Hello everyone. We are Darrell & Laura Lee Bustin. We have been serving with CBM in Rwanda for almost 10 years.

One of the exciting things going on in Africa over the last few years has been a desire on the part of CBM’s partners to work together for encouragement and growth. In March, two of our partners – in Kenya and Rwanda – are going to invite the other partners to assess them as organizations in order to become more effective in their work for the Lord. Pray that this might be a positive process for everyone.

Right after those assessments happen, we are going to be returning to eastern Canada for a few months of home assignment. Please pray for us as we finish off our responsibilities here at the same time as we prepare for our time back in the Atlantic area.  It can be challenging to be living with one foot in Africa and one foot in Canada.

Pray also for the newest member of our CBM Africa team. Laura Muema lives in Kenya and will be serving as the Program and SENT Coordinator. Remember her as she settles into the CBM family.

And finally, we must, at this time, pray for the desperate situation in Ukraine. In the context of hatred and violence, we ask God that peace, justice and compassion will prevail. And we pray for our Baptist brothers and sisters in the affected areas that they may be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us in prayer. And may God shine his light in and through you this week.

• Pray for CBM’s partners in Rwanda (the AEBR) and Kenya (the ACC&S) who will be participating in Peer Capacity Assessments in March. Each of the long-term partners in Africa, along with CBM, has a desire to provide mutual support and encouragement to one another. One of the ways they are doing this is through offering objective, outside perspectives on each other’s capacities and capabilities. This is a challenging process in which they agree to be vulnerable and honest in order to become more effective tools to be used by God in building his kingdom.
• Pray for us as we prepare for our upcoming home assignment in Eastern Canada. This time of preparation means living with one foot in two different worlds.  There are things to be completed before we are gone from Rwanda for several months. At the same time, once we land in Canada, we already need to be set to start our visits and presentations. We have always enjoyed our home assignments, but they are also a very busy time requiring lots of stamina and focus.
• The CBM Africa team is thrilled to have just added a new member – Laura Muema. Laura lives in Nairobi, Kenya with her husband and three children. She joins us as the Program and SENT Coordinator, giving oversight to social programs aimed at vulnerable children, gender equity, literacy, etc. Her experience and vibrant personality will make her a valued addition to the team. Please pray for her and her family as she gets to know CBM and begins supporting various projects.
• The world has been left weary, heartbroken and divided by more than two years of COVID-19. It simply feels like too much that we are now also facing a reality where one country has openly attacked another smaller neighbour, causing devastation, suffering, outrage and fear of escalation. Please pray for the situation in Ukraine. Pray for peace, justice, compassion, understanding, and for generosity. And we thank God for our Baptist brothers and sisters in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe who are doing what they can to shine the light of God’s hope in these very dark days.