September 30, 2006

Instead of the Soul-Winning Club we went to Tanghin to visit with the Naba and to evangelize the neighborhood. With Missionary Mike Hillhouse driving, Paul, David, Eric, Alexandre and me took off early, reaching Tanghin by 9:15 AM. Dominike and Denis met us there, where we proceeded to visit with the Naba, who seemed genuinely encouraged by our visit. He gave his blessings for our evangelizing efforts and we divided up into two teams.

Dominike mentioned that a young man, Bouriema, from Boulwando has expressed interest in the Institute. Since the commencement is set for this Monday, we felt the need to visit with him and his family this morning. So Mike, Dominike, Paul and I went to Boulwando to visit with him. Although his French was a little limited, it was his age that caused us concern. At sixteen years old, we felt it would be best for him to remain faithful in the church in Boulwando under Dominike’s tutelage for another year or so. We really enjoyed meeting his family; his father with his five wives and eight other children.

Denis, who is the faithful member of Tanghin, took David, Alexandre and Eric with him. They departed and did not return until two hours after our scheduled rendezvous time. But when they returned they were very encouraged and said they could not quit because the reception was so great. They said eighteen people professed Christ this morning. All of them wanted to schedule another time for visiting as we have only touched very little of the village.

As we were waiting for their return, Paul took the opportunity to talk with two young men who seemed interested in what we were doing. During the course of their conversation, both Samuel and Oscar, responded to the gospel call.

After the joyful reunion of what had transpired this morning, we were treated to another sign of the tremendous needs here. On the way back to Ouaga Paul asked to stop for a few minutes in Mogtédo near the marché. As were we waiting in the car, and as is the custom here, we were quickly approached by the venders. Mike, Alexandre and the others started handing out tracks to each of them, which in turn encouraged even more to approach the car for more. We probably handed out much more tracks in Mogtédo than in Tanghin this morning. Alexandre leaned over to me and said we really need to schedule a visit here also.

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September 27, 2006

With the rains falling again this evening we decided to hold a session on the coming Church campaign with those who were able to get to church. The campaign starts in two weeks and we are expecting exciting things, as all those present said they have never been involved, or even heard of, a campaign like this. The barnstorming session went well and the enthusiasm was evident as everyone was ready to start immediately on their assigned tasks.

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September 24, 2006

Thirty-three people rode the “bus” route this morning. Over all attendance were 82 with several first time visitors. (Douninoma had two of his friends visit from his village; Ousmane and Etienne.)

Eric (Harouna) preached this morning from John 14 on “believing in God.” It was his first full message in Dassasgo; he had preached several times in Boulwando. He is still not comfortable preaching in French so he preached in Moore and Paul translated into French. It was an expository message wherein he sought to explain fully verses two to thirty-one. It appeared that most of our members and visitors were listening intently to his message.

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September 23, 2006

Rain came again this morning washing out our Soul-Winning Club. :-(

Alexandre left this afternoon for a rendezvous with his mother about his “former” pending marriage. Please pray for this difficult situation for him.

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September 20, 2006

Arriving at the church this evening in the dark we began thinking that we will not be able to hold services. Ten minutes later the power came back on, then went off again, and then came back on. We decided to hold services, but the lights went off and on several times during the singing and even during the Bible study time. We were very grateful to have the opportunity to hold services tonight, even if the lights were sporadic at best.

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September 17, 2006

There were thirty-six “bus” riders this morning, another good morning. Attendance remained high with ninety three in the services.

Ferdinand sang another special this morning, and it was again well-received. The message this morning was titled “Polluted Bread” from Malachi 1. Several raised their hands during the invitation.

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September 16, 2006

Nine men were present for our Soul-Winning Club. Daniel and Nestor were there for the first time. One profession of faith for the week, seventeen follow-up visits, and two discipleship lessons were reported for the week.

After the class, Alexandre mentioned that he is again having problems with his family about the break off of his marriage. He is insistent that he will not marry her, but his family, especially his father, is insistent that he follows through with the marriage. He is really in need of prayers as this is a very difficult situation for him.

