My Buddies

A lot of my time is spent with the babies, especially the toddlers. I love these kids so much and they always bring me so much joy and laughter. They have such vivid imaginations and love playing pretend. Just the other day the two oldest girls were pretending to wash the baby doll just like the tanties wash them at bath time. It’s so cute how the kids pretend to do what their elders do. They want to be just like us! I have so much fun with these little ones and they teach me so much! 

Myself and the toddlers after they completed their crowns!

Monica and Mariam hanging out.

Being a mom and carrying her baby on her back.

Stories That Touch The Heart

Every Thursday, when the kids are off school, myself and one of the older boys in the orphanage do a Bible story and craft with some of the school kids. I deliver the story and lesson in English and Georges translates it into Moore (the tribal language). The kids are hearing stories like that of Noah, Joseph and David. They hear the struggles that these people go through and how they lean on God to get them through times of difficulty. The kids also learn a memory verse that they memorize and can keep with them. The final activity of the morning is some sort of craft. We have created animals for Noah’s ark and colorful coats like Joseph’s. The kids really enjoy the art project and it’s something for them to bring home and show their families and hopefully share with them what it is and the story that goes along with it. Most of these kids are brought up in Muslim households so speaking to them about Jesus and the love that He has for us is so important. Not only do I hope these Bible stories penetrate the kids’ hearts but those that they live with and spend time with.

                                                                                                                               

Visiting Dano

After about a 4 hour drive southwest we arrived in the town of Dano. Here there is a few missionary families from the United States that work with the people there doing things like providing milk for babies, sponsorship programs and repairing wells. We had the opportunity to visit and stay with one of these families and have a little get away and enjoy each other’s company. Along with this little get away we were able to visit with two of our girls that used to live at the orphanage. They have reunited with some extended family and are now back in their hometown. It was great to see them thriving and doing well. 

Half Way

It’s crazy to think that I am at about the “half way point” in my time here in Burkina. I am not going to lie that this trip has not been at all what I expected. It has been a struggle from the beginning but very enjoyable as well and filled with many great memories. Once here my plans for what I would be doing changed drastically and this was heart breaking. I am so used to having so much to do; school, work, social life, and being busy, what feels like 24/7.  But I come here and the pace of life is so slow and relaxed. I now have lots of little projects that I am involved in and love each and everyone of them. I am tutoring people in English, crafting with the toddlers, caring for and playing with the babies as well as working with them in developmental skills, and doing a Bible study with primary school kids. But yet, I still feel guilty that I am not doing enough because my schedule isn’t packed to the brim and I know that I am capable of more. With my curse of people pleasing and pride of thinking I am qualified to do more I know that I have an enemy attack on me. I am writing this only to tell you what’s been going on and ask for prayer that I would have peace in what I am doing and that God would reveal anything else that He has planned for me here. I am very blessed with the people that are apart of my life and I couldn’t be more thankful!

Fingers, Red, and Tuesday

These are just a few of the words that my dear friend at the orphanage is learning. For the past 5 weeks or so I have been tutoring and teaching him English. He doesn’t know it yet but he is going to be adopted by a family from the United States! So I have been slowly preparing him for a whole new language that he will soon be immersed in. I’m not going to lie it has been a struggle teaching him because he doesn’t realize the real reason behind me teaching him this. In his mind it is just some fun thing we do for 30 minutes everyday. But once he knows I know that he will be so eager to really delve in and learn the English language. He is a very intelligent boy that I know will succeed and thrive in this language. Please pray for him and that God begins to prepare his heart for this big transition ahead.

Gettin' Messy!!!

Every Monday when the toddlers have a day off from Preschool I have taken the free morning as an opportunity to do fun crafts and art projects. I have already made tissue paper butterflies with them that are now proudly hanging in their rooms and done lots of coloring activities. These kids really love to get out and do something new and exciting. So this week I decided to amp up the fun and get messy with them. What better way to get their creative juices flowing than to paint with hands and feet all over a white piece of fabric!

The toddlers really seemed to enjoy the painting but it took them a little bit to warm up to the idea of getting messy. When the paint was first put onto their hands they just looked at it and then looked at me to say “what is this? What do I do with it?” After demonstrating and showing them how, the toddlers soon went at it and used their hands and feet to create a masterpiece. With green, pink, purple and blue paint, that white piece of fabric was turned into a colorful work of art done by some of my favorite Burkinabe residents. Stay tuned to see what we create next!!!

Fun Friday

The gift distribution for Sheltering Wings sponsored kids was this Friday. A handful of the sponsored kids were given gifts that their sponsor families blessed them with. We were there to hand out the gifts and take pictures of the kids. There were a few kids that needed their gifts delivered to their villages so we loaded up the trucks and headed out. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining. However, the roads were not so pleasant. Because it is still rainy season the roads are muddy and very uneven so it makes for a wet and bumpy ride. This didn’t stop us though…well actually it did. On our first village stop we got stuck in the mud and the truck wouldn’t start so we had to use the other truck to pull it out and then bring it to dry, flat ground so we could push it into starting. Because of our amazing strength we got the truck going again and it was on to the next village. This next village was beautiful and lush! It was a really fun morning serving and enjoying the Burkina country side. It was a fun Friday! 

Delaney and I preparing for pushing the truck after it wouldn't start.

Handing out gifts for a child for the gift distribution.

Attempting to be African...

Painting Away

For the past couple of weeks we have been cleaning and redoing the kids rooms. It has been a fun process coupled with lots of hard work and sweat. Cleaning, prepping, and then painting is not necessarily done how you'd imagine it. There are no vacuums, mops, or even decent brooms to clean the floors. On top of that minor challenge you are constantly dodging man-eating spiders...well not man-eating...but still scary. Plus, because it is rainy season, the electricity likes to go out all of a sudden and there goes your nice cool fan breeze and lighting to see what you are doing. But putting the "negatives" behind it is a lot of fun work because you are doing it with people you love and enjoy being around. 

I absolutely love painting! I don't know what it is but it is a therapeutic thing for me and I could do it all day. Unfortunately the paint here stinks! It is SO strong and the inner rooms with only one window make for a long painting process due to the constant "fresh air" breaks. You also get a lovely souvenir of paint on yourself. Luckily the color we chose is blue and it's my favorite color so I don't mind this. 

This is a fun project before all the kids come back to the orphanage for the school year and it's making the orphanage look even better than it does now. It is so fun to bless these kids with a fresh new room and bless the orphanage with a mini makeover!

Achille and myself painting away!

Crocodiles

The next day after my arrival I was privileged enough to embark on a fun, exciting and scary adventure to Bazoule. Here in this small village, lies a lake that has hundreds of crocs inhabiting it. These crocodiles are know to be "sacred" crocs that if you make a sacrifice to them then you will be granted your wish or prayer. We didn't go to do this, but we did go to visit these crocodiles. Little did we know that we would actually get to touch them...and yes...sit on them!

Our two "tour guides" led us to the lake and informed us of the history of the crocs, fun facts and even a biology lesson on the anatomy of the crocodile. But this wasn't all. We had much more in store for our afternoon outing with the crocs. Our tour guides led us down to the water and lured the crocs out of the water by teasing them with a chicken in hand. The men carefully selected the croc that they wanted to lure all the way to shore. Out came a large, chunky crocodile that wasn't the most swift or nimble of creatures; probably this was to our advantage. The men then proceeded to tell us to hop right on the back of this scaly creature. He of course demonstrated how it was to be done. Basically you could do anything to this beast and he wouldn't care as long as you didn't make any loud noises. So on climbed everyone until it was down to me. I have to admit I'm not the bravest of people; I can be a caution freak sometimes so I was just about to pass it up when all of a sudden I conjured up the courage to sit on the beast. With the help of my dear friend Delaney I climbed on the croc and sat there and got my picture taken. I am so glad that I did it and I had a great time!It was an awesome day filled with crazy and funny moments all wrapped up in one. There's never a dull moment when crocs are involved...especially in Africa!

