Hacking Timbuktu has been selected as one of Lovereading's Books of the Year 2009 in the 11-13 age category.

If you want to quit Facebook, go to 'Settings' and you'll find 'deactivate' and 'delete' in the menu there.

I think I'll miss the photo-sharing utility more than anything - it's a great way to see what people are up to. The rest is pretty much dross.

Goodbye, Facebook. It was nice while it lasted.

This interview reminded me of my all-time favourite boys' book, Molesworth by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle. 20 Amazon reviews, and every single one gave the book 5 stars.

Another letter from Alan Dixon in Ouagadougou. If you would like to make a donation which will benefit homeless families and/or reconstruction, you can make a secure online donation here. In the box titled 'Missionary or Project Name', please type BF General 93918 Ouagadougou Flood Relief. Thank you so much.

Yesterday we went to Yagma, one of the three sites that the government is developing to provide lots on which new housing can be built away from flood prone areas of Ouagadougou. As I mentioned in my last update, November 30th had been set as the final date for leaving the tent cities and that those taking refuge there would be enabled to find some other solution to their individual housing crises. On Wednesday we visited Cissen, one of the tent cities where we have been helping with some food relief, to find that about half of those who had taken refuge there were still on site with no plans for leaving in the immediate future. Despite the fact that government aid at the centre has greatly diminished, many expressed their reality that a tent is still better than nothing. The spirit among those still at Cissen was much more agitated than on previous visits and there was obvious discontent that the government was so slow in coming through on the promises for housing and other aid. Many of those who have received promised government help for housing have left the center, most for other temporary shelter and a few to the newly developing areas, of which Yagma is one.

We accompanied one father from Cissen to see where he would be relocating at Yagma and to see how things were progressing with resettlement there. What we found made both Alison and I think of what it must have been like, to some extent, for settlers in frontier days. Yagma is not far from Ouagadougou, but seems completely removed from the realities of big city life. Heavy equipment is at work scratching out roadways in what used to be farmers fields and surveyors are continuing to mark building lots and for distribution to those arriving. On arrival we found a group of about 200 people who had arrived recently, the real pioneers. These families have received their promised 30 bags of cement and each had piled the bags so as to be able to make a small hut, covered with a grass mat, into which they could crawl to sleep. No reconstruction has started as there is virtually no water in this location, people needing to walk 2 to 3 km to find water for washing, cooking and drinking. We talked to one father who had been there for 10 days who had found a small water hole about 1 km away from the Yagma encampment, where he was making mud bricks. He said the hole would be dry in a few days. We talked with several widows, there with their small children, wondering just what they were going to do if water was not soon available for construction. We left just a bit shaken by the realities of resettlement that many are facing. We returned yesterday morning and then again in the afternoon where Matthew, Alison, and I, with another SIMer Mark Dartnell and two Burkinabe colleagues from the Goundrin church, shared a week’s ration of rice and canned fish with 40 families, those we had discerned were the most needy.

What next? We will meet together on Monday to discuss further strategy for Yagma and for those who remain at the tent city at Cissen. During our visits this week we were struck by the complete absence of any government authority at either Yagma or Cissen. We need more information as to what can be expected in the near future for both locations and how we can best contribute to meeting needs, both in the short and medium term. We continue to work through the church in Paspanga to respond to food, schooling, and shelter needs in that part of Ouagadougou.

Christmas is just ahead. We are so pleased to have Matthew here with us. Joel will spend Christmas with good friends in Toronto for whom we are so thankful. His semester in the teaching program at the University of Toronto has gone well. Luke and Mariena will be in Calgary, battling the snow and cold there. They are both doing well, both working, and enjoying a new home recently purchased. We are readjusting to the dust, haze and cooler temps of the Burkinabe winter (33C daytime, 20C at night). Please continue to pray for the displaced poor of Ouagadougou, that the joy of knowing Jesus and celebrating his birth would gladden the hearts of many in the midst of very difficult times. Donations can still be sent through SIM offices and designated for Ouagadougou Flood Relief, BF 93918. Thanks to so many of you who have given.

Merry Christmas to one and all!

With thankful hearts,

Alan, Alison, and Matt

Dear friends,

The Fulani of Burkina Faso have two words for shepherd. Duroowo is the more common word, defined simply as 'one who herds'. The other is banyaajo – a stronger word meaning 'one who herds and knows nothing about anything except herding.' It signifies someone who is most at ease when he is way off in the countryside, someone whose conversation is limited to cows, goats and sheep. Banyaajo is not necessarily an insult but it does have a humorous edge to it.

I like to think that the shepherds in the second chapter of the gospel of Luke were young lads of the banyaajo variety. Just before the angel turned up, they were doing what they did best – keeping watch over their sheep. They may also have been humming, shivering and telling jokes, when suddenly God interrupted their pastoral idyll and gave them something else to talk about.

