Updates from Yako

Finally have a few minutes in Ouaga to take care of emails and update my blog! SIM has a prayer weekend starting this evening in Fada so am waiting to head out soon for that.

Haven't spent a lot of time at the orphanage in the last week. Our pastor's daughter, Tebnoma Salou, has asked me a few times when I'm going to come stay with their family and I finally took her up on it on Sunday! I stayed in their family courtyard from Sunday afternoon til Wednesday afternoon. It was a great experience and I learned even more about life as a Burkinabe and their way of living. I still want to spend a little time in a village as Tebnoma lives within Yako still. Life even in a small town is very different from village life.

Sunday when I arrived Tebnoma greeted me with the Burkinabe 4 kisses and seemed excited to have me there! :) We just hung out in the afternoon. The Salous have electricity because they live right next to their church, the Central Church of Yako. We watched some tv which was so weird as I really do not do this often. Went to bed 8:30pm (not joking!) as Tebnoma usually is up between 4:30 and 5am.

I set my alarm as I knew there was no way I'd wake up naturally at that time, and found Tebnoma still sleeping- yay, a bit more sleep! Every morning at 5am the central church has prayer. Let me tell you, these Christians pray with FORCE! It was neat to lay in bed and hear them... Each morning they have breakfast as a family (or whoever is around) of bread and coffee/tea. As with every meal (and even at 6:30 or 7) anyone who stopped in was welcome (and almost forced) to join the meal. Most of Monday we hung out around the courtyard. Tebnoma and I made riz gras and greeted the stream of visitors that were in and out of the courtyard. Such is the life of a Burkinabe- always an open door and time for spontanious visitors- and it is multiplied for a pastor. Pastor Salou spent most of his day sitting outside with the various pastors and people from Yako, just chatting and spending time with them. It really convinced me even more how much I want a life like this at home- making relationships my priority.

Went in the afternoon and visited Tebnoma's friend Adeline. What an incredible girl. She has been sick for a few years- couldn't even eat or drink- and it was really serious. A couple weeks ago, a westerner came into a local clinic for just 10 days and knew the exact surgery that Adeline needed (that no one here could do) and was able, when she arrived on the 8th day, to treat Adeline. When we arrived I saw the very very skinny girl who was filled with more joy than almost anyone I know. She greeted me with a big smile and chatted happily with us for quite awhile. She praised God through most of the conversation for providing the person to do the surgery and for his goodness. She, in African style, even walked us way past her own gate as we left to head home. I will never forget the joy of this amazing girl. She just radiated God's love.

Made dinner when we got back- ingham, a starchy potato type of meal. They really treated me royally and we ate much more than just toh for my visit there. An incredible sacrifice for a little visitor like me.

Tuesday we went to the fields!! I was ready to walk with Tebnomas siblings and the donkey cart, but Pastor said that it was too far and they were driving me in the church truck. I fought it for a few minutes, but of course in this culture when someone tries to bless you, the best thing to do is accept. We rode out (ok, I admit it was real far) and pulled out the dabas to start pounding the soil. And when I say soil, I mean hard sandy like ground. The rains have not come and people have planted anyway, trying to have faith that the rains WILL come.

It was HOT! Standing in the sun, bent over at the waist, and pounding the ground with a little hoe-like object gave me a totally new appreciation for the people of Burkina Faso. During the rainy season they work day in and day out like this when most at home would throw the daba and go find a machine to do the back-breaking work. I worked on and off for the morning- Tebnoma seemed to see the sun affecting me and me getting tired. She showed me another area of the field (so much land to cultivate!) and we went for a walk once or twice. Just before lunch I was feeling good and there were big clouds so the temp cooled way down. I was ready to work more and wanted to stay all day as they do, but with the clouds came huge winds and we thought rain, plus Tebnoma was planning on eating at home, so we headed back. Unfortunately no rain came and I was kind of sad my cultivating experience was done. I hope to go back with them again and do more though!


Tuesday afternoon we rested a bit- yes, I was pretty tired and sore from the little work I did. Tuesday night after dinner finishing around 9pm, Tebnoma and I made a cake! She has asked Ruth a few times to learn to bake and Ruth has taught her some. When Ruth got her small gas oven in the house she gave Tebnoma her toaster oven. We, after being creative and fixing a few of the little quirks with the oven (a rock propped against the door with a daba and tray), made cake for her family. It was real fun and her family appreciated it- even at 11pm when it was done.

