The Day of the Guinea Fowl

We spent the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 in the v!llage! As a team we spent the last hour of 2011 sharing the blessings and giving thanks to our Father for how He had worked in our lives in 2011. It was awesome to declare His Gl0ry under the stars and moon of the big Afr!can sky!! It was awesome to do this with 2 M.sl!ms who were with us...our driver and one of our translators. They both joined in with us and many times were touched by the testimonies of team members as they shared about the personal G0d we serve. After sharing with the group, then we all joined together pr@ising and giving thanks through pr@yer.

We then spent the first hour of 2012 sharing with each other what we were seeking G0d for and the commitments we were making to Him with our lives for this year. Again it was a sweet time of honesty and openness, surrender and commitment, personal relationship and testimony. Again our Father used that time to touch those who are not yet f0ll0wers of J.s.s. Again we ended that time of sharing with pr@yers of surrender and expressions of our love and commitment to our G0d.

The next morning we learned of some of the New Year customs of the D@fin people. My favorite was related to what they eat on New Year's Day. In my culture, we eat collard greens and black eyed peas so my interest was really peeked when they began talking about what they eat. For them, New Year's Day is the day of the guinea fowl. They kill and eat a guinea fowl and it is suppose to bring good luck and prosperity for the new year. This excited me because I really love the taste of guinea fowl and plus they were waking me up way too early in the morning as they ran through our camp cackling before the sun was fully up. So we adopted the D@fin New Year food tradition and enjoyed a great meal of spaghetti with guinea fowl. Now that I think about it...they were running through the camp much faster on New Year's Day...hmmm. I wonder if they know it is the Day of the Guinea Fowl.

The M@li W0rld Tour 2012

Two Teams, Three 4x4 vehicles, 11 people....New Roads leading us through New Villages...1 Team Member meeting us in the middle to guide the way...ADVENTURE WITH THE UNEXPECTED was our destination and A JOURNEY WITH G0D'S FAITHFULNESS was our experience!!
We began the morning with great excitement and anticipation..our first time to the v1llage since our return to M@li. We were traveling with a team that also had not seen their people in 2 years! Our f@ith and expectations were high as we trusted G0d to pr0tect us, guide us, and show Himself to us. He was f@ithful!

After one vehicle began the day in an accident before joining the team, our adventure with the unexpected was underway and our journey with G0d's f@ithfulness in full swing. We regrouped, repacked, and headed out in 2 vehicles. Just an hour and a half into our 5 hour journey for the day, the second vehicle overheated leaving us stranded on the road. We found ourselves stranded in a v1llage...a new v1llage. We sat with an old woman and began talking to her. A crowd of women and young girls gathered with us while the one man and one male translator sat with the old man of the compound. Each group told stories from Father's Word. A new rental vehicle was on its way, and the first vehicle and driver had been cleared from the accident and sent on their way to join us. The first vehicle arrived before the replacement vehicle. The team was altogether as Father had planned. Since it was getting late, we left one translator to wait for the replacement vehicle and the rest of us loaded in the remaining 2 vehicles and headed to the next large city for the night.

After a good night's rest, a good breakfast, and a devotion to encourage us, 2 vehicles went to get gas.

 While getting gas, a flat tire was discovered along with a flat spare. Giving thanks to G0d for His revelation of those problems in the city, we got them fixed and got on the road as quickly as possible. We had a LONG day of travel ahead on roads we had never traveled. We found our turn off to the new road and continued our adventure into the unexpected. Now traveling on nice dirt roads we were spinning up a dust storm of fun....well until the unexpected hit us again. A dip in the road for water drainage during rainy season was the culprit this time. Vehicles #2 and #3 couldn't see it because of the dust, so we hit it at full speed. After coming to a stop and the settling of the dust, the luggage rack full of trunks and supplies had slid forward so that on third of it was hanging over the windshield. The men worked to get it back in place while some of the women took a little walk. On the walk they met a young girl who had run away from home. They shared a story from G0d's Word, gave her a bottle of water, and a snack. Just in time to get back on the road.

