Released: May 20, 2004

National Missionaries Reap a Harvest among Unreached People Groups in Burkina Faso, West Africa

BURKINA FASO (WEST AFRICA): The wife of a Fulani man lay on her bed, near death. Several witchdoctors had come to see her, but nothing they did could help her. A Burkinabe missionary approached her bedside. He held her hand and prayed for her health to be restored. Within a short time, she was miraculously healed. She began attending a new church recently planted in her village. Her Fulani husband joined her. Both husband and wife are among the more than 100 new believers in Burkina Faso who have given their hearts to Jesus and are currently waiting to be baptized.

Less than 1% of the 175,000 Fulani people in southeastern Burkina Faso have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Yet, the Fulani are only one of the 32 distinct cultural groups in the country considered unreached with the Gospel. Within the past several years, Burkinabe Christians have discovered these unreached people groups within their own country and are now beginning to reap a harvest among them.

"The Gospel is making a big impact in this area," said one pastor. Thirteen missionaries from his denomination completed training one year ago and are now working among several unreached people groups. "Some groups and villages have even asked our missionaries to come and plant churches among them."

In November 2000, Accelerating International Mission Strategies (AIMS) held an Equipping for the Harvest conference in Burkina Faso to network pastors to reach the 32 unreached people groups within the country. Almost 3,500 pastors representing 14 major denominations and approximately 66% of the country's church leadership attended. By the end of the conference, the pastors formed partnerships with a plan to reach all 32 people groups.

Seventy-five (75) Burkinabe missionaries who attended the 2000 conference completed missionary training in May, 2003. Representing ten major denominations, these missionaries were commissioned to take the Gospel to various unreached people groups in the country. Five of those denominations reported that within the first six months, fifteen new churches have been planted and 118 people have accepted Christ.

"We are working to mobilize and send other missionaries to continue this work," another pastor reported. His denomination is working closely with local churches to adopt these unreached people groups. Last year, they planted three churches among the Fulani, Leele, and Jelgore tribes in Burkina Faso.

"Our goal is to see a church-planting movement among every unreached people group in West Africa," said the AIMS West Africa Coordinator. "We'd like to see the whole continent saturated with the Gospel."

AIMS exists to challenge the Church to take the Gospel where it has never been proclaimed. For more information about how AIMS is training leaders around the world, visit our website at www.aims.org or call our home office at (757) 495-5850.

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* Note: Some names have been omitted or changed to protect the identity of people working in areas that are hostile to the Gospel. Photos of region are available upon request.

Previously published by The Religion Journal (May 31, 2004 online edition)

For reprint information, please call the AIMS publication office at (757) 495-5850 or email the editor at aims@aims.org.

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