Have you ever wanted to spend a Saturday outdoors, but when you got up in the morning the signs were pointing to rain? You keep checking the forecast, and looking outside to see if you can figure out what's going to happen, but you just can't be sure. You really want to go but then you don't want to get soaked either.

One of Burundi's political leaders and a former guerilla has just disappeared and the rumour is that he has slipped quietly over the border into the Congo. This is a possible sign of rain. But Burundians have a big picnic planned and who wants to cancel?

It is just very discouraging when the people want to move forward, so much wanting peace and a better life while politicians only seem to want to play these deadly games with their citizens as the prize.

From Burundi:

This must remain an issue of prayer! It is quiet during the day but all nights there are grenades explosions in various parts of the country.

Yes one candidate for Presidential elections in on, but diplomatic efforts are multiplied for oppositions to join the parliamentary elections. If these fail to get a compromise, Burundi will be plunged in an very bad institutional crisis come August 2010. But we hope that they will manage to find a soluttion. Civil society and religious leaders have called for dialogue as well as the international community.

Differences so far are party based and not ethnic.

Keep us in your prayers and thoughts

Another Burundi update:

Political situation is getting sensitive every day as Presideential elections with one candidate come closer. Grenades explosions are frenquent in many parts of the country atleast 6 of them are exploded every night.

Update from Burundi:

Our work is doing on slowly, but security situation is getting worse. On Saturday evening 4 grenades were blown in Bujumbura city and On Sunday evening more 2 were blown leaving behind injuries. A journalist of a local radio was killed yesteday after coming from work by bandits stealing from a fuel station.

Movements and public places are being now avoided. We do not know how the situation will evolve as days of presidential elections draw closer!

Burundi election update:

As a matter of prayer, we would like to join us in prayer for electoral process in Burundi. As soon as the local elections held on 24th May were announced, the opposition rejected for fraud allegations and called for new pulls and the resignation of the electoral independent commision before they can go for presidential elections scheduled on 28 June. Yesterday 5 presidential candidates from the opposition officially withdrew from the race. Only 1 opposition candidate remains on the race and has also joined others in calling for the annulation of the local elections before Presidentials.

There is a climate of fear on which road this process is going to take. Pray for God's intervention at this early stage.