A Very Merry Christmas.

Since I left for Burkina Faso in 2005, I have spent each Christmas with the Hayslip family (Joel, Heidi, Jakob, and Silas) and Kate Royal; and although each year was still special in its own way, I hold this Christmas closest to my heart. For the first time since 2004, I am able to spend the holidays with my sister and parents. A very special Christmas indeed.

African Foosball Table.

Yes indeed - hand made right here in Ouagadougou - this is a foosball table that gets more use each day than anything I have ever seen! It takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. The boys really do love playing this game; and they are good at it too. I don't think I have ever won a game against them.

All moved out....

I don't know if I have ever posted any pics of the inside of my house on this blog; but in case you were wondering, "where does he live?" or "what does a typical place look like in Ouagadougou?" - Here it is. As of this week - I am all moved out and will be staying with a fellow missionary here in town until my departure. In the mean time, I will be listening to "I'll Be Home For Christmas" by Katharine McPhee (currently free on iTunes) because for the first time in FOUR YEARS I WILL be home for the Christmas!!!!! See YOU soon.

Counting down....?

(Taken on November 27th) This pic was taken just a few days ago; and now I find myself looking at the month of December, and like many of you out there, counting down the days until Christmas. Here in Burkina, we have an program that we simply refer to as "GAKAC" (pronounced 'gack - cack' ). It's an outreach/evangelical type program combined with - yes, you guessed - FREE GIFTS!!! Check up on following posts for more pics and hopefully even some video of the outreaches that will be happening this week and next.

Thanksgiving Day in Burkina Faso - a different perspective

(pictured above) Clustered in groups of 16, the tents provided by UNICEF provide temporary housing for just a few of the 100,000 individuals that were displaced as a result of the flooding back in September.
It's Thanksgiving day here in Burkina Faso; and there is a flood of thoughts that roll through my mind this morning as I reflect on how my perception of this holiday has changed over the past decade or so. There is a part of me that wants to put all that I am thinking here on my blog; but instead I am going to post a few pics from this morning's outreach to the camp pictured above.

Snack food in Burkina.

So I was thinking about looking up a bunch of stats on peanuts in Burkin, and then I thought, "Who really wants to read about numbers related to peanuts?!?!" What you are looking at above is an entire roof top (out in a little village called Zina) covered in peanuts. They were supposed to be drying in the sun, and they were until it started to pour down rain the following day! Peanuts are a huge snack food item here. There is a certain time of year (now for instance) where peanuts are found EVERYWHERE. Just in case you were wondering though - there are no honey roasted peanuts here. (which I absolutely love!)
Anybody want a peanut????

Focus BLoCK

I stepped outside of my door on Friday to notice an amazing cloud formation off on the horizon. The longer I looked at the sky, the more I realized just how unique the coloring was due to the sun setting on the horizon. I quickly grabbed my camera and tripod and jumped on the roof to get a better angle.

The above shot is purposefully over exposed as I was trying to get the people on the street lit up enough to see. (see pic below for much better colors and contrast) What hit me as I was taking shot after shot of the amazing colors and cloud formations was just how oblivious everyone was down below (as I was taking the pics from my roof top). I kept "ooo'ing" and "awing" at the clouds, trying my best to capture all the colors and formations with each passing minute; but when I finally paused for a sec to look around, I noticed a few kids starring at me from the street while everyone else was just going along their merry way. Not a single person that I saw that evening took the time to stop and look up - not one.

I think that is when it really hit me just how blocked my own focus had become at certain times over the past couple weeks. As I will be flying back to Washington state in less than 2 months now, there have been too many times where my attention has been locked on the future in anticipation what lies ahead, completely missing what was right in front of me for that particular day. Just today, I was thinking about arriving home and what I was going to do about a vehicle, what my first meal would be, whether or not Starbucks would be open around midnight when I arrive, who I would get to see, and on and on. It has become so easy for me to slip into this future focussed coma and disappear for an hour or so in the middle of the day.

Thank you God for the moments when the clouds roll in as the sun is setting and the sky simply grabs our attention and says, "HEY! Stop - and appreciate the beauty of moment for what it is.....stop - and appreciate today."

Rare cloud formations roll on through Ouaga.

Tug of War!

This game has become quite the challenge to organize (dividing the boys up into even teams); but once the game gets started, it is quite a hit! When was the last time you played 'tug of war?'

Just a quick video update to say hello.

Such different expressions.

I had to laugh when I got home and looked at this pic on my laptop. Everyone's face says something totally different. It took three attemnpts to get this shot - just imagnine if we would have taken three more.

Recent Village Trip to Gampala.

A Strategic Response.

After surveying the severity of the flood damage in specific neighborhoods, we began to meet with local authorities in order to develop a strategic response. Our goal is to get the local community involved in the rebuilding process while providing the materials for more reliable housing.

