One part of serving here in Bujumbura that is a constant is having to say good-bye to elders as they are transferred.  Last week we took 5 elders to the airport to catch a 2:45am flight, and it was hard to say good-bye.  Tshimanga, Kalala, Ngongo, Kabwe, and Mwenken.  They have been so cute, so fun to work with in English that I have become attached to them.
I will miss them!  So grateful they were a part of our missionary experience here in Burundi!












     Each missionary, after receiving his/her call, must write a letter of acceptance, which is then sent to Salt Lake.  Egide is a young man here who just received his mission call. He wrote an acceptance letter which I found quite touching.  He comes from a poor family, his parents only speak Kirundi.  But when we visited with them (Egide insisted we come and meet his family), I don't believe I have ever felt so humbled by the gratitude, by the welcome we received.  In Egide's acceptance letter, he bore his testimony and then stated, "Since the start of the creation of man, God has used simple people to further his work.  In the Bible, we see the story of Joseph and his brothers, the story of David and Goliath.  We see Joseph Smith, a simple, young boy whom God used to bring for the the fulness of the gospel in the latter days.  And Jesus Christ himself, born to a simple family.  We note that it is these people who come from poor families that God has used throughout the ages."  And Egide is one of these poor people who will help further the work of our Heavenly Father.