Director's Log

The Toni Church

2011-05-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

The Toni church spent 8 years building their new building. Unable to get a loan in this context, they added more to the building as they got money to build. What a novel idea. They recently finished building it to roof level, at which point, we usually try to help find funding for the roof. The cost of the roof is often beyond what they are abe to collect in their situation.

As is often the case at the end of dry season, we can have some powerful, destructive winds that take off roofs and uproot trees. Not too unlike tornadoes, these winds are dreaded, when they come. In one such wind, the 4 walls of the Toni church came down. 8 years of hard work and frugal savings was brought to the ground.

We will see what happens. We hope that we can find some help for the Toni church to rebuild their building. This is not enough to destroy them, but it sure is discouraging. God is able!

Pastor Francois and Rebeccah

2011-03-03T04:39:00.001-08:00

Pastor Francois and Rebeccah are supposed to be retired now, but they lead very busy lives. They are in demand all over to share their stories of God's power and His faithfulness. When I visited them recently, they told of how God provided for them through the years. They never told anyone of their needs, but God would always provide - on time! They told of one time, during a famine, Their sack of grain did not go down. It continued to be replenished for a number of months, as they fed their whole family from it. When the harvest came, the sack became empty and they did not dispair, because God had provided until the need was met.

When we delivered them three sacks of corn the other day, they told us that they had just finished their grain the day before and had asked God to provide for them. The Colyar family had come from Boulder City and God had put it on their heart to provide food for people in need. Isn't it neat how God puts something on the heart of a family in Boulder City, NV to provide food for folks in Burkina Faso and God led to give to Pastor Francois and Rebecca. Though they rejoiced, they were not surprised that God provide. He always has!

The Truth Sets Free

2011-03-03T04:33:00.000-08:00

Ibrahim is a young man in the village of Nehourou. We recently visited there, as we were helping a small church put up a shelter that they could meet under. The Colyar family, from Boulder City, NV had raised the $2000 needed to do this. Ibrahim is a young man in the church there. His story is interesting.

He left the village and went to Cote d'Ivoire, the neighboring country. He attended Koranic school there. Later, he got his driver's license and got a job. But then he began to experience demonic trouble and lost his mind. After trying everything to get him help, they sent him back to Nehourou. He encountered believers there and they prayed for him and he was delivered and regained his full mind. He returned to Cote d'Ivoire, only to have the same thing happen. Once again, he returned to the village and was delivered through the prayer of the believers. He has decided to stay in Nehourou and live his life there. The truth has set him free and he wants to learn how to read and write so that he can help others know the truth!

I Love It When a Plan Comes Together

2011-03-03T04:27:00.000-08:00

Remember the days when Hannibal, from The A-Team, would say, "I love it when a plan comes together". I definitely am in that category. I recently accompanied the Colyar family from Boulder City, NV on a trip to the Tougan area, where I grew up. One of the things they had wanted to do was to distribute food to people in need. We determined to give a 200 lb of corn to every retired pastor or retired pastor's widow. These people have served the Lord for years with the bare minimum of support. Most of them received no more than $3 a month for support from the church. The bag of corn blessed them greatly. To have someone recognize their years of service was an encouragement.

At one home, the home of Pastor Francois and Rebeccah, we delivered three bags of corn because they had many people living there and depending on them, in spite of their own poverty. When we off-loaded the bags of corn, Pastor Francois told us that just the day before they had swept the rest of their grain in the storeroom and didn't know where the next food would come from. Then we showed up! I love it when a plan comes together. Thank you, Lord.

Dorcas House - The Third Year

2011-02-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

We will be opening the third year of Dorcas House in just about a month. We are beginning to hear about some of the new girls that will be coming. One of them comes from a village where the Christians have been severely persecuted. When one of her friends came to Dorcas House last year, everyone was excited for her. When she went home after her first year there and shared all that she had learned, the believers wanted to send another girl for this year. Can you imagine what some relief from persecution might be like?

Another girl, Mayi, was the first Christian in her village. She was only a 12 year old at the time. What courage. Her family has not persecuted her, but now that she is getting older, they would like to see her married off to a non-believer. She will be coming for a year of training, especially to learn about God's Word.

What other "treasures" of God's family will be coming? In another month we'll know and it will be exiting to see how He works in the lives of these young ladies, transforming them into women of excellence.

PARTNERSHIPS

2010-11-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of neat partnership possibilities that we have the possibility of working with. Each of them is cool in that partnerships are cool if you don't care who gets the credit.

1. VCP - Village Church Planting - We are just getting ready to begin working together with them. Their program involves a plan to train church planters and in a 40 month period, there is the possibility of planting 180 new churches! The training is excellent. Look at their website for more information - intoafricaproject.org.

2. Franklin, NC - For the past 4 years or more, Kevin has led teams of young people to Burkina to do what they can do and to help put tools in the hands of the church. The neat thing about this partnership is that it really is about meeting needs and accomplishing something, while building into the lives of the young people that come on the trip. Because of these trips, 6 or 7 of these young people are planning to come out for longer term to serve in Burkina.

3. ONE HOPE - is a partner ministry with Evangelism Explosion that has the goal of training one million children to share their faith with ten million. Our church is exploring the possibility of partnering with them. Over 50% of the population here is under 14 years of age. Look at their website to get a better idea - onehope.org.

Partnerships are a good way to get the job done.

