7. October 2008 by Kristen.

It is good be HOME!  Our hearts are overflowing with gratefulness toward God for allowing us to go the the people of Burkina Faso, West Africa with the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Pastor Teran Anderson preached so mightily at the crusades!  He came right out of the gate declaring the saving power of God… It was a joy to behold.  Both crusade nights (one in an open field on the Fetsival grounds and one downtown in the city) he was anointed, well-spoken, came with power and many received Christ in response to the preaching!  Pastor Teran Anderson may say Merrr-sayyyy instead of Merci, but when speaking of God’s MERCY…he is no joke, shaking the gates of hell to release the captives! 

I think Denny Hartford must be comfortable teaching the Word of God anywhere to any group in the world!  His teaching on the Biblical philosophy for children’s ministry just flowed out of his heart into the hearts of the people.  His presence was comforting for me and Amy…. kinda like having a Dad around (especially when we had to recruit him to protect us from a mean dog).  Watching him with PEOPLE is so fun because he’s just ooozzing with God’s love…. chatting, genuinely interested, excited about what the other person is saying, rejoicing in God’s work in their lives, focused on who they are…. very cool to witness… for real:  A True Shepherd. 

Adrian Jerry was willing to do anything for the work of the ministry!  Set things up, run the camera, play ball with kids, lead a Festival team for games, carry supplies.  All while being winsome and ready with a smile.  Adrian’s outgoing personality was used by God for him to build relationship with bunches of people.  Where I would be a little nervous to chat or reach out because of the language barrier, Adrian could just flow with no problem meeting people everywhere we went and being a great representative of Christ to everyone he met.

Femi could run the country!  Amy and I always felt safe because Femi was in charge no matter what.  He would see to it all us ducklings were in a row and counted and taken care of and that everything was arranged and precisely in place!  Always happy and singing and ready for anything. His teaching ministry on marriage was fantastic of course and the questions he got from some of the people made for some interesting moments.  He is ready in season and out of season and God used him to lead and to teach and to encourage.  The bell ringing to call us to dinner was hilarious.

Eagle’s Nest, you could nothave been more proud of Amy!  She represented you well!  God used her giftings and talents and her hard work ethic and her love for children to bring Jesus to Birkina Faso.  She is brave and willing to do anything, quick on her feet, knows what to do to fix any challenge, willing to do the HARD WORK of the ministry, sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit and has a servants heart.  Am I gushing?  (ooops, I love the stuffing outof her, I can’t help it!)  What a blast to watch her teach the adults, love the children, preach the Gospel to the kids, harass Pastor Taran, eat only bread and rice for a full week, sing and play, make props, map out and set up the entire Festival grounds… she never stopped. 

THANK YOU PATRICE FOR HEARING GOD’S HEART.  Thank you for inviting each of us to participate in the vision God gave you to reach the children and families of Burkina Faso.  The effects of this ministry trip will be told of for years to come because you heard and then responded to the call of God to GO AFTER THE CHILDREN.  Thank you, sir, for leading, praying, arranging, working and believing to make this trip happen.  Our lives will never be the same as a result of your obediance to God.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PRAYED AND WHO GAVE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. 

Much love,  Pastor Kristen

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

6. October 2008 by admin.

Hello everyone. Our team is on its way back to Omaha, after 10 days of hard work in the mission fields. We celebrate with them in what the Lord has done through them.

Job well done team!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

5. October 2008 by Amy.

THIS MORNING WAS AMAZING!! Pastor Yuseff had asked Amy and I to do a kids service at the compound this morning. His church is there… it is a new church plant really only a couple of month old. It is on the same grounds as the Festival and training.  He usually has about 15 or twenty people, not counting the children.  On Thursday at the Festival he invited the children back for church today.  We had no idea what to expect.  I had given Amy the full reins for the service… she planned and executed the entire thing.  We worked together on all the ideas and the props like always but I had told her on Thursday that it was her service and that i would just serve in whatever way she wanted me to.
WELL, WHEN WE PULLED UP AT 9:20 (church starting at 10) there were already dozens of children there!  It’s like a movie… you pull up and the children start rushing the van as you drive along all smiling and waving like crazy.  they follow the van along the drive waving the whole time.  It’s awesome.  After church I told Pastor Yuseff that i hoped he was a children’s pastor… because THERE WERE OVER 250 CHILDREN WHO SHOWED UP FOR CHURCH!!!  Yes, over 250… just kids and there were only maybe 15 adults there.  And these kids will be back.  All of them were at the festival too.  and the vast majority are not from churched homes… either Muslim or the black magic/animist religion.
AWESOME MOMENT TODAY:  One of the team members who came with us from Omaha, Lynette, is from Burkina Faso.  Lynette, who has never translated for anyone while they were speaking until Thursday at the Festival, interpreted for us and also taught the Bible verse.  We did John 14:6.  Lynette wrote it on the black board and then had the kids read it.  She would erase a word or two then have them say it again and kept doing that until the backboard was blank and they were doing it from memory.  She did a fantastic job first of all.  and the children were all totally into it, all very proud to have memorized it and shouting it out with joy!
So, there we stand while 250 children, most Muslim and animist, are declaring, in one accord:  “Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one can come to the Father except through Me”!  It was an electric, anointed moment in history!!  so powerful.  As Uncle Reece would say, “Good God Almighty!!”
Then Amy preached up a storm with object lessons and then I closed and a bunch of children (all of them actually) wanted to receive Jesus as their Savior!