We met our team member that was waiting for us, loaded up his moto in the back of one truck. While waiting we met a deaf man. We encouraged and showed G0d's love to him then continued on. The road was uncertain, crossing the rocks and escarpment, having another flat tire on the same vehicle, and traveling through the real bush of M@li. Stopping ALL along the way to ask for clear direction, we journeyed with G0d's f@ithful Presence. The sun was setting and the v1llage we were looking for seemed too far but the place we were was not a place of peace and rest. We stopped one last time for direction and decision making. Before traveling our last 10 km for the night, we pr@yed with those who had gathered to help us and blessed them. Finally, we reached the v1llage where we stayed an extra night on the road. It was a night of rest, peace, and protection...
We got up early the next morning to seek our final destination and be with the people we were longing to reach. The road was long again, but lunch was awaiting us at the home of a friend. We had lunch and then headed to the v1llage where we would spend the next few days...REAL EXCITEMENT AND JOY FILLED EACH OF US AND THE PEOPLE OF THE V1LLAGE!

After a great time in the v1llage, we began the adventure and journey back to B@m@ko. Again we took a new and different road, experiencing new and different v1llages along the way!! With only a stream to cross along the rugged bush road, the journey home had fewer struggles and difficulties...just the peace and presence of our G0d and a greater understanding of His f@ithfulness to go with us wherever He sends us! We saw HIM f@ithful as He did for us everything He said He would do, as He worked in the v1llage and opened unexpected doors! He gave us new doors to explore as we did the M@li World Tour through so many new v1llages and peoples! May it just be the beginning of His Glory being known among the nations and peoples of M@li!

Singing and Dancing with the Children

As the truck enters the village, children begin to chant “tomboubu mobile” (which means white person in a truck) with smiles on their face, some even dancing. Many children of any village gravitate toward the while person standing at a distance watching our every move.  

Nevertheless, it is not every day that we can interact and spend time with the children. In fact, a lot of our time is spent with the men and women of the village to continue to build relationships, gain trust and plant the seed of our Father’s W0rd. For in the M@lian culture, the elders and adults have the respect and authority in the village and the children….well they are just children

.

Over and over in my mind the words of J.s.s tells me that He loves the children. For J.s.s says “…Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children…Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.”  Mark 10:14,16 

 On our last day Father gave us not one time, but three times to interact and spend time with the children.  Sitting in the school house waiting to start the morning; many children surrounded the door just to watch what we were doing. J0ke, our translator and teammate said “hey with all these children we should tell them a story about J.s.s.” Pushing their way through the door, about 25 children sat in front of us attentively. We began to tell them a story, drawing more children and adults to come join us. After the story we then began to teach them the song and the motions (for every African song there are motions) of “This Little Light of Mine” in B@mb@ra.  

As they learned the first song, the children then wanted to learn another song and another song! So they came back after lunch and after dinner to learn more songs about J.s.s. As they headed off to bed, they continued to sing the songs about J.s.s.

Please pr@y for the children…that they may hear more of Father’s W0rd, that the words of each song that they learned be in their mind every morning and every night and their small eyes will be opened to know J.s.s.  

Celebrating A Birthday!

Throughout the week before Chr1stmas day, Lori and I have invited our friend J0ke over to participate in some of our @meric@n Chr1stmas traditions of baking, singing, and even making a navity set. As we were showing J0ke our decorations we put up in our apartment I asked her if her family put up decorations to celebrate Chr1stmas. She replied “yes, we put up decorations on Chr1stmas day.” 

It made me think twice on why they would put up decorations on Chr1stmas day and not before. After several days of pondering this M@lian tradition, it hit me that the bel1evers here are celebrating a birthday! Just as I would put up decorations on a birthday, the bel1evers here put up decorations to celebrate the birth of our S@vior on H1s birthday. 

On Chr1stmas day L0ri and I traveled to J0ke’s house to w0rship at her ch.rch. As we walked into the small ch.rch we saw many decorations, but not the decorations we would consider to be part of the Chr1stmas season. Instead we saw many streamers and balloons that filled the place of w0rship. A day to celebrate the birth of J.s.s was truly a day to celebrate H1s birthday here with our M@lian friend. This day L0ri and I spent 3 hours singing, dancing, singing some more and listening to a message in this ch.rch filled with many children and young bel1evers of the birth of our S@vior. 

I thank Father for this opportunity to be able to w0rship in M@li on Christmas day with our friend J0ke and for a refreshing new look on how to celebrate Chr1stmas day!

Please pr@y for this young and youthful ch.rch that our friend J0ke is attending. The ch.rch is small, but filled with a youthful group of bel1vers that love to w0rship our S@vior.

A Baby Worthy of Worship.

