April 28, 2005

Before Dominke left for Boulwando, he stopped by for a few words. He is excited and encouraged by the building project. There have been faithful members of the church who are assisting in the project. They are averaging five full-time workers; Harouna KONSIMBO, Hamado KONSIMBO, Lokre KONSIMBO, Yamba KONSIMBO, and Yembi KABORÉ. Others have been coming occasionally depending upon their schedules, such as; David SAWADOGO, Mahamadi KONSIMBO and Mouni KONSIMBO.

More and more of the members of the church are taking an active part in the church services. We are starting to have different members give their word of testimony during the services. Others are taking a part in taking the offerings. Still others are involved in giving a little devotional.


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April 27, 2005

Estelle has been coming off and on for almost a year now. Tonight she brought her older sister, Adèle, for the first time. Adèle had her new born baby with her. Both sat through the Wednesday evening services intently listening to the Bible study. During prayer time they were quiet and reserved.

But, after the services, Mary talked with them on the steps leading out the door of our small room for church services. Outside on the steps, almost a half hour after the end of the services, both Estelle and Adèle received Christ as their personal Savior. It was a great answer to prayer, as we have been praying for Estelle the moment she visited our church almost a year ago, and a tremendous blessing to she Adèle receive Christ on her first visit. Praise the Lord!

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April 24, 2005

Harouna gave his testimony in church today. In his testimony he mentioned that he first came to our services when we started meeting under a tree. He heard the gospel but did not respond. He came off and on for a few more months.

Then when we built the hanger, his excitement about the church grew. He began coming more and more, but still did not respond. Several months later, a single word, touched his heart. He can not remember the exact word, but he was really pricked in his heart. Still he did not respond.

He went home to talk with his father, who is a Muslim, about becoming a Christian. His father was opposed to the idea, but would allow Harouna to make his own decision. That week Harouna responded to the gospel call and was converted. His salvation came about after eighteen months of “visiting” the church.

Since his conversion he has been faithful to all of the services. He has assisted in the building program; not missing a single day of work since the start of the construction two months ago.

Dominke has been discipling Harouna during the evening hours after the daily work on the building. According to Dominike, Harouna is responding well to the Bible studies and is extremely excited about his new found faith.

We stand in amazement of the wonder working power of the gospel.

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April 23, 2005

The building in Boulwando is going well. All of the brick are in place, to the exact height. All that is left is the roof, doors, windows and floor. Progress has been slower than expected, but we have seen some faithfulness in some of the men of the church.

April 17, 2005

Harouna KONSIMBO since his baptism in February has become a really integral part of the work in Boulwando. He has not missed a single work day since the commencement of the building project. He has been faithful to the church services every Sunday. He has started to help in the worship services. Last week he led the congregational singing. This morning he took the offering.

He has great potential. Unfortunately his education is sorely lacking. He has no formal school training; not even elementary education. His French is severely limited to a few greetings. His Mooré is his mother tongue, but he is unable to read and write in Mooré. Ésaïe OUÉDRAOGO has been teaching the basics of reading and writing Mooré, but progress with the village is slow. We are at a loss as to how to proceed with him. It is becoming obvious that the Lord’s hand is upon him. May the Lord grant us the wisdom to do His will with this young man on fire for Jesus Christ.

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April 16, 2005

We have been approached by another missionary/pastor about the prospect of sending a young preacher to our Institute. There are not too many Institutes in all of Burkina Faso and very few in the Ouagadougou area. God is continuing to give the Fundamental Baptist Institute of Ouagadougou a good testimony among the Burkinabé.

We are in the process of developing some innovative programs for the I.B.F.O. Please pray for wisdom as we seek to make the I.B.F.O a more viable, vibrant and vital Institute for the Burkinabé.

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April 13, 2005

Dominike and Ésaïe will be travelling out to Boulwando after the Institute studies this morning. They will be responsible for continuing the building project with the help of some of the members of the church.

