journal from june 2003

TRIP 1 2003

Day 3 (26/06/03)

Much to write about since our arrival.
So here goes!
This is and will be the most amazing experience.
Bring it on.

Today we visited amongst many other places a family out in the suburbs of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso in what seemed to be a very typical and average house. Very basic and simple. The husband being a retired pastor who had recently stopped with bad health (sinusitis) and there was a rather dry, stale atmosphere in the house when we entered.
After we been offered tap eater in these silver metallic beakers, which none of us were wanting to taste in fear of infection, and a fairly long, drawn out empty conversation in French, on the verge of leaving we asked if we could pray for him (Matthew) and his wife (Delphin).
The atmosphere immediately changed, and it was like a fresh breath of the Spirit of God had been ignited into his bones. We prayed for about ten minutes, for his health, for the family and then Caz followed by me proceeded to prophesy. It was stuff regarding being re-envisioned, a new passion and fire, a new desire, a new joy and purpose in life.
He had looked really discouraged when we entered the house. He revealed later that he had become quite lonely and was missing his church work and responsibilities. He had not felt settled in Ouagadougou, in that he had lived in other towns as a pastor and enjoyed his work. But now he didn't feel like the younger people in Ouaga were as interested or passionate about God, more distracted by the lure of western material influences.
So our words were a real confirmation of what he had recently been asking God for and so he seemed really lifted in spirit.

The best news was the testimony from his wife, Delphin. She seemed to be a lovely lady, who spoke no English or French. She had been bound or hindered by some discomfort. After we had prayed for Matthew she revealed that as soon as we started praying she felt a pain that had been in her body since 1972 begin to move down her body to her leg and then foot (in the same way the pain had arrived).
Matthew told us the background. Back in 1973, Delphin had been in much pain and discomfort, and she had gone to hospital for tests but they couldn't find anything wrong with her and so they sent her home.
Matthew said that this was to be a blessing from God, as later that evening; Delphin was in so much pain she lost consciousness and actually was on the threshold of dying. She saw a path that was so narrow that no one could humanly get through it. And as she was about to go up to what she thought was heaven, she heard a voice saying, 'But what is going to happen to the children?'
At this time Matthew had been praying intensely to God, saying that he wouldn't be able to look after the children on his own and needed his wife back! Then she returned back to her body!

There was now such a great excitement in the house. Both husband and wife were lifted and encouraged as we had prayed for them. There was such a transformation in the atmosphere.

We then prayed for Delphin that the pain that had moved to her foot would dissipate and leave and be gone for good.
It was a great meeting.
We asked if we could take a photo of them, so Delphin rushed to quickly change into her best outfit!

Later that day we also spent some time with Pastor Moises (Moses) Napon and his wife, Madeleine. He was a man of stature, influence and wisdom. He was a wealthy man and they lived in real luxury compared with the average Burkinabe. He was old friends of David's, in fact they go back a long way. He's also the director of CREDO a Christian church organisation which has many charities associated to it like Tear Fund. CREDO are also responsible for the nutrition centre outside David's home town on Leo where his wife Monique works.
Pastor Napon is a world respected leader and frequently travels from country to country to raise funds and speak in churches. Again it was good to pray for him, and I had a word for him that he was like Solomon, a man of wisdom and influence. And I spoke over him that he was a writer and had some writing to do to convey & get out some of the wisdom in his heart (... don't know if it was right or not -> but he seemed to like us!)

It is really exciting as I feel being out in Africa is really a fantastic opportunity for us to practice and develop our prophetic gifts. It is amazing for me personally as 6 months ago I would never have dared, and so it has been such a blessing to be stepping out in faith and getting totally stretched!
I had felt in my heart in the couple of weeks leading to the trip that it would be right to perhaps step out and lead some teaching based on the Prophesy school course running at church led by Graham Cooke and Chris Larkin. This was following a Wednesday afternoon prophetic session with the students where we were using photographs and pictures as stimulus for prophetic words over each other.


Day 4 (27/06/03)

There was a sudden almighty burst of hail on Day 2 whilst we were wandering the city centre of Ouaga for the first time. The largest hail I have ever witnessed - with hailstones at times as large as golf balls - and locals still cycling in the roads oblivious (or maybe just used to it)!
There was the visit to the lake with around 100 crocodiles on our journey to Leo from Ouaga. It seemed an African tradition to sit on the things, much to our amazement and disbelief. So for 1000 francs we had an opportunity to do likewise. Summoned by a soon to be dead (and eaten as our lunch!) Guinea Foul, two crocs quickly surfaced from the water and came slowly onto the river bank. Within a few seconds there is good old David with that full-on Zopoula smile sitting on the thing’s back stroking it and beckoning us to join!
It was actually really good fun and after a brief moment of fear, was not as scary or daunting as I would have thought. Is this some myth that the Australians have provoked that crocs are dangerous? Or were these ones just plastic radio-controlled imitations!