Marriage Encounter

2010-08-26T07:09:00.001-07:00

Marriages around the world require care and attention. Without that, we hurt one another and destroy relationships that are vital to our lives and to others. We had the privilege of being part of an organization committee to launch a new ministry called Marriage Encounter. The weekend is made up of invited couples who are given the blessing of a free weekend in a hotel, where they encounter one surprise after another, all linked to writing to your spouse and talking through issues that have otherwise been covered over. The sessions are centered on three couples sharing their testimonies of how they went from troubled and hurting marriages to healing. Through the weekend, God does some amazing things.

Our weekend that we helped organize was August 13-15. We had a total of 17 invited couples who enjoyed the weekend. Some amazing things happened that put couples on the road to healthier marriages. One example was one couple, where the husband, due to his job, was in danger of losing not only his wife, but also his whole family. Through the testimonies and the dialogue, he made the choice to change jobs so as to save his marriage and family.

The next weekend is being planned for March 4-6. You can pray for us as we help get ready for this next event. Pray for the follow-up of the couples from this past weekend. We could use your help financially to help sponsor a weekend for one couple. The cost is about $350 for the whole weekend and a changed marrage. Not a bad return!

Creativity in Evangelism

2010-08-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

One of our districts here in Burkina Faso organized their 3rd "Evangelistic Bike Rally". During a one week period, 115 bikers visited 56 villages in 4 different districts. In each village, they would stop in a public location, such as the market, a crowd would gather. They would sing a couple of songs, someone would give a presentation of the Gospel. At the end, people would be invited to begin a relationship with the Savior, and off they would go, leaving a person or two behind to follow up on those who would respond. They saw more than 200 people make a decision to follow Christ and entrust their lives to Him. Pretty creative, isn't it? It's wonderful working in a free country where these kinds of things are possible.

Internet Problems

2010-08-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

It has been some time since I have been able to open up my blog. Our internet connection was out for nearly 3 months and even when we had internet, it would sometimes refuse to open up a website. Needless to say, we were a bit frustrated. Thus the long period of silence. So, here we go again. Thanks for your patience.

Friday I Was a Total Failure. Tuesday, God was a Hero

2010-06-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

"Friday, I was a total failure. Tuesday, God was a hero." This was the phrase that my friend, Jim, expressed to me the other day. He was coming out with Florida with a small solar system to install at a government medical center in a rural area of Burkina Faso. Just before he was to board the plane, he discovered that it would be impossible to transport the batteries. Now what? Jim wrote a quick letter to me to ask my help in finding someone who could help us locate this kind of battery.

In the meantime, a week ago, I was talking with a technicien friend of mine and found out that he is quite knowledgeable in solar systems. I called him up and explained the situation. As soon as Jim arrived in the country, I put him in touch with my friend, who took him to a qualified dealer of solar material and the right battery was located and purchased.

Now you know where the phrase came from. How often do we feel like a total failure, only to see God turn a situation around and make it positive. Jim said that now he can negotiate for these small solar systems and due to the lack of batteries, he can bring out more of them on the plane. God thinks of everything!

Dr. I

2010-05-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

Dr. I is all I'm going to call him. He is a wonderful believer who has a heart to help people. We recently had 3 of our girls from Dorcas House who were quite sick. After trying to treat them in the government hospital, we transfered them to Dr. I's clinic. A consultation costs less than 75 cents! Above his examining table is the handwritten sign, "Touch the patient!". He speaks all of the common languages of Burkina, plus English. Our girls are all doing much better, thanks to his loving care and the affordability of his clinic. A hernia operation for one of the girls cost $45 plus medicines.

We are thankful for Dr. I and the vision he had to create this clinic. All I can say is, "may his 'tribe' increase".

Compassion International

2010-05-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

We are privileged to have the involvement of Compassion International here in Burkina Faso. This ministry is powerful and is having a significant impact on the education scene of this country. There are currently 96 churches that host a Compassion site. Over a dozen C&MA churches are sites for Compassion here in Burkina Faso.

20,000 students benefit from these sites
18,000 students are sponsored
8,000 more students is the aim for this year.

These students would likely not have a chance at getting an education. Education is proven to be one way to fight poverty. The Gospel is also a means to fight poverty. Compassion students are given the chance to be exposed to a biblical world view. By the time they finish school, they will have a good foundation to be a model citizen and a leader.

Stop and thank God for Compassion International, if you are reading this right now. Think about sponsoring a child in this country, if you have the means to do so. Make a difference in a child's life that will last for eternity.

Prayer Changes People

2010-04-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

You never know when a simple prayer will change the life of someone.

When I returned from my most recent trip, Amy said to me, "You know that pizza delivery guy you prayed for after he was robbed? (Actually I didn't really remember it too well). Well, he just delivered some pizzas while you were gone and he said he is now walking with the Lord." How cool is that?

In February, I made a protocol visit to a person fairly high up in government. When I entered with a man who had set up the meeting, this government official proceeded to tell us all of his problems. When he had finished, I told him that I couldn't resolve his problems, but that I would be happy to pray for him, which he accepted. After we left, he called my friend who had set up the meeting and told him how much the prayer had meant to him.

I'm going to take more opportunities to pray with people for their needs. What's the risk?

A. Diallo

2010-04-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

A. Diallo came to Dorcas House, a desperate young girl. In her young life of less than 20 years, she's had a lot put on her. Her mother is dying of a terminal illness. She, herself, had a child out of wedlock and had come to believe that selling her body was one of the ways she could help provide for her family.

Then, one of our colleagues, Sue Eshbaugh, suggested that she come to Dorcas House. She did, and when she arrived, you could see that she was a tough girl with a "history". But then, God came into her life, and her life is changed. She'll tell you so.

You should have seen A. singing and dancing at church this morning. Tears came to my eyes as I saw the reality of Easter displayed in the life of this young girl who is a different girl today. We all know that the problems are not over, but she has become a "new creation". Praise God for Easter!

