**The photos are of a village trip we took a couple months ago. It was awesome.  We went to Ziga (a village where we’ve helped drill a well, done pastors trainings and started children’s clubs).  We went there for an all night prayer meeting to pray for what God has in store for them in 2010.

We put the kids to bed at about 10 or so on a mattress in the back of the truck parked close enough to the prayer meeting to where I could get to them easily.  Then I (Heidi) joined them at about 1am.  Joel prayed and participated in the whole prayer/preaching evening.  He said it was awesome even though some of the speakers only spoke in Moore.

The next morning he took the opportunity to meet with the pastors and children’s pastors to encourage them to also get a vision for what God wants to do in their children’s ministry for 2010 and to make some goals.

I have to say, I didn’t realize how refreshing it would be to just get alone with the Lord and focus on Him.  Even when I’m hiding in my bedroom trying to have quiet time after Jakob’s gone to school, I’m never really alone.  My housekeeper is in the kitchen, Joel is doing something, I just know Silas is about to wake up and cut my devotion time short…  My mind is racing all over and its hard to get quiet with the Lord.

We had an awesome speaker named Becky Harling, and she had some great encouraging messages, and then she had us find a spot in the room to pray and be quiet before the Lord, or she put us in small groups to discuss what we learned…  It was just SO good to soak up the presence of the Lord and REALLY focus on Him with no distractions.  It was also wonderful to see the ocean.  I drove about 5 other ladies down with me, and after driving for 2 days (its an 18 hour drive to the coast), when we finally saw the ocean, I got all giddy and started bouncing in my seat and actually cried!  Ha ha.  I missed it so much.

Women of the Harvest brought in ladies to do pedicures for us, massage, morning workouts by the pool, personal prayer ministry, and beautiful haircuts.  I  signed up for them all!  I had such a wonderful time.  I recommend it to any American missionary woman.  Go to this retreat!

Sprinkle in 5 different vehicles, 2 generators and African timeliness, and you also have a recipe for disaster…

This is how it happened:

Operation Christmas Child invited me to train all the Children’s Pastors who were participating in this years outreaches - 65 churches.  The training was awesome!  130 showed up (2 from each church) and it ended with us laying hands and praying for over 30 of them who felt a call to full/part-time children’s ministry.

Then I had the crazy idea - why not train some of them in drama, skits, puppets and create teams so they can go to each distribution and really make the distribution of shoeboxes an extra-special event?  This would also ensure that the focus of each distribution will be more on the Gospel, less on the gifts.

We got 21 volunteers, so Heidi and I paired up with some of our “Give a Kid a Christmas” veterans to train them in 3 days.  Heidi took the Jesus Skit, Issaka and Gregoire took the “Sin Chair skit” and I took the puppets.  We also spent the 1st hour of each day to explain basic discipleship.

All of that was great…  But then we had to find a car, sound equipment, costumes, food, water, gas, etc… for each team.  Sound easy?  It’s not!  But God is good, and thanks in large part to our home church: Newspring, we are able to work it out (they sent 2 speakers, a generator, mics, and of course, a Ford F150).

Then we split all 65 outreaches among the 3 teams (Lightening, Gideon and my team, Ebenezer) based on proximity to each other.  Each team chose a rendez-vous point, then we had to confirm each outreach with each pastor.  Anyways, it’s been a circus!  But we have successfully completed 8 outreaches already.  Here’s our 1st great testimony:

At one church a lady stood up, in front of the entire crowd, after the Gospel presentation and said:

“Before we had great hate in our hearts for you, the pastor, but now, we understand, and we are letting our hatred go.”

Wow!  The community genuinely felt the love of God and for the 1st time understood the Gospel message (told in stories) and are now opening their hearts to the church.  That is EXACTLY what Operation Christmas Child is all about, and that is what Vision 2020 is all about.

More to come!

More explanations in the next blog.

We decided that no matter what, the show must go on…  So we are starting on Monday.  But we need to cover this in prayer!  Would you please urgently pray that:

1. Doctor Peter can get the authorization by the end of this week.
2. We can assemble the drama troupe and retrain them in time.
3. We can find enough volunteers for the packing and wrapping.
4. We find favor with all the school directors - there will be 5 or 6 schools next week.
5. For protection against sickness and equipment failure.

Our 2009 Interns

Wow!!  That was some of the MOST intense 10 weeks of our lives!  The interns were fantastic and we wish they could stay here in Africa (one is coming back - yay!), but there was so much other stuff happening at the same time:

1. The truck came in - this involved a week-long trip to Ghana.  Boy, did that transform our internship for the better!  The 4 interns took our old van and we made all our long trips with style…
2. The Flood.  Wow, that was amazing.  Ouagadougou is still picking up the pieces.  We were able to help in a couple of different ways - by running a kids’ program with games, puppets and film - which really gave a lot of joy, and we gave out blankets and food and mats.  We will be doing more.
3. Prep for Give a Kid a Christmas.  Enough said…
4. Sickness…  ALL of us got sick.  One of our interns (actually the one coming back, if you can believe it) got Typhoid, Malaria, Amoebas and an infection.  All at the same time…
5. I’m sure there’s more, but I’m blocking it out right now

Page 1:  (just click on the image)

Page 2: (Just Click on the Image)

Enjoy!