Our goal is for these two men to go to Boulwando every Wednesday afternoon and return Sunday afternoon to prepare for the Institute each Monday morning. This is possible because of the purchase of the two mopelyttes last fall. We did not realize the importance of these mopelyttes but they have become an integral part of the overall ministry here. (Thank you Lord!) The rest of the students will remain in Ouagadougou.

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April 11, 2005

We have started the second semester of the Fundamental Baptist Institute of Ouagadougou with seven students. (Christophe, Jean and Harouna are not part of the student body this semester.)

Things started out well. We will be teaching several theological courses such as ; Christologie, Ecclésiologie I, Eschatologie I, Angelologie and Anthropologie, and several practical courses such as ; Former des Disciples II, Homilétique, and Église et la Mission. We will also have three teachers ; myself, André BAZIE, a national pastor/missionary from Koudougou, and Keith Shumaker, another independent Baptist missionary.

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April 08, 2005

Dominike KONSIMBO telephoned this morning about the building in Boulwando. Apparently one of the police commissioner’s officers came to the construction site and demanded that the construction be halted because we have not purchased the official stamp from the préfecture.

Not quite understanding exactly what to do, seeing as we have filed paperwork after paperwork with the various governmental agencies including the police commissioner and the prefecture, Dominike and Yamba KONSIMBO immediately went to visit préfet. She insisted we needed an official stamp to continue construction.

So Dominike and Yamba went to the director de forêt and purchased the needed stamp. Total cost for the official stamp : 200 fcfa (about forty-one cents) !!!!!!!

April, 05, 2005

Esthère, Ésaïe’s wife, delivered her baby this morning. She had a little boy who weighed just over three kilos. Both she and her newborn are in good health and they both should be home within a few days.

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April 04, 2005

We went to the building site this morning, not so much as to see the work as it was to bring Ésaïe home to care for his pregnant wife, as she fell ill Sunday night (04/03).

Last night Naomi, Ésaïe’s daugher, and a neighbor, Souley, came over concerned about Esthère, Ésaïe’s wife. She is nine months pregnant and about ready to have her fourth child at thirty-eight years of age. She became really sick in the stomach and was concerned for the child. So we encouraged her to go to a neighborhood clinic and assured her we would get Ésaïe from the village Monday morning.

After Ésaïe’s arrival we found out that Esthère is feeling much better and is expecting to have this child within a week. Please pray for the OUÉDRAOGO family during this time, especially for Esthère’s health as she has had difficulty with previous pregnancies.

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April 03, 2005

Helene, the young French student from Paris, called Saturday for directions to our church. We agreed to meet her at a common location and then drive to church together. We went to our rendezvous and waited, and waited, and waited, but she did not show up.

Discouraged we went to church without her. During the services Helen walked in bandaged up. She mentioned that she was involved in an accident while on her way to our rendezvous and was cut up somewhat. Still she wanted to come to church and began seeking our location out. She followed the map we drew for her and when she was close she began asking others where we were. They pointed her to our exact location and she gleefully entered our services.

Mary had a chance to talk with her about her salvation. She said that she was saved in a small protestant church in France three years earlier and was in the process of growing in grace. Hopefully we will get an opportunity to continue her discipleship while she is here in sunny Ouagadougou.

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March 29, 2005

As I was in a local restaurant reading some discipleship material, a young French student, Helene, approached me and asked if I was a pastor. As I confirmed her suspicions, she stated she was looking for a church to attend while she was in Burkina Faso working on her PhD in waste management from a French university. She had been in Ouagadougou for ten days, spending the Easter celebration alone, and will be here for another three months. She insisted she would come to church this Sunday.

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March 27, 2005

Today we celebrated Easter at Dassasgo by having a great service with a party at our house. The children received Easter packages at the church and then had the opportunity to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt in our yard. The attendance was good. We had over thirty-five present for the services.

Adjaratou brought her sister, Bibaita YAMÉOGO, to the services for the first time. After the services Mary had the opportunity to talk with her about Christ. Since Bibaita does not understand French, Alexis translated for her. Bibaita received Christ as her Savior this morning. Praise the Lord !

