September Prayer Letter

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

- Psalm 62:8

The rain started in Ouagadougou around 4 am. It would not stop until almost 4 pm that same Tuesday in the afternoon. When it was all said and done, almost 300 mm of rain fell on our usually dry city. Much damage was done. In the city centre, shops and businesses offices filled up with water. Basement parking garages became underwater caves. Personal items left by missionaries in the basement at the local Bible translation facility were ruined. But the greatest impact was felt by those in the so-called “non-lotis”. These are the undeveloped outskirts of the city, or squatter settlements where drainage and roads have not yet been developed, and where housing is usually done as cheaply as possible. Many of these poorly constructed houses were completely washed away in the flash flood. Money, photo albums, even a small child were taken by the rushing water. It was the biggest rain in the recorded history of Burkina Faso/Upper Volta. Two days later, in the parts of Ouaga that we frequent, you would hardly notice that a catastrophe had occurred. But now is when the real catastrophe begins as people move on and forget the many homeless that must find a way to keep on going.

*****

The university students had 2 weeks of classes following the professor strike. Then everyone claimed their right to the August vacation and most people went home for the month. Currently, students are back in classes. The big problem now is that the university restaurants claim they are out of money and cannot open for the rest of the university year. You can probably guess what happens in a French bureaucratic system in such a situation, when one group of stakeholders is not happy. Yep, strike! We will keep you posted. For now, students continue their studies in the hope that this will be resolved soon and that they might finish the school year. Will we ever get a “regular” university year?

We praise God for…

• Safe travels for our students, many of whom went home to their villages and returned to Ouaga safely.
• God’s protection during the big rain. Shortly after, Jeff rode his bike home. His bike wiped out, but strangely he did not.
• A brave start to the school year for Asher and Danika. It was Asher’s first time.

We request your prayer support for…

• Those who lost their homes and much more during the rain.
• Our students as they try and get enough to eat and study for the end of the school year at the same time.
• Asher, as he adapts to a new school and new teacher. The French school system seems quite different than the Canadian one at times, and this can be hard on a little guy.