Advent is here and we are wallowing afresh in the delicious story of the nativity. Light and life have come into the world. Unexpected glory has shone around us. Emmanuel, God with us, has entered our darkness, our sadness and our shame, intent on sweeping us up into his love.

Unusually, Charlie and I are celebrating Christmas in England this year. We are also celebrating the birth of our first child, Liberty, who was born on 16 November. She's very sweet and we're asking God for wisdom to bring her up well.

We are living in a small village called Lavant in the south of England. Steve is writing a new book; Charlie is looking after Lib and doing the occasional fashion shoot for girls' magazine Caris. Our cottage is just a stone's throw from the inn where William Blake wrote Jerusalem – a green and pleasant land which seems light years away from our home in sub-saharan Africa.

That said, we are in regular contact with our friends and colleagues in Burkina Faso, and we fully expect to return there in the middle of next year. Steve recently assumed the role of Field Leader for the World Horizons teams in West Africa. Charlie is looking forward to developing various craft projects alongside the charity Save Our Skills. We both admit to feeling more than a bit vulnerable about the idea of being back in Africa with an eight-month old baby, and we would appreciate your prayers as the time approaches.

For now though, we wish you and your families a meaningful Christmas and a happy new year. Alla beydu jam (May God increase your peace).

There is an enthusiastic review of Hacking Timbuktu over at Book Zone 4 Boys.

This blog is maintained by Mr H, an assistant headmaster somewhere in the UK. He has only been blogging since October but I suspect that his blog will become very popular indeed. I've been browsing his thoughtful reviews and made myself a must-read list. If you still need Christmas present ideas for boys, I invite you to head over to Book Zone 4 Boys!

Liberty Rose was born last night and weighs 6 lb 8 oz. Mother and baby are both well.

So I was thrilled to come across this page of 13 rarely seen albino animals over at Purple Slinky. This albino owl was my favourite, but there's also a very handsome alligator and an amazing gorilla! Check them out.

Another letter from Alan Dixon in Ouagadougou. If you would like to make a donation which will benefit homeless families and/or reconstruction, you can make a secure online donation here. In the box titled 'Missionary or Project Name', please type BF General 93918 Ouagadougou Flood Relief. Thank you so much.

It is now eight weeks since the flood. The rains have stopped and the dry season is setting in with increasing dust and moderating temperatures. Life in Ouagadougou, although far from normal for 100,000 of its inhabitants, seems to have resumed its normal rhythm. Many of those staying in the 88 government shelters have found alternate housing, staying with friends, neighbors and relatives and in some cases rebuilding. The rest, maybe 30-40%, have relocated to 14 government shelters, most living in tents.

We visited three of these tent cities yesterday to see first hand the conditions there and to determine where we may continue to contribute to any persistent needs. For the most part basic needs are being cared for, although problems related to such a large displacement of people, often far from their previous homes, are obvious. In two of the three centres, primary schools have been erected and life seems to be carrying on with some degree of normalcy. Preparation of meals is done in communal kitchens, adequate for the most part, with the World Food Program, Cathwell and the Burkina Government providing most of the food. Organization seems good and health concerns are being cared for to a great degree. Our interventions over the last four weeks have been focused on isolated cases where holes have appeared and where we had enough knowledge of the situation to be able to plug them, mostly with food aid and some building materials.

The big question being asked is where to eventually house those who have been relocated in these 14 tent cities scattered around the city. The Prime Minister, in a press conference on October 15, said that even those who have been relocated must find some other place to live by November 30. The reason given for this deadline is the increasing possibility of epidemic as the harmattan season arrives and its accompanying dust, respiratory illnesses, and meningitis outbreaks. The government has clarified that they will not rebuild people's homes and that people will not be allowed to rebuild in many of the flooded areas. The plan is that building lots in newly developing areas of the city, about 15,000 of them, will be attributed to those who were previously living in the most flood-prone areas. Those homeowners who lost their homes will be allocated a building lot and up to 280,000 cfa (about $700) worth of building materials with which to rebuild. Those who were in rented houses that collapsed will receive compensation of 50,000 cfa ($125) per household to help with relocation. For those who had taken refuge other than in government shelters, they have been encouraged to make themselves known and will receive rations of rice and other goods to help in their re-establishment.

Over the next few weeks we will continue to help with particular needs identified in at least one of the remaining shelters. We will also be working to identify those who we can help in reconstruction, focusing again on those who are least able to provide for themselves. Although the government is making big efforts to help its population, the amount being given to help each family in rebuilding is minimal compared to the need. One person commented yesterday that what the government is planning to contribute in building materials will build them a kitchen but not the rest of the house. Please pray for the people of Ouagadougou as they continue to overcome obstacles to reconstruction. Pray for us, particularly for wisdom in making choices, as we continue to work with churches and others here in Ouaga to meet needs as we are able.

Many thanks to many who have made gifts to help with this need. Donations can still be sent through SIM offices and designated for Ouagadougou Flood Relief, BF 93918.

Alan