Hello Family and Friends! June 18, 2006

It is Sunday evening here and again time to write to you. It is amazing how quickly the week can pass by. It does not seem like a week since I have written. This has been another wild and crazy week. Through weeks like this one, I am comforted with the thought that eternity will reveal the reasons and purposes for all that has happened.

Our children have continued to work in our field this week. They have cleared the land, burned it and started digging up ground that has not been plowed in several years. They have worked hard and joyfully. We are waiting for one more ground soaking rain and then they will plant. The rains have been slow in coming this year but we are trusting that the Lord will give us a good rainy season.

Pierre, Matthieu, and Emanuel spent 3 days this week in the standardized exam that follows 10th grade. They are all confident that they did well but we have to wait for a couple of weeks now to have their results. They have worked very hard this year and we are hoping that they passed and will be able to continue their education.
We’ve had a young mother, Awa, and her baby staying with us for the past two weeks. Awa is just 16 years old and she is not married. Her baby, Hamidou, is just one month old. Awa has not received much support from her family. In fact, when it was know that she was pregnant, she was sent away from the family courtyard. She has been living with an aunt here in Yako since then.

Awa came to us asking us to take Hamidou so that she could take the standardized exam that our children were taking. Her aunt sells vegetables everyday at the market and does not help her with the baby.

I refused to take Hamidou because Awa is nursing him and would have even greater problems if her milk dried up and she was not able to feed him. So instead, I offered Awa to come and stay in our girls’ room and to spend all of her time studying and preparing for the exam. Our ladies cared for Hamidou and called Awa when he was hungry.

This evening, Awa and Hamidou returned to the aunt’s courtyard and Awa promised that she would let me know her test results. Awa needs lots of help and lots of encouragement but we were thankful to be able to help her in this small way. She also desperately needs to know that Jesus loves her and has a way out of her difficult situation. Please pray for Awa.

A very special blessing came our way this week in the form of a check that was given to us from Social Action. A sum of money was given to SA by Unicef, the World Bank, and a couple of other Burkina banks, and they distributed this money to the orphanages in Burkina. Friday was the National Day of the African Child and we were invited to a ceremony where checks were distributed to the orphanages. The amount that we received was nearly $2,000!

We are very thankful for this money, of course, but in addition I am thankful for the recognition from the government of the overwhelming need of the orphans in Burkina. It is encouraging to see Burkina rising up and taking some responsibility for the great social need of her children.

There are many places where this money could go and we have not yet made decisions as to where to put it. One very pressing need that we have is for new screens on the windows and doors of the orphanage. With the rainy season upon us, we need all the protection that we can get from the mosquitoes. We also need some maintenance work done on the truck. . . like new shocks and repair to the A/C. Not very exciting things but definite needs for the project.

I have something really heart-wrenching to tell you. On Thursday, a thief broke into Lynn’s house while she and her guard, Boris, were out doing sponsorship visits. The police are investigating and evidence points very suspiciously that the job was done by someone who was very familiar with the courtyard and the house.

The thief entered probably through the front door and left through the side door. He took a brand new laptop computer, a camera, a CD player, a cell phone, and about $600. He went straight to what he wanted, even though some things were in a closed cabinet and in a file drawer. He did not disturb anything but reached in and took exactly what he wanted, knowing exactly where it was at.

As the shock of all of this is settling, our prayer is that the thief will be found and that Lynn’s possessions will be returned. Our prayer also is for justice as well as mercy and compassion for the thief. The justice system does not work real well here and prisoners are often severely mistreated. Please pray with us that all that is hidden will come into the light. Please pray for the salvation of the thief and for compassionate treatment of the prisoners.

Blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma