Burkina Faso - Charles Graham

Walking in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5)

A French speaking West African country, Burkina Faso, with a population of 15,200,000 of which 52% are “Christian” and 48% Moslem, is the 3rd poorest country in the world. But in 2006, through witness by the evangelical churches, 2% of the Moslem population (145,000) became Christians. Burkina is probably the most evangelistic country in African and has sent missionaries to many other African counties like Niger, Mali and Chad.

The Assemblies of God (AOG), with 2,000 + churches and over 4,000 pastors, is by far the largest evangelical group in Burkina. They have their own printing press, many schools and they broadcast weekly over radio and television the gospel. There is good co-operation with other national evangelical Christians through a national Evangelical Churches Association.

I was asked by Moise and Christine, who made the Point their church while studying at IBTI, to come to Burkina and run some Alpha courses for them. So I visited Holy Trinity Brompton to ask what help they could offer. Instead I was asked by their International branch to form a team and go to Burkina to do Global Alpha Training (GAT). Simon Allaby, Jean Jacque Zbinden (an elder at MSCC) and Parfait (an IBTI student from Burkina) and I will be going out there in November / December to run 2 three day GAT seminars, one in the capital Ouagadougou and the other in the city of Bobo, some 350 kilometres away, where Moise and Christine live. Most of this training will be in French so we need your prayers.

There are no Alpha courses in Africa countries where there are 200 million French speakers, although Alpha is well established in English speaking nations. So having got the team together, we all attended a GAT team training course at Trinity and then, on the 23rd March 2009, I went to meet the national president of the AOG churches and some of the regional leaders. Neil Watts, from the Baptist church, accompanied me and was a great help and support during our week of meetings, taking services and confirming training venues.

That Burkina is the 3rd poorest country in the world is evident the moment you arrive, as you travel down some of the few tarmac roads, often full of pot holes, and usually abruptly continuing as red sandy soil roads with even more pot holes. Arriving in the hot season (35 – 40 c) the dust in the streets is like a reddish fog and what lies ahead of you are hundreds and thousand of bicycles and mopeds with people driving crazily and, seemingly coming out of nowhere, daring you to hit them.

The purpose in meeting the AOG leadership was to explain Alpha to them and to get their blessing and approval to come and do GAT training for pastors and leaders. We arrived late Monday evening and were met at the airport by a number of Burkina Christians, some of whom had been at the International Bible Training Institute (IBTI) in Burgess Hill. This included our host, Pastor Moise Sawadogo and his wife Christine

On Tuesday we met President Pawendtaore, Vice President Jean Charles Ouedradgo and Jean Baptiste (Head of Missions) to explain Alpha and we quickly got their full agreement and blessing to return in the Autumn to do the GAT training. We were shown the facilities available for the Ouagadougou seminar and discussed dates and numbers. Our original idea was to offer places to other French speaking African nations as well as to those in Burkina. However we agreed that, since the demand for the courses would be greater than the number of Burkina pastor who would want to attend, we would concentrate on Burkina first and perhaps return in 2010 to train those from other nations

Having then travelled to Bobo, on Wednesday, we met 18 West Burkina AOG region leaders to again discuss Alpha and the proposed seminar in that city. The regional president said we had their 100% support and were convinced that Alpha courses offered a new way of evangelising many different groups of people, including Moslems. The West Burkina pastors were having their annual 3 day gathering and I was asked to return and give a word from God the next day (Thursday)

Thursday (26 March), turned out to be one of the most remarkable days in my Christian experience. It started with worship and God’s word to the 250 + leaders and pastors. The significance, and God’s hand in giving this opportunity, only became apparent later on in the week as we continually met key leaders of various ministries who told us they had been there on Thursday morning, would be coming to the Autumn training, and how they could assist in getting Alpha established nation wide.

In the afternoon we were taken to a military camp where we were shown the chapel that soldiers and other military personnel attend on Sundays. An American missionary, Mrs Shaffer, was there doing a bible study with about 15 women whose husbands were at the military camp. She welcomed us and asked if I had a word to encourage these women of God because their greatest desire was to witness for Christ in the camp. Had to say “yes” so I walked very slowly from the back of the church to the front, praying quickly and earnestly “Father, please give me something to say” and He did! What a privilege to share the Word with those godly women, some of whom cried as we spoke. They asked us to pray for them and then they prayed for us. The military camp chaplain had now arrived and thanked us for coming and said he would be coming to the Alpha training later in the year. He said that, if there was time when we came back, he would like to introduce me to the camp’s officers and administrators, speak to them, and also take their Sunday morning service. No promises made!

