Burkina Faso Update

 
October 2004 
 
Bark Wennam….thanks be to God.
 
It is great that we will be part of the Deschutes Christian Fellowship family.   We are relocating to Bend from Grants Pass and bringing the Burkina Faso ministry with us.  For an introduction, we are Jan and Jerry Swanson who have been missionaries to Burkina Faso for 14 years.  We both got saved in our mid-twenties after having 3 sons and got excited abut missions.  Jerry made several short-term mission trips with Arthur Blessitt, a pastor who carried a cross through many countries to witness for Jesus Christ.  Through that beginning, the Lord opened other doors to minister in Switzerland and through Switzerland, to Burkina Faso.  Our understanding of who the Lord is has expanded through our missionary work--we see people who are the poorest in the world, yet the Lord loves them as much as He loves us...and they are often-times happier than we are.  We have come to realize that material blessings alone do not bring happiness or peace with the Lord.
 
Our greatest blessing today is that our sons and their wives are all in love with the Lord and serving Him.
 
Pastor Daniel and his wife, Elisabeth, had a blessed time visiting the U.S. , and especially the wonderful  people at DCF. Yet, they were anxious to return home to their family and the believers in their church.
 
We will be going to Burkina in the months of January and February… teaching, building churches, buying food.   After Burkina, we will stop and visit our son Shay who has started a church in Vienna .
 
The rainy season is just ending and it was very good overall except in the northern region.  There was a locust invasion which ate the meager crops so that region will not have sufficient food for the coming year.   We read about locusts in the Bible, and here in Burkina they are still devastating crops.
 
We have built over 215 churches as of this time, yet there is still growth in the church which leads to a tremendous need for church roofs.  Churches are a fantastic tool for evangelism.  Many people are getting saved in this predominately Islamic country. From October 15 to November 15, the Muslims celebrate Ramadan---their annual prayer and fasting month.
 
Prayer requests:
That the locust invasion is localized so other regions have adequate crops.
That pastors in the bush are encouraged and are able to do the work the Lord has called them to do.
That during the month of Ramadan  many Christians will have opportunities to witness and many Muslims will come to know Christ.
That the ministry in Vienna will continue to grow and that many hearts will be turned to the Lord.
 Wend na songe (May God Bless you)
 
Jerry and Jan Swanson