Our children decided to teach the adults Uno. It was fun to watch them learning how to play an American game. As the children played outside, the adults played Uno and enjoyed fellowship with one another. We will try and get some pictures up on our web page in a couple of weeks.

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March 25, 2005

Today we went to Boulwando for two reasons. The first reason was to check up on the building project and the second was to celebrate Easter with the children.

The building project is coming along well. The foundation has been completely laid. The walls are coming up. We will try and get some pictures of the work on our web page within a week or so. It was good to see a number of men and women assisting in the project. For the third time in three weeks I had someone, (a different person each time), mention that the most faithful person was Harouna KONSIMBO, a young nineteen year old man who was saved last August and whom we baptized February 20, 2005. They said he has not missed one single day and has been a very hard worker. Another Institute student mentioned he was a potential for our Institute. :-) (Unfortunately he has no formal elementary education whatsoever, but we do not know what God has in store for the future.) We have a picture of his baptism on our web page and will have some of him on the building project soon.

The second reason was to celebrate Easter with our children and some of the ladies. Mary has been working with the children and she wanted to have something special for the children this Easter. Since we will be having another Easter celebration at our house this Sunday, she decided to have something for the children of Boulwando Friday morning. It was well attended with just over ninety children and some of the ladies present. Paul SAYOUGA, Alexis KABORÉ and Dominike KONSIMBO assisted her in the children’s program. We should have pictures of this children’s celebration on the web page within a couple of weeks.

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March 22, 2005

This morning I had a meeting with Christophe OUÉDRAOGO, a man who had been seeking to attend our Institute for almost two years. He attempted to start the Institute during our first year, and we asked him to wait another year. When we started the second year, he was in his village taking care of some family business. So his wife came inquiring about him attending for the second year. We again hesitated because we wanted to speak to him personally about his desires and his reasons for attending. As we are approaching the start of the second semester of the second year, he made sure to contact me about attending when we start back up in April.

As I have already demanded a pastor’s recommendation, he had already submitted it to me with his pastor’s blessing almost two years ago. Today he again insisted that his pastor is excited about his attending our Institute.

We wanted to make sure he understood that he is not part of our ministry and he would have to remain faithful to his church during his time in the Institute. His church would have to pick up the financial burden of his expenses. (Of course we do not charge for attending the Institute, but daily living expenses would have to be paid by his church.)

Christophe may not come to our Institute, but we are excited about the word getting out about us. He is one of several from other churches that have inquired about attending the Institute. There have been several pastors inquiring about sending some of their men to our Institute, and there have been a few other missionaries inquiring about our Institute. It is good to have inquiries about the Fundamental Baptist Institute of Ouagadougou. We are excited about the testimony that is being developed by our new, growing, Institute.

March 19, 2005

In reflecting on ministry here in one of the poorest countries in the world, it is hard not to get concerned. There is so much need all around. One sees men and women, young and old, widows and orphans, and the physically and mentally handicapped on the streets every day. One meets people all the time whose happiness depends on earning just a dollar a day.

[I have never forgotten my first encounter with a street “bandit,” a young person who lives on the streets, when we first came to Africa several years ago in Bouaké. He had learned to live by cutting his leg every time he needed money, which seemed to be on a weekly basis. He understood “missionary” talk and could convince most missionaries of his sincerity. Moussa’s ingenuity in learning how to live on the streets still amazes me. (Please read of my encounter with Moussa from our prayer letter in 1999 at : http://bbfi-africa.org/Joyce/joycepl04-0599.html Use your browser's Back button to return to here.) There have been many others since then, both in Bouaké and in Ouagadougou.]

When someone from another cultural background arrives in an environment like this, they are perceived as “rich” and “powerful.” It is not hard to believe that some of these people, seeking a way to feed their families, would like to be joined to these “rich” and “powerful” people. It would not matter if they were missionaries or with another secular aid organization. It is hard not to “gain” a following in whatever endeavor one takes.

We feel the pressure in this respect to ministry here in Burkina. We feel that there are people who have sought to attach themselves to our ministries here as a way to live; to provide for their families; to have a hope for a better tomorrow. (We cannot fault them for these desires, nor would we ever disparage them from pursuing these desires.) We have prayerfully sought God’s leadership in who we are allowing to be part of our growing ministry team.