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September 13, 2006

Continuing with our basic discipleship lessons this evening brought us to the Believers Protection. Attendance is growing in our Wednesday services. Several new visitors have come for the last two Wednesday evenings; including Issac and Daniel. Douninoma brought his friend, Eric, who came into Ouaga from their village. Eric made a profession of faith this morning.

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September 12, 2006

This morning the eleven year old nephew of Kadi died at the Children’s Hospital. The doctors could not determine the cause of his stomach problems, even stating that they have never witnessed this type of sickness in someone so young. Kadi, and her family, are devastated. Kadi is really discouraged about this great ordeal. She prayed and fasted for several days for his health. Yet, God did not seem to answer her urgent request which has caused her to doubt.

(When she went on her month vacation, she took her nephew to Bobo with her. He begged to stay here in Ouaga. Still her mother, and Kadi’s mother, forced him to go with her. While there Kadi and the boy’s mother made him, again against his will, to visit with his grandmother, who is a sorcerer. Somehow Kadi believes his sorcerer grandmother placed a curse upon him which caused him to develop this sickness from which he died.)

We went this evening to visit her and her family, only to be told they already had the funeral this afternoon. Muslims bury their loved ones the same day as their death, while the Christian communities bury their loved ones three days after their death.

Please pray for her, and her family, as this is a particularly difficult situation for her.

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September 10, 2006

We started out on time this morning for our “bus” route but we quickly realized that we would be late due to the health problems of several of our members. As we continued with the route we also begin to realize that we would have a good attendance, especially on the “bus” route. We counted a total of thirty-nine riders, we had several first time visitors.

Because of the length of the “bus” route this morning, we arrived late for the services to a packed house. It was very, very encouraging to see several visitors, including our day guard, Souleymane. We even ran out of parking for those riding their bikes. The total attendance this morning was 104; the first time we went over a hundred since our inception. Praise the Lord!

My message this morning was on Satan and his work among us. Because our services started late, I did not get into the pulpit until one and an half hour late. Sensing the Lord’s leading I trimmed down the message to the very pertinent points and gave an invitation. Over eight people responded to this invitation. We are still awaiting the final results of the follow-ups which we should receive tomorrow.

By the way, our first missions’ offering was 1,785 fcfa; a total of $3.50 USD. It seems small compared to American standards, but we are really pleased by this amount as it represents a start, and a sacrifice, on the part of our young church.

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September 09, 2006

During our Soul-Winning Club twenty recent converts were “follow-ed up” and there was one profession of faith, Daniel. Eight men were present for this study.

One of the most encouraging things happened this morning during our study. It was not even part of the program, but somehow we nicely dovetailed into the conversation of finances, especially missions’ offerings. I will break it down into two parts.

The first part of the conversation dealt with the “deacon’s fund” and how to properly administer it in the context of our church family and the tremendous needs that are evident each week. As several of the students acknowledged; we get a lot of calls for financial assistance because it is generally perceived that the “white” missionaries will finance the needs personally. So in the eyes of most of those asking for assistance, it is not so much in asking assistance from the church but simply from the “rich Americans.” It is a wrong perception that harms those truly in need from coming to Christ and trusting in Christ to provide their needs, as the students attested to. The final consensus was to allow those in need to come to the “pastors in training” for counsel about their needs. They, the students, are really desirous to be an active part of pointing others to Christ and His all-sufficiency for those who come to Him, and they are beginning to realize that God does indeed work on others through their financial circumstances.

The second part of the conversation, and the one that really touched my heart, was in relation to the missions’ offerings. Since our inception we have put in our weekly bulletin the tithes and offerings as well as a place for missions’ offerings, which has always been blank. Over the last couple of years we have briefly brought it up, but have purposely refrained from taking the initiative in asking for an offering specially designed for missions. About every six months or so, I have thought about simply taking a Wednesday offering designed for missions, but I have always resisted the urge to take the lead in asking for these offerings. So during the financial aspect of our conversation Paul stepped forward and asked when we were going to start supporting missions by taking a missions offering. He said since his arrival at our church he has noticed the missions’ offering. Recently God has begun to deal with him about our responsibility as a church to begin this offering. Realizing our church is new and full of new converts, our offerings will be low, but at least it is a start; something that truly needs to be done. Everyone else agreed with him and the consensus was to begin our first missions’ offering tomorrow and continue until the Lord comes back. Praise the Lord!

