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October 21, 2006
Back to Burkina Faso
Life has been very busy these last few weeks, so I have not had time to write much in the way of updates.
Arrival in Burkina Faso
I have however now arrived in Ouaga, once more with the help of Afriqiyah. My continuing observation of Tripoli airport reveals the warnings of the dangers of drugs have disappeared, and been replaced with an ATM. Apart from that, not much change - the internet café and vast Samsung televisions still stand quiet, and the souvenir shop and duty free shop never seem to draw any interest from the weary transit passengers.
I was met at the airport at 12.30 this morning by Sibidi and by Peter, which was lovely. It’s great to be back. It is quite hot and humid, and this afternoon Ouaga had a sudden downpour.
Communication
Today has been a fairly relaxed day, mostly trying to sort out communication for the coming months. This time, I have brought my laptop with me, to help me with some aspects of work and communication. The mission office where I am staying for the next few days has just got broadband, and they are kindly letting me use that while here. That means I can even Skype while here… although there is stiff competition for the only access point to the broadband connection, so I can only grab it as and when it’s available.
I have also got a dial-up account sorted for when I move up north, which means hopefully I should be able to blog from time to time.
My mobile unfortunately is not working here at the moment, but good old Sibidi is working on getting that sorted out for me.
Plans
My plan is to spend a few days here in Ouaga, sorting out some practical stuff, then head up to Gorom. Monday is apparently a national holiday, as it is the end of Ramadan. There is still some doubt as to whether it will be Monday or Tuesday – depending presumably on when the imam sees the moon. So I hope that doesn’t delay me too much.
I am eager now to get up north and see how everyone is doing – I will be speaking to Seydou and Daniel tomorrow to find out the latest. Please pray for me as I head up – I know it will be hard seeing so many friends homeless following the flood, and need God’s wisdom to know how to respond and encourage people.
Thanks. More soon…
Posted by Keith at October 21, 2006 07:18 PM
Comments
i wonder how you book afriquiyah? everytime i try i get sth like "sorry, site is closed"..
Posted by: helge at October 21, 2006 08:41 PM
Yes, the website doesn't really work, but it gives you the phone numbers, and I normally do it by phone. This time, however, I booked through Opodo, i think, which included a quote from Afriqiyah.
Posted by: Keith at October 21, 2006 09:43 PM
Praying as you ask--wisdom in the face of such loss.
The Lord has gone ahead of you through the outpouring from your home church and the other organizations you worked together with to bring relief.
May you be able to rejoice in every small thing,
Wendy and crew
Posted by: Wendy at October 22, 2006 06:54 AM
Broadband Internet capability for NGO's and private individuals in Burkina Faso? That sounds promising (and very expensive) Keith. I just wanted to give you a Heads Up notice today about a series on Burkina Faso published this week at The Globalist. Here is the title and the URL:
Burkina Faso: A Matter of Life and Death - Oct 23, 2006
http://www.theglobalist.com/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=5685
Posted by: BRE at October 23, 2006 12:51 PM
Thanks Wendy and Bill.
Nathalie has written some good articles at the Globalist - it's always good to see Burkina get a bit more profile.
The broadband seems reliable so far - don't know how expensive it is. Of course, once I head up north on thursday, it will be back to the slow and unreliable dial-up...
Posted by: Keith at October 24, 2006 08:13 AM