Pastor Philip

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Marina and I, and one of the WEC missionaries, Alice Bosch, have just returned from a trip to a little village called Djigbe [jee-gbay]. Djigbe is away off ‘in the sticks’, near the Ivory Coast border.

We left Gaoua this morning at 7am and arrived at our destination around 9am. I spoke at the Evangelical Protestant church (WEC) in the village, and then afterwards we had a great time with Pastor Philip and his wife, Josephine, over lunch.

Pastor Philip wants to help us make contact with some Loron folk in Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso who are interested in literacy. We showed him some of the materials we have developed to teach the Loron people how to read and write in their own language. He was enthusiastic about the prospect of helping us organise a seminar for prospective Loron literacy teachers later in the year.

There is a far greater awareness and interest in Burkina Faso, than in Ivory Coast, for the need for people to learn how to read their own language. We view literacy as an essential part of our ministry here in Burkina because it means that the Loron people will get the full benefit of the Scripture and Bible lessons we are producing for them.

Pray for Pastor Philip as he settles into his new ministry in Djigbe. He just recently completed Bible school here in Burkina.