Great Lakes Outreach, Burundi

[Twinky]

Folks -

The following speaker came to the church I go to, made a presentation about living a risky life - having trust in the Lord. His presentation then featured bungy jumping - you know you're safe, but there's a moment just before you jump that you're fearful. He is making other presentations to local churches, raising awareness and fundraising.

He puts his money where his mouth is. He has a big mission in Burundi, a country that's little heard about, doing Christian outreach, in partnership with others. The poverty is extreme. The people are very hard hit. Their faith in Christianity is tremendous and they will share whatever little thing they have. One Burundian minister borrowed a pair of shoes off Simon because he thought it wasn't fitting that he should preach whilst so poorly attired (Simon of course gave him the shoes!).

Here's his details: Simon Guillebaud, founder of Great Lakes Outreach, Burundi (http://www.greatlakesoutreach.org/)

Simon is author of:

For what it's worth: A call to no-holds-barred discipleship,

Dangerously Alive: An African Adventure of Faith under Fire

Simon is likely to be challenging in the extreme:

(WARNING: Link contains photographs which will disturb)

More than Conquerors PowerPoint presentation.

Simon can be found on facebook as: "Simon Guillebaud"

If you click on the first link, you will be able to see the last annual report detailing where everything has come from and is going to. (There are slide bars on some pages with more info.)

If you click the PowerPoint presentation (but not if you are squeamish or depressed or have just eaten), you will see what some of the issues are that the people he works with have to deal with. If it doesn't shake your complacency, what became of your conscience? And yet - people come to and cling to faith in those circumstances.

The reason I'm posting this is because this is seriously committed Christian outreach, mission field, working with those in deep need. Perhaps you already know people involved in like missions.

I really wanted to post this so that you could see something of

(a) what mission outreach is

(b) how open the organisation is about its funding

Compare and contrast with other organisations that you know are sitting on a pile of money.

TWI and perhaps other organisations might well call this "a bag with holes" and bottomless need (ie, don't therefore bother to do anything).

Others...do things.

I'm not calling Simon the "Mother Theresa" of Burundi. He's a highly educated young man who sees a need and acts. He is the one who really could have been president of a Fortune 500 company; he has the ability and the contacts. But he chooses this life.

Discuss.