Mrs-Pasikari-I-Share-Hope

Mrs. Pasikari

“The first step to hope is believing. If you are in trouble and it goes away, it’s not because you are powerful or anything, it’s because God can see. With your hope, God changed something in your life. There are some strong people and people who are very rich and who are in trouble, but they cannot do anything about it because they have no hope. They don’t know what is believing and hope, what is faith.” –Mrs. Pasikari

Born in Bururi, Burundi and only 10 hours old, Mrs. Pasikari’s parents carried her as they fled for their lives to Congo when their home was overrun with the horrors of Civil War. Twenty five years later, as an adult, she was forced to become a refugee once again in Tanzania when Congo became engulfed in its own Civil War.

Mrs. Pasikari’s two daughters, skillfully translate the words of their mother as she recounts her story of tragedy, survival and new hope.



41 Mrs. Pasikari – 4 Countries. 1 Hope. – #isharehope

“The first step to hope is believing. If you are in trouble and it goes away, it’s not because you are powerful or anything, it’s because God can see. With your hope, God changed something in your life. There are some strong people and people who are very rich and who are in trouble, but they cannot do anything about it because they have no hope. They don’t know what is believing and hope, what is faith.” –Mrs. Pasikari

Intro:

Welcome to I Share Hope! The podcast where world leaders share their real stories of hope and how you can use actionable hope to start changing your life today and now here’s your host, Chris Williams.

Chris Williams:

Let me ask you the five questions that we ask each of the people in our interviews and I would have to say, you all are people who definitely hope. I’d have to say that, you really are. So, Esiteri is their daughter and she is translating for us today. Thank you Esiteri, very much.

Esiteri:

You are welcome.

Chris Williams:

Question 1: What is your definition of hope or your favorite saying of hope or quote about hope? How would you describe the word “hope” in your language?

Mrs. Pasikari:

My definition of hope is that, for me, I grew up difficult, but since I have become a Christian, I understood how to have hope and to live with hope because I really try to follow and share the good example about the good news of the bible. Then, how Jesus Christ is related to giving humans or people hope on living true life.

Chris Williams:

Great. Thank you. Great answer.

Question 2: Who has shared the most hope with you in your life? Who in your past has given you the most hope?

Mrs. Pasikari:

First is believing. You have to believe in God and also in Jesus Christ that it’s not enough to just believe in God and in Jesus Christ, but also from the people who are around you based on who they really are and what they teach you or what they share with you when you are going through life. Also the people who are around me, for example teachers, pastors from church, those people help me to have hope and family and friends. Also, what the bible tells me about hope and what it is to know Jesus and how the bible gives quotes about how people should live life and how they should have hope and live life the right way.

Chris Williams:

Question 3: When was a time in your life when you’ve had to really lean on hope? What’s happened? I know that growing up was not easy for you, so what’s happened in your life where you really needed hope?

Mrs. Pasikari:

When I was 12 years old, I was in a family that were not Christian. They used to be Christians, but they had fallen behind and they did not believe anymore. I started praying, praying to God that God will make me understand and God will make me a believer so that I, sometimes, can change my family. Then, I learned how to pray. Close to where I used to live there was a church. The people used to pray in that church, used to come visit me sometimes and then I began to know Jesus Christ.

They started telling me the story of the three…

Chris Williams:

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Mrs. Pasikari:

Yes. Yes.

Chris Williams:

How do you say Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?

Mrs. Pasikari:

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego [in Mrs. Pasikari’s accent]

Chris Williams:

I like the way you say Abednego.

Mrs. Pasikari:

They started teaching me about them three and how they were in trouble and how they prayed and God heard them. The king – who was the king?

Chris Williams:

Nebuchadnezzar. How do you say Nebuchadnezzar?

Mrs. Pasikari:

Nebuchadnezzar [in Mrs. Pasikari’s accent]

Chris Williams:

That’s even better. I like that.

Mrs. Pasikari:

Some parents were like that king. That’s how most people talk. Some parents are like that king. They told me to pray and pray and pray. It will go away – that maybe my parents could become Christians like they used to. Then I started having hope and hope and hope. Still today, I still have hope. Until now, I still tell my kids to have hope in bedtime and trouble time because hope works along with faith. The more you pray with hope, the problems go away.

Chris Williams:

So, the more you pray and hope, the problems go away. So, where did you grow up?

Mrs. Pasikari:

I grew up in Congo.

Chris Williams:

Does your family live in Congo now?

Mrs. Pasikari:

Yes.

Chris Williams:

Your mom and dad, are they still alive?

