Burkina Faso: The Place to Be and where God Continued to Work on our Hearts and Minds

As Lindsey said we arrived safely back to the US last night. Thank you God for the safe travels. Sorry everyone that the last few days have been a little sporadic with the blog posts. The last few days were extremely busy wrapping up their project work and experiencing their last few moments of Mahadaga and Ouaga.

The trike team was able to accomplish all the work we had planned on doing. We worked on Yempabou and Debedi’s trikes getting them updated with new designs and fixing any problems his or her trike had. We got Etienne’s trike up and running. We added a double sided support for the axle, so that the wheel is supported on both sides of the wheel axle. We are interested in how this design performs on the dirt and bumpy roads of Mahadaga. We were able to get Malligiwa’s trike up and running. The frame had been previously built, but we needed to add the electric components to the frame and add wheels, brakes, etc. John worked closely with Diergou, our fabricator, on building a hand-powered tricycle for an organization called, His Wheels.  We cleaned up took some inventory and wrapped our work up. Taking time to look back at the work that we did I realized that we accomplished a lot in the past two weeks. At times there was definitely frustration when parts didn’t work how they were supposed to or we didn’t have the tools we would if we were back Messiah, but we were able to persevere and get the work done that we set out to do.

The rest of the team was able to wrap up their remaining projects. Friday we did the bumpy, dusty and long ride from Mahadaga to Ouaga. The Johnson’s drove us in the van. So 2/3 of the trip the back of the van got to entertain Joel and Caleb, we sang Veggie Tales songs, looked out the window at the animals and napped. Yesterday we headed back to States. Our flight left around 10 PM and we got back to Dulles Sunday afternoon. It was a long travel day/night. I am excited to see everyone and share my experiences, but I am definitely going to miss Burkina. Culturally this place is very different than back home, but I have enjoyed experiencing it and gaining more knowledge of another place outside of my normal bubble. There are so many faces of people I have met, people from the center, our clients who we work for with the trikes, the kids I got to play with, their faces and names linger on my mind. I would like to thank everyone who was praying that re-entry into the US was smooth. We didn’t have any plane problems or issues with customs. I would like to ask that you would all continue to pray for our re-entry mentally. I know that everyone on this trip has been affected by what we have done on this trip and I think that each of us don’t want this trip to be just another distant memory that we think about from time to time, but that the things we have seen, heard and experienced will continue to shape our lives and that we will be ever more trusting God to show us what’s next, where does his plan lead us. Even now I am feeling some culture shock for sure, just from the cold weather and seeing white people everywhere haha.

 I want to thank you to everyone who has been reading the blog and keeping us in your prayers. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Love,

            Seth

Home Sweet Home

Greetings to our Friends and Family!

We are all arrived back at Messiah safely this evening around six. All of our flights went well and we didn't have any problems getting through customs. Thank you for all of your support and prayers throughout the trip. We appreciate it more than words can express.

-Lindsey

There and back again

Hi Everyone!

The first leg of our journey home is complete! We are safely in Ouagadougou and settling in for the night after a good meal. We'll be spending our last day in Burkina visiting the Artisan Village, exploring the city a little bit more, and packing. Our flight leaves around 10pm tomorrow (Saturday) evening so we'll be able to have one last full day here in Burkina.

Thanks so much for all of your continued prayers as we reach the end of our trip and travel home.

Kate

We're not quite dead yet...

Sorry that the updates have been so infrequent as of late. Life in Mahadaga has been very busy the past few days. We've been working hard to finish up all of our work before we leave. Tomorrow is our last full day in Mahadaga. On Friday we will drive to Ouagadougu and then we will fly home on Saturday and arrive on Sunday. Prayers for safe travel would be appreciated! I miss you all at home and I can't wait to share more about what we've been doing!

-Lindsey

Bridging Cultures

This evening we hosted a station BBQ for all of the people who work here at the station. Many of them have been helping to host Messiah teams at the station here in Mahadaga for years and we wanted to show our appreciation for all of their hard work.

