ENVISION BURKINA HANDBOOK

Transcription

1 ENVISION BURKINA HANDBOOK 1

2 INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE SITE Burkina Faso is a place of extreme poverty where the hope of Christ is more satisfying than bread or water. Envision Burkina is working alongside the Burkina C&MA National Church to assist them in many different ways. We look for ways to plug in American teams and interns to assist the National Church in this very poor country. Our work teams and interns have been involved in building/roofing churches, schools, and pastors homes. Teams and interns have also been involved in bush evangelism, drilling of wells, supplying funds for drilled & hand-dug wells, dental and medical work, ESL camps, youth camps, and the list of possibilities goes on and on. The opportunities of impacting this country with the love of Jesus through these hands-on ministries are boundless. Come and join us for an exciting and rewarding ministry adventure! MEET THE TEAM John and Betty Arnold began as Envision site leaders in the summer of John grew up as a third generation missionary. He was raised in Cote D Ivoire, West Africa and was fluent in the native language before English. He met his wife at Toccoa Falls Bible College. Betty became a believer after graduating from high school andimmediately knew God was calling her to something odd, but did not know what right away. She told her parents that she would go anywhere but Africa. John has a heart for bush evangelism, helping with the building of wells, roofing churches and pastors homes, and working with American work teams. Betty loves entertaining and often has a house full of people. 2

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7 GENERAL INFORMATION PASSPORTS + VISAS If you do not have a passport, you will need to get one at least six months before your departure so that you have enough time to apply for and receive a Burkina Faso visa. Check the expiration date on your passport. If it expires within six months of returning to your home country, Burkina Faso will not issue you a visa. To apply for a Burkina Faso visa, you can go to the Travel Document Systems website ( You can also go directly to the U.S. Burkina Embassy webpage ( This is a cheaper option. It is also very important for you to let the Embassy know you and/or your group will be traveling through Burkina. Before you depart, take time to register at On your applications, write tourism or vacation when it asks for purpose of visit. For number of entries, choose multiple. Our local address is: Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), 06 BP 9049, OuagadougouThe cost of your visa is not included in the Envision Trip cost. Please make sure you allow plenty of time to get your visa. We also suggest sending it by certified mail. HEALTH + VACCINATIONS The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has health recommendations and requirements for travel in Africa. For more details check out their website ( or contact your local health department. Recommended: 1. Yellow Fever (mandatory) 2. Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B 3. Typhoid 4. Tetanus 5. Oral or Polio booster injection (if you have had less than 5 lifetime doses) 6. Vaccine for Meningitis Malaria Prophylaxis It is strongly advised that you take a malaria prophylaxis while traveling in Burkina Faso. This is not a vaccine, but a medicine. Depending on the type of prescription, you will begin taking this medicine before your trip, and will continue for 7-30 days after you return to the US. We recommend you get Doxycycline or if this is not possible, Malarone. Consult your physician for details. 7

8 PACKING LIST Clothes (see below) Shoes Flip flops (shower shoes) Modest swim suit Sunscreen Bugspray Hand sanitizer Toilet paper Lotion Chapstick Eye drops Malaria meds SUGGESTED ITEMS Prescription meds Preferred meds for pain, allergy, digestion, nausea Work gloves and shoes Hat Flashlight, extra betteries Snacks Alarm clock Camera Small water bottle (Hydro Flask recommended) Bible, journal, pen Spending money in USD European plug adapter HOW TO DRESS Despite the intense heat, the Burkinabè culture is very modest in regard to clothing. We request that you respect local sensitivities and dress conservatively. Loose fitting, lightweight, cotton clothing will be the most comfortable. For those that are a little cold natured, a light jacket may be nice in the evenings or on the airplane. Women need to wear skirts well below the knee for in-city ministry and ankle-length skirts for bush ministry. You may want to bring loose fitting pants or capris pants for non-ministry related activities. You may also want to bring basketball type shorts to wear in the guesthouse or under your skirts for work projects. Sleeveless shirts are acceptable, but no mid-drifts. Men should wear casual dress pants and short-sleeve shirts with collars for church. At the construction site, t-shirts and jeans or workpants will do. Work boots, if desired. 8

