New adventures await!

Dear Family and Friends,

This past 1½ years in the U. S. have been exceptional ones for us.  Those who live most of their lives far away from their families will fully understand the joy it has been to have more frequent visits with our children, parents, sisters, and brothers.  Having our toddler niece recognize us with a welcoming smile when we popped in for a visit in New Jersey warmed our hearts.  Tailgating with Robbie before an LSU football game was nothing short of awesome. Dropping in on James and Madeleine who are just a couple of hours away from us in NC has been so convenient, and well, just plain fun.

But years ago, we both wholly committed our lives to the One who knows and loves our family more than we ever could and to actively seek His leadership in our lives.  We know that He calls all who follow Him to be His witnesses and as Jay often says, where we do that is just a matter of geography.

So beginning in January of this year we began what would turn out to be a very long process of searching the heart of the One we love most so that we could fully understand His will for us during this stage of life – this time when we love the empty nest but also love being near our kids, this time when visits with parents seems more precious than ever.

Fasting and prayer-filled months

 filled with

Journal entries

Nudgings from His Word

Closed doors

Open doors

Small coincidences

Thinking we see the path – and then again maybe we didn’t

Anxious days

Exciting days

Hurting days

Information-gathering sessions

Learning about ourselves

Delighting ourselves in Him

Denying ourselves

Surrendering all to Him once again

Yes, Lord, we will go anywhere, anytime, do anything that You ask us to do.

So we’re off in February once again… with our beloved imb family, to share His story among the nations of the Congo Basin in central Africa.  Specifically for this first season, in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We are eagerly anticipating the continued adventure of seeking the sound of His voice just as we have over these past months.  We desperately want to grow in His grace so that the only desire of our hearts is to simply delight ourselves in Him.

So how can you pray?  We have a new blog called “declaring the mystery.”  In Colossians 4:3-4, the apostle Paul appealed to the body of Christ for them to offer this prayer:

“Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” 

So please pray that:

• God will open doors.
• We will faithfully declare His mystery.
• We will share it clearly.  

Because we should.

Praying with you for the Congo Basin to know and worship Him,

Kathy

So very much to be thankful for this Christmas!

As always our lives and ministry are abundantly blessed by our many friends who faithfully pray for us and encourage us.  To our Southern Baptist friends, we once again offer a huge “merci” for your support through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.  As this Christmas season unfolds, we are happy to be serving this year in the U. S. at the International Learning Center where our new personnel are trained before going out to their many places of service around the world.   We are constantly reminded that the generosity of Southern Baptists continue to make our life and ministry both in Africa and here in the States possible. Your faithful giving allows us to devote ourselves to full-time ministry, providing us with a salary, a home, transportation, food, medical care — and so much more. Thank you! Please know that many around the world will truly celebrate Christmas for the first time this year because of your sacrificial gifts.

ONE in 20 Million

As a part of our new role in Richmond, VA, Jay and I recently traveled to participate in a pilot project with our training center.  We went to New York City, a metropolis of almost 20 million people, where we saw God vividly at work in the lives of individuals.  Here is just one example.

Teamed with two colleagues and sent to Chinatown, we walked the crowded streets and heard only the chatter of Chinese and saw almost no Caucasian or black faces.  Signs on all the stores were written always in Chinese script and sometimes in English. 

One morning Jay stepped inside a bank to get some money and I waited for him on the street.  A black man was watering flowers hung high up on the street lamp poles, so I decided that since I couldn’t communicate with most of the others around me, I would strike up a conversation with this man.  Sure enough, he spoke very broken English.  “Est-ce que vous parlez Francais? Do you speak French?”  A huge smile broke out on this man’s face.  “Oui, oui. Yes!”  “What country do you come from?” “Burkina Faso.” 