Mrs. Pasikari:

Now that there is a war in Congo, my parents have moved back to Burundi.

Chris Williams:

Oh they moved back to Burundi?

Mrs. Pasikari:

Yes.

Chris Williams:

How old were you when you left Congo?

Mrs. Pasikari:

I was in Congo for 25 years.

Chris Williams:

How much in Burundi?

Mrs. Pasikari:

I was born there for 10 hours – we had to move to Congo because there was a war that day that I was born.

Chris Williams:

You were born on the day of a war and your mother moved you 10 hours after she gave birth?

Mrs. Pasikari:

Yes.

Chris Williams:

That’s a strong woman. Wow.

Mrs. Pasikari:

Yes.

Chris Williams:

Wow. That’s a great story of faith and hope. It really is. Thank you.

Mrs. Pasikari:

You’re welcome.

Chris Williams:

Question 4: How is she sharing hope with other people today?

Mrs. Pasikari:

When I am with people who need hope, I try my best to explain what is hope and how do you hope for something – something that might not happen, but with hope is possible. I try my best to tell people that hope mostly works. I try to share with other people about hope stories and what is hope.

Chris Williams:

That’s a great point. When you share your stories with somebody else, how much hope, it really does help somebody because they don’t realize that somebody else has been in a hard time at the same time.

Mrs. Pasikari:

If it wasn’t for faith and hope, I wouldn’t be here today. When we were in Tanzania, we didn’t speak English. With faith and hope, we’re in America today. There were a lot of people who wanted to come to the United States, but hope and faith got us here. Many people have tried everything to come, but they haven’t – but I’m here today, so hope is a great thing…and faith.

Chris Williams:

I’m glad you’re here today. I really am.

Question 5: For me or anybody else listening to interview, how can we start growing in hope today? How can I grow more in hope today? Just simple steps. What do I do next to grow in hope?

Mrs. Pasikari:

The first step to hope is believing. If you’re in a bad situation, if you are in trouble and it goes away, it’s not because you are powerful or anything, it is because of God. It’s because God can see and with your hope, God changed something in your life. There are some strong people and people who are very rich and are in trouble, but they cannot do anything about it because they have no hope. They don’t know what is believing in hope, what is faith.

Chris Williams:

That’s good. So, it doesn’t matter how strong or powerful you are or how much influence you have. It comes down to your belief, in your faith. That’s your only hope – that’s what she’s saying?

Esiteri:

Yes.

Chris Williams:

That’s a great answer. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Mrs. Pasikari:

You’re welcome.

Chris Williams:

You can see that if you are here with me now. I’m sitting in the den or the living room of the home and they’re beautiful people and a beautiful family and you can see that their focus here is not the hardship of two civil wars, changing three countries and changing continents after that. Their story and their focus is on moving forward and raising wonderful children and being part of a new life and faith and Jesus and what the bible teaches is an enormous part of that story. Wonderful.

AND, we got some Fanta Pineapple Soda, which is great. Okay so, just to be fair here, the second half of this interview was translated by – tell me your name one more time.

Nadine:

Nadine.

Chris Williams:

Nadine. How old are you Nadine?

Nadine:

I am 16.

Chris Williams:

Wonderful translation. Amazing.

Nadine:

Thank you.

You’ve just listened to I Share Hope. If you’re ready to make a change, head to our website at isharehope.com and claim your free copy of the Top Ten Actions of Hope from World Leaders to use hope in your own life. Thanks for listening and we’ll talk to you next time.

Chris Williams:

Okay, so your parents are originally from Burundi?

Mrs. Pasikari:

Burundi.

Chris Williams:

That’s the name of the country and the city is?

Mrs. Pasikari:

Bururi.

Chris Williams:

Bururi and then they fled to where?

Mrs. Pasikari:

We moved from our home country because we had a civil war in 1972 to Congo, the Republic Democratic of Congo. We lived there for 25 years and then had another civil war there.

Chris Williams:

In Congo?

Mrs. Pasikari:

Yes, which made us move to Tanzania.

Chris Williams:

They also have family in Burundi.

Nadine:

Yes. My grandma, my mom’s mom. They had to move them from Tanzania refugee camp back to Burundi.

Chris Williams:

What is your favorite song?

Mrs. Pasikari:

It’s the Psalm in hymno, like in a hymn? I think that’s how they say it in English. It’s 121?

Chris Williams:

Psalm 121 in hymno?

Mrs. Pasikari:

[Mrs. Pasikari sings]

Chris Williams:

Yes, Jesus loves me?

Mrs. Pasikari:

Yes.

Chris Williams:

It’s a sweet song. Yes he does. Wonderful.