Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7
COVID-19 Pandemic Update
Our family, along with Kayla Hedin, the boys' teacher, flying out of Burundi a few days ago.
No matter where you are in the world, we are all finding ourselves living in tumultuous times right now.
Even before COVID-19 turned our world upside down, our missionary community in Kibuye was rocked by a violent robbery in February. Our friends and neighbors, the Watts, were the target of armed robbers who broke into our walled compound. The dad was stabbed in the thigh, beaten/choked to the point of unconsciousness all while his wife and two other women were tied up watching (the kids were also in the house). He was targeted because they incorrectly assumed he would have a lot of money in his house. While we weren’t involved in the incident, our entire community is dealing with the traumatic effects of this happening inside our seemingly idyllic compound. We have taken measures to increase security, and we are all still healing from this event. Read more on our team blog here.
We have been wanting to send out an update for a few weeks now to let you know about what is going on in our lives, and to ask you for prayer. But the situation has been so dynamic it was hard to figure out what to say because the next day it seemed to change.
Today we are on the other side of hectic travel arrangements, hurried packing, and multiple cancelled flights. Praise the Lord we can finally report that we are all safe, healthy, and we have just arrived at Julie’s aunt’s house in Florida to quarantine for the next 14 days.
But it was not easy getting here.
Initially, we were planning on finishing the boys’ school year at Kibuye, attending Serge’s company wide conference in Spain at the end of May, and then coming back to the United States after that to start our Home Ministry Assignment for 7 months.
Then COVID-19 happened and the world’s plans changed.
The Serge conference was cancelled, so our “jumping-off point” disappeared.
As a preventative measure, Burundi quickly closed the airport and canceled all visas and arrivals. At the same time, the US government sent out multiple calls to US citizens abroad to return to America, or be prepared to stay abroad for an indefinite period of time.
Given this warning, we were forced to ask ourselves: Are we ready to hunker down for an unknown period of time and stay in Burundi - come what may?
Pandemic or not — Serge recommends that their workers spend 12 months out of each 5 year term back in the United States to connect with supporters, family, and for a time of rest and renewal, to recharge the batteries to hopefully continue with another 5 year term.
We realized that if we were actually adhering to Serge’s recommendation to spend 12 months out of 5 years back in the States, then we should have gone on Home Assignment last December. We recognized that we were in desperate need for rest and renewal.
Julie is also in the "high risk" category due to severe asthma, and if she were to develop COVID-19, it could be serious. Kibuye doesn't have an ICU or the facilities to really care for her if that were the case.
We decided it was time to return to the United States. But how? We couldn’t fly out of Burundi due to the airport closure. We couldn’t drive out because we would be at risk of being quarantined in the DRC, Tanzania or Rwanda. We needed help.
We could write a saga of our journey just trying to leave Burundi, but we will save that for another time! It was three weeks of communication with multiple US Embassies, multiple travel agencies, multiple consulates (Italian, Japanese, and Belgian), leading to multiple flights booked, hopes raised, flights canceled, hopes dashed. We were even emailing with a US Senator. We tried everything we could think of! Covered in lots of prayer.
In the end, we were able to reserve four seats on a special flight organized by the Italian government. We flew from Bujumbura to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with stops in Kigali, Rwanda and Entebbe, Uganda. The flight was packed! From Addis we flew to Washington, DC, stopping in Dublin, Ireland. We overnighted in DC, and finally flew from DC to Orlando, Florida, where we rented a car and drove to Julie’s aunt’s property in central Florida. It was a 76-hour journey!
Our family after clearing customs, and thankful to be back on U.S. soil.
(Smiles aren't visible underneath the masks - but we are happy!)
There is so much more to the story! Hopefully one day soon we can connect with many of you in person, and we can share more details. If you are interested, email us with your questions, but for now, here are a few FAQ’s we have gotten and are happy to answer:
Can Burundi test for COVID-19?
Yes, but only recently. There is one government lab that can run the test. Our hospital at Kibuye can not test for the virus, and I don't expect that it will ever be able to.
How has COVID-19 affected Burundi?
Burundi was one of the final countries in the world to officially diagnose a case of coronavirus. To date, Burundi has officially diagnosed 5 cases, and one death.
What is life like now for citizens in Burundi?
Daily life has not changed much in Burundi, except for added hand washing stations outside gathering places. Churches, schools, businesses, and social events are still continuing. ESPN even reported that Burundi was the last country in the world to continue professional sports.
What measures is Burundi taking to prevent COVID-19?
The biggest prevention measure has been closed borders. No one enters the country by plane. Land borders may be crossed at certain locations, but most travelers are subject to a 2 week quarantine in an empty school building, hotel, or other facility provided by the government. They encourage citizens to not shake hands anymore and to wash hands more frequently. However, they are not cancelling events, and are forbidding churches, schools, and other establishments from cancelling events until the government gives an order to do so.
Have you personally seen COVID-19?
We think so, but there is no way to confirm. Several weeks ago, we had a concern that some of our teammates might have been exposed to a potential case of COVID-19. We took action immediately, and as team doctor, Logan had to develop quarantine/isolation protocols, and social distancing parameters that would help provide a level of protection to our community while also being something that we could all adhere to. We had no way of testing the person who had been potentially infected (the person is a friend of our team’s that lives in Bujumbura). Everyone involved, and the ones with symptoms are completely well now, praise the Lord!
What are you doing about the boys' schooling?
Kibuye Hope Academy is small enough that we were able to continue with Core subjects in a modified/social distanced way. The kids’ desks were spaced 6ft apart for classes inside the school building, but many classes were moved outdoors and each family brought a blanket to work on. Now that we are in the States, we will do our best to continue their curriculum as homeschool. Zoom calls are tricky connecting with Africa, but we will be emailing and texting the boys’ teachers who are on multiple continents.
Liam and Zeke participate in a social distancing classroom at Kibuye Hope Academy.
We hope to connect with many friends and family while we are in the States. We would love to hear how you are doing in this uneasy time. Please email us, give us your update and prayer requests and ask us any questions you want!
Prayer Requests:
For our physical health. We just traveled through multiple international airports in order to return to the US, which put us at risk of being exposed to coronavirus. We pray that we will not get sick during our two-week quarantine. Julie has severe asthma which was one of the reasons we felt like we needed to leave Burundi during this time.
For our spiritual health. Like much of the world, we are living in uncertain times. There is a temptation to feel anxiety about this loss of control. May we trust in God as our sole provider. We pray for rest and renewal during this time of isolation. We pray for good opportunities to reconnect with friends and loved ones.
For our financial health. This month, for the first time since we deployed, we came in underfunded in our ministry account. If you are currently supporting us, would you consider increasing your support? If you aren’t supporting us financially right now, would you consider starting? You can give to our Serge ministry account here (or the link below), and we pray that you are blessed abundantly in your generosity.
For our team and the work that is continuing at Kibuye Hope Hospital. When COVID-19 does sweep through Burundi, it will be difficult to treat the patients with no ICU, no ventilators, and the limited oxygen supply we have at the hospital.
For the country of Burundi. We pray that this crisis would minimally affect this country that we call home. We pray for the leadership in the government, for peace and stability during this time, especially with national elections planned next month.
I (Logan) have found a lot of encouragement recently from the lyrics “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” written by Martin Luther during an epidemic of the Black Plague in 1527.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
If we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
Be encouraged by this amazing acoustic version of the song, performed by the group Heartsong, from Cedarville University