a day in the life... // chapter 3: women on mission

The Baptist women of Burkina Faso are so much fun to work with.  They love to laugh and are some of the most thoughtful friends one could have.  On my birthday in December, a delegation came by our house to have a short time of worship and prayer.  Isn’t that a wonderful tradition of celebrating birthdays with friends?  During the first week of January, I met with these “co-laborers with Christ” at our girls’ center (which is still renovation).  We prayed and planned for the year 2013.

 

What a tremendous blessing to hear them choose their theme for the year:  “Women on Mission: The Role of Women in the Advance of God’s Kingdom.”  We will be studying from God’s Word about what it means to be on mission with God.  We will hear testimonies from Nigerian Baptist women missionaries, Ivorian Baptist women missionaries, Brazilian Baptist women missionaries, American IMB women missionaries, and of course, Burkinabé Baptist women missionaries.  We will learn together about how to do missions work locally and how to be involved in missions work that goes to the ends of the earth. For this grown-up GA whose life owes so much to the legacy of WMU, this conference promises to be one of the most exciting of my missionary life.

• What happens next and how can you pray?  This very important conference takes place from March 25-29.  My dear friend, Brazilian Baptist missionary, Cristiane Oliveira, and I will be team teaching for the opening session on what the Bible teaches us about being on mission with God.  As the week unfolds there will be ample opportunity for the women to respond to the call to missions by giving, going and praying.  Please pray that God will raise up an army of Burkinabé Baptist women who will confidently and boldly respond to what is called in French the “supreme order.”  “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” I can’t wait!

a day in the life... // chapter 2: cotton country Christmas

On Christmas morning, I leaned over and said to Madeleine, “Never forget that this is what Christmas is all about.”  We were sitting under a tent in the village of Nana among the Marka people of Burkina Faso.  Good Shepherd Baptist Church of Ouagadougou has adopted the Marka and in 2004, sent their own missionary to live among them, one of many unreached people groups of Burkina.  The tent was the site of exuberant worship as 3 other village churches gathered together with Nana to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.  They were also celebrating a Christmas day baptism of 95 new believers.  Jay had the privilege of sharing this task with the young Burkinabé missionary and 2 other pastors.

 

As the baptism progressed and the singing and dancing continued, from time to time a donkey cart loaded with freshly hand-picked cotton would pass directly in front of the tent.  The young laborers dumped the cotton on the ground near the church, where trucks would eventually come to get it to take it to the gin.  The previous day, on our way to Nana, we had passed many cotton fields with pickers diligently working to gather the cotton by hand.  I was reminded of my own childhood and the snow-white fields of cotton ready to be picked.

Most certainly as my sisters read this, they are saying, “Now Kass, we picked cotton by hand, but you never did a day in your life.”  :)  It’s true, but I did ride that cotton picker with daddy and had a lot of fun playing in that white fluffy stuff, tromping it down to get the trailer ready for the next hopper full.  The donkey carts and the fields of cotton not only reminded me of my childhood; they also reminded me of the words of Jesus in John 4, “Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”  And again in Matthew 9, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

In the world’s fields which are white and ready for harvest, there is no magic machine which will reap what has been sown.  Our heavenly Father has lovingly placed into our hands the task of gathering souls.  That, my friends, is what Christmas is really about.

• What happens next and how can you pray?  Since Christmas, a Brazilian Baptist missionary colleague has returned to Marka land to train women how to make soap as a way to help support their families. There has been much local persecution of all of these new Christians including the posting of sacrificed animal skins around the church.  Pray that they will stand firm in their new faith and continue to share boldly what God has done in their lives.

[Christmas dinner]

[Pastor Henri & Solange Ye from Good Shepherd Baptist and
Cristiane, Brazilian Baptist missionary]

a day in the life... // chapter 1: a lady takes the prize!

A day in the life of the Shaftos (or several days maybe)…

It’s been a while since we’ve written, and life has brought so many wonderful things our way in the meantime.  By “wonderful,” I mean those things that only God can do, those kingdom gifts that He sends our way to remind us of His love for us and for the world.  They’re so much better than the material gifts, aren’t they?  I hope you enjoy this little set of “chapters” from our life over the past 6 weeks.  God, as usual, is up to tremendous things.  Isn’t it a joy and a privilege to serve Him?!

Chapter 1 “A Lady Takes the Prize!”

Two Saturdays before Christmas, Jay and I set out for a small Lyele (lay-lay) village northwest of Ouaga.  On a  three hour drive we trekked in our 4x4 over some paved roads, some dirt roads and some country paths that led us to a familiar sight:  a small mud-block church with a tin roof, next door to the pastor’s courtyard.  We were invited by a pastor who had reproduced the training which he had received from Jay and others about how to use Bible stories to lead people to Christ.  In this particular village, he had trained 10 story-telling evangelists, 6 men and 4 women, and charged each of them to lead 10 people to salvation in the next year.  They began in May 2012.  It was now December.  Jay and I sat before these Story-tellers and listened as the pastor trainer called each person’s name and stated the number of new children in God’s kingdom because of his/her witness through Bible stories.  A total of 61 new Christians with each person leading at least 3 others to follow Jesus!  A woman was at the forefront with 8 spiritual children to her credit.  Yay for the ladies!!  I recently saw this pastor and he told me that she has now led 5 more people to faith in Christ.

  

During this first hour, the pastor asked us to give a word of encouragement to these faithful witnesses.  Perhaps they should’ve been the ones giving the words of encouragement and challenge to us!  During the second hour, ALL 61 one of these new believers came to the church, and both Jay and I had the privilege of sharing some encouraging words with them as well.  Sorry Apple, but no electronic gadget as a Christmas gift can ever compare with that! It was the continuation of a joyous Christmas season filled with the most amazing gifts imaginable from the One who always does immeasurably more than we can ask or think!

The next day was the Lord’s Day.  That little church, which before had about 60 regular attendees, was bursting at the seams with their 61 new believers.  Some were standing outside the back door eagerly listening to the sermon.  Never underestimate the power of a story, especially one that communicates the Truth of the Most High God.

• What happens next and how can you pray?  We’ve been invited back in May by the expectant pastor who hopes to be baptizing 100 new Christians.  Pray that these Story-tellers will be faithful to the task and that the Holy Spirit will continue to use God’s Word to draw people to Himself in this village.