Then there is the testimony of our transport to Leo. Pastor David, bless his little cotton socks is one of the humblest, kindest and nicest guys I have ever met. He, like Pastor Napon has incredible influence and a leader of many churches (somewhere around 200 churches). But unlike Pastor Napon he lives in very humble surroundings and there is absolutely no spirit of arrogance, wealth or pride in him (not that Moises was like that!). So David was driving us around in his little Peugeot 205, a complete banger – it made mine look brand new – it was lethal especially around the pot-holed roads of Ouagadougou. Flip the drivers are maniacs amongst the bikes and scooters which are as numerous as flies.
Anyway this Peugeot is on its last legs; it stalls at most traffic lights, only has a working 2nd and 3rd gear, and has an interesting white smoke coming out of its exhaust. Plus with our combined weight (including bless her – the mighty Becks) it was starting to creek and groan even more.
It all ends on the eve of our departure to Leo with the starter motor giving way after one too many engine cut outs in the day. Then suddenly we find out that Pastor Napon has offered us use of one of his 4x4’s for our journey to Leo.
We had previously considered hiring but costs ranged from £25/day for something similar to the 205 banger to £70 for a 4x4.
So the offer of a 4x4 from Moises for only £15/day was a total blessing from him and God. In fact we did not realise how much a blessing until we made the journey to Leo, down the beaten-out, pot-holed dirt track at up to 110km/hr in our air conditioned Nissan Patrol. Praise God!

So some general thoughts on Africa and Burkina and me:
I am really loving my time here already. It is so special and precious. I really want to absorb and take in as much as ‘inhumanly’ possible. The people are wonderful, so pure, particularly in Leo where the corruption of the west has yet to penetrate.
We noticed such a change of atmosphere entering Leo yesterday compared with the capital Ouagadougou. A feeling of greater peace, more purity in the people, spiritually it seems lighter; that they are living in joy and life, yet within such poverty.

Even in western inflicted Ouagadougou where there is an abundance of icons like modern petrol stations, mobile phones and the hustle and bustle of the cars & bikes, the people still have a physical presence which is rarely found in England. There, in the midst of hundreds of beggars I never once felt threatened or in danger. There is a genuine safety - as it doesn’t appear in their nature to be angry, or to steal etc.
They are in their nature servants, beautiful servants.

David’s family have consistently and graciously served us throughout, providing us with two meals a day, generally served by Jacqueline and Charlotte, even when we haven’t been around!
Then there is the magic coke fairy!
Plus they do the washing up, even love to wash our clothes.
We have been so blessed.


Day 5 (28/06/03)

Today we visited the safari with Christophe and Charlotte, wonderfully driven by Michelle, a fantastic guy who heads up the orphanage in Buru (which we visit later in the week). The trip started with a sharp word from Caz regarding my judging behaviour towards Sylvain & rightly so.
The journey to the safari would have been an hour if we'd found the right road but ended up taking a fair bit longer. Good fun all the same!
The road became narrower and rougher until it seemed like an off-road adventure on a day out with Haydn. Many trees were lying along the trail of the vague road, probably knocked down by elephants, and so we had to leave the preferred path to avoid them. Once at the safari we found we had punctured the rear wheel, and so we had to wait a couple of hours whilst a couple of locals carefully & masterly repaired it using a fire and some interesting looking tools, all for a measly £2!
In that time we chilled under-cover whilst the local men of the village (clearly a Wild at Heart study group) ate their lunch.
Then we were ready to join the safari, on the look-out for elephants. We started well, only driving about a hundred yards before our first meeting. But the locals had joined us, it seemed like half the village, and with all of us there we managed to scare them off. They were about 200m away so we could only see their shadows in the distance. So off we hop back into our roadie on our trail for elephants rather amused that we were paying £5 each (a significant amount to your average African Burkinabe) for the pleasure when the locals had strolled the 100 yards from their lunch. After 30 minutes of driving down along the bumpy terrain we weren’t sure if we were being taken for a ride. I thought we were on a chase for wild geese! Because the track looked so consistently the same, we could have done 4 laps of the same route for all we had known.
But the good stuff comes to those who wait as Arthur well knows. And we were in for a real treat. The next half hour we were elephant spotting, chasing after herds of up to 10 and then being chased back to our own car. Quite a comical concept come to think of it. It was scary and exciting stuff. Most of them had youngsters and so we were no popular guests. SO it became a game of cat and mouse - we clearly being the mice, creeping up on them as close as we could get before being noticed - and then running back to the car. They were pretty irritated by us to be honest. On a couple of occasions we got as close as 15-20m from them. Thankfully we had three guides who had rifles to defend us in case of danger. But a great experience to see these beautiful creatures in the wild.

Later in the day we were in for another treat (hmmmm) as we met our neighbour Doreteeee in amusing circumstances. Caz and Sylvain had endured a heated and loud argument. Climaxed by Sylvain steaming off on a 'prayer-walk' in pursuit of some fags. On his way back he got lost and got ensnared within the 'trap of Doreteee', that is her barb wire fence. So she kindly returns Sylvain to safety (her new toy-boy) with her ol faithful guard-dog 'Orphan', a short, stocky, overweight sausage dog. She is a real treat, an elderly lonely missionary from Canada - bless her cotton socks).


Day 6 (29/06/03)

Today is Sunday.
An action packed, entertaining and long and giving day.
I spoke in David’s home church in Leo on being ‘one’.
There were a couple of funny moments when Sylvain read from the wrong books (Galatians rather than Ephesians) not that anyone looked too bothered!

