Burkina Faso 2016

May 30th, 2016 11am

Tankiedougou, Burkina Faso

This is why we came.  Well, one of the reasons why we came.  Today is Well Dedication Day.  Unlike other Living Water trips we’ve done, the wells in Africa are a bit different.  When in Honduras, we arrive, dig, and dedicate the well in one week.  Here in Africa, the well process started long before we arrived.  The wells built here are quite a bit more extensive than the ones built in Honduras.  So…we arrived and about 90% of the actual work had already been completed.  We arrived to put the finishing touches on the well and then hold the dedication ceremony.

Installing the final pieces

It was a wonderful day and we were very honored to be able to help finish up the well.  Many of the members of the village came out to welcome us and take part in the celebration.  It was a great time had by all!

https://youtu.be/bfd0iLXsOFk

Personally, this was the first time that I had spoken to a group about Living Water and about THE Living Water of Christ.  I was a bit nervous.  I was speaking with a translator who’s first language was not English so I didn’t know if what I had prepared would translate well.  I just left it up to God to put the message I was trying to speak on their hearts.  I spoke about how, growing up, my family were cotton farmers (something many in attendance could relate to).  I spoke of spending days in the cotton fields under the hot sun.  How my body would crave water and it was the only thing that would quench my thirst.  And that hopefully, the water from the well that was dug would quench their thirst on long, hot days in the sun.  But they would get thirsty again.  Then I explained to them that Jesus was the Living Water that our souls thirst for.  And when we drink of Him, our souls will no longer thirst.  I think the message was accepted and they understood.  Heck…for all I know, they could’ve all been out there thinking, “Wow!  That guy is really white.  And fat.  And what happened to his hair?  Where did it go?  Poor guy.  Maybe we need to put him to work in the fields so he can get some more color.”

Speaking to the village

After the dedication ceremony, a huge storm rolled through and, quite literally, rained on our parade.  In America, we would take that as a “bad sign.”  But, in Africa, they say that rain after an event is God’s way of blessing the event.  So, all of the Africans were overjoyed by the rain!  We had a wonderful meal in the village chief’s house and then went back to the compound.  It was a GREAT DAY!

After the rain