Dear all,
Welcome to the July 2020 Myra’s Wells Newsletter. This edition is a bit different!
Testimony Special
Email from Christine
We have just had an email from Christine. This is what she said:
“We just want to say thank you to all of you working hard to help Burkina Faso. As it said it is in difficult time you can know you true friends. You are Burkina true friends. May God bless you abundantly.”
Christine and Team (English is Christine’s third language after Mooré and French)
Over the last 4 months or so, we have received a number of testimonies from pastors in villages where wells have been drilled. These speak of the spiritual blessings that have followed the practical blessings, as we have sought to demonstrate the love of the Lord Jesus. We thought we would devote space to these stories in this newsletter.
Received from Christine, 29th January 2020
Well at Bilanga, number 27, drilled 2013
“On last Sunday about 30 people from Bilanga with pastor Paul LANKOUANDE came to celebrate God with us and say thank you for the wells and evangelisms through the wells at the East region. They have been able to open new churches about 8 and more than 1400 new born again Christians.” – Christine
Received from Keith Smith, 21st March 2020.
Wells near Kaya at
Tourge (No. 166 – January 2020)
Zorkoum<(No. 165 – January 2020) and
Kaogo (No. 168 – January 2020).
Keith spent many years as a missionary in the Kaya district of Burkina Faso about 60 miles north east of Ouagadougou. This is what he said:
“Firstly, a big thank you for the wells you drilled for our team in Kaya. They have been to visit all the three villages (Tougré-Napalgué, Zorkoum, Kaogo), and are getting good testimonies already of the impact.
Pastor B, the president of the group, and our link person in Kaya, sends thanks on behalf of the villages and the team. He says:
“We went to visit the new well that was drilled in Tougré. The people are so grateful, because it is giving so much water. We went among the Fulani, and asked them if they knew who brought them the well, and they said “Yes, it was the Jesus people!” That gave us a great opportunity to preach the gospel there, and they were really open.”
As you know, our primary goal here is to reach the Fulani with the gospel. We want therefore to be sure that the wells are primarily accessible to the Fulani, who risk being marginalized if the well is in the Mossi area. By putting the well close to the Fulani, this also opens the door for the gospel to be preached, and thus facilitates the planting of a Fulani church among them. The approach to evangelism and church is very different among the Fulani than among the Mossi, so it is great to have B and the other Fulani there.
The team have also renewed the list of villages in need of pumps around Kaya, and will send this to me shortly. The previous list is no longer valid, since the inhabitants have now fled most of these villages because of terror attacks. There are other villages in great need of water, and new areas, especially where the displaced people have settled. We have already been reaching out to these with food aid and friendship evangelism, and are discovering a great openness to the gospel. When I receive this list, I will pass it on to you for your consideration.” – Keith Smith
Received from Christine 15/5/2020
Well at Vara/To, number 115, drilled April 2017.
Christine’s email says this (Michel is Christine’s husband):
“Yesterday the pastor from Vara/To at Leo area visited us. He brought eggs for us and he is asking about you also. We were happy to hear news from the well and we thank God for his goodness.
First of all, he said before the well, the village people wanted him to leave the village because they did not like Christians and did not want the church to be in their village. After the well, there is no problem with them now. They are now friends.
Michel asked him, “Some of them became your friends now?” He said, “All of them. No more enemies. The well has opened a gate for the gospel. People come to my house regularly to visit me now. Before the well the church members were about 160 and today we have about 230 participants on Sunday service.”
“When we first drilled, the borehole was negative. The chief’s son came and mocked me. He said, “Why don’t you pray for your empty well so water will come out?” He did not know God was in control – he did not expect a second try. The second well was positive with a lot of water. Last month this man and his family gave their life to the Lord Jesus. God is Good. He comes 3 times a week to my house to talk with me now.””