The afternoon was amazing and felt far more worthwhile. Caroline and I led a ‘prophetic workshop’.
Earlier in the afternoon, the heavens had opened and for about 3 hours the rain was torrential. And so the turnout was very low. It was to start at 4pm, and as usual we arrived in our traditional late style around 4:30pm to find there were only 5-6 people there.
Caz wanted to pull out but after consideration we decided it was right to honour the faithful ones for turning up, and that the Lord had brought the right people. These would have been made up of the usual crowd that all churches must have who literally turn up to every meeting come rain or shine!
So Caz shared for about 15-20 minutes, and I added a few other bits for another 5 minutes. It was spot on. It felt really natural, really free, really simple yet sound and wise. And as we kept speaking, more and more people were drifting in!
Then we decided to go round everyone in turn and prophesy for each one. Man this was a scary moment. We had the impression that we were being heralded as the ‘prophets from England’ – and so this was our time to get ‘into action’. When the reality of it was I had been to a handful of prophetic seminars at church and had only prophesied a small number of times (i.e. I was in reality a baby, yet we were being perceived as something greater). Caz’s words summed it perfectly “…. Ooops out of depth”!!!
So we proceed to start.
The first one was the hardest as I didn’t feel confident. Caz said something that looked well received by the guy. Then I ‘had a go’, it felt pretty vague but I went for it anyway. The guy had a Sheriff’s badge on his jacket and I felt it was right to say that he was going to be a watchman as a policeman keeps watch over the community.
Whether that was right or not – no ideas – but from then on it flowed – it flowed really well, and I was amazed at what came out of our mouths.
At times we were flowing in the zone, for other people it was harder and felt we were saying things more for the sake of it.
Flip it was so draining and consuming. Every time we thought we were drawing near to the end, another person would come in, then another, then another. The word was spreading that the workshop hadn’t been cancelled by the rain … people outside were hearing about us, a few even arrived from one of David’s sister churches in Leo.
Eventually after four entertaining but thoroughly gruelling hours we finished.
A job well done.
We may have been amateurs but that wasn’t important to them, and we had managed to even look convincing!

Also on the Sunday morning at the end of church we had opportunity to pray for the sick. I had mentioned it during the sermon part that we would be more than happy to pray for the sick, then when no one had come forward at the end of the meeting we all went outside for the traditional handshake of the locals. But then about five minutes later we were beckoned back inside as a gathering of sick people had come forward and ‘appeared’! We split into two groups, Caz and me & Sylvain and Becks.
It was going okay until we get to a young lady with what appeared to be a half dead baby. Ah it was terrible. We were informed that she was sick with a fever. To us it looked grim; her eyes were faint and rolling. But we persisted in prayer. Caz kept saying don’t look because the natural did not look good. So we tried our best to pray against our own fear and what our eyes were telling us in the visible and commanded life to come.
Within a few minutes the young girl stirs, and stretches her arms as if waking from a sleep. Still drowsy but a vast amount better than when we started praying.
To be honest I have no idea if we had shifted something, or if the girl was naturally waking up, and we had no knowledge of what the longer term outcome was, but it is very possible that we had been a help. To us it appeared at one time that the girl was on the point of stopping breathing. So praise God! And I really hope and pray that she made a full recover as a testimony of God’s goodness.
At the end of our prayers Caz felt it right for us to give the lady some money for the baby as she looked really fin and under-nourished, so I think I gave them the equivalent of about £5.


Day 7 (30/06/03)

Another amazing day once again. This day a trip with Christophe and David, about 20-30km into Ghana, to a village called Tumu, a journey of about 45 minutes from Leo. We stopped off on the way at the border, a somewhat strange experience as there was not a soul in site until another 1-2 km inside the border. So we got out of the car and took photos. It felt so bizarre and perhaps a little eerie too.
Once in Ghana it immediately felt like you had stepped into a different country. Because of the different roots, the culture was immediately different plus a different and much more vibrant economy meant there was ‘more green-ness’, better buildings through the greater prosperity.
Apparently the reason for the better quality of life in Ghana is due to the different ways the French and British people treated the local natives in the original colonial days. The British trained the natives and got them to do everything, and were just overseers of the work whereas the French led and did the work themselves, hence not passing on the skills.
The children seemed friendlier in the Ghana town of Tumu to David’s home town Leo, an equivalent sized village (not that the kids in Burkina were grumpy but there was definitely a different spirit to them). Here the kids had big smiles and a slightly ruder handshake – more like a slap!

We also saw the local scapegoat, later discovered to be found in every town whether in Ghana or Burkina, whom we impolitely named either Legion or Max (as in mad).
These characters all tended have a very dark skin of a particular tone, wearing similar dark ragged racing green clothing. Another common sign was a few missing teeth plus a certain demonic glare. I don’t know what it is exactly but we felt it was an indicator of the same type of demonic possession.
Anyway we felt really sorry for this particular guy in Tumu, as he seemed to be a real sweetie, especially when Becks offered him a lollypop, bless his cotton socks – he didn’t know what to do with it. And then it was so horrid when with his toothy grin he showed it to the mocking crowd of jeering locals and still not knowing what to do with it – they proceeded to slap and kick him.
I don’t know how these men get into such a place to take on this kind of possession but I know God loves them so much. And I do believe that if they would find sanity through Jesus then whole villages could be transformed by the testimonies like in the gospels. But most Christians probably wouldn’t go near them. My prayer is that God will raise up people who will have the ability or ministry even confidence to free these people. Caz reckoned that this fitted in with the words of Jesus that ‘this kind can only come out by prayer and fasting’, meaning diligence on the part of the believer that they wouldn’t be overcome by unbelief.

