Worth more than gold...

I was wanting to write this story before but I let it pass through my mind. SO here is some stories of my time in Burkina this last year. 

Before I went to Burkina this last time, the Lord put on my heart that I should raise money for Bibles. I wasn't sure who they were going to be for or why it was so heavy on my heart but I put it out there and the response was HUGE! God provided beyond what I could have imagined. Getting to Burkina and speaking with the Pastor of our church, Pastor Valentin, I was realizing the need. He had asked if I would consider buying some Study Bibles in the tribal language for the village Pastors that we work along side. I said, yes of course, if that is a need, then lets do it!

We went to our first evangelism in a village about an hour away from the orphanage. I went with the one american girl who was there, a couple boys from the church, and around 10 pastors from surrounding villages. It was such an amazing time of fellowship. I was able to share with all the Pastors what the Lord had put on my heart! And He had told me that this was a year where the people of Burkina were ready to receive Jesus. One of the Pastors shared that he had the same vision and they had all been praying for their people to come to know Christ. I thought, how amazing is it when God speaks to two people about the same vision, and we were across the world from each other at the time and had never met before. Connections of Jesus!

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the POWER OF GOD!" - 1 Cor. 1:18

When the study bibles came in, Pastor Valentin called me to come to the church to see them. I was so excited and walked over to his home. He started to show me the box of bibles in Moore (the tribal language). There happen to be 4 Pastors visiting that evening in his home, so I said lets give them their bibles! The men were so excited and even had tears in their eyes as we handed them each a study bible in Moore. One of the Pastors said, "Tenielle thank you, this gift is worth more than gold." I will never forget those words. Do I look at my bible literally as the word of God? and see it as more valuable than gold? We can get a bible whenever we want, they are at our fingertips. But for them, it is not that easy.

In that first evangelism we took that box of bibles and gave many Pastors there own study bible and gave bibles to young believers who could read. It was such a precious time seeing their smiles and graditude. I have never seen people so happy to receive the word of God!

Throughout my time, we were able to bless a lot of churches with Bibles and lots of different Pastors with their own study bible in their own language. We even bought out the place that was selling them and they had to have more printed!

With the great gifts that people sent of donations, we were also to buy a sound system for the evangelism team to use to out in the villages, for people to hear from far the word of God. It is a huge blessing as well, and something that the team of African Pastors had been praying for, for a long time.

One Pastor came to the orphanage where I was living to thank me again for everything, we had been able to give his church I believe 15 bibles in Moore and 10 bibles in french, and then him a study bible. He came to me and said, we have been praying for months for bibles. And the Lord spoke to you to complete those prayers. I told him that I was honored to know him and be able to help them. I knew in my heart that the reason God had put those thoughts of bibles in my heart, was because of the prayers of the Burkina people. I visited that mans church on a Sunday morning to sing and meet people. In the service, he had the people who got bibles in his congregation stand up to show me where they had all went. It was amazing to see!

"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." -1 Cor. 2:4-5

God is good and always at work! I praise Him each day for His faithfulness and there is not a day that I am not thankful for the amazing Pastors I had the honor of working with in Burkina. Their friendships are something I will always cherish. The other day they wrote me to day, "Tenielle we had a meeting for our next evangelism and we are praying for you! You are always a part of us, no matter how far away you are. Your with us in spirit and heart!" What an amazing gift! I pray for  them each day for victories in their ministries and for the hearts of the Burkina people to be open to receive Christ!