Lost in the flood.

Just a small token amidst multiple piles of debris now scattered throughout the city. There was nothing left of the house where this clock was found.

Larger News Networks Finally Grasp the Depth of Devastation in Burkina Faso and Neighboring Countries.

Days after devastating floods hit Burkina Faso and surrounding areas, major networks are beginning to pick up the stories and pictures of the people and all that was lost. Some escaped with only water damage to their households and belongings, others lost everything in only a matter of hours. In one area we visited, the water level had reached over five feet in height, causing multiple mud brick houses to crumble into piles of debris and mush. The numbers continue to rise with each passing day; and at this point it is still a guessing game as to how many families are left without so much as a basic shelter over their heads as the rain begins to fall yet again this weekend.

Standing on and in front of what used to be a house. The water in this particular area rose to over 5 feet in a matter of hours, causing major damage to homes and the surrounding area.

More Flood Damage.

Another photo taken by some friends of mine. This is a foot bridge that usually sits a good 7-10 feet above a drainage canal! The amount of water that rushed through was more than I have ever seen in the four years that I have been here.

Unexpected Deluge Reeks Havok on Burkina!

This pic was taken by some missionary friends of mine here just yesterday. Rain is fairly common here in Burkina this time of year; but the amount that came down yesterday morning between the hours of 5am-3pm was much more than the city could handle. Many drainage canals over flowed, wiping out bridges and swallowing cars along the way. Streets were covered with water and mud, power was cut for hours, houses were flooded and destroyed, and there were multiple deaths in and around the city all due to the excessive rainfall! I will continue to post updates and pictures as they come in. Please continue to pray for the people here in Burkina.

New Kids of Hope property was a smooth transition.

I am happy to announce that the transition to the new property for the Kids of Hope program was a great success! We (Kate Royal and I) officially started the program today at a new location and were excited to see just as many if not more boys attend than we have the past couple weeks. [pictured above: kicking things off with a team game brings out a lot of smiles as this is often the only place for these boys to get together and play in an organized sport/game]

Crazy weather!

So I'm sitting in my house the other day, and it started to rain rather suddenly. Before I knew it the wind kicked up and the rain was whipping by at a rather crazy angle. For a brief moment, I felt like I was back in Florida during one of those fun afternoon thunderstorms. It was quite refreshing to say the least.

WIRED 30 HOUR FAMINE AND FOOD DISTRIBUTION

Faces (cont...)

Faces

This week I will be posting random pics of faces of people here in Burkina Faso that I have taken over the years. Comments are welcome.

The real purpose of a 30 hour famine... (very small video due to low bandwidth)

Death of a smartphone....

Nearly a year ago now, my cousin gave me this great Blackberry 8830 to use here in Africa. Upon returning here to Burkina Faso, I was able to get most of the features up and running. Well, a month ago I finally got the unlimited data rate plan going here. Everything was working great until yesterday morning I woke up to -you guessed it - the red light of death! At first I was rather confused as I always turn my phone off at night and have the alarm turn on the phone and wake me up; but this time I woke up before the phone was scheduled to turn on only to see a steady red light. I observed it for a while and noticed that it was essentially cycling internally. It would attempt to boot up (like from a hard reset) then flash the white screen with the turning hour glass for about 3 seconds and then go black again - only to start the cycle all over. If I take the battery out and plug it directly into my laptop, it will do the same thing only windows is so kind to remind me with a constant "bing" that it is virtually being unplugged and plugged back in over and over again.
If you should encounter this same problem, I regret to inform you that your phone is officially "bricked." I am sure that some tech savvy hacker out there has found a way to fix this; and if by chance you are reading this, I would greatly appreciate any comments or helpful hints you might have. In the mean time though, I will be hunting down a new phone on ebay and doing my best to get a replacement in the next 30 days.
Oh - and I forgot to mention that all my contact information was stored on the phone and lost in to a digital 'stargate' at this point in time. Live and learn - should have backed it up!

The cats will play when the .....power goes out???!

If there is one thing that I have discovered here in Africa, it's that the power cuts quite often; (everyday actually) and when it cuts at night, it's always good to have something fun to do. I recently acquired this awesome green laser off of ebay. Not only is it super bright, but I can use it to point out stars and constellations in the night sky as well. You would have to see it to believe it, but it's almost as though the laser beam just keeps going and going.

What I dream about when it's hot and humid......

Here in Burkina, the season is currently referred to as the "rainy season." It's no monsoon, but it can be quite hot and humid at times for a guy that grew up in Washington state. Just yesterday, I was sitting in my house with no electricity and sweating profusely as the humidity was over 70 percent. It's during those times that I like to close my eyes picture something like this.
This pic was taken back in 2004 of me standing on top of Green Mountain with Glacier Peak standing tall in the background. The view was breath taking and the air was so crisp!

