a taste of Burkina

I have a tiny sampling of pictures to show you! I hope you enjoy...

Below: driving in Burkina. If you're lucky you might spot goats, or cows on the roof too..

Above is a picture of Joseph and me. He's one of our toddlers and a real cutie! He loves to play with my hair, and loves it when i swing him in the air!

This picture (above) was taken at our trip to the barrage.

Below is the celebrations for the Fete for the Chef.

"This is Africa!"

Last week Ruth and I were invited to our pastor’s house after church for lunch. It was my first meal in a Burkinabe home. We had rice with sauce, and some chicken- it was delicious!
I have had no trouble understanding the French translations of the services, but when someone asked me recently if I can understand what the pastor says I had to think about it for a moment before I responded “no. I don’t understand him at all. Is that bad?” and then I realised he preaches in Mooré. Of course I can’t understand him!

Monday morning bright and early Ruth and I took the bus to Ouaga. Our new car came in perfect time because our truck broke down Saturday afternoon and couldn’t be repaired until late Monday..The bus was pretty much the same as before except this time they oversold the seats. Ruth and I didn’t get a seat but once someone got off Ruth was given the seat they’d had, and then someone gave me a seat sitting on a box by the steps to the door. It was comfortable and I had a great view of the landscape we were passing by!

One of our stops in Ouaga was picking up my other missing bag. Thankfully everything was there, and it wasn’t too much trouble to get my bag. And of course we also got the new car! It’s wonderful! And an answer to prayer!

This week I had lots of new adventures at the orphanage. I played in a couple of soccer games with the boys. No organized games- although they did invite me to play in their league game on Sunday. I thanked thme but declined that level of competition although it would be an adventure unto itself, is a little out of my league and I’d much prefer to watch. I also went to a league soccer game. I got there late due to a miscommunication with the child that had invited me. But I arrived. I had thought I wouldn’t have trouble finding our kids, but I couldn’t find them anywhere! So I just found a spot where I could see the game and settled in to enjoy! Soon enough a guy from our church found me and we chatted while watching the game. The soccer was fantastic! And none of the players have any formal training. I can’t wait for the next game this Sunday.

Another first this one on a sombre note. One of the orphanages sponsored widows passed away, so the three of us went to her funeral. She was the wife of a prominent pastor in Yako, and so the turnout for her funeral was amazing! She had a wonderful send off, singing and dancing.

This weekend was the distribution for kids in our sponsorship program whose sponsors had sent money for Christmas gifts. We loaded up the truck with all kinds of gifts, included sheep and goats and headed out. Saturday we visited the villages surrounding Yako, and Sunday we visited Yako’s different sectors. It was really special to visit the children at home. Some we had write letters, and draw pictures for their sponsors. We took pictures of them all. It was a really cool experience. One family even asked us to wait to leave, while they had everyone in the family run around and catch a chicken for us. We of course didn’t expect or need anything in return, but their gratitude for the opportunity their sponsorship offers was evident. Through their gifts yes, but also just in their actions and words. The mothers would say over and over again “thank you, thank you, god bless..” I of course was just a messenger. But it’s beautiful, to see what a difference it makes for them.

You would not believe the cold spell we've had here. I know, i know you're all in snow and negative something degrees. But it's cold here! At night i've had three blankets on my bed, and a couple nights I even shut a window. Now I'm not complaining, it could be colder. But for here- it was cold! There were a few days where I wore a sweater all day, drank tea every chance I had, and soon as I could changed out of my skirt into sweats and threw on some socks. It's been windy on top of the cold weather. And as cold as I've been I know the Burkinabe people have been suffering a lot more than I did. So everyone has been grateful that we've snapped out of the cold spell and it's warming up a bit. Now I still sleep with 3 blankets, but I haven't been waking up shivering! And i only wear my sweatshirt until about 8:00am, and then i'm okay in just a Tshirt.

So in Canada we have beautiful crisp white fresh snow. Here we have Burkina snow. C'est quoi? Dust! Dust is everywhere. When we were out doing distributions I got coated in so much dust I thought I had a beauitiful tan..If you've been out on the roads and then blow your nose, you'll for sure blow out dirt (gross, sorry for that.)

Yesterday during the day I helped in the office doing some paperwork with Adyara. She had done home visits and done small write ups on some children we keep files on. These were written in French, but needed to be typed up in English. So we worked our way through a stack of papers, Adyara dictating in French and I typing in English. You might think it would have been boring, but I really enjoyed it! She’s a pleasure to work with of course, and doing simple translating was kind of fun! I couldn’t do the same from English to French but it’s a good start from French to English I figure.

