Greetings from Burkina Faso! Here’s another quick update on our summer ministry. I mentioned last time that I was going to Dakoro to spend about four days with our team there. Easily the most significant happening during my time there (from my point of view anyway) was a meeting we had with the chief. He was very welcoming and gracious with us. He tried to encourage us by explaining how Islam and Christianity lead to the same place. Of course, I disagreed, but I was a bit hesitant about whether I should tell him what I thought, with him being the chief and all. I pondered and said a quick prayer. Then I had the opportunity to explain to him some of the differences between Christianity and Islam: namely, Jesus Christ being God rather than a mere prophet and salvation by grace and faith rather than works. I feel like he received the words well. He must not have been terribly offended since he showed up at church the next Sunday. The chief sitting through a church service is a very significant event. I thank God for this opportunity and the words He gave me. Please pray with me for the chief of Dakoro. Romans 10:1 – “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”
We are at the midpoint of our summer ministry. Last night we said goodbye to a group of seven volunteers and said hello to a group of four new volunteers. We are now orienting these newcomers and will be going out to villages again on Saturday. Two groups will continue to work with the Tiefo and Lyele people groups while I will take a new team to the Vigue people for another two weeks and a couple days. Please continue to pray for us and these unreached peoples.
Praise God for:
* the openness of the Dakoro chief and the opportunity to share with him.
* opening doors for the Word and giving us the opportunities to share.
* the volunteers God has sent to serve with us.
Please pray for:
* God to continue to open doors for the Word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ (Col. 4:3).
* God to work in the hearts of Seydou, Kareem, and Vali.
* patience, endurance, wisdom, guidance, and health for us and the volunteers.
* the volunteers who return to the States to be able to communicate what God has done in their lives and among these unreached people groups.
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers. God bless!
June 23, 2006
June 14, 2006
Burkina newsletter #8
Greetings from Burkina Faso! I just came in yesterday from the village of Karankasso-Vigue with the ISF sports ministry team and wanted to give you a quick update. They were a fine group and we had a very positive stay in the village. Although they were technically a sports ministry team, we did very little of that. Since it is the planting season, most of the young people (who are the ones we would play sports with) spent their days in the fields. However, the team was very flexible and joined the Vigue people in what they were doing: planting, plowing, cooking, pounding grain, drawing water from the well, watching the World Cup, etc. It was certainly a learning experience for all of us. We learned that the Vigue people are unbelievably hard workers as well as gracious and generous hosts. However, we also learned, as we had been told, that they are a people completely without the Gospel. We still know of no Christians among this group.
Last newsletter I requested you to pray that God would open a door for the Word so that we might speak forth the mystery of Christ (from Colossians 4:3). Thanks be to God, He answered that prayer and we were able to share the Gospel with a few men: Seydou, Kareem, and Vali. Each of them, along with all the Vigue, are Muslim. We were frequently reminded of this fact by the call to prayer which we heard throughout the day as we were staying with the chief’s family, a stone’s throw from the local mosque. Nonetheless, God used us to plant these seeds of the Gospel as well as others. We trust the Lord to cause these seeds to grow (1 Corinthians 3:6). Please pray for these men, two of whom I expect to meet again when I return to Karankasso-Vigue on June 24th for two more weeks of ministry. The third, Seydou was from another village, Diosso, but we first spoke to him while he was in our village. One day we took a short road trip to visit Diosso on their weekly market day. While there, we ran into Seydou who was just coming from his field as we were just turning around to head out of town. I was able to discuss things with him further as the others prayerwalked. We definitely saw this as a divine appointment. Thank God for these encounters and please continue to pray for God to open new doors for the Gospel.
I also want you to know of how good God was to us during our time in the village. There are so many things that can go wrong: sickness, interpersonal conflict, cultural mistakes, etc. To my knowledge, we were spared all of these. I give credit and thanks to God for that. Thanks for your prayers along those lines. 2 Corinthians 1:10-11 says “On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” Please continue to help us by your prayers and give thanks for God’s gracious favor.
My upcoming schedule: Tomorrow I’m going to join one of our other teams in a village called Dakoro, near the border with Mali and Cote D’Ivoire. There we are working among the Senufo Senara people. They are a group of roughly 40,000 people with about 50 known believers. We will be there only until the 19th. On that day, our remaining three teams will come in from their villages. Some will be leaving on the 21st, the same day that four new volunteers arrive. On the 24th, I will return with a new team to Karankasso-Vigue for about two more weeks. Please press on in praying for us.
Praise God for:
* bringing these volunteers to join us in the task of the Great Commission.
* a blessed week in Karankasso-Vigue with the ISF team.
* opening doors for the Word and giving us the opportunities to share.
Please pray for:
* God to continue to open doors for the Word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ (Col. 4:3).
* God to work in the hearts of Seydou, Kareem, and Vali.
* patience, endurance, wisdom, guidance, and health for us and the volunteers.
* the volunteers who return to the States to be able to communicate what God has done in their lives and among these unreached people groups.
Thanks again for helping us with your prayers. God bless!
Last newsletter I requested you to pray that God would open a door for the Word so that we might speak forth the mystery of Christ (from Colossians 4:3). Thanks be to God, He answered that prayer and we were able to share the Gospel with a few men: Seydou, Kareem, and Vali. Each of them, along with all the Vigue, are Muslim. We were frequently reminded of this fact by the call to prayer which we heard throughout the day as we were staying with the chief’s family, a stone’s throw from the local mosque. Nonetheless, God used us to plant these seeds of the Gospel as well as others. We trust the Lord to cause these seeds to grow (1 Corinthians 3:6). Please pray for these men, two of whom I expect to meet again when I return to Karankasso-Vigue on June 24th for two more weeks of ministry. The third, Seydou was from another village, Diosso, but we first spoke to him while he was in our village. One day we took a short road trip to visit Diosso on their weekly market day. While there, we ran into Seydou who was just coming from his field as we were just turning around to head out of town. I was able to discuss things with him further as the others prayerwalked. We definitely saw this as a divine appointment. Thank God for these encounters and please continue to pray for God to open new doors for the Gospel.
I also want you to know of how good God was to us during our time in the village. There are so many things that can go wrong: sickness, interpersonal conflict, cultural mistakes, etc. To my knowledge, we were spared all of these. I give credit and thanks to God for that. Thanks for your prayers along those lines. 2 Corinthians 1:10-11 says “On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” Please continue to help us by your prayers and give thanks for God’s gracious favor.
My upcoming schedule: Tomorrow I’m going to join one of our other teams in a village called Dakoro, near the border with Mali and Cote D’Ivoire. There we are working among the Senufo Senara people. They are a group of roughly 40,000 people with about 50 known believers. We will be there only until the 19th. On that day, our remaining three teams will come in from their villages. Some will be leaving on the 21st, the same day that four new volunteers arrive. On the 24th, I will return with a new team to Karankasso-Vigue for about two more weeks. Please press on in praying for us.
Praise God for:
* bringing these volunteers to join us in the task of the Great Commission.
* a blessed week in Karankasso-Vigue with the ISF team.
* opening doors for the Word and giving us the opportunities to share.
Please pray for:
* God to continue to open doors for the Word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ (Col. 4:3).
* God to work in the hearts of Seydou, Kareem, and Vali.
* patience, endurance, wisdom, guidance, and health for us and the volunteers.
* the volunteers who return to the States to be able to communicate what God has done in their lives and among these unreached people groups.
Thanks again for helping us with your prayers. God bless!
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