Update from Lynn Kennedy in Burkina Faso, West Africa

Beloved and coveted partners in prayer:

Quickly,

1.) Please see below a for sure PRAISE regarding my brother-in-love

2.) The little girl, LARISSA, 4 years old we have been helping medically has been diagnosed POSITIVE for AIDS!!!  Please, please pray that we will be sensitive to all needs and how to deal with this as a church body!  This is the little tyke abandoned by her mom 3 years ago ( mother just died) and neglected by her father!  Grandma is the one who has been caring for her.   I am still a little baffled by what is happening..Patrice and I are basically the only ones going to the hospital to take food, clean bedding, etc.  Our church usually is flooding the hospital rooms.  

3.) Our sweet SANYA, 8 year old now in Ouaga waiting for cleft lip corrective surgery is doing well. Additional meds have beed prescribed to build up her health prior to the surgery. Please keep praying for her.

4.) Most current tally for our youth center is we are at 13,250 of our 20,000 goal ( and as of yesterday have a few other possibilities in the works)

5.) AQUILAS  is laughing and amusing himself and breast feeding!!

6.) Steady rains have begun.

7.) Jim Dotson of HESENTME arrives June 14 and will be installing a solar unit at the buch clinic in Balembar, our Impact Team form FBC Williston, ND arrives the 17th and will be doing medical/evangelism in Nakar. I head stateside with them all on the 27th of June.

8.) 50% of needed funds for church repair/expansion at Balembar have been received..

9.) Funds " in the mail" for the expansion at Nakar.

10.) Our "FEED HIS CHILDREN" Ministry is now feeding children in 4 of our churches each Sunday.  This will be expanded in June to include 6 churches.  This will also expand in June to include a HOT MEAL one Sunday afternoon a month!!!!  One woman. A vision. Less than a year later, nearly 300 children are being fed spiritually and nutiritionally each Sunday.  We are belieiving God that by the end of 2010 all of our 11 churches will have implemented "Feed His Children".

11.) We are continuing to financially invest in teh production of the Jesus film in Lobori and Birifor ( 2 people groups we are now evangelizing as well).  In the last 12 months Shattering Darkness General Evangelsim Budget has contributed $1500.00 toward this work-in-progress!

12.) With God's grace , Shattering Darkness Gen Evangelism funds were able to 'gift' our Ghana Pastor-Partner, Samson, with the funds to purchase a bush-bike to help him and another seminary student, continue with the Muslim, "Women at the Well" ministry as well as the street ministry.  As of this week he has contacted us stating that with the motorbike, he has added a third evangelistic outreach!

AS ALWAYS...at least for us, along with blessing and expansion..come the demonic attacks!  Please, please pray for the marriages and children of all of our key leaders!

Thank you...beyond words to express...thank you!

Hidden in the One Answering your prayers,

lynn

ISAIAH 65:24

I will be in West Africa for Sanya's surgery!

Just received this email from Lynn Kennedy:

OUR GOD HAS ONCE AGAIN RESPONDED TO THE PRAYERS OF HIS PEOPLE!

Our appointment lasted about three hours which included photos, prescriptions and x-rays, blood work, etc.

The head 'facial' surgeon in all of Burkina, Dr Ouedraogo will be preforming the corrective surgery within the month.

Sanya has been placed on meds to bolster her blood.  In addition, there is no morphine to be found in-country. The chief of Medicine in Burkina must place the order and we wait until it is received.

Sanya and her aunt are staying in Ouaga with an uncle, Alain.

The in-country reps of Foundation: A Better Life are Mr. ALexandre Tapsoba and Mr. Bylah Zoungrana. Join me in thanking our Lord for each of these people and for 'Foundation: A Better Life'.

Shattering Darkness is providing food for Sanya, her uncle and her aunt as well as taxi fare and incidentals like tooth brush and tooth paste.  When the time comes we will also pay for the bus fare from Ouaga back to the village.

Foundation For a Better Life paid for all exams, all meds and are also paying for the surgery and hospital stay!!!!  Incredible!!

When all has been regulated, we will see what designated funds still remain for Sanya.

We may be able to provide some clothing, some long-term nutritional help, school fees.

For our partners who have been captured by the strife of this little girl...thank you!  I sat by her today holding her hands and at times holding her in my lap.  She was frightened and cried often.  I kept telling her that Jesus was with us and He was going to help her and heal her. As I dropped them off, I gave her the equivalent of a dollar and told her uncle it was for her. She was a happy little girl!!

Thank you, each one, for praying!  Thank you for standing and kneeling with us through this journey.  Thank you for persevering.

Preparing for my 3rd trip to West Africa...

To prepare for my next trip to Burkina Faso, I opened my journal that I took on my first trip and found I had only one entry. This is what I wrote (unedited):

July 30, 2009

"The heat was unbearable last night as we went to bed. Fortunately, exhaustion took over and put us to sleep. Without electricity there wasn't much to do but lay in bed and ask for strength from God to help us get through our first full day of work. As the day was ending, I couldn't help but notice the look of total exhaustion in everyone's face. Sweaty faces with red blotches, sweat soaked clothes, all fighting back the complaints that you just knew were running through their minds. I looked down at my feet and noticed how swollen my own ankles were, something I had never seen before.

I will never forget the moon setting over the African horizon last night. The clouds broke and the sky was full of stars and there the moon shown bright as the sun. It was like a gift from God for only the few to enjoy that awoke that time of night.

Just after breakfast and devotion it began to rain. Although this has shut down our work for the morning it is looked upon by the villagers as a blessing from God, a sort of approval of us being here.

I see it as a way to heal us from our torturous first day of being in Africa. It's restoring all of our spirits. You can actually watch faces of our team being restored."

I truly wish I had the strength to have written more but maybe this was all I needed to say. My wife Holly always refers to this trip as "my best vacation I've ever had".

Somehow, reading this makes me miss Africa.