January 30, 2010
Keith et Lynne en France
We are now in France for 5 months for Lynne to work on improving her French before we return to Burkina Faso.
We are based at the Horizons France base at Bourg St Andeol, where we have a lovely small apartment in the Horizons Centre. Lynne will be studying at the Universite d'Avignon. Her courses start on Tuesday. We went there yesterday to have a look round the town and find the university. Unfortunately, you can no longer dance on the Avignon bridge without paying.
Photos coming soon.
Back in the UK, we have friends looking after our house while we are away, but still need to rent or sell it asap. Please pray for us in that.
Many thanks
September 29, 2009
Keith and Lynne's Burkina Faso Wedding Photos
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I have uploaded photos of our wedding in Gorom-Gorom to the wedding page of my website - click here to see the photos, or click here to view a slideshow.
Here is a small selection:
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September 22, 2009
Keith and Lynne's Gorom-Gorom Wedding
Here is the video of our wedding in Gorom-Gorom, Burkina Faso, Sep 12 2009.
Following our original wedding in Scotland, we had another one in Gorom-Gorom, to celebrate with our family and friends there.
Many of our close friends were involved: Seydou was my best man. Grace was Lynne's bridesmaid. Pastor Pascal preached. Pastor Adama married us. Pastor Pierre translated into Fulfulde. These guys are our close friends and co-workers, real men and women of God. It was such a joy to have them share in that day with us.
It was all arranged very much at the last minute, since there was so much else going on with the soccer school and everything else. Nevertheless, all the pastors from the province were there to pray for us, and people came from around the country to join us.
Sadly, many of our Muslim friends could not join us as they had prayers and commitments for the month of Ramadan - the Islamic month of fasting. But there was still a good crowd for the wedding and the feast afterwards.
So here it is - but, just to warn you - they married us, using our Fulani names: Adama (Adam) Diallo and Hawwa (Eve) Diallo... Enjoy!
September 20, 2009
Family Fotos
Here are a few photos of our family in Gorom-Gorom:
Above: La Grande Famille. Lynne and I, squinting into the sun with our family, with whom we live in our shared yard in Gorom-Gorom. They have been such a blessing to us both as we started our married life in Burkina Faso.
Below Left: Seydou and Monique's Family: Back row: Chantale, Olivia, Sara. Sitting: Seydou and Monique. Front row: Timothee.
Below Right: Pierre and Asetu's Family: Back row: Bertha, Denise, Naomi. Seated: Asetu and Pierre. Front row: Lasala, Deborah, Samuel.
Please pray for Seydou, Monique, Pierre, Asetu and the rest of our family.
Thank you.
And Finally...
We also have one new member of the family, recently "saved":
Winston the goat was destined to be eaten with four others for our "wedding feast" in Gorom-Gorom. But he turned out to be so friendly, that his life was spared, and he was presented instead to Lynne as a pet.
Pierre's observation was that Winston is a spiritual lesson for us all: his gentleness not only drew people to love him but also saved him from death...
Asetu will be looking after him until we return sometime next year.
September 19, 2009
A Year of Glasgow Airport
Maybe not the most romantic of places, but Glasgow Airport holds a special place in the heart for Lynne and I.
We first met there on 16 Sep 2008, when I flew in to meet her. We had a coffee there while waiting (fruitlessly as it happened) for another of her friends to turn up. And on 16 Sep 2009, as we were flying back into Glasgow Airport on our return from Burkina Faso, we realised that it was just one year since we first met there.
A lot has happened in that year:
- 16 Sep 2008: We meet for the first time in Glasgow Airport, Scotland
- Setting up home. We need to begin to find how we will live life together in Gorom-Gorom. We will be in the Gorom-Gorom Ministry Centre, where we will live with our extended family: Seydou and Monique, and Pierre and Asetu and their children. At the moment we only have a room to live in, and we need to look at building a house for ourselves there. We don't yet have a bed, or a fridge or cooker, and we need to work out how we do everything as a couple in a way that will support our family life and help us be a blessing to those around us.
- Lynne's Adaptation. while everything is very familiar to me, everything will be new for Lynne. She doesn't know the language or people or culture, and so the first days will be challenging for her. Pray that God helps her adapt quickly to life there, and that He helps me be sensitive and supportive!
- The Soccer School This will be the 3-8 Sep, with a big team coming from the UK. Click here for more details.
- Burkina Wedding Blessing. we hope to have a Wedding Blessing in Gorom-Gorom, where we will invite a lot of our Burkinabe friends (Christian and Muslim) to come and celebrate with us. We hope to do that on Sat 12 Sep, with a church service followed by a meal in our home. We did a similar thing for Steve and Charlie, and you can read about that here.
- Baptism. Pierre has 4 or 5 local people (Fulani, Tamacheq, and Gourmantche) who want to get baptised to express their desire and commitment to follow Christ. Please pray for them. Pierre hopes to have the baptismal service in a local lake on Friday the 11.
- Rain. Please continue to pray for good rains and a good harvest this year.