Easter - He is Risen!

2010-04-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter. What makes it wonderful, you might ask? Well, Saturday afternoon, I had the privilege of helping one of our pastors baptize 55 people from our Central Church. Baptism is always a joy, especially at Easter, when the meaning is so powerfully displayed in the water. Jesus died, was buried and rose again! Wow.

Sunday morning, we were invited to one of our sister churches here in town. We decided to take the girls from Dorcas House with us, as they were longing to be in church on Easter. I helped baptize 5 people from that church. I preached on Mary Magdalene and served communion. 2 people gave their lives to Christ this morning - Easter Sunday! Can you think of a better thing to happen on Easter Sunday?

This evening, we had all of our missionaries together for a ham and potluck supper. It was great to be together with these, our colleagues, with whom we are seeking to bring the message of Easter to bear on this country every day.

It was a good Easter. I hope yours was meaningful too.

Dentistry and Jesus Go Together

2010-03-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

I just finished a week in the "bush", meaning a rural village. I hosted a dental team comprised of three people from the U.S., and three from Guinea. It was a powerful week, as the church in that area has been going through a period of persecution. Two Sundays ago I had the joy of preaching in one of the villages where most of the believers had been persecuted. One young girl has been beaten many times by her family because of her faith. The last time, the said they would "beat her until she vomited Jesus". She is still going strong and full of the joy of the Lord. It was a privilege to worship with these choice members of the family of God.

During the week, we saw the attitude of the people change towards Christ and his church. Even the persecutors were treated for dental problems. That's what the Gospel is about - blessing those who curse you and spitefully abuse you.

The dental team accomplished the following:

1. 262 patients were seen
2. 520 teeth were pulled
3. 163 teeth were filled
4. The name of Jesus was lifted up
5. The church gained favor with the people.

Praise God for a successful week, in every way.

Inspiring missions slogans and notable quotes from missionaries

2010-03-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

"'The history of missions is the history of answered prayer.' — Samuel Zwemer"

Inspiring missions slogans and notable quotes from missionaries

2010-03-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

"'Go, send, or disobey.' — John Piper"

Inspiring missions slogans and notable quotes from missionaries

2010-03-03T15:28:00.000-08:00

"'We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first.' — Oswald J. Smith"

Inspiring missions slogans and notable quotes from missionaries

2010-03-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

"'Christ wants not nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible.' — C.T. Studd"

My Friend, John

2010-02-28T14:43:00.000-08:00

I'd love for you to meet my friend, John. He and I have been friends since my childhood here in Burkina Faso. His father is a pastor; one of the first to go to Bible College in the early days of missions here in Burkina Faso. Because John's dad was committed to honesty, he would not lie in order to sign John up for school. As a result, John did not have the opportunity to get an typical education. But John taught himself to read and write. He learned 9 languages proficiently. He also begged me and bugged me to teach him English. I never could understand why he was so persistant to learn English.

Over the years, others saw John's intelligence and encouraged him to go to nurses training. He did so and did well, in spite of the fact that he did not have a formal education. Because he spoke English well, he was assigned to work with visiting surgeons when they came to work at the Baptist hospital. Rather quickly, John learned how to perform surgery. When pressed into service during some difficult days, John was THE surgeon at the hospital. Quite an accomplishment for a man who never had a formal education. That's my friend, John. And I'm proud to know of his accomplishments. He is retired today, but still very active. He loves God and wants to continue to serve Him.

I'd love for you to meet him.

Strategic Meetings

2010-02-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

This weekend, we will be meeting as a Field Leadership Team. We have these leadership meetings about 4 times a year to discuss the various decisions that must be made for our missionary team. On Saturday, we will meet with the national church leadership to discuss our common vision of impacting the nation at every level. We will conclude with a visit to one of our districts and then will make a "vision trip" through a very neglected area of the country, where we hope to partner together to bring the light of the Gospel to this area.

It will be an exciting weekend, as we seek God's mind to make decisions for the future of His church in this country! Pray for us.

A Follow-Up on Mr. G

2010-02-15T16:02:00.001-08:00

On November 15 I wrote to you about "Mr. G", who became a Christian out of a background out of Islam. Things have not been easy. He recently was ill, as he suffers from diabetes. He hurt his toe and it wasn't healing. He went to the hospital and they initially thought it would be best to amputate at the knee. He ended up with an amputated big toe. On the local Islamic radio station, they were talking about "this man who left the 'road' and is now paying dearly for it. They also stated that he had had both legs amputated, which was not true.

As Mr. G does not have gainful employment now, we are looking at the possibility of helping him start a small chicken project with egg layers.

Please pray for Mr. G and his family. He needs your prayers for healing and for courage to press on.

A New Year's Ramble

2010-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Back again, after taking about a month away from the blog. I trust your Christmas was blessed and that your 2010 will be blessed, as well.

This is the time of year when I have to submit my narrative report, which is a compilation of the reports of every member of the team. It is always exciting to see the things God is doing and where he's working. Our schools are healthy, and that is one of the high priority items on our radar screen. Our newer capital city church plants are all growing well and are healthy. That's exciting. Our short term missionaries have had some key ministry opportunities here and we've had the most we've ever had. We will be adding a family to our team, who is on loan from the West Ridge Church in Atlanta. And we could go on and on.

On another note, we're gearing up for our busy short term teams season. It's always an exciting time, as folks from our churches in the U.S. have the opportunity to be directly involved in advancing the kingdom in very practical ways. They help put on church roofs. They raise money to help us increase the capacities of our schools, etc. One team coming this year is a medical team, who will help "open doors" in an area where the Gospel has been preached very little.

