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August 29, 2007

Keith Update

Just back down in Ouaga for a few days. I have been out of phone and internet contact for a while. So here is a brief update of what’s been going on:

Monique
Seydou and Monique are very good friends of mine, and have been with me in Gorom-Gorom for about 13 years. Monique has been ill since the children’s camp. She has had very high blood pressure and has been treated for that and also for malaria.

She was showing some improvement, but was still very unwell, so Seydou and I have brought her down to Ouaga for further tests. Please pray for her for complete healing, and for understanding of what the root issues are. Thank you.

Deou

Last week I was back in Deou for a few days with Patrick from HIFC in the US. We had a great time with Pastor Samuel and his family. The town is on a plain surrounded by rocky hills, and the rains have transformed the area, making it green.

Deou is a very Muslim town, with the central mosque a focus of the community. The church consists of Samuel and his family and two other families – all “outsiders” - who made us very welcome and showed us typical African generosity. Samuel has good relationships with people in town. In particular there is one old Fulani neighbour who seems very ready to receive teaching in the gospel. Pray for Samuel as he seeks ways forward to reach and bless people, and see the kingdom of God come in Deou.

The church is too small to support Samuel properly. He works hard to provide for his family, working his fields of millet, beans, peanuts, and watermelons, and rearing sheep and goats. But the area is poor for agriculture, and he often gets little from his fields. A hyena in the nearby hills occasionally takes one of his goats, but he is not allowed to kill it because hyenas are protected.

So he often has to decide whether he will feed his family or repair his bike, or put a roof on the guest house. So the bike remains broken, and the guest house roofless. There are several pastors in this kind of situation. Please pray that we can find ways to help them discover more provision for themselves and their ministries.

Travels
August is the height of the rainy season, and normally I don’t try to travel during this time, but this year I have had a lot of travelling to do. Getting in and out of Gorom-Gorom has been hard. Sometimes the water at Goudebo has been neck-high. Finding ways out, and driving through water-logged bush tracks has been tiring and has left me feeling tired and old!

(This is an old picture of Goudebo. I was so focused on getting through or around the water, I didn't even think of taking photos!)

However, the road from Oursi to Deou this time was a nice change. We went across the tops of the dunes, which is normally difficult because of the deep sand. However, the rain has made the sand hard, and covered the dunes with grass, so it was a beautiful drive, with lots of greenery and birds.

More photos later.

Tags: africa burkina burkina faso photos deou travel

Posted by Keith at August 29, 2007 01:58 PM