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

Newsletter, December 2008/January 2009

The New Year is well underway, but we want to give you a traditional West African blessing for the beginning of 2009. The Bissa would say, “Hunsu tee dohlar nohgo kahn. Dohlar ing, o bee kahn lahfee kee, hourou nyohn kee.” “May God give us a good new year! In this year may we eat in health and peace and joy.” In addition to those wonderful blessings, we pray that this year will be one for you of growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As we said good-bye to Todd Groff and T.K. Uhrich, our two Hands On student missionaries, our hearts were heavy because of their leaving, but joyful because of what God had done through their presence here in West Africa. As their time drew to a close, Todd and T.K. were able to share God’s truths openly with several men and women with whom they had become friends. Five young men professed their desire to follow Christ. Jay met with these young men and others and they learned how to speak to God through prayer. What a joy to see men working together as they learn stories from God’s Word about prayer and discuss together how to apply it in their daily lives. As most are not readers, they repeated the story of the prayers of the Pharisee and the tax collector to each other until all could say it without error. As others joined the group, this interchange took place in 3 different languages. Pray with us for this group of men to grow in their knowledge of Christ and His truths. Pray that they will begin to experience His abundant life on a daily basis. Thank God with us for young adults like Todd and T. K. who sacrificially give of their time that those who have never heard of God’s love may hear.

Walking to my truck after an outreach literacy class, my friend Sally and I talked about her precious daughter, Oumou, who was quietly riding on her mommy’s back. Sally shared her concern that Oumou’s legs don’t seem to be gaining strength. She is a beautiful child of 17 months, but for some reason the muscles in her legs don’t seem to be developing properly. She sits alone well and is very alert. Sally’s husband has recently returned to the village for several weeks to see if the family there has any food to spare. His work contract ended in Ouaga, and they are trying to get by on the few small things like bags of peanuts that Sally is able to sell in the neighborhood. I was reminded of the blessing that I have to know that no matter what circumstances I find myself in, my God will be there to see me through. Please pray that this little girl will soon gain the muscular strength and coordination to be able to walk. Pray for her father to find work. Pray also for her mother and her friends who weekly hear stories from God’s Word in Sally’s courtyard. Pray that these ladies will know the hope that comes from living life for God.

This week Jay and Kathy traveled in their 4x4 Toyota pick-up (thank you, Southern Baptists!) to Garango, the town where we lived for the first years of our ministry among the Bissa. Jay met with pastors, and Kathy with the women leaders for a time of leadership training. This year will be a year of transition for the women as Kathy helps them to begin to meet on their own and teach themselves. Rather than weekly meetings, Kathy will be with them twice a month only. Praise God for the enthusiasm and confidence of Hawa, who will be teaching the ladies next week.

A common sight in West Africa is a young woman who is transporting water—perhaps in a bucket on her head or pushing from the community faucet or well a cart with jugs of water in the cart. At the end of March, Baptist women from all around Burkina Faso will gather for a week long conference with the theme “Living Water.” This conference has been made possible by the printing and successful selling of Baptist cloth. Women in leadership roles and pastors have worked many hours for the success of this project. Pray for this conference to be a source of encouragement and challenge for all Baptist women in this country, and that they will begin to see themselves as those who are to bring living water to their homes and communities, and even to the entire world.

Our year ended with a precious visit from former colleagues and dear friends, the Curtis family. We thank God for the time that we were able to once again minister together and fellowship and laugh together. What a joy to see them reunited with old friends and to see their spiritual children be encouraged and refreshed from time with those who first brought them the Words of Life. What a blessing for us to share old memories and make new ones together. We especially enjoyed a trip with them and other family friends to northern Burkina to ride camels. Thank you, Father, for Your family, which is ever an amazing source of strength for your children.

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

Newsletter, October/November 2008

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our praying friends!

On Friday evening twenty-two IMB missionaries to Burkina Faso and northern Ghana and their children will gather for a time of thanksgiving, worship, and good eats. Just like you, we will eat turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans, apple pie, and any other traditional Thanksgiving foods that you can imagine. As we sit down to worship and offer thanks, one of our greatest blessings is your faithful prayer support. Thank you for reading this newsletter and going before the Father on behalf of the Shafto family and all of the Bissa people of West Africa.

Twice a week Kathy, T.K., and Todd head into the nonzoned, shanty town of Ouagadougou to share the gospel with Bissa immigrants to the city through evangelistic literacy classes. The students arrive with babies on their backs and books on their heads. We sit in a small circle under a straw hanger and help mothers and young men learn to recognize drawings in a book so that they will learn to hold it right side up. We write on old-fashioned slates and chalk boards and hold fretful babies while mothers try to form the letter “a.” And in the midst of a reading lesson, we share truths from God’s Word. “How do you think this world came into being? The sun? The moon? The stars? Let me share a story with you.” Pray for these students and their children, most of whom are hearing the gospel message for the very first time in their lives. Pray that God’s truth will resound in their hearts above the noise in the streets and above crying babies.

You prayed for Kathy’s dear friend Solange Ouedraogo and her surgery. Praise the Father that her surgery on one hip was successful and that the doctors will monitor the other hip in the months to come. She left the hospital in Benin today and will be returning home in one week. Please continue to pray for her complete recovery and rehab and that God will bless her return to ministry among the Baptist women of Burkina Faso.

It has been such a privilege and joy to have Todd Groff and T.K. Uhrich as fellow Bissa team members for this short time. They have a little less than one month left in their HandsOn term. Todd and T.K. have been faithful witnesses here in Ouagadougou and in northern Ghana as well. Pray that they will finish well as they travel out to Garango and Soumagou in Bissa land to encourage the believers there. Continue to pray especially for their friend Adam to be convicted of the truths they have shared with him and that he will make a decision to follow Christ.