You can imagine the joy that I felt.  And I assure you, his joy was equal to mine.  Eli had been in America for about one month.  He was struggling to learn English and was somewhat discouraged.  In Burkina his neighborhood was very near our own neighborhood.  And then are you ready for this?  He is married to the sister of one of my good friends.  My friend and Eli’s wife are sisters of one of our Baptist pastors.  Eli is a follower of Christ, a child of the King.  When Jay came out of the bank, we were able in a short conversation to give much needed encouragement to our brother.

I’m so happy that I serve a God whose eyes are roaming throughout the earth, looking for those whose hearts belong to him, so that he may strongly support them. (2Chron 16:9)  So thankful for a divine appointment in a metropolis of 20 million from our Heavenly Father who was seeking to support one of His own.

Standing amazed…

Baptist Co-laborers with Christ of Burkina Faso
National Camp: March 24-28, Diebougou

WOMEN ON MISSION WITH GOD – NEW STRATEGIES TO REACH THE WORLD FOR CHRIST!

After 20 years in Burkina, I prayed a brand new prayer:  “Lord, help me to have courage when I go to the bathroom with the bats flying out of the pit toilet! 

The funny parts of the week:  bats in the pit toilet, huge, fast spiders crawling on the walls and floors of the room we were sleeping in, sharing water for bucket baths when the wells ran dry and the electric pumps in town wouldn't work because the electricity was cut, pigs rooting around in the trash can that we left outside the door.

BUT, the truly fun and exciting parts of the week: 

v  Worshiping the Most High God in song and dance and learning with my Burkinabé sisters in 9 different languages

About 250 women gather in Diebougou

The church was packed and HOT and filled with love and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Singing to Him in Zarma with our sisters from Niger

v  Being challenged by sisters who WALKED over 50 miles to be at camp

Such commitment!

v  Learning how to be salt and light in the world as we build sincere relationships with “neighbors” – our sisters and friends from another major religion who don’t know about the saving love of Christ

Cristiane, my cherished friend from Brazil

"You are the salt of the earth!"

African missionary sister teaches about sharing with our neighbors

v  Learning about good nutrition and how the cleanliness of our bodies and homes can easily help to prevent diseases like typhoid and dysentery

Great teaching from Brazilian Baptist missionary sister about nutrition

The cleanliness of our body and homes by our national president, nurse Beatrice

v  Learning how to use creative ideas like henna tattoos to share the amazing truths of God’s Word

Missionary from Niger teaches about new approaches of sharing

v  Being challenged to news ways of thinking after hearing a moving testimony about how God can grow in us a miraculous love for the children He gives us even if they don’t grow in our own womb

Testimony of His faithfulness

v  Responding to the challenge of supporting God’s mission in the world by giving our time, our money, ourselves, and yes, even our children! 

My friends, I want you to know that if you had been with us on that little hill in Diebougou, in southwestern Burkina Faso, you too, would have experienced the challenging call of our Lord Jesus Christ to offer yourself wholly and completely to Him to do His will.  In spite of the bats, in spite of the spiders, in spite of the heat – He met with all 250 of us there.  He doesn’t fear those things and He’s not inconvenienced by them. 

Remember that wonderful hymn “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene”?   STANDING AMAZED – that’s what it’s like for me when I have the incredible privilege to stand alongside my friends – my missionary colleagues from many different countries and my beloved Burkina sisters – to worship Jesus the Nazarene -- in song and dance and learning.  And to once again remember that He doesn't ask us to give to give a little; He asks us to give it ALL.  And He doesn't promise us that in Him we can do a little, He promises that we can do ALL THINGS. 

O how marvelous, O how wonderful

 And my song shall ever be

O how marvelous, how wonderful

 Is my Savior’s love for me!

Cristiane prays for me as I prepare to leave Burkina for 18 months.

Beautiful Burkina sunrise

Julianna and Cristiane -- my Brazilian heros and friends

Choosing the winner of the mission trip quilt!  

Electing  the new leadership team with 5 representatives of each association

Lynn, old and dear friend -- her claim to fame?  The first to see Madeleine after she was born!

Missionaries from Burkina, Brazil, the U.S. and Ivory Coast

Bissa ladies diligently taking notes

Newly elected national leadership team

I LOVE serving with incredible sisters!