The main reason for our trip to Ghana was to meet Pastor Margaret and Pastor Seth (isn’t it funny that they all like to be called Pastor!) David has his connections as he has a real heart for reaching four particular tribes; the Sisalu, Nuni, Mori and another. Ghana contains a high proportion of unreached Sisalu’s (David’s descendant).
Margaret is a largish lady overflowing with joy, to the extent of appearing a bit mad (in a nice way).
She’s recently started a church in Tumu after feeling called to leave the drastically different (and western) capital city of Accra. We were shown inside a small church building which can hold 20-30 people. She also showed us her water making facilities (!) in which she hopes to make a living.
Pastor Seth was a cool but slightly religious guy, who has a heart and call for evangelism. His aim is to preach in the unreached villages via his motorbike (and shades) and if there is already a Christian church planted there, he moves straight onto the next.
I really liked this guy and felt a connection to him and the country, and so perhaps next year, if possible, would love to spend a week with him on his bike.
We got the opportunity to pry for Seth and his wife, and Margaret at the end of the day. Oh yeah and Margaret showed us the Jesus video translated into what must have been Sisalu.
Then what a treat in the afternoon, after lunch in a locals outside ‘café’ (thank God our stomachs survived the rice & cows heart ->> chewy!), a visit to the king of the Sisalu tribe – that is David’s tribe. He just happens to be Margaret’s dad! (And so that granted us the opportunity to speak with him). He is the 5th count, whatever that means, and his father had 50 wives! Yikes how many children would that produce – a mean machine! It was a real privilege to meet this man, and participate in some of the tribal customs that these African countries are steeped in. He is a Christian and spoke to us for about 15 minutes giving us his wisdom and nuggets on God. Not amazing stuff, but he seemed to like the sound of his voice and his position/ status somewhat. But there were some partial truths in what he was saying, although he wasn’t too positive about the place and role of a woman! That’s why it’s so cool to see what a statement his daughter Margaret is doing by leading a church.
As we leave the village we see the idol of the village, the central piece below the leader’s house, covered in concrete, and the chief’s drummer beats out a message for our departure “the strangers are now leaving” or something like that.

That night we are invited to a meal in the church hall. I’m struck with a high temperature and symptoms of glandular fever so leave my food and long for an early night.
Only other thing to mention is the queen of queens, the delightful Monique – wife of David. She has such poise and stature as well as attitude when she walks, naturally commanding respect. She is the African epitome of coolness, and so it’s easy to see where Christophe gets his from.
There she is sitting for food, only 10 days after the birth of Fineus, with her legs wide open – leaning on the back of her chair.

Day 8 (1/07/03)

The start to the day was a bit manic as I have to give Becks and injection to help thin her blood, straight into her stomach. Yikes. Thank God we’d been stepping out so much already and so that made the task less daunting.

Today we went to visit Credo, part of the Napon empire! It is a food and nutrition centre, where children between the ages of six months to 3 years-ish come who are less than 70% below average weight (I think that is right???). They stay usually for a period of about 30 days where they are weighed, measured and treated. The main point of the centre, as well as building up the weight of the children, is to educate the mothers who also stay on-site during this period. They are taught the basics on a balanced diet, how to cook, and simple practices of hygiene. Many just don’t know or simply understand simply through ignorance, and so millions of kids die. In some villages as many as 50% of babies die in their first months.
We also saw a section where they are planting many trees, which hopefully will produce monkey nuts (could be marijuana for all they know!), as it is currently being encouraged by the Burkina government. David has personally bought a batch of 100 last year to try out of his farm plot but unfortunately none of them really came to anything. This is one of the many initiatives aimed at boosting the economy and providing a source of income to the locals.

That afternoon a couple of people came over to say thanks for what we had prophesied on the Sunday afternoon session (the lady whom we’d given money to, together with her husband). Plus Mark, the assistant pastor brought over a Christian who works as a Psychiatric doctor in Leo to be prayed for, as he had not been able to make the prophetic meeting on the Sunday. It was after this that the opportunity of repeat visits back to the country was discussed. This struck me as really exciting, i.e. that this was the start of something much bigger. I think I felt a witness in my spirit that this is a real opening of the things I’m called into. This really is so cool, as I’ve had dreams and desires for years, and this feels like a glimpse of the start of the reality releasing from the potential.
Talk is that next year would be even bigger, possibly with a full-on several days crusade with Seth in some unreached villages in Ghana. Quality! Stepping out and being stretched! Bring it on.
Feel like that word ‘and in the third year, so and reap’ is coming to fruition. Stuff is starting to happen. Praise God.
I would also be interested to spend some time with Seth as well, perhaps an extra week travelling with him on the back of his bike. Felt right; let’s see if the door gets opened.

The day ended with dinner at Dorothe’s. Really tasty spag bol with yummy garlic bread, home-made by her ‘slave’/ servant. She’s a lovely lady but with a few issues. We had a good eve but came away a bit narked as she really shouldn’t be out there living the life she does. I don’t wanna judge – but I hope she does bring something to the people. She lives in a palace compared with the villages. She drives a newish Shogun, and tours her church network every couple of years to raise the finance to support her. Must be 10’s of thousands of pounds.
Anyway we, with David and Monique had a pleasant evening, entertained by the video with various 80’s praise tapes & the karaoke Christian king of pop Michael W. Smith – who isn’t that bad (plus we were entertained as Caz spent about 20mins trying to find her favourite song on the video!).
Ah and there was a lovely homemade banana cream cake.