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10 CULTURAL SENSITIVITY A BIT ABOUT BURKINA Burkina is located in West Africa, with Mali to the North & West, Niger, Benin &Togo to the East, and Ghana & Cote d Ivoire to the south. Burkina is about the size of Colorado and has a population of about 17 million. Burkina Faso s high population density and limited resources (it is a landlocked country) have resulted in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Burkina is consistently in the top five poorest countries in the world. Ninety percent of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, which is difficult due to the harsh climatic conditions. French is the official national language but there are also about 60 different tribal languages. Jula is the trade language and is used to communicate between the different ethnic groups. The religion for the country is broken down into three major groups: Islam 50%, Indigenous Beliefs 40%, and Christian 10% (mainly Roman Catholic). Burkina is generally very open to the gospel, although we do face opposition, especially from the witch doctors. Burkinabé understand the need for blood sacrifices as this is a part of their animistic practices, and when we tell them that the last sacrifice has been made for them, they relate to this Good News. They want to be free from the fear of the evil spirits and celebrate the protection found in Jesus. The C&MA entered Burkina Faso in 1923 and has been serving the church there until today. CLIMATE The sun in West Africa is much stronger than almost anywhere in North America. Being in a sub-saharan region, it is hot and dry for most of the year. March through June sees highs in the triple digits and lows barely dropping below the 90s. It is extremely hot! The rainy season lasts from June to October. Be prepared for mud and storms. A light jacket may be appreciated during this time. This is not the best season to minister in the village area, because most people are farming and quite busy. Building is also hard, but not impossible. This is, however, an excellent time for student ministries and we have our national youth camp during this time. It is cool and dry from November through February with highs in the 90s and lows in the 60s and 70s. This is when the Harmattan wind blows in from the Sahara desert. Everything is dusty, and there is no rain. The nights are quite chilly. Some may prefer blankets and longer pajamas to sleep in, especially in the bush. 10

11 Dear Friends and Family, I want to tell you about an exciting opportunity that I have. I will be participating in my first ever mission trip. Even more exciting is that I will be traveling to Africa! I will be part of a team of 16 people from my church traveling to Burkina Faso in West Africa. My church partners with full-time missionaries who are very involved with drilling fresh water wells in remote villages. My team will be traveling between June 6 through June 20 and we will be working in one of those villages where a well was just drilled. We will be responsible for building a facility that will be used as a church building and a local distribution point for relief supplies. What makes this trip exciting for me is that we will be working in the African bush. This means that my team won t have the modern conveniences that we enjoy here in the United States. I have been warned that we will be sleeping under the stars, won t have running water or electricity, and will be using bush toilets. It is going to be fun and challenging to build something without power tools. The Country of Burkina Faso is a very poor country where most of the population has to grow their own food in a very difficult climate. Islam and Indigenous Beliefs make up 90% of the religion in Burkina; however, the Country is very open to the Gospel of Jesus. Due to the many tribal beliefs that exist, the story of Jesus dying for our sins is understandable to the Burkina people. There have been many who have heard and believed. In spite of recent events by terrorists, the native people are still very open to outsiders who are there to help and not hurt. I need your help to make my first mission trip a success. You can be very helpful just by praying. I would appreciate your prayers for me. Pray for me to have strength to complete the physical work. Pray for my and the entire team s safety while traveling overseas. Pray that the good news of Jesus Christ is shared and that it is received well. And pray that God will provide the necessary funds for us to be able to complete the trip. I would also appreciate your financial support. If you feel compelled to send a gift I have included an addressed, postage paid envelope. Please understand the gift will be tax deductible and if you fill out the included form my church will send you a receipt. A monetary gift of any value will be very much welcomed by me and the entire team. Thank you for taking time to read my letter. I am very excited for this trip and looking forward to traveling overseas for the first time. If you have questions or want to know more about trip, I am very happy to talk to you. You can me at mnbyrd6@gmail.com or call at With God s Love, Chris Byrd 11