We are leaving for the airport shorty and will get to Omaha in about 30 hours!  Love you all!

PK and Amy

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

5. October 2008 by Amy.

Friday night was quite an experience.  We couldn’t get on the internet till now (Saturday night) it was out due to the storm.  please enjoy the post below and pray for our services on Sunday.

OKAY:
We were in the van outside our rooms waiting to leave for the crusade when this crazy strong wind blows up.  I’m talking monsoon style. And it is blowing their ed dusts everywhere, in big dust twisters.  Pastor Yuseff hops in the van and while we are driving we get into a total utter “red out”… you literally cannot see for two feet in front of the van.  Bizarre!  Femi was saying, “ah, Pastor… I think you should wait….” and Pastor Yuseff says, “No, it’s okay…we are good” and kept driving (of course you have to imagine this small but hilarious exchange in the accents… Femi’s Nigerian accent and Yuseff’s French accent).
So we kept moving.  The dust finally blows out of the way and the RAIN comes.  Not too hard at first.  Now, mind you we are heading to an outdoor crusade.  We get to the compound to discover about 30 people inside the big church building (tin roof, big windows that open, cement floor, huge stage, 1000+ chairs, cavernous).  Now, is when things get amazing.  We know the crusade is off because it begins really raining… I mean torrential.  The beauty of the sound on that roof is hard to describe. Thunderous and awesome.
There was a group of beautiful African women (of course they were African… what am I saying?) sitting in the metal chairs there.  They are a choir that performed at the crusade last night.  All dressed in the brightest colored dresses, gorgeous head wraps, the dark skin… breathtaking.  I went over and was greeting them all and they had this amazing drum.  Huge gourd like thing almost bigger around than me.  A few moments later I am living a scene from some crazy dream I could only imagine. I have the drum hanging around my neck and they are teaching me to play it and this stunning African woman is sitting across from me trying her best to get me some rhythm.  I am so white.   The other ladies are laughing and I am cracking up and Amy is loving it. She is playing her drum, I am playing mine and she starts singing.   But only for a minute because my bad drumming throws her off beat!!!  It was great and again, something out of a dream.
But the best part was watching Amy once I hand the drum off to her.  It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.  They had her going on that drum and the other drum was going and it is raining outside on the tin roof.  I have never seen Amy smile so much!  A big cheesey grin the whole time.  It was beautiful!  Sacred.  Especially when Amy starts singing this African song she knows and is singing all the time.  Well the whole choir knows it and joins in and now I have Amy singing and drumming and smiling and an entire choir of African women singing in about 6 part harmony while the rains falls outside and the wind is blowing in the open windows and I am asking god if this is really real or I am having a vision of heaven.  To watch my friend experiencing so much joy was wonderful.
There was more drumming and more singing and lots more grinning.
As soon as that got done Amy and I were standing in the open doorway both of us crying with joy. I said, “Did that really just happen?” and she kept saying, “I just made music with an African woman!”.  Which was hilarious and cool all at the same time so now I am laughing and crying both.
THEN THE LIGHTS ALL WENT OUT.  So cool. Pitch black in this building.  I loved it.
The next 20 minutes or so was quite possibly the most precious “church service” I have ever been in.  Pastor Yuseff said we needed to get home because it would rain some more and the roads are dangerous when it is muddy.  Well, we were going to have a quick song and prayer before we all dispersed.  That song turned into many songs and as I stood in the darkness with my brothers and sisters in Christ worshipping our Lord… the rain on the roof, the harmonies amazing, the tangible presence of God manifest… pure worship going forth… I was grateful there were no lights so I could let my tears fall freely without being self-conscious. It was indescribable.  “hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah…”  I knew Amy was absolutely soaking it in as well.
We eventually loaded into the van and made our way home… I don’t think Amy stopped crying till we got back to the compound.  Then we came in our room and said, “can you believe that just happened?”.  We didn’t know what to say.  God LAVISHED an amazing gift on us tonight and we are beyond grateful.
THE CRUSADE IS NOW TOMORROW NIGHT!  More time for the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of the people!!  Hallelujah!!  Also, the rain is a MIRACLE!!!  Last year the last rain of the season was September 2nd (in a drought plagued nation, they keep track of such things) and here it is, October 3rd rainign like crazy!  The people were rejoicing in God’s goodness and we rejoiced with them.  It is hours later and STILL raining.  Glory to God, master of heaven and EARTH.