Supportive pastors after the opening ceremony

Toddler nursery Burkina style

Local teens served us all week by cleaning the church and helping with cooking

Route 412 Sanwabo – another week of laughter and learning.

Children play the games we learned

Learning about how children can be involved in missons

Playing games can help children grow spiritually

Stephanie teaches about why children should be discipled

Route 412 Sanwabo leadership team with Pastor Jean Paul and a local chief

Between 50 and 60 men and women from five different Baptist associations joined Stephanie Vied, children’s minister from Mississippi and me, along with our team of three other Burkinabé women for the second Route 412 training.  Only two of the 57 churches in these 5 associations already have some type of children’s ministry.  In the small village church of Sanwabo, this training required only 3 languages – French and English translated into Mooré.  We learned about unreached peoples who have little gospel witness, the different types of work that missionaries do around the world, and games that help children to grow.  At the beginning of each session we prayed for unreached peoples and unchurched villages, and the challenge of the Holy Spirit was increasingly clear to move out of our comfort zones and take the truths of God's love to those who haven’t heard in ways that they can understand. 

Route 412 Sanwabo participants

If you had been with us, you would have found as we did that in spite of the heat, God’s strength through joy found its way into our hearts as we worshiped and sang, played and learned together.  Three different groups of churches composed Biblical children’s songs and brainstormed about how children can do missionary activities in their villages and created skits to illustrate God’s call on the child David’s life.  Make no mistake about it -- the Mossi love to dance and their delight in the Lord in doing so is infectious!  What an exciting, incredible week!  Thank you for your prayers!

Next week as you continue to pray, the focus changes from children to adults.   With a break from Route 412, I’ll travel to the southwestern Burkina village of Diebougou to share the joy of life and learning with 3 dear colleagues from Niger and my precious Baptist co-laborers with Christ.  Thank you in advance for praying for the 6^th annual Baptist women’s conference whose theme this year is:  Women on Mission with God:  New Strategies to Reach the World for Christ. 

ROUTE 412 Que personne ne méprise ta jeunesse; mais sois un modèle pour les fidèles, en parole, en conduite, en charité, en foi, en pureté. 1 Timothée 4.12

Playing musical flip-flops...

Demonstrating Bible drills...

Praying for unreached peoples and Burkinabé missionaries to go share with them... 

Brainstorming about missions activities for children... 

Composing children’s songs in heart languages...

These things and so many more made for an exciting and successful training of 80 children’s leaders and 37 student pastors and their wives at our recent Route 412 training.  Imagine a small tin-roofed church filled with adults wearing brightly colored clothes and speaking 7 different languages.  Add quite a few babies on the backs of young mothers and toddlers crawling around on the floor as their mommies listen to the teaching. And don’t forget that the temps are already on the rise toward hot season here in Burkina.   

Debbie Moore of Arkansas WMU , Seni Zoungrana, a young Baptist volunteer church planter, and I taught sessions that were immediately translated by a precious young Christian sister named Mamouna.  Mamouna’s words were, in turn, followed by simultaneous translation into 5 other languages.  BUT, as you know from your study of the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit LOVES that kind of setting.  He is more than willing to show up and make certain that His vision for the nations is clearly shared and that His children are both encouraged and challenged. 

So what exactly is Route 412?  Based on 1 Timothy 4:12 it is a 6-year children’s program for our Baptist churches here in Burkina Faso which leads them to grow in their relationship with Christ, in their knowledge of His word and His work among the nations, and in their responsibility to see that His truths are shared to the ends of the earth.  Beginning with the youngest group as His Companions, followed by His Witnesses, and finally growing into His Ambassadors with the oldest kids, the program includes learning Bible stories to share with friends, memorizing key verses from Scripture, participating in both group and individual missions activities, and praying for a lost world.