My Fall Mission

What started out as a calling to teach English for a whole school year changed into something completely different. After the first time in Burkina I felt as though I was supposed to return one day for a whole school year. So I held onto that dream for a year and then decided after graduating college then I can pursue that dream. However, God slowly began to change my heart in a new direction without me fully realizing it. Just weeks away from leaving for 9 months I began to doubt that this was really what I was supposed to be doing. After lots of praying, thinking, and discussing with others I have decided to shorten my trip in Burkina. I will be here until December 11th and return with my dad to the States. Once back in the States I will begin my dream to teach at an elementary school and work towards becoming and English as a Second Language teacher. But in these next three months I have a lot of awesome things planned and I am so excited for the new adventures that I will get to go on. I am going to tutor a little boy in English that is being adopted by an American family, tutor an orphanage worker in English, help primary school students after school with math and reading and help out with various other things around the orphanage. It will be a great an amazing time and serve as a great closure to this chapter of my life. I am excited what God is doing in my life and can't see what happens! Thank you everyone for your love, support and prayers!

Follow Me Here!

I didn't realize how hard it is to keep two blogs updated and going...so you can follow me for the time being at blogs.maryville.edu
once on the page...scroll down and click on the tab labeled Teaching in Burkina Faso. This will lead you straight to my blog.

Here I share my everyday experiences student teaching at the International School of Ouagadougou and all the other various adventures I find myself embarking on. Hope you will enjoy!

Home Again

It is crazy how comfortable, relaxed, and at home I feel here in Burkina. When first stepping out of the airport and breathing in the warm dusty air I was reminded of all the wonderful memories and good times here. I was so ecstatic to begin my student teaching adventure here.
Before jumping into my student teaching at the international school in Ouagadougou, I was able to enjoy the rest of my holiday in Yako where I stayed on my previous trips. I made sure that no one told the kids at the orphanage that I was returning to Burkina because I wanted to surprise them all. And was it a surprise! They could not believe that I was back. Jonas, a seven year old boy, who is very close to my heart began crying at the sight of me. Extremely touching! I was greeted with hugs, hand shakes and warm "hellos" (except in Moore and French). Now I felt even more at home.
During my "vacation" I did many fun and exciting things. I helped the Ridderings, a new missionary family, fix up their house and get some things accomplished. I made new friends; two girls from Germany that are in Yako for a year. I went to a 6 hour church concert and a 4 hour New Year's Eve church celebration. I killed two chickens for our New Year's celebration dinner. And last but certainly not least, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with all my friends and family in Yako. It truly was an enjoyable and relaxing week.

Hanging out with Jonas

 

 Preparing to kill the chicken

 The job is finished!

Eve of Departure

Well I can't belive that  I still have the butterflies around Christmas time and I am almost 22 years old. However, these jitters are not a result of being excited for Santa's coming and opening presents; these butterflies are a combo of nerves and excitment to be returning to my beloved West African country, Burkina Faso.
I am very ecstatic to be returning to Burkina for my third time this year. With a new agenda, student teaching at the international school, I am eager to see what this trip holds. It will definitely be another adventure to remember!

Back Home

It has been two weeks since I have touched back down on American soil. It is still quite an adjustment getting back into the crazy, fast paced lifestyle, we Americans live in. But it has been great seeing all my friends and family and enjoying these last weeks of summer before jumping into the hectic thing I call school.
I find myself missing and reflecting back quite often at the time I spent in Burkina. It was an awesome time filled with many many amazing experiences. I learned so much about myself and others those 7+ weeks. That precious time in Burkina that I cherish so much really instilled peace in my heart, a new trust and patience with the Lord, and just an overall boost of confidence and independce within myself. I can't rave enough about what an awesome time I had. I will always hold a very very special spot in my heart for the people of Burkina Faso and especially my friends and family in Yako. I can't wait to go back! Don't worry I'll be back sooner than later Burkina :)

Last Day in Yako...sort of...