Wednesday was my last day with the family and I was thinking of leaving in the morning. Tebnoma convinced me to stay until late afternoon though :) .. We prepared the lunch- toh- which took most of the morning. I sifted flour, cut onions, and mixed the sauce while Tebnoma made the toh. We did a huge load of dishes and went to visit a friend of hers.

I watched a special on Burundi just before lunch... How weird and different everything looked there. The customs, the dress, the music... I again realized how different every bit of Africa is. Of course there are similarities between the cultures, but each one is so unique. Even in Burkina, each people group is so unique and I'm certain that if I stayed in the courtyard of a Doula person, their customs and way of living would be even just a little different from the Mossi way that I'm more accustomed to.... As I watched the special and marveled over how different it looked, I realized how much the things of Burkina have become normal. How you read this blog you probably see the pictures and videos and hear the stories and think how weird and different it looks... And to me, it has become home...

It was really an awesome exprerience to be able to stay in the Pastor's courtyard and see just a glimpse of life there. I learned a bit more Moore and even impressed some of the locals with my speaking to them and cooking/ doing the things of the courtyard. Despite the bathing out of a bucket, peeing in a hole, mosquitoes, language difficulties, cultural differences, and hard work, I would do it again in a second.

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Other updates:

We got a new baby! See Ruth's blog (http://www.burkinaorphanage.blogspot.com/) for details. This little guy, Job, is premature and very sick. Please be praying for him!

My kid's club is going well! Had an amazing turnout of 31 kids the first week- we were surprised as we thought most would be in fields. Second week had only 8 though, but they were great kids and good listeners. This week I was not able to be there with being in Ouaga, but the two other Burkinabe guys who are working with the club were there and I'm waiting to hear how it went.

Prayers for a potential for two of our older boys to go to Canada! Pray that their visas will go through and they'll be able to head out with Miriah when she leaves end of August.

Just a few random pictures of my days here...

Great distribution for the bi-annual food distribution for the sponsorship program

VBS with the team- 25 kids came to know Christ!

A great three weeks with the team here from St Louis- celebrated Canada Day for Miriah

Saying goodbyes to some of my primary school buddies

Tibnoma was tired this day so carried her around on my back with her resting

Tibnoma and Joseph

My English class of 5th and 6th graders, now finished

Praying all is well in the States and I look forward to updates from you!!

A servant for Him,
~Liz

Are you in need?

Of a ride?
Of a mattress? All of them are comfy thin foam
A new tire? Or how about an old oil container used to carry water to and from the community pump?
Refrigerator? Or another shop to choose your tires
Just whistle or raise your hand and he'll stop for you to buy cigarettes

On your way through town (or even at each stop you make) you can stop for a quick instant coffee right on the road
In the cooler, bags of water or special juice drinks. In the glass case, some sort of dense, oily cake
Don't be fooled- it isn't wine or liquor in the old bottles, but a mix of gas and oil for the motos (motorcycles/mobylettes)... Believe me, it's easy to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere in the bush
Choose your chicken

Oranges?
In case you want a choice in your soap purchasing

Clothing stores are everywhere- tons of stands that are filled with beautiful fabric that you can literally do anything with
A blow up Teletubbie pool, pre-blown up for your convenience...?

A day in my life...

(Wrote this more than a month ago to give a little more of a look into my life here)

I wake up early Friday morning to go for a run in the sports field nearby. As I leave our courtyard, a few of our kids are getting ready for school and greet me with big smiles. "Tu va faire le sport? (you will do a sport?)" I am still trying to figure out how even walking somewhere is considered a "sport." I smile back and greet them, wishing them a good day at school and "Bon appetite!" to those eating their morning "bouillie" (similar to cream of wheat, made of millet flour). I unlock our big gate and reach through the little hole to lock it behind me- goats and chickens wandering around outside the gate, just waiting to get in. I walk just a short distance around our outer wall to the entrance of the sports field (nothing like a sports field at home- completely dirt/sand). The sun in just coming up and the dust in the air makes it a strangely pretty orangish color. I run/walk around the huge field a few times. A few random goats, pigs, dogs, and chickens roam the field, and every few minutes a child walks through on their way to school. I greet them with a smile and "Bonjour!" Sometimes women will walk through with big pots on their head bringing things to the market to sell for the day. I greet them with "Ibeergo." "Ibeergo kibari!" they respond with a smile. Some laugh when the "Nasaras (white people)" speak in Moore, but many are very happy.

