What is orality training?

Jesus’ method of teaching, using stories and parables, is well adapted to African culture, where storytelling is part of family life and literacy rates are low. In Orality Training we take advantage of this by asking participants to close their Bibles and notebooks. The trainer simply tells the Bible story, which the students master through repetition. Once everyone has had a chance to repeat the story accurately, the following questions are asked:

What do you like in this story?

What don’t you like in this story?

What strikes you from this story?

What do you learn from this story?

To whom will you tell this story?

These inductive questions can be used with any story or Bible passage, and are easily mastered by everyone, regardless of their ability to read. Of greater importance, when people share what they see in God’s Word, it is not the leader, but the Holy Spirit doing the teaching, with deep, longer lasting effects.

Greetings from Kenya!

Greetings from Kenya, where I am in a conference, freezing to death at 63 degrees!

I have a series of blog updates I will be sending you over the next few days as I have time to write. The past few months have seen the answer to some of our deepest prayers. In March I invited 60 men and women, 4 from each Association of Baptist churches in Burkina Faso, to come to Ouagadougou for a training conference. Starting with the story of the Gadarene demoniac, they were taught simple inductive Bible study methods for evangelism, Bible study and leadership training. Each team of 4 was given the responsibility of going back to their association to train as many as possible at every level: youth, women’s ministry, SS teachers and church leaders.

The response to this training has been phenomenal. Here are some highlights:

Tiebele: 60 church members gathered for a 1 day session on evangelism using the Gadarene demoniac. They were trained Saturday morning and went out in the afternoon door-to-door. The following Sunday so many people came to church they had to borrow benches from the neighbors to seat the overflow crowd!

Godyr: Four weeks ago the youth in the association were trained in evangelism and sent out door-to-door in the village of Delba. 74 decisions were made for Christ and a new church was started with consistently 70 in attendance.

Reo: The church in Sandié has been using Orality for several months now in Bible studies and outreach. During that time attendance has gone from 40 to 120!

Pray for training conferences scheduled in Ouagadougou, Bobo, and Boré this summer. God is doing something special.

Flood Relief, November 2009

The Baptist youth of Ouagadougou once again rallied their force to bring relief to those who were worst hit by the flood on Sept 1. After our first construction effort several sites still needed to be completed. We did not expect the same level of participation as our first outing, but were overwhelmed with both the number of participants (60+) and their hard work. With only two volunteer masons, the teams split up by task, with the masons finishing up two old sites while three teams dug foundations at three new sites. A sixth team went to the home of a young widow to make mud bricks. When we ran into a snag and had to repair one foundation, a third mason was hired from the neighborhood and within a few hours the foundations were dug and the work progressing. As one site was completed, that team joined forces with another team to accelerate the work on their site. By 4:30 three old foundations were completed, 1 foundation repaired, and 3 new foundations dug from scratch. In addition, the brickmakers made over 1100 bricks for the widow and 650 for Autone, who was both a mason and one of those being helped.

It is always encouraging to see believers helping and serving others. Still, it was especially touching to arrive where they were making bricks to see 8-10 children from the church joining in. Their feet and hands were caked with mud, but the smiles on their faces were priceless. Working side by side with their parents and deacons and older brothers and sisters in the Lord, they gave their strength and joy to their neighbors for the glory of God!

Thank you for your prayers and support of this effort, funded through personal gifts, the Lottie Moon offering, and Disaster Relief Funds. In John 13:1 we read, “Having loved his own who were in the world, he (Jesus) now showed them the full extent of his love.” Jesus then proceeds to wash the disciples’ feet. It is through this act of service that Jesus was able to show them the full extent of his love. Likewise, through these days of service to a suffering community, we have been able to show a different level of love to our neighbors; one that is more complete. It is a level of love that cannot be expressed or experienced in any other way but through sacrificially serving others, and it was a privilege to both express it and experience it together alongside so many.

Flood Relief, October 2009

On Saturday, October 17, over 100 Baptist youth from across Ouagadougou joined forces in Secteur 16 to make a difference for 20 families devastated by the flood of Sept 1. Gathering at 7am at l’Eglise Baptiste Wendbenedo, prayer, singing and worship set the tone for the day before dividing into 7 teams and spreading out across the neighborhood. A mason from a sister church, along with a mason from the neighborhood had been to each site the day before to trace out the dimensions for the foundation, so the teams got straight to work digging out the trench while others began making mud bricks. Working under an unforgiving sun, the work moved forward as the day got long. Several pastors came to encourage their members, joining a refreshment team delivering drinks, food, and words of encouragement from site to site. The planning committee was also in action, arranging the delivery of rocks, sand, and gravel as needed. One team, while waiting for a delivery, struck up a conversation with a passerby which led to spiritual questions. Before long, he and another had prayed to receive Christ! One stayed to join the team! A team of 20 something girls, at first minimized for their inferior strength, set to making mud bricks, finishing 600 at one site and 200 at another. This acted to motivate the guys, who worked into the night to finish at their second site, where the late delivery of materials slowed the team down, but would not stop them.

