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.