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September 06, 2006

Alexandre started a small electronic repair shot near the church. Since his work with the electric company is on a part time basis he decided to use his knowledge by opening up his own workshop. This morning as he was talking with one of his friends, Daniel, about a job in his new workshop the conversation turned to spiritual things. During the course of this “interview” Daniel repented and received Christ as his Savior.

Tonight we started a short series on the Protection of the Believer tonight. It was encouraging and exciting to see Daniel sitting in the services. Attendance continues to be “normal.”

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September 03, 2006

Twenty-nine people rode the “bus” route this morning with Mike and me. We actually picked up fourteen people in Tanghin; a first. Germane came back from Koudougou and rode the “bus.”

Missionary Mike Hillhouse (web page : http://bbfi-africa.org/Hillhouse/) preached this morning from Numbers 13. Alexandre attempted to translate, but Mike really felt at home with his French and actually did almost the entire sermon in French. It was a good message; well-delivered and well-received. The Hillhouse’s are adjusting well and making good use of their language studies.

After the services, two of our men approached me about the next date for baptism. These same two men, Nestor and Guie, have been asking about baptism for almost two months. Dominike, Eric and Douninoma have taught them the biblical basis for baptism and they are eager to follow the Lord in believers’ baptism. So we have set the date of September 24 for the next baptism. Please begin to pray that God will touch the hearts of those needing to be baptized; that they will see their need and respond as the Lord leads them.

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September 02, 2006

We did not have our Soul-Winning Club this morning because of our soccer match with a sister mission, under the leadership of Missionary Keith Shumaker, (web page : http://www.theharvest.net/). We drove down to his church in Tingandogo and commenced “on time.” It was encouraging to see many of our people come out to participate and to watch. Unfortunately we were soundly defeated 5-1. :-( Still it was a good ride home, fellowshipping in the vehicles and stopping for drinks at a gas station, and “talking” about how great it was to be able to have active participation with a sister church. (We hope to have some pictures up within a couple of weeks on our Dassasgo page.)

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August 30, 2006

It was good to resume our Wednesday evening Bible study tonight after a few rainouts. :-) We finished our study on a Believer’s Priorities. Attendance is beginning to climb back up on Wednesday evenings.

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August 28, 2006

This evening Alexandre came by to talk about a problem he was having with his family. Before his conversion, at the counsel of his father, he became engaged to a young lady. He paid his usual dowry to her parents to have the right to call her his fiancée. She then moved into his family’s home in Kaya.

(Courtship is vastly different here. One finds a potential mate, preferably someone who is not known to you or your circle of relationships, and then asks if they would like to pursue marriage. This is accomplished by talking to the fiancée’s parents, who when they accept the proposal, will gain “things” from the young man. This varies from person to person, but it usually consists of food items, clothing, and some animals. Then the building relationship begins. After a set time they consummate the marriage by a ceremony.)

After Alexandre’s conversion he began to ask prayer for his situation with respect to his fiancée. He has finally come to realize that his fiancée does not have the same desires he has to serve the Lord and he does not want to pursue the marriage. (I do not know how common it is to break off an engagement here; what we normally call it is courtship or even simpler; dating.) His father is totally opposed to the idea, as is his fiancée. He is in desperate need of our prayers for courage to do the right thing. Please pray for this difficult situation that he finds himself in.

(Marital situations are one of the most difficult to discern and to deal with here. There have been so many situations that have come up since we’ve been here that still makes us wonder.

One of our guards, after strong objections from us, took a second wife, which caused his first wife to leave with his three children. According to our guard, his pastor is now encouraging his first wife to return to the marriage and accept his new wife as part of the family.

In Boulwando we have a man, Yamba, with three wives and sixteen children and they all attend our services.