"Come, let us tell of the L0rd's greatness; let us exalt His name together."

Ps@lm 34:3

Exaltation #10- A BABY WORTHY OF WORSHIP

What a great time to be in M@li and what a GREAT message we have to share at Chr1stmas!

In M@li, holidays are celebrated with big parties, lots of food, and cloth. People buy the new celebration cloth and have an outfit made for the day of celebration. At Chr1stmas it is no different. The ch.rch here designs a Chr1stmas cloth that proclaims the message of J.s.s birth. Since we were going to worsh1p and celebrate with our M@lian friend J0ke, we too purchased cloth and had new outfits made. Our friend "O" had expressed her desire to go with us so we bought some of the Chr1stmas cloth for her, and on Tuesday before Chr1stmas we gave it to her. As we sat on the street holding the cloth, her mom began looking at the picture of the nativity on the cloth. We asked if she knew about it and she said no. She agreed for us to tell her about it, so we began. After selling some ice, "O" joined us listening intently to every detail. At the end, she sat pondering as she always does, then simply said, " If all these things are true, then He truly is a baby worthy of worship."


On Friday before Chr1stmas, we invited "O" to our house for a Chr1stmas celebration. We had created characters in the Chr1stmas story out of sticks and African cloth. We had them all...Mary, Joseph, baby J.s.s. in a watering trough, Gabriel, the host of angels, the shepherds, sheep, the wise men, their gifts and a camel, and the star. We set them all up on a little table and created a visual story to be told. "O" arrived and we showed her the characters and briefly explained who each one was. Then we went on with making cookies and candies to take to our friends who work on the street with "O". After creating the cookies and nibbling on a few, I put lunch on to cook. We shared a meal together using the common bowl and a rice dish that was similar to an African dish. It was delicious! Then we told the stories of Mary, Joseph, the birth of J.s.s, the shepherds and angels, and the wise men to "O". She listened intently to each part of the story and in her usual way, she sat pondering and looking at each set of characters. She acknowledged the miracles in each part. 

Please continue to pr@y for O to understand the truth about J.s.s. and to see that all of these things are true...that He is truly a baby worthy of worship...that He is so much more than just a baby...He is the s@lvation of every person, He is Lord of all Creation, He is the Light of the World, He is the Word made flesh, He is God with US, and the list goes on and on...

Owner of the Cows

"Come, let us tell of the L0rd's greatness; let us exalt His name together." Ps@lm 34:3

Exaltation #9- God owns it all and Supplies our Needs
A sacrifice of pr@ise is due our G0d this week!! He continues to show Himself and His activity on behalf of R@dio K@ntiguiya. I went into the city to take care of some paperwork for our truck when He showed up again and demonstrated to me that He owns all things and He is the One Who Supplies our Needs. As I talked with another servant in the harvest here, he told me of another man I needed to talk with about the r@dio. As we were talking about this, in drives a car carrying the man we were just talking about. I smiled...just like our G0d I thought!

As I talked with him, he already knew of the R@dio K@ntiguiya and was even working to find and provide for us the necessary equipment for the solar power. He had done an estimate of the cost of the equipment he has. I sat in amazement as he described each piece to me and showed me the difference in the cost based on a previous estimate. He told me of batteries and pieces of equipment that were of much greater quality and would be much more effective in production for our purposes.He told me how God had blessed His work in other areas and how because of that he had committed this equipment to be used to help the next r@dio station in M@li. R@dio K@ntiguiya came to his attention and will now receive this equipment at a much reduced rate.  I watched as the previous estimate went from $18,500 to the new estimate of $11,500. Then told me that his organization was willing to commit approximately $4000 toward the new estimate. So again, I watched as my G0d continued to supply all of our needs. Now we need only $7500 to complete the r@dio station. This man said to me, "I have everything here in M@li and we are ready to install it. We can have it put in and running by the end of January." Tears fill my eyes as I type this email of pr@ise to our Father. I know we still need $7500, but I am confident that G0d owns it all and that He will supply. I know He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He has just sold one to provide for us. He will sell another one to provide the rest.

Another amazing moment was when this young man told me we would not need the generator with this new equipment he was providing. The power that will be produced by it will be enough to power the r@dio from 7am to 10 pm. That means we will be doubling the amount of time we can be on the air and all of that without the cost of a generator and the gas to run it. The generator was another $7000. I stand amazed! I bow in gratitude to the One who is F@ithful!!