Yesterday evening Liz and I were standing in our kitchen, when we noticed the boys had all been grouping in one area of the courtyard. Curious as to what they were scheming we decided to investigate. We didn’t expect what we would find! One of our sheep (we keep sheep, goats and chickens in our courtyard), has been injured. When we walked up we expected to find them playing with maybe a big gecko or something. But no. They had killed the injured sheep!(Warning maybe you want to stop reading here?) I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sight of that decapitated sheep for the rest of my days. Liz and I were stunned for a few moments but then we sort of ‘got into it’ as much as possible. We watched as they skinned, and gutted the sheep. Sheep have the biggest stomach ever! Two actually. When I didn’t see the lungs come out I asked about them. One of the boys reached in and pulled out the lungs, still attached to the heart and oesophageous. He tossed the lungs at me tauntingly, so I grabbed them! They were slimy of course. But interesting! Then, Abraham, grabbed the oesophageous and blew into it, inflating the lungs in my hands. I have to admit I did squeal like a girl, and do a little dance. But then I just burst into fits of laughter. We all laughed about it for a long time. They cleaned out the intestine, and stomach and we watched. It’s fascinating. They’ll use everything. To eat: traditional meat, intestine, kidney, tongue, eyes, brain, stomach. The hide will be used to make a drum. We’ve been invited to dine today at lunch- and have accepted the offer. I can’t say how much I’ll eat (I’ll let you know in my next post!?), but as they boys kept telling me “This is Africa!” so Africa I will enjoy.

A correction to my previous posting.
The word I had written as Masara is actually spelled and pronounced Nasara. As you can imagine, living here is quite an exercise for my ears with all the new sounds. It did sound for the first while like Masara to me, until I started listening closer and realised it wasn’t! The origins of the words are in fact Mooré, but dates back to when the first missionaries came to Burkina. They talked about Jesus from Nazareth. So the Mossi people started calling the missionaries, and then white people, Nasaras after Nazareth.

Home Visit and Barrage

Wednesday I did my first home visit with Adyara. We visited a small village just past Sassa (the name of the village we actually visited esacpes me, something like Doubousse or Dobourre)
We took the moto. I of course I was wearing a skirt so Adyara had to teach me how to bunch of my skirt correctly and then how to climb on the moto- it was quite the challenge for a girl like me accustomed to pants! And of course there is always a crowd watching the masara getting on the moto. (Masara is morre for white person. The word is called out from everywhere and often accompanied by the word bonbons "masara bonbons!" The kids will shout it and we smile and shout it back..)
Anyways back to the moto. Adyara taught me to get on, and with much laughter from the crowd I managed. The roads are full of potholes and covered in garbage butAdyara is experienced an it was an adventure!
When we arrived the woman we were looking for wasn’t there but a family member was out getting water. So we waited. The villagers went and got chairs, and we sat in the middle of the tiny village with the women. They spoke only moore so they talked mostly to Adyara, but when they talked to me I’d respond with "Lafi" (you can respond to A LOT in moore with "lafi" it’s like saying "ca va" in french). And that would bring A LOT of laughter from the village women, who would say something else and the cycle would continue.
On our way home we passed the barrage. There’s body of water and crops being grown beside it. Adyara pointed it out and asked if I wanted to go see it. She pulled the moto off the road, and up to a house. Adyara and I joined by her friend walked around the barrage to the fields. The fiels are on the opposite side of the the highway and we couldn't drive the moto all the way around. I didn't mind walking though! It meant we could go through a big mango orchard (mangoes aren’t quite in season but they’re coming!) and then came to the fields. They were growing everything. Tomatoes, potatoes, green onions, lettuce, cabbage, carrots and corn etc. I saw the workers getting the water out of wells, and filling up watering cans to water the crops. It was really cool to be shown around the barrage, and see how they grow everything. Ruth told me in Yako they have some of the biggest tomatoe crops of all of Yako. But then trucks come and they’re exported to Ghana for processing because Burkina has no way to process them. Anyone feeling entrepreneurial? Of course I’m kidding but you realize what a shame it is for the Burkinabes to then buy back their tomato products from Ghana at such a steeper price when they were grown here..
So a totally different direction but good news about the bags! One of my bags arrived in Yako yesterday. A missionary family was coming up to Yako from Ouaga and happens to live right near where my bag was being stored. They were kind enough to drive it up for me- which was a huge blessing. And another huge blessing: Air France called yesterday evening. My other bag has arrived! Which means Monday when we are in Ouagadougou we can pick it up. Hopefully one of our contacts will have picked it up from the airport and we can just swing by and grab it from their place. Either way I’ll have it by Monday!
The other thing to be thankful for is the reason we’re making the trip to Ouaga! The new car should be ready for us by then. It will be a huge blessing.
Ruth just a moment ago gave me some very exciting news! Samartian's purse will be coming in March to distribute the Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes and Liz and I have been invited to participe! I will travel for a week with them dirtibuting boxes. This is an answer for me, I've been praying about it for a little while. But also just a dream come true.
I've been trying to upload some photos but it hans't worked yet...pictures are coming! For now i'm off to pick up some clothes at the tailors!