2010 should be a great year. Why not? God is in it and we look to Him to lead the way. May we follow His direction.

Coaching

2009-12-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

I had the privilege of being a part of a one-year ministry coaching program, where I had a "coach" who talked with me, by phone, every other week. It was an eye opening experience and one that really benefitted me. I came away from that year feeling like I had a new lease on life. Intentional living is successful living. I believe we are called to live intentionally. Paul's phrase, "...this one thing I do..." seems to indicate that kind of living. Jesus, of course talked and lived an intentional life. That's my aim too.

Now, I would like to adapt the coaching idea to this context. I would like to plan small retreats for the district superindendants of the national church. 5 or 6 of them at a time. We will talk about personal life, family life, vision, communication, etc. I hope to transfer a bit of what I learned to them, but doing it in a way that works for them. It never works to put "someone else's armor on another person". Armor has to fit the person. That's what I hope to do. The president of the national church has given his blessing to this idea, stating that any leadership training that they can get will be helpful. I see that as being a key part of what we are doing here.

If you are reading this and feel so led, pause and pray that God will help me carry this out. My goal is to have the first retreat done by the end of March 2010.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A SHEPHERD

2009-12-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

I recently attended the school board for our vernacular language Bible School. What this means is it is a Bible school that trains pastors who have not had an opportunity to go to school. They know how to read and write, but they are not strong in this area. The majority of our pastors have been trained at this school and are doing an admirable job.

We decided this year to implement a program that will enable them to learn how to care for sheep, and at the end of the year, the graduates will go home with a sheep in hand and a promise to contribute one sheep back to the school to help another student. The goal is to help our pastors learn how to do something that will help improve their living conditions. This was a tangible idea that will help do that. I'm excited about it and look forward to what this does. It is a small thing, but it has potential to help pastors catch a vision for what they can do.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2009-11-20T11:06:00.000-08:00

Last week, 6 busses were held up at gunpoint in broad daylight (10 a.m.). On one of those busses, we had a Bible School student who was headed, with his wife, to register for school. Unfortunately, all of the money he had in this world (nearly $600), was taken by the thieves. This was the "ugly". I'll start there.

There is some good in this story, as well. Not only are people responding to help this young man replace those funds, but on another bus held up that day, 4 professional photographers were on their way back home. They had been commissioned to take pictures of 4 churches that had recently been built and dedicated, so that we could show the donors that the job had been well done. Fortunately, the thieves were not interested in cameras, so they did not lose their means of livelihood. We are grateful for this.

As I heard about these thugs and their bad and ugly actions, I was reminded of Psalm 1, where it says that the "wicked are like the chaff, which the wind blows away". At the end of the chapter, it says, "For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish". They may get away with it now, but it isn't the final word. It's wonderful to be reminded of that.

Mr. G

2009-11-15T16:01:00.000-08:00

I met Mr. G yesterday. He used to be in another religion, but today he is a follower of Jesus. His testimony was powerful and his coming to Christ started with a believer that he met in the U.S. laying hands on him and praying a blessing on him. God answered that prayer within hours of the prayer and that started him on the search. The second time he encounted believers, was when he was in a hospital following an accident. Believers came around praying for the sick and asked him if they could pray for him. He agreed and God did a miracle on the spot! This brought him closer.

After becoming a believer, he found out that a young lady in his neighborhood had been praying 15 years for his salvation. She often came with a friend and stood outside his home to pray for him.

Since becoming a follower of Jesus, he has lost everything. He has been offered lots of money to come back to his former faith, but he says he would rather die of starvation that leave Jesus.

It was a day of rejoicing for me to hear this man and his wives testify of their faith. It was also a reminder of the power of prayer. Prayer had its impact on Mr. G's life. Let's renew our prayer for the lost, in specific and personal ways!

God Enjoys Doing the Little Things

2009-10-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

My father used to say that "God enjoys doing the little things for us". And I believe he was absolutely correct. Some people may attribute some of it to "chance". I don't see it that way.

I was recently helping to set up a temporary garden project at Dorcas House recently. We were pulling a fence around an area to keep the chickens and sheep out of the garden. I had tried my best to determine how much fencing I needed, where to put the posts, etc. Appleton Alliance Church had a small team out here and several of the men helped me to get the posts laid out. When the time came to pull the fence, it began to look like we might need to buy a little more fencing. The girls at Dorcas House came out and offered to help pull the chain link fence. Some thought the fence wouldn't reach, but it did, with 2 inches to spare. That's the kind of thing I think God enjoys doing. I sure enjoyed the moment and for a moment, I imagined my father smiling as he saw God, once again, do a small thing for one of His children.

What has He done for you recently, that you may have missed. Sometimes they're small, but they are grand. Keep your eyes open!

Where are things at in flood relief?

2009-10-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering how things are going in the flood relief efforts here. We have seen an outpouring of generosity that has been funneled through CAMA Services. The efforts on the ground here have been quite fruitful. Often, the big organizations related to the U.N. and other large organizations, are very good to get aid on the ground in the immediate days following a crisis. But that aid doesn't last and often, after the media stops reporting the situation on the ground, they pull out and the people can be left with an ongoing crisis.

The government has done a pretty decent job of collecting food and material that can be used in the various sites to help care for the people.

There are sites that slip through the cracks and there are people who slip through the cracks. That is where much of our effort has taken place. As a result, there has been great appreciation shown and the government has recognized those efforts.

One official stated that they wished every NGO would work like our organization has done. We have been respectful of the government, while finding ways to meet real needs.