We have refused several requests from others to be a part of our Bible Institute. We have refused, time and time again, young, and sometimes old, pastors from wanting to become “Baptists” under our ministries. We have refused to start works in other villages at the requests of people from those villages. We have refused all these things with a broken heart; with the hope that we are allowing God to lead us; with the prayer that God would reach this country with the Gospel in all of the glorious manifestations of evident working in the hearts and lives of the Burkinabé.

We feel, by the grace of God, that He is continuing to provide quality people for ministry here. We have prayed over each of these co-laborers among the Burkinabé. We continue to pray for them each day. Still these doubts persist; have they attached themselves to a so-called “rich” and “powerful” person? Do they seek a ministry opportunity? Or are they after a “job”? We detest these nagging doubts as they hinder relationship building.

We have come to the realization that God’s will is being done. Whatever lies in the future, with respect to these men and their future ministries, is in the hands of the Almighty God who desires to see all of Burkina Faso impacted in the name of His Son. We thank God for any opportunity to be a part of building a sound Biblically based foundation here in the second poorest country in the world.

The only way to truly know where these men stand will be when they are completely independent of our training, our leadership and our finances. Oh, how we long for that day when we can truly have independent, Baptist churches, with independent, Baptist pastors who have Burkinabé leading them. Some may seek other missionary organizations in the future. Others, by God’s grace, with remain firm in the faith. We do not have any way of truly knowing until that day.

We do not know what God has in store for tomorrow. We have been given today, and today, these are the men, the women, that God desires of us to disciple, to train, to develop.

What more can we say?

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March 16, 2005

The building project in Boulwando has slowed down considerably. With much excitement, and the encouragement of each other, the foundation has been laid. But the enemy of our souls has brought discouragement and discontent.

We had hoped to use our own members as the laborers for most of the work. For the first few days many of our members came out and helped in the building of the bricks, the digging of the foundation and the gathering of the sand and rocks. But with the realization that no money was to be paid to those assisting in the building project the number of members assisting on a daily basis has dropped to only one or two at the most. There is the attitude that the Institute students are getting paid, which they are not, and therefore those others assisting ought to be paid also. Thus our Institute students are a little discouraged and our church members are a little discontent.

I am concerned that maybe we started the building project too quickly, as I had anticipated the need being realized and actualized by the church members. It simple may have been my wishful thinking that the church members were ready to tackle such a tremendous physical undertaking without a strong spiritual foundation.

Nevertheless, the building project is going forward. The Institute students understand more fully the necessity of having the church members realize the importance of a major project, and the church members are beginning to realize the truly local nature of the church.
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March 14, 2005

Dominike KONSIMBO related an experience he had while seeking supplies in Meguet, a small city south of Boulwando. As he was in the marché he took the opportunity to witness to one of the young sellers. As Dominike mentioned that all were sinners, this young man balked at the thought he was a sinner and refused to admit to this fact. Dominike opened his Bible and began to share the Word of God with him and he fell under conviction of the Holy Spirit. Still he refused to repent and accept Christ that morning. Dominike encouraged him to go to an evangelical church in Meguet, which he promised he would that Sunday.

The following week, as Dominike was in the same marché, this same young man approached him and said he was saved in church that very Sunday and wanted Dominike to meet his new pastor. As Dominike was talking with his new pastor, the pastor mentioned he heard of a young man from Boulwando called to preach who had a good testimony among the other Christians in the area.

That young man from Boulwando was Dominike. He was exicted, and humbled, by the testimony of this preacher who heard about his conversion and call into the ministry.

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March 13, 2005

I was told that Souleymane OUÉDRAOGO, our day guard, was not eating on a daily basis. As it was not Ramadan, seeing Souleymane is Muslim, we were worried. Unfortunately, Souleymane does not speak French and we do not speak Mooré.