I finish my run and get ready for the day. I hate running, but always feel refreshed after running as the sun comes up. I eat a quick breakfast- often yogurt and homemade granola- and head across the courtyard for my Friday morning English class with the CM1 and CM2 (5th and 6th grades). I stand in respect as they sing the national anthem and raise the flag in the courtyard, and then enter the classroom. The kids all flood in, crossing their arms and bowing a little with their head in respect to the teacher and I (Bonjour Monsieur, Bonjour Madame). I greet them in English with "Good morning!" "Good morning," they call back. "How are you?" "I am fine, how are you?" they respond together. I've tried to get them to use other responses to the question (sad, happy, tired, sick, etc), but smile as they answer the same way and grin back at me, waiting expectantly for the next lesson. Today we reviewed body parts. We went over everything and then reviewed the song, "Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes." Schools use singing quite a bit here for teaching and helping the kids to remember things, so overall I think they like it :) They laugh as we try to speed it up faster and faster. As we finish, the CM2 leaves for their own class outside, and I hear kids continue to sing as they leave the classroom (which of course puts a smile on my face). Many shout, "Goodbye, see you soon!" as I leave the class.

Some Fridays I go and play with the babies til lunchtime. This week I worked on a document for the office staff (Brittany, Ruth and I are the only ones with a computer so Britt and I often help type up documents). I cannot say how much I appreciate Word's option to change languages- I would have no idea how to spell many words without spellcheck. After the document is done, I sit for awhile and cut placemats to prepare to send to the US to sell- our weavers have been making MANY more than usual, so there is always work to be done for Brittany and me.

I leave just before noon to pick up some bread for lunch. Sometimes we'll ask one of our kids to go out for us and give them some "bonbon (candy)" when they return, but today I went for a walk in the heat. I leave the courtyard and head for the nearest boutique. Women sit outside their home doing hair and yell "manawana (how are things?)" I bunch up a part of my pagne (skirt) to walk a little easier, and dodge the potholes, black saches (bags), and other various things lying in the street. Animals wander past and a dog sleeps in the middle of the dirt road. People greet me and I respond in Moore. I walk past a group of older men and say "Naywindega (good afternoon)." They respond and ask if I speak Moore, but I can only respond "Bilfu, bilfu (just a little)." I keep walking and a few young children run up to me, "Nasara! Nasara bonbon!" They excitedly shake my hand and grin, but don't say a word when I ask them how they are. I pass a large hangar where there are always cows and sheep standing around, and two sheep run around and around, through people and motos in a frantic chase. I giggle a little and greet the boutique owners. I ask for trois miche du pain and she gives me a choice of two different kinds. I choose the village bread we like best and pay her the 150cfa (about 30 cents).

As I head home, I can't help but smile at the sights and sounds that have become so familiar to me. The small path that leads to the orphanage- the trees lining the path with the black saches flying from the branches. We like to call them the national bird and the national flower as they are EVERYWHERE. Ruth, Brittany and I sit down to lunch- one of our favorite, veggie sandwiches (quick and easy). Veggies are more scarce now as the dry season is coming to a close and less crops are available. Tomatoes are almost impossible to find which leaves a few tiny onions and green peppers, cabbage, eggplant, and an occasional zucchini. Unfortunately mango season is closing as well.

12-3pm is "sieste" where literally the whole country rests for the 3 hours. In the hot season, no real work can be done and the people use it as a time to rest (as many get up very very early to get work done before the heat). Really I LOVE this time of day and see such a huge benefit to it. I come from a country where everything is go go go fast pace get everything done as quickly as possible and fill our schedules as full as possible while juggling not only a 10+ hour work day with family, other committments, and a perpetual inability to say no. My country is filled with high blood pressure and high stress levels with so many people suffering from an overall exhaustion as well as sometimes even depression. And yet in all of it, there is a profound emptiness in the hearts of many. As their schedules get more and more full, there is a stronger and stronger feeling of emptiness (I can talk more on that later though)... Anway I just see a huge benefit to just slowing down and taking time to just to be. Not overworking yourself to death... It's an incredible feeling. When I first arrived I thought, "How can I ever get used to just sitting and not being occupied with a million things as the Africans do so easily?" Not only can they just sit, but they really take their relationships seriously. Now, I often just sit thinking or even just sitting. I don't always have to be doing something (like at home where even just watching a movie or being outside I felt as though I had to be doing something else along with it or I was wasting time).