At the end of November, the government is going to be moving people out of the tent camps and trying to get them back into homes. There will be some houses built for some. Our plan, at that time will be to provide every family we can, as they leave, a bag of rice, some oil, and basic condiments as something to accompany them to their place of residence, wherever that may be. We also hope to provide each family with a portion of scripture, as a statement that we are doing this because of His love. We will also be trying to help provide some basic building material for those who have the right to build.

We are grateful for ACCEDES, which is the relief and development branch of the national C&MA church here, as they have provided the channel through which most of this effort has been funneled.

We appreciate all of those who have contributed to this effort, as it is a means of sharing the love of Christ with those who are in need. That is, I believe, what Christ would have us do.

The Evangelical Federation of Burkina Faso

2009-10-28T17:20:00.001-07:00

I have the privilege (if a lot of meetings is a "privilege") of serving on the national committee of the Federation of Evangelical Churches and Missions of Burkina Faso. This would be the equivalent of the NAE of the U.S. I am the lone mission representative, with 5 various denominational representatives.

Last week we had three days of our national assembly. I was struck with the growing unity of the evangelical church here in Burkina Faso. Things like the following are bringing us closer together:

1. Everyone is feeling led of God to create Christian schools and ACSI has become an avenue for that. These schools are highly respected in the country and even top leaders from other religions choose to put their children in a Christian school, where they will get a serious education. ACSI is now officially represented in this country and the government has granted them favored status.

2. The need for pastoral training and continuing education is creating an environment for unity in this country, due to the fact that churches are realizing that they don't have to provide all of the training possibilities within their denomination, but these tools and programs can be shared.

3. The desire to be "missionary" is growing in every denomination in Burkina. These national churches that were started by missionary efforts, are now sensing in increasing measure, the role that they have to play in taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth. As a result, they are even discussing how they might be able to create a missionary training program that can be used by all denominations. Go figure. This is a unifying factor for the evangelical church.

And I get to sit on the board for this organization. So, as I complain about all of the meetings I have to attend, God reminds me that I am getting a close-up view of what He is doing in this country to bring the church together. That fellowship is sweet.

A Radio Update

2009-10-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

I just heard today that our radio stations are seeing some good fruit. One station reports that pastors from other denominations are saying how much it has strengthened their ministries. That is exactly what we would want it to do.

One station reports the salvation of several people, particularly one from another prominent faith.

People coming to a relationship with Christ. Others growing in their faith in Christ. Pastors seeing their ministries strengthened. Praise God! Pray that this will all be "fruit that endures".

Catching Up

2009-10-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

It has been a couple of busy weeks since I last wrote something here. You should see a flurry of entries here over the next couple of days. There's a lot of good stuff happening.

I just spent 3 days with church leadership visiting 3 of our districts and their pastors. I always enjoy these trips, not only because I get all of the African food I can eat and which I enjoy, but also because:

1. I get to hear stories of what God is doing.

2. I get to spend time dreaming with church leadership about what God is leading in.

3. It opens my eyes to matters that need prayer.

Once again, I came away from this trip, blessed. God is at work. Here are a couple of examples.

One of our districts organizes a bike rally each year, where all of the young men are invited to join in biking together from village to village. They stop in each village, begin singing, a crowd gathers, and someone preaches a Gospel message. An invitation is given at the end, and if people respond, a couple of the bikers remain behind to follow up. And so it goes for a week. Here are the results from this year's rally - 115 bikers, 56 villages, 1 week, covering 4 districts, with over 200 people publicly stepping forward to receive salvation!

In one village, a young boy had come to faith and his family had rejected him. The church took him in and has been caring for him and covering his school costs. This is not so unusual, especially for those coming from certain faiths.

The former District Superintendant in one district, finished his mandate and then asked for the hardest village to be assigned to. This older pastor could have taken the easy route, but he, like Caleb, asked for the hard assignment. He is seeing good results, with over 70 people in this church re-plant.

Each district has registered new villages opened to the Gospel in the past year. They are on the move.

I can't wait to find the time to write a couple more posts. Be encouraged. Keep praying.

Partnership

2009-10-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

Partnership means a formal agreement between two or more parties that have agreed to work together in the pursuit of common goals.

We currently have several kinds of partnerships at work in Burkina Faso which are helping us to pursue common goals of expanding the kingdom in certain areas of need. For instance, I have a family from Las Vegas who has been out twice now to help with some projects. They raise money to help roof 2-3 churches and then they come out and we go bless these churches with a roof, so that they have a meeting place to meet in. This has been such a blessing and testimony to these churches.

We have churches, who have opted to take on a specific project, and do so over a a specific number of years so as to be able to complete the project. The Ouagadougou Youth Center is one of those projects and the Glenview Alliance Church in Glen Rock, PA has taken that on as "their project". This next year will be the completion of that project. It is exciting to see. We have nearly 15 such partnerships, all with a specific goal and project in view.

Another neat partnership that is just starting is with an organization called ICM, or "International Cooperating Ministries". They have, as a goal, to blanket the whole country of Burkina Faso with church buildings. They have specific objectives, such as:

1. It must be a church of 100 baptized believers.
2. They much agree to seek to plant 5 churches in the next 3 years.
3. They must contribute an amount that they decide, during those 3 years, that will help build another church somewhere else.
4. They need to implement a training program of their own, or the Mini Bible College of the ICM group, in order to see the leadership of the church strenghtened.

Look on their website at http://www.icm.org/ to see what they are about. If you would like to sponsor or help sponsor a church in Burkina Faso, you can do so through them and 100% of your donation will be used to construct the church. You can specify where you want to help. You can do a whole church or part of a church.

