Lift up your eyes and look about you. Isaiah 60:4

This has been a busy week here in Rwanda. We received a visit from our dear brother Charles, who travelled up to Kigali by bus - a six hour ride from Bujumbura to spend two nights with us at the ministry centre. This was a very important meeting to have time to pray together and to discuss and finalise plans for our joint project, the building of a 50 bed polyclinic on some land we purchased in a suburb of Bujumbura city a couple of years ago.

Hazel and Charles arriving at the OEW ministry centre

This clinic is the On Eagles Wings major project for 2013-2014 and fundraising is now well under way. We wanted to clarify together the project stages and costings and talk about timing and goals etc. It is so much easier to sit down and discuss at length together, rather than trying to do everything by email! During his stay we were able to set up a small video camera and record some clips to make into a short video to show to churches, mission groups and prayer partners. In it Charles speaks about the clinic and why it is so vital in that part of Bujumbura city.

Charles Ndikumana of Cup of Cool Water

We also covered the goat farm project which is almost complete. Last year OEW conducted a "Kids for Kids" campaign to buy goats for poor families in Burundi. Around 60 goats were donated. However we all felt it would be a much better plan to build a goat breeding farm on some land east of Bujumbura and thus establish an ongoing supply of goats for distribution to destitute families. The volunteers from the local church are working to make 9,000 bricks just now - they have already made 4,000 which is a fantastic start. Once these have been baked the building work can get going. The farm should be up and running by September this year.

Brick making for Cup of Cool Water goat farm

We were able to donate a large suitcase full of supplies for Cup of Cool Water to use in their ministry of "uplifting critical communities". This included good quality clothing for babies, infants and children; it included medical supplies - sterile dressing packs, sterile urinary catheters and some moulded leg splints. All these gifts were donated by people in Scotland and carried out to Africa as part of our baggage allowance. We would like to thank the parents who passed on outgrown children's clothes, East Lothian NHS Trust and the Edinburgh branch of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists who all gave generously. All these items will be put to very good use where the need is greatest.

Julie and Charles inspecting the case of goods

Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honour and life. Proverbs 22:4