Editor's Note: Since May of 2019, the Adventist Church members in Burundi have endured ongoing persecution from the countries government. On October 24, the president of the Burundi Union Mission, pastor Lamec Barishinga, was arrested. This arrest was part of an escalating series of threats and attacks on the Seventh-day Adventist Church by the government of Burundi. For further reading about the situation of our Adventist brother and sisters in Burundi, please visit the Pray for Burundi website.
Below is a letter to the Adventist Church in Burundi from Seventh-day World Church President, Ted N.C. Wilson
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Burundi,
It spite of the many challenges you face including the COVID-19 pandemic, economic instability, and other difficulties, God is carrying you through on His shoulders. We praise the Lord for His continued watch care over you. He loves you with an everlasting love and your world church does, too! Be a strong witness for the Lord during this difficult time. We thank the Lord for your strong commitment to biblical truth and to the mission God has given each of us as part of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. Dig into God’s Holy Word and the Spirit of Prophecy on a daily basis. Pray earnestly throughout the day as you interact with many people and show your strong faith in God and His power to save. Throughout Burundi, be a vital part of Total Member Involvement in proclaiming the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 with Christ and His righteousness at the core of those three messages.
Pray earnestly right now for your country, your government, and its leaders so that they will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in the responsibilities given to government leaders………the Bible tells us to pray for our leaders. God is ultimately in control and will guide His church in Burundi as you remain faithful to your calling as disciples of Jesus Christ.
May God bless your evangelistic outreach and witnessing during the challenging times you find yourselves. Your Christian witness to others in your daily lives is so important to the ongoing proclamation of the Advent message. Thank you for letting God use you in Burundi! Let us pray for each other and God’s work in Burundi and around the world. Jesus is coming soon……I am very convinced of that. Please know we will pray for you, your church leaders, your local fields, and the Burundi Union led by our union president, Pastor Lamec Barashinga. May the Lord protect and care for Pastor Barashinga and each of you.
Be spiritually encouraged with the following Bible texts----Jeremiah 32:26-27----“The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ‘Behold I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?’” God gives the answer in the next chapter, Jeremiah 33:3----“’Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” God will open the way for His work in Burundi….call on Him in prayer!
May you be inspired with the counsel from “Christian Service,” by Ellen G White, on page 136----“There are stormy times before us, but let us not utter one word of unbelief or discouragement. Let us remember that we bear a message of healing to a world filled with sin-sick souls.”
The Lord will give you the wisdom and approach in reaching many in Burundi who are needing the message of healing……..physical, mental, social, and spiritual healing through the power of God. Be encouraged as you look to the Lord for your every need during these times just before Christ’s soon coming. May you be a mighty witness for the Lord as you respond to His call to part of the last-day proclamation of the three angels’ messages. MARANATHA!
With kind Christian regards and sincerely yours,
Ted N C Wilson
President
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