We built a fire late in the afternoon and started cooking the potatoes, sausages, and shish-kabobs. As the sun set and the food cooked many of us enjoyed running around with the Walsh and Johnson kids and a few Burkinabe kids. The kids are lots of fun, but we were very ready for dinner when the time came. Once the sun had set and people had arrived we started the evening by singing a few worship songs and hymns. After we sang, some of the Burkinabe sang some familiar hymns in Gourma. When the food was ready we followed the cultural norm by dishing out plates and serving each person, men, then women, then children, as they are not used to buffet style serving.

After we ate the Burkinabe started singing again and began dancing around the fire. A few of us from the team joined in on the dancing and tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to master the footwork of their dancing, which gave them a good laugh. I really enjoyed dancing with everyone and being able to laugh and sing with people that I usually can't communicate with. Eventually the singing died down and everyone sat back down to rest a little. We wanted to share a bit of American culture with them and teach them one of our dances. So most of the team members stood up in a circle and did the Chicken Dance. Many of the Burkinabe joined us right away and everyone had a great time laughing and dancing.

I have always enjoyed times when people are able to cross cultures and language barriers through music and singing and tonight was no different. It can be very frustrating to be in a place where you don't speak the language and can't communicate with people. Tonight I was reminded that even though we don't speak the same language and there are so many differences in our cultures, we're all God's children and that unites us. We have hymns that are the same that we can sing together, but even more than that; when we allow ourselves to open up we can have a good time worshiping our God together, singing, dancing, and laughing, and seeing the beauty in all the lives that are around us.

With love from Mahadaga,
Kate

A Sunday afternoon photoshoot

So today was a relaxing day here in Mahadaga. The team split up, a few of us went to the Fulani church again and the rest of us went to the French/ Gourma church.

Today has definitely been a day to recharge for our last week in Burkina Faso. Tonight we have a bbq on the compound for people we have worked with here in Mahadaga.
 
This afternoon after lunch I hung out with two Burkinabe boys. One was named Deataga. I wasn't able to get the other kids name. We played with the two bikes that we had on the compound. Then they both said, "photo photo" and acted like they were taking pictures. So I went and grabbed my camera and they were very excited! They both took turns taking pictures of them with me. And when Jared and Lindsey walked they wanted pictures with them too.  Deataga especially enjoyed taking pictures. He wasn't taking them of himself, he took pictures of the compound, or of any people that were walking by or were in the area. By the end of the time together over 150 pictures were taken. And a lot of them were very good!  It was a lot of fun seeing Deataga take the pics and how good of a job he did. He would move me around for different backgrounds and tell me to sit or stand or one time he had me ride the bike and took my picture. He was very happy. Even though we couldn't really communicate verbally we were able to communicate through pointing and talking slowly which was awesome. He definitely had some pretty legit artistic photography ability! It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

I hope all is well back home! Peace from Burkina,

Seth

Steel, Stones, and Cokes

It has been an exciting week for the well drilling team.  We have been working daily with Bouba, Ali and their crew of well drillers to drill a 5.5”diameter well on the station.   We started out with a hand auger set with 1.25” diameter drilling rods.  We made good progress, but ended up breaking 3 rods in 2 days.   From there we started using a large yellow set of drilling equipment constructed by Brendon Earl that had not been tested.  This set is made of 2.5” rotatory drilling rods with square threads on the end and welded square couplings that join with the drive handles.   These rods are very strong but are very difficult to take apart because the drilling process over-tightens the threaded couplings.  We spend a few days working on a spanner to help to take apart these rods, despite this we still need to occasionally use a torch to break the connection. 