Next we visited a prison where about 650 male criminals, all serving long sentences, were incarcerated. We met the prison chaplain who told us of his work there and how 100 prisoners had given their lives to Jesus over the last two years. What a humble man of God he was so when he asked if we would like to see inside the prison we said “yes”. The guard, who was our escort, handed his holstered revolver to another guard before going in through the large metal gate entrance of the prison. As he disappeared, to settle the prisoners down before we entered, I had a quick glimpse inside as he slipped though the gate. What I saw made me very nervous and, as we waited all of 5 minutes, I was asked if I could give a word from God to all the prisoners. I could only nod my head in agreement!

Entering, we saw that the prisoners had been sat down in the large yard in front of their appallingly primitive and very smelly cells. However, instead of being placed near the gate (for a quick escape), we were marched right into the middle! This made me even more nervous. But God had given me His word as I waited outside, so I told them that Jesus, the Son of God, tells us in Luke 4 that the reason He came was to heal the sick, give sight to the blind and to set the prisoners free. 650 voices sounded in one almighty roar as this was translated into their own language. Then for 20 minutes I explained how we are all prisoners of sin but that Jesus had died to set me free and that He could do the same for them. What a privilege to give a message of hope to men in such despair and without hope, many of whom were Moslems. After supper with Moise and his wife Christine we returned to our hotel, exhausted but elated to have had the opportunity to serve God in so many ways in one day. However my dear brother Neil brought me down to earth saying how well the prisoners listened but added “you did have a captive audience”!

Early on Friday morning (things start about 07:00 hours, including schools) we visited an AOG Bible Schools situated about 25 kilometres from the city of Bobo. Here 180 men and women study for three years before returning to their home churches to serve God as pastors, evangelists or in other ways. We spoke to the Director and Head of Studies, both of whom had been at the Thursday morning meeting, and they told us they would be at the GAT seminars. They also informed us that they proposed making training to run Alpha courses part of future students Bible College training.

Later we met Joseph, the Director of a local Christian radio station. He has invited us, when we return to Burkina, to preach on the radio and said he would be happy to advertise future Alpha courses. In the evening I was preaching at the Church prayer meeting that had been extended by 45 minutes to accommodate a word from God. There were 86 there, including many young people and even a dozen older children. The Lord’s presence was so real as we raised our voices in worship and supplication, in several different languages, to our heavenly Father. What a wonderful time of speaking and hearing from God.

Saturday morning we went back to check the church complex, where the second GAT seminar will be held. The facilities proved to be excellent and better than those in Ouagadougou. Not only is there good meeting rooms but there is good amplification and projection equipment. Cooking and eating arrangements are simple and ladies from local churches will cook. However, as this is such a poor country, we will have to raise enough money to feed 200 delegates at each venue during the 3 days sessions. There is a small clinic and pharmacy at this centre and the leaders here were eager to discuss many things with us. They even suggesting that we return after the GAT training to teach them how to evangelise more successfully. I am not sure what we could teach them as they are already so good at going out with the gospel of Christ. I therefore resorted to that common reply, used by so many church leaders, and told them we would pray and think about it!

The rest of Saturday was spent visiting relatives and members of Moise’s flock and then we went to his home to discuss the Sunday church service I was taking. This included the dedication of children of Christian parents, 4 children as we left the UK, five when we arrived and final 8 as we discussed how I intended doing this.

 On Sunday it was out of bed early and then to church for the 3 hour service starting at 08:30 hours. As we waited to start, Moise brought in our driver who had each day been taking us from place to place (7am till 9:30 pm). He sat through the whole 3 hours and afterwards I discovered he was a Moslem. The singing and worship was simply wonderful as 300 people raised their voices to God. Dedicating the 8 children to God, this time in French, was very special and I was able to remind everyone that Jesus loved us so much that he came into this world as a helpless baby, just like these children.

Late afternoon, at Moise’s home, we talked to youth leaders from the church and realised that more and more young people were arriving until there was over 50 of them. At 6pm they began to sing and dance to the sound of drums in the yard outside the house. This was there way of saying “thank you for coming and to express their joy in belonging to Jesus. They danced and danced until it was dark but as they danced neighbours gathered, looking over the fences, and 2 young Moslem women came in and danced with the Christians. What a glorious witness to all these non-believers and such a wonderful send off for us! How amazing and joyous it is when we walk in step with our God! On Monday evening, exhausted but elated we flew back to dear old England to cool down from the 38 C we had experienced and to reflect on what God had done in 7 short days as we tried to walk in step with Him. Please pray that:

Our French studies will go well and we will be able to converse and discuss in their language.

The GAT training scripts will be ready and translated into French well before our departure and that all the many other preparations will go smoothly and to God’s glory.

There will be sufficient funds to take the team out in November for the GAT seminars, not only to cover air fare, immunisations, visas and living costs but that we will be able to feed the 200 + pastors gather for 6 days (3 days in Ouagadougou and 3 days in Bobo Dialassou).  Estimated budget is £8,000 to £9,000.