Happy Trails

The red roads in out of the Kimini area leave much to be desired on a good day. The rainy season makes traveling them even more exciting. Yesterday we left for a short trip to Folonzo, a village just about 35 kl from Kimini. My memory of previous trips during the dry season included numerous deep ruts and rough terrain. Send in the rainy season and all that takes on new thrills. Roads get washed out, ruts fill with water and mud abounds. Driving through the small lakes makes for an adventurous ride! You never know just how deep those holes are. So you just buckle up and enjoy the ride. Six Flags has new competition in Burkina !

Always new reasons to appreciate our wonderful truck !

The trip was well worth the effort though. We met seven deserving children who would each love to have a sponsor to help keep them in school and care about them.

Seraphine Ouattara

Meet Seraphine Ouattara. She is an impressive petite15 year old girl. Her father passed away when she was just two years old. She lives in the village of Folonzo with her mother, older brother and two younger siblings. During the school year she attends a Catholic boarding school in Mangodora where she will be in the eighth grade this year (2015-2016).She is a good student and hopes to become a math professor some day. 

You can be the one to make her dream come true. It is possible for less than the price of a daily cup of coffee. I would be happy to explain the simple steps of sponsorship to you if you feel you can help. 




Before leaving Folonzo Pastor Ibrahim brought us to meet the village chief and explain the purpose of our visit.He was very grateful and graciously welcomed us back.

Pastor Ibrahim, Folonzo Chief and Ruth

Busy Days

    It has often been said, “Busy hands are happy hands”. Ruth and I can attest to the truth of that phrase. Our days have been filled with visits from villagers needing assistance as well as extending gratitude.

We were able to share gifts of blankets and onesies, which were donated to our “Burkina Babies” through the generosity of friends back home. Adding our needs to shower gifts for new “Baby Stankiewicz” has brought a global dimension to that shower in the Berkshires. We are SO grateful.

Baby Mariam

New baby Mariam whose mama died shortly after her birth was one of our first recipients.

Ruth reads a letter to Djata Sogodogo

 We were able to share letters with sponsored children. The whole family shares the joy of hearing from sponsors

The need for new sponsors is ever present. Each day the list increases.

Wahaba Sankara

Some children like Wahaba Sankara have been waiting a long time to find a sponsor. He lives in Nonfesso with his ten siblings. He will be in the seventh grade this year (2015-2016) and would love to be able to stay in school.If you have ever thought about sponsorship maybe you would consider Wahaba.

Who doesn’t love a happy ending? Aisha has returned to her family in Kimini this week after spending almost a year at Sheltering Wings Orphanage in Yako.Her extended family was unable to care for after the death of her mother. Now that she is older and thriving due to the wonderful care received there she has returned to her family in the village. The tenderness displayed by her paternal grandfather was quite touching.

A trip to McDonald’s in Banfora is always a treat. Though the African restaurant does not offer “happy meals”, I left feeling happy after enjoying a tasty hamburger, fries and a coke.

So now I am bolstered to face many more busy days.

Back in the Village

Two months in the states provided an opportunity to renew friendships, spend time with family, catch up with friends who visited Burkina Faso this year and complete other necessary work at home.

Now we are back in Burkina Faso and work here has begun in earnest. Just two days after landing we were on our way to Bissigi, a village not far from Yako, to visit Dieudonne who has lived for six years with a foster family there. He is a delightful nine-year-old boy who is going into fourth grade. Dieudonne is available for adoption and is hoping to find his forever family.

 

Dieudonne

Mama died 

Less than two hours after arriving in Kimini, a family seeking help approached us. On June 20^th Nabintou was born  in the Ivory Coast. Ten days after her birth her mama passed away  leaving her father, Bassori Ouattara, to care for his newborn daughter and three young children. Although a sister-wife has taken on the responsibility of caring for the baby, she is unable to provide sufficient milk so we provide formula as a supplement. The second request for milk came only three days later. Our Kimini milk program truly meets a need in the village.

Terry and Kimini kids

Terry Mendola accompanied us back to Kimini and has engaged the village children in various activities each day. A highlight of her trip was to meet her sponsored child and grandmother in Niangoloko and Seydou her sponsored boy in Nonfesso.

And the work continues each and every day.

Terry and Seydou

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless,maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed." 

Psalm 82:3

Time Well Spent

Often I have been asked ,"What do you do on your visits home?"

Here are some highlights of the last few weeks.

Initially,there was the time to breathe deeply and take in the beauty of our country. I was especially moved by the splendor of Spring with all its reminders of God's great love displayed in green foliage and blossoming flowers. Leaving Burkina Faso at the end of the dry season when everything is brown and lifeless, the contrast was a refreshing reminder of God's transforming love.

Time spent with family and friends is such an encouragement and brings bounce to my step and joy to my heart. No trip home would be complete without a visit to St. Agnes School where I was able to thank the students and faculty for once again blessing Sheltering Wings through their fund raising efforts.  Over $6,500 was raised to help support our milk program.


                              St. Thomas School in West Springfield included Sheltering Wings as a beneficiary of a recent fundraiser. As a result of their generosity, the first grade in Kimini will have reading books and the school will finally have the flagpole they have wanted for so long. Students helping students… it doesn't get better than that !
                                                   

Sr. Patty and St. Thomas students

                                                           
Other highlights included :

Catching up with the Lowe Family who recently
enlarged their family with the addition of their son, D. J. ,who joins their four daughters.