In hand auger drilling the team must turn a riverside auger till they become full and then pull the entire well drilling system out of the ground to remove the soil.  Sometimes the soils fall out of the drill bits and a special tool called a bailer must be used.  This tool is basically just a 4” steel pipe with a steel flap valve in the bottom.  The bailer is lowered down the hole and bounced along the bottom to remove any mud or water in the hole.  As you progress deeper you eventually spend more time pulling the drill rod and making and breaking the couplings than drilling.  For this reason we started using percussion drilling once we reached 8 meters depths.

Percussion drilling is very simple and relatively low power (it can be done with less people).  In percussion drilling a heavy drill bit is suspended from a cable with large tripod.  The drill bit is then manually raised a lowered to loosen the soil.  This is done with the addition of modest amounts of water.  Once the soils are turned into a thick mud, a bailer is used to clean the hole.  This process is repeated until the required depth is reached.

When people ask me what is the secret to well drill I tell them “ there is no secret just hard work.”  That being said we have had a lot of fun working.  Bouba and Ali taught us to count to 40 in Fulfulde as we heaved on the rope, and every 20 minutes or so a West African pop song starts blaring from Bouba’s cell phone.  I also spend a lot of time working making special tools which leads to my much relished trip to Djeda’s weld shop on Matt Walsh’s motorcycle.   Last trip I saw ¾ of a butchered cow on the back of a motorcycle.  I was invited to buy a piece.  If I had been on my own I would have gotten a piece to roast into a stew, but considering my responsibility to the health of the team I passed up a good deal.

We finally hit water today at just over 11m depth, sadly I was out with Matt Walsh looking at local riverbeds to see if there are any opportunities for sand dam construction and missed the striking of water. 

Last night before dinner Lindsey, Darin and I went a got a coke and climbed up on the side of the cliff before sunset.  As I sat up on the rock, I began to remember my former life in Mozambique and my heart yearned for a place in Africa.  I love the hard work, the inane banter, dusty roads, and heart felt joy of a job well done.   Everything matters here, life is short and every minute must count.  So I will close with the words of the Hymn of Mozambique:  Stone by stone we will build tomorrow, lets gain the victory. 

Mwari Zwakka nakka Africa!  (God thank you for Africa) 

Kids and their trikes

Hello everyone back home! I hope all is going well with you back in America and if you live in the NE I hope it isn’t too cold.                

                So today it is my turn to write the blog. I’m not sure where to begin. There has been so much going on the past week and a half. I have had a hard time to process it all. As others have written about we trekked the cliffs that are practically in our backyard. Got to play in a Baobab tree. Played some soccer with kids who came by the compound. The most exciting thing that has happened since I last wrote to you all is that the Mobility Tricycle work has begun at the handicap center. This has been a source of joy and stress haha. There is much to be done in a short period of time, but I am looking forward to the challenge. After we took stock of what materials we had and organized the shop where we are working we started work on Yempabou’s tricycle. We switched out some broken/old components like the joystick box and batteries. Jared put on the new housing design. After  a few other tweaks we were able to finish Yempabou’s trike today and he was excited to have it back and appreciated our work. We have two more electric tricycles to go to do some maintenance work and retrofit the trikes with new parts that we developed. Along with some other things. Please be praying that we can keep going and persevering through any difficulties we come across. And that we would be able to accomplish the work we need to do in the time remaining.

                There has been so much happening that I feel like my time here is flying. Please be praying that I can take some time and not worry about having to get this and that done so that I can fully take in my time remaining here. I have been able to experience Mahadaga and interact with people at The Advancement for Handicap Center, but I don’t want to miss something, because I am too distracted to see it. God has been  so good to me and to our whole team. God has really blessed me with the children I have met. I have loved playing with children who have shown up at the compound and also the handicap center. They are so joyful and love just throwing a Frisbee with us or playing soccer or taking us on an adventure to a baobab tree.

I love you all! 