Craving something different....

Yes - that's right. I have a grill on my front porch! Though it is rather small, it was a wonderful gift from some good friends of mine here in Burkina back in December. There are days here where the usual rice and sauce or bland pasta dishes just don't cut it; and those are the days that I bust out the grill and try something a little different! If you have any fun and simple grilling ideas that pertain to fruit - let me know.

Things Change.....

Here in Burkina, some things seem to take a long time to change. Interestingly enough, in some circumstances, things can change rather quickly as is the case with the Kids of Hope club property. What you are looking at in this picture is what has come together in just the last 2 weeks (yes - that is a foundation for a house). As a result, we are in the process of re-locating the club; and with God's direction and peace, we hope to be able to keep the club there for many years to come.

More awesome night "Lights."

Just last night, another awesome thunder storm rolled right over my little place here in Burkina. I was able to get just a few more pics before it started pouring down rain. If you look closely, you can see the three different pieces of lightning in the the shot.

Have you thought of trying the "West African Cuisine?"

For those that have lived in Burkina Faso, this is nothing new; but for anyone that has never traveled to central west Africa, this may be an intriguing sight. This local dish is called to and sauce (pronounced like the English word 'toe' ). The white stuff is made from millet and has a fairly bland flavor. The green sauce on the other hand is made from boiled leaves and often compliments or simply adds to the 'to.'
There is a restaurant in downtown Seattle called the West African Cuisine; and though I have never ventured there myself, I am curious if they serve this particular dish.

Ever wonder about gas prices in 3rd world countries???

What you are looking at is 400 CFA or roughly 85 cents (USD). Currently that will get you a round trip cab ride about 4 miles anywhere here in Ouagadougou. Sound too good to be true? It is. Cabs here are cheap. They have to be or else they would never make any money. The greater population of the country does not have the income to cover the cost of a car let alone a single payment. So what does it cost to fill a 10 gallon tank at the pump here in the capital city? The correct answer for today based on the current exchange rate of 1 USD = 465 XOF is $54.90 !!! When was the last time you paid that much for 10 gallons of gas???

You call that tea?!

So people often ask me what I eat over here in Burkina but often forget to ask about the drink of choice. This is a common sight all over here as tea is brewed and shared in three rounds between friends, family, and even alone. It's typically a black tea imported from China; and when brewed right, it can have a great flavor with enough sugar and caffeine to keep one going for hours. To fully experience Burkina, one has to stop and taste the tea.

Weekend ministry and activities.

Each Saturday here in Ouaga, I help host a kids club called Kids of Hope. This week, we continued the story of Saul's conversion experience in Acts 9. To get a better idea of how challenging it is to hit the mark without being able to see, we altered a classic game of "pin the tale on the donkey" as seen in the above pic.

Lighting up the sky

I was able to get this sweet shot with my little point and shoot camera last night from my front porch. I noticed some amazing lightning off in the distance, so I grabbed my little camera and set up the tripod to see what I could get. After taking about 20 or more shots, this first one turned out to be the best.

A Wall of Dust = Amazing Pic

This particular shot was not actually taken by me, but it best illustrates that "wall" effect that the dust creates just before a big rain. I had to turn up the contrast a bit because the shot was a little bleached out.

Just before the rain...

When it rains here in Ouaga, it rains hard; but just before the rain something different happens. Pictured above are three shots taken in about the same spot. I had to move a little on the last two due to all the dust. If you look closely at the second shot, you can see the dust moving towards the camera. I I had taken a good panoramic shot, you would really be able to see just how much the dust looks like a huge wall. I will post another pic after this that will better illustrate that wall effect.

The night sky....

[This particular shot was taken with a Cannon 20D using a Tamron 18-200mm lens. ]
There are days here in Ouagadougou where the humidity is just so high that it is not comfortable to be outside for very long; so at night, it's no wonder why many people get out and simply sit around for hours talking about their day.

"The stars around the fair moon fade
Against the night,
When gazing full she fills the glade
And spreads the seas with silvery light."

- Sappho (around 500 B.C.)

There is wild life in the city....it's just a rare thing is all.

It may be hard to tell by looking at this photo, but this monitor lizard is actually a good 3-4 feet long! Recently spotted in a local park not more than a mile or two from where I live, I would have never thought that something like this could live in the city without being eaten!

The bathroom is ..... over there.....somewhere.

Taking a nice stroll through a local park, I ran across this sign. The funny thing was that there was no latrine or path or tail of any kind.........hmmmm.....

Dream Machine! (No - I do not own it)

Brand new and fresh off the boat, this beauty was shipped from England with only 67 km on it!!! A friend of mine who is working with "Friends in Action" had this donated for use here in Burkina Faso. Every person has a different idea of a their "dream car/truck;" but for me, after living here in Africa for over 3 years - this is really is the ultimate ride!