Thank you again for your support for me during this time of sabbatical in the UK. It has felt like God is beginning to speak more clearly about the future over these last few months. I have been meeting recently with my church and mission leaders to talk about possible ways forward, and am excited about some of the possibilities. Please pray for us as we seek God’s heart. In particular, please pray as I head out to Burkina Faso for 3 weeks in February!

A VISIT BACK TO BURKINA!
On 17th Feb, I will return to Burkina for just over 3 weeks. This will be my first visit back since I returned to the UK for my sabbatical at the end of 2003. It will be great to see everyone again, and to see how the work is progressing, and to seek to encourage the Fulani believers. But it will also be an interesting time for me as I am in the process of trying to hear what God is saying for this next step.

My itinerary will hopefully look something like this (You can follow my progress on my weblog):
17 Feb: Arrive Ouagadougou
18-23 Feb: Djibo. This is where Steve is based, together with our new Brazilian colleagues Irenaldo and Christiano, and where we are trying to start the radio station. I will preach at the Fulani church on Sunday 19th.
24 Feb: Boukouma. This is where we did the Fulani Discipling Community in 2003, with the work in the rice fields. Hamadou and his wife and children settled here, and I hope to stay the night with them.
25-8 Mar: Gorom-Gorom. This is where I spent 11 years, and where most of my Fulani friends live, as well as my “family” Seydou, Monique, and their children, Oli, Sara, and Timotee.
9-12 Mar: Ouagadougou. I have many old friends to catch up with here – among the local pastors and others as well as the missionary community.
13 Mar: Fly back to the UK.

PLEASE PRAY
* Discernment and Grace. Please pray that during this visit I will be able to see clearly how the work is progressing, and that I will be able to bring blessing and encouragement to the Fulani Christians, and to the missionaries there.
* Direction. Please pray that I get further clarity about my own way forward back into ministry for the coming months and years.
* Strength and wisdom. There will be much need – both materially and spiritually. Please pray that I will know how to respond.

BRIEFLY - THE LAST MONTHS
* Church. As well as ongoing work with the missions prayer group, I am helping run a series of workshops for the church on Biblical approaches to “Big Issues of Poverty and Justice”. We hope these workshops will help us find appropriate responses to the issues of the developing world, as individuals, and as a church.
* Face to Face. I had a very good time at the Face to Face course in November, run by OM. This was aimed at helping missionaries work through issues and find renewed spiritual progress, and I found it very helpful.
* My website. I continue to write regularly on the “Latest” page of my website with news, stories, reflections, and photos about Burkina, faith, mission, and justice. Keep up to date with me there!

NEWS IN BRIEF FROM BURKINA
* Fulani Believers. The Fulani believers seem to be doing well. Two conferences for Fulani Christians in Burkina – including the first ever women’s conference – seem to have gone very well. Some of the Gorom Fulani were able to attend.
* Harvest and Hunger. Thankfully this year’s harvest has been good, but many people in Burkina are still struggling with the long-term effects of 2004’s harvest failure. Some lost their herds, some went into debt to get through the crisis time, and some simply had no seed to sow this year.
* Radio Station. Keep praying for permissions for the radio station we are trying to start in Djibo.
* Steve. Steve is doing well, and is soon to have his first book published: a children’s story called “Sophie and the White Camel.” Read more at Steve’s website.
* Seydou and Monique. Seydou still has no job, but someone gave a gift to help him out in his immediate needs. Keep praying that he finds work.
* Elections. The presidential elections passed off peacefully, and the incumbent president was re-elected by an overwhelming majority.
* Cotton. The US is scrapping its cotton subsidies! This is good news for Burkina, whose efficient cotton industry was undermined by such subsidies.

PLEASE PRAY
* For insight for my way forward as I meet with church and mission leaders
* For the Gorom Fulani believers, and for Seydou and Monique
* For Steve, the Djibo radio project, and the work among the Fulani there.