Jay’s Field Strategy Leadership ministry has taken him to the Gambia for most of this month as he participates with colleagues in church planting training. He has been blessed and challenged by both the fellowship and the training. Pray that God will help him and Kathy to put these new ministry principles learned into practice in their ministry among the Bissa.

You prayed for James and Robbie and Madeleine and their ministry in southern Burkina Faso. Thank the father with us for a fruitful ministry there. To see how your prayers were answered, click here.

As we approach this holiday season, the great celebration of our Lord’s birth, we are constantly reminded that the generosity of Southern Baptists makes our life and ministry here in West Africa possible. The simple truth is that we couldn’t be here without your gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Those gifts are the means by which we devote ourselves to full-time ministry, providing us with a home, food, medical care — even schooling for our children. Thank you! Please know that many people around the world are truly celebrating Christmas for the first time this year because of your sacrifice for God’s Kingdom.

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

Newsletter, September 2008

Dear friends,

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for our family and for our ministry. Although our stateside assignment time was hectic (7 states in 9 weeks), we were able to accomplish all of our goals, including wonderful, refreshing visits with family and friends, encouraging visits with supporting and partnering churches, attending debriefing conference in Richmond, VA, and touring 6 universities with James and Robbie. We screamed our way through roller coaster and water rides, relaxed at the beach with friends, canoed on an Arkansas river, jumped off a bridge into the North River in Massachusetts, attended a Boston Red Sox game, and cried when my 94 year-old Aunt Ora passed away. We reconnected with family at two fantastic reunions and enjoyed having Adam and Lydia, Jay's niece and nephew, with us for a couple of weeks. A resounding thank you goes to our home church family at Scotts Hill Baptist in North Carolina who rented us a mini-van for our extensive travels.

We are back once again in Burkina Faso, where we are enjoying the privilege that it is to be ambassadors for Christ among peoples who need desperately to hear the good news of His love and sacrifice on our behalf. The children have returned to school, and this past weekend we celebrated Robbie's birthday at the new paintball course in the city of Ouagadougou. The last week of October, our children will be joining other members of their youth group on a mission trip to southern Burkina with the intent to share Christ with the children of a village where a Christian Peace Corps worker lives. Please remember to pray for James, Robbie, and Madeleine, who are not just missionary kids, but kids who are missionary. They very much desire to have an intentional witness in their school, the International School of Ouagadougou. Pray that God will give them opportunities to share Christ with their friends. Pray also for the preparation of this mission trip as they learn how to share their faith in several different ways.

We are privileged to have two Southern Baptist churches "partnering" with us to reach the Bissa for Christ. As you pray for us and for the Bissa, please include Scotts Hill Baptist of Wilmington, NC and First Baptist Church, Clarksville, Tennessee in your prayers. These two churches are going the extra mile in helping the Bissa hear the gospel. Both are regularly sending evangelistic mission teams to West Africa.

Scotts Hill has adopted and engaged the Bissa people of Accra, Ghana. As reported from the team from Scotts Hill:
The Scotts Hill team continues to stand in awe of the work that God is doing among the Bissa in Accra. The team has made contact with Bissa in seven areas of the city. They are continuing to share the Gospel through various methods of personal evangelism and the Jesus Film. In September the team baptized three new believers. They have also seen a bible study formed in Maamobi with four of the believers attending weekly. Dramane, a young man who first heard the Gospel in Garango and who prayed to receive Christ in February 2008 was one of those who were baptized. He is leading the bible study in Maamobi. The team will return to Accra in February. Please praise the Father with us for Scotts Hill's commitment to push back darkness in Accra as they share the truth of the Light with the Bissa there.

First Baptist Church Clarksville, Tennessee has adopted and engaged the Bissa of northern Ghana. This very week, a team from FBC Clarksville is doing both evangelism in villages and health care ministry at the Baptist Medical Centre of Nalerigu, Ghana. Many Bissa from northern Ghana, as well as others from other people groups, seek physical healing at BMC. When they arrive, they find both their physical and spiritual needs attended to. Pray for FBC Clarksville as they share Christ with Muslim Bissa men and women who, for a long time, have been closed to the gospel. Pray for those who minister at the BMC to have the compassion and vision to offer both physical and spiritual healing to the patients who come to the hospital.

We are pleased to share that we have two new members on the Bissa team. Todd Groff and T.K. Uhrich are semester missionaries through the HandsOn program for young adults offered by the International Mission Board. They are presently in northern Ghana and, with Jay, will be working alongside the Clarksville team in village evangelism ministry. We've been amazed and very proud of the progress that they've made in Bissa language study. Already they've been able to share the gospel with several Bissa families who live here in Ouaga. Pray specifically for a young Bissa man named Adam whom they have befriended. He is fasting and praying during Ramadan. Ask the Holy Spirit to use T.K. and Todd's witness to convict his heart of the truth of God's word as he seeks God during this Muslim holy month.

Some of you have been praying for my friend, Solange. She is the president of Baptist Women in Ouagadougou and a tireless worker in Baptist women's ministry in the entire country. Solange will be traveling to northern Benin on October 12 for hip surgery. She has advanced arthritis in both hips and will have replacement surgery in mid-October. Please pray that the hands of the visiting doctors who do her surgery will be guided by the Holy Spirit. Pray for quick recovery so that she can return home to her family as soon as possible.

Many thanks to all of you for your prayerful support. A special thanks to our Southern Baptist friends. We are reminded regularly by the daily needs in life that without your financial support of the IMB through both Lottie Moon Christmas offering and the Cooperative Program, we would not be able to continue this ministry.

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