Thursday, April 7, 2011

How DO you say Ouagadougou?

Last fall, I was keeping score at a basketball game next to the Chaplain who was announcing plays, and he leaned over during halftime, his eyes glinting as if he were up to something, and he said, "Have you ever thought about Africa?" Odd to ask a geography teacher. "Of course, I have." "How would you feel about co-leading the Spring Break missions trip to Burkina Faso?"

I didn't admit that I had to even figure out where it was on a map first (sad geography teacher), but after more prayer and exchange of information about what the trip would entail, I decided to say "yes." (Good thing, or this post would be pretty pointless.)

Months of planning and praying and getting yellow fever shots are coming together, and now we stand 36 hours before departure. Our team consists of 4 guys, 7 girls, and 2 leaders, and our job will be to roof a church in a small bush community, the 5th one BFA will now do this for. The students are thrilled - the guys to play with tools and the girls to play with kids - and I'm just praying none of them break anything or even bleed since I was asked to play nurse for the week.
Another cool moment we've gotten to experience as a team was when a church in the states collected used skirts for us, 2 per girl, and sent them in a huge box along with some encouraging notes. What a blessing, and what fun it was to unpack it with these girls.

We covet your prayers as we travel, work, and seek to be Christ's hands and feet from April 9-17, both for the people we hope to serve and for our own hearts.

P.S. Waa-gaa-doo-goo

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I found your blog on google. I'm trying to put together info from our missionaries (Grace church in Roseville, MN) so I can regularily pray for them. So every so often I will look you up, read what you are doing and pray for you. How's that?

Katrina Custer said...

Hi Stephen - that sounds just great. Anything that equals more prayer coverage. :-)