Burkina newsletter #27

**Sorry but this newsletter is a little dated. I typed it up 9 nine days ago and forgot to post it.**

Greetings from Burkina Faso! August is the heart of rainy season here in Burkina. That is good for farmers and bad for researchers – as you’ll soon learn. Since last time I have been on two research trips, the first toward the border with Benin (Berba people group) and the second toward the border with Mali (Samo people group). Both trips proved to have a little adventure but were nonetheless successful. Minutes after having finished the research on the Berba some fan belts in the truck snapped leaving my traveling buddy Rodolphe and I stranded for about 4 hours while we waited for our rescuers to arrive from the capital. Fortunately we had finished the research and were able to use the time for reading (had some books), rest (had mats), worship (had a guitar), prayer (had the Lord), and some exploring in the bush (see photos below).

On the most recent trip we traveled among the Samo, to the northeast of Bobo. The Samo are quite a large group consisting of several different dialects. Yet the Lord allowed us to find some key people to give us the necessary information. Upon traveling to our last stop, a pastor far out in the bush, we encountered a road better suited for a canoe in some places than a car. We gave it a valiant effort but our rugged 4x4 truck finally succumbed to the mud. After fruitless efforts by Rodolphe, myself, and a hitchhiker (pastor’s brother we happened upon) to free the vehicle, it was decided that the hitchhiker and I should walk (and wade in water up to our knees at times) the rest of the way the pastor’s village. After just about 30 minutes we arrived and got the necessary information from the pastor. He then escorted me back to the truck and recruited man power from the folks working in the fields along the way. A couple hours, a half a dozen strategies, and 15 strong Africans later the truck was emancipated from the mud pit. As we drove off, Rodolphe said, “We sure do have a lot of ‘experiences’ together.” I could think of a lot of other words to substitute for “experiences.” In the end though, God is always good, our research trips are successful, and we have stories to tell. I’m happy to report that there are churches already doing good work among the Berba and Samo peoples. We need only encourage them and support them in prayer.

Tomorrow I will take another research trip, this time with Chris Long, an EMT who is volunteering with us for about a month. We will travel to different areas along the Mali border to search for the Dogon and Bozo peoples (yes that’s their real name). These are both people groups native to Mali who spill over a little into Burkina. We actually know very little about their locations so it will truly be a hunting expedition. Pray that the Lord will help us find them. After that – more research and adventure.

Praise God for:

* successful research trips among the Berba and Samo – including the adventures.
* the good ministry already going on among the Berba and Samo people.
* good rains which cause mud pits and crops to grow.

Please pray for:

* continued safety and success on upcoming research trips.
* the ministry among the Berba and Samo to continue to advance.
* the peoples of Burkina who do not have the blessing of many churches and believers: the Vigue, Western Karaboro, and Komono, to name a few.

Thanks so much for your continuing prayers and support. God is with us! Blessings!

final thought:

Sympathy is no substitute for action.

~ David Livingstone

Bugs

My good friend Rodolphe (the guy in the photo) and I recently took a research trip toward the Benin border. On the way we saw this elephant (and another) on the side of the road. Later we had a couple fan belts break and were stranded for about 5 hours on the side of the road. During that time we encountered some of the bugs seen below.
The amazing dung beetle rolling his ball of dung.
A couple sculpting the ball out of a fresh cow patty.
This is a big stinkin spider! His rear end was bigger around than my thumb!
Butterfly on Nalgene.