When You Go On A "Fact Finding" Mission, You Go Where The Facts Are...

I discovered on this trip to West Africa that "fact finding" missions are difficult because we are discovering many needs and we want to remain true to our mission.

After speaking with some of you about our recent trip, I have heard very mixed responses. Some say that we were "brave", others say we were "stupid", but I feel that it's neither of those. This trip was about trust, because we know that there is no safer place in the world than where God sends you.

During our first week, Holly gave a "women's devotional" in five villages and I spoke at the prayer meeting service at the ministry center in Kpakpara. On Sunday, Holly and I led the worship service in Kamkaniba, the very first village we ever visited in West Africa (yes, this is where Holly was bitten by the bat).

We also installed a solar power system
at the  "youth center" in Kpakpara. This will give the kids in surrounding villages a place to go at night to study, play games and hear about Jesus.


Lynn Kennedy
drove us a little over 2,000 miles and we saw almost every border of Burkina Faso. We traveled with a translator and saw things that he had learned about in school but had never seen. Near the border of Mali, we found farms growing sugar cane, mangoes and rice, which was very encouraging for our sustainability efforts.

On the morning that we left for the small town of Yako to meet with Lynn Peters (founder of "Burkina Faso Outreach") we asked for directions in the office of the mission house where we were staying. After they gave us directions, they said, "you do know you're driving into and al-Qaida area?"

When we arrived in Yako we found a burned up police station and policemen standing in the streets with AK-47s. After spending the day with Lynn P, asking questions about her schools and a not so good nights sleep, we got up the next morning and saw the schools first hand. It was amazing to see children learning math, reading and art through stories in the Bible.

We're still sorting out the "facts" and I'm sure I will have more updates in the near future.


We also have two new agricultural partners, "Chapin Living Waters" in Watertown, New York (they are supplying us with out drip irrigation equipment at very discounted prices) and ECHO Community in Fort Myers, Florida (our resource for seeds and information).

It's good to be home but we do miss our friends in Burkina Faso.


Thank you for being a part of the team!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Jim Dotson
Executive Director



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