All the way around, partnerships are a strong way to go to make an impact. It combines the resources of two or more partners, working together to accomplish a common goal. Examples of things that can be done through partnerships are: churches can be built, schools can be launched, people groups can be reached with the Gospel, and so on and so forth.

We thank God for our partners and what they are helping us accomplish here in Burkina Faso. It is exciting to see the resources come together for the accomplishment of great things, by God's grace and enabling.

Advances in our Four Radio Stations

2009-09-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Bobo Dioulasso, the second largest city in Burkina Faso, where we had a meeting of the radio board that oversees the 4 radio stations. Though it is difficult financially, they are not complaining and they are creatively working to find ways to make the radio work. Reports are steady of people from all backgrounds, coming to Christ through the radio broadcasts. It is truly amazing.

Their assumption of the financial responsibility is very encouraging. People are sacrificing, offering their motorbikes for the errands that have to be run. Most of the DJ's are volunteers, who see it as a ministry.

We keep praying for these stations, as they are only about 18 months old. Just wanted you to know a bit of their progress.

Update on Flood Relief

2009-09-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

The relief efforts for those affected by the flood has been ongoing since the first day. Just as a reminder, it is estimated that 150,000 people were made homeless by the flooding which took place on December 1. It really was quite amazing - utter destruction in many places.

We have been involved in the relief efforts, beginning first of all with over 100 families from our 6 churches and the Compassion International sites associated with our churches. Then from there it spread to those others that have fallen through the "cracks", without receiving the aid offered by the government.

The next phase will be oriented towards the nearly 130,000 who are currently living in public schools, who will not leave the schools and move to temporary camps where they will be housed. We work with CAMA Services and our church development organization called, "ACCEDES". This phase will be more of a rehabilitation phase, providing food, helping folks to get back on their feet, seeing that kids are enrolled in school for the next year.

If you or your church would like to help in some way, you can send a gift to CAMA Services, P.O. Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500. Be sure to note that it is for Burkina Flood Relief.

Flood Relief

2009-09-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

There's a lot happening around Ouagadougou these days. Many people have sprung into action to help meet the needs of the people. We were down at the center where they are accepting donations and it was amazing to see the response of the people. Everything from small bags of used clothes to $20,000. It is neat to see the solidarity of the Burkinabe people. The government is working so hard to create an environment of transparency and integrity. Used clothing was sent up from our sister churches in the Cote d'Ivoire. It is really quite the unfolding story as aid comes in from all levels.

In our little "corner", we are working with the national church. Initial efforts are to help the nearl 100 families that were impacted by the flood in our seven churches here in the city. From there, it will spread out to other people. We are also trying to make donations to the mayors offices, as a number of them have been very helpful to us in the past two years, helping us to find appropriate properties in the city.

I took in some of the distribution today, and I'll add a couple of pictures to show you what that looks like.

Joy-filled Baptism at Ouaga 2000

2009-09-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Amy and I had the wonderful joy of attending the first baptism at Ouaga 2000. Wow! What a blessing. The joy of the Lord was flowing all over the place. It was fun to see Steve and Debbi in that environment – an environment that they seem to be thriving in. It is clear that they are well-loved. Debbi was sitting right beside us and gave quick resumes of the testimonies of these young people. There were originally 11 “candidates” for baptism, but when Steve gave the invitation for any others, two others stepped into the water to be baptized. It was very cool. I am inserting a couple of pictures for you to see. I hope you will be able to rejoice, as well.
It is wonderful to see this new ministry gaining traction. Pray with them for 3 or 4 complete families to be added to the group. They have a dynamic group of young adults, but lack in mature families.

On another note, ACCEDES will be launching their efforts to help those in need following the flood. Be in prayer for this effort, as it is never easy to try to ascertain who needs help and who doesn’t. Feel free to contribute by sending Mary and email and copying me. We will see that it gets to ACCEDES to help with the effort. Look at the following for something Susan has made available on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E-RINnw88w .

Press on! It’s all for God’s glory and the establishing of His kingdom in Burkina Faso.

Steve

Greatest Flood in Burkina since 1919

2009-09-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

In a country where 14 inches of rain would be an annual rainfall, we received 14 inches in less than 12 hours. This was the largest rain since 1919. That’s going back a ways. And things weren't as devastating since the city was so much smaller then. Now the population tops 1,000,000, with some estimates as high as 2,000,000. The canals that normally evacuate the water run-off quite adequately, were incapable of doing so this time. The water ripped the concrete sides off of the canal in some places. The result was that many neighborhoods were overcome with water. In the poorer neighborhoods of the city, many of the mud brick homes were unable to withstand the rush of the water and, as a result, came down! Today, it is estimated that 150,000 people are homeless, living in schools or with family. Some lost every bit of their personal belongings, even though they never had much to begin with. A number of people lost their lives in the rushing water. Bridges and dams have been destroyed. One of the main generators, that powers electricity to the capital city, was destroyed. We were already having significant power cuts due to the inability to provide electricity for the whole city at one time. This will likely aggravate the situation even further.

The relief and development organization of our church, ACCEDES, is planning to do something tangible to help meet the needs. They certainly can’t help everyone, but they can help some and we can help with them. The plan is to provide food for 500 people for 2 months, and to provide three changes of clothing for 500, as well as to provide medicine for those who may need emergency medicine. The total cost of the relief effort is estimated at about $24,000. About $10,000 has been promised from CAMA Services. We are trying to partner with ACCEDES and CAMA to find the funds to help with this need.

