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]