I have so much to write about! Where can I start?! I am doing really well, I am adjusting to life in Yako and loving it.
I must humbly revoke my comments about there being no internet in Yako, as I'm writing this in Yako. Evidently somewhere along the way I got confused. There is no internet at the orphanage, but there is one internet cafe and another reopening shortly. My apologies!

Last thursday Liz, Hillary and I took the bus to Yako while Ruth stayed in Ouagadougou for another day. The bus was an advneture- I enjoyed it! The bus station is very different than any bus station at home. When a bus pulls up everyone runs and shoves their way onto the bus and for a few minutes there is mass chaos! And then the loading of the bus begins. Motos get loaded on the top, and more bags than anyone can imagine are shoved underneath the bus.. Our bus was supposed to arrive at 1:00 and leave at 1:30, but we didn't get on the bus until after 2:00. No one was worried though, I've been learning to live on a new way of looking at the clock. The bus ride was fun. We stopped a few times and leaned out the bus window to buy bread, and sesame treats from kids along the way. I spent a lot of time just watching out the window. The sights of Burkina and the African music playing on the bus was a delight.
When we arrived in Yako we walked to the orphanage. I probably couldn't tell you the way back to the bus station even after having been out and around- it's hard to learn your way around here! I'm grateful I've always got someone else with me when I leave.
Friday I spent a lot of time with the babies. They're wonderful! Lots of them love to cuddle, they love it when I make silly sounds, and the tickilish ones will flock to you if you tickle them. A couple of the older ones have taken to playing with my hair- which I don't mind in the least! I love watching the older kids eat too. Sometimes they eat to and other times they'll have riz gras (best described as african fried rice). The older babies have learned to take a handful and then stick all their finger in their mouth to shovel the food in. They don't spill a drop!

Saturday we were invited to the new years celebration for the Chef of Yako. The Fete started in the early afternoon and went all evening- but we only stayed a little while. There was dancing and music. And depending on which meal were invited to a dinner of some sort. SW was invited to the first of the dinners. Chefs from other districts and NGOS were among the the other guests.. Erneste (one of the employees at the orphnage accompanied Ruth, Liz, Hillary and I as our cultural expert). We met the chef, and the chef of our local district as well (although i think Ruth and I are going to anothe fete for him later this week) and then sat down to a meal. There was riz grasx, chicken, beef, salad, cous cous with beef sauce and fanta to drink. It was all very tasty. When the address was given in Moore the man sitting beside me said "Ma soeur-" and then translated into french for me, which was so kind!

Sunday was church. We arrived just as the music was starting (you never know i'm told. church "starts" at 9:30, but usually we'll leave at 9:30.) but we had to wait to go insde for them to get another chair for us. They have us sit at the front on the platform facing the congregration- which is a little for me. But i got used to it. I had a hard time singing along even with the songbook (singing is done in moore), but i tried. I'm sure i'll catch on as time goes by. Ruth preached this sunday, and the pastor translated for her. So it was really easy to listen to the message.

Yesterday was just an "average" day- if we have those i'm not really sure yet. I spent lots of time just hanging out with babies. I've gotten much better at changing diapers quickly! And i've started to get the hang of helping to feed the younger babies their riz gras (the youngest ones still drink milk, but some of the ones old enough to eat solid food spill everything without a little help.)
My french has been coming back bit by bit. It was a little shaky at first. But yesterday I had a really long conversation with Josie our nurse and I felt a lot more confident. Some of the kids
have said I have an accent but I figure that's to be expected. I'm trying to use my french as much as I can and not be shy of making mistakes because that's how I'll learn.
Barkwende and Yolande gave me moore lessons the other day in exchange for some english. I can say nose, eyes, mouth and chin in moore now. Well sort of. Moore is a tonal language: much like chinese the same word with a different emphasis can mean different things. For example when I attempt to say neck i say (to quote the kids) "caca". The kids find the word ear very funny, and anything with a th very hard. But I taught Barkwende to stick her tongue between her teeth and blow, and she can now say teeth very well.