By the time the exhausted but tireless Baptist youth sang their way back to their respective homes, 15 foundations had been laid, 1000 mud bricks had been made, 5 people were led to the Lord, and a whole neighborhood was inspired. Yaya, a young volunteer from Grace Baptist summed up the event saying, “Since I have been a Christian I have never participated in anything like this. We came from different churches, but everyone came together as one. When we got tired, someone would start singing and our spirits would be revived. People stopped to ask what we were doing and why, so we told them about the love of Christ. I never dreamed of being part of something this fantastic.”

Newsletter, Summer 2009

Hello to all our praying friends! It has been a long, long, time since I’ve written with an update. I apologize and am grateful to those who have continued to lift us up to the Father, even in the absence of news.

The spring and the summer saw many changes come to the International Mission Board. We are now “imb connecting,” with the continued mission of assisting Southern Baptists to fulfill their obedience to the call of Christ to take the gospel to all nations. We see God’s hand at work and are grateful for the tapestry of faith that He is weaving in our lives.

Jay has begun a new ministry as a result of these changes – a calling that he is excited about and privileged to do. He will be the liaison between the mission and the Baptist Union of Burkina Faso. This union has the same purpose as our own convention in the US, and its leaders have tremendous vision to see Burkinabé Baptists do their part in going to the ends of the earth. We anticipate great joy in serving them and serving alongside them. Thank Him for speaking to our hearts and sharing a new vision and direction for our lives and ministry. Thank God with us for the renewal of our passion for ministry here in Burkina.

These past months of ministry have certainly not been without excitement. With a praise-filled heart, go back with me to May and the Bissa language conference.

In scorching temperatures surpassing 100 degrees, we met in a small Assembly of God church. With not even a fan to move the air, representatives gathered from local churches who all have a desire to see the Barka dialect of their language gain a government approved orthography. These faithful servants worked long hours to hammer out some agreed upon basics about how to write their language. The next step is mine (Kathy). Using a program which includes the extended alphabet of Bissa and other languages, I will be publishing a preliminary rough draft text to present to officials. Once we have an approved orthography, Sylvie and Natasha, dedicated Baptist believers who have for years been sharing God’s love as they teach people to read, will be able to apply for compensation for their many weeks of committed service. Thank God for these, His disciples who want to see literacy used as a means to share His love and to help young believers grow in the knowledge of His Word. Pray that I will finish the tedious work of editing and publishing the rough draft of the orthography.

June saw the arrival of our six student missionaries. It’s impossible to describe the joy and the inspiration that comes from working with college students. Their zeal always encourages us and challenges us. These six were no different. Our first two weeks, we ministered to children at Bengaleezay nutrition center, which is associated with one of our Baptist churches. At least 100 children daily heard the gospel truth with their ears, saw God’s story acted out by our summer team, and felt His love through the hugs and care of the students. We sang songs and played games and as many children as possible scrambled to hold the hands of the summer missionaries. In the afternoons, we visited families of the children. The guys played soccer in the neighborhood near the church and several young men with whom they shared made decisions to follow Christ.

After tearful good-byes, we headed to northern Ghana where the team stayed with 4 different Bissa believing families. The goals of this part of the summer term included discipleship and mentoring of local Christian youth and neighborhood evangelism. What a joy to see both American and Ghanaian students be mutually challenged and encouraged through this relationship. Pray for these young Ghanaian believers to continue to bold witnesses in their community.

September 1 brought a huge rain storm to Ouagadougou. It dumped more rain on this city than has been recorded since 1919. Around 150,000 people lost their homes and food supplies, a staggering 10% of the city’s population. Jay began immediately to work with the Ouaga association of Baptist churches to give some relief to both church members and communities surrounding our churches who were affected. Thank God for the faithful and generous giving of Southern Baptists which allowed us to apply emergency funds to this relief effort. Pray that He will continue to give Jay wisdom as he and local pastors continue their efforts to minister to those in need. Pray for the churches to be faithful witnesses of the gospel of Christ as they help their neighbors.

Blessings,

Jay & Kathy Shafto

James, Robbie & Madeleine

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Newsletter, March 2009

Each week Jay goes into the “non-zoned” area of Ouagadougou to conduct discipleship and leadership training classes with Bissa believers. Some call this part of the city a slum area. It is here where many rural immigrants have come to settle and have built small mud block houses to live in. There is no electricity and no running water, and the alleyways are often narrow and littered with trash. Last month you began to pray as Jay was splitting this class and beginning to work with two specific leaders who were then to lead the others. God seems to be leading this group in yet a different direction. Some who had indicated a keen interest in the gospel have dropped out of the group – perhaps because of persecution, perhaps because of lack of commitment, at least one because of work responsibilities. Two young men remain committed and are obviously growing in their faith. They are faithful to attend, to learn Bible stories, and to share them with others. Please pray that Jay will remain encouraged as these two men grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. Pray that through their outreach efforts, others will hear how God loves them and will choose to believe Him for salvation.