Seth

News from the Kingdom of Heaven

Our team has made multiple visits to Diada’s shop and today John Meyer and I found time to greet our friend of almost fifteen years.  When we first met Diada he was right-hand-man to Françoise Pedeau, the visionary French missionary how founded the Center for the Advancement of the Handicapped in Mahadaga, Burkina Faso.  After years of service overseeing the facility needs of this burgeoning ministry for and by persons living with disability in the region, Diada is now the owner and leader of a successful fabrication business in Mahadaga.  Although we miss seeing our friend at the Center, we are thrilled to now be partnering with a local entrepreneur for the fabrication of pump and well drilling technology and perhaps soon the mobility technologies designed in the Collaboratory.  Christian service must ultimately be a partnership with and for the empowerment of local people and the Church who then lead and sustain new ministries on their own.  Diada’s shop moves us one step close toward this goal for the work of the Collaboratory and our SIM partners in Mahadaga.  This is one of many testaments to the excellence ministry leadership here of Dale and Florence Johnson and Matt and Julie Walsh, all alumni of the Collaboratory.  Our friend Brendon Earl, another Collaboratory alum who recently completed a year of service here, also played a significant role in helping Diada establish his business. 

Lindsey and Tony have organized an excellent study of Jesus’ parables to help us pay attention to what God is teaching us through our service. Today we studied the parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:23-32), and I was reminded that the father calls us to work in his vineyard on this day.  He does not call us to get along as best we can in the kingdom of this world until Christ comes to take us away, rather he invites us to live and work today for the rule of King Jesus until he returns.  Betty Eichorst came to Mahadaga as a missionary nurse in 1954.  She preached the Gospel, of course, but last night at supper she shared story after story of how it also took acts of love and generosity, sometimes carried out over years, to draw people to Christ.  This coming to Christ among the Gourma and Fulani people was no mere mental assent to an idea, it changed many to also share the active and sacrificial love of Christ so that they too became salt and light to win others to the Kingdom.  “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’”, Jesus said, “will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).  Today the church in Mahadaga is growing and many are faithful, but too many share one thing in common with too many at home, they are in love with the idea of Christ but they do not follow him.   I am so proud of the young adults on our team.  They have sacrificed much to be here and the work is difficult and sometimes slow.  Their willingness to count the cost of the grace they have received from Christ to live out the Gospel gives me great hope for the future of the Church.

Please join us in prayer for our missionary partners.  Through their obedience, many of come to faith  and the local church is being built up, but day-to-day life is difficult.  I sense that some of my friends here need encouragement and a season of rest.  Join us also in prayer for the Church in America.  The Barna Group has found that American Christians make up only about 5 percent of Christians worldwide but control about half of global Christian wealth, yet only 9 percent of self-identified born again Christians tithe.  We give a little over 2.5 percent of income to God’s work, 27 percent less than was given at the height of the Great Depression, and of this only 2 percent goes to overseas ministry of any kind.  The team is studying Richard Stearns’ book, “The Hole in our Gospel”, which is really challenging us to think deeply about the responsibility we have to steward such wealth for Christ.  In world where billions live on less than 2 dollars a day everyone one of us on this team is wealthy.  When historians look back, Richard asks, what will they say of the 340,000 US churches of the early 21^st century and their response to the great challenges of our time: poverty, hunger, terrorism and war?  Will they write of an unprecedented outpouring of generosity, moral leadership and compelling vision, or will they look back and see a Church too comfortable and insulated from the pain of the rest of the world.

For the team, thank you to all who are partnering with us in prayer.   We are truly grateful for the difference you are making in us and through us for the Kingdom.  Please do pray for the success of our service, but more than anything I ask that our hearts would be turned toward the heart of God and for courageous faith to obey him in all of our days. 

David Vader,

Director of the Collaboratory 

Into the bush and other adventures

Hello friends and family at home!

