Into the Bush and Back Again // Burkina Faso

When my sister first told me she was going to serve at a medical center in Mahadaga, Burkina Faso, my initial reaction was: "um... really?" It wasn't until she asked me to join her, three months later, that I even considered visiting rural West Africa. But, working with the nonprofit she was serving, I found a way to use my software engineering skills to help her, and flew out there in December of 2016.

I flew first to the Burkina's capital, Ouagadougou (pronounced ˈwa-ga-du-gu'), to reunite with my sister. Lovingly known as "Ouaga," the country's largest city has just over 2 million people, and is best described as flat and dusty.

It was here that I met Matt, the long-term missionary in Mahadaga, who, like me, studied to be an engineer and wondered for many years how engineers could serve the poorest in the world. During the 10-hour van ride to the rural village in the bush, often between being tossed by the broken roads and protruding rocks, we talked extensively about how far behind technology missions organizations often fall, and how few engineers actively offer their skills to serve in this sector. An ideas person, Matt encouraged me to consider working on ways to improve missions organizations' payment or teach computer science overseas. This super practical conversation helped me process how God might marry my technical skills and my heart for His people in the near future.

Many an avoided pothole later, we pulled into tiny Mahadaga, where every one of the five thousand Burkinabes seemed to know (and confuse me with) my sister.

I stayed there for a week, eating primarily canned food we had transported from the capital, playing with the missionaries' kids, and examining the medical center's database. We spent time dancing and singing with the locals, exploring the agricultural school and its farm, and visiting the nearby town's weekly farmers' market.

We also talked a lot about assimilating back into American culture, and the shock that awaited. Neither of us had ever been in such a vastly different place, where food, faces, and acceptable behaviors were so different from that of the States or even Hong Kong. I shared with her that I had learned many, many lessons in patience: everything was perpetually dusty, and it took everyone there much longer to complete seemingly simple tasks, like drive from point A to point B, or move files on a computer, or even walk down the street. My goal-oriented nature often clashed with that of the relationship-oriented Burkinabes, and I was forced to slow down and recognize the value of being waved down to briefly chat with the locals on our way to the school or to the next town. It was really special to share the experience with her.

The week of Christmas passed quickly, and we were soon saying goodbye to the locals and missionaries of Mahadaga. Before flying back to the States, however, we had another stop to make: a visit with the wild animals of West Africa. Right after a 12-hour bus ride back to the capital.

The evening before we were scheduled to enter the Reserve de Nazinga, our local guide took us there to check in.

He explained that the living quarters in the park were full (we were there during tourist season and they can get booked out a few months in advance). So we stayed in a town two hours away, and woke up at 3 am the next morning to arrive at the park before dawn, in utter darkness. But it was all worth it.

It was also amazing how God answered my prayers throughout the safari. I asked that we see elephants, and then we saw several herds. Toward the end, I asked that we might see a baboon, and we saw multiple. As we were returning to the base to return the jeep, I asked that we might see elephants one last time, and God brought along this herd of around 40 elephants that we did a photoshoot of. And we even had one say goodbye on our way out of the park. Praise Jesus!

When I got back and responded to the classic, "What did you do over break?" my, "I went to Burkina Faso" response often extracted blank looks and the question, "Where is that again?" But the country and its people are beautiful and precious, and definitely holds a special place in my, and my sister's, hearts.