Greek pics

The Parthenon on the Acropolis at night (in case you couldn't tell).
This is a view of Athens and a theater on our way up the Acropolis.
This is the southern tip of mainland Greece. On top are the ruins of a temple to Poseidon - God of the Sea.
This is a view from Delphi on the Peloponnese (the large island or peninsula of southern Greece). Most of the green seen below is olive trees.
This is an area called Meteora in central Greece. Back around the 11th century some monks decided these huge rock towers would be good places to build their monasteries. They built more than 20 monasteries like the one you see here but only 6 remain.

Turkish pics

This is Cappadocia which is such a difficult place to explain. It is 100-some square miles of incredibly beautiful and unique landscape. Way back in the day, people decided to carve their houses and churches into these odd rock formations. They also built underground cities. Many people still live in these cave-houses. Early Christians found this to be a good place to practice in secret. Hundreds of ancient churches have been found in the area. Peter wrote to the believer in Cappadocia and it is also mentioned in Acts 2:9.
Istanbul is spread over two continents: Asia and Europe. You are looking at the Europe side which contains the Blue mosque on the left and the Hagia Sophia on the right. Both are very impressive buildings. The Hagia Sophia was a church built in the 500's but was later converted into a mosque. This picture was taken from a boat which I took back and forth several times. The straight in between is called the Bosphorus.
This is a lady hand-weaving one of the carpets for which the country is well-known.
This is the inside of one of the cave-houses of Cappadocia (Goreme actually). We were invited here by a nice, old lady who was surprised and excited that my friends could speak Turkish. We were given some apple tea and a warm welcome.
Just one of many very impressive mosques in Istanbul.

Casablanca, Morocco

Young fella selling fresh olives and pickled things in a local market. They love their olives around the Mediterranean.
Some of the many carpets beings sold at the Habous market.
The Hassan II mosque is the second largest religious monument in the world - just behind the one in Mecca. It is one of the few touristic sights in Casa.
Some arches at the mosque.
A rather large door of the mosque. I'm the little guy in grey and blue by the potted plant.

Burkina newsletter #22

Greetings from Burkina Faso! I’m back after about 3 weeks of vacationing in Morocco, Greece, and Turkey. I had a great time! It was wonderful to spend a week with my parents, visit some old friends in new environments (Casablanca and Istanbul), and to see some more of God’s amazing creation. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity to travel and visit. I wish I could tell you all about it, but this is not a travel guide. (If I have time I might share some more here later.) However I will share a few of the spiritually significant aspects of the trip. I was told that in Morocco there are less than 1000 believers and it is officially illegal to convert to Christianity. Greece is 97% Orthodox Christian, however, from my short experience I noticed many practices which stray from Biblical Christianity. Lastly, though this is not typical of the country, while I was in Turkey, three believers were tortured and had their throats slit. Turkey is officially a secular state, yet statistics say 99.8% of the population is Muslim. All these people and places need our prayers.

So, back to Burkina . . . I neglected to mention that a volunteer team came to work alongside David and Tami while I was on vacation. Southside Baptist (Lufkin, TX) had a great vision trip among several of the people groups we’ve been promoting. They are now in prayer over which group they will adopt and when they will return. Praise God for them and please pray with them for God’s guidance.

The volunteer marathon is upon us. On May 1^st, David, Tami, and I will return to Karankasso-Vigue with a couple more volunteers from Bartlett Baptist (TN). There we’ll have a chance to follow up with Karim and Noufou who you’ve heard much about in previous newsletters. We also hope to continue to spread the word to other’s who’ve not yet heard. Then on May 8^th we are joined by another team (FBC Belton, TX and U. of Mary Hardin-Baylor) who will minister among the Lyele (lay-lay) and also do some teaching at our Baptist seminary in Koudougou. There are several more teams to come who you will hear about in due time.

Praise God for:

* a wonderful vacation spent with my parents and friends.
* Southside, Bartlett, and Belton Baptist churches for their interest in the unreached peoples of West Africa.

Please pray for:

* both the lost and the believers in oppressive places in the world.
* Southside Baptist as they seek the Lord’s guidance on how to minister with us here in Burkina.
* us along with Bartlett Baptist and ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­FBC Belton as we seek to share the “glorious Gospel of the blessed God” (1 Tim. 1:11).

Again I am so thankful for my time away but it’s good to be back in Burkina and to know of your prayer for us here. God bless!

kerry spencer

final though:

We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.

