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November 28, 2008
Gorom-Gorom School
Here are some of the children in the first class of the Gorom-Gorom school - a photo I took about an hour ago.
I am just on my way back to Cekol Koba to carry on with the well-drilling. More soon...
November 27, 2008
Well-drilling : Tasmakat
We have now had two successful drills in Tasmakat area, with the second well having a really good amount of water. Thank the Lord with us for this. Everyone in Tasmakat is very happy.
We are now moving on to Cekol Koba. Unfortunately, the rig got stuck in the sand again as we headed out there. Chuck has decided he definitely needs to buy sand ladders if he is going to work in Gorom-Gorom area again. We managed to get the trucks out eventually. I have come back with Seydou and Pierre to Gorom-Gorom for a day. I need to do other work, check on progress at the school, meet with Seydou and Pierre about the Fulani conference, organise forthcoming visits, set up my new modem and internet connection, download and send emails, and post this on my blog.
If all goes well, we should finish in Cekol Koba on Saturday, and be back in Gorom-Gorom on Sunday to begin drilling on the school ground on Monday.
Thanks again for your prayers.
November 24, 2008
At last!
I have just heard from Chuck in Tasmakat that we have had a successful well-drill today, and that the team have found water and put a well in place!
Praise the Lord with us, and thanks for your prayers.
More news soon.
Well-drilling Update
The well-drilling has continued to be difficult, but we finally got one well drilled and lined in the church yard in Deou. Although the water flow is not as high as hoped, it increased significantly over the time we were there, and should help significantly. Samuel and family were really pleased.
We also are replacing two pumps where there is water but the pumps are broken, and the town leaders are really happy.
We have now moved on to Tasmakat.
The first team - from the US - leave tonight. The team from Glenwood Church in Cardiff arrived last night, and we will head back up north at 5.30 tomorrow morning. Please continue to pray for protection, for water, and for a good testimony to be left.
Please pray also for Reid, one of the Canadian FiA team, whose mother has been taken into hospital. Reid is flying back tonight to be with her.
Reid's departure has consequences for the team. Pray for Seydou and Pierre who are still working with Chuck, and for the new team as they learn the work. Pray for me too, as it means I will have to drive one of the big trucks with its trailer. I brought it down across the bush from Deou to Tasmakat okay, but it is not easy getting the thing through holes and narrow bush tracks.
Thank you
November 19, 2008
Good News
I have just heard that the new UK-based charity that I have been setting up, the Acacia Partnership Trust, has just been recognised by the Charity Commission (reg no. 1126683)!
Thank God with us for this, as it will enable us to serve and resource the vision for the ministry in Burkina Faso, build church partnerships, and reclaim tax on UK gifts given.
Please pray we can get bank accounts, website, etc sorted out. Thank you.
I have very poor internet access in Gorom at the moment (and am in any case out i the bush with the well-drillers most of the time), so apologies for lack of blogging and email contact. I will write more when I get to Ouaga.
Well-drilling Update
Thank you for your prayers - we value them as things continue to be challenging here.
Before even arriving at our first drill site we were 24 hours behind schedule, with punctures, breakdowns, and getting stuck in sand, and the drillers were already saying this was the hardest trip yet.
Local people have commented on how hard our team work compared with other teams they have seen, and on the unity of the "blacks" and "whites" working together. We have been able to explain that it is the love of Christ that is the motivation for such unity and service.
However, in Deou, the neediest place we are targetting, we have had three dry holes so far. The team are drilling again in the area, but I have had to come down to Gorom-Gorom (a round trip of about 100 miles) for the second time to buy more diesel for the rig.
Isiyaaka, one fof the Burkinabe working with us, had an accident and hurt his finger, but could have easily lost it completely. he is okay, and working again.
Please pray for protection for the team and equipment, and for us to find good sources of water. And please pray that people see and recognise the love of God in Christ through what we are doing. Thank you.
November 11, 2008
Well-drilling update
Billy and Patrick, my visitors from Hatteras Island, have arrived all right, and we are already in the north to start drilling. Please pray for us as we do so; it seems to me that we have had more than our share of setbacks during the last few days, including some very arduous journeys and breakdowns. Pray that God would give us strength and patience for the work, and smoother travel than we have been experiencing. Thank you.
November 08, 2008
The confusion of OUA
My bag finally turned up! The padlock was broken, and the bag had clearly been rifled through, but nothing seems to have disappeared. Here's what happened:
Chapter 1: Heathrow Airport, the Air Maroc check-in desk, 4 Nov.
"That's fine" said the smiley lady as she glanced at the "OUA" on the baggage label she was wrapping around the handle of my bag. "We'll check those right through and you can collect them at Ouazarzate."
Ouazarzate is a walled city across the High Atlas mountains from Marrakesh, which I visited in 1989. A lovely and intriguing place, but not where I was heading.
"Errmmm... That's very kind of you, but I'm actually going to Ouagadougou," I replied.
"Oh, er..." A puzzled frown on her brow, she consulted the computer, and her face cleared. "Yes, Ouada....?"
"Ouagadougou." I said with a smile.
Did we laugh...
Chapter 2: 8 Nov: Ouagadougou Airport, the lost luggage counter.
After three fruitless visits and a dozen fruitless phone calls, I finally track down the man with the key, having woken him up with a phone call to his home at 7.30 am. I squeeze into his miniscule office alongside a curious Burkinabe family and a mountain of lonely cases.
