precious nation – so please keep them coming!