There are moments in my life when certain scriptures become more fully clear to me.  Last week I had one of those moments, or more truthfully several of those moments.  In Acts 1:8 Jesus says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  I love and know this verse well.  It's on the back of our ministry t-shirts.  It is powerful and full of promise and challenges.

Last week, I went to visit, pray for, encourage and exhort some village pastors I hadn't yet met.  Pastor Felix and his wife Pirscilla went with me from our local church in the Banfora area.  We headed due east towards the boundary of the Cascade Region.  The Cascade region is where God has called us to engage in church planting.  Thanks to some recent road work, the first 25km is as good as a dirt road can be here.  From there, the next 100+ kilometers goes down hill in quality, really fast.  With every mile or more accurately kilometer that passed, the roads got worse.  Much worse.  We had set out to visit 5 churches that were planted in very difficult areas. Areas with many unreached peoples and villages.

It's hard to believe that 2015 is almost over!  If your year has been at all like ours, it has literally flown by.  We are thanking God for all He has done and continues to do this year, as well as looking forward to 2016!  As I am working on plans for next year, I'm reminded that ministry opportunities from this year and for years to come are made possible only by God's abundant provision through His people.

We can't wait to speak with you in person during our 2016 home assignment.  The greatness of our God and the doors He is opening for ministry among the unreached here in Burkina Faso is exciting and we are eager to share about it with you.  If you would like to join in the work of church planting, pastoral and community support, it's time to think about year-end giving before the next tax year begins.  I would encourage you to partner with us in the Lord's work with your year end gifts.  Donations are tax deductible and they go toward reaching the unreached in one of the world's poorest countries.

100% of donations made toward special projects with Light Up Burkina go to the field.  No administration fees or overhead are taken out.  When you couple that with how much impact your investment has here for relatively small investments, it is a win - win scenario.  Join us in building much needed infrastructure to support church planting among the least reached.  Village churches, pastors homes, orphanages, christians schools, animal projects to help pastors survive in remote areas and provide for their families as they evangelize, church plant and pastor.  Motos for pastors, micro-enterprise and drilling wells are all ways that your year-end giving can hugely impact seeing God's kingdom expanded in Burkina.

Check out the website and feel free to contact us if you have questions or need clarification on anything.  We are privileged to be the people on the ground who get to see the difference that your generosity makes day in and day out.  Be encouraged as we see God's mighty hand and Holy Spirit moving among peoples and villages that have never had believers or a church presence.  Thank you for your prayers, support and generosity in walking out the call we have as believers to make the name of Jesus known to every tribe and every tongue on earth.  Click here to DONATE.

May the God of the universe richly bless and keep you and make His face to shine upon you!
Your brother in Christ Jesus,
Aaron

Please pray with us for Pastor Badiel from Banfora, as we learn together by comparing "local" pigs to improved breed pigs as an income source for village pastors and church planters.  We chose Pastor Badiel because he was already working with what he had.  His pen is not far from our home, so we will be able to track the progress and document this project well.  Not only will this comparative project help his family, but he understands that our work together will benefit many pastors in the future as we learn best practices together.

We are excited to be starting several animal pilot projects with local pastors.  We are using pigs, sheep, goats and chickens- depending on the village setting.  (Some villages will not accept pigs due to religious and cultural norms.)  Our hope is that we can find ways to partner with pastors and church planters to help them start animal husbandry projects that will provide a much needed income source.  They are often living in very rough circumstances and unable to meet many of their families' basics needs.  By working together to find viable revenue streams, we hope to see these church pastors and planters flourish.  

Through small capital investments, we can provide durable housing for these animals as well as the start up stock.  The pastors will provide the rest needed to see these projects succeed.  Daily labor, veterinary costs, bringing water several times daily and of course food for the animals.  One of the difficulties of living and working in one of the poorest countries on earth is that good building materials are hard to find and very expensive.  By starting with building shelters on the church property that will stand the test of time, we are laying a foundation for the present pastor as well as any others that come to work in that village in the future.  

This is what she said.  (Para-phased) 

A little less than two weeks ago, I had gone to check on my animals and saw that my largest pig had gotten out.  I began to look all around for it, but couldn't find it.  I decided to go look in a low wet area where the rains had started to fill with water.  As I searched for my pig in the grass I suddenly felt something very bad on my foot.  At first, I didn't know what happened.  I thought maybe I stepped on something sharp or kicked something hidden in the grass.  As I looked down I saw the "naja" that had just bit me on the upper foot as it fled into the grass.

