MISSION MINUTES
Tom Akello
Bujumbura, Burundi
Tom Akello
Bujumbura, Burundi
"But I think it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honour men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me." Philippians 2:25,29,30.
It is exciting to know here in East Africa that we do merely get to hear of men who risked their lives for the gospel back in the first century, but we get to be with brothers and sisters of such singular courage and exceptional faith in our midst today.
In part two of our series, "Mission Minutes," we speak to Tom Akello in Bujumbura, Burundi, a city which is a constant theatre of war but which is also home to a courageous band of disciples of Christ. The goal of this article is that we would get a vision for the first-century sacrifice-all, compromise-nothing attitude that we can all have as we serve God in our various neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools or other centres of activity.
Q. When were you baptized?
I was baptised in Nairobi on the 27th of December 1992.
Q. How did you feel when asked to go to Bujumbura?
I had mixed feelings when I was asked to go to Bujumbura. I felt like it was a great opportunity to spread the gospel but also that it may be more dangerous due to the continuous civil war. But deep down my heart, I felt like God could use me and the others to realize his purpose in this land.
Q. When did you first get to Bujumbura?
I arrived, together with the rest of the mission team, on the 28th of April 2000.
Q. When did you leave Bujumbura?
I left Bujumbura on the 28th of April 2003. I was in Kigali for 13 days and then went back to Bujumbura on the 11th of May 2003.I always felt like going back once the situation became better.
Q. What was it like for you when the latest crossfire broke out while you were still there in the city?
When the bombings got closer, it was frightening at some point. Sometimes, we would watch the missiles fly over or hear the gun fights in the nearby estates and just go to sleep praying and hoping that they won't get too close or even hit the neighbourhood.
Q. Did you at any point fear losing your life out there?
When this would happen, I would fear for the possibility of the lose of lives of the people around and even my own.
Q. How did the disciples in the church reacted to the outbreak of the latest round of fighting?
Since the disciples have gone through alot of things like this, they weren't shaken a lot , though they felt like the war situation might be there for a while and that it isn't easy to tell when the city is safe and when it isn't.
Q. What was the cause of the escalated fighting that forced the two of you to seek refuge in Kigali?
The disciples had been fasting and praying during the month of April about transfer of power to the new president and also about the threats that had been issued by the rebels. The fighting is actually between some rebel groups and the government forces.
Q. How did you manage to leave the country given that intense fighting was already raging at the time?
We were able to fly out. Although the airport visinity was attacked by 2 missiles on a Friday night, it was safe for us to leave on Monday using Air Burundi.
Q. Has the latest fighting in any way weakened your faith?
I think that the tough situations are meant to help us to be more reliant on God and so to be more faithful, although it's not always like this.
Q. What lessons have you learned which you would want to pass on to those disciples who live in counties at peace?
One of the things that I have learnt is to really appreciate what we have. The fact that some of us live in peaceful countries, should not make us take it for granted. I have also learnt that people are the same everywhere. They all want to know God and it is our responsibility to feed them with the word of God.
Pray for the governing authorities and for peace to continue. Also to take it to different places of the country.
Mission Minutes Part 1 - Arusha, Tanzania
Mission Minutes Part 2 - Kigali, Rwanda
For a general background of the Bujumbura church, click here.