Day 9 (2/07/03)

It was following the evening meal outside our spooky cabin in Bourra that David gave some exciting feedback on some of the things we had been up to so far.
We heard about the lady whom we had given money to during the prophesy afternoon, who had returned with her husband a couple of days later to say thank you. Only now we discovered that they had had a very sick child who had become very ill. Between them that had no money, in fact only the equivalent of 17 pence. They were absolutely desperate and had prayed to God to provide them with the money to take their child to hospital so that it could get the necessary medication. They wanted to come to the prophetic afternoon but because of the thunderstorm decided not to come. Firstly people do not like travelling in the rain and secondly meetings are normally cancelled in such weather. Then when the weather subsided they thought it was too late to come but the lady chose to venture out on her own. She was one of the last people we ministered to. As she got to the entrance, she asked if she could get prayer from David, himself knowing the situation she was facing.
For us, we had no idea of her needs, and so we prophesied over her, and then at the end, Caz felt it was right that we gave her some money. So after we dived into our wallets and as discretely as possible placed a bundle of notes in this ladies hand, about £30-40’s worth. So without our knowledge, this lady left praising God, overwhelmed by His kindness. They immediately took their child to hospital, paid for the medicine and he/ she was well and playing outside the next day!

Also the first few pundits whom we spoke over during the prophesy afternoon were translated by David. However he felt he had to leave as the things being spoken over them were word for word confirmations of what they had prayed or asked for with David himself in recent months. And so David didn’t want them to think that he had been influencing us, i.e. Caz was being spot on!
And David also shared that the sermon word I gave on the Sunday morning at church concerning being one, and unity was a confirmation to him, as just that week he had been asked to speak at a conference this coming September and had chosen to talk on the subject of unity. Also he had just spoken on this subject at the previous pastors meeting.

This is really cool to hear such testimonies of God at work. This really releases faith to us, that we are being obedient and on the right lines. It also means the door will be open for us to come back next time, and people will be expectant to hear what we bring. Exciting stuff, and sobering as well.

Today we left Leo and have been travelling around many villages in the neighbouring districts. The day started by giving presents to David’s family and saying goodbye. A very sad occasion as it felt we had grown a close bond in such a short space of time. Then we had the blessing of seeing Margaret and Seth once again, who had paid a flying visit on their bike – a real God moment. I was really chuffed to see them again!
Then from Leo, with Christophe on board we set out on a new journey, and new adventure. First to see David’s Dad, then Michelle in Bourra (who I didn’t recognise at first … oops-adougou!), then we dropped our things off, and went straight to Hamele where we lunched and visited the church. Then a final visit of the day to Kietu to pray and look around before returning to Bourra for a night-time meal in the dark. It was an action packed sardine of a day.
So first trip of the day was to see, or at least attempt to find David’s dad. We had a look around the village where he lives, met some of his MANY relations and then started to head off. About a km down the road we discovered him, sitting on a bench entertaining a host of folk. Incredibly sprightly for a hundred year old! He has had six wives although only two are now still alive, including David’s mum who likes with David in Leo. He also has had 36 children, the youngest when he was 70 years old! He seemed to be a real laugh, and was particularly annoyed that we were not staying longer, an upset to the traditional culture.
Apparently he was the first Christian in the south of Burkina, and therefore a very important and influential man. The reason being, he was one of the few French speaking people in the south, and therefore able to hear and receive the message. So there is real heritage in David’s roots.

Next we drove through Bourra, dropped off our luggage, had a quick coke with Pastor Luke (who had met us in Ouaga at the airport on our first night), then hurried to Hamele where we were expected for lunch and a church visit.
We lunched with a guy called Pastor Nicola and his wife (this is where Sylvain’s diahrea problems first started). Nicola is a very close friend of David’s with a very similar vision, passion and goal; to see salvation come to four particular tribes around Burkina, Ghana and other neighbouring countries.
It was during lunch that David entertained us and captivated our attention with stories of fetishes. These are basically idols, and often worn around the neck. This was our first taste of the spiritual warfare that is very prominent in Burkina. Apparently these fetish’s have different powers or uses. For example there were ones which made you invisible, and were used in the war (2nd world war?), where one person could kill a thousand without being seen! How much of this is legend and truth is hard to comprehend to a western mindset. To us this sounded like something straight out of Lord of the Rings … so improbable, yet I’m sure there was some truth to it.
One time, David’s dad had fifty of them, each for different purposes such as fertility, life, even discernment. We were told of one of his wives who had secretly slept with another man – David’s dad being made aware through the fetish. Now allegedly, the dark power of the fetish is such that this lady had to own up, or the fetish would take her life. David’s dad gave her many opportunities to admit what happened. But each time she refused. David’s dad had to give her over to the power and control of the fetish; otherwise he himself would be under the curse. That he did, and she subsequently died mysteriously very soon after.
Apparently David’s dad has many stories to tell of the fetishes but he always holds back on a vital piece of information which he never relates, even to his sons. As he says it concerns matters close to the heart, and it is not advisable to share in case the person’s heart is not pure or able to contain the ‘cornerstone’ information.

