Transitions & Trusting God

I woke early this morning with matters of returning to the States weighing heavily on my mind.  I woke feeling unprepared and anxious for my return.  Where will I work?  Where will I live?  How will I find my niche again?  And so I prayed – not so much that God would answer these questions for me, but so that I would be okay with not knowing them (even as I search these answers in practical ways, that is, I’m not suggesting that I’m a disinterested bystander in my own life).
After my prayer, I received an e-mail response from a friend that I met in Burkina.  She quoted from Aiden  Wilson Tozer:
" The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand temporal problems, for he sees at once that these have to do with matters which at the most cannot concern him for very long; but even if the multiple burdens of time may be lifted from him, the one mighty single burden of eternity begins to press down upon him with a weight more crushing than all the woes of the world piled one upon another. That mighty burden is his obligation to God. It includes an instant and lifelong duty to love God with every power of mind and soul, to obey Him perfectly, and to worship Him acceptably. And when the man’s laboring conscience tells him that he has done none of these things, but has from childhood been guilty of foul revolt against the Majesty in the heavens, the inner pressure of self-accusation may become too heavy to bear.
The gospel can lift this destroying burden from the mind, give beauty for ashes, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. But unless the weight of the burden is felt the gospel can mean nothing to the man; and until he sees a vision of God high and lifted up, there will be no woe and no burden. Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them."
Notice Tozer doesn’t say, “Don’t worry, be happy”.  But rather we are asked to remember our sin, and our mistakes, and our weakness, and our hopelessness, and out of that we can pray a more honest prayer of thankfulness for his Gospel and worship of a good God.  And perhaps then we are prepared to live more “fulfilling” lives – not experienced though the elevation of our self-esteem or self-actualization (a lesson from our culture), but rather through the humble obedience (rooted in repentance) and the recognition of our unworthiness in the face of God’s sovereignty.  Such a response is fulfilling, not because we see that God is responding to our earthly needs and desires (as sometimes can leave us in disappointment), but this response is fulfilling because it satisfies the inherent purpose of man – to worship God.  Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT saying that we are saved by self-degradation.  Certainly we are saved solely by the grace of God through Jesus death, accepted by God as payment for our sins.  I AM saying that as God’s chosen, we find fulfillment in glorifying God which can be more deeply expressed as we recognize our depravity.
Sorry for the theological lesson, but I am finding such studies to be increasingly applicable in my life.  Maybe you will too.
Well, it’s already 9 AM on Wednesday morning, and I am in the capital city of Ouagadougou, and I plan to spend my day shopping and in meetings with Matt Walsh.  Matt and his family arrived yesterday from the States for another assignment in Mahadaga.  You might remember that Matt (and family) went back to the States last December; leaving me with the responsibilities of the development work that he had begun not long before.
In the coming 2 weeks, I plan to inundate Matt with project progress, lessons learned, and employee relationships on the varied work (Survival Gardens, Well Drilling, Hand Pump Design, Fence Making, among others).  Please pray for Matt – he’s had a very busy home assignment, and I hope I can transfer the work without overburdening him in these first 2 weeks.
A quick update on well-drilling… Tiabli, Bouba, and Ali have earned their “Attestation du Forage et Pompe” – that is, I have presented each of them with a certificate saying effectively that they’ve graduated from the ODD Borehole and Pump Apprenticeship program.  Furthermore, I have begun to put in place a program by which they can work for themselves and simply rent our tools.  They are still learning the basics of having their own enterprise, and will need some hand holding, but they are doing very well.
I was about to collate my thoughts on the significance of well drilling in West Africa on this blog, and I soon realized that I need to develop a document instead.  But in short, it provides jobs, it provides more water, it provides cleaner water; and secondarily it reduces sickness, improves agricultural efficiency, soil quality, and length of the growing season; and there’s a market and a supply chain.  Moreover, and more personally, I have seen God use this work to bring a few young men closer to Him.
Regarding my return to the States, I’m looking forward to coming back just in time for Thanksgiving (after 10 days of visiting some friends in Europe).  I look forward to connecting with each of you soon.
Brendon

I'll come up with a better title later.

Hello.

Today is Thursday morning.  My work with ODD (Open Door Development – the program with drilling wells, making fence, etc.) is changing.  Last Friday was the last day of work for the 7 guys with whom I’ve been closely working.  Four of the seven guys have sufficiently learned the work so that I am hoping to help them (if they choose) get started with an enterprise for themselves.  In mid-October & early November I am hoping to recommence with the work via a more formal apprenticeship program.

