August 30, 2010
New pastor-missionary moves north
Paul Sawadogo (above with Seydou) moved with his family recently into the province of Oudalan to try to start the church in the Songhai village of Saouga. Three times in the past, pastors have moved into Saouga and left again. But recently, Seydou and Pierre have been visiting regularly, and find people are now more open to the message of Christ...
A River Runs Through It
The main road through Saouga crosses a river running through the middle of the village (above). The river is dry most of the year, but cuts the village in two during the rainy season.
During the recent rains, a truck inadvisedly tried to cross the river. You can see what remains of the truck behind the children playing by the river in this photo.
Donate
Please click here if you wish to donate online to support our church planting work in Burkina Faso. Thank you.
July 23, 2010
Food Aid Distribution in Gorom-Gorom
Pierre, Seydou, and Pascal recently did some food distribution to 143 needy families in Gorom-Gorom (above). This is the most difficult moment of the year, and although resources were limited, the help was well-received.
Donate
Click below to contribute towards APT's ongoing work of poverty relief, education, community development, and church planting in Burkina Faso. Thank you.
July 22, 2010
Our house...
So it looks like we will have somewhere to stay when we get back to Gorom-Gorom...
This (above) is our house and office, built in the Oudalan Ministry Centre in Gorom-Gorom, where we live with Seydou and Pierre and families. It will not only be our home (2 bedrooms, sitting room and kitchen), but the office will be where we co-ordinate all our work in Burkina Faso with APT.
This (below left) was the original plan - you can click to enlarge. Right top is how it looked when we were last there in April, with just the foundations dug. Right bottom shows it a month ago, with the walls and roof built in mud brick:
May 21, 2010
More Gorom-Gorom Building Work Photos
Here are a few of the latest photos of the building work going on in Gorom-Gorom.
Schoolteachers' Housing
This is the school ground site (above), where three houses are being built. Two houses are nearing completion of the building work, and are looking good (right). We also hear that building work should start on the classes in the next month.
Keith and Lynne's House
Below is Keith and Lynne's house being built in the Oudalan Ministry Centre. The left-hand photo shows clearly the style of mud-brick domes and arches that are used to make the roof. The photo on the right shows how the building is now making progress - Keith and Lynne hope it will be ready for them to move in when they get there in the first week of August!
See larger photos at the Acacia Partnership Trust website
Please click below if you wish to donate to our work with APT in Burkina Faso. Thank you.
April 20, 2010
Our House and Office - building progress
Here are a couple of photos of the building work going on our house and office in the Oudalan Ministry Centre in Gorom-Gorom - the base for all our work in Burkina Faso. And (below), an idea of how it might look when finished.
Click here to read more and see larger photos at the Acacia Partnership Trust website.
To donate towards the building and development of the Oudalan Ministry Centre in Gorom-Gorom, please click on the image below:
March 22, 2010
Songhai Success
The recent week of evangelism was a success, as Pascal, Pierre, and Seydou continue their outreach to nearby Songhai villages.
Pascal, Pierre, and Seydou were accompanied by John Wallingford, who is co-ordinating efforts by a group of Christians in the US to support this work reaching out to the Songhai villages of Oudalan province in Burkina Faso. John reports: “Every village we entered was open, and there are many who listened very attentively to the presentation of the Gospel. I am convinced that there are many hungry hearts in the villages.”
Read more on the report of this week of evangelism: at the Acacia Partnership Trust website.
If you wish to support our church-planting work, click on the image below:
March 09, 2010
Evangelism in Songhai Villages
This week, Pascal, Seydou, and Pierre will be receiving a team from America to join with them in a week of evangelism in the Songhai villages where they have been working around Gorom-Gorom.
Pierre (right), Pascal, and Seydou are regularly visiting a number of Songhai villages, where people are wanting to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Please pray for this week of evangelism. Thank you.
Read more about this week of evangelism at the Acacia Partnership Trust website.
If you wish to support our church-planting work, click on the image below:
March 02, 2010
Go north young man...
Two new pastor-missionaries are heading up to join us in the work in the north of Burkina Faso. One will be moving into a Tamacheq village and one to a Songhai village.
Please pray for these men and their families as they prepare to take this challenging step
Read more at the Acacia Partnership Trust website.
If you wish to support our church-planting work, click on the image below:
February 13, 2010
New Cell Church Starting
A new cell church is starting in Fulani village "Y", where we have been visiting and sharing the message of Christ for many years!
To read more, go to the APT website here:
New Cell Church Starting
January 29, 2010
Gorom-Gorom Building Plans
We are now ready to start building in Gorom-Gorom!
Housing
We have the building plans
a) for the houses for the teachers at the Gorom-Gorom School, and
b) for our house and office in the Oudalan Ministry Centre.
All of these will be built in the DWF Woodless Construction style. This uses traditional building techniques to build houses entirely out of mud, including the roof, which is a dome or vault. Such houses save on scarce wood, encourage local industry by using local skills and materials, and provide good internal comfort, staying warm in cold season, and cool in hot season.
Brick-making should have started by now, and the goal is to have all these houses built by the end of April.
See more at the APT website here
Classrooms
We hope that work on the classrooms will also start very soon. We are awaiting the final designs and costing. We still need more finance to build the whole school, but think we have enough to make a start by building the first few classes. If you want to contribute towards the building of the school, please click below:
December 19, 2009
Dental Equipment
We have managed to start buying dental equipment for the mobile dental clinic that we plan to start in northern Burkina Faso. Thank you for all who have given towards this project. You can read more about the vision for a dental clinic at the APT website.