Another nineteen year old young man, Hamado, a saved and baptized member of our church in Boulwando, was forced by the elders of the village to marry his brother’s wife when his brother died. She already has several children and she is twice his age. Dominike tried to stop it, but by the time he returned to “counsel” those involved Hamado had already been “married” to her.

We could go on and on about marital situations here, but suffice to say that our young converts are in need of prayer for their marital futures.)

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August 27, 2006

Twenty-eight people rode the bus route this morning, with several children riding for the first time. We are finally beginning to see some of the neighborhood children from Tanghin coming.

Douninoma preached this morning for the second time. Although this was his first time as the only preacher and the first time for him to do the invitation. He preached on Christ being our Sacrificial Lamb. It was very difficult for him as one of our neighbors decided to down a tree during the services with chainsaws. Between the crashing of the trees and the roaring of the chainsaws it was difficult to hear his “quiet” voice. Still it was a well-prepared message that came from his heart.

As we were dropping off the “bus” route after the services several of the children from the neighborhood of Siao where Germane lived came up to us to ask if they could come next week. It is nice to be able to see some interest from these neighborhoods as we have been a constant sight each Sunday morning for the last six months.

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August 26, 2006

Nine men showed up for our Soul-Winning Club this morning. (Cecile, who has been coming, left for a visit to her family in Boulwando.) We continued with the study on the different types of people we will encounter during our visiting. This was the third of a four part series. When it came time for the reporting there were nine professions of faith and sixteen follow-up visits reported for the week.

During the study Alexandre mentioned that he is trying to set up a church service in Pissy in a couple of weeks. He is excited about the possibilities there among his family and friends. His biggest obstacle is seeking a suitable meeting place. Please pray that he will find the exact location God desires.

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August 23, 2006

I am amazed at how much of an impact rain can have on church services. (We really do need the rain and this year the rain started late, but recently it has been raining more than I can remember for the last three and a half years.) I guess with having unpaved roads it does make riding a bike much more difficult in the pouring rain. Even walking from our car into the services is an ordeal with mud puddles deep and wide. :-(

It rained again today and for most of the night, canceling out our services for the second time this year.

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August 20, 2006

As we were picking up and dropping off people for church this morning, Alexandre said he wanted to come with us to pick up his uncle and a friend for the services. His uncle, Yacouba, made a profession last week and eagerly came to hear his nephew preach. His friend, Naomi, works at a restaurant, and also came to hear him preach. We picked up a total of twenty-two riders for the “bus” route this morning.

Alexandre preached this morning on “Prayer”. He continues to exhibit confidence in preaching. Several responded to their need to be better prayer warriors. As has been his habit, he actively sought his family and friends to “assist” this morning to here him preach.

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August 19, 2006

There was no Soul-Winning Club this morning due to sick; mine. :-(

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August 16, 2006

« Priorités » remained our Bible study topic this evening. Attendance was normal. We were excited to see that Ferdinand return to Ouagadougou and to our services. We also had a new visitor, Jean, who works in the area, attends another evangelical church and had been told about visiting us for our Wednesday evening services. (It was encouraging to know that we were “recommended” but I encouraged him to remain faithful to his church.)

Mike gave a report on his brother’s health. He said the news is much, much better than last week when he first heard of his brother’s health concerns. The tumors are not cancerous. Praise the Lord! Jeff, his brother, is at Barnes Hospital in Saint Louis, with doctors who are seeking a good resolution to these serious problems. Please continue to pray for him. (Mike will be constantly updating his blog on Jeff’s health with additional prayer requests at : http://hillhousefamily.blogspot.com

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August 13, 2006

This morning was a very unusual service. Missionary Mike HILLHOUSE preached and Alexandre translated into French. As Mike is in language school he translated several phrases by himself. This was the first time for Alexandre to translate into any language, let alone English to French. Alexandre did a really good job, and Mike’s French studies are really beginning to pay off.