Matt Walsh and his family (long term missionaries here) are on home assignment.  They’ve been blessed with another child – Sarah (I think that’s right).  I was hoping to have at least a week or two of overlap with Matt and his family here in Burkina before I come back to the States to help with the transition.  However, before the Walsh’s return to Mahadaga, they need to wait on a few things:  birth certificate, passport, visa, ticket.   I am praying that God would expedite this process, because as of now, it sounds like mid-November would be the earliest possible return date (likely after I am planning to leave).

In the midst of the changes here, Diamouadi remains the sole full time employee for ODD and I am relying on him heavily to help me get the work done (harvesting corn & sorghum, collecting material for compost, and finding day laborers).  His commitment and partnership is such a blessing to me.

Oh, we recently placed the large plastic tank on top of the 5m water tower structure behind the Medical Center.  That was quite a feat (involving a dozen guys, 2 failed attempts, a bunch of rope, and eventually Dale’s car).  I’ll try to get some pictures of it.

Last night was great!  Bouba plans to take on a pump repair job on his own (renting my tools).  We spoke at long length last night about the tool rental and the cost estimate.  He’s never been to school, he’s not literate, and his simple math is a bit shaky.  But he left our conversation (along with the help of Diamouadi) very encouraged – and me too.  Please pray for his first time working on pumps without the direct oversight of ODD.

I want to write more, but I’ll stop… well, I’ll add that I thank you for your continued interest and prayers.  Last Tuesday night I prepared a short Bible study on the end of Hezekiah’s life and the lessons we learn.  Specifically, Hezekiah cried to God for mercy when the prophets declared Hezekiah’s death (without a son and still under the burden of Assyria).  God responded to Hezekiah and granted him a longer life (after having a son and being free of Assyria’s attacks).  But after that, Hezekiah sinned in pride (showed the Babylonians his riches), and God’s prophets said that his nation would again fall into the hands of their enemies – which happened.  Hezekiah didn’t bother praying to God for his mercy because he was happy that it wasn’t going to affect Judah during his lifetime.  Well… that story reminds me of the importance of prayer and the importance to learn to have God’s heart – even when we may not be directly affected.  I praise God for each of you who pray for Mahadaga and for so many other people/situations that aren’t necessarily directly affecting your daily lives.  (Ironically I'm currently listening to "Headphones" by "Jars of Clay".)

Motos, Water Towers, and Persecution

    I’ve found myself a bit hectic recently;  my “routine” is all but routine.  Currently, it’s been a struggle to know how to prioritize:  station maintenance vs. working with my team vs. making new tools vs. training new skills vs. reorganizing and future planning.  At the end of the day, the workshop is a mess, the to-do list has grown instead of shrunk, and we’ve repaired thing #1 just to find out that thing #2 and #3 are broken.
        Proverbs 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
        but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
If I’m interpreting this verse properly, God acknowledges that productivity comes with messiness – he provides grace for the “poop” in our proverbial “ox pen”.  I was thinking that this would be the perfect verse to hang in the workshop.
    Dale Johnson (long term missionary here) has a Honda 250cc motorcycle here.  It’s a perfect “bush bike”.  It sounds small to most Americans, but it’s twice the size of most bikes here (like mine – a 125cc Sanili).  It had been broken (a broken rocker arm) ever since I’ve been here, but just this past week we got it up and running again.  I plan to outfit it with a hitch so that it can pull our well drilling equipment.  The little Sanili has some struggles when I tow our equipment with it (see picture below).
    I was just out with Timothee – the supervisor for the “Survival Garden” projects.  I rode with him on his moto to a number of gardens this morning.  Those that we started last year are looking great.  We’ve been getting great rains recently (thank the Lord) so I think that’s made it “easy”.  The real “test” will begin when the rains stop.  The practice of growing fruits and vegetables during the dry season is new to many of the families.  Perhaps the good produce now will encourage those tending their relatively young gardens to continue caring for them throughout the year.
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(...continued) Motos, Water Towers, and Persecution

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    Oh, I nearly forgot.  A team from the Church of the Open Door recently came out.  They came to search out how they can partner with the ministries here.  Amidst their work (sorry for the many things that I'm leaving out), I hi-jacked one of their team members (Pete, though he was very willing) who is an expert in concrete construction to help the local mason (Duali) setup a water tower.  This had been on the medical dispensary's to-do list since I got here.  It's not yet finished, but Duali and his team are doing wonderfully with the guidance that Pete offered.  Thanks.

   It wasn’t long ago that I asked for prayer for Ali – a worker who has difficult choices to make as he wants to become a Christian, but his family is Muslim (as he is from the Fuhlani tribe).  I’ve been praying for discipleship among the team members who work with me as well.  I’ve been encouraged.  Bouba (another worker who is from the Fuhlani tribe) is a Christian, and whose father wants to force him to marry a Muslim girl.  I say that I’m encouraged because I believe God is giving Bouba an opportunity to face a difficult trial – and I think this is a great opportunity for discipleship as Ali will be watching.  If you think of it while you’re praying, I’m sure Bouba and Ali would appreciate you’re petitions to Our Father for strength and guidance.

(The internet has been weak for some reason - I'll do my best to post some pictures, but we'll see).

June Happenings

I woke up last night to a storm and got up to lean my motorcycle against a tree so that it wouldn’t fall over if the ground became soft.  However, since it was already raining I neglected to bring my laundry in from the clothes line.  I’m a bit spoiled because Howa – a local Fulani woman (Christian) does my laundry – and I have learned to get my clothes pretty dirty.

It’s been a fairly typical day.  This morning I met with the guys:  Tadua, Daniel, David, Luana, Ali, Tiabli, & Duali (Bouba is busy planting).  5 of the guys went out to dig a well.  This is our first well that is for a general community member (rather than a “project” well).  They just hit water around 6m.  We will plan to drill to about 11m, so I’d say we’ve got about 4-7 days left of drilling depending on what kind of ground we hit before we mount the pump.

I had asked prayer for Ali in the past.  He said that he was taking 4 months off of work so that he uphold his obligation to work at his family farm.  I asked prayer for him because he wants to become a Christian but is afraid of his family’s reaction (Muslim).  He is afraid to go to church, so I think our morning Bible Study is one of the few ways he hears God’s word.  Hence my prayer request would be that he would somehow be encouraged in his faith as he wouldn’t be coming.  However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see him come back to work.  He said that he’s rearranged his schedule so that he can work on his farm from 5-7 AM, and then work with me much of the rest of the day.  So thanks for your prayers.

Vacation!  I recently took somewhat of a break from my regular work.  My dad came to visit me for 2 weeks.  It was so great to spend time with him.  People asked me if he wanted to come out and see the work that I’m doing here.  My dad’s response to that was that he simply wanted to come see me.  The other stuff would be nice, but secondary.  My dad is good at making people feel loved.

After he arrived, we went to a 3 day SIM Prayer Conference right away – which was a great way to start a vacation.  When we got back to Mahadaga, I spent time with my dad either working on projects (fixing vehicles, repairing pumps, and a few odds and ends), but we also got to ride motos to a national park, visit local waterfalls, and enjoy evenings with missionaries here or Burkinabe that I’ve come to know well.  I’m not sure that his time here was “restful”, but it was enjoyable (at least it was for me).

Oh, and my dad and I planted a mango tree.  It's growing quite nicely in the rains we've been having.

Peace.

Brendon

A Day in May

Hi. I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while.   I do better describing the details of a single day rather than trying to encapsulate all of the work…

This morning the workers and I had another Bible Study.  We studied Mark 8 where Peter claims that Jesus is this long awaited Christ.  Then Jesus goes on to describe what this Christ will be like, which is drastically different from what the disciples expect.  This Christ, their friend, Jesus, their teacher who’s become quite renowned among the people, and has been scaring the authorities with his growing popularity, and his defiance at their laws, he’s on target to become the Christ – the one who will deliver Israel.  But now, Jesus is saying that he will be rejected and killed.  He also says that he’ll rise again, but they seem to get lost in the first two truths.  And then Jesus goes on to say that they should continue to follow him – to walk death row with him – because that’s where true life is.  Jesus did it for us, and he asks us to live a life that doesn’t put ourselves first, but rather the Good News.  It was a good way to start the day.

Ali, Bouba, and Tiabli took the moto and went off to continue drilling a well at the garden of a family with a child who has a handicap.  Luana and Paul, who usually make chain link fence (we ran out of galvanized wire), began by moving sacks of cement into a shed at the Handicap Center, and then came back to help me with some electrical work around the Missions Station.

Around noon, I was pleased to get a call from Diada telling me that the transporter had come with supplies that were waiting in Ouaga (the capital city).  With this truck load we’ll be able to a) continue making chain link fence, b) begin fabricating a new set of well drilling equipment (much stronger than the original), and c) hook our moto pump up to an evacuation hose so that the Survival Garden project can hand dig wells to an appropriate depth.

On another note, the weather is changing.  Rainy season is just starting, and with it comes many changes.  Mainly cooler temperatures, and people are beginning to plant.  In fact, some of my workers plan to take a significant time off during the rainy season to tend to their gardens.

Oh, and my dad is coming to visit!  I’m looking forward to seeing him.  That’ll be great.

Well, I’m sure there’s more to discuss.  I’d love to hear how you’re doing – brendon.earl@sim.org.

Peace.

Brendon

Success!

We’ve done it.  We’ve reversed deforestation, brought more frequent rains, and reduced the temperature here in Mahadaga!

In February we experienced a very unusual wind storm which stirred the dust up and cooled much of Burkina Faso.  Soon after, we experienced a very strong rain storm – current generations cannot remember such a rain this early in the year.  And even in March temperatures are strangely mild.

It just so happens that this has been the first year of implementing our survival gardens.  Coincidence?  I think not!

Okay, so maybe we’re not changing the climate.  But there are families who will feel a “change in the winds” so to speak.  A number of families (so far we’re working with upwards of 20 families) are working on developing their gardens – and they’re producing even in the midst of the dry season!  Furthermore, many of them are not Christians, and they are rubbing shoulders with Christians who work with them.  Often the pastor takes this opportunity to go to speak to the families as well.

I should give you an update on a recent decision for which you may have been praying.  I have decided to stay in Mahadaga a few months longer.  I plan to be here until early November.  You can pray for the Walsh’s as they continue get ready to come back (new baby, raising funds, getting things in order for another few years in Mahadaga for their family of 6 now).  They’ll come back not long before I leave, so I’ll have a little time to pass the baton to Matt again.  Thanks for your prayers in this decision.  Also, some have asked if this will cost more.  Yes it will, but your (the Church’s) financial giving has provided a surplus that will cover my per diem, and nearly pays for the cost of a new ticket (I had to buy another one because the return ticket that I had was only good for up to a year).

It’s been strange.  For some reason I expected to treat issues out here like they were “critical but stable”, but it is becoming apparent (especially as I talk with the missionaries here) that there is a real struggle for survival for many families here.  And we’re a few months away from the hardest times (maybe July into Aug) – when all of the food is eaten from the previous harvest, and the heavy rains only bring a promise for delayed satisfaction – which is tough when you haven’t eaten in a few days.  But as I said earlier, I expected that this was “normal” and that people have adjusted somehow.  But it’s becoming clear that this isn’t “normal”.  In Mahadaga (and surrounding areas), the population has been booming, the land continues to deteriorate.  The mostly barren bluffs used to be a thick forest just 50 years ago.  It makes me look at the situation a little differently when I realize that things are changing for this new generation of Burkinabe.

That is, my work (aside from Bible Studies) has been directed toward developing people who can dig wells to get ample, clean water year round.  I think that’s a good goal.  However, I suppose my eyes are being opened to more of the “emergency”.  (Some of you may say “no, duh”, but I guess I’ve just been calloused to it).  I hear things like 65% of Burkina Faso is run on foreign aid.  65% - that’s crazy… how can you run a country like that?  Sometimes I think that’s part of the problem.  But maybe you’re one of those people (perhaps I’m becoming one of them) that recognizes an emergency, and wants to do something.  If so, pray.  Also, the Johnson’s have recently started a famine relief program of some kind.  I can get the specifics if you’re interested, but in short, I think all of the money given goes to a local church to be distributed to those in need during the upcoming difficult months.

I was just preparing for tomorrow morning’s Bible Study with the workers.  We will continue our study through the book of Mark.  Mark 4 talks about how the person who has much will be given more; and the person who has nothing, even what he has will be taken.  I never understood this well, but I’m pretty sure it’s not talking about wealth.  I’m pretty sure it’s talking about truth – those who are given truth will be given more and more, and those who aren’t told the truth or reject it (the Gospel) will be lost perhaps thinking they have truth, but eventually (in this life or the next) what they hold onto (a false promise perhaps) will be ripped from them.  The following parables in Mark go on to describe the truth of God’s Kingdom in its mystery, its inevitability, and its expanse.  It can be seen as an encouragement to take heart in the growth of the Church from a dead God and a dozen hiding “followers”, to a risen Christ and a growing Community empowered by the Holy Spirit to share God’s truth and love.

If you’re wondering if I’m eating well, Betty just brought me a carrot cake that she made.  Last week Francoise brought be a huge dish of her leftovers a potato cassorole (of which there was about 7/8ths of the dish left untouched).  Last night the Combari family brought me a pot of rice and a dish of meat sauce with veggies.  And the Johnson’s are currently in Ouaga (not here for me to impose on at the moment), but they’ll come back with grocery gifts for me.  So yes, I’m being well looked after.  Thanks to God and the generous people here.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention that we officially opened one of our water distribution points where a water tower from the Handicap Center provides water to a few taps along the road (see picture).  Three people from the Handicap Center have been trained to sell the water (I think it’s about a penny per gallon).  So far so good.