For us, sieste is often used for a nap, but often for reading, relaxing, thinking, etc. The courtyard is fairly quiet during sieste as many of the kids take quiet time to rest, study or chat with each other. Don't expect to get anything done in town for those three hours! After sieste sometimes I'll head out to the baby play area. They come out after their naps as well as have an allotted after nap diaper changing time. They might get some milk and a little snack, and then are left to play together with the tanties watching over them. There's a great outdoor play area that's concrete and fenced in with a roof overhead. They crawl around laughing, babbling, and interacting with one another. Such an incredible difference from other orphanages. When I visited one awhile back, I was surprised to see the children just sitting with very little expression or movement and no smiles. It was very sad. Our kids are very well stimulated. Brittany's toddler class has done wonders as many of them are starting to speak or at least make more babbling noises. "Eliza!" I hear shouted at me. I respond to the toddler who shouted my name, and we go back and forth for a minute or two. "Eliza!" "Oui (yes)?" "Eliza!" "Oui?" They grin and laugh and I sit down and pick up one of the little ones that's crying. Immediately my lap is filled and I am surrounded by 4-5 toddlers and babies. The first one that gets into me crawls into my lap and the other slower ones cry out as they wanted that spot. Instead, one more finds a spot on my calves and another lays their head in between the two kids on my lap. Estelle is learning to walk (a blog update on her soon!) and pulls herself up on my shoulder. She plays with my earring and giggles as I make sure she doesn't pull too hard. I feel my hair being yanked on and see Joseph trying to get my attention. I have to watch him carefully to make sure he doesn't spit in his hands before playing with my hair- no idea how he learned that. I watch the sights around me- tanties singing in Moore to the ones on their own lap, one of the toddlers clapping to the music, diapers changed, one cries out as another child takes their toy, but are quickly distracted with another tantie or an older child walking in.

Another thing I love is to watch the interactions of the older kids with the babies and younger kids. Two of our elementary school boys (much older than US elem. though) walk into the area and the toddlers run up to greet them- sticking out their hand and saying, "Ca va?" The boys laugh as they are also continually surprised to see what the toddlers are learning. They sit down and grab a baby. One finds clean diapers for the tantie who needs one. They chat with me a bit and laugh at a baby stealing a toy from another. "Voleur! (Theif)" the boy shouts. They pat the kids on their heads and leave for their various afternoon activities. On the weekend the back area by the babies has a number of older kids washing their hand washing their laundry- I still don't understand how they get everything SO white! A few sit at a table studying and few of the younger ones help the tantie finish up the dinner prep. 28 bowls are laid out on the wooden table in the outdoor "kitchen" and the white, fairly hard toh is plopped into each bowl. The sauce covers it and each bowl is nearly overflowing. Where do they put all the toh? Most of the kids are so skinny! It is good to see each one get three meals a day, even when they complain that they want something different than toh more often.

I head in for my own dinner. Usually something with rice or pasta and veggies. Brittany and I recently learned how to make the African peanut sauce that we love so much. We sit and chat around the dinner table, filling each other in on the events of the day, advances in adoption cases, and any issues we had. After dinner we relax a bit. Sudoku, reading, journaling... Some evenings we go out and spend time with the older kids, though during the school year they should be studying. I have an English help session tonight so I head to the tech center across the courtyard to meet the high schooler who needs help. I never realized how little I know the English grammar- it's tough when it's your own language, you just know the rules without thinking much about them. The French language is very focused on grammar though, so the kids often ask very specific questions about grammar. Sometimes I get stuck but sometimes I can answer their questions. I have learned a ton of French through this as well, as figuring out how to explain things can be a challenge. I also get to know the kids a bit in these times as they ask questions about my culture and we talk about differences and similarities with their culture. I just love spending time with them...

