Beauty in the Small Things

By: Erica Ause

To me Burundi feels like this little hidden beauty that the majority of the world will never see, and maybe never even know of. Everyone knows that the Eiffel Tower at night is a sight to absorb, or that the Grand Canyon is incredible in its vastness. But the world is not aware of the little road through Kibuye that takes my breath away daily. So, early on I decided to take pictures of all the beauty I see so I can remind myself of the things I assume will (but hope will not) become just what I see every day. Below is a picture of some, not all trust me, of the amazing beauty around me. I hope that these pictures give you a taste of what I wish the whole world could experience and appreciate. Yes, some of them are bugs, but I think some insects are devine in their own right.

Foggy Mornings can be common here, and I really love them. There is something so calm and quiet about waking up to fog coming through all the trees that surround us.

This is a picture from the walk I take daily to the school. My commute is about 45 seconds, but on the days I use my time to look around me, I get to see beautiful sights like this.

I sometimes sit outside my front door to do school work or read and right in front of me is this huge, full, green tree. Majestic!

And on clear nights I can see the sunset right outside my front door as well. This was one of the more spectacular ones.

This is the place on our running route that always makes me want to stop and soak it in. It is in a small valley where the hills and trees give way to a space of farm land with all different kinds of crops. The variations of plants and the color of the soil make for an incredible view.

This is the same spot as the photo taken above, but looking the other way. Again, an expanse of farm land that is so detailed and vibrant.

I thought I had found the most beautiful view in the pictures above, but one day was lead to another valley that is covered in growing rice. It has the most vibrant green color I have ever seen, with a little stream running through it. It is so amazing to just stand in the middle of its beauty.

There is a city not too far from Kibuye where we go to buy dry goods and fabric for making clothes. This is a photo taken of the stalls that sell fabric and make clothes. Each of the hanging cloths are for sale, the only challenge is choosing one. This is three out of maybe 20 stalls that are on this one street.

I saw this on a hike. Not sure what is going on here, but it blew my mind!

We went to this waterfall a couple weeks ago. It was huge, with more water than normal. The different textures of the rocks and how the water moved around it astounded me. Such a sight to see!

A few weekends ago the team went to Lake Tanganyika for a retreat together. There is something about water that just captivates people, this lake included. It was beautiful looking out at the palm trees and the waves.

And yes now we have the bugs. This guys is huge! His body is probably the diameter of a quarter or so, and his legs come out from there. Huge. He lived for a long time right outside my front door, and we got along pretty well. Then, someone kindly thought to clean up his web, although it makes me more nervous not knowing where he is..

Another beautifully colored insect sitting outside my door. I have never seen, or maybe never noticed, the blue and yellow colors on their legs before.

I have never seen a moth that looks like this. So pure with the perfect white, bright red, and strip of black on the antenna. Truly ingenious.

And finally, what a bright green spider. He also was hanging outside my front door and really amazed me. His legs are so long and the color so unique.

Praise God for His creativity in His creation. He could have made everything black and white, but he chose to give us views and creatures that awe us and make us admire and wonder about Him.