Let it snow

This morning I took the horse out and was guiding him through an alleyway when a turban-swathed Fulani stepped out in front of me with a wide grin. I've heard that bandits do exist around here, but thankfully this man's only weapon was a camera-phone. He got the shot he was after and went politely on his way. After years of having foreigners capturing their culture on camera (and then making lots of money abroad from their photos, as is commonly believed here), it is good to see West Africans finally getting the chance to shoot back. 

Here in the Sahel it isn't easy to keep track of the latest gadgets and trends, and that's one of the pleasures of having visitors. This month a good friend from London came to stay for 10 days. As well as having the chance to spend time with someone well-missed and hear about our home culture it was refreshing to see Burkina through new eyes. She brought a couple of space-hoppers too; not exactly new technology, but to the neighbourhood kids they were the best thing ever. We wondered what they would call them; in the end it was 'fuufuley' which comes from the Fulani verb fuufude meaning 'to blow'. Toys are a luxury here; most of the time children are left to invent their own entertainment. I recently caught the kids in the photo making the most of a cotton harvest – it looked as fun as any bouncy castle!  

For the last three days of her trip, we decided to take our guest on safari to Nazinga, a 700km² park in the south of the country. We've not been there before but heard that it was worth seeing, despite the fact that everybody who has been there seems to have been chased by an angry elephant. We went, saw the elephants and experienced the obligatory chase. It was quite scary but exciting to hear a wild elephant trumpeting. It really does sound just like a trumpet. 
(For the record, we didn't provoke them on purpose; we just came too close as they were hanging out right by the road we were driving on).  

Adrenalin aside, one of the highlights of the visit there was a freak downpour which broke the stifling heat. Hot season is settling in and afternoons are the worst. Our house and yard in Djibo become like an oven and the streets like hot plates; even the wind is like the blast from a furnace, choking the air with dust and sand. Call me a cheat or a wimp-of-a-missionary if you like, but I am deeply thankful for the air con unit that Steve put in our bedroom. At the time I thought it was excessive (we don't even have running water) - now I'm just relieved.

I am also very grateful that the painful leishmaniasis sores on my legs and ankle are finally healing; they were caused by a parasite transmitted by sand-fly bites, are untreatable and can take up to six months to heal. I've had them since November and they weren't getting any better until two weeks ago, just after I posted the prayer request. So thanks if you responded to that!

Steve and I are heading back to England in two weeks for a month's holiday and to avoid the worst of the heat. Please keep praying for the people here and for His grace to keep us working with them.