I head in after a bit and Brittany and I get coffee ready to take out to the guard. Hot water, Nescafe instant coffee, 4 cubes of sugar, and the bag of food garbage for the sheep. We chat with him a bit and he reminds us that it's almost Monday, the day he doesn't like. He lays back in his chair and Brittany and I walk around the courtyard saying goodnight to the kids, checking on their studying, and having short conversations. Ruth used to do the coffee before bed when I got here, but I just love being able to go out in the cool of the evening and see the kids to say goodnight. I gaze up at the stars (incredibly clear!) knowing that God is still looking out for me and I am so glad that He has a plan for my life. I know that even with the vastness of the universe, He cares for ME! He knows the number of hairs on my head and He wanted me in Africa for a reason. I often thing though, that I have already been blessed by the people of Yako and of Burkina Faso far more than I could have ever blessed them...

In for a quick shower (though I can never fully get the dust off) and then under my mosquito net for the night. Another beautiful day in Africa...

A servant for Him,
~Liz

Mountains and Valleys…

There have been so many great things I have been able to report to you in the last 8 months. (Can you believe it has been that long?) Travels, adoptions, great relationships, etc. I have been thinking a lot about this though, and do not want to give a false picture of what all is going on here or even a false picture of mission work in general. Every day is not always a wonderful new day that great and exciting. There are many mountains and valleys with living in another culture and with being a missionary. I know that I don’t even know the half of them… I do know that one of the difficulties is that it is just so hard to convey even a portion of life here as it is so completely different from home. Therefore, I have thought I would try to share a little bit of the struggles I have been facing to help those at home see that life here isn’t always as it seems from my few quick blog entries…

One of the biggest things I have struggled with in the last month is saying goodbyes three months before closing my time here in Burkina… Our older kids are going to their villages this summer… Sometimes this is the case and other times they stay and continue to study and cultivate at the orphanage. This year, they are going home… I have realized, once again, so strongly, how God has completely surprised me in my time here. I have always loved working with younger children and I figured that would be one big part of my role here… It has, and I love it still, but I cannot explain the place in my heart that the elementary and high school kids have. I cannot explain the way I feel my stomach constantly churning and my heart aching at the thought of saying goodbye to these kids whom I love. I cannot explain trying to hold back tears in this culture where emotions are not expressed, and yet convey to these kids the enormous place that they have in my heart.

And so this time of goodbyes has begun… I really don’t like the word goodbye, so I am really not trying to say it… á plus, á bientôt, and many other “see you later” type of phrases are more common for me to say… I can’t imagine these next three months without these kids, let alone the rest of my life. More than any other short term mission trip I’ve done, I feel a strong sense and desire to return to this place that has become my home… Yesterday was the whirlwind day- kids coming to find me all throughout the day to say goodbye… And then today, Brittany leaves for Canada after finishing her six months here. The last high schoolers will leave this coming week after finding out the scores of their final exams for their last year of school. Primary school kids will all leave July 11… Most likely, I won't see most of them again before I leave as school doesn't start until October... My heart is truly hurting right now…

I know that God has a plan and I know that these feelings are ok. As Brittany said, if we weren’t feeling this, there would be questions of why we are here. God has blessed us so deeply with these relationships and the chance to get to know these kids with such incredible stories and love. I also know that Jesus took his relationships seriously. He wept over his friend’s death, even knowing that he could change the circumstances. He cared deeply for people, and I have to believe that he has made me this way-a sentimental 22 year old who absolutely hates change and has an extremely difficult time with goodbyes- because it is maybe just a portion of the way that He cares for us. I have a hard time imagining the vastness of this love that He has for us, but I believe I am feeling a little portion of this love that He has for me in the incredible love that I am feeling for these people . Wow…

So as I rest in this valley I know that God will continue to use me here even when it is difficult to see. Even as the tears flow (and I cannot begin to count the times that they have), there is a deep thankfulness in me for this time that I have been able to share with these kids here in Yako, Burkina Faso.

I pray that as we wait for God to rain down on this dry and dusty country, God will rain down on me in this dry patch. And until the rains come, I will forever praise Him. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers,

A servant for him,
~Liz

Describing a good storm... (and yes, that implies there are wimpy storms)

First it starts with a VERY hot day. Now that the weather has been slightly cooling (100's?) it's easier to tell an extra hot day. Funny to me that the heat can really predict a storm.