The Lowe Family

                                                          Sharing updates with Dr. Scott who spent time in Kimini as a member of the drilling team as well as providing medical care for over 130 people in the village was a real treat. We enjoyed meeting his daughter, Anna.

Dr.Scott and Anna

We never tire of sharing our ministry when given the opportunity.Thanks to Rev. Bill Furey and his wife, Anne we were able to speak about the medical,water, sponsorship, milk program and evangelism taking place in Kimini.

Rev. Bill Furey and Anne

                                                             





We were blessed by the thoughtfulness and generosity of Christopher and Catherine Stankiewicz who included our Burkina Babies in the shower to welcome their first child. We will think of them each time we are able to gift an infant in Kimini with a blanket or clothing as a result of your kindness.


 

Baby shower

My heart overflows with gratitude and praise for all the blessings God showers on us daily!

All In A Day's Work

Returning to Kimini after almost a month in Ouagadougou was a source of joy. Village life has a completely different flavor.The first thing we saw as we approached our house was the fully functioning well just behind our house.
 Children were busily taking turns pumping and filling water containers for their families.

Children at pump

The village has decided to collect 10 franc for 20 liters of water (about one cent) to have in a reserve for future needed repairs. This certainly is affordable and displays their initiative to take responsibility.

Just 10 franc per 20 liters of water.

Every day, all day we hear the rhythmic sound of the pump and see smiling people carrying water to their homes.

Woman carrying basins of water 

These past two weeks have been B-U-S-Y ! I would have it no other way. Ruth and are have been hit the ground running each morning preparing distributions to our sponsored widows and children in Wangolo,Kangala,Nonfesso and Kimini.

Wangolo  boys with gift of rice

It is so rewarding to hand out these gifts of rice and other useful and fun items. I just wish that each sponsor could see firsthand what a difference they make in the in the life of their "special person".

Here is a bird's eye view of some of the highlights.


We traveled to Folonzo to visit baby Mariam who has gained a little weight.

Mariam's weigh in

The grateful family gifted us with a chicken.

A couple of months ago we made a small donation of $22 to the Kimini school to purchase  chalkboards, actually plywood with a coat of chalkboard paint, for small group activities. A visit to the school showed they are being put to good use.

Calculating costs

Math word problems

Everybody got involved.

There was a slight pause in the lesson while the teacher calmly killed a serpent in the back of the classroom.







How can I not love this place ?

Switching Gears

It is said that "variety is the spice of life". I can assure you that variety does add flavor to our lives in Burkina Faso. Ruth and I often comment that there are NO "typical" days here. And it is all good !


Our  work here is divided between our ministry in the village of Kimini and all that it entails and our work with adoptions which calls us out of the village and into Ouagadougou and beyond.

Before arriving in the city this time, we were blessed by wonderful visitors who spent time with us in Kimini  blessing us and our people in many diverse ways……



LIKE : Providing Henzetta, the president of the Kimini women's  shea butter association the opportunity to attend an international conference held in Ouagadougou where information on production and marketing techniques  were shared.                                                                            

Merci , Dawn

Dawn and Henzetta

AND : Finally getting a coat of paint  on our "Home Sweet Home". Thanks Joy and Shari!

A splash of Golden Brown # 743 !

ALSO: Helping bring an infant and her mom to the center for malnourished babies Bobo.

Shari and Mamina

Now after spending four weeks in Ouagadougou for the adoption side of our work, we will be heading back to Kimini this week.   And it IS all good !

           
                                                     

Time" Marches" On

March certainly was a busy month. The last two weeks were filled with activity and abundant blessings. It would be impossible to share everything that occurred but here are some of the highlights of our "March" through the month.


The last two weeks were spent in our village of Kimini where the long awaited drilling of wells by the Friends In Action team yielded three productive wells in key locations. One is near the medical clinic and our house. The second is on the school property and the third is in a location at the edge of the village. Everyone in Kimini is rejoicing as the clean,safe waters flow to cleanse and quench their thirst.

And the water gushed

The mud flew

We cannot express the depth of our gratitude to these Christ-centered men who worked tirelessly from morning to way beyond sunset to bring the gift of water to Kimini. Five wells were drilled in all but two turned out to be dry. Although this was disappointing,it could not diminish the joy of the three good wells.

We all rejoice after successful drilling.

Dr.Scot, a member of the drilling team, was able to to provide medical assistance for five and a half days at our clinic. The stream of people seeking help never stopped flowing. We are thankful for his expertise and his willingness to work until daylight faded each day to see the throngs of patients coming to the clinic. Someday soon we hope to have the doors of the clinic open on a regular schedule.

Chief presents a sheep as a thank you gift to the drilling team 

Two nights of evangelization took place where the people were introduced to "The Living Water". Eight people expressed a desire to learn more about Jesus. We pray that their thirst for God will continue and grow even stronger.

Each morning we awake prepared to walk wherever God leads us. On a recent Sunday morning a family came to us from Folonzo, a village about 25km away from Kimini. They were seeking help for their malnourished 5 month old daughter who weighed only a lightly over five pounds.She had not gained more than a few ounces since her birth. Once arrangements with family were in place we were off to Bobo with our fifth malnourished infant and her mother.The mother is young and will benefit from the education she will receive from the experts there. Please pray with us that this story will will have a happy ending.

Sadly malnourished.



As always, we are so grateful for your prayers, encouragement and support  as we strive to to be the hands and feet of Christ to His people in Burkina Faso.