Our friends and neighbors are suffering.  We are working with Joseph Dayamba to help the worst hit.  

Tomorrow we will be going to the school across from his house to give out food, water, lamps, mats, etc…  We are also working with the local gov’t to see how we can help rebuild homes for the most needy (the widows, the handicapped, the blind, the elderly).

To see pictures, videos, press coverage, etc.., go to Joel’s Facebook profile.

Thank you for your prayers!

1. Discipleship - what it means to be and to make disciples
2. New Testament Team - what is a church, how to form a team that conforms to the New Testament
3. Church planting and strategic prayer
4. Islam and Cultural adaptation - they will go to a mosque and meet an Imam
5. Project management - here they will actually write a project proposal for Kids of Hope
6. Survey and Assessment - how to determine the physical and spiritual needs of a community.  We will go to an unreached village this week.
7. Children’s Ministry - they will plan and execute 2-3 children’s outreaches.
8. Village Outreach - the interns will plan every aspect of an outreach to the village we went to in week 6.  This should be amazing!
9. Day in the life of a missionary - we will visit different ministries and missionaries here on the field (medical, street kids, Bible translation, ethnomusicology, etc…) and then have a “hands-on” time.
10. A lifetime of missions - getting them ready to go home and prepare to go do missions full-time

This year we are going to give a gift to 2000 schoolchildren.  About half will go to kids right here in the capital, and the other 1000 gifts will go to children in remote villages.  Each one will get a brand-new gift (for some, the 1st gift they will ever receive), then we will share a 20 minute message on how to stay healthy - brush your teeth, sleep under a mosquito net, etc..  Then we invite them to come out that evening after school to see more.

At the evening outreach we share the simple Gospel message through skits, puppets, songs, etc..  - all in their native language.  Then, when the sun sets, we share a film and Joseph offers the opportunity to follow Jesus.  We have had over 2000 people show up at these evening outreaches!

This year, we are hoping to raise $10,000.  This will enable us to give 2000 kids an unforgettable Christmas.  Would you consider making a gift?  Here’s a link to explain how.  Just scroll down till you see the heading “Give a Kid a Christmas”.

Thank you!!

We have 4 missionary interns coming for a 10 week internship at the end of the month, and there are 10,000 last-minute details to take care of.  Please pray that this internship will be a powerful, life-changing experience for all of us.

We have been without power at our house (and therefore my office) for 8 days now, and there appears to be no end in sight…

Joseph and Joel have planned to have a training for Children’s Pastors here in Ouagadougou to teach on how to do Child Evangelism.  Please pray that the details will come together and that it will revolutionize many of them interact with kids.

This is a ‘big expense’ month for us: Jakob’s school, yearly health insurance, etc…  God always provides, but He does tell us to ask - would you ask with us?

We went with 3 other missionary families, which made it a lot of fun to eat, swim and play games with, especially the kids.  Joel and Jakob enjoyed boogie boarding, Silas enjoyed digging and throwing the sand everywhere with no restrictions, and poor Heidi came down with a massive fever and stayed in the room the whole 5 days with an intestinal infection, possibly a relapse of typhoid.  But she was very grateful that the 4 days of travel, she felt fine.  She is perfectly healthy now; it was only those 5 days on the beach that were affected.  Of course it tainted Joel’s time there as well.  But everyone tried to make the most out of it. Everyone cheered when she was strong enough to come sit on the beach a little the last day.  

We stayed at a lovely resort called Anomabo Beach resort, ate incredible food, and visited a slave castle in Cape Coast.  Joel even got to see Obama’s helicopter along with protecting military copters fly overhead going to that same slave castle the next day as Obama and his family came there for a visit!!  Here are a few pics, but we’ll add a vacation slideshow soon.

As for the children! They were such a fun-loving, obedient, participatory group! We taught them different aspects of worship using puppet shows, a home-made volcano (worship bubbles up from the inside of us and spills over!), Bible stories and skits, a crafts, etc. We asked the children what their favorite part of the weekend was. They said 1. “Buster’s” rap (Buster is a puppet played by my wildly creative and hilarious husband) 2. Acting out in costume the story of King Jehoshaphat leading Israel’s army with the worshippers in the front praising God ahead of time for the victory  3. Letting loose and dancing to upbeat worship music and 4. Learning how to really focus on Jesus in worship.      

It was really touching to teach the children that they can lift their hands and close their eyes to focus and surrender to Jesus, and watch them do just that with simple faith and sincerity. I think this was the first time for all of them to realize that intimate worship is for kids as well as adults, and can be done when we’re happy, sad, frustrated, and even when we don’t feel like it. When we make a sacrifice of praise, it pleases the Lord and He often will bless us by filling us up to overflowing!

Thank you so much for remembering us, the children and the missionaries in prayer this last weekend!