12 Dear Friends and Family, January 24, 2016 This past year has been an amazing year for me and my family. We have been very, very blessed. I am pleased to share with you all the latest direction in which God is leading my life. The Lord has given me the opportunity to go on a short-term mission trip to Burkina Faso, Africa, in June, I will be part of a team going from Riverside Church. While we are in Burkina Faso, we will work with missionaries as they plant churches, dig fresh water wells, help with grain distribution and other humanitarian efforts. We have been asked to describe what our goals are pertaining to this trip. I honestly have no idea what to expect. I have heard that mission trips such as this can be life changing. My goal then is to be open, humble, and willing to follow wherever God leads me. I am excited to see where He takes me. I would like you to become personally involved with the team in this short-term mission trip in three ways: financial support, mission s interest, and prayer support. We need to pray concerning: 1. The spiritual difficulties of ministering in a Muslim and ancestor worship culture. 2. Safety on the project sites. 3. Safety working with villagers and refugees as we share the Gospel. 4. That God will provide financially for me to attend this trip. If you would be willing to provide prayer and/or financial support please use the return envelope to send in whatever gift God is leading you to give. I am very thankful for your help. There is also a taxdeductible form to include with your gift. When we return from Burkina Faso, I would be very excited to share my mission experience with you. Please feel free to contact me at any time! With love in Christ, Angela Carter Enclosures: Tax Deductible Form Return Envelope 12

13 Name Address City, State Zip Andrew & Kimberly Munson Pleasant Avenue Apple Valley, MN Andrew, Brittany Peterson & Family First Street St. Louis Park, MN Fred & Wilma Flintstone nd Avenue Monticello, MN Betty & Joe Malarky 3333 Wonder Lane Becker, MN Betty Confetti PO Box 1008 Monticello, MN Lucy Goosey Thimble Lane Big Lake, MN Orville & William Wright 611 Airplane Drive Bellingham, WA Bill & Laura Friend 2345 Becker Drive Becker, MN Johnny Pineapple 7921 York Avenue Apt 211 Edina, MN Joe Shmoe 9876 Fifth Street Buffalo, MN Libby Soup Vegetable Lane Becker, MN Mr. & Mrs. Fake 1111 Ideas Lane Monticello, MN Ken and Barbie Mattel 345 Sycamore Lane Tyrone, GA Michelle & Barack Obama 2345 Chicago Avenue Becker, MN Nathan & Rebecca Hope 2456 Minnesota Avenue Becker, MN Glen & Regina Phalanges 2367 Fingers Circle Big Lake, MN Lacey Owens Integers Court Monticello, MN Paige Montgomery 5555 Madeup Lane Big Lake, MN Owen VonSchlichten Ingers Way Big Lake, MN Andrew & Kimberly Munson Pleasant Avenue Apple Valley, MN Andrew, Brittany Peterson & Family First Street St. Louis Park, MN Fred & Wilma Flintstone nd Avenue Monticello, MN Betty & Joe Malarky 3333 Wonder Lane Becker, MN Betty Confetti PO Box 1008 Monticello, MN Lucy Goosey Thimble Lane Big Lake, MN Orville & William Wright 611 Airplane Drive Bellingham, WA Bill & Laura Friend 2345 Becker Drive Becker, MN Johnny Pineapple 7921 York Avenue Apt 211 Edina, MN Joe Shmoe 9876 Fifth Street Buffalo, MN Libby Soup Vegetable Lane Becker, MN Mr. & Mrs. Fake 1111 Ideas Lane Monticello, MN Ken and Barbie Mattel 345 Sycamore Lane Tyrone, GA Michelle & Barack Obama 2345 Chicago Avenue Becker, MN Nathan & Rebecca Hope 2456 Minnesota Avenue Becker, MN Glen & Regina Phalanges 2367 Fingers Circle Big Lake, MN Lacey Owens Integers Court Monticello, MN Paige Montgomery 5555 Madeup Lane Big Lake, MN Owen VonSchlichten Ingers Way Big Lake, MN James & Renae Finley 1313 Tyler Hastings, MN Andrew & Kimberly Munson Pleasant Avenue Apple Valley, MN Andrew, Brittany Peterson & Family First Street St. Louis Park, MN Fred & Wilma Flintstone nd Avenue Monticello, MN Betty & Joe Malarky 3333 Wonder Lane Becker, MN Betty Confetti PO Box 1008 Monticello, MN Lucy Goosey Thimble Lane Big Lake, MN Orville & William Wright 611 Airplane Drive Bellingham, WA Bill & Laura Friend 2345 Becker Drive Becker, MN Johnny Pineapple 7921 York Avenue Apt 211 Edina, MN Joe Shmoe 9876 Fifth Street Buffalo, MN Libby Soup Vegetable Lane Becker, MN Mr. & Mrs. Fake 1111 Ideas Lane Monticello, MN