We picked up twenty-nine on the “bus” route this morning. Mike and I have been running this route since his arrival three months ago. We start on the route at 7:00 AM and pick up our first rider, Marcelline, at 7:15. We usually make about four to five trips each morning before church services start at 9:00. After services we usually get done by noon; but sometimes we do not finish until after 1:00 PM. This route has been a positive development in lives of our new converts and we are great encouraged by how the Lord is using it. (We are still in the process of raising the funds for a church/Institute van and for the funds to train several of our men as chauffeurs for this and, potentially, other routes.)

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August 12, 2006

We had seven men at the Soul-Winning Club this morning. There were eleven professions of faith and nine visits with those who recently professed Christ.

One of our former Institute students came during the Club time to ask for something official about his studies with us. He kept insisting that he receive an acknowledgement that he studied two full years. (He did not.) He kept interrupting the studies and would not allow us to proceed. I became a little curt with him, especially given our recent past history. (I have felt used by him and extremely discouraged that he would use us in such a way. Others have come forward since his departure with stories of his true character. All of this was a shock to me; even his departure from the Institute and the church took me by surprise. So I was discouraged and frustrated that I was too eager to engage him in a confrontation.) Naturally I lost my cool and my testimony. God pricked my heart about my attitude and my actions. During the course of the study I apologized to him and then to the other students about my attitude and actions. We proceeded with the studies with this former student standing around. He remained quiet during the entire study. This evening he received his paperwork stating he has been with our Institute from December 2004 to June 2006. Please pray for this former student because I am confident that he has the potential to be greatly used of God.

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August 09, 2006

I continued with our Wednesday Bible study on “Priorities” in our lives. We had a nice attendance for our Wednesday evening services. During the services Mike received a call about his older brother, Jeff, who had just found out he has two tumors in his brain. Please pray urgently for Jeff HILLHOUSE and his need for divine intervention in his physical life. Pray also for the HILLHOUSE family during this time of ordeal. (You can follow the recent prayer requests on Mike’s blogstop at :
http://hillhousefamily.blogspot.com )

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August 06, 2006

Rachel was a little low in her junior church. The adult class was normal. We picked up twenty-six riders on the “bus” route this morning. Those who promised to be there were absent. (We will continue to visit them and encourage them to start growing in grace.) Paul preached this morning on the “Temple of God.” It was a directed message and two ladies responded for assurance of salvation.

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August 05, 2006

Ten men showed up for the Soul-Winning Club this morning, including Vincent who is still waiting the results of his head scan. We had six people profess Christ this week. (Paul had the opportunity to talk with three men who responded to the gospel, but he has doubts about two of them.) There were another fifteen follow up visits of recent converts.

After the Bible study, David, Paul, Mike and I visited with Germane who was seeking corn to sell on the side of the road. After this short visit we picked up the manager of the American Rec Center, Alfred, who then took us to a marché which sells the foosball tables. Mike decided to buy one for the Institute and church as an outreach ministry. The men were surprised and appreciative for his, and Pam’s, act of generosity towards them and the ministry here.

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August 03, 2006

Late this morning Paul, Dominike, Harouna and I decided to visit some of our contacts. We visited with Etienne, who made a profession of faith in February of 2005, in his workshop at the marché, but who has been absent from our services since then. He was really excited to see us and said he was planning on coming to our film night but we did not come to pick him up. (It was rained out.) He said he would come this Sunday.

Then we visited with another “professor” who made a profession in August of 2005, Guebrina. Although he has not visited the church his name is very familiar to most of us because he comes from the same village as David, Douninoma, Paul and a host of other, and because he is a good friend of David, who has constantly asked prayer for him. He was surprised and excited to see us. I told him it was easier to pray for him since I have finally seen his face. He said he has been thinking about visiting. Then he said he would visit us this Sunday.

We went to visit with Josué. Unfortunately he was not there, as he has found work in Goughin, on the other side of Ouaga. His parents were there and stated they wanted to visit us as a family. So they are in the process of finding a time that all of their family can visit us in the near future.

Germane, Victoria, Sylvie and several other nieces and nephews of Dominike were next on the visit list. Sylvie was in school, but Germane and Victoria were there. Germane has been sick but she will try and come this Sunday. Victoria would not commit. This is the house of Dominike’s big brother and there are many people living there from Boulwando. It is a great opportunity to further reach out to the people of Boulwando. We covet your prayers for these nieces and nephews of Dominike.