Sometimes out of nowhere the winds pick up. I can't even begin to describe the sounds- maybe I'll take a video next time. The tin roof gets unbelievably loud and ripples (weak word) and sounds, literally, as though it will blow OFF any second. The sand blowing (also weak word) across the roof sounds almost like rain, but we can usually tell a difference. Last night's storm I literally was covering myself hoping the roof above me wasn't going to blow away.

As you lie there in bed, you try to decide if it's really worth getting up to close windows, and then the smell of dust and the crunch in your teeth makes you decide otherwise. We have sort of shutter-like windows that you push up to close and down to open- no glass windows. This means that if you have lights on or it's during the day, you still see the dust blowing in- a sort of foggy look to the air for awhile. Inevitably it's usually the day after the house has been cleaned. A thick brown layer now covers everything.

Sometimes the winds stop for a brief moment, often the power goes out. At night, this leaves a deafening silence and the darkest pitch black dark that I have experienced.

A crack of thunder, another, and then a downpour. Or at first, it sounds like a downpour on our (strong) tin roof, but a sprinkle sounds louder than a HUGE storm at home. As it picks up strength, the roof, again, sounds as though it will soon end up a mile away.

This storm, as I laid in bed listening (and laughing) I felt a sprinkle or two. As it got harder, I started getting wet!! A great muddy combination on the floors. I thought the roof was leaking (which does happen, and Ruth marks the spot with a big chalk circle on the cement floor so we can find it again) but turned out that the rain was pouring in my windows (the side of the house the wind was attacking at that moment). This meant that for the second time in a few weeks, my desk- all my books and papers and everything- were covered in water dots (on top of the dust that came first).

Soon, the winds calm, but if it's the middle of the night like last, it's too late. We're all awake and sitting in the living room. Can't talk because it's too loud though. Yelling cannot be heard. Ruth made some decaf coffee and settled in with a book.

The blessing of these stroms is the incrediblly cool temeratures the rains bring in. The irony is that all the windows have to be closed so once opened, takes almost as long to cool down the house as it does for temperatures to heat up again.

As the rain lightens, I fall onto my bed, too tired to be very annoyed (for more than a second) by the layer of sandy dust that covers my bed.

WAWA -- West Africa wins again...


A servant for Him,
~Liz

Updates

-350 Moringa trees were donated to the orphanage by a family who are here as missionaries in southern Burkina. The trees are extremely healthy and are especially good for treating malnutrition in babies and in nursing mothers. The most amazing part of it to me is how God provides--- on a map of the places in the world with malnutrition, almost the exact same countries are where these trees are able to grow. Such an incredible resource at our fingertips- need for education and awareness is so huge. See http://www.echonet.org/ for more info on these trees Planting the baby trees!
An overgrown tree, but can still harvest the seeds - the leaves and the seeds can all be used for healthy benefits
While planting, we saw an incredible thing- a rainbow AROUND the sun!! God's beauty is astounding

-Still have a few sick children- please be praying for them

-We had a huge storm last night- 2 children from the same family in our church died. We believe that a wall in their home collapsed with the intense winds and the rain beating at the foundation. This is fairly common for houses to be destroyed during rainy season as most are mud brick. An extremely difficult time for them. Not sure of other deaths, but the report was that there was a lot of damage in Yako…

On our road there were trees literally bent over completely from the high winds

-All kinds of funny things come out with the rains!

A snail found next to our house (really big!)

-Killed this in our house!! The people here call them scorpions, but they aren't what we consider scorpionsYuck!

-Our toddlers are talking more and more now!! :) Way to go Brittany and her toddler class

Tibnoma, Joseph, and Ibrahim

-A huge final soccer match in Yako this past weekend!! It was pretty exciting and I ended up sitting next to the younger sister of Yako's "Depute" (I think comparable to a senator). We even had some playful banter going on as she was cheering for the other team. Yako won 2-0!!

