Signs of Hope at the University

Bit by bit, professors at the University of Ouagadougou are returning to campus to continue their courses. Law students, who hadn't had class since the beginning of April are now having at least some of their classes during the week. It's a promising sign.

It seems the demands of the professors are justified, but are fairly extensive and it will take time for the various government ministers to study their demands and then make a decision. In the mean time, the government seems to have convinced the students that it will act in good faith and that everyone should go back to life as usual on campus while the various ministers can do their job and get a deal made with the professors before the start of the next school year. So it seems like the year will continue without canceling it, although we can expect a very late end to the school year, maybe as late as February 2010. Thank you all for your prayers.

Are you listening? Umm, I'm trying.

I (Jeff) have started taking Morré lessons again. Morré is the language of the Mossi people, the domant ethnic group in Burkina Faso. This was first of all a way to once again awaken the love I have for the Burkinabé people - but after all, I am somewhat of an introvert. I'm fairly sure this word doesn't exist in Morré! Living in a big African city means always being around people, so it's important to show interest in those around you, and what better way than to speak (a bit better) their language. The second reason to improve my Morré-speaking ability (by the way, you can get my quite nicely with French in Ouaga these days) was that the more you learn the local language, the more you understand the people. It's very interesting to know, for instance that, that word for "husband" is similar to the word for "truth". A Mossi person might say these two words have little to do with each other, but linguists say otherwise. Or, to find out that to say you are happy, you say that your heart is smiling.

So, improving these language skills provides a lot of social, intellectual and relational stimulation. But you also learn a lot about yourself. When you speak, are you more interested in what the other person is saying, or are you thinking about what you will say when the person has finished talking? It sounds easy to say that we should listen more to the other person first - that makes you a good listener. But the balance tips very quickly when working in another language. After 4 weeks of lessons, I can already string several sentences together, but I can barely understand anything people say to me. I have been more focussed on looking good through what I can do instead of trying to understand what people are telling me. Of course, understanding a native speaker speaking rapidly takes years. But still, I know I need to really force myself to concentrate and listen to people as they speak, and not let my mind wander. It's a good thing to apply to my native language, English, as well!

University Decision to be made by June 15

Students of the University of Ouagadougou should know within the week if the government will close the university again this year, or if a settlement has been reached between the professors' union and the government. Professors have been on strike since mid-April. Most classes have been canceled. If the university closes, it will mark the second time in the span of the year that the academic year has been cut by university closing. Last year the university closed due to student unrest over poor academic conditions. It is still unsure what a closure could mean for the school year. Will the entire year be canceled, or will they try to finish the year in September like they did this past year?

Students at the Foyer Evangelique Mennonite de Ouagadougou, meanwhile, are preparing to write "concours". These are government entrance tests that allow a given number of people to enter the public sector of work. Those not writing these tests may be forced to return to their home village due to the comparatively expensive cost of living in Ouagadougou. Others may stay in Ouaga to look for work.

Please pray for these students as they face an uncertain future.

May 2009 Prayer Update

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32

One of Tany’s major contributions to our church community has been through English courses. Twice a week, the FEMO has a one-hour English course at the church. On Saturday nights, our advanced English faculty students lead the discussion, which usually centres on important themes ranging from politics, to African traditions like marriage, to other current issues. On Sundays, Tany facilitates the discussion.

It is amazing to see the cultural barriers that get broken down as students try to speak a foreign language. French (the official language of Burkina Faso) has become another African language in some ways in Ouagadougou, the capital – there is a certain lingo that reflects the syntax and structure of other Burkinabé languages. There is also a certain etiquette in “Burkinabé French” – what you can and can’t say. This is also a crossover from the local languages. But in English, this linguistic etiquette gets thrown out to allow for more direct and communication. Thus, Tany often comes away from these classes enlightened and better understanding of cultural values that usually remain “hidden” in the language of the people. (In turn, we too have noticed that our weaknesses in French make us think about what we really want to say before speaking, and actually makes us more patient and open to people than if we could speak quickly and naturally with people.)

So it was that we were blessed again yesterday when a 3^rd year English student expressed his gratitude for the Foyer (our church residence) not only for what it has done for him, but for the others. He mentioned a student he had known from his home town who had been so shy, isolated, and unconfident. Today, this student lives in the residence of our church. He is one of our best Sunday School teachers. He recently offered to give leadership to our weekly prayer hour on Sunday nights, which was lacking direction.

Like a mustard seed, leaders are developing in our churches in unexpected ways. Sometimes, this development is slow and unperceivable. But from time to time, God gives us a boost by revealing to us how that seed is developing and growing into something bigger.

Another way this is happening is through an Anabaptist history project that we are working on. In order to provide some background to the history of the Mennonite Church for our Burkinabé brothers and sisters, we are putting together a collection of Anabaptist stories from the past to present. Our English students are helping to translate these stories (most of which are in English) to French. This too is slowly making progress and should be a valuable resource to the church here. In the mean time, some of our translators working on this project are being exposed to a way of thinking that had not occurred to them before – an approach to living out the gospel that (I believe) is an important contribution to ecumenical dialogue in Burkina Faso. I mean, who would think to serve a meal to the men vandalizing your house, as in the story of Preacher Peter and the Mystery of the Thatch; or save the person trying to send you to your execution, as in the story of Dirk Willems? These small seeds will surely produce some day.

We praise God for…

• Blossoming relationships with our university students
• Jérôme, a French seminary student who is doing an internship with us at the FEMO until June 21. His contribution and attitude have been greatly appreciated.
• The occasional rain which cools us off

We request your prayer support for…

• The University of Ouagadougou and the professor strike (see blog for more details – the professors have been on strike and most courses have been on hold since mid April)
• Government and university officials, as well as their mediator so that classes may continue soon
• Jérôme as he continues to build relationships, learn, and integrate into the life of our community