[Dagara Digest] Churches are Making Strides and Building Unity

[Burks]

The Carter Family

The principal prayer request for the Carter household this month is for our fried computer! This machine holds all our family’s personal information but also is the area where the most up-to-date Train and Multiply files are stored. Please pray for a full data recovery and a quick solution.

We thank God for the rains this month, which seem to show that harvest will not be as bad as feared. Please pray that the rains continue through October. It was a real treat this month for Chad to get to spend so much time with the ANTBA (Bible) translators. Amy was thankful for the rain but is still concerned about the mud plaster we hear fall of the house during big storms (A job for Caleb and Seth while we are on furlough this fall!).

We cannot thank God enough for his grace working in Dagara leaders at this past three-day conference. It is encouraging to see them making so many purposeful and Spirit led decisions that will guide their movement, bless their cooperation, and equip their ministry.

Please remember the small community of Churches of Christ in Ouaga. There was a terrible day of rain and flash flooding in the capital. I spoke to a half dozen of the leaders there and one friend lost his home because of the rains (The same man who we spent a day with last month).

Thank you for your partnership. Please still email us at chadanda...@yahoo.com
We’ll get back slowly as we can while we recover the computer

The Carters

The Johnson Family

Greetings from Burkina! Our family has enjoyed a month of good health and all-too-rapid growth from our babies. Elijah, Amelie, and Isaiah continue to amaze us with the strides they are taking and the clothes they are outgrowing!

Perhaps you’ve heard about the floods in Ouagadougou, Burkina’s capital? They received 18” of rain in 16 hours’ time. The flooding left 8 dead and 150,000 people homeless. These were many of the poorest, already living in mud houses in low-lying areas; many have nothing with which to rebuild. Pray that the body of Christ would rise up in this Islamic country to lead the way to help in rebuilding.

Legitimacy – what a sweet word! After 7 years as technically tourists, our team is acquiring a governmental registration. We and our colleagues in the city of Banfora are creating the Association des Serviteurs du Chemin (Servants of the Way). Rivers of red tape are still to be forded, but we are on our way (pun fully intended).

Work is good. Andy’s holiness lessons in Dano-Pari and Nawule continue to challenge both him and his listeners. Our team also participated in a thrilling leaders’ meeting in which Dagara leaders from 22 of the 24 churches came (a miracle, given the time of year). Please pray that God would make the Dagara more His people every day.

The Johnsons

PS – We forgot to mention last month: one way to communicate with us is to find Melissa on Facebook.

The Burk Family

Daniel had a great superhero themed birthday party with waterballoons, a kiddie pool, and a quick change clothes game where they all were timed putting on baggy grown-up clothes over their other clothes, because superheroes need to be able to change outfits superfast! And praise God that, besides one day where it seemed Daniel was getting sick, we have all been healthy so far this month!

The leaders' conference went great. We enjoyed getting to worship, study, and discuss issues together with about 50 church leaders from 22 different villages. We discussed pertinent issues like how to discern the will of God, the logistics of communicating across long distances as the movement grows, and how best to utilize the Richters training in water well repair. We also made some important decisions moving forward as a movement.

You may or may not have seen this in the news, but there were around 150,000 people in the captial city Ouagadougou who lost their homes this month in the worst flash flood Burkina has seen in 90 years. They were mostly the poor who had only mud structures that couldn't withstand the waters. Please keep them in your prayers.

Peace,
The Burks

The Richter Family

On August 28-30, 2009, 50 church leaders came together from 22
different village churches to give praise for the things God is doing
among them. This was the first multi-day meeting in this church
movement among the Dagara people that is reaching its fifth
anniversary.

The weekend was historic in that these churches became a legally
recognized association in Burkina, electing officers and a
constitution stating who they are and what they are about.
Overwhelming they chose to be known as Christ's Church among the
Dagara, focusing on being Jesus in both word and deed. One of the
highlights was discovering their need and enthusiasm for developing a
water ministry to rehabilitate broken water wells and develop new
water resources in Jesus' name.

The leaders said, "There are a lot of good things that can be done
here, but if you don't have water, everything else is useless." They
said, "You can work for three days without food, but you can't work a
day without water." As they spoke, it was clear that they were
speaking from a definite lived reality of water shortage.

It was exciting to see their desire to use water ministry as an
opportunity to show God's love and present the Gospel to those who
haven't yet become children of God. I firmly believe that's why God
called us to be here at this specific time. Thanks for your prayers
and support of God's mission in Burkina Faso.

For the Glory and Purpose of our Lord,
The Richter Family

--
Posted By Burks to Dagara Digest at 9/11/2009 08:14:00 AM