Retreat to Interlaken

Just about two days after returning to Germany, I took a trip to Interlaken, Switzerland for two days as a retreat between Summer and starting a new school year.  I hiked down to a spot along a lake I had noticed last Spring that was particularly beautiful at sunset.  That night, I stayed in a hostel with 5 other girls, then hiked, had coffee, watched paragliders, read, and rested the next day before heading back to Storch.  Here are some pictures from that trip.

Pics from Burkina

Chatting with some kids at Compassion International

Jordan teaching Duck, Duck, Goose.

Pumping water for bathing.

The church in Sami

The Girls in our group

Back From Burkina

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you all so much for your prayers and your encouraging words as I traveled to Burkina Faso for a short-term missions trip.  It was a fantastic week!

Our Work and Experience

Our team consisted of ten students (six girls and four boys), and three leaders.  We worked alongside some Christian and Missionary Alliance missionaries in Ouagadougou, the capital city, Bobo, the second largest city, and Sami, a small bush village.  Much of our ministry was focused in Sami.  The guys labored diligently to roof the village church, while the girls played with the children, who initially found our white skin to be terrifying.  I was astounded and humbled to learn how crucial our physical presence was for encouraging the church. Our presence in the village validated the significance of the church to the Burkinabe.  People of Sami were amazed to know that we left our comfortable lives to tell them about Jesus.  After the first day of work, we spent the evening dancing and worshiping with Christians in the village.  Many people who were not Believers joined in the festivities.  A missionary gave an evangelistic message.  As soon as the next day, one young man in the village gave his heart to the Lord.  The missionariesexpect that the church numbers will continue to grow rapidly.  Praise the Lord for using us in ways that we could not imagine.  In addition to our time in Sami, our group was also able to help out with a children’s Sunday School class, to sing with and give candy to kids at Compassion International (it was such a relief to see over a hundred kids who did not have distended bellies), to hold neglected baby orphans, and to observe a number of development projects headed by Christian and Missionary Alliance.  At each of our various sites, I was increasingly amazed by the compassion and servant-like attitude that our students demonstrated.     

Perhaps the most memorable of our visits, however, was to the Burkina Christian radio station, where one of our missionaries does a program.  She brought us into the studio to introduce our group and sing a song.  I had the honor of introducing our group in French.  It went well, until the DJ started asking me questions.  I quickly switched to English. J

On a Personal Note…

Another very personally significant part of this trip for me, however, was in my struggle with the Lord.  As we drove through hours upon hours of mud huts and hot dusty roads, with no break or clean skyscraper to break the landscape, I felt the Lord asking me, “Stephanie, would you come here if I called?”   I don’t believe that He was calling me yet, but I still did feel a bit like the rich young ruler, who Jesus said must sell all his possessions.  The idea of living there seems scary, lonely, and isolated.  I found myself once again resigning to the indisputable fact that if I follow the Lord’s calling, wherever it is, He will be faithful to care for the details that seem so frightening to me.About Burkina

Other than its unusual name, many people may not know much about Burkina Faso, so here are a few quick facts:

·      Burkina Faso is located North of Ghana (where I studied for a semester in college), in West Africa.  It is part of the “Sahel,” the area between the Savannah and the Sahara.

·      It is a formerly French-colonized nation.  

·      A UN report listed Burkina as the poorest country of the world.

·      People of Burkina are called “Burkinabe” (pronounced Burkina-bay)

·      1 out of every 3 children born die before they reach age 10.

·      The literacy rate in Burkina is currently only 15%.

Please remember to pray for Burkina Faso and the growing church there.

I hope that you all are having a wonderful Easter weekend.  Spring is in full bloom here in the Black Forest, and I hope that you are enjoying it as well wherever you are.

Love and Blessings,
Stephanie

Around Storch

Some of these pictures are backwards, but you can see the Thanksgiving Day table, the fun in putting out our desserts, and the chain of backrubs after our meal.  

Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving at BFA.  As I reflect on the Lord's many blessings, I am especially grateful for you all, for your support, your encouraging words, and your prayers.  The Lord has truly answered those prayers, and I've had many mornings that I've felt so lifted up by the prayers of the Saints.  Thanks so much for joining me in this ministry.  

Thanksgiving

Hello Friends and Family,

Since my last blot post, we had another dorm parent weekend off, but rather than the normal 3-day weekend, they were gone for 5 days in Greece. By God's grace, we had help when we needed it, and I learned an important lesson of not biting off more than I could chew.

Because I'll be sending out an update letter to you all soon, I'll just give a bit of information in this post. First, tomorrow is when BFA celebrates Thanksgiving. It is a more neutral date for this international community than the Thursday of American TG. The Central Kitchen is providing the Turkey and mashed potatoes, but we are making all of the sides and dessert. It's been a blast! Today, I made my TG day favorite, corn pudding, and my first 3 pumpkin pies from scratch. :)

November is known for being the toughest month at BFA. While Spring semester has a 2-week Spring Break for students to spend some time with family and therefore to break up their long push, this semester has no such break. With the cloudy weather and the feeling that Christmas break is so far off, many of the students (and staff) become a bit down and edgy during this month. That made one recent conversation with one of my girls incredibly encouraging. As we sat and chatted on the couch in my room, one of my juniors encouraged me that I was exactly the answer to her prayers last year, and that she was so glad to have a staff member that she cold talk to. What a blessing, and what an affirmation in this dreary month. I'm really enjoying the chance to get to know these girls better as time goes on.

Thanks so much for all of your prayers.

Grace and Peace.