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