~T.S. Eliot

This is the way I’ve felt since arriving back in Burkina. My short time away has allowed me to notice the peculiarities of Burkina afresh. I feel like I’m in Africa again. I notice more the oddities of donkey carts on the city roads, random objects (sewing machines, chairs, etc) carried on people’s heads, the local music, and much more. I know Burkina (and Kentucky) better for have visited those other counties. I am also more thankful for the freedom we have in this country to share the Gospel and the freedom (at least legally speaking) for people to accept it.

More random Burkina pics

These are just some more pics I pulled out of the "random Burkina pics" folder for your viewing enjoyment. This is a stained glass window in a Catholic church in rural Burkina. Certainly not a common sight I assure you.
This is a fun picture because you see 1) the bold and precarious loading of an average bush taxi and 2) the competition of the local concession sellers to get the business of the passengers.
Me between a couple of the roots of a Kapok tree. Kapoks are known for these huge, leg-like roots that form the base of the trunk.
This is my favorite little neighbor kid, Mai. I won't lie, she's quite fond of this "Tubabu" (white person). Ever time my gate is open she'll just wander in. The chair she's in is made solely of palm fronds and a few strips of animal hide to tie things together. It cost me a whole $3.
I never cease to be amazed at what people will carry on their motos/bicycles/cars/heads/etc.

Burkina newsletter #21

Greetings from Burkina Faso! The last couple weeks have been fairly slow for a change. The Woods and I have been doing some planning for the seven volunteer teams who will come between now and mid-July. David and I are making another trip tomorrow to make further plans with some pastors for two of those teams. Please continue to pray for God’s guidance as we plan for all these teams.

Last time I was in Ouagadougou (our capital) I got an unexpected call from an old friend from my first term in Burkina. Ouahabou was one of the high school students I was closest too during my two years in the Bissa village of Torla. Those of you where were keeping up with me back then probably prayed for him. At the time, he told me that he believed the Gospel and the Bible stories we taught him and the others, however he was not able to openly follow Christ for fear of what his Muslim family might do to him. Again, this is a very common story in Burkina and is probably the greatest barrier to people following Christ. Nonetheless, Ouahabou is now a university student in Ouaga and says he finally feels the freedom to follow Christ openly. I have also heard that another of those young men from Torla, Yaya, has left the village and is a committed believer. That God has continued to work in these young peoples lives is such an encouragement to me. These stories also reinforce the reality that the Lord does not always work at the pace we would like – but He works according to His perfect plans. We should all remember this lesson as we continue to pray for the unengaged peoples of West Africa and individuals like Karim, Noufou, the Karaboro chief, and others I have mentioned in these newsletters.

Speaking of Noufou – I believe I last mentioned him in newsletter #12 – he came to visit me in Bobo last week. He is a young Mossi (the dominant people in Burkina) man who happens to live in Karankasso-Vigue where we’ve gone to minister several times. He now professes to believe in Jesus as His Savior. He has begun going to church in the evenings without his Muslim father’s knowledge and against his wishes. He is beginning to take steps to follow Christ. Please pray for Him to have courage to continue to follow Christ and that He would grow in his faith and knowledge.

In weather news: It rained for the first time since October! This was just a teaser though. We’ve still got hot season to go through before the rains really come. Already most days reach around 105 F or more.

Early Friday morning I leave Burkina for vacation. I’m going to Morocco for a couple days and then on to Greece and Turkey for about a week each. I’m very excited to get to be with my parents for a week in Greece and I have friends to visit with in Morocco and Turkey. I’m very blessed to have these opportunities for exploration, visitation, and relaxation.

I hope all of you have a blessed Easter as we remember the sacrifice and resurrection of our Savior. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3

Praise God:

* that His ways are not our ways (Is. 55:8) and that He is at work even when we do not recognize it.
* for the sacrifice and hope-giving resurrection of His only Son, and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Please pray for:

* God’s guidance in our continued planning and preparation for future volunteer teams.
* Ouahabou and Noufou as they seek to follow Christ despite the opposition of their families. Pray for courage, faith, and a growing knowledge of God.
* a blessed time of vacation and visiting family and friends.

As always, thanks so much for your prayers and support. Be encouraged that God continues to work and answer prayers, sometimes even long after we’ve forgotten that we prayed them. God bless!

Final thought:

The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.
~William James