These fetish’s often cause stumbling blocks to people becoming Christians, as like Gollum or Bilbo they can prove very hard to give up because of the draw and weight they have on their lives. They entice and are like an anti-christ, desiring to be idolised and worshipped. People can easily become dependant on their supernatural power. Frequently people fail to give up their fetish’s when becoming Christians, signs of this often show up at a later date when ‘strange’ things start happening in the village or people react in a certain way.
David told us of a story in 1997 when Nicola started in the church in Hamele (of which has now grown to over 100 people). A new member had given over a fetish to Nicola, of what seemed a particularly powerful variety as it felt really oppressive. Nicola called on David for his help in destroying it as he felt he needed support because of the demonic power.
So they prayed and tried to destroy the thing but nothing would destroy it. They tried hammering it, they tried fire, and they tried petrol – everything possible. Eventually they managed to break it into pieces in a bucket, and both of them are witness to this – but it supernaturally reformed into a single piece. At this stage they realised what they were up against – a really powerful and oppressive fetish – so they prayed hard and stood on the word of God, and broke its power. Then they resumed attempts to destroy it, and eventually it went – in an extremely awful smell – far worse than anything David has ever experienced. And no remnants of the fetish were ever found – it had simply disappeared!

So after lunch we visited the church in Hamele and the rather Muslim village. Hamele is situated right on the border between Burkina Faso Ghana. It had not previously been evangelised prior to 1997 and had a very oppressive feel in parts, particularly in the Burkina village.
The church itself is located in an amazing spot, right on top of the hill – splitting the two countries as a real beacon of unity and to the Muslims. The atmosphere also was so much lighter and fresher at the top of the hill. Respect to Nicola for being willing to live out there.
We met some of the congregation who had been waiting for us since early morning, introduced by Nicola and then I shared a few words of encouragement – we were amazed by what a disciplined and fervent body they are, getting up at 4:30am to pray each day, with regular periods of prayer and fasting.

It must be an African tradition as the women always tend to sit separately to the men in the church. Here in Hamele there was only one girl to see us, so the poor lass had to sit on her own on the left-hand side. On leaving the church we walked through the village, very strongly Muslim and had a brief chat with the village chief who seemed open to us. We then walked back to Nicola’s house and had a good pray for him and his wife before venturing onwards again to another village, Kietu located between Hamele and Bourra. We didn’t arrive till around 6:30pm with a crowd of people awaiting us which we felt really embarrassed about when we found that they had been eagerly waiting for us since 7:00am! We were shown around a traditional village house, pitch black inside, purposefully as a form of defence in case of attack. A traditional hut structure from pre-Christian or Muslim days and hence full of strange objects acting as idols on the walls.
At the church we greeted the welcoming crowd who had shown such patience, and then prayed for them. They are such servants and show white people far too much honour and respect. We can learn so much from them and their attitude.
It was amazing how such a crowd had gathered on our arrival, many of whom wouldn’t have been Christians. On reflection, we would have loved to have spent more time there and had an opportunity to preach a gospel message as they seemed ripe and ready!
As it was we were late, and as usual behind schedule and due back in Bourra for dinner. What we didn’t realise was that the church in Kietu were also expecting us to stay for food and were very disappointed when David had to explain we were expected elsewhere.
The building where we stayed that night was the most basic of our travels, and exposed the ‘westerner’ in us.


Day 10 (3/07/03)

Another action packed morning in Bourra before the long journey to Bobo Diou Laso, the second city of Burkina and former capital around 1960. So we started off visiting the bible translation centre next to where we were staying headed up by Mark, Monique’s oldest brother and Luke. Currently the bible translation centre is experiencing opposition regarding finances as their American supporters have run out of money.
Then we visited a bible school led by Jean and Virginie. This was quite a hard and dry place but yet full of perseverance and consistency. Got the feeling that it lacked joy and hope, especially compared to the apparent life and purpose at the orphanage, yet it still seemed to be a good place. We prayed for the couple, and then visited the man-made dammed lake used for irrigation to the local villages. This has drastically improved the harvest in the area and the variety of crops that can be grown.
From there we popped in on the church in Bourra of about 200 people which Mark (Monique’s brother) leads.

The highlight of the day was visiting the orphanage lead by Michelle – the bloke who had been our guide at the safari earlier on in Leo. It was really tragic and hard hitting visiting such a broken place yet full of God’s life, joy and prosperity. Michelle has only been leading the work a number of months but is a wonderful man, full of compassion, tears, love and joy. His first few weeks were very sad and emotional and it took him some time to come to terms with the pains of death that are inevitable in such a place.
We heard of one hard story in that Michelle and David were giving blood in an attempt to save a child’s life, spending in the end over £200 in costs, and the child unfortunately didn’t survive. So sad, yet we all felt a real connection and love for Michelle – such a faithful man and so compassionate. It was a real pleasure for us to pray for him, and we all has some positive words for him which again brought him to tears (I was struck by the orange buildings – and the apparent fertile and beautiful land especially compared with the bible college and the words ‘the future is bright, the future is orange kept coming to mind).

Then we went back to pack the car and started the long drive to Bobo, about 4-5 hours in length. Man we needed the Nissan Patrol for those long distance bumpy drives! I actually didn’t mind the journeys as they were fairly pleasant with the air conditioning (on those rare occasions when the rear window wasn’t open letting in all the hot air from outside!), just about sufficient leg room, and this gave us the chance to recuperate.
Well having said that, the journeys were always scary. The roads are bumpy, yet many of the vehicles particularly lorries are totally unroadworthy, in fact lethal, but that doesn’t stop them being driven at alarming speeds – with little awareness or concern! Drivers of lorries who are tired stop their vehicles wherever they decide, commonly on sharp bends without even pulling off the road – and then they sleep underneath! What’s all that about? It’s quite an amusing site yet ridiculously dangerous to themselves and other traffic. It means that the road becomes one lane – and it’s a free for all, as the drivers seem to have no idea of giving way for oncoming traffic – which unfortunately means head on collisions are pretty common..
It was on the subsequent return journey to Ouaga that w saw the remains of a horrific accident involving a Patrol just like ours completely destroyed with a tanker and tractor heavily mangled. Moments like that shouldn’t be pondered on but puts into context the danger of such journeys.
You often see the carcasses of remains of vehicles by the side of the road as there is little in the way of emergency rescue. Then probably within days the scavengers gather to strip away anything and everything except the bare frame.
Then there were the lorries with the broken/ shaky chassis with absolutely no stiffness and wonky axles. Such a scary sight but all too common, that looked beyond the realm of possibility. Plus there is the regular sight of lorries overloaded with baggage or goods beyond belief, with stowaways in random and uncomfortable places. Like standing on the rear bumpers for 300km!

