Prayers for Burkina Faso

For the next 60 days, I will be traveling and surveying across Burkina Faso, West Africa. This is a journey that God has put together over the past eight months, and I am eager to watch His faithfulness unfold even more and more as we actually step off the plane and get our feet dusty with the dry dirt of Burkina.

We will be going to four different locations, including two places where missionaries are already working, and two places where there is currently no outreach and in which we could potentially work should we return long term.

When people ask what exactly we will be doing, I feel kind of silly when I honestly answer, "I don't really know." I cannot tell you exactly a day-by-day schedule of events, nor do I know very much of what to expect when we get there. The beauty of having no expectations is that when God works in whatever He plans to work, we will be on board, and we will be delighted.

What I do know is this: we will be traveling with a seasoned missionary who lives there, to see and engage in the West African culture, serve the people in whatever way we can (through orphan care, medical clinics, well building, and VBS activities), and to share Jesus while doing it all. I plan to blog as much as possible so that you can know how God is working half way across the world in Burkina Faso.

Here is a list of prayer requests that I have to prompt you, but please pray as the Spirit leads you each day. He knows what we need way better than we do, so I feel like throwing my hands into the air, joyfully saying, "Have your way, Lord. Please, have your way."

• The most important thing for which you can pray is that Jesus will be made more known and famous in Burkina Faso. Pray that what we do will not be seen as philanthropy or development work, but as Christ. Please pray that we will be an extension of God's love to His kids everywhere we go. 
• Our hearts: that Emily and I will have hearts that are united with God's so that we may see people as He sees them and love them the way that He loves them - extravagantly, tirelessly, and unconditionally; that we may have hearts of a servant
• Our hands: that we may simply be the hands and feet of Jesus
• Our attitudes: that we will be selfless, humble, and loving in all circumstances; that we will have the attitdue of Christ Jesus; that we will apprach the culture from the perspective of learners
• Our minds: that we will think about things the way God thinks about things
• Emily and I to be an encouragement to one another and to the missionaries that are living there
• That we will learn enough of the language to be able to communicate what needs to be said, and that God will overcome the language barrier when we are not able to say what needs to be said
• That we will respect and learn from the culture
• That we may be able to present the gospel in a culturally approrpiate and sensitive manner
• That we will be entirely Spirit-led by not saying, "Let's go here and do this," but rather spending every moment saying, "Where do you want us to go? What do you want us to do? Who do you want us to touch?"
• For relationships to be formed and nurtured in a spiritual manner
• For spiritual conversations to unfold
• For opportunities to boldly share the gospel, both in word and in deed
• For fearlessness in the face of adversity and trials
• For a spiritual dissatisfaction among people who do not know God. It is only when people recognize their own dissatisfaction with their lives without Christ that they will be recpetive to hearing about Him.
• For Muslims and animists to come to Christ 
• For the church in Burkina Faso, their leaders, and members to be untied; that they will be growing, changing lives, and featsing on God's Word; that they will be gospel-centered and actively evangelize to the people around them
• For our survey trips that God will make it clear to us if this is where He wants us to be long term. Pray for us to ask the right questions in order to gather the information we need to know about what it looks like to live and minister there. 
• Pray fervently for wisdom and clarity as Emily and I both make decisions about the future work in Burkina Faos that will affect the rest of our lives
• For the missionaries there as they pour out their lives for the people day after day after day
• For out future team. Pray that God will build us into a Christ-centered, united team for His glory.
• Pray for our eyes to be open to see God and join Him in His work. Pray for us to say "Yes" to whatever He asks of us, and for us to give whatever He asks and recieve whatever He gives. 
• Pray that we will better learn what it means to be a missionary, to share the gospel, and to serve the nations. 
• Last, but definitely not least, pray for the kingdom of God to spread like wildfire across the whole world, Pray that the gospel will be preached to all people groups and that God will raise up more missionaries to go to places where the gospel has not been heard. 

In all this, we know the end result:

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 

"Salvation belongs to our God, 

who sits on the throne, 

and to the Lamb." 

Revelation 7:9-10

Have your way, Lord. Please have your way. We are ready for the adventure of a lifetime. Use us as your vessels, your hands, your feet, your mouth, your heart.