Love you, PK and Amy

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

3. October 2008 by Amy.

Today was astounding!  When i walked down the hill to the field  where the games were being held… i almost started crying (ok, i did cry a little but I don’t want you to think i’m a baby).  What I saw was mind-blowing.  IT WAS SUMMER FUN DAYZ… AFRICA!  Iwish you could have seen the “paint-a-sheet” station!!  absolutely beautiful and watching the children paint…. great!  Musical chairs was abig hit, the foot ball through the tire game, an african version of Duck duck Goose…. breathtaking!

The children’s services (we just did two) were electrified, filled with tons of kids, fun, anointed and many, many children who were hearing of the LOVE OF JESUS for the very first time!!  How beautiful is that!!  At both services there were children who wanted to receive Christ!!!!!!!!!!!!

More details later!  we are both totally exhausted.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS.  because you prayed, there was an anointing for order, a release of the Spirit and an outlandish outpouring of God’s love on His precious children.  THANK YOU AND WE ARE PRAYING GOD BLESSES YOU FOR YOUR TIME SPENT IN PRAYER.

We love you… pop-up Soufflé

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

1. October 2008 by Amy.

Now, I would just like to share how Pastor Taran Anderson says Merci.

MERRRRRR- SAY!

Take it as you will.

…… me and PK are not cracking up right now, I promise!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

1. October 2008 by Amy.

 croissanttt (we’re practicing our French)

Can you imagine putting Summer Fun Dayz together in one afternoon? in another language, through an interpreter, with people who have never seen summer fun days? that’s what we did today! wow! WOW. to say the least we covet your prayers. But let us say these people are wonderful, willing, enthusiastic, and patient to be working with us. Starting at 3am Omaha time we will begin the festival. Hundreds of children, 60 workers, and a HUGE SPACE…… 95 degrees, 25 game stations, kid’s service in the chapel, and donkeys roaming the site!

Just trying to give you a little visual. It’s going to be great!

We decided to have fun and Trust God. for most, or almost all of the children, it will be the first time they have heard about Jesus.

Pray for order out of the choas, strength for every worker, for the gospel to penetrate into their hearts, and anything else you think of, PLEASE go ahead.

we will do our best to let you know how the festival goes. If you are reading the blog, will you remind others where the blog site is?

Thank you for sending us. We love you!

PKfrica & Amfrica

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

30. September 2008 by Amy.

Thank you thank you thank you a ga-zillion times for praying for us!!  today was the first day of the seminars training the teachers and it went great!!  i was so nervous (PK), but trusting God to answer the prayers of His people. AND HE DID! (not that i am surprised).  the people were responsive and the translation went great.  Amy preached up a storm as usual and I was able to not put everybody to sleep. you know!

You have never ever seen traffic like this here.  Thousands of scooters and bikes!  And no traffic laws being obeyed.  There will be like four people on one scooter (two moms both with BABIES strapped to their backs with a wrap of material.)  Scary and interesting.  One more quick note:  today we got out the frisbees we took and some beach balls and stuff like that.  Imagine about 30  grown African men… trying to figure out the frisbees, throwing them around, volleying the beachballs around in amazement.  it was awesome and hilarious and sacred all at the same time.  very cool.

Okay, we’ve got to go finish prep for tomorrow.  you know Amy is a slavedriver!

LOVE YOU ALL AND THANK YOU AGAIN.  tomorrow more seminars and THURSDAY the festival.

PK and Amy

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

29. September 2008 by Amy.

bon soir,
Wow! Burkina Faso is amazing! The people are beautiful! Thank you for sending us here! Today we went to visit the Ambassador of the United States to Burkina Faso and then to the orphanage. We were able to present them with $1300 for their building project! It was truly amazing! Then we hung out for several hours and held beautiful babies! We went to see the compound where the festival and the seminars will take place… it is HUGE!!!!!!!! The people here are so wonderful and beautiful. Please pray pray pray as tomorrow and wednesday are the seminars. We are 5 hours ahead of Omaha Time and the seminar starts at 8:00AM. This is so important and we are believing God to use us.

Much has taken place but we need to get ready for the seminar tomorrow. We’ve got fantastic pictures that we took that we will send when we have a little more time!

We love you guys!

Amy & PK

 …Click to see more photos…

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

28. September 2008 by admin.

Hello bloggers!

The team made it to Ouagadougou Yesterday safely.

Everyone is doing well and I spoke with all of them on the phone.

The work begins tomorrow monday.

Please continue to cover them in your prayers.

Patrice

Posted in Uncategorized | 1812 Comments »