After leaving their house, we were stopped by the police for not stopping when we were told. I could not understand what they we asking me to do, as we are normally asked to turn off main roads when someone “special” is riding by. I assumed it was the same thing and proceeded to turn off the main road only to be told to stop my car and surrender my car’s paperwork. Reluctantly I surrendered them, as I sough to defend my decision to turn off the main road. Of course I loss the argument and had to pay the 6,000 fcfa fine.

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August 02, 2006

This morning National Pastor/Missionary BAZIE came into Ouaga with Vincent, one of our former students who had to return home because of health problems. He has decided to do some type of scan on his head. The doctor believes there is something physical that has diminished his eyesight. He will have the scan tomorrow and hopefully receive the results by Friday. He would really like your prayers for his health situation.

As we were driving up to the church this evening I noticed Cecile was about a block away selling some stuff. I asked if she had starting pursuing more money to supplement her monthly salary. She said no because she had to quit her job. Her boss would not relent on her working on Sundays. So she decided it was really, really important to her to remain faithful to her recommitment to the Lord. Therefore she needs to earn money somehow and this opportunity of selling a few things on the side of the road seemed to be a possibility. It was really encouraging to see her make this definitive statement of her faith in a very tangible, and costly, way. Please pray for her and her needs.

Since Ghislian has returned from Koudougou he finished his Bible study on Ephesians this evening. He continues to make practical application to our daily lives. His emphasis was on the armor of God and the necessity for this armor. It is encouraging to see two our recent converts being faithful to the services; Emilienne and Guie.

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July 30, 2006

Anticipating a great crowd from our Friday night film, (which was rained out), we were a little disappointed in not having too many visitors this morning. Still we had eighty people in attendance this morning. Rachel continues to outgrow her facilities. Twenty-nine people rode the “bus” this morning, including a few new visitors from Marcelline’s neighborhood.

As we were waiting for Adjaratou and her group on the “bus”, one of the little girls said that Bibata will be coming again and she will be coming faithfully to all of the services. Even after the services as I was talking with her she again indicated her desire to become faithful. Her countenance has changed over the last couple of weeks and she seems to be enjoying the services and the fellowship with the other believers. Please continue to pray for her spiritual growth, as well as our other converts.

This evening Alexandre stopped by our house to introduce us to his younger sister, Evelyne. She came into Ouaga from her Koudougou and will be here for a month. She is excited about her new found faith, she was saved three weeks ago, and wants to come to church while she is here in Ouaga. Alexandre also mentioned that he has not found a meeting place for the Bible study/discipleship in Pissy (Goughin) but is still looking. He has handed out the first discipleship lesson and has started to study with each of those in Pissy individually. Please pray that he will be able to find a suitable meeting place for this Bible study.

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July 29, 2006

Paul taught the Soul-Winning Club this morning with only two men present. (As was the habit of the two churches I pastored in the States, several people will not come to a meeting/service if they know the Pastor will not be there. It is not a very spiritual characteristic for some to hold, but it is natural. Paul was a little discouraged, as this was to be his first time teaching this Bible study on soul-winning. I tried to encourage him with the reality that most pastors are more excited about those who are present when they know the pastor will not there, as opposed to the faulty thinking that many hold; i.e. if the pastor sees me there that shows my spiritual character. True spiritual character, I assured Paul, is found in the faithfulness of those committed to the work of the Lord, regardless of who sees them or not.) Still it was reported that four people made professions of faith through our street witnessing and another seventeen converts were followed up.

This afternoon Ghislain returned from Koudougou after taking his exams. He will not learn of the results until December, but he seems confident.

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July 28, 2006

Our scheduled film night at church this evening was rained out. :-( As Mike and I were sitting there watching the rain come down, Emilienne, who is our neighbor, walked in with a new friend and another older lady, anticipating the film night. Other than Dominike, all of the other men were stuck in various parts of the city seeking their friends for tonight; unfortunately God had different plans. Emilienne decided to stay around and play some ping-pong at the church.