The development of Route 412 and the training of children’s leaders to implement it in our churches has been a tremendous partnership between Women’s Missionary Union in the U. S., Union des Ouvrières Baptistes du Christ (Baptist women) of Burkina Faso, the IMB, and the local Union of Baptist Churches.  Many thanks to my dear friend and colleague, Mona Hewitt who designed the award badges. 

Our first training last week was a highlight of my 20-year international missionary career.  Working alongside Debbie Moore was such a blessing!  Hearing a young Jula speaking student pastor’s wife recount in perfect detail the story of David’s call and his encounter with Goliath was awe-inspiring.  Listening to musical compositions of children’s songs in 7 languages was a reminder of what Heaven will be like (since we all have to become like children to go there.J) Playing silly games with my African brothers and sisters brought so much of God’s joy and its accompanying strength to my heart.  I know that Debbie would agree with me when I say that not one person present learned any more or was challenged and encouraged any more than she and I were.

So, friends, what happens next and how can you pray?  There are three more Route 412 trainings to follow this one.  Starting on Monday, March 10, another volunteer, Stephanie Vied, a children’s minister from Mississippi, will join me in the village of Sanwabo where we hope to train another 120 leaders from around 60 churches.  On April 7 accompanied by some previously trained Burkinabé Baptist women, we will begin training leaders in the city of Bobo and its association of churches.  The third Route 412 training is not yet scheduled and will most likely be led entirely by Burkinabé Baptists since Jay and Madeleine and I will be returning to the States in June for our stateside assignment.

And finally, what is “musical flip-flops?”  It is our own African version of musical chairs – where you sit on a flip-flop instead of a chair and you march around the circle to beat of an African djembe instead of recorded music.  Equally competitive but so much more fun and exciting!

[Mamouna & Kathy]

[rice kitchen]

[preparing lunch]

[Lucienne, Debbie & Mamouna]

Our Baptist co-laborers have been at it again!  The weekend of Nov. 15, 16, and 17 was the first edition of the “72 hours of UOBC” in Ouagadougou.  What a tremendous weekend filled with worship, fellowship, ministry, and fun!  We started on Friday night with the opening worship service, followed by a medical outreach on Saturday morning.  38 Baptist women and some neighborhood friends who are not believers came to our center on Saturday morning to experience a gynecological screening for cancer at a greatly reduced rate.  For all but one of these women, this was a first time experience, and many were terrified.  Having faced the unknown and found it to be not as scary as they anticipated, these brave women will now be able to go and encourage their friends to participate in this very important check-up. 

Saturday evening we showed a film, followed by an evangelistic service.  There were several young people who showed a keen interest in following Christ, and two of them came for a follow-up interview the following Monday morning.  Sunday morning saw each church’s Sunday morning service being led by the women.  On Sunday afternoon we were blessed with a closing ceremony which included a concert of our Ouagadougou Baptist women’s choirs!  How I wish you could’ve been here to see the choreographed presentations.  We were also blessed to hear a humble and pertinent message about our theme, “Love Your Neighbor,” from a presidential cabinet minister who is an evangelical Christian.  It was a remarkable weekend organized by some remarkable Baptist women on mission with God. 

Jay and I are incredibly blessed by our wonderful God.  Serving Him here in Burkina is a joy in so many ways.  This joyful life that we have is made possible by your participation in our ministry.  Thank you for praying for us.  For those of you who are our Southern Baptist friends, thank you for your sacrificial giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions.  It’s your faithful generosity that allows us to live here in Burkina and do what we love to do – helping Burkina Baptists to be on mission with God to reach the unreached peoples of the world.   It’s your faithful generosity that allows our 4,854 colleagues and their 4,000 children to reach out to peoples all around the world who have had little or no opportunity to hear the truth of God’s love in ways that they can understand.   Please give generously this year and in so doing, know that He is being lifted up and will draw men, women, boys, and girls to Himself. 

So that ALL may know and worship Him, Kathy and Jay

Solange Ouedraogo, UOBC National Prayer Chairman

Beatrice Zoma, National President UOBC

Midwives in pink teaching about medical screening

Neighborhood friend at medical outreach