Dear valued partners and friends,
Thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support for Impact Burundi. Because of your generosity, people we serve in Burundi will celebrate Christmas in deeper ways this year.
You may have heard the common description of Christianity in Africa as “a mile wide and an inch deep.” This refers to a focus on evangelism without a focus on discipleship resulting in shallow Christian living. Sadly, that is true in Burundi too. We celebrate how the stewardship training that we do with BDS* is changing that. As people wisely use the resources God has given them and share with others in their communities, people ask about their motives. This opens the door to sharing who Jesus is in their lives.
John explains how mushroom growing has changed his life. “ I would like to thank BDS for encouraging us to work together to develop our community and family. Personally, I learned how to work with others for a common goal. They helped maize, beans, and potatoes that we were able to sell and start our community savings and loan group.
BDS also gave each participant in our group four mushroom spawns as a start to grow capital. When we harvested, we ate some of the mushrooms and sold others. We loved them because they tasted good and are compared to meat.
When I realized that mushrooms yield a better profit than other crops, I borrowed money from our group and invested it in mushroom farming. I invested $113 and, after only one month, sold $177 worth - and I am only halfway through my harvest. I have already been able to buy a goat, a pig and 6 chickens from my first investment. We are making more money from mushrooms than we ever made from other crops. Comparing the cost of the raw materials I bought to the potential sales of the mushrooms that are growing, I expect a profit of almost $500. We thank BDS for opening our eyes.”
Your support goes well beyond this Christmas to future lives of hope for the people we serve. Your help is important in whatever way works for you. Our Gift Catalog provides opportunities for you to bless someone both here and in Burundi: we will include a gift card with your receipt that you can forward to whomever you want to honor with your gift. Online donations may be made at ImpactBurundi.org.
May God richly bless you and your family this Christmas!
Libere Dusabe, Impact Burundi Executive Director.
*BDS (Burundi Development Solutions) is our local government recognized partner in Burundi who carries out the work in Burundi.
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