Today was the first day of our first full work week.  We separated into our different projects groups Kate, Jared, Seth, John and I headed down to the Center for the Advancement of the Handicapped. Kate continued her accounting work with Dale at the center and John, Seth, and Jared started to modify Yembabou’s trike. Soon after we arrived at the center I headed out into the bush with one of the therapist on the back of his moto. As we traveled farther and farther away from the center I saw a new side of Burkina.  All the families we visited were so excited to see the therapist and see him work with their children. We saw five different children: two children with cerebral palsy, two that were epileptic and a blind child preparing to go to school at the center. I loved interacting with the children and seeing their faces light up. I also realized how many roles the therapist takes on when their out in the field as an educator and a therapist.  

Tony, Lindsey, and Zach started to drill a well on site. Lindsey had a very unique job in the well drilling process but, you’ll have to ask her for more details. Darin tested soil quality in different locations. Later on we had dinner with Betty, who is a woman who committed most of her life to working with the Fulani people. It was wonderful to hear Betty’s story to hear how God worked through her life and brought her to Mahadaga. After dinner as a team we discussed Richard Stearns book, “The Hole in our Gospel.”    

Thank you for all your continued prayers and support!

Cortney 

The day we got stuck inside a baobab tree

Hello friends and family,

We experienced our first taste of African church services this morning. The guys went to a Fulani church service with Betty, a woman who has dedicated most of 60 years to this minority ethnic group with Muslim influence.  These people suffer from social rejection when dedicating their lives to Christ. Imagine singing songs in a small block building, with about 20 adults and 15 children, filled with harmony and words you are not familiar with, followed by a sermon in that same unknown language with the occasional interruption of battling donkey noises or the open metal door slamming against a rock in the wind. This is a glimpse of what we experienced this morning. Betty was able to translate some of the sermon for us which was centered on the characteristics of Jesus. Afterward we shared communion with the baptized believers of the church.  Did I forget to mention that it is common for guests of the church to perform a couple songs for the rest of the congregation?

The girls went to the French church of Mahadagah, which was where some of the friends they met while making toh attend. Their service was translated by Flo, one of the SIM missionaries.

Taking a day of rest, we were able to do some more exploring of the town and terrain.  Once again, a couple of the local children volunteered themselves as tour guides. The seven student members of the team were in search of a huge baobab tree, with the rumor that the entire team would be able to fit inside. We found this to be true as we tried to figure out how to enter the tree by squeezing ourselves through the small entrance.  Luckily we found the tree to be without scorpions, snakes, or bees, but we're still hoping someone will come and get us :)

Thanks again for your prayers as we begin our first full week of work.

-Jared

Of cliffs and toh

Hello Friends and Family!

Thank you for all of your support and prayers! We really appreciate it.

Today was yet another busy day. In the morning we got up and went hiking on the cliffs of Mahadaga. The cliffs border the village and serve as its backdrop. They are around 60 feet high. I enjoyed my time on the cliffs. It was fun to spend some time as a team and to explore a new place. Once we got on top of the cliffs we could see the village spread out below us. It was beautiful. On top of the cliffs the scenery was pretty arid. There were a few trees, a lot of grass and brush, and many many rocks. While we were on the hike we also set aside some time for solitude and reflection. It was good to have that time to reflect on the trip and what we have been learning. Today marks the end of our first week in Burkina Faso and a lot has happened since we arrived, so it was nice to look at the trip from a wider perspective. 

When we got back we had lunch and took some time for sieste, which is the afternoon break we have everyday. 

After sieste the girls went to a local woman's house to learn how to make toh, which is a traditional dish here. It consists of a sauce and a millet or corn dish that is about the consistency of mashed potatoes. When you eat it you use the corn or millet dish to pick up the sauce. This is something that we ate on our fall retreat, so it was something that we had eaten before. I enjoyed watching our friend make it. She even let us help, even though we did pretty much everything she had us do wrong. I also enjoyed getting to know her better and learning about her life. 

After our toh lesson we returned to the base. While we were gone the boys played a pick-up soccer game, but when we got back we saw them play a little (Cortney joined in while Kate and I watched).  Then we enjoyed some delicious curry at the Walshs' house.

Tomorrow we will go to church! Au revoir!