-We have one orphanage child at university right now- he (despite many issues with the university) finished his first year with flying colors. Unfortunately, in the last 2 years there have been many strikes with the teachers as well as students. This second year that he started has now been on and off with strikes since it began, and there is a possibility that this year could be a “l’annee blanc” which means a year that doesn’t count. He’s real discouraged and I just wish I could send him to college in the States to continue with his education. He’s studying sociology and has worked so hard… Pleas pray for the teachers and university to be able to come to a good agreement and plan for the years to come (soon!), and please pray for him in this tough time

Rain!!

I can’t even begin to explain what that word sounds like after more than of a month of 120*’s heat, a constant river (not a drip) of sweat running down every part of me and sleeping with a soaking wet towel every night. Every gust of wind is a beautiful gift and we pray the power doesn’t go out at night so we can sleep. I thank God for electricity, and after babies crawling all over me and their sweat mixing with mine, I sometimes have to take a break inside under the fan. The common phrase here immediately following “Hello” is “Il fait chaud (it is hot!).” Or in Mooré "Ya Toologo". I had considered sleeping in my shower when the heat came, but decided it was too much work. Plus the towel stays wet basically the whole night.

But with that said, I AM surviving! I never thought that 90-100* heat would feel like a relief, but we praise God for a few cooler days.

The other day, one of our workers (who was sweating MORE than me at that point- I always love to see the Burkinabé sweat, it shows I’m not crazy) told me 20-30 days til rain. I almost did a dance of joy right there. Harmattan winds, tons of dust and sand everywhere, 24/7 heat almost DONE? There have been points Brittany and I think we’ll get a rain- even the smell of rain in the air- and we make a deal that whoever wakes up first from the rain has to wake the other one up so we can run outside no matter what time it is. As very rare as it is at this time of year and the couple months past, there have been a couple 10 min rains.

Today (5/7) though… RAIN!!! And rain like I’ve never seen before (minus the huge tornado and storm last year in Manistee). I had a Mooré class in the afternoon and went out with clouds in the sky, the smell of rain, and thunder in the distance. We’ve had this a few times though, so I didn’t expect anything too spectacular. After about 20 minutes of class though, we heard a few sprinkles on the tin roof. I looked at Nongewende (my teacher) and grinned- RAIN! He didn’t seem convinced it would be too much, but five minutes later it started to downpour!!! I said excuse me a minute and ran outside to catch a few drops (I think he thought I was crazy)- Brittany was walking over with Therese to do the same :)… I headed back in after a minute expecting to get back to class. The rain continued to intensify though, and we couldn’t even hear each other to work. The classroom we were in was outside under a tin roof with straw walls. Luckily there was one desk with a lid, so I stuck my books inside. We sat around for over an hour waiting for the rain to stop!! It was absolutely pouring; thunder and lightning too! The rain changed directions three times so we ended up moving all around the classroom trying to avoid getting too wet. I even had goosebumps at one point. I think it was the first time I’ve had goosebumps since December or January. The winds were crazy too- I looked outside a few times to see the branches being blown so much I thought we might have hurricaine winds coming up ;)… It was absolutely incredible. The thing with tin roofs here is that even a slight sprinkle makes a ton of noise. Imagine not being able to talk to one another when you are right next to each other- that’s what it’s like with a downpour.

The storm!!

Following the rain was just crazy as well. The once dry sand/dirt everywhere had turned into huge brown lakes and rivers. Flip flops get stuck very easy and you end up walking right out of them into the mud. Have you tried walking with weights attached to your feet? That’s kind of what it feels like to walk in the mud here. The kids, of course, couldn’t wait to start a game of soccer in the mud. Britt and I set up a bench to watch the slipping and sliding (and falling) in the mud. Very funny. It was so great to see the joy on everyone’s faces- rain after so long! Ruth says we’ll probably have a bit longer before the rains truly start and cultivation can start happening (it’s better for everyone if the rains start a little later for planting too). To me, this was a beautiful day (as I sit in the cool temperatures writing this), but I guess you’ll have to ask me how I feel about the rain after a few months more of it.
After the rains!

A servant for Him,
~Liz

(Side note: Friday night (5/8) we had HUGE swarms of termites flying all around the windows and doors. Interestingly enough, about an hour after they started, they all died. There were piles of them everywhere. The kids informed me that this always happens in rainy season and that they only get bigger… Wonderful… And yes, Pastor Pat, they eat them in soup when they’re bigger. Thanks for the heads up!)