Rick Gregory, Writer

Translating Messages From Heads To Hearts

Ouagadougou Monday 03 March (#2)

Its about 8:30 pm. Sitting on the patio, thinking that God has indeed been gracious and faithful to have brought Jerry and Jan to this place. Jerry’s local name is “Wend Panga (God’s Power).” For the last 20 years or so, they have come alongside the Burkinabe people and helped as they were able, for whatever the people requested. They have built churches, put roofs on other churches, built Bible schools and mentored national pastors. This trip, 2 of their sons (both pastors) were here teaching at a pastor’s conference. What an amazing legacy these two have created! It will be an incredible privilege if God chooses to have us participate in whatever else He might still be doing here.

Our meeting with professor Zacharie was informative. He is a specialist in solar energy and teaches that subject at the university. Extremely gracious, he said he would research some water projects involving solar energy and irrigation and send them to me (after translating from French to English!). One thing he did say was that one of the greatest challenges was providing security for any solar setups that might get installed. For the most part, components for every project get stolen before the project gets up and operating. When he approximated costs for a solar array along with pumping mechanism (not including a well), his price estimate came in at a staggering $35,000. This option seems unsustainable, so I hope to find some creative ways to find alternatives.