So I asked Alexis KABORÉ to speak with him as to  why he was not eating and to also witness to him. After conversing with Souleymane he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. He moved from the domain of darkness into the light of life. Please pray for him, as it will be very difficult for him to speak to his family about this conversion experience.

March 12, 2005
 
Yesterday André BAZIE, a national missionary/pastor, came by enquiring about the start of the Institute.  We first established a relationship with him in 1997 by mail, as he was in an Institute with BIMI in Cote d'Ivoire preparing to return home to Burkina and we were in language studies in Québec preparing to come to Burkina.  Our relationship continued to grow while we spent our first term in Bouaké, Cote d'Ivoire, where his parents lived, and our relationship continues to this day.  André has a good, growing ministry around Koudougou, Burkina's third largest city. 
 
As we talked about the start of the Institute in April he mentioned that he has another possible student for the Institute; a young man named Jean who has been faithful to his works and who has been assisting in his works for a few years.   (Three of our present students have come up from his works; Ghislain NAGALO, Vincent BADO and Noël BADO.)
 
We are not sure that there will be room for him, as we are presently overflowing in our little dormitory/office/church building.  With only two small rooms for sleeping quarters for six men, and a small room for the studies as well as the church services, we cannot find much more room for growth.
 
These are good problems as they are signs of growth.  We desperately need a bigger place for the Institute as well as the church in Dassasgo.  We are beginning to limit ourselves because of our facilities. 
 
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March 09, 2005
 
Several weeks ago, as I was in the process of looking for brick molds in Ouaga, a crippled man walked up to me, asking for financial assistance.  He is one of many that come to us seeking some type of financial aid.  There are a host of organizations here in Ouaga to assist the physically handicapped and I usually try to steer them to the appropriate aid organization.
 
I felt it necessary to witness to Sèkou OUÉDRAOGO, the young crippled man living on the streets with a homemade crutch.  He could not understand much of what I was saying; both because of the obvious language gap between his Mooré and my French and because of his total lack of knowledge of anything remotely related to Christianity.
 
As the time wore on I wanted to maintain contact with him by inviting him to our Ouaga church in Dassasgo, which for him would be quite a distance.  He agreed that when he was in the area he would "look us up."  I left him my phone number so he could call when near our area.
 
That very Wednesday evening during our prayer time I mentioned his name as one in need of great prayer.  We began as a church body to pray for Sèkou.  I began to pray during my morning devotions for him. 
 
One week later he called and said he was in the market at Dassasgo.  We went to meet him and could not find him.  I sent Alexis along with Paul to seek for him throughout the day, but none of us could find him.
 
We continued to pray for him. 
 
This morning he called again.  Instead of rejoicing in re-establishing contact with him, I was frustrated that he would call so early during my study time.  Instead of seeking another appointment with him, I insisted he called back later.
 
Continuing my study time brought me to Ephesians 6.6 where God told me about "doing the will of God from the heart."  My frustration quickly turned to a realization of my failure with Sèkou and a further revelation of my heart.
 
v     Lord, forgive me.  What a vivid illustration of my self-centeredness even as I seek to please you and serve You here.  I prayed daily for Sèkou and piously wondered how to make contact with him and then became greatly angered that he would call here so early in the morning.  How utterly pathetic!  I do ask Your forgiveness, Lord.  Lord how easy it is to do Your will my way.  How easy it is to sound pious and to really believe one is pious without really being pious or even understanding what being pious is.  I have been exposed for what I really am and I do not like it.  Forgive me, Lord!
 
This episode is greatly discouraging.  Looking into the mirror of God's Word reveals too many of my warts, wrinkles and weaknesses.  One little bit of consolation is that my God has revealed to me an area needing changing and by His grace I will change.
 
Please pray that God would be gracious and allow me another chance to minister to Sèkou!
 
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March 05, 2005
 
After having reviewed our renter's contract for the office in Dassasgo, we realized that the governmental paperwork stated we need to give a three month written advanced notice to vacate the premises.  We wrote the notice to vacate and gave it to the landlord.  Since he did not have another renter and no renter in the foreseeable future, he readily accepted the three month notice.
 
