Burkina Faso Outreach :: BFOAfrica.org

People often ask about the weather and conditions in Burkina.  So, I thought I'd share a bit about the windy months of February/March, the months of Harmattan.  I looked up Harmattan in Wikipedia to help explain:

The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows south from Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March (winter).

On its passage over the desert it picks up fine dust particles. When the Harmattan blows hard, it can push dust and sand all the way to North America!

Imagine riding on a motor bike fully exposed to this ferocious wind coming straight at you - that's life in Burkina right now.  Who wants to come visit?  Oh, you'll get used to it.  Although, I don't think we ever stop complaining about the layers of dust that tint our hair auburn, color our skin brown and leave thick layers on everything in the house.  Along with the harmattan winds, the temperatures start to rise.  We enjoyed a wonderful cool season (the Africans would say COLD); but are now preparing for the 115 degrees that almost bring life to a standstill during the months of mid-March through mid-June.  

I've been blessed with a short term missionary from Canada!  Her name is Kristin Deboer.  She is a musician/music teacher and spent about 6 months in the capital city studying French, teaching piano to youth in the church, and visiting an orphanage.

She wanted to spend her last couple months in Burkina outside of the capital city, so came to Yako in February.  She has been a tremendous help at a time when I didn't even realize how badly I was going to need help.  With my upcoming trip to the States, I have much to do.  Kristin has been participating in one of the 4 classrooms each morning.  She helps out, plays the guitar (which they love), and gives me feedback as to how things are going.  In addition, she has taken on the responsibility of sponsorship visits and the initial home investigations for children who have newly registered for the program.  She spends two afternoons/week blessing the babies at 2 different orphanages in town.  And, lastly, she has been helping me create materials to be used in the classrooms.  

While she does all that, I take bubble baths, read and do my nails.  Just kidding!  Kristin's support has made it possible for me to focus on developing the curriculum that will be needed in my absence, the teacher training materials; and making preparations for building the next school building. 

Together, everything that needs to be done for me to be able to leave with peace of mind will be accomplished, so Thank You Kristin!

Christmas!  What a joy it has been to be able to celebrate Christmas in Burkina Faso.  We started with our Shelter Classroom in the village of Gobila.  We were able to share with the children Why we celebrate Christmas, as well as share some of our American traditions.  We told them about the birth of Christ, about the shepherds, the three wise men, the guiding star, the gifts for a King....

They all decorated their own stars and helped me decorate my now beautiful Christmas tree (you just have to use your imagination).  Then, thanks to several wonderful donors, we placed a bag of gifts under the tree - each child received a brand new outfit which will be their holiday outfit and school uniform, a color book, crayons, brand new underwear and their own pack of cookies!  Following, they planted their very own trees in front of the classroom and we ended with games and watermelon.  They will remember this day for many years to come, and I pray they will begin to understand exactly why we celebrate Christmas.  

On Christmas Eve, my employees and I were able to deliver all the ingredients for a special Christmas meal to several widows who would never imagine such a blessing.  They received goat meat, rice, and all the fixings for the sauce - a true luxury.  We still laugh at the one widow who was so excited, she danced - topless, of course!  And, we get goosebumps as we talk about the one who had to turn away because she was tearing up (crying is considered to be a shame in front of others.)

It was truly a wonderful Christmas!  And, we have the New Year to look forward to!! 

I pray everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with many things to be thankful for!  Just so no one feels sorry for me, although I didn't celebrate on Thursday, I did get to celebrate.  In fact, I was blessed the day before Thanksgiving with a package from the USA which included a variety of my favorite breakfast cereals.  So, I splurged on Thursday with not 1, but 2 bowls of cereal!  

However, on Saturday I got to do a make-up holiday in the capital city.  At the International School, they hold an annual craft fair with local artists, fun snacks, music, the works.  So, I spent the morning at the fair with friends.  That night, my friend Lorinda who happens to love to cook prepared a feast.  We had the works.  So, you see, being a missionary is not as hard as you think! 

I just want to add that I'm so thankful for all the Lord is doing through Burkina Faso Outreach.  I'm blessed with wonderful donors, prayer partners, friends and family and on top of all that, I love what I do!  Thank You! 

This week we started our first "classroom under a shelter" minus the shelter!  I was once again reminded I'm in Africa as the shelter which they were certain would be ready in one week wasn't yet ready.  But we started class anyway under the shade of a few trees and sat on straw mats; and it couldn't have gone better!  The kids started out as sweet, innocent, shy little angels.  By the end, they were smiling, talking and having a great time.  As time goes on, we'll begin to discover their true personalities! 

In case some of you are behind, this is our first shelter classroom in a village.  We have enrolled 18 6-8 year old children and will hold a kind of "pre-K" class to prepare them for school next year.  The idea is, if all goes well in this village, we will build a couple more shelter classrooms in other villages and among these villages select the site for the next Christian Elementary School building.   

The two new teachers selected for this site, Bazie and Ousseni (2 young men) also did a fantastic job.  They were surprisingly nurturing, patient, and animated with this group of young ones.  It's truly an exciting project.

We held a teacher training last week for 8 teacher candidates.  They all left excited and ready to help us work towards more opportunities for true Christian education.  Five have been offered part--time positions.  From those, we hope to develop teachers who will be ready to step into the next elementary school positions.   

I'm sure many of you have heard the stories of children being sold as slaves.  I've heard it, but I guess it was so incomprehensible that I was never really impacted by it. 

This week in our little town of Yako, a van was stopped for a common police check.  They found about 30 children, average age 12-16 en route to the capital city where buyers were awaiting their arrival.  Apparently they were 'stolen' from Mali, just 100 km north of Yako.  

They are currently being held in a room in our local Social Services offices while the authorities determine how they will get them back to where they belong.  The really sad thing is, several of them had gone willingly.  Of course they were fooled by promises of work and a better life in the capital city of Burkina; but to think life could get that desperate for children that young.  Those who have parents may have been willingly sent by their parents who struggle to provide for their children; so this seemed like their only choice.  

I visited them on Thursday and they seemed okay on the outside.  But, oh, what must be happening on the inside.  It's heartbreaking. 

We were able to provide food to the Social Services agency to help care for them.  It's probably better care than any of them will get once they get back 'home'.  Please pray!

 Just wanted to let you know that up until this past weekend, we thought we were going to suffer another famine this year; but Saturday and Sunday, it rained and gave the millet the last bit of moisture it needed!  Thank You Lord!!  I've been watching the stress on everyone's faces over the last month since the rains seemed to stop early.  It still won't be a bountiful crop but most people should have something to harvest.  Thank you for your prayers!

I'm enjoying a couple weeks in the capital city of Ouaga to do an intensive 2-week study of the tribal Moore language.  The majority of the population in Yako and surrounding areas are of the Mossi tribe, who's native language is Moore.  Those who attend school learn the National language of French. 

Most students struggle with reading comprehension and dictation which affects every other subject area.  First grade students, most of whom have never seen a book, held a crayon or spoken French are suddenly expected to sit still and learn to read and write in this foreign French language.  So, I hope to be able to create some curriculum materials to help children learn the very basic concepts of reading in their native language before they arrive at school and have to figure it all out when it all sounds like "blah, blah, blah".  I can empathize because right now the Moore sounds like "blah, blah, blah".  Wish me luck!