Michel asked him, “What do you use the well for? Only for drinking?” He said, “Before the well, at this time from February, it was almost impossible to get water even for drinking; but since we have a well, I can grow vegetables to sell. I do this to pay my children’s school fees now. I have also started breeding animals. We have about 10 families who moved to live near the church because there is water. The well has changed positively my life. Personally, I became a friend of all the village. The chief respects me now, I can get pocket money and look well after my family.”” – Christine
Received from Christine 22/5/2020 – Two short testimonies
Kamssi – Well number 46, drilled in 2014
“I visited Pastor Roger yesterday I was happy to hear good news from Kamssi this well was paid by a church in England. He said 3 families joined the church having become new born again. There are about 29 people adults and children.” – Christine
Komki Ipala – Well number 72, drilled in 2016
“Yesterday afternoon we received a called form Komki Ipala to say how the well is saving life. The man said, “It is working 24 hours a day non stop at this time. Without this well I do not know how we will live.”” – Christine
Other news
Podcast
Our trustee Mark was asked to do a podcast in April to talk about Myra’s Wells and the visit to Burkina Faso in January. This is a part of something called “Retirement Café”, run by a retirement adviser. The video version is available on YouTube. Why not take a look when it comes to coffee time! Watch on this link.
Well still giving clean water 13 years on
The well at Kasson was number 3 on the wells list – drilled in 2007. Michel recently visited and the village and was able to take photos of the crops that are being produced because the well is there and still producing plenty of water. Click this link to read the details and see some of the pictures.
Rotary International
Eddie’s sister, Liz, together with another Christian in her church, both belong to the North Berwick Rotary Club. They decided they wanted to fund some wells. Together, they told other branches about the work that Myra’s Wells does. They understand the way we work with the churches and pastors in Burkina Faso. The result is that about 18 branches have cooperated. They have talked to Rotary International and, as a result, they have asked us to drill a number of wells for them over the next three years. These will be drilled in exactly the same way as all our wells, with Well Blessing services and a gospel message being given.
In Burkina Faso at the moment, there are around 850,000 IDP’s (Internally Displaced People). These are people who have been forced to leave their homes in the north and east because of the security problems. There are many refugee camps and other towns and villages where the population has been swelled by these people. The need for water has been greatly increased in these places. The plan is to place some of these wells in these very needy areas.
Security
Sadly, the security situation in Burkina Faso has worsened. A couple of weeks ago, we saw news reports, three days running, of places where there had been attacks against innocent civilians. About 100 people had been killed. Some of these attacks are terrorists; others related to tensions between different ethnic groupings.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office now advises against ALL travel to Burkina Faso, except Ouagadougou. The advice for Ouagadougou is for only ESSENTIAL travel.
At the moment, we are still able to drill in most parts of the country, although not the North and some parts of the East. We pray that we may be able to continue to do so.
Ways you may be able to help us.
Brochures and Diaries
We have over 100 requests for wells from all parts of Burkina Faso. As funds are made available, we will continue to provide water in the places that seem to be the most needy.
Can you use some of our new brochures, perhaps at your church or more of the 2020 Burkina diaries (you should already have received one)?
Just email Eddie at eddie@myraswells.org, and we’ll be pleased to send these to you.
Free Funding!
Being a Scot, Eddie likes ‘free money’, and you might think there’s no such thing. But read on. But let’s first acknowledge that we trust the Lord to provide, and we want to be very careful about how we raise funds.
Much of our support comes from churches, and from regular standing orders from friends. If you would like to make regular donations, please email us (eddie@myraswells.org) -or write to us – for more info on this and for the NECESSARY FORMS.
Or maybe you are already committed but you are happy to pray for what we do. Thank you – prayer is so valuable.
But you can help financially without it costing you a penny – just by doing your usual shopping. If you shop online or visit Tesco, M&S and others; or if you use gas and electricity, insure your house and/or your car, you can save yourself some money AND contribute to Myra’s Wells. The little cartoon here is a message telling us that just a few people doing Tesco shopping had raised another £100 for us! So here are three websites to look at (we can give you help in using them all):
Give As You Live
Nominate Myra’s Wells and use online – thousands of retailers, insurers and utilities or when you personally visit Tesco, M & S and other retailers.
Octopus Energy
Save on gas and electricity, get £50 credit, and Myra’s Wells will also get £50. This is so easy.
Finally…
Please see the loose insert for some suggestions as to how you can help us. If you need help, please get in touch. Not being able to take meetings and speak in churches means we don’t have as much feedback as before. Please see the insert in this newsletter which gives details of ways you can help us to provide more wells.
May you know the Lord’s blessing at this difficult time.
Myra’s Wells trustees.
| Contact details: Myra’s Wells, 72 Oakhurst Road, West Moors, Ferndown, Dorset BH22 0DR Email: info@myraswells.org Web site: www.myraswells.org Facebook: @myraswellsinburkina Instagram: @myras_wells Twitter: @myraswells UK Registered Charity 1143345 |