First work day in Mahadaga

Greetings to everyone out there once more!

Today was our first day of work in Mahadaga. We broke up into our project groups and headed out this morning to get started. The well group spent some time gathering information about drill bits, and met up with Bouba, one of the local well drillers who was trained by Brendon Earl. Cortney got to ride a bike with one of the patients and began to prepare for PT trips out of the village. The trike team took stock of supplies at the handicapped center and talked to Yempabo about his electric trike and possible design improvements. Dr. Vader and I began water testing on the mission compound to determine the quality of the water here. The best part was climbing the water tower to get samples straight from the pipe coming up from the well. When I opened the concrete lid on the tank, there was a gecko swimming around in it! I guess we should get the HFM system up as soon as possible.

Tomorrow morning (Saturday) we’re getting up early for a team hike to the cliffs.  It should be an exciting time getting to see the Burkinabe countryside up close.

Thank you all for your continued prayers as we begin our work here in Mahadaga.

Darin

The Grand Tour of Mahadaga

Hello to everyone at home!

Today was our first full day in Mahadaga and it was definitely a full day. In the morning we had a short orientation with Flo Johnson and Matt Walsh (two of the missionaries at the station), that included a history of SIM’s work in Mahadaga and some cultural helpful hints.

Flo then took us on a tour of the medical center across the street. It was started by SIM in 1954, before the station even existed. They serve the area with many services including maternity, vaccinations, ophthalmology, lab work, and general health care. It was recently upgraded to medical center status as they now have two Burkinabe doctors on staff. On our way back to the station we met three other Americans who were traveling through Mahadaga with a guide from a nearby national park. The guide knew Flo and they all decided to spend the afternoon with us as we continued to learn about SIM’s work.

Today is Thursday which is market day in Mahadaga, so after lunch most of the team ventured out to experience the market. We traveled together in a small cart pulled by a moto down to the market area. There we saw tons of people from many different villages and all kinds of vendors. Several of us bought fabric from the vendors. After the market adventure we all drove down to the Center for the Advancement of the Handicapped where we got a tour from Dale Johnson.

At the Center they do physical therapy work for over 1,700 open cases. Some of these children come to the Center and some are reached by the mobile therapists who travel out every day on motorbikes. At the Center they also make prosthetics and have been working with the Collaboratory Mobility project to build trikes. The Center also has two elementary schools; one for blind students and one for deaf students. It was incredible to hear about all of the work that the Center is doing to help the most marginalized members of this society.

At the end of the afternoon a few of us went to see a local weaver and buy some of her work. The weaver’s work is done all by hand she takes cotton and spins her own string and then dies the string to make each unique pattern. And then after dinner a local tailor came to measure the girls for skirts that will be made from the fabric that we bought at market and at the Center for the Advancement of the Handicapped.

It was a long, full day, and we are all very tired, but we learned so much about Mahadaga and all of the wonderful work that SIM is doing here. We can’t wait to officially get started on our projects tomorrow!

Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

Kate and Cortney

The Drive to Mahadaga

First and foremost,  I want to thank everyone for their many prayers which carry us through each day.  We started out very early today.

David and I got up at 5:15 to purchase bread while the rest of the team was busy packing the trailer and van. We set out for Mahadaga at 6:30.  Our trip went very smoothly with no setbacks on the road.  Around noon we arrived in Fada Ngorma and were warmly welcomed by Jen who made us smoothies and allowed us to build block towers with her son before setting back out on the road.  John and Matt made some last minute adjustments to the trailer suspension and we were back on the road.

We stopped briefly to eat lunch under a mango tree to eat sandwiches and drink some sweetened yogurt that we purchased in Fada.  This gave us a much needed break from sitting in the car.