The men agreed that it might be better to have the building in Boulwando finished first before we move the works in Ouagadougou.  The pressures of two moves at the same time would be a little overwhelming for our small team of preachers.
 
So we will probably stay in our small office for a few more months while seeking a much bigger place close to the same area.
 
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March 06, 2005
 
Irène KAGONÉ walked into church this morning.  We have not seen Irène for almost two months.  She made a profession of faith last June and has been coming sporadically since then. 
 
Being a daughter of a preacher makes it a little difficult to become faithful in someone else's church.  It is also a cause of concern about spiritual growth.  Mary talked with her and she continues to insist she was saved last June. 
 
Listening to her talk with another new convert in need of baptism was encouraging as she admitted her need to be scripturally baptized. 

March 03, 2005

We have officially started the building project in Boulwando. We bought much of the material to start from a city called Pouytenga. It is a commercial center on the edge of the Mossi plateau. It is also the home city of Alexis Kaboré, who assisted us in getting the best possible prices in all of Burkina.

With the help of the Institute students, who will stay out in Boulwando until the building is finished, and many of the members of the church, with the oversight of the village elders the building was marked off and the digging of the foundation was started this morning.

The estimated time for completion has been stated as quickly as two weeks and as long as two months. Since we will be doing all of the work ourselves, it will be an interesting to see how much time it actually will take.
 

February 26, 2005

We had a brief meeting with the men of the church and Institute to brainstorm the events that is coming upon us; the building program in Boulwando, the moving of the church in Dassasgo as well as moving the Institute and the start of the second semester of the Institute. We developed some good goals. Unity prevailed throughout the morning meeting.

Paul SAYOUGA who accepted Christ on November 27, 2004 was present. He has been faithful to participate in all of our church services, activities and meetings, and when he could not make an event wrote notes to let us know why he was not present. After the meeting he asked to talk with me about the Institute.

(I do not ask men about attending the Institute, nor do I seek to encourage them to think about being part of the Institute. When someone accepts Christ and begins to grow, we start to pray for God’s will in their lives. We do not encourage the other Institute students to talk with others about coming to the Institute. The decision to pursue becoming an Institute student rests solely within oneself.)

So, Paul mentioned how he had grown in grace and how much he wanted to serve the Lord. He understood the financial difficulties of becoming a pastor. He understood the costs of wanting to serve the Lord. Still, he insisted, his desire was to devote his life to the service of Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord! God has added another Institute student to the Fundamental Baptist Institute of Ouagadougou.
 

February 23, 2005

As the Wednesday evening Bible study commenced, Abdoulaye ZÉBRÉ walked in confused and cautious. I could tell he was looking for someone. After the singing we rearranged ourselves and I noticed Alexis KABORÉ moved over to sit next to Abdoulaye. Throughout the Bible study I observed Alexis helping Abdoulaye with the handout notes. During prayer time they prayed together.

After the services Alexis introduced me to Abdoulaye as a new Christian who just accepted Christ the week before. This was the very first person Alexis led to the Lord that came to church. He was really excited about having this opportunity. Immediately he asked for the first lesson in our discipleship program to start discipling Abdoulaye.

The excitement and enthusiasm of a new Christian is contagious. I stand amazed at the wonder working power of the Lord.
 

February 22, 2005

We made another trip to the village in preparations for the start of construction. We spoke again to the mason and some of the adults of the church. Our goal is to get as many members as possible involved in the construction, as it is their church and their need.

After the meeting we were told of a funeral where the masques were present. They invited us to  visit this funeral fête. After driving to the other side of Boulwando, about ten kilometers, we arrived at the home of the family having the funeral. We noticed various trees wherein were groups of people. Ésaïe OUÉDRAOGO said that they were grouped according to family. Yamba KONSIMBO secured the permission of the landlord to have us observe, but without taking any pictures. We walked toward the largest group of people wherein were three men in masques dancing around and frightening the people. Wherever they walked the crowd followed them. Shortly thereafter the landlord returned to state that the masques did not like the white people there and we were asked to leave. It was an interesting “fête” to observe and we hope to learn more about this animistic funeral in the very near future.

