October was a busy month. I traveled almost every weekend, and am now heading back out on the road again. For the last two weeks, I got to spend time visiting my friends in Bobo and catching up on their lives. Karissa and Marie were in Ouaga helping out with 40/40 West, so I got to hold down the fort here and make the rounds to all our folks.
A couple of the highlights:
I was able to work on and share my testimony with two different ladies. It was encouraging to get to read through it with them and find out that they understood it all. Those were encouraging language days! My conversations are also getting longer and more in-depth. The awkward silences are still there, but they are no longer in the majority!
I’ve been praying for good relationships to form at church with some of the women. It’s been difficult because of that whole language barrier and the fact that my church is fairly large. This last Sunday, one of the ladies I had met several weeks ago walked over to greet me. After a short conversation, she invited me to join the choir! What an answer to prayer. (Little does she know that this white girl’s got absolutely NO rhythm!!) She let me know when they meet to practice and I am already looking forward to getting back to town to join this group of ladies.
Coming up this month:
As language is improving, we are gearing up to move more into ministry. It is exciting to finally start getting our feet wet.
Having churches partner with us to reach the Jula is crucial. Over the last month, there have been several groups come through Bobo on their way to a village they have “adopted”. One of the big needs for groups from the States is the need for interpreters that will work alongside them.
Starting this month, we will begin ESL classes. Each church in Bobo has chosen two or three members to participate in the classes. We will work with them, to help prepare them for teams that will come in the future.
An added bonus for us is the fact that we will get to go out into our target neighborhoods with these national brothers and sisters and share Jesus! It will be a good language help as well, in that we will get to share in English while hearing our story and the gospel translated into Jula.
Over the next several weeks we will be preparing for the classes. The target start date is towards the end of November.
Some Requests:
- Travel: I’ll be heading to North Africa for a couple weeks. There has been a lot going on in that neck of the woods, so please join me in praying for peace and stability.
- ESL Groups: that everything would come together; that all involved would extend patience and grace; and that throughout the coming months, the name of Jesus would be made known.
- For opportunities to share my story and how Jesus has transformed my life.
until the whole world hears . . . 