If you or your church would like to help in some way, you can send a gift to CAMA Services, P.O. Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500. Be sure to note that it is for Burkina Flood Relief.

2009-08-19T09:25:00.001-07:00

Building Shelters or Building Windmills

2009-08-19T01:42:00.000-07:00

An ancient Chinese proverb goes something like this: "When the winds of change blow (and they will!), some people build shelters. Some build windmills." That's a good thought for today. I don't want to spend my life building shelters when I can build windmills! There are times when shelters are necessary. But, as a rule of thumb, "windmills" are my goal.

A Visit To Dorcas House

2009-08-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Upon our arrival back in Burkina Faso, one of our early goals was to get out to Dorcas House, the center for girls at risk, to visit them before they went home for their month of vacation. It was truly one of those visits of a lifetime, as we were able to see what they had learned in a short period of time. After greeting the girls, they put on a fantastic program, including scripture memory, a song, a skit, a gift for Amy of a table cloth and samples of the sewing projects they had done.

Expecting God

2009-07-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

"What do you want me to do for you?" is the question that Jesus asked blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:51. How would you answer that question if He asked you? I'm not sure which thing I would choose. To Bartimaeus it was quite obvious - "Rabbi, I want to see". I love the way it is written in verse 50 when Bartimaeus is invited by Jesus to draw close and it says, "Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus". Bartimaeus was "expecting" something. He anticipated that things were going to change that day. Jesus told him that his faith had made him well. "Immediately" (one of Mark's favorite words) Bartimaeus regained his sight.

I believe that we are called to be people of expectation. As we go back to Burkina Faso, I want to be expecting God to bring change to my life, to others lives, and to situations around. I want to be ready, like Bartimaeus, to "jump to my feet and come to Jesus". What are you expecting?

Small Miracles - Big God!

2009-07-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

We went to Washington, DC today to visit our nation's capital. It is something we haven't done together as a family and today we had 14 family members who ventured down to DC to take in the sights. It was a beautiful day - and we saw about as much as one can see in a day. I was most struck by the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier". But I also found great joy in seeing God do something very significant on the Metro going into DC. Let me share it with you.

What I really wanted to talk to you about is how, as my father used to say, "God delights in doing the little things for His children". We got on the subway today to head to the downtown area. If we had been a moment sooner or a moment later, we might well have missed something. As we got on the subway, an African lady was seated in the same car and was talking both Jula and French on the phone. Since we speak both of those languages, Amy waited until the lady had hung up and then made her way over to introduce herself. She asked the lady, "Do you speak Jula?" To this, she replied, "I do, and I believe we have met before". It turned out that this lady worked as a nurse/midwife at the hospital in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire where both Kari and Peter were born. She remembered us from that time and said that they had never forgotten Amy.

Because of the uprising in our former country of service, Mme C was forced to leave and request asylum in the U.S. Her husband was murdered during the unrest, due to his roots of origin from the North. She herself was endangered and sought to leave for a new life in the U.S. She is currently trying to learn English so that she can maybe look for a job and make a living in this country.

For a few brief moments, we thoroughly enjoyed the "little miracle" of how God connects two people in a city of 1,000,000 people together for a chance to encourage and to talk about God's goodness and His people. We hope to connect Mme C to one of our churches there in the Silver Springs area.

God delights in doing the little things for His people. Keep an eye out for where it is that He is working and where He is doing the "little things".

The Power of Team

2009-06-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

There's something very special and powerful about being a part of a team that you enjoy. We had the opportunity to spend the day yesterday with our colleagues, the Schaeffer family, as well as Diana Burg, the daughter of another colleague. Our families have children that are close to the same age. The children enjoyed riding all of the roller coasters and water rides they could fit in in the day. The parents on the other hand..... had fun too, but not on too many of the same rides. We enjoyed "catching up" after this past year of being on two different continents.

Back to the team idea - we have a great team in Burkina Faso. A good number of them will be missing this next year, due to a year of home assignment for them. They will be missed. Those of us still on the field will do what we can do to fill in the gaps.

Some of the thoughts I've had about what makes a team work:

A team needs a common vision. It helps to pull in the same direction.

A team needs to build trust between one another.

A team needs to be a place where members are affirmed and supported by one another.

A team needs to take time to play together. (As my mother used to say: "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".

A team needs accountability so that it can be as effective as possible.

A team needs leadership that cares.

I feel blessed to have a great team to work with in Burkina Faso. My prayer and you can join us, is that we will be the strongest team possible so that we can make the greatest impact on the kingdom possible.

The Power of One - Including the Young and the Old

2009-06-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

I have been excited to hear stories of people who decide that they want to do something big. Real big. It's just exciting to dream, I think. What are you dreaming?

The youth pastor here at the church we have been living near recently told me he wants to raise money to feed millions of people in Africa. Most people might laugh at him. I say go for it.

A young man in Atlanta, decided, with some of his friends (when they were still in 8th grade), to do something big. They pooled their money to buy rubber bracelets to sell. With the profits, they decided to help put in wells in Africa. That small beginning with a couple of young people has become an organization called "Dry Tears" (check out their website at drytears.org). That young man just graduated from High School this year. Since the beginning, Dry Tears has raised over $100,000 for wells in Africa!

The youth group here at the Glenview Alliance Church in Pennsylvania, set a goal of $5,000 that they would raise during a "30-hour Famine" that would go to buy food and clothing for poor people in Burkina Faso. In the end, they raised over $12,000 for the cause!

You see, all it takes is an inspired dream, some people to get behind it, and some people to carry it out. What idea might God birth in you today? What big things might he want to do through your "big idea". It reminds me of the passage in Joel where God talks about the "young men shall see visions and the old men shall dream dreams".