On Thursday morning of my last week in Burkina I woke up ready, well not really ready, for my last day in Yako. I had planned to spend time with the babies in the morning and then the older, school-aged kids, in the afternoon and then top the day off with a movie, popcorn, and Kool-Aid that night with the kids. But...like any other day that I experienced in Burkina my plans were changed. When walking out of my room headed to the bathroom Ruth stopped me and asked if I'd like to take one of our babies to the hospital. I was still waking up so I don't think it fully processed with me. But seconds later I quickly agreed. So...I was on my way to Ouiahgouya to take baby Josias to the hospital.
Myself, one of the tanties (a baby caretaker), and Josias ventured on one of the busses to Ouiahgouya, about an hour away. Josias' ear had been bleeding and it was thought best that he be taken to the hospital so it wouldn't get any worse.
We arrive in the city, get off the bus and start walking to the hospital. Now, if it hadn't been for me...A) not being in Burkina for 7 weeks already and B) being a person that adjusts to the climate/culture around her...I would have found this hospital shocking. It is not like your normal American hospital. You will read why...
We wait in a small hallway in the ear, nose and throat section of the hospital, which consists of about two or three small rooms. After surprisingly only 20 or so minutes they call us in. I walk into the room with Josias in my arms. I am looking around; soaking up the room I am in. To my left is a Burkinabe young man on a patient's table his brother or friend is sitting directly to my right. Ahead of me is a few cabinents and tables with medical tools and supplies. There is also a desk to my right and a sink in front of me; all in a fairly small room.
We are brought over to sit on chairs. They ask us questions about Josias and then immediatley begin the procedure. I move to another section of the room where there is more medical supplies. I honestly don't know what is going on because my French is very limited so I don't know what they are about to do to this baby. The Burkinabe doctor tells me to restrain Josias to make sure he doesn't move, then she gets out this tube thing that is attached to some machine. I then realize it is a "sucky-tube." She puts it in his ear and sucks out a worm/parasite. Josias was a trooper through all of this. He hardly cried and was all smiles after his ear was cleaned out. After fixing the problem the doctor cleans his ear up and we are on to our next task. We walk to the pharamacy which is down the road from the hospital, get the medicine and then go back so that the doctor can give him the medicine and explain the dosages.
Well, while all of this is going on in the room that Josias was being treated in, there was another patient, the young Burkinabe man. In the same room that we were in there was a surgery going on. This man was getting a growth removed from the side of his face. It was insane. I couldn't believe this was happening all in this tiny room. However, as crazy or cooky as it may have seemed, I was also very interested and couldn't help myself watching the procedure. It was a very interesting day in Ouiahgouya. Eventhough this little adventure occupied my morning and afternoon it was well worth it. And, I still got to watch a movie, eat popcorn and drink Kool-Aid that night with my kiddos. Great last day!

Taxi Adventure

The day after our outing with the kids, us girls (Becky, Anna, Rebecca and I) went into Ouaga for a girls day.  We had fabulous plans to swim, eat good food, go to the bank and then go to a soccer game.  Well these all fell through except for the eating part.  But, even with our plans crushed, our trip was nothing short of interesting.

After we had an awesome lunch and then ice cream afterwards it was pretty much time to start heading back to Yako.  So we flagged down a taxi and were ready to head to the grocery store next to the bus station.  As we were approaching this taxi we all heard screaming.  It sounded like a child was dying.  We were all freaking out and wondering what to think.  We all cautiously entered the back seat of the taxi and once inside the screaming got louder and louder.  It was coming from the trunk and were were told by the driver that two  goats were in the back.  AH! What?! Every time we hit a bump the goats screamed and then we screamed.  The driver thought this was hilarious and just responded, "This is Africa."  After what felt forever, we finally dropped the guy that had been in the front seat off.  He got his four goats out of the trunk and went on his way.  We drove about 15 feet and then stopped.  We were all thinking, "what now?" It was a flat tire....so we all got out and sat down on the side of the road and waited.  Yes, we could have just tried to get another taxi but we were on some side road and we had no idea where the main paved road was so waiting was our only option.  By this time it was about 3:15 and our bus was leaving at 4.  Two tires later, we were on our way to the bus station.  By this time we didn't have time to go to the grocery store before so we headed straight for the station.  We got our tickets and had 15 minutes to spare.  Our bus arrived a little before 4 but we couldn't get on it because the AC was broken in it (the one bus that does have AC) and it didn't have windows that you could open so we had to wait for another bus to come.  So we went to go sit back down and wait.  A few minutes later they made an announcement that the bus would be about 20 minutes late, which really means 45 minutes.  With wait time, Becky and I decided to run over to the grocery store to pick up a few things you can only get in Ouaga.  Run we did.  We made it to the store, food in our hands, and in line within 6 minutes; record time I am sure.  While waiting in a fairly long line, Anna calls us to tell us that our bus is here.  Uh oh....do we just forget the food and run or risk it....we risked it.  We waited for our turn, bought our food, snagged the change and sprinted.  We ran so fast an probably looked like fools I am sure, but we made it just in time.  The four of us got on our bus and were ready to head home.  But we didn't make it out of the station until 5 o'clock.  Once out of the station it took us 45 minutes to get out of Ouaga.  Oh Africa time.....I hope I haven't become to accustomed to this time mindset....

