He spent much of our lunch answering our questions. He talked at length about handling criticism, about ministering to your wife and children, leading a healthy church, and longevity in ministry. He even spent some time discussing his reasons for inviting President Obama to Saddleback and accepting the invitation to pray at his inauguration. Real quick answer = Influence. Needless to say, it was a fascinating to listen to him discuss his life.

One of the things that stood out to me about my time with Rick Warren, was his humility. It was evident to everyone in the room, that this man, who is probably the most recognizable pastor in the world today, has not lost his sense of who God is in his life. It was refreshing.

In the last two years, we have built 7 churches and have provided the resources to dig 26 wells in Pougli villages. We partner with the Christian Missionary Alliance in Burkina who are training church planters to be pastors in these villages. From what we can tell, our efforts have opened the door for over 500 Pougli people to put their trust in Jesus Christ to be their Savior. We spent much of our time going from village to village encouraging these new believers. Many of these Christians still live in fear of either a hostile village chief or the witch doctor.

Because this country (and most of Africa) suffers from diseases related to unclean water and malaria, much of our efforts in reaching the Pougli and others in Burkina, involve providing clean water for these people. To quote the mayor of the town of Founza (a Christian), “people cannot hear the gospel until they first have water to drink.” Not only is their water unclean, but many of their wells run dry before the rainy season.

One of things that has grabbed hold of my heart on this trip, are the amount of children that I have personally encountered who are sick because of worms, malaria, and malnutrition. (see pics) As a result, many of their stomachs are bloated. Because Burkina is such a dusty country (during the dry season), many of these children are covered from head to toe in African dust. I woke up this morning at 5 AM with an overwhelming burden to pray for and to continue to devote my life to the children with the dirty faces and bloated stomachs.

Here are a couple facts:
• Burkina is the second poorest country in the world.
• It ranks 1 or 2 (depending upon the study) for illiteracy.
• 1 out 3.4 children in Burkina will die before the age of 10.
• The cost of malaria treatment is less than $8.00.
• The cost of the worm treatment is 25 cents a pill.
• To build a hand dug well in Burkina is about $1,500.00. To build a drilled well is about $6,500.00.
• To build a church (finished) is $8,000.00.
• You can sponsor a child in Burkina Faso thru Compassion international for $38.00 a month.

Next year we have plans to build 7 more churches and to dig 20 new wells. If you would like to partner with us, you can contact Paul Richardson at paulr@westridge.com.

We leave Burkina tomorrow with sadness because we will miss these amazing people, but also with joy knowing that God is moving in a mighty way across this West African country.

Obviously, I will not have internet service. However, in the past, I have been able to text. I am going to try to update twitter (which is in the box on the right side of this blog). Two of the pastors traveling with me will be speaking to churches out in the bush on Sunday. I will try to update my blog on Sunday. Please pray for our families in the States, our safety here, and for God’s favor on our efforts.

We left Atlanta Monday around 6:00 PM and landed in Paris 8 hours later. I’ve been to the Paris airport twice now but have never been outside the building. I hear Paris is a really cool city, IF I CAN JUST GET A MOMENT TO SEE IT! (hint, hint Paul Richardson).

On our way to Ouaga we always land in Namey, Niger. There is just something about cows at the airport that I never seem to get used. I’m just glad they clear them off the runway before we land and take off.

Last night, we spent the night in the guesthouse that West Ridge has built for our missionary family, the Fields. It’s very nice. Right next door we are completing another facility that will be able to sleep 24 people. This facility will be used to house the people who go on future trips. Both facilities are located on the campus of a Christian school (LAC) that we are partnering with here in Burkina. This school houses 395 high school students. Many of the students are from the families of wealthy Muslims who send their children here because the education is far superior to the education found in the public sector. Matter of fact, 87% of these students pass their standardized testing, compared to 20% in the public schools. We are seeing many of these students put their trust in Jesus Christ and then go home and lead their families to Christ.

Chris and Connie Field and their five children, ages 3-10 (Samuel, Noah, Silas, Isabella, and Gabriella) traveled to Burkina Faso with us. It was fun to have their family on the plane with us. Their kids travel well. Their container of belongings is still traveling here. It normally takes 6 to 8 weeks. Please pray for the Field family. It is so apparent that God has prepared them for this venture. They are here for a minimum of two years.

Matter of fact, as I’m typing the Field just arrived to their new home. The boys are already outside climbing the trees.

Today we will be traveling around the capital city, Ouagadougo (Wa –Ga – Doo –Goo) to expose the other pastors we have brought with us to the work we are doing around town.

Tomorrow we will travel into Sector 30 – the poorest area in the country. It is here that we sponsor children through Compassion International. 1 of 3.4 children in Burkina will die before the age of 10. Our sponsorship basically wipes that statistic off the map.

After visiting that site, we will head to the bush country to visit with the people group that we have adopted – the Pugli. We have already built 7 churches and provided the funding for 27 wells in Pugli villages. From what we have heard, over 500 people have already trusted Christ to be their Savior in these villages.

One night we will be spending the night outside in a village – with the Munkai – a Pugli tribe. These people love to dance late into the night. We have affectionately named this village – Club Pugli.

I know that Tony Morgan and Paul Richardson are blogging on this trip as well, so make sure you read their accounts of our trip as well.

Thanks for your all of prayers.

Pray
Please pray for the country of Haiti and for all the families impacted by this tragedy. Pray for order to be restored and that supplies would get to the people who need them. Pray for God’s peace to reign in every circumstance, and that He will comfort all those who are grieving. Pray, specifically, about how God may ask you to be involved in the days ahead.

Give
• Samaritan’s Purse – Ten percent of the Sunday offering on January 17 will be given to Samaritan’s Purse for earthquake relief. Samaritan’s Purse has already secured a facility with 200 beds to treat the sick and wounded. They are also delivering supplies and sending personnel.
• Gleaning For The World – This organization partnered with our church and Engage Atlanta by providing nine truckloads of supplies for Atlanta flood relief this past fall. Currently, they have already sent over 20 shipments of supplies to Haiti and over 550,000 meals.
• World Help – World Help has already successfully delivered $3.5 million worth of medical supplies and humanitarian aid to Haiti. They had a presence on the ground before this disaster, and are positioned to continue delivering aid.
We have great faith and trust in these organizations and encourage you to give directly to these ministry partners.

Stay Informed
I encourage you to stay informed as the situation evolves in Haiti. We will continue to update you on our web site at West Ridge Church, and also invite you to check this blog for updates.

Be Prepared
At this point, please do not donate supplies to the church. We will continue to communicate with our ministry partners. As ongoing needs develop, we will ask for your help to gather necessary supplies.
We also anticipate the opportunity to send volunteer teams to assist in the recovery and restoration in the days ahead. Begin to prayerfully consider joining us on a relief trip, and check here for more details.