By an international worker serving with The Alliance in Burkina Faso, West Africa
Graduates of Poundou Bible School (Alliance) in Burkina Faso typically are assigned to struggling, isolated village churches. After four years of rigorous training, these new pastors and their wives often work under trying conditions with few established believers to support their work.
Many of these couples are positioned on the front lines of the Kingdom’s advance in the Kenedougou region. In this area—highly resistant to the gospel for many years—large numbers of people are coming to Christ through a move of the Holy Spirit.
True Missionaries
Village pastors bear the heavy responsibility of discipling new believers and strengthening church plants. Due to a lack of trained Christian leaders, they often must oversee up to three churches in addition to cell groups.
Kenedougou’s true missionaries are the pastors’ wives, who conduct teaching ministries and provide much-needed guidance and encouragement to women and children who choose to follow the Lord. These women serve whole-heartedly in the face of language and cultural barriers that include traditional fetish practices.
Madeline and Lydie, two pastors’ wives who recently finished their studies at Poundou, work with new churches in this region. Recently, they were encouraged when the Alliance Women’s (a.k.a. Great Commission Women) evangelism team arrived with a group of pastors to support church leaders in Kenedougou.
17 People Commit to Christ
During the week the group visited three villages, planting new churches and strengthening already established congregations through teaching and discipleship. It also was a great week of evangelism.
In just one village, 17 people made decisions to follow Christ.
One of the new converts, Sanata, 11, asked her father for permission to follow Jesus. He agreed, even though he and her mother are not yet believers.
Sanata’s name is now listed on the church roll, confirming her commitment to the small band of believers in her village. Their congregation’s leader, 28, is the oldest person on the roll.
Pray
Pray for the pastors’ wives as they work with their husbands to reach the last unreached villages in Kenedougou with the good news of Jesus.
Learn More
Read “No Other Name” for more about God’s moving in the Kenedougou region.