Strength in Faso

I was thinking today about a family I met on a trip out of Yako. We sat in the shade, under a tree in the middle of the village. The discussion held was anything but private, as everyone gathered around the tree to watch the nasara. I watched the faces of the family we were meeting and was taken aback by the look in their eyes. The deep sadness I witnessed struck a chord in my heart. Their sadness was not without reason: they had lost their daughter and their sister. It was a life stolen early by disease.

While sitting, watching the village children gather around me I knew this family's pain was not unique. I recognized I was standing in a land that knew sorrow.

And yet I recognized Burkina is strong. And Burkina is full of joy. I have never met people with such an amazing capacity to look beyond their own pain and suffering to the needs of others.

When I think of this I think of Rosaline’s family. Rosaline, a tiny premature baby at Sheltering Wings, passed away last spring after fighting a sickness that was just too much for her little body.
When her Father and Uncles received news of her death they rode their bikes 35km in 45C heat to the orphanage to thank us for what we had done for Rosaline. Her father’s face was filled with such sorrow; this man had lost his wife and daughter in the same month. And yet what he desired strongest to do was tell us he was grateful for what we had done to help her.
This is the strength of Burkina Faso.

Sometimes I feel at a loss for words when I want to describe this country. (I feel I do it an injustice.)

I want you to know about the things I struggle to write about (like disease and malnutrition because they exist there). As much as I’m intimidated to write about them sometimes, I will.

So when I talk about the hard things, just remember there is joy and strength.