Kurt's Letter from Burkina Faso Visit

As I write this, I’m at home recovering from jet lag following a recent trip to our French ministry in West Africa. Although it was a scorching 107 F (42 C) there, it was a great visit, allowing me to catch up with our French ministry team.

Our French ministry, Perspectives Reformées Internationales, was established in 1969. Though radio broadcasts were shared in parts of French-speaking Africa, the ministry was based in the U.S. Following a leadership transition in 2014, we moved the radio ministry to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso in West Africa. Burkina Faso faces significant challenges: It is one of the poorest countries in the world; it is a Muslim-majority country; and it has been in political turmoil since a military coup in early 2022.

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Despite these challenges, our French ministry has thrived under the able leadership of Rev. Marc Nabie. Today they have six full-time staff, with two staff dedicated to audience follow up. There are also now six pastors producing radio programs. Moreover, the programs produced in Burkina Faso are broadcast in the neighboring countries of Mali, Senegal, Benin, and Cameroon.

Because of the worldwide pandemic and the military coup, I haven’t visited our French team since 2018. I was blessed to see them again and to hear their stories of how God is using their radio programs for men, women, and youth to share the gospel and address social issues in Burkinabe society. Recently one listener wrote to say that after falling away from the faith, he had recommitted his life to Christ and was striving to be a better husband and father. This is just one of the many listeners writing in from around the country. Just in the last year, 105 converts have been baptized through the French ministry!

While there, I brought the French team greetings from you, our partners ministry, and I let them know that you love them and are praying that God would bless them and continue to use their ministry to share the love of Jesus in Burkina Faso and across French-speaking West Africa.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

Kurt Selles, Director