February 20, 2005

This morning the Fundamental Baptist Church of Boulwando held its third baptism with twenty new believers being baptized.  All of our previous baptized believers have been at least teenagers, but this morning we allowed children to be baptized if they had been faithful, if they had been through the four week baptismal course, if their parents have given their personal consent, and if they have talked to our young preacher, Dominike KONSIMBO and convinced him they were saved and they understood the reasons for baptism.  So this morning we baptized four nine year olds, four other children under twelve, five adults and the remainder, seven, were teenagers.

We celebrated the Baptist way :-) , by having a great meal after the services for all those new baptized believers, their families, the “assistants” of the church and the elders of the village. Yamba KONSIMBO, one of the first converts in Boulwando, took on the responsibility of organizing this celebration. (As we were enjoying the rice with chicken and goat meat, and drinking our bissap, we realized Yamba did a great job.)  It was really hard to determine exactly how many were present, but I did a quick count of those inside the “hangar” where we had over 100 people flowing out the back door of the “hangar.”  On the outside, under two different trees, sat another large number of people.  A good guess would be that just a little less than two hundred people were present for the baptism and celebration afterwards.  This is not counting the multitudes that continued to pass by throughout the morning, stopping for a few minutes to salute us and others.
 

February 19, 2005

The Fundamental Baptist Church of Dassasgo challenged their sister mission church, the Fundamental Baptist Church of Boulwando, to a soccer match this morning.  The participants had to be regular “assistants” of both churches and included the old as well as the young, (I wanted to play), and the men as well as the women.  Our team of twelve arrived a little late but ready and willing to play.  After securing the rights to the soccer field from the local school, everything was ready.

It has been estimated that over three hundred people came out to watch this soccer match.  The local school, which usually has classes every Saturday morning, dismissed the classes early so their students could participate and watch these dueling Baptist churches fight for bragging rights.

Both teams were excited as the game kicked off. Boulwando scored the first goal late in the first half.  With the increasing intensity of heat in the Sahel during this season, both teams were ready for the intermission, as they flopped down near the closest tree.  Almost immediately after the start of the second half, Boulwando struck again, but, unfortunately, the referee nullified the goal for off-sides.  They scored again almost immediately after the off-sides call to take a two to zero lead.

With time running out, Dassasgo walked in for a quick score with less than two minutes left in the game.  It seemed as if the defenders of Boulwando were too lax.  Greatly encouraged by its goal Dasssasgo increased their attack to the point of overwhelming the Boulwando defenders and, within a minute of scoring their first goal, they tied it up.  Frantically, Boulwando stormed back with an aggressive assault that ended with the ball sailing high and wide over the goal post, thus preserving the tie; two to two.

After the hard fought struggle, we settled under the largest tree and our new Bible Institute student, Alexis KABORE, brought a brief devotion with his testimony of recent conversion and spiritual growth.  It was a tremendous encouragement for these young people who seldom get to hear positive testimonies living in the village, to hear his testimony of how he moved from darkness and doubt to salvation and security.

It was a very interesting first time for both churches and plans are under way for a rematch.
 

February 16, 2005

We made it official.  For months we have been praying, searching, and letting others know of our plight in Dassasgo with our building needs.  Our present location is too small.  Many of the other renters do not want our students living in what they consider an office.  So, we officially gave notice that we will be vacating the premises the end of this rental month, which will be the tenth of March.

We have not found another place, but we will still move somewhere.  Please pray that we will be able to find a great place in time to start the second semester of the Institute and to continue holding the weekly activities of the Fundamental Baptist Church of Dassasgo; Sunday services, Wednesday Bible study and prayer, and our Soul-winning club on Saturdays.

February 15, 2005

This morning we went to Boulwando to talk with the local mason about our building project in the coming weeks. After having left Dominike in the village last week to take care of a few things; paying the expenses of those involved in giving us the land as well as all of the government fees, starting to build a “hanger” and a water basin to have our baptismal service this coming Sunday, I was surprised to see that almost all of it has been accomplished by our young protégé.

