Greetings from Burkina Faso! The volunteer carousel continues spinning. Two nights ago we welcomed the International Sports Federation (ISF) team and last night Wade Whynot left us. Wade (a volunteer All-Star) and I had a wonderful, and at the same time difficult week among the Dogose and Komono. The difficulty was not so much the conditions, although this is the region of Burkina which I consider to have the worst roads. One 50 mile stretch took us roughly 5 hours to bounce down. The physical difficulty in reaching our destinations parallels the spiritual difficulties in reaching the peoples hearts for Christ. The wonderful part of the trip is that we had numerous opportunities to share the Gospel with groups of Muslims in six different villages. In one village, Noumoukiedougou, we had set up a rendez-vous a couple days earlier. Now in West Africa one never knows what will come of a rendez-vous. In this case though we showed up in the village and were immediately taken to the local mosque where 80 or more Muslim men (including the imam, chief, and other village leaders) were sitting outside on their prayer mats waiting for us. I don’t mind to say that I was somewhat nervous walking into the encounter. Apparently not quite so much as Wade who later said he felt like Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den. Nonetheless, as we usually found to be the case, the men were very attentive as we shared about what their Koran says about Jesus and then transitioned into what the Bible has to say. In nearly two hours of dialogue, there were only a few argumentative questions but overall the messaged was well received.
Despite the satisfaction of having the privilege of sharing the Gospel with so many people we also left with sadness each time we experienced the men’s hardness to our message. It was as if it had barely affected them. Multiple times we were told “it’s all the same.” The local pastors who accompanied and translated for us said that the people realize it’s not the same. Instead that’s their polite way of saying, “Thanks for what you’ve shared. Now go in peace.” On one instance, one of the pastors pressed the issue, focusing on the need to follow Christ. He was rebuked by the imam who made it clear that their ancestors had found “this path” (Islam) and they will persevere on the path until the end. This hardness of heart and mind can only be overcome by our Lord. Still we rejoice that seeds were planted and that God’s Word will not return void. May we pray for His mercy.
Just this morning we sent off David and the ISF team to Bobo and then Sindou. On Monday night, my former youth group from Hardinsburg Baptist will arrive. After orientation and travel, we will join ISF in Sindou on Wednesday to take part in the sports ministry that they will have established. Sindou is somewhat of a crossroads of people groups. The Senufo Senara, Turka, Ble, and Natioro peoples are all found in the immediate areas. All of these peoples are in extreme need of the Gospel. Sindou itself is a very spiritually oppressive place as the nearby tourist site of fascinating rock formations is considered to have considerable spiritual power among the many animists in the area. Please pray for our interactions with the people there.
Before either Hardinsburg Baptist or ISF leaves, a third team who will enter the country on June 16th: Davidson St. Baptist Church. They are a group of 13 who are coming on a vision trip to look into adopting either the Tiefo or Turka people groups. Meanwhile part of the ISF team will leave while others will stay for another couple weeks. There are three days during which these three groups will overlap causing numerous logistical complexities. We think we’ve got all the bases covered but we’re not above asking for prayer either.
Praise God for:
* wonderful open doors for the Word among the Dogose and Komono.
* Wade Whynot’s ministry in Burkina.
* the busyness of seeking to reach the unreached.
* the continued interest of churches like Davidson St. B.C. to make long-term commitments to engage the unengaged.
* what I’m sure will be a special visit from some of the youth from my home church.
Please pray for:
* God to grow the seeds of the Gospel planted in the hearts of the Dogose and Komono people.
* many more opportunities to share the Gospel and demonstrate God’s love in the coming weeks.
* all to work out with the logistics of this busy but exciting time.
* God’s guidance for Davidson St. Baptist as they seek His will for their participation in the Great Commission.
It is times like these that I’m all the more thankful for your prayers of support and that God is in control. God bless!
kerry spencer
final thought:
A life is not surrendered in an instant. That which is life-long can only be surrendered in a lifetime.
~ Jim Elliot
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