For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. – Psalm 92:4
Greetings from Alberta, where we safely arrived in May and where we had been excitedly awaiting the arrival of our new baby. Kenani (Kenai) Lukas was born on Thursday, June 12. We praise God for how well the delivery went for both Kenai (pronounced KEE-nigh) and family. “Kenani” is a name from the Turka people group of Burkina Faso, and means, “perseverance – he who advances and prospers in the face of adversity.” On certain websites, the name was found in the “Hawaiian” category and means “made by God.”
Itinerating has been a rewarding experience. It has been a blessing to witness what God is doing in our congregations and to share our work with interested people. We have been grateful to our host churches and have valued the relationships that we have been able to nurture over these two months. Thanks to those churches and people who have made preparations for our visits. In a week, we begin our trek east to Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and then on to Indiana for a mission seminar before settling into Ontario for the month of August. We return to Burkina Faso the end of August.
On more of a negative note, the university situation in Ouagadougou has been deteriorating. On June 17, the students on the over crowded campus tried to hold a “march”. Usually, these are peaceful protests that are part of the rights of the students. The president of the university refused to allow this march, but the students went ahead anyway, voicing their unhappiness with things like lack of facilities, old materials, poor study conditions, inadequate numbers of bursaries, etc. The president called in the police to force the students home. 34 students were injured while another 35 were sent to the city prison and will now be tried according to Burkina law. This process could take weeks if not more. In the mean time, at a time when students should be writing final exams, the university is shut down waiting for the police to sort all of this out. Please pray that wisdom will prevail, and especially that the students of our community in Ouaga will think creatively as to how to address the injustices on campus in a peaceful but effective manner.
We praise God for…
- How the Foyer in Ouaga has been persevering with church activities and effective during our absence
- Kenani, who is bringing joy to all of us, especially to Danika and Asher
- God’s protection and guidance during our many travels
We request your prayer support for:
- University students in Ouagadougou as they try and make sense of their future at the university
- A good rainy season for Burkina
- A break from colds, which we seem to be exceptionally prone to since we arrived in Canada Safety during a busy travel schedule this next month