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July 26, 2006

With Ghislain still in Koudougou, I continued teaching the Wednesday evening Bible study on “Priorities.” It was really encouraging to see Emilienne, Guie and Auguste back in our services.

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July 23, 2006

We had twenty-nine people on the “bus” route this morning. With several of our regulars missing for various reasons, it was a great attendance.

Rachel had fifty-five children crammed into her little room. She enjoys the increase in the children’s ministry, but really wants to find a solution for this problem.

We also had four first time visitors in our services. Two are our new neighbors who decided to attend this morning; Clarisse with her son, and her friend, Emilienne. Guie, the young man saved Friday, also came. It was also really encouraging to see Josué back in the services after a year. (He was the young man saved over a year ago and then moved to Saaba for work. He said his contract was expired and therefore he just returned home.) Bibata, Adjaratou’s sister, also came this morning, after having missed the services for almost a year.

Dominike preached in Mooré with Paul translating into French. He preached a simple, direct salvation message. During the invitation a new visitor, Emilienne responded, repented and received Christ as her Savior this morning.

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July 22, 2006

Eight people attended the Soul-Winning Club this morning. It was good to see Auguste here again. There was one profession of faith this week. Dominike had an opportunity to visit with one of his mechanic friends, Guie, who accepted the Lord yesterday. It was also reported that twelve recent coverts were followed up.

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July 21, 2006

Dominike stopped by to say that Cecile needs our prayers. Her employer, whom she has been working with since her arrival in Ouaga, has told her that she must start working on Sundays to keep her job. It is a little amazing because for over three years she has never worked on Sundays. Since her recommitment to grow in grace, the grand adversary of our faith has decided to begin to test her commitment. Please pray for her and this difficult trial she is experiencing.

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July 19, 2006

It was really encouraging to walk into the services to see Auguste sitting there. He is the young man who was saved over two year ago, but has not been allowed to attend our services because his father does not want him to attend a “Protestant” church. With Ghislain in Koudougou taking his examines, I taught the Bible study this evening by reviewing four verses on “speaking” about our faith and God’s workings in our lives and then asking for testimonies from those present.

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July 16, 2006

Thirty people rode the “bus” this morning to church. (After the services Douninoma mentioned that I had again forgotten the children from our previous rental. This is the second week that I had forgotten them.

It was good to have several first time visitors. Amadou brought his son, Mouni, who seemed to respond positively to the message. A neighbor, Jean-Baptiste, was walking by the church and stopped to talk with me. I invited him into our services. He said he had to return home but he would return this morning. Fifteen minutes later he walked into our services.

Mike preached this morning from Acts 8 on the life of Phillip. I attempted to translate as best I could. The Holy Spirit used his message on obedience to touch the hearts of the people. Germane, Dominike’s niece responded to the invitation by accepting Christ as her Savior. Many others responded by committing publicly to be more obedient in their daily lives.

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July 15, 2006

Seven men were present for the Soul-Winning Club this morning. After finishing the thirteen week lesson of “Operation Go” we will continue with various Bible studies centered on the various methods of presenting the gospel. There were six professions of faith and twenty-follow up visits made this week. Several of those saved this week were family and friends of Alexander.

After the study, Alexandre, Paul, Dominike, Mike and I visited these new converts of Alexandre. First we went to his friends at the “Cité Université” where he went for his first year of college. We did not find his friends who accepted the Lord, but we met others. It was amazing to see the opportunities to hold some type of Bible study here on campus. Many of the students seemed to be open to us. Please pray about this opportunity.

Then we visited the neighborhood of his uncle on the other side of town where he lived for ten years and has continued his friendships there by visiting each Saturday and Sunday preaching the good news. So far, he has seen eighteen of his family and friends profess Christ. We visited his brother, Epiphane who accepted the Lord four weeks ago. One of Epiphane’s workers, Marcellin, also made a profession of faith three weeks ago. Both men were confident of their salvation. Then we visited with Angèle, who runs a telecentre, near his old neighborhood. She professed Christ last week and said she wanted to grow in Christ. Then one block away from his uncle’s house, we visited with Assaita, who also ran a telecentre. She also professed Christ last Sunday. It was very encouraging to see these new converts who openly admit of their new found faith in Jesus Christ. Unfortunately our “bus” will not be able to travel the distance each week to bring these new converts to our services. We have need of seeking some type of weekly Bible study with these new converts. Please pray that God would give us wisdom in how to help these young Christians grow in their faith.