If you could have seen this frightened, fledgling fetisher almost two years ago when we first met him, and today, you would be as surprised and satisfied as I was this morning. This sad, shy, scrawny young man is being transformed by the grace of God. He held his head high. He walked with purpose and direction. He spoke confidently and with authority.

I had thought of leaving a couple of others in the village to help him along the way, but this confident young man, confident in God’s calling upon his life, insisted that it would not be necessary as he had things under control and was actually looking forward to the coming weeks with great excitement.

I am amazed at the transforming power of the grace of God. Amen!

February 13, 2005

We had our second baptism in Dassasgo this morning with five people, including my daughter, Rebekah, and my son, Caleb, being baptized. (Their pictures will be available on our web page soon.)

We had a “regular” church service in our small office where I preached on baptism. (Normally our converts are required to attend a four part series on baptism before being baptized.) After the services we used our vehicle as a taxi to transport our congregation to a friend’s house where we baptized the five in his pool. It took several trips. :-) Immediately after baptizing these believers, we taxied our small congregation to our house where we celebrated with a feast.

There were several new converts, and some older Christians, who are in need of being scripturally baptized in our Sunday morning services. It was a tremendous blessing to have them present to witness the faithfulness of others, (their family and friends), in following the Lord in believers’ baptism.

It was a very good day for the Fundamental Baptist Church of Dassasgo.

February 10, 2005

Today we visited with the Grand Naba de Meguet. He had been insisting we personally visit him as a way of introduction. It was a very interesting meeting. We were surprised at how much homage is paid to him by virtually all the Burkinabé.

After having been presented to the Grand Naba by a “médiateur” we were ushered into a thatch covered patio where several of the Grand Naba’s men were sitting on the floor around him and the four plastic chairs reserved for us. We were told to not offer to shake his hand until, and unless, he extended his hand to us. He immediately extended his hand to each of us; Mary our youngest son, Caleb, and me.

After questioning the home town village of our entourage, Dominke KONSIMBO, Yamba KONSIMBO, Ésaïe OUEDRAOGO, Alexis KABORÉ, Paul SAYOUGA, and one of the elders of Boulwando, he then proceeded to talk with us in French. We introduced our family, and ministry in Boulwando. He already had knowledge of our ministry there for two years and was aware of all of our progress, having already given his approval for the land to be donated to us.

His right hand man, the chef de coutume, then asked that we be given free reign to do the work of God in Boulwando unhindered by anyone or anything. All of the men sitting around nodded in agreement and the Grand Naba proceeded to welcome us to his domain for the work of God. The Grand Naba then left the room briefly and returned with a chicken to give to Caleb. He insisted it was for Caleb and no one else, as he had a “liking” for him. We plan on eating his gift very soon. :-)

After the normal salutations of departure, one of his men proceeded to walk us to our car while he questioned whether he would be welcomed in our church. He stated that he and his family had been thinking of becoming “protestant” and accepting the “religion” of the Bible. I assured him that he and his family would be welcomed and our door would always be open for him. Not having the opportunity to continue this conversation, we agreed to see him and his family in church in the very near future. Please pray for him as it was difficult to talk openly in front of the Grand Naba and the other elders who follow the animist religion. We desperately need another opportunity to witness to him and, hopefully, his family without the intrusions or pressures of
others.

February 07, 2005

We are fast approaching our second baptism in Ouagadougou and our third in Boulwando. We anticipate having several baptized in Ouaga and over a dozen new believers baptized in Boulwando.

Tomorrow we will make a trip out to Boulwando to begin preparations for the building project. We are still waiting on the paperwork but all of the necessary documents and signatures have been submitted, including the final signature from the elder who donated some of his land on
Saturday, February 5th.

We are encouraged by the salvations decisions in our Ouaga work.  After having personally talked with Adjaratou last Sunday after the services it about her salvation it was really exciting to see her respond to yesterday’s invitation. On February 06, 2005, Adjaratou YAMÉOGO received Christ as her Savior.  You can see a photo of her on our Dassasgo page.  She has been coming rather consistently for almost two months.