I was extremely worried because often people die from snake bites, but the pain wasn't as severe as I thought it would be.  I kept looking for my pig for a few more minutes, until my leg began to act strange.  I decided to head back to my home.  By the time I arrived at home I was hurting and feeling very strange. I didn't know what to do, because we live far from a hospital and only have a small clinic in our village.  I decided to go see the pastor, so he could pray for me.  

Pastor Tibi prayed for me along with others for a while and my symptoms diminished.  I went back home and laid down for a while.  I felt bad, but able to walk.  I decided to walk to the market with a family member.  Part way to the market my symptoms got much worse and I couldn't walk right and I began to feel like I was suffocating.  People helped me to the local clinic to see the nurse.  They said there wasn't much they could do here and that I should go to the hospital in Banfora. (35 miles away)

I asked to be taken back to the church so the pastor and others could pray for me.  They did for a long time.  We found a way to go to the hospital the next day.  After 2 days at the hospital and the doctors trying different treatments my symptoms were worse instead of better.  My foot and leg was in very bad shape, I couldn't walk and was experiencing paralysis in parts of my body.  I also felt as if I was suffocating.  Because they couldn't help me and of the expense, we came back to the village.

At that point I was very very sick and thought I might die.  Everyone around me thought I would die also.  So they took me back to our church and the pastor and people from church began to pray over me.  They prayed all night long!  Over the next days they continued praying for me and God healed me!  

At this point I'm praising God for healing our sister and she shows us her foot and leg.  It was amazing…if she didn't show me where the problem had been I wouldn't have known about it at all.  They went on to tell me that she was bitten on Saturday and that 8 days later she was dancing, singing and praising God in Sunday morning church!  Everyone in her community is amazed at the fact that she isn't dead and that she was completely and quickly healed.

She finished by saying that she had just come from her Muslim neighbors courtyard.  Her neighbor had asked her to come tell her what God had done.  Marie told us she believed God would use her testimony to reach her Muslim neighbors for Christ!

I know people fall all across the board as far as whether God is in the miracle business today.  I can tell you that if you had spent the last several years walking beside me and seeing what God has allowed me to see, you would not question the fact that our God is mighty to save and that through the Holy Spirit, He moves in miraculous ways all - the - time!  

As a skeptic by nature, this has been and continues to be a struggle as I battle between my western mindset and a truly biblical worldview.  My friends, I hope this testimony helps you to take scripture at it's  word and stop trying to put our truly Awesome and all powerful God in such a small box of our design. 

John 14:12-14 (ESV)

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.


Matthew 17:20 (ESV)

For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”


Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.     (Eph. 3:20-21)

Aaron
  

 

A couple of weekends ago there was a church conference for the church we attend in the village of Bounouna, and it's daughter churches- it was held in a village named Toumousseni.  Above are the pastors, elders and deacons who spoke throughout the 3 day event.  About 70-80 people were able to attend, hear God's Word, pray and worship together.

Well…my first time preaching in French.  Thank God for Vincent (above).  He is an elder in our church,our language helper, a Bible translator, Jesus' voice in the recently completed Dogose Jesus Film project and a carpenter.  There is a lot more I could add, but in short, he is a man of God who works tirelessly for kingdom purposes.  Needless to say, having Vincent translate my French into Jula was a huge confidence builder, as he is able to understand my ever improving, but not yet arrived French.

A few minutes into my message I saw everyone turning around and this was why.  3 camels went by on the road.  While we see them most months, they are far from an everyday thing in our part of Burkina.

Kristi, here with Rebeccah.  Rebeccah, her husband , and her co-wife all came to Christ later in life after years of devotion to fetishes and spirits.  Praise God for His work in peoples lives!  She enjoyed teasing and testing Kristi's Jula while many of the younger women were preparing the rice and sauce for lunch.  Below is a prime example of the cooking that goes on to feed a big crew when there is a gathering.

Please continue to pray for the lost and unreached villages and peoples in the Cascade region of Burkina Faso.  The needs are profound.  It is great to see the changed lives, but as always there are many reminders of how much work is left to be done.  May the Lord of the harvest guide and strengthen us.

For God's glory,
Aaron