Finally after nine hours on the road we started our descent in to Mahadaga which is situated at the base of a 60 ft cliff.  We unloaded our gear with the help of several workers at the mission compound.  I was especially pleased to meet Bouba who is a friend of Brendon Earl and a fellow hand powered well drilling technician.  I also had an opportunity to stop by the Center for the Advancement of the Handicapped.  There were several young girls working on painting and weaving projects. I helped Matt to carry a few boxes into a storage room.  After words I spent a few moments marveling at the work one of the girls was doing on a loom at the center before going back to the compound.  I am really looking forward to talking to the weavers as I find their craft fascinating.

We were served an excellent meal of chili and rice by our hosts.  I had the honor or sitting with Betty who has been a missionary to Fulani people since 1954,  I was really blessed and encouraged by her stories.  Please be praying for Fulani Christians who endure intense social pressure for the sake of the Gospel of Christ.


Finally to my wife Veronica and my daughter Lilli I miss you and love you both.

Mwari Zwaka Naka Africa

-Tony

N tie biga

                Hello friends and family back home. Our team is finishing up our 3^rd day in Ouaga. Tomorrow at 6:30 AM, Burkina time, we will be headed to Mahadaga, where will be starting this next phase of our journey. So far this trip has been quite an African experience. Since most my work is with tricycles I have been helping out wherever it has been needed. Yesterday I helped Darin with his HFM system in various capacities. I got to sweep off a Burkinabe roof compound with Lindsey and John Meyer. Sounds simple, but when you have to walk on boards and can’t step on the roof, because you may fall through roof and you have sweep leaves and the piles and piles of red dirt and put them in a basket. After basket after basket and red dirt getting covered on everything we finished the roof.

                After I finished with the roof, Lindsey, Kate and I went on a shopping trip. John gave me a list of bike parts that we needed. He gave me a list with some of the French names with them. I had to figure out a few French words and the estimated price for each. With the list in hand and a French-English dictionary we were off on our adventure. We walked down the street and stopped in at one place that looked like a bicycle place, but were told that it was a motorcycle shop. We continued down a few shops and found another place that looked like they had bicycle parts. We entered this little street. Keep in mind that this shop was not like anything that we have in the US. The shop was more like a stand with bike parts filling shelves. I struggled to say/ show the shop employee the parts that we needed. She didn’t understand at first, but after a lot of awkward standing there not knowing what she was saying we started to get somewhere. But after 45 minutes to an hour of asking do you have this and she would search and search, send someone to look in another shop or place she would finally say she didn’t have it. She said come back tomorrow and she would have everything. We left her with the list worried she would have the items tomorrow morning. We walked back toward the SIM compound and past a bike shop we missed. We decided to try it. I told him the first part we needed and he had it! We were finally in business. Similar to the previous shop he had to keep going around to get a few parts since he didn’t always have the quantity that we needed. But I was able to convey what we needed and was able to pick up everything we needed. It took a long time, with him going to get the parts and other customers jumping in to buy parts, but we were successful. We headed back carrying rims, flywheels and an assortment of other things we needed. It was a strenuous experience, but definitely something I will remember from this trip.

                Today we had the opportunity to have culture and language lessons with John Tandamba. It was great to learn more French and Gourma and about Burkinabe culture. We also saw construction site John has for starting a school, Teen Challenge and garden along with a few other things.

                Also we have a praise that the HFM water system is all ready to go and is working smoothly. As I said we will be on the road tomorrow so please pray for safe travels and that our bus and trailer make it without a hitch.

Love you all at home,

Seth

Ouaga- Day 2 (HFM Installation)

    Today, our second day in Ouaga, started with breakfast and team devotions. We discussed the spiritual disciplines of prayer, meditation, and fasting, which we’ll be practicing in the rest of our devotional times. We then set about doing different projects around the guest house.

