Ryan and Jason playing in the leaves with our nephew Kellon

Shannon holding our new niece, Allie Grace Lincoln

Shannon holding Jason's cousin Sheri's new baby

We were just reflecting today on some of the awesome stuff that God has done in all this preparation to go overseas.  We have pages and pages in our new “praise the Lord” notebook where we’re recording some of the answers to prayer (so we don’t forget)…and we just cannot believe how good God has been to us!  Wow.

It also kind of occurred to us just how odd it seems that we’ve prayed so much more over these preparation months when really, we need God just as much in our everyday lives in Canada as we do in Africa!  It’s just a different place!  Why do we not utterly depend on Him and continuously record God sightings in Canada when…we have just as little control over circumstances and are just as unable to depend on ourselves here?!  I pray all that what we learn over this trip floods into our lives back in Canada (that is, of course, if God wants us in Canada long term!)

Please continue to pray for us- especially as we travel on Monday- pray for safe travels, good health, and that our luggage comes along with us! 

We will miss you all!  Please keep in touch with us and let us know what’s new in YOUR lives also.  We have a mailing address there as well:

We wanted to update a bit about Burkina Faso to help inform those praying for the nation as well as just for your curiosity-sake!

Some random facts you may not have known about Burkina Faso:

-Burkina Faso’s high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens

-recent droughts and desertification severely affect agricultural activities…and since many children are now living longer due to some improved health measures (leading to larger and larger families)- there is an even GREATER need for farmers (which most people are) to produce more crops…leading to overgrazing, soil degradation, and deforestation (as forests are cut back for wood for fire as well as for farm land)

-life expectancy at birth is only an average of 52 years!

-much of the male population migrates to neighboring countries for work- because there is such little work available

-Islam is spreading rapidly in Burkina….and there are few to NO workers among Islamic people there (such as the Fulani group)…many rich Muslims also hire young laborers and will not hire them unless they turn to Islam…since work is so limited, many are forced to comply

-few converted Muslims to Christianity attend Church and receive MUCH public harassment

-there are many disputes along borders with neighboring countries- both ethnic and territorial in nature

-in 2005- Burkina Faso was ranked country number 175 out of 177 countries (being the 2nd poorest nation in the world)

-46.4 % of the population lives below the poverty line

PRAY WITH US for this nation!  Not just for development but for their Spiritual lives in face of many obstacles!  Pray for labourers to come and work specifically among the Fulani Muslim peoples….pray for protection for the Muslim converts to Christianity.  Pray for stability, health and new means of making a living.  Pray also for better ways to do agriculture that are sustainable and do not worsen the land condition.

(Facts taken from the CIA factbook and the CIDA websites)