During the first week of April we will joyfully welcome a new family to our Burkina Faso mission family. The Blacks and their three children (and fourth one on the way) will arrive in Ouagadougou to study French for several months before continuing on to Bobo, the second largest city of Burkina, to be witnesses among the Jula people. Be in prayer for a smooth transition for this dear couple and their three children, ages 5 and under.

In January, you prayed for a nation-wide conference which was to be held for Baptist women from all across Burkina Faso. Join us in praising the Father for His abundant provision as around 100 women gathered to learn about carrying living water to a dry and thirsty land. We met at Camp Bethel, the national Baptist camp on the edge of Ouagadougou. Daily temperatures hovered around 105 degrees, and most women slept outside because the cement block dorm rooms had one small window and very little ventilation. We prayed and sang and danced at night by the light of lanterns. During the day we studied Bible stories about water: the living water offered to the Samaritan woman, the water of service as Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, the waters of obedience of Moses at Miriba. We were blessed by the presence of the Spirit of God in and among us, and all the women expressed a sincere desire to come together again next year. Thank you, thank you to all of you who prayed for this week. God visited us and I believe that the community around us knew that we were Christians by our love for one another.

Blessings,
Jay & Kathy Shafto
James, Robbie & Madeleine
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Newsletter, February 2009

2 Timothy 2:2 Jay’s discipleship group in Ouaga will soon take on a new twist. Two leaders in the group will begin to guide those new believers through this early portion of their Christian journey. Jay will continue to meet with these two young men to offer them leadership training and more in depth discipleship and they, in turn, will teach the new believers what it means to really be a follower of Christ and how to grow in their faith. One of these young men is literate; the other is not. Both of them are young men who have shown a sincere desire to lead lives that are pleasing to the Father. Is the ability to read a Biblical requirement for leadership? No, so pray for Kahdair, that as he hides God’s Word and His stories in his heart, as he shares that Word with these new disciples, as he lives out a Godly life before young believers and others, that this “unschooled and ordinary man” will have the courage of Peter and John in Acts 4 and that all around him will “take note that he has been with Jesus.”

“Group Meditation.” In my ladies’ discipleship group, that’s what we’ve begun to call the process of repeating a Bible story or verses to be memorized. We, the church, gather together in a building – with a straw roof and a dirt floor. Before our meeting one servant heart has come to sweep the floor of its wind-blown debris and goat and sheep droppings. Some of our ladies are not readers, and this “group meditation,” this repetition, is helpful to them and to all of the rest of us as well. We listen carefully as someone tells the story. Then we go around the group repeating the story and listening intently to see if correction is needed. If we see that some are struggling, we act it out. During the telling and retelling and correcting of the story (with much celebration for those who tell it without fault or help), we find that the Holy Spirit is whispering to those hearts who are meditating on His spoken word. Recently the story was about Mary and Martha. “What has God said to you through this story?” I asked. Wow!! To one, “When we have visitors in our homes, we should give them more than just food. We should talk about spiritual things and what Jesus would talk about.” To another, “As women, we often skip out on the worship service and teaching time if baptism or some other church celebration is taking place. We are the ones who must prepare the food. Maybe we should make more of an effort to hear the teaching on those days.” To yet another, “We talk too much about others. Martha wanted to point out what she saw as her sister’s weakness to Jesus. But He saw it in a different way.” Knowing that God has spoken to us, individually and corporately, we pray together, commit to share what we’ve learned with our children and others. And I, the missionary, marvel at the great goodness of my heavenly Father who allows me this phenomenal privilege – to hear His voice in fresh ways through the voices of those whom I have come to serve in His name. Thank God with me for these ladies who, according to Colossians 3:16, are letting the Word of Christ dwell in them richly as they teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as they sing psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in their hearts to God.

A word about those Shafto kids... All parents should be able to boast in the Lord and share thanks for their children’s successes. This month we boast about James, who was named “co-most effective delegate” of the Security Council at the Model United Nations conference in Accra, Ghana. Students from international schools from the countries of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Lebanon, and Germany participated in this conference. We boast about Robbie who received an A+ in his guitar class. Kids from his class performed at the Celebration of the Arts at the end of the quarter. All who attended (not just the proud parents) would agree that Robbie’s performance of his own song was one of the best, if not the best, of all. What a joy to hear his guitar ring through our home as he sings praise to the Father! We boast about Madeleine with her straight A report card, creativity without end in her school projects, and her selfless compassion as she faithfully goes each Monday afternoon to a local orphanage to bathe and feed and play with babies and toddlers. Thank God with us for these precious ones, “our heritage and our reward.”

Blessings,
Jay & Kathy Shafto
James, Robbie & Madeleine
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso