Ouaga.

It's 9:30 pm in Ouaga (pronounced Waga, which is short for Ouagadougou), Burkina Faso and we have arrived safe and sound.  We had a relatively uneventful path of travel from Indianapolis and are living in a guest that is owned by a missions organization.  We will be here until at least Friday.  It was completely surreal as we were landing at the airport and knowing that we were about to land in a country that is so distant and far away from everything we grew up knowing.  We were given strict directions to follow from the second we landed in Ouaga until we met the missionaries and it went seamlessly as we went through customs and security.  

Today we spent the majority of the day running errands (going to the embassy, market, and getting acquainted with the area).  We also took a sieste to help us catch up on some much needed rest after the 24 hours of travel!

Thanks for all the prayers as we traveled, but we continue to ask you to pray as we try to learn a little bit of language and culture.

We will try to upload more pics as the days go by!!!

Indianapolis Pre-Departure

First Sights of the Sahara

Inside our shower for the next week!

4 bunks complete with mosquito nets

1 of the few pictures that we took out in public

A big tree

If you have your Bibles...And I hope you do.

Psalm 26:4
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may be in the house of the Lord all of the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

We have completed our first full day of training and are getting more and more excited to leave for Burkina Faso with every minute.  We are staying at the Benedict Inn that is run by the Sisters of St. Benedict.  They serve us breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day and will be praying for us all summer. Such great ladies! Here's where we are staying for the next couple of days.

We have met our teammate, Alexa along with the 33 other interns that are going to SE Asia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mexico, Spain, and Ukraine.  We have been able to hear the countless stories of how Jesus has changed the lives of the interns who literally have flown in from across the United States.    

Meet Alexa...I can already tell this girl is going to be awesome to be with for the next couple of months.  She has a great story, so I can't wait to get to know her better. 

Today we had sessions covering a variety of material including learning about CMF International (our sending organization), took personality tests, did some group building activities, and learned more about working as a team. Tomorrow we will be going to a ropes course, so we will be heading out early. 

Sidenote for those who "know" David Platt: We met a girl from the Church of Brook Hills, and I am pretty sure we could chat with her all night if time allowed.  If you have not heard of him or the church, we would highly recommend you listen to some of his Biblical teaching.  He is an extremely anointed teacher.

Prayer Requests

Our apartment is now completely empty, besides myself and the computer! So before we leave we wanted to post some specific ways you could pray for us as we head down to Indy today and leave on Monday.


Traveling-timeliness of flights and all those arrangements that need to happen; that even when we are exhausted that we would still be patient and kind to each other and those around us (Alexa will be traveling with us too)

Marriage-that our marriage would remain strong during this big change in our lives and that we would continue to love each other as Christ loves us

Please pray for the Hoch's, Gordon's, and Houser's as they are opening their homes to us and teaching us about the ministry they are doing. Also, that we would be gracious and pleasant house guests, as I am sure it can be stressful on all to have people living together for extended periods of time.  Please also pray for the agricultural and church planting ministries they are doing, that they would see fruit from their labor, in all ways.

Health-that God would strengthen our bodies as we eat new foods and are exposed to new surroundings

Pray that the Church would grow and would be an extension of God's love to the people in Burkina Faso.

Pray that we would know God more deeply than ever before and that we are able to learn from those around us as well as teach those around us. 

Pray that everything we do would be a reflection of our Savior, Jesus, here in the States and overseas.  That we would love in ways we didn't know were possible. That we would love just as Jesus calls us to:
      "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" John 13:34-35

Lastly, pray for those at my work who have taken on all of my duties so I can be a part of this.  There will be very busy times, so pray that the work can get done as quickly as possible in order to minimize the burden.  I can't express how grateful I am that they are giving me this opportunity to pursue one of my dreams. MutualBank and the management there are outstanding!!









 

Time to get serious.

We are literally days away from flying around the world.  To a different continent.  A different climate, culture, and language. We are slightly intimidated and very excited.   However, this post is not about what is yet to come but rather to say thanks to our family.  This past weekend we went home to say good bye to our family.  It's odd because we have gone 2 months without seeing family in the past, but just knowing that we are on the other side of the planet makes 2 months seem a little longer.  We talk often of how blessed we are to have family on both sides that love, support, and encourage us.  Here are just a few snapshots of our beautiful family.

Mom, Dad, Lori, and I

Jack, Ruby, Colin, Silas, Calvin, and Jake (Evan is face to screen with the TV thus not in the pic, he's our oldest nephew)

My brother Cory displaying his athletic prowess by riding a toddlers bicycle over a mile.  Well worth the $10 I never paid him.

Mindi and Dustin

My brother Cory and his wife Shannan and their oldest, Calvin

My sister Lindsey and her husband Kevin with their youngest, Macy.

My sister Jamie and her husband Matt

Uncle Terry and Aunt Donna

Caitlin enjoying New Buffalo Beach (and the 40 degree water)

Jace

Me, Dad, Mom, Jeremy, Annie, Caitlin, and Larry (Lori's dad)

Family picture at Redemak's

Somehow, my mother-in-law Bev managed to avoid any photos this weekend! She's pretty sneaky like that!

 We tracked down a photo of my mother in law.

The Final Countdown.

It's hard to believe that after months of praying, studying, and preparing that we are a mere 8 days away from a our internship in Burkina Faso, Africa.  We are hoping that this blog will be useful to those of you who wish to follow how God is using us among the Burkinabe people.

We first off want to thank all of those who have been such a crucial part of making this possible.  Those who have prayed for us, encouraged us, or financially supported the internship we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  The last year has been incredibly challenging and we are grateful for the friends and family that have come along side us and encouraged us to continue to pursue Christ.  We know that God is in this.


Here is a brief snapshot of what the next couple of months hold in store for us (aside from flights, all dates and plans are flexible):

June 2-6: Pre-Departure training in Indianapolis
June 6: Departure date (Indianapolis --> D.C. --> Brussels --> Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso)
June 7-21: Language learning
June 22-July 12: Living/working on the Resource Farm
July 13-August 3: Participate in Chronological Bible Storytelling, church planting, and water rehabilitation

Although we may not be professional bloggers, we really want to keep you updated on how things are going this summer (as often as the internet connection allows).We are eager and excited to worship beside our Burkinabe brothers and sisters in Christ!