Before reaching Bobo we popped into Danu briefly to meet pastor Jeremiah and see his church. This is the village that Charlotte will live in shortly once she is married.

So Bobo Diou Laso – the second largest city. As we entered we were immediately impressed by its greater class, status and prestige compared with the capital Ouaga. But very quickly we discovered a less favourable side to the city. Now a Muslim stronghold, and with history as the former centre and capital of the country, there is a strong idolatry presence. We found it particularly oppressive from a spiritual perspective, and therefore much respect to those who have chosen to make this place their home to build and establish a Christian presence. We noticed a lot more attitude in the people. They are more aggressive, more demanding and have less joy and peace, noticeably so than Ouaga. The beggars were as numerous as Ouaga but more aggressive and persistent – sometimes uncomfortably so.
In the bank the cashiers were less polite and even rude. Such a contrast to the people in the villages. In this city we saw a lot more wealth but with that we also saw a lot more pride, selfishness and less peace. Such a shame.

Once we had arrived in Bobo we went out for a very nice meal at the Hotel Oasis which would become a regular haunt for us, with the you ‘up and coming’ Zach (‘Zachius’ or ‘Chris Smellie’!!) then returned to our very nice pad where we me the adventurous French cyclists who are trekking across four countries – about 4000km on a triple tandem. The little French girl on the team was really pure and friendly, and fortunately Caz got the opportunity to chat about Jesus on the Saturday eve.


Day 11 (4/07/03)

The day started brightly with Samuel joining David to our pad in Bobo. A super guy, who never fails to smile or lose his temper – an impossibility. Really friendly, a real servant and helper, and a great friend of David’s. He was to be a great guide to us for our days in Bobo.
Today was a busy but schedule free day, starting with a trip to town for a late breakfast opposite Hotel Oasis. We then rambled at our usual snail pace – to the bank, some small shops and then the market. Followed by a tour of the old city, a strange old place, very spiritual with cutting oppression and darkness. We had two tour guides who explained that the old part of the city had been left in tact just the way it was centuries ago much to the disgrace of the people in the know in Bobo who want it to become a modern city.
A tale is told that people came to try and destroy the old mosque which is at the entrance to this old village, and physically couldn’t. They claimed they were supernaturally prevented from doing anything. We didn’t know if this was true or not but certainly felt this area was the core and heart of the darkness that we had experienced on arriving in Bobo. People from the old city dating back to 1400AD don’t want to change or be modernised.

I really felt bad when by this revolting and dirty stream backing out onto many of the mud hut houses. My stomach was reeling and turning inside, the water poo brown, with people bathing and washing in it. We had to cross the stream across some large stones and it was hard work because of the grimness.
The locals believe the fish are sacred. If a woman wanted to have children she must go to the river to see the fish. Then once having given birth would have to take the child and present them to the fish, or they would be under the curse and die! Even today no one is aloud to touch the fish, or would have to face the chosen penalty of the chief.
A memorable moment was the little boy who took hold of Betty’s hand and wouldn’t let go. He kept hold for about 10-15 minutes, really sweet and cute lad, only about 2-3 years old.
We had a powerful time praying that evening prophesying that this young boy would become a man of light and influence to the old village.

After a meal back at our place cooked by Martine, we drove to Samuel’s house for the youth meeting, as late as ever. We were struck by how many flies and large insects there were in this part of the country. Apparently as Bobo is near water, there are a lot more bugs who tend to collect in droves around the lights and lampposts.
So we got to hear this confident young Nigerian, probably straight out of bible school talking on that infamous subject of the mark of the beast, as well as end times and wars. It was a complicated and unclear message and it seemed he was more interested in the sound of his own voice than the actual content. He probably had a real burden for the subject but he came across as pretty religious, and what he had to say seemed to be more of himself than God. At the end, David got up and tried to bring a piece of encouragement from the message …. That in the end times all are called, and will prophesy, and so we should be doing so in our prayer meetings.
Then we were introduced and asked if wanted to share anything, Sylvain got up and gave a brief welcome. I wasn’t sure if I should say something. My spirit felt agitated because of the word spoken, and so I felt a responsibility to say something.
So I got up and gave a brief message mixed in as a welcome, speaking on our hope, that we have Jesus on our side. I felt I had to say something as the message brought fear and seemed to magnify the power of the devil. To our dismay, the message seemed well received by the leaders.


