In his role as director of world missions, Brian Burditt often travels to distant places to oversee the development and progress of Salvation Army projects funded by the Canada and Bermuda Territory. The following are two of many unique encounters he has experienced in his worldwide travels. October 25, 2004
Anita Hotel, Mugumu Town, Tanzania
Following an 11-hour journey through the beautiful Serengeti, we arrived at the hotel shortly after 7 p.m. It was already pitch black outside and no lights were on. When we asked about electricity we were told that the generator was broken and a new part was on its way from Dar es Salaam. How long had it been out of commission? Three months. When was the new part expected to arrive? Three months.

A quick meal of eggs and chips (all mixed together) was cooked over an open fire and I retired to my room. The manager promised to do a wake-up call at 6 a.m. in preparation for breakfast at 6:30, so we would be ready for our planned departure at seven. By the light of a Coleman lantern I counted the large holes in the mosquito netting over my bed, then applied an extra dose of insect repellent all over my body.

In what seemed like only a few minutes, there was a loud knock at my door. I checked my watch only to discover that it was 6 a.m. on the dot. I called out my thanks, but the knocking persisted, so I quickly got out of bed to open the door. To my surprise, it was the manager’s wife-Coleman lantern in one hand and a five-gallon pail of steaming hot water in the other, which apparently was to be my morning shower.

I thanked the woman and tried to take the bucket out of her hand, only to have her slap me on the wrist. Perhaps she wanted a tip. I offered 1,000 Tanzanian shillings, but she slapped me once again. I upped the ante to 5,000 shillings, only to get the same response. The fact that she only spoke Swahili and I only spoke English didn’t help the situation.

I was still considering my next move when out of the blue she put the bucket down and started to slide her blouse off of her shoulder. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was she going to have a shower with me? Thankfully, she stopped-but smiled as she reached out and started to remove the pyjama top from my shoulder. Suddenly the nickel dropped. She was the shower!

While I wondered how I could get out of this situation without insulting her, a booming voice came from the entranceway: “Mr. Brian, this is the Tanzanian way.” So I took off my pyjama top. The woman smiled. As I stood perfectly still, she gestured that it was now time to remove the bottoms as well. “When in Rome … ” I thought, as I slid my pyjama bottoms off and received a glowing, toothy smile in return.

Before I could say or do anything else, the first ladle of hot water was dumped unceremoniously over my head and she handed me a bar of soap. You will never know what a relief it was that she handed me the soap and didn’t intend to use it on me herself. Still, I was showered, shampooed, dried and dressed in world-record time.

Ah, the joy of clean, safe water. Something we take for granted. But not in most parts of the world, where water-borne illness runs rampant and malaria-carrying mosquitoes breed to wreak their deadly havoc on all.

And so … The Salvation Army does water projects-digging wells, building water tanks, creating water collection projects and making water delivery and sanitation systems-distributing this precious and life-giving gift to those in need.

May 20, 2005
Monrovia, Liberia
Liberia is a war-torn country, rich in natural resources. Unfortunately, no one can access it due to the civil war that has raged for years. At the time of my visit there were 15,000 UN troops there to maintain the peace, as well as hundreds of representatives from countless NGOs trying to organize aid. I had arrived on the only international airline that flies in and out of Liberia-Brussels Airlines-and they don’t stay on the ground long. In fact, they don’t even shut the engines down when they land. Passengers get off. Passengers get on. The plane leaves. Turn-around time is less than 30 minutes.

One morning I went down for breakfast and was greeted by “Hebert,” the waiter. Dressed in a tuxedo with white shirt and bow tie, he produced a maroon, leather-bound menu for my perusal. When I opened it, I immediately saw that it was very old and outdated.

As I looked around, I began to see that the ambience in general left much to be desired. The menu wasn’t really leather, it was plastic that was withered and cracked. The white tablecloths were worn and ridden with holes. Hebert’s tuxedo was worn and stained. When I called him by name, he quickly corrected me and told me his name was actually Herbert. I looked closely at his name tag and discovered that the “r” was missing. The name tag, like everything else in the restaurant, had certainly seen better days.

I quickly read over the menu and ordered the American Breakfast Special. Herbert explained that it was not available today. After several other attempts at ordering items from the menu, I finally settled for cornflakes, orange juice and coffee. Within minutes, my order was delivered-Cocoa Puffs, grape Kool-Aid and coffee.

The next morning, I tried again from the menu and got the same reply from Herbert. Again I ordered cornflakes, orange juice and coffee. This time I was served Rice Krispies, red fruit punch and coffee.

The third morning I got right down to it and asked Herbert what he recommended. He replied, “The cornflakes are very good this morning, Mr. Brian.” Again I ordered cornflakes, orange juice and coffee. This time I actually got cornflakes, orange juice (OK, orange Kool-Aid) and coffee.

At the time of my visit, the average income per day in Liberia was 46 cents US. My hotel, at UN discount, was $70 US. Food was scarce and people were scavenging to find enough to keep body and soul together.

And so .... The Salvation Army does feeding programs-farming projects to help the people help themselves. Food is limited and all the cooking is done over charcoal fires. Trees have been clear cut for years just to get fuel, resulting in erosion and the contamination of the water supply.

The problems encountered by countless millions around the globe seem almost insurmountable. Yet, with your help, The Salvation Army makes a difference every day for someone in great need.

by Brian Burditt, Director of World Missions, THQ Business Administration Services