After our visit in Goughin, we drove north again and visited the nieces of Dominike. They were receptive as before and were excited about returning to the services tomorrow. As we were leaving their home, Talato, a young man saved our first week in Boulwando in July of 2003, stopped us and asked for a ride to church tomorrow. Then we proceeded to look for Josué, a young man saved in Dassasgo almost two years ago, but who moved to Saaba. He has returned to Ouaga and is interested in returning. Please pray for these new converts and for wisdom for us as we disciple them.

This evening Harouna, who has been preaching in Boulwando this month, called to say that the strong winds tore off some of the roof on the church building. It was not damaged too much, but he wanted to let us know of this problem.

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July 14, 2006

Ghislain left this morning for his home in Koudougou. He is in the process of seeking his diploma and needs to be there for the examination that will take place next week. He is excited about the opportunities this will give him. He should be returning to Dassasgo in a couple of weeks.

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July 12, 2006

There were no services tonight. We hope to be back on our regular schedule next week.

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July 09, 2006

This morning we held our first service in our new rental building. (We are still without electricity, but we are holding services under the patio for the adult services and Rachel is using the garage for the children’s church.) We had thirty-five total riders on the “bus” route this morning, picking up three first time visitors. Both the services went well and our people enjoyed being in a new building.

Alexandre wanted to talk to me after the services about attending the Institute and also about the opportunities God gave him to lead over fifteen different people to the Lord these last couple of months. He really wants to see them grow, but they are too far to be able to “assist” in our church services in Dassasgo. We made an appointment to visit these friends of his next Saturday.

After the services it was encouraging to see several of our ladies get together for some fellowship. Kadi, Marcelline and Germane decided to spend the afternoon together. We are praying that more of our members would find time to fellowship with each other outside of church services.

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July 08, 2006

Seven men attended our first Soul-Winning Club in our new building. With our move throughout the week, many of our men did not get the opportunity to witness and visit as is their habit. Still we had three professions of faith and eleven follow-up visits on recent converts.

After the Club, Mike, Paul, Dominike and I visited several families who are from Boulwando living in Ouagadougou. Dominike calls several of these men and women his children. (He is actually their uncle, but is called their little father.) Several of them committed to come tomorrow to the services. We also took the opportunity to visit with Germane. She has been having some difficulties with her husband’s father’s health and has missed the last three weeks of service. Things are improved a little and she is planning on returning to our services tomorrow.

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July 05, 2006

We did not have our Wednesday evening Bible Study tonight as we have moved into a new rental building and the electricity is not turned on yet. Mike and I helped the men continue their move with our vehicles.

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July 04, 2006

By the grace of God we found another house to rent for our Institute and the church in Dassasgo that was in the same neighborhood. It is only a couple of blocks from our present location. The men have met the landlord and are really pleased with him and his attitude. He seems to understand the nature of our ministry and is completely behind it.

We want to say a very special thank you to our sending church and pastor, Pastor John Tucker, and Northeast Baptist Church in Independence, Missouri for providing the finances for this move. Thank you!

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July 02, 2006

Twenty-one people rode the « bus » route this morning; the lowest amount since the commencement of the « bus » route. Attendance was also a little lower than normal, but with the rain starting during our services the lower attendance was to be expected.

Services were good, with Paul preaching on “God Speaks.” His words were well prepared, his communication of his theme seemed good, but he seemed a little distracted, in his delivery. Several responded to the invitation to be more attentive to the Lord’s desire for their daily lives.

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July 01, 2006

There were six men present for our Soul-Winning Club this morning. We are almost done with our thirteen week course, finishing the twelfth lesson this morning. It was reported that seven men made professions of faith through the visitation program, eighteen recent converts were followed up and two continued with their personal discipleship classes.
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