Day 12 (5/07/03)

A truly amazing day.
Another day off for us, with David and Samuel as our tour guides as we travelled west as close as 40km from the Ivory Coast. Traffic was quiet as the Ivory Coast is currently in civil war.
First stop was Banfora, about an hour’s journey from Bobo and 5th largest city in Burkina. A comparatively prosperous area because of greater fertility in the land, partially as a result of investment from multi-national corporations.
After a drink in Banfora, where I brought some flimsy cheap shades we drove to a random lake where hippos can be found. Once again no tourists could be found, and so we had the lake to ourselves in what had become a beautiful and sunny day. We split into two fragile wooden boats bit like gondolas. Mine was with Sylvain and Samuel and it leaked fairly badly!
It was such a wonderful experience, even if we hadn’t spotted a hippo! The scenery was great and there was such a peace in the stillness of this quiet and isolated place. First thoughts of another wild goose chase were quickly proved wrong as we were entertained for about 15 minutes by a family of about 8 hippos. So huge and powerful, spraying water from their mouths/ nostrils 25 feet into the air. Unfortunately we only saw the tops of their heads as they emerged from the water every minute or so to inspect the strange guests who had joined them. A wonderful experience.

Then back to the car to venture inwards again, this time for another glorious sight, to see Les Cascades – a fantastic waterfall. The journey took in some delightful scenery. More hilly and certainly more prosperous than what we had previously seen. There was a greater variety of crops as a result of the fertiliser equipment and other facilities available.

The approach to Les Cascades was fabulous. A beautiful promenade of grand trees up to an open circle – ideal spot for a wedding (that was my random thought for the day!).
Then we climbed up the falls, incredibly slippery, particularly for Becks. The kind of path that would be shut in England for safety and replaced by an ugly man-made steel structure.
The views were awesome, and we could see for miles. There were so many bits to climb, cross and jump over. It was a real adventure, quite risky with big steps and huge drops crossing the water.
The waterfall also was well spectacular, so powerful and menacing, yet gracious and peaceful at the same time. This is the kind of place that I would love to visit frequently simply to hang out and chill with God. David and Samuel were like guides but almost encouraging us to take risks. It was great fun. I felt like a child playing with the Lord, like the poem written by Tessa at uni. You could really sense the smile of God showering down on us.

That evening on our return, we went out for a meal at our local Hotel Oasis, with the leaders of the Bobo church. We were quite tired and so it felt like hard work but nice all the same.
Samuel and his wife Martine are wonderful. Samuel like David is a real man of God. He has real authority in the Lord yet a beautiful love and joy that is so fresh and soothing, and a total servant. He really looked out for us. He is a gift of God and a wonderful bloke.


Day 13 (6/07/03)

Yup another cracking day.
Up early to prepare for church. I think we were all tired, as the trip was drawing to a close. For church we had all decided to share something, about 15 minutes each with Becks introducing us all. With our tiredness, it took us a while to wake up and get into the flow of the meeting. Our concentration was poor and so we were easily - well me anyway, distracted by anything entertaining or unconventional. The worship leader was a fantastic energetic young lady. We had a song from a trio led by Martine – which was painful to say the least (Caz does a great impersonation of Martine’s singing – together with wobbly eye). Then there was one of the truly funniest moments of my life, by the great – the unfortunately named ‘teachers pet’, ‘Chris Smellie’ or ‘winnet’ -> that is Zach, who ‘attempted’ to sing a Ron Kenoly song on his own with no accompaniment.
It was truly dreadful. Completely out of time, a style all to his own, yet the confidence and unawareness to go for it. We were fortunately sat at the back of the church on these comfy sofas, with my head buried in my lap – tears were streaming down my face, and it was agony not to noticeably laugh out loud. Caz similarly had to bite her hand to refrain from audibly laughing. Later this moment was referred directly to Zach’s face in person by David as ‘Wubbish’!!! tee hee!

So Sylvain spoke on the desires of your heart, Caz shared on the hope of glory in me, and then I shared. It felt quite good. Translated by correctly by David (bless the poor silver van). It seemed to be well received with lots of nodding, encouraged heads and smiling. I shared on three things.
Fulfilment; that they were the right people, in the right place at the right time. Not to be afraid but to step into their dreams, their promises for what they were expecting in Bobo.
Secondly to chill out, enjoy God, be still, take time out and enjoy hanging with Him. And finally for the people to be themselves, to be free.

Church ended with us praying for the sick and then the visitors being blessed by the church with a groovy, groovy song! Pastor Jeremiah was also there, whom we had met on our journey from Bourra to Bobo in Danu… yet another cool man of God.

As per usual we munched in Hotel Oasis with David and Zach then went back to our base to chill for the afternoon, our last in Bobo.
David, Samuel and Martine returned for a light tea, bearing gifts. Oh yes!
Such a kind gesture. I received a game called Waleh from David and some wooden elephants from Samuel and Martine.
That night no one got particularly good nights sleep, then we were up at 5:30am ready to leave at 6:30.
This must have been spiritual attack as David came down with a heavy cold which progresses to get worse as the day goes.


Day 14 (7/07/03)

Return to Ouaga and homeward bound.
A morning of driving, followed by lunch in Ouaga … and then we spend the rest of the afternoon searching for gifts and souvenirs – much of it looking for a non-fake Burkina Kappa football shirt for me which after much a searching we eventually get.
Then sadness as we go to the airport to fly home. We were given a lovely sending off, with David’s youngest brother turning up to see us off, along with the lovely Charlotte and her fiancée.
We ended by praying together in the car park – at this stage David’s cold had turned into a full blown bout of flu.
Then the hard bit of saying goodbyes – followed by jumping on the plane and making the flight home.
So that’s it.
What a time.
Job well done.

That’s it till next year!