Greetings from Burkina Faso! Bartlett Baptist Church had a positive second trip to Karankasso-Vigue. They made known to the chief their commitment to return to the village periodically. The chief is still very open and seems genuinely happy about their commitment. We are continuing to build new relationships and are strengthening old ones. Team members were bold in sharing the Gospel on several occasions. Karim (one of the chief’s sons) told us that he is very close to choosing to follow Christ and that he knows others who are in the same boat. He admits that the problem is that no one wants to be the first. Karim told us “when I’m in – I want to be all in.” He and others are counting the cost. Please pray that God will give Karim and other Vigue the courage to take the step to follow Christ.
Compassion Church of Raleigh has come and gone as well. During their vision trip we visited with the Turka, Senufo Senara, Sambla, and Western Karaboro peoples. The first stop was the Western Karaboro village of Tengrela where the chief had formerly told us that we would need to provide a sheep and chicken for them to sacrifice if we were to spend significant time in their village. When we arrived we greeted the chief and he repeated his ultimatum. We repeated our conviction that we could not contribute to their sacrifices. We mentioned that we had a doctor in the group and that he could take a look at some people if there are any health problems. Of course there is no lack of those in the village and the chief was OK with the idea. After some time of the doctor treating various ailments we decided we would leave since we were still not officially welcome in the village. We told the chief we would pass by again at the end of the week. At the second meeting the chief reluctantly gave the OK for us to come again and stay longer (without bringing animals to sacrifice). Still the situation is quite tenuous. Thank the Lord for this small opening of a “door for the word” (Col. 4:3) and pray the door will be opened wider. Please pray for Compassion Church as they seek how they are to minister here in Burkina.
Currently we have an old friend and a new one visiting us. Tiffany Folse formerly served in Burkina as a Journeyman (2-year missionary) with the Woods. She is accompanied by her friend Tylina. While here they will visit Tiffany’s old stomping grounds and then see some of the areas we’ve been seeking to minister in. After their departure the Woods and I will be on our own again, for a few weeks anyway.
As another year in Burkina has come and gone (as of March 3) I have been able to reflect a little. I will simply say that God has been so good to protect me, sustain me, teach me, and use me here. I am so unworthy to be His servant much less His child. I thank God for shepherding me on this adventure of ministry. I pray that He will be exalted among the nations. And He will be. (Psalm 46:10)
Praise God for:
* calling and sending more laborers, churches like Bartlett Baptist and Compassion Church, to play their part in the Great Commission.
* the return visit of Tiffany and the first for Tylina.
* another wonderful year in West Africa.
Please pray for:
* the Lord to continue to draw Karim and the Vigue people to Himself. Pray that He will give them the courage and faith to follow Him.
* God to guide Compassion Church as they seek their place of service in Burkina.
* God to be exalted among the Turka, Senufo Senara, Sambla, and Western Karaboro peoples.
Thank your for your interest in me and more importantly the unreached peoples of West Africa. Thank you so much for your prayer support. And now in honor of another year in Africa, a new feature for the newsletter: the final thought (see below) –
An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.
An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.
~ G.K. Chesterton
Here are a couple guys playing on a traditional balofon (West African cousin of the xylophone). The bars are made of wood. Under the bars are some gourds of various sizes with a hole chopped out of the top to allow for resonation.
Here are some rock stars who came to visit recently. Get it? "Rock" stars. Anyway. These are the three guys from Compassion Church who recently came on a vision trip (sorry - other team member Sam is not pictured). The guy on the top left is a Burkinabe pastor who we've partnered with for quite a while. These rocks are part of one of the coolest places in Burkina. They're called the Peaks of Sindou.
Have I shown you the cashew fruit yet? If not here it is. These things grow on short little trees. The yellowish-red part is edible though I'm not surprise it is not as popular as the nut. The green part is supposedly poisonous. Interestingly that's where the nut is found. 
Here's a little guy fishing for a mango. Those are the little green things hanging from the tree. Think about this. It has not rained a drop here since October, yet the mango is coming ripe and is one of the juiciest fruits there is. How does that work?
Just a fun flower I saw recently. Check out the thorny stem on the left.