    My project is a water filtration system, and our goal was to install one in the guest house to replace the existing system. We installed a Hollow Fiber Membrane filter, which is  a 0.1 micron filter that can be used indefinitely when washed periodically. We brought all the parts of the system with us from Messiah College.  I was glad to see the whole thing assembled, as it was my responsibility to order all the parts, make sure they fit together, and make sure they made it here. We got it mounted to the wall without too much difficulty, after running to the corner hardware store to get some supplies.  After testing the system, it still needs some adjustments, which Matt Walsh offered to work on tomorrow while the teams spends some time with the locals.

    We also got to eat dinner with John Tandamba, a local pastor who invited us to his house for a meal of chicken (feet included), rice, plantains, and watermelon. 

Adventures in Ouaga

After a delicious breakfast of omelettes and a church service at a local missionary church, we ate a lunch of rice and sauce at an area restaurant. We relaxed for the rest of the day in order to catch up on lost sleep from the journey here. For dinner, we broke up into groups of 2 or 3 and were given 40,000 CFA (approximately $80) a direction and a map and told to buy a small list of groceries. Most stores here have enough change to break the 10000 CFA notes, but many in Mahadagha will not. So one of the rules was to come back with all bills smaller than 5000 CFA, which would necessitate going to a different store for each item. Since no one on our team knew french, this proved to be quite the experience. 

My group consisted of Lindsey, Matt, and myself (Zach). We walked for a while and found a more upscale restaurant, then sat down to eat. The menu was mostly in French, so it was anyone's guess as to what we would end up with. I ordered something with a long name starting with steak, which just turned out to be steak with butter on top, and I think some sort of garlic flavor. Lindsey ended up ordering veal cordon bleu, and Matt, who more or less knew what he was getting, got Au Gratin potatoes with fish in it. We ordered a side of fries and green beans as well. 

After our meal, we headed to the stores for our groceries. We ended up buying the following:

-1000 CFA phone card ($2)

-4 Bananas (350 CFA) ($0.70)

-A bag of popcorn kernels (900 CFA) ($1.80)

-3 Ice Cream Bars (350 CFA) ($0.70)

-Jar of Jam (2200 CFA) ($4.40)

The smaller stores, which we tried to go to, were mostly a counter with things on the shelf behind them, were the most difficult, as we would walk in say what we wanted (most likely grossly mispronounced), and then listen to this stream of rapid French and not have a clue what they said. After much pointing and gesturing, we would manage to get a hold of the item we wanted and then pay for it. There were mixed reactions when presented with the larger bills. One store didn't have the change or didn't want to give out the change. Another lady selling the bananas was shocked to see the 5000 CFA note and had to dig around to find adequate change. I'm pretty sure we didn't get back the right amount but that's okay. 

All in all, it was a rather exciting experience to see the differences in something as simple as buying groceries. There is no "Giant," no one stop shop. Getting all of the necessities for even a simple meal could require multiple stops. The people were quite helpful, and generally pleasant. 

Tomorrow we will be installing an HFM filter at the SIM center and exploring Ouaga a little bit more. Stay tuned for more updates!

-Zach

Introduction to Bridging Therapy

My name is Cortney Steele and I am a Pre-Physical Therapy student at Messiah. The project I am involved in with the Collaboratory is called Bridging Therapy. This project was created by Jo Dickson and Dena Steiner and aims to evaluate and study the effectiveness of the physical therapy rehabilitation program of the Center for the Advancement of the Handicapped in Mahadaga, Burkina Faso. Since many people with disabilities in sub-Saharan West African communities are often neglected, abused, and left to fend for themselves physical therapy and other common treatments are neither available to them, nor known about by friends and relatives. One of the project’s goals is to educate and reach out to the community. Over the last few months we have developed a techniques manual. The manual and other resources were assembled in hopes to enable the expansion of current rural PT programs or the commencement of a rehabilitation program to a health clinic. During my time in Mahadaga I hope to receive feedback on the manual and other resources. Also, I plan to look into what further resources our project could provide for the physical therapists of Mahadaga such as test score sheets, goal sheets, and other necessary structural resources. I’m very excited to travel to Mahdaga to learn and serve the people in the community.

-Cortney