- Selling our house in the UK. We really need to quickly sell our house in Scotland so that we can be free to move on in God's purposes for us.
7 Oct: Cardiff, Wales: we start courting
22 Jan 2009: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: we get engaged
20 Jun: Paisley, Scotland: we get married
29 Aug: Gorom-Gorom, Burkina Faso: our first mission trip as a married couple.
12 Sep: Gorom-Gorom, Burkina Faso: we get "married" again in an African church ceremony (photos and video coming soon!)
16 Sep 2009: Return to the UK and Glasgow Airport, where we first met.
It's been a wonderful year!
(In case you were wondering, in the left-hand photo only the heads are really us - I wish I were really that slim... The right-hand photo however was taken outside our one-room mud brick house in Gorom-Gorom last week.)
September 17, 2009
Keith and Lynne in Gorom-Gorom 1 - by Lynne
We are now back in the UK. Thanks for your prayers.
Keith's Introduction
Our time in Gorom-Gorom was good. There were a lot of good things happening - the soccer school, baptisms, our wedding blessing, catching up with our Burkinabe family and friends. But it was too busy - there was simply too much for our short first visit there. There was also a big flood in Ouaga, which you probably heard about.
Unfortunately we didn't have any internet connection, and we were unable to post anything, so I will be correcting this over the next few days, with photos and video.
To begin with, here is something written by Lynne a couple of days after we arrived, and shares her perspective on our time there in Gorom-Gorom:
Lynne's Observations (Wed 2 Sep)
- "We arrived safely in Ouagadougou last Saturday. However the truck we drove to Gorom-Gorom had no MOT and Keith’s trunk with all his personal effects has gone missing...welcome to Africa!
When we left Ouaga we just missed the terrible floods they have had to endure...the hospital has been flooded and thousands of people have lost their homes. They had more rain in a few hours than Gorom gets in a whole year. Please pray for the people who are suffering the loss of the few possessions they have, for the church to step in and provide relief and as the sewage system fails to cope for protection against disease.
We arrived in Gorom-Gorom for the first time as a married couple and have began to set up home. I (Lynne) am adapting to the heat, culture, setting up house in our 1 room traditional mud-brick house, shaking everyone’s hand and practicing my terrible French and non-existent Fulfulde. Keith is getting used to having a wife spend all his money and the challenges and restrictions that marriage brings. We both agree that our lives have in every way been enriched by marriage. But nothing worthwhile is ever easy. I get very tired trying to concentrate on what people are saying and in this culture where hospitality is important many people come to visit us. Keith is translating for me and that takes a lot of his time and energy too. People here have been so kind, especially the two families who we share our yard with. They have been very considerate of the challenges we face and the men have included me in everything, even though this is not cultural. Please pray for the families of Pastor Pierre and Seydou who are such an important part of our lives and have given up so much to come to this physically and spiritually dry region to serve God.
Many of the local pastors have come to visit us, and recently brought us 4 live chickens and 100 eggs for a wedding gift! Keith spends time encouraging them and helping them in their ministry. He is so well respected and loved by the pastors and the local community here, having sown 20 years of his life into helping this region and bringing the gospel to its people. The pastors here have come mainly from the south where farming is easier and their lives more prosperous. They have come to this area and had to learn local language and start from scratch. They and their families have sacrificed so much for the sake of the gospel. Please pray for them.
The soccer school is working well. The team of 14 from churches in the UK are very professional and have really engaged the 100 local kids who have come. It’s a 7 day residential school, both kids and team staying in a local high school. The women here cook for them and it has all been a mammoth undertaking. Keith and I discovered that one of the translators is vegan, so we have been attempting cooking for her African style...not easy! There have been a few minor health issues within the team (not related to our cooking!!) that I have been able to help with. They are mainly university students at a critical time in their lives making decisions that will shape their future. Keith is speaking today to encourage and inspire them to live for Christ. Please pray for these young men and women. Each evening there is a testimony time and the Muslim kids get to hear about the Saviour... perhaps for the first time. Please pray for many to come to faith, for open hearts. It is Ramadan here, the Muslim month of fasting and seeking God. Pray that they will seek Him and find Him through the Lord Jesus.
We have also met with the Chief Medical Officer for this region with regards to starting a mobile dental clinic on our return next year. It seemed to go well as he recognises the need...for this whole region, the size of half of Wales there is no dentist.
On Friday 4 local women will be baptised...this will be an occasion for great celebration. We are seeing the church come to birth in an area where coming to Christ means persecution and suffering. It will also be an opportunity for the gospel to be preached. Please pray for these ladies as they take this step of faith on Friday.
And next Saturday we are having a wedding blessing...really it’s more like a wedding ceremony African style and in the evening all our neighbours will come for a celebration to our yard. Once again people will get to hear the message of salvation through Christ. Please pray for people to receive the word of God into their hearts.
We arrive back in Glasgow on the 16th and look forward to seeing you all soon. We miss you and pray for you all."
August 25, 2009
Lynne and Keith: Off to Burkina Faso!