Would you pr@y diligently every day for G0d to reveal His provision for the remaining funds for R@dio K@ntiguiya? Would you ask Him to do that according to His time, His way, and through His chosen servants?

If you would like to join G0d in this work and be apart of something Only G0d can do, you can make donations to
Harvest Seekers via the website or send it to

Harvest Seekers International
PO Box 1975
Cleveland, TX 77327

Please designate to R@dio K@ntiguiya.

Thank you for your pr@yers and your f@ithfulness to make sacrifices of pr@ise to our G0d for ALL that He is doing!!

watching Him...
Ps@lm 50:10-15

A Drawing G0d

"Come, let us tell of the L0rd's greatness; let us exalt His name together." Ps@lm 34:3

Exaltation #8-In our poverty, G0d draws us to Himself.
I love the economy of our Father! It is so different from our own way of thinking, planning, and doing life. The world beckons to us and says seek wealth, seek to own and possess. It lies to us and says, in your wealth you will have all you need. Yet J.s.s taught us, "G0d blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of He@ven is theirs." The greatness of our G0d exalts the poor because through their poverty they realize the NEED Him. The poor find themselves in a place where this life cannot be lived alone--absent from the Presence and Power and Provision of The One Who Satisfies. In our poverty, we confess our inadequacies and call out to Him--The One Who is More Than Enough for ALL we need.

Gift of Grain
For months we have been praying for the rains to come and the harvest to be enough. In G0d's economy, I believe He has answered. The rains did not come. The harvest is not enough. The people of the B@ye region are experiencing the lack of food. The prices of each bag of grain are going up because there is not enough. As we have prayed, many of my daily readings in our Father's Word led me to the times where G0d used drought and lack of food to draw people to Himself. I believe our Father is doing the same thing here...drawing people to Himself through the drought and lack of food.

Last year, G0d demonstrated His power and provision, His unfailing love and compassion through The Gift of Grain project. He used you--His people--to demonstrate in a very real way that He is the One Who Provides. As you heard of the need, His SP1r1t moved through you to provide more than we had asked for Him to provide.

As I talked with P@stor D@o just before leaving to return to M@li, I could hear the despair in his words as he said, "I would like to inform you also that the price of millet hit a high point in this week. One bag of grain is at 20 000 FCFA. This year the food crisis will be worse in the locality of B@ye. I do not know how the poor family will eat this year. I know one thing-- it's to pray for them."

Our goal and desire is to have at least 200 bags of grain for distribution. The cost per bag is estimated at $45.

Words of Life
Along with the lack of physical nourishment, there is a sp1r1tual poverty among the people with whom we work. They have a need for not only food to eat, but food that will nourish their soul. As we prayed through the Gift of Grain project, we began asking our Father how we can also meet the sp1r1tual poverty...the lack of access to Him, the One on Whom they must depend. We had seen how He used the MP3 player last year, but we knew that batteries in this remote area would be hard for the people to find or afford. I had seen the impact of a solar device with G0d's W0rd on it among the people group with whom a friend of mine works.

As we began researching, we found a solar powered radio/recorder. This device is called a Diplomat. It can be preset to a radio station and oral recordings of G0d's W0rd can be downloaded on them in various languages.  With the opening of the radio station coming soon, these radio/recorders are perfect for not only getting G0d's W0rd into he ears and hearts of the people but also give them access to the radio station. Our goal and desire is to give out 100 of these and to ensure that each chief in the villages surrounding the radio station receives one of these radio/recorders. The cost for one radio/recorder is estimated at $40.


God has placed before us an even greater need--an even greater opportunity to demonstrate Him this year. As you go into this Christmas season, would you consider how you and your family, your small group, or your church could be a part of The Gift of Grain  and Words of Life Projects this year.

If you would like to provide a Gift of Grain or a Word of Life Radio/Recorder, you can make donations via mail or online. You may mail a check to

Harvest Seekers International
PO Box 1975
Cleveland, TX 77327

You may also visit the Harvest Seeker's website at http://www.hisharvesters.org/support.html and click on the "Make a Donation" button at the bottom of the page.  This will open a page for you to donate via PayPal. 

Please designate the funds as "Gift of Grain" or "Words of Life". 

Would you pr@y with us for G0d to draw the people of B@ye to Himself through the difficulties they are facing and through the W0rds of Life they will hear?

Isaiah 42:6