"Monsieur Smeet? I think your bag is here - is that it?", his arm waving in the direction of the mountain. Sure enough, there it was, peeking shyly from behind a bold black goliath of a case. Its privacy had been invaded and its internal organs displaced, but otherwise it seemed serene and healthy.
"Any idea where it's been...?" I asked.
"Nooooooo.... They never told me."
I drag it out and have a look at the label:
"FAH: To Ouallat"
"RUSH"
FAH...? That's apparently the airport code for Farah in Afghanistan.
Ouallat...? Another Moroccan mountain hideaway?
Or airport code for "Ouagadougou. Lost. Late"...?
Ouat do you think?
Please pray
Following my arrival in Burkina, I have become aware of a few situations needing prayer. Could you bring these before the Lord, please? Thanks
- Illness. Two of my friends are quite ill at the moment:
- Sara, Seydou's daughter. I have just heard this morning that she has been taken out of school for medical tests. I am not sure what the problem is.
- Truck breakdown. I just found out that the truck that should have taken the spare parts up a couple of weeks ago has broken down and is still stuck in Ouaga. We are trying to find another truck this morning.
- Financing. We thank God that we have received about £19,000 so far, but we still need about another £5,000 to cover all the costs.
- Teams. The first team arrives tomorrow - Billy and Patrick from Hatteras Island.
November 06, 2008
Keith’s Itinerary, Burkina Faso: Nov 2008 –Mar 2009
Please pray for us and these activities in the coming months. I will add other activities as I get details.
Of course, I also continue to work with local pastors in evangelism, community development, the school in Gorom-Gorom, and in developing partnerships with churches in the UK, France, and US. See here for more.
Itinerary
- November 5: Arrive in Ouagadougou.
- Nov 10: Head north to Gorom-Gorom.
- Nov 10-Dec 5: Well-drilling, pump repair, and evangelism: with FiA and teams from the US and UK.
- December 13-17: Conference for local Fulani believers from the north of Burkina. At the Ministry Centre in Gorom-Gorom.
- Dec 23-26: Christmas: celebrations and outreach.
- January 1-3: Prayer Starting the year with three-days of personal prayer.
- Jan 4-7: Village Evangelism: Visiting villages for personal evangelism.
- Jan 14-22: Visitors: Team from Glenwood Church to look at the school and plan for building.
- Feb 1-Mar 19: Trainees: two young guys from Horizons coming for a Gap Year placement.
- February 6-22: Evangelism:
- 6: Village “G”
- 8-9: Markoye
- 12: Gorom-Gorom
- 13: Village “Y”
- 14 : Deou
- 15: Oursi
- 20: Village “M”
- 21-22 : Tasmakat
- 6: Village “G”
- Feb 26-27 : Christian workers seminar. Gathering pastors and workers from around the province, for some training (with Andy Clarke of World Horizons) and to look at developing mission strategies for our area (me).
- Mar 2-6: Horizons-Sahel Annual Conference: in Bobo-Dioulasso, BF. With Horizons personnel from Burkina, Mali, and Niger.
- March 19: Return to UK.
November 05, 2008
Time for Change
I arrived back in Burkina Faso at about 03.30 this morning.
One of my bags failed to arrive, so dealing with that meant that it was 4.30 by the time I got to bed. On my way from the airport, the bouncy Burkinabe taxi-driver happily informed me that Obama had won the US election. I am tired and woozy, but glad to be back.
Looking Back
The last two months have been busy and have gone by very quickly. These last couple of weeks have been so busy that I haven't had time to write anything here. Sorry about that.
It has been good to see many of you. Thank you for all your encouragement and support. A number of things are coming into place as I start the Acacia Partnership Trust and develop partnerships between churches here and in Burkina Faso.
Looking Forward
I will be in Burkina Faso now until March. My priorities during this time:
- Well-drilling. Starts in a weeks time for a month, with teams from the UK and US.
- The Christian school in Gorom-Gorom. It has opened in rented accommodation. We need to get plans for building underway, and facilitate the good running and development of the class, including ensuring the children get a meal every day.
- Ongoing evangelism and discipleship. We hope to have a conference for local Fulani believers, mission training for Christians working in the region, a weekend for pastors’ wives, and much, much more...
- Encouraging pastors. Visiting isolated pastors to encourage them and work with them in ministry.
- Church partnerships. We now have six churches (2 in the UK, 2 in France, and 2 in the US) partnered with the pastors in northern Burkina Faso. I want to help develop these relationships.
- Teams. Apart from the well-drilling teams, there are potentially three or four other teams interested in, or committed to coming out.
You can click here to see my itinerary and dates in Burkina Faso for the coming months.
Prayer Needs
This all threatens to be too much, so please pray for Seydou, Pierre, and myself in the coming months.:
- Time, space, and determination to keep prayer and my walk with Christ at the centre of things.
- God’s blessing on all we are doing.
- Grace and strength and wisdom to be able to do it all well.
- God’s blessing on Seydou and Pierre and the other local pastors and Christians as they carry the work forward.
- God's peace and presence in our home life.
- Financial provision for all we are doing, and for development of the Ministry Centre in Gorom-Gorom.
- Rapid approval of our application to be set up as a charity in the UK, and for the personnel we need to be able to manage the work we are doing.
Many thanks.