As God's people, with all of the power of the Spirit behind us and in front of us, let's dream some dreams.

The State of the Church in the U.S.

2009-06-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

It isn't too rare to hear someone bemoaning the state of the church in the U.S. "What we need is a good old-fashioned revival", some will say. I beg to differ, and I do so for a number of reasons.

1. Amy and I have visited well over 40 churches this year. Now that may not be a huge cross-section of churches in the country, but it is enough to know that we have been very encouraged by the state of the churches we visited. They are reaching out to their communities, they are commited to the missionary vision of the C&MA, and most of them are growing. Is there room for improvement? Sure, there always is. But there is also room for celebrating God, at work in these churches.

2. Sometimes the statement that we need revival is, in my opinion, a desire for a quick fix. We want something immediate. There is no replacement for good 'ole obedience. Sometimes that is what we have to focus on more than bemoaning the fact that we don't have "revival" going. We have seen "revival" in some of the plain old obedience we have seen in the churches we visit.

3. Pastors, by and large, have a very difficult task. It isn't easy to lead a church into obedience and growth. We have been blessed by the pastors we have met and their commitment to the "hard stuff" of ministry. I salute those of you who are pastors. Don't give up! Press on! You are a blessing. For those of you reading this, who aren't pastors, tell your pastor how much you appreciate him.

Well, those are just some quick thoughts regarding the state of the church in America. The statistics for the church overall, are not too great. But we have been blessed by the churches we have visited and the future is looking bright, at least in those churches. Let us all press on for the prize.

Packing, Packing, Packing

2009-06-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

One of the most challenging activities we face as missionaries is packing an outfit for the field. What needs to go? What doesn't? When your washing machine is nearly 20 years old, do you replace it? You'd better, because the quality of machines available in Burkina Faso leave much to be desired.

In case you couldn't tell that the reason this is on my mind is that we are in the middle of our packing "adventure". We have been rounding up things all year. Things we need to make life work out there. Things that churches and individuals have donated to be used at Dorcas House or to help national pastors and their families. We received a treadle sewing machine for Dorcas House from one family. Someone else gave us some rolls of paper from a print shop that can be used for banners and crafts. First Aid kits were put together by one church for distribution at Dorcas House. So, there you have it. Here's what a sampling of what a list looks like:

Container 1 of 20

10 First Aid kits $20 $40
3 Books $6 $24
1 set of dishes $10 $30
2 hammers $5 $16

Once it is all assembled, we have to pack it in containers. Each item that goes in has to be written down on a list of contents. A customs value must be put by each item, along with a replacement value. Those lists have to be entered on the computer on forms that are sent to the shipper. Once our outfit has been packed and lists have been made, the outfit is shipped to North Carolina where it will be packed into a 20 ft or 40 ft container. This year, it looks like all of the things that missionaries are expecting to send will require a 40 ft container.

I have the joy of coordinating everyone's lists and shipments. For you "detail people" out there, this would be a joy for you. For someone like me, it is more like a chore. So pray for us. It will require patience and understanding to pack up. We'll be happy for the things that we send over, but the process is a bit overwhelming and tedious.

Can a person be filled with the Spirit for packing. We'll need it!

The Cost of Following Christ

2009-06-04T17:15:00.001-07:00

There is a price to pay when one follows Christ. Sometimes we don't see it as clearly in North America, as we might in other countries. There are those, in the U.S. who have had to pay a price to follow Christ.
The national church president of the Alliance church of Burkina Faso sent me an email, asking me if I might be able to help a man who has recently put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ from a very orthodox sect of his former religion. He has been on the pilgrimmage, and obviously took his former religious life quite seriously. As a result, he has lost most everything. He is married to two wives and has 10 children. His wives have lived 35 years without going to market, as this is the "way" of this particular religious group.
I am asking God to show me what we should do to best help this man get back on his feet. I hope you will join me in praying for this man and that the Lord will strenghten him and provide for the needs of his family.

Council in Louisville

2009-06-03T06:36:00.000-07:00

Last week we had the privilege of attending our national convention, commonly called "Council", where over 2000 delegates, representing many of our churches, gather to "do business" and to "hear our vision articulated". We also have the opportunity to catch up with old friends and reconnect with churches that are very involved in kingdom advance around the world.

The theme of this Council was, "Jesus Only", with an emphasis on His sufficiency for life. Every speaker was excellent, with a combination of an ability to communicate effectively, and a challenge to deeper life.

In spite of the economic woes hitting our country, and some folks assessment that the church is failing, I am encouraged by what I see. I believe that The Alliance still has a clear vision for the King and His kingdom. I see many of our churches making the effort to impact their communities for Christ. It is wonderful to be a part of a movement that sees the world the way The Alliance constituency is seeking to see it.

Expecting God

2009-05-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

As I endeavor to give you an inside view of God at work in Burkina Faso, I want you to know that we, the workers of the C&MA in Burkina Faso, have the privilege of seeing God at work. He is teaching us that we can "expect Him to work" and as a result, we are called to "attempt great things for God". As the writer of Hebrews says, "without faith it is impossible to please God.

So, as you follow this blog, I will attempt to keep you up on some of the "God workings" that I see or hear about, so that you can rejoice with us in the advances made in God's kingdom.

From time to time, you may also read of a need, a crisis, or a matter that calls for your prayer. I hope you can take it seriously and bow your head at the moment of reading it and commit that matter to the Lord. We have an awesome God who "is able to do exceeding abundantly, above and beyond what we can ask or think". Let's "expect God" together!