There is so much humor in missions…. Some of what I’ve experienced is priceless as we’ve gone into cultures. For this trip, it was sleep performance anxiety. What, you may ask is “Sleep performance anxiety?” Well it is 200 pairs of eyes watching as we tried to go to sleep…. Many of the people in this village had never seen a white person before, so they watched us…. Funny to look up and see all these eyes “watching” you sleep….the pressure is on…

As you know, this has been a wonderful transformation for me as I’ve followed the dream God put in my heart.. to reach the lost…. On each trip, He takes me to places I never thought I’d go.

Honestly now…. This was my first real “camping” trip. Trip 1 to Africa, Air France left all the bags on the tarmac in Paris, so no Gear to stay in the bush made it over, trip 2 to Africa, we stayed in a “motel”, all accommodations were simple, but not “bush” . All my other trips the same… I’ve done remote islands… they had “houses” and structures, no electric or running water, but I’ve not really had to “camp out”.

This was a first…. I’m thankful to the Holy Spirit who prompted me to buy my “bed roll” mat to sleep on, sleep sack and mosquito net. It was that prompting that prepared me, even though we did not know that we’d stay in the bush.

Thank you to all who gave toothbrushes, toothpaste, personal hygiene items, and clothes. We were able to demonstrate the Love of God in action by ministering to the needs of the widows and orphans ~ thus fulfilling James 1:28.
At the beginning of the year, the orphanages had a total of 800+ children. That number grew quickly in 2007. The orphanages are spread out across Burkina, but are ran by one individual who himself was an orphan.
Many children end up with out a father (leaving widows & orphans) or have no parents as a result of Malaria, Tribal wars and Aids. For the women who’ve lost their husbands, in the culture there, if a husband dies, no matter the cause, it is the woman’s fault. She’s stripped of everything, cut off from any support and put out with the children. These children are also considered orphans.
The children are also exploited and abused in ways that make one shudder. It grieves my heart.

We carried over many clothes that were donated… Some came from my former retail partners who donated all the merchant and advertising samples… While others came from generous donors who cleaned out clearance racks at Target and other places. Both of these avenues were used by God to let the children know they are special to Him. All said, we clothed approximately 400-500 children ~ Complete outfits….

The director of the orphanage was just stunned as he looked at the clothes… with tears in his eyes, he stated, “NO ONE ever gives new clothes, These children have never had something new in their lives.” Made me stop and appreciate all that I have and stand so grateful for being used of the Lord to touch the hearts of the children. I say, I’m the blessed one who gets to see the faces of the children when they receive the toys, toothbrushes, clothes and other items.

But to those who gave, Thank you on behalf of the children. Your reward will be great…..

First off, Burkina Faso is like no other place I’ve been in the world. There is such an overwhelming lack due to the curse in the land which is the result of them forsaking God for idols, witchcraft and other religions. So many basic needs, including safe drinking water, are not available. The curse is so evident by the “dying” vegetation, as the curse is in the land and kills at the root… leaving the plants/trees/ vegetation to wither away. The Sahara desert is pushing southward and more of the land has been becoming barren. As we traveled from one village to another, I could not help but think, we have the key to stopping the curse (JESUS) and reversing the effects of what is happening in the land. It is what happened in Salago (the first village we went out to in 2002 & back in 2003 to see the land surrounding the village becoming green.) More people need to realize this and start reaching out to the lost and giving them the truth. It is the truth that has been revealed to me that compels me to go.

I returned from my third trip to Burkina Faso, W. Africa last week. Again, thank you so much for your prayers while the team was there. Much was accomplished in the time we were in Burkina Faso. The ministry schedule was so full that after just the first two days, I thought I’d been there a week. God’s grace was sufficient to carry us through. Processing all of the events has just started to take place.
I’ll do my best to paint the picture for you of this trip and again thank you for your prayers.

Over 1200 salvations and hundreds baptized in the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for moving among the people.