With great help from dentaid (www.dentaid.org) Lynne has been able to buy a portable dental chair, and portable dental unit (above), as well as some education materials and other tools (below). Now all we have to do is try and get them to Burkina!
Once we start the clinic, we will need more materials, as well as drugs, and fuel for transport. If you want to help support the mobile dental clinic, you can do that by clicking on the picture below:
November 04, 2009
APT Website is Launched!!!
This is the new website for the Acacia Partnership Trust (APT) at http://www.acaciapartnershiptrust.org.uk
APT is the charity that Lynne and I have set up to facilitate all the work we are doing with the church in Burkina Faso, and at the new site you can find out more about everything we do, including:
- evangelism and church planting
- the gorom-gorom school
- the Oudalan Ministry Centre and our plans to develop it
- mobile dental clinic
- church partnerships
... and much much more!
Online Donations
You can also now Donate Online to support the work of APT or one of our Current Projects.
There are still some minor adjustments to make, and we hope later to add other bits, such as a shop where you will be able to buy "alternative gifts" through the website. In the meantime, do let us know what you think.
Many thanks to David Nelson from Mossvale Community Church for his wonderful work on the website design!
October 05, 2009
Fun Run for a Mobile Dental Clinic for Burkina Faso
Yesterday, before church, Lynne and a few friends ran the Belhouston Park 5k Fun Run to raise money for the Acacia Partnership Trust.
Together we estimate they raised about £1,000 towards helping us start a Mobile Dental Clinic for Burkina Faso:
Getting ready for the big race...
And they're off...
Donna, Lynne, and ...er, wait a minute... he's not one of ours...!
Victory!
I'm so proud of my wife.
Well done and thank you to Stacey, Corinne, Donna, Ruth, Michelle, and Lynne!
August 18, 2009
Abbanart
Jane Grant-Abban of Abbanart has been painting some of my photos (see below).
You can click on the pictures below to see larger versions of the photo or painting. When you click on the painting, it takes you to Jane's website, where you can also buy the paintings. 10% of the sale price of paintings taken from my photos will go towards the Acacia Partnership Trust (APT), to support the work we are doing in Burkina Faso.
June 02, 2009
Website Design
As you know, I have been hoping for a year to get a website designed for my new charity, the Acacia Partnership Trust - for as little money as possible... As you'll see if you follow the link, I currently just have a holding page.
Maybe you are in the same situation, in which case you will want to enter a competition being run by Laura at Actually Laura. She is offering a week of her graphic design skills. For details, go here.
In the event that I don't win...
a) I hope you do.
b) Is there anyone out there who might be willing and able to help design me a website for the charity?
Cheers.
April 02, 2009
Acacia Partnership Trust
The Acacia Partnership Trust is the UK-registered charity (no 1126683), that we have set up to facilitate the work I am doing in Burkina Faso.
We are "partnering churches to serve communities" - establishing two-way partnerships between churches in Burkina Faso and elsewhere through which both communities can benefit.
In Burkina, this includes the evangelism, pastors support and training, Gorom-Gorom school, well-drilling, poverty relief, education sponsorship, camps, and everything else we are doing to bring Christ's love to the people of the north of Burkina.
But it also is a way of exploring what Africa has to give to us in our poverty of community and spirituality in the consumerism and individualism of the 21st century.
Website and Literature
The Acacia Partnership Trust website is as yet only really a holding page. You can of course read about different aspects of my work on my website here. I do however hope to get the website developed in the coming weeks, and start producing some literature about our work. Please pray for all this. Thank you.
Supporting Keith's Work in Burkina Faso
We also hope to get online giving set up for all we are doing. Currently it is only available for the Gorom-Gorom School. In the meantime, if you want to support any other aspect of our work, you can send a cheque to
- Acacia Partnership Trust
10 Tarragon Way
Pontprennau
Cardiff CF23 8SN
UK
- Please make cheques payable to "Acacia Partnership Trust"
- If you are a UK tax-payer, we can reclaim the tax as Gift Aid, which will add 25% to the value of the gift. You can download a Gift Aid form HERE.
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.
September 17, 2008
Partenariats pour la mission au Burkina Faso
Pour mes visiteurs français, voici des liens concernant notre travail au Burkina Faso et les jumelages des eglises:
Horizons-France a traduit quelques parties de mon site en français pour présenter la vision des partenariats avec les églises du Burkina Faso.
Pendant ces deux mois passés, j'ai reçu des visites de deux églises françaises, et les deux ont décidé de poursuivre un partenariat avec Jean et le village de Tasmakat:
Saint Étienne. Après la visite de Pierre et Jean-Marc, l'église de Saint Étienne a écrit "C'était un grand privilège pour nous de passer ce temps chez Pasteur Jean et sa famille. Leur engagement à servir Dieu dans des conditions matérielles et spirituelles plus que difficiles est un exemple pour nous tous,"
Nantes. Le pasteur Didier Brousse de l'église de l'Estuaire de Nantes est venu avec toute sa famille. La présence des enfants était surtout une grande joie, et cela a donné une contacte entierement nouveau avec les enfants burkinabés.
Un photo de pasteur Jean de Tasmakat, avec deux de ses enfants:
Tags: burkina faso afrique burkina mission jumelage oudalan sahel
May 02, 2008
Acacia Partnership Trust
I am in the process of setting up a charity called the Acacia Partnership Trust, to help facilitate the work in Burkina Faso, and the church partnerships.
The website just has a holding page for the moment, but we are working on it...