We started with games (red light, green light and ’sharks and minnows’), then a couple of songs (Panga Wennam), then a Bible lesson (God created the earth).  Funny story:

Joseph: “Who created the earth?”
Kids: “Wennam!” (God)
Joseph: “Who created animals?”
Kids: “Wennam!”
Joseph: “Who created the skies?”
Joel: “Blaise Campaore!” (The Burkina president)
Kids: “No!!!!  Wennam!”
Joseph: “What did God do on the 7th day?”
Joel: “Eat rice?”
Kids: “No!!”
One very cute little girl: “He made macaroni and salad!”

Well, at least most of the lesson came across :) 

Then the kids made a very cute little craft (I personally despise crafts, so the ladies took care of that).

Then we presented one of our favorite skits “God doesn’t love me”.  I think there’s a video of it HERE.

Great morning!!  More tomorrow.

I am bored.  The adventure has lost its color and has become as bland as tapioca without sugar or milk.  A slop of white, transparent, shapeless goop.  If Heidi were here she would roll her eyes: “here we go again” and she would be RIGHT!  I have certain triggers, which shut me down every so often:

1. Paperwork, and mounds of it - TEDIOUS
2. Expectations, and high ones – FEAR of FAILURE
3. Nothing to ‘sink my teeth into’, no real new challenges - DULL
4. A dead social life - SPICELESS
5. No feeling of forward movement – stagnant waters. - TREADMILL

 All these combine to tempt me to feel worthless and BORED.

 How do I combat this?

 1.    Fight for every inch.  That next report may be the inch I need to take today.  Scratch your way forward.  Persistently and determinably press forward - without always looking back to see forward progress.  My Example: John Franke

2.    Don’t turn off.  Keep eyes, ears and internal antennae focused on what you’re passionate about.   What in that movie, conversation, email, news story could relate to what you do?  Where is God in these things?  Stay curious and keep yourself flipped on.  My Example:  Kenny Conley

3.    Entertainment, fun distractions are rewards for work.  Good behavior is rewarded, bad behavior is punished – this is a principle of child discipline, and should be implemented for good self-discipline. My Example: Chad Westphal

4.    Encourage others and you will be encouraged.  I don’t exist for my own happiness.  See the good, the beautiful, the interesting and commendable in others, and let them know.  And as you make people around you smile, they will come back and help you smile when you are down.  My Example: Shea Fite

5.    Just do what’cha got’s ta do.  At the end of the day, I will only sleep well if I broke a good sweat during the day.  Make a thoughtful list, good, bad and ugly, then go out the door and check them off.  Don’t ask the stupid questions: “why do I have to do this, what’s the point?” or “won’t this take forever?” or “what else could I do right now?” - just do it.  Period.  My Example: John Franke

6.    Follow-through.  Got a good idea?  Great!  Now get off your tush and make it a reality.  Talking and dreaming about a great idea without action create a needless burden of regret. Idea huge and seems impossible?  Go to #1.  My Example: Todd Bellot

I have all the inspiration I need to go out and make some decent tapioca pudding.  Thank you guys for leaving such a positive imprint on my life.  Now I better get busy – work to do…

If you can’t see it - here is the link to the same video on Youtube - Milk and Mangos

The Land we have been given! from Joel Hayslip on Vimeo.

Hard time seeing the video?  Here is the link on Youtube: La Vision Video

La Vision Elementary School from Joel Hayslip on Vimeo.

I’ll type these out word for word since they’re very hard to read:

Chipili My Turtle:  I’m going to write aboute a turtle. Its name is Chipili.  It is very cute. Its is very small. It walks like me.  Chipili can run. I think that you think its not true. But It can run a little bit. It has a very hard shell. It has a short neck. It is very smart too. I love Chipili because it did something special for me. It not runing evry time It walks too. I love Chipili’s name. It is strong just a little bit but I don’t care. Its shell is very round. The something special that It did for me is that It played with me. It played with me a bunch of times. It raced with me. If It nice to me I will be nice to her. If I was a turtle I wont Chipili to take care of me. If Chipili was a person she can be a hokey player or a teacher. If I was Chipili I will sleep all day long.  If every one was a turtle we will be so small. If Mrs. Ishmael was change in to a turtle she will be so small to give a lesson.  If Mr. Jones was a turtle we will never came back to school.

Obama (written by a little boy from Italy. I do not agree with his sentiments, but his perspective and the way he puts things cracks me up!):  Obama is the new president of the usa. He turnd president the 25/1/09. Before Obama the president was Bush. Obama is from Kenya and the U.S.A.  Obama is the best president of the usa. Obama is the best. Obama will be 4 years president. Bush is the wost.  George Washinton is the first. Obama ?? (can’t read it).  Lots of people voted for Obama. 1 persend voted for Bush.  Obama and bush where the last 2 presidents. There are lot’s of president of America. At least 60 presidents. There are lot’s of presidents. George Washington had wooden teeth. Now you learned about president of America. There are lot’s of presidents. 60 presidents. Obama is the best. bush is the worst. Obama is my hero because he’s good.