Several weeks ago I appointed Neph Ahimera, who already serves the First Family as a Deacon, as our “Director of Burundi Ministries.” There were several big reasons for this appointment.
- We badly needed clear and consistent leadership in this vital area of ministry.
- To paraphrase John 1:47 – In Neph, we have a man “in whom there is nothing false.”
Neph takes the mantle of leadership humbly, reluctantly, and graciously. He didn’t seek the job, the job sought him. He doesn’t have a hidden agenda and he is not a power trip. Neph simply loves the Lord, love his church, and loves his fellow Burundians.
In making the appointment, I couldn’t help notice several comparisons between Neph . . . and a man named Moses.
- Moses wasn’t always accepted by his own people, primarily because he never lived with them in the slave camps of Egypt.
- Neph hasn’t always been accepted by his fellow Burundians, primarily because he never lived in the refugee camps. (Neph came to America some 20 years ago on a student visa.)
- Moses wound up living in the desert for 40 years. While there he learned desert survival tactics. Later, that knowledge was important when God delivered the Hebrew people from the slave camps into that very desert.
- Seven years ago God brought Neph from Texas to Arizona. Both in Texas, and in the desert of Arizona, Neph has learned how to survive and thrive in America. When God delivered the Burundi from the refugee camps, He again had provided for His people by preparing a man.
I ask everyone to join with me in praying for Neph Ahimera as he gives leadership to our Burundi Ministries.
