A Fair Question

As you all know, for the last five years, we, the Ostranders, have spent a significant amount of time attempting to stay in or make it back up to Minembwe, and many of you have wondered “Why?” This is a fair question. 

The simple answer: It has been an act of obedience. Probably, it has also refined us in areas of trust and patience. We felt very strongly that we were supposed to pursue being in our village, even though we couldn't physically be there all the time. That burden was very clear and was honestly confusing. We couldn’t understand why it wasn’t being lifted if we couldn’t physically return half of the time.

In the weeks since being here in the neighboring country of Burundi, we have been praying and seeking God for how we are supposed to move forward regarding DR Congo. During this time of prayer, we started to feel a release from our village. This was hard to process at first, considering how much energy we spent pursuing how to return there. 

We now feel a peace to pursue ministry here in Burundi. This does not mean our heart for the people of our village has changed, but we feel a peace to pour our energy into serving and building relationships here in Burundi for the foreseeable future. I guess you could say LaOlam Africa is officially branching out into Burundi through the Ostranders. 

I, Miles, sincerely hope that I will be able to make a few trips to our village soon to finish up projects and pour into those who would take over in various areas. At some point we would like to be able to make a trip to our village as a family, but for now we hope that I can occasionally make it up there to support the work LaOlam Africa continues to do there, and to maintain those special relationships we’ve built over the years. We’re excited that other missionaries here in Burundi have voiced a desire that, if possible, they’d also like to visit and support the work up in our village. For now, we, the Ostrander Family, are going to actively pursue ministry here in Burundi, unless God clearly opens a door or gives clear direction elsewhere. 

For this season, our hope is to come alongside other workers and locals here in Burundi, functioning in a complementary support role. Ideally, we would like to eventually partner with somebody full-time, but we hope to have flexibility to help with projects for other missionaries/organizations throughout the country. As he has already done here in Burundi, Miles would like to continue to offer his skill set to the believing community as they reach out to the people of Burundi. Hopefully, this will be a blessing and encouragement, as well as create relationships and provide us a deeper understanding of what others are doing in Burundi.

Being that Burundi has only ONE heart language, as opposed to more than 400 in Congo, we will be focusing heavily on language training this coming season. The main language is Kirundi. French is also spoken in schools and government, but we will focus on Kirundi. A bonus to this would be that if God should reopen the door to our village again, Kirundi is closely related to the language of the main tribe we have lived amongst in our village. 

In many ways, it is hard for us to think of focusing our energy somewhere other than our village. On the other hand, it is also exciting to have frequent fellowship with a solid group of fellow expat/local believers, most with families. In the past, we've always felt re-energized when we were circumstantially “forced” to come to Burundi because of the time we were able to spend meeting together with other believing-English speaking families. 

Please be praying with us through this transition, that the Lord would open and close doors for us, and make it very clear where and how we are to serve here in Burundi. We need serious wisdom and discernment right now. 

As for Michael and Lisa, they are still focused on the work in Congo, but as you read in the previous update, there are challenges. Thankfully, a good bit of Lisa’s work is administrative and can be done remotely as we have relatively good internet here in Burundi. And Michael? Well, he’s chomping at the bit to get back up the mountain, as so much of his work needs to be done in person. We are praying for the doors to open up for them to get back up to our village soon. Praise God that the people that Michael and Lisa partner with there are committed and trustworthy, and that they can continue much of the work in their absence. God has provided the perfect people during such unpredictable times. 

Thank you all for how you have continued to support and pour love out on our family. Feel free to email us and ask us to clarify what we wrote, or for any additional info we may have missed. 

Love, 

Miles, Emilee, Bella, Sophie, Aimee, Ruthie, and Kassy