Faso Parc

With only a few kids left in the orphanage besides the babies, us girls (Becky, Anna, Rebecca, and I) thought that it would be a great idea to take the kids on an outing.  So we decided to venture to Ouaga for a day trip at Faso Parc.  This is Burkina Faso's equivalent to an amusement park.

We headed out in the pickup truck on Friday morning, but we only got to the courtyard gate before the truck died.  Everyone was crushed.  We were all hyped up to go on our outing and now it wasn't going to happen. So with everyone's heads hung low we filed out of the car.  We headed back into the house to try to think of another idea so that the kids wouldn't be too heart broken.  But before we could even start our conversation the kids came screaming to the house.  The car was fixed! We came to find out that the 4 wheel drive gear was knocked out of gear which somehow made the car be in neutral and not able to move.  Thank you Jesus!

It was a windy trip to Ouaga but a fun one with all of us hanging out in the back of the truck.  Once in Ouaga our plans got all switched around.  We didn't get to go to Faso Parc until later in the day but we found another fun alternative until then.  It was a National Parc that had lots of different attractions.  We all chose to go on the animal tour.  It was very interesting.  It was like a mini zoo full of various kinds of animals.  We had a guide tour us around and give us a description and story about each animal.  We saw lots of birds, crocodiles, a hyena, a fox, antelope, turtles, and a huge baboon.  This baboon was the highlight of the trip because it was not in a cage. It was merely chained up; the weirdest thing I have seen.  After our tour we all got sodas and sat around and talked.  Then it was to lunch.  We all ate at a local restaurant; everyone got some form of rice.  It was yummy.  Then it was off to Faso Parc.

The kids were so excited to finally get there because this is what they had been waiting for all day.  Once there they rode on a carousel, bumper cars, go karts, and played some arcade games.  They had a blast and I had a great time watching them.  It was a fabulous outing and it was so fun hanging out with the kids somewhere else besides the courtyard.

Visiting Frank

In my very full suitcase for this trip there were two things that I was especially excited for.  They were a soccer ball and a pump for the ball.  Now, maybe not the coolest things ever but they were to me because I was going to give them to my family's sponsor child, Frank.

One evening last week I hopped on Pastor Valentine's moto and we were off to Frank's village.  When we arrived there was no one there.  But this wasn't a surprise because everyone was still working out in the fields.  So we waited and while waiting we asked each other different cultural questions: comparing America to Burkina.  It's always fun talking with Valentine and I know he loves to use his English as well.  After hardly anytime at all, Frank's grandpa comes walking up with a baby in his arms and a child walking at his side.  He greets Valentine and myself with an enthusiastic smile.  He immediately tells Valentine of who I am; making sure his assumptions are correct.  It warmed my heart that he recognized me from January.  I too recognized him; I mean who wouldn't.  He is a really short little old man with warmth in his expressions and a cute wool beanie on his head.  He joined Valentine and I and we all started talking.....well they were talking in Moore and I was just listening and then I received the translations from Valentine.  But while they were talking I just watched Frank's grandpa.  I was so awe struck at what a loving grandpa he was.  He was holding a baby in his lap and had a little one on each side of him.  He would bounce the baby on his lap and then tickle the little ones at his side.  My heart was instantly warmed.  It was also great to think that Frank grew up receiving this same love. :-)

After a little bit of conversation Frank came walking up from the fields.  It was good to see him again.  He joined our circle and we all discussed his school year and other various topics.  Then I gave him his soccer ball and ball pump.  I think he was more excited about the pump than the soccer ball.  It was funny.  Valentine took my camera and snapped some shots of Frank and me before we left.  It was a short visit but a fun and memorable one.  I really enjoy Frank and his family and I am honored that my family gets to sponsor him.  It makes the sponsorship so much more real and exciting when I have met and conversed with Frank.  I can't wait to see him again!