Yesterday evening we went out for dinner to a little restaurant near the orphanage. We ordered four dinners and shared everything. Green beans, Macaroni (nothing like KD but still tasty), rice and peanut sauce, and Ragu (it was something with a potatoe like texture but much more dense. Alhtough it was a new texture and flevour I enjoyed it.)
I also tried To (pronounced t-oh, i'm unsure on spelling.) To call it a thick porridge like texture is so false! You could probably make bricks out of it. I had a bite of Ferdinand's and a bit of Therese's. There was a goopy green sauce poured over it- I don't know what the sauce was. I ate it, but it certainly took effort to eat it. Liz and I think we'll practice eating it once a week in case we're ever in a situation where we have to.
We tend to cook for ourselves instead of eating with the kids. We buy bread and lots of vegetables. La Vache Qui Rit cheese is available at our local store here in Yako - yummy! We buy lots of yogurt and although it tastes nothing like the yogurt i'm accustomed to (it's made from powdered milk.) I think it's delicious!
I had lots of questions about facilities so i'll let you all know I have running water and the electricity hasn't gone out once. Things are very comfortable! Also mentioned in a few emails was my luggage. One bag made it to Ouagadougou sunday night, the other is still MIA. The bag that has arrived will be driven up by a family that will be visiting on thursday. Prayers for the missing bag would be appreciated!

Other Points of prayer:
Pray for the babies- some of them are sick and in need of healing.
Pray for the state of the adoption cases of some of the children.
Pray for the new car- we still don't have it and are hoping to have it next week.

Tomorrow I`ll be going on a home visit with our social working, which will be a new and exciting oportunity!
Thank you for your prayers,
As the Burkinabe say
A Plus!

In Ouagadougou!

I finally arrived in Ouagadougou last night! As some of you may know my adventure getting here took a little longer than expected. My original flight path was Calgary-Montreal-Paris-Ouagadougou. But on Monday because of weather in Paris my Montreal-Paris flight was cancelled. Air france put me up in a hotel and I waited to get news of when i could have a flight. 1:00 in the afternoon tuesday my travel agent called and said she had me on a flight at 2:00 so I madly dashed to the airport! Luckily my flight actually left at 3:00. My new flight path was Calgary-Montreal-Toronto-Amsterdam-Paris-Ouagadougou. I missed the Toronto connection but waited stand by for a later flight and still made the same Paris-Ouagadou connection.
My bags unfortunately missed a connection somewhere along where the way and were not so lucky. We're hoping they'll come on the Air France flight that arrives Friday and one of the SIM or CMA runners can pick them up for me and we'll get them next week when we're back in Ouagadougou.
I was so blessed by God on this journey. It was so evident that he was in control of everything, i can't begin to tell the number of times I shouldn't have made a flight or someone went the extra mile to help make my life easier. When I lost my Visa card and then found it in pant leg?! Or when i needed to get to the airport and the shuttle driver offered to take me before the scheduled time...God was with me in every city on every flight.
Thank you all for your prayers!

This morning Liz and I went out to buy bagettes and peanut butter. I got my first real glimpse of the city. Yesterday after arriving we went for ice cream but it was dark and late so I didn't have a good chance to see everything. Today I realized Ouaga is everything I expected and nothing I expected. I'll try to explain. I've imagined what the people, sights and sounds would be like but it's not the same as being here. There are so many colours, different things to see. Nescafe shops, street vendors, children, men riding bikes, women getting water, (I saw women carrying baskets on their heads.) Things you might expect to see and so many things I didn't know to expect. Boys begging for money, but that will have to turn the money into someone and won't get to keep it- Liz suggets giving them peanuts or food instead of money so they have something to eat. One child today came out and shook my hand and Liz's hand as we were walking by!

Sheltering Wings has been waiting on a new car for quite some time as the truck Ruth is driving right now is wearing out. The new car may be ready later today or tomorrow, so Ruth is planning to stay in Ouaga in the hopes of be able to drive it back to Yako. The original plan was for us to drive back with Ruth as well but now are going to Liz, Hillary take the bus to Yako today. So next time I write I'll be able to tell you more about where I'll be living for the next 6 months.

"it be your will, Adonai, My God, to guide me in peace, and keep me from all dangers on the way, and bring blessing to the work of my hands, and return me home in peace."