Lynne and I head off to Burkina Faso on Saturday!
It is just for 18 days, but will be our first visit as a married couple, and we would like you to pray for us during this time.
This is a time for us to begin to prepare for our future life in Gorom-Gorom, and spend time with our family there, but there are also other things going on too. Here are some prayer subjects, for which we would greatly value your prayer support:
Thank you!
July 23, 2009
Wedding Photos
I have finally uploaded some photos. Click Here to see them.
(Thanks to Dave and Bruce for doing the photos!)
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July 17, 2009
Keith and Lynne Wedding Video
Here are two short videos from our wedding service.
(Many thanks to my good friend Tony!)
We have cut out the sermon and a lot of the singing and some of the prayers. Also, the video of greetings from Gorom-Gorom, which we showed, and you can see here: Wedding Greetings Video
(Many thanks to my good friend Steve!)
Photos to come in the next day or two, dv.
July 15, 2009
I Love My Wife
Lynne and I are now back from honeymoon. We had a wonderful time, first of all in a small cottage in Arran for two weeks, followed by a week at our friends' place in Turkey. It has been an amazing blessing from God. Thank you for all your prayers for us.
I will be uploading photos from the wedding and honeymoon shortly, in-between getting back into the busy-ness of life - now of course with the added blessing of doing it all together with the Lovely Lynne as my wife.
More soon...
July 05, 2009
The Happy Couple
Thank you all for your prayers for our wedding day. Lynne and I had a wonderful, joyful day. It was great to see many of our family and good friends there - such a shame we couldn't invite you all... It was the best wedding I have ever been to!!!
We are blissfully happy, and looking forward to serving God together into the future.
In the meantime, however, we will be away on holiday for another week, and will be back in touch and posting photos after that time.
See you soon...
June 20, 2009
Wedding Greetings from Gorom-Gorom
Countdown to the Wedding
Keith and Lynne's Wedding Page
June 19, 2009
The Bells are Going to Chime
I get married tomorrow to the lovely Lynne!
Please pray for our day, and for us as we start our life serving God together. Thank you.
I won't be blogging for a few weeks... but do come by sometime after 3pm tomorrow, as Steve will be posting something here then.
April 18, 2009
More Wedding News
There are two questions I have been repeatedly asked about Lynne and my plans to marry:
1. What do you want as a wedding gift?
For the answer to this question, you can go to our new Wedding Page.
2. "What will you be doing after marrying - will you both be going back to Burkina Faso?"
Yes, Lynne and I do plan to continue to develop the ministry in Gorom-Gorom and Burkina Faso, where I have been working for 20 years.
We envisage that this work will involve travelling between Burkina Faso and the UK, as we also build up the Acacia Partnership Trust.
We don't yet have a date for moving out to Burkina Faso. Immediately after the wedding and honeymoon, we will be based in the UK for a few months. We then plan to spend time in France for Lynne to improve her French, which will be necessary for her life in Burkina Faso.
During this time, we will of course maintain contact with the work in Burkina Faso, and may be travelling out there occasionally. For example, we plan to go out in September, when the churches in Gorom-Gorom and Markoye will be running a Soccer School with the support of a team coming out from Glenwood Church in Cardiff and St Nics in Nottingham. (I will write more about this soon.)
Please continue to pray for us. Thank you.
April 11, 2009
Wedding Date
20 June 2009.
I am happy to tell you that Lynne and I will be marrying on the 20 June this year, at Lynne's home church in Paisley, Scotland.
Please pray for us as we prepare for the great day and for the future together.
Thank you.
February 13, 2009
Nazinga
A few photos from Nazinga park in the south of Burkina, where Lynne and I went for a few days after getting engaged last month, before she returned to Scotland. It was a great place to relax and pray and talk about wedding plans over breakfast, while watching the elephants coming to bathe:
There were also lots of crocodiles, antelope, baboons, warthog, and other animals and birds. Here is a kingfisher and a bee-eater:
Here is an elephant that wandered through the camp on his way to the watering hole, and two pictures of the most beautiful fiancee in the world.
On our way out of the camp, we got charged by an elephant when we got too close to the herd. It was very impressive. Unfortunately though, I was too pre-occupied to get a photo of that one...
We hope to announce a wedding date soon. Please pray for us as we prepare for marriage, and for the wedding. Arranging things from so far apart is not always so easy...
February 04, 2009
Lovely millet dumpling
"Si nyiiri booyi ley fayande fu, wurtoto nyiiri lobbiri."
This is a Fulani proverb told to me today by Pierre when talking about how long I had to wait before meeting my fiancee Lynne:
It means:
"If the millet dumpling has spent a long time being cooked, it will turn out a lovely millet dumpling."
February 01, 2009
I'm Engaged!!!!
I am engaged to be married to Lynne McDonald:
Lynne is a courageous woman – not only accepting the frightening challenge of becoming my wife, but also happily letting God throw her life into complete disarray, to come and join me in Gorom-Gorom...
Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for us as we seek God's way forward for us. Thank you.
More soon...
