Merry Christmas from the Kids of Hope (and Kate and Tyler too)

Though I (Tyler) flew out of Burkina on the 14th of December, we were able to celebrate Christmas with the boys the Saturday just prior to my departure. It was a very special time and a great opportunity to share God's love with over 120 boys this year!

A fun and simple illustration at the club on what discipleship should look like.

NO SMOKING on K.O.H. property!!! A fun shot of Tyler (me) next to Kate and Moumouni explaining that if one is caught smoking on the property that they cannot attend the club for two weeks. So far we only have had one or two offenders out of the 15-65 boys that attend each week.

The winning team!

Playing a simple game with an old bicycle tire sounds so lame compared to having the latest PS3 slim or Xbox 360 with all the latest titles lit up on a 60 inch HD TV; yet I can promise you that there is more enthusiasm and enjoyment when the tire reaches the end of the line than when the latest level is conquered in the digital world. Team games are a huge part of the Kids of Hope experience; and we have one simple rule when you walk in the door - "If you come - you play." (Pictured above: The winning team is being directed to group up against the wall so that they can claim their prize)

Playing a new game at the club - "link tag" was a hit today from the start! The kids watched demonstration and then jumped right in. It was cool to hear a lot of the little guys that are often shy and reserved simply laughing freely as they watched and participated in the game.

Pre-club games

Foosball is HUGE here in Burkina for the kids and adults. Kate was able to pool some money together a few months ago and buy this locally made table for the club. The boys really do love it!

A face to remember....

Don't drop that!

The long forgotten "egg on the spoon" relay race was quite a hit this past Saturday! The boys had a great time trying to figure out how to get the egg to stay on the spoon for the trek from one end of the property to the other. In the bottom right corner of the collage, the boys are all trying to stay in a very small circle as part of a team building game that went along with the story.

A little girl watching some skits being performed just outside of the village of Gampala.

Kate holding up the pic for all to see during the Bible lesson. This Saturday we saw around 60 boys attend the club which is quite the contrast compared to last week when we only had 12! Our hope is that now that ramadan is over, we will see the number of boys pick back up.

Just Plain Fun.

Just goofing around can be such an outlet for these boys.

The Book of Acts - Craft Time

This week we wrapped up the book of Acts at the Kids of Hope club. Though the group was quite small (roughly 12 boys), we had a good time making small prison windows to go along with the story of Paul under house arrest (Acts 28:16-31). This weekend is also the end of Ramadan, (a very large celebration here in Burkina and around the world within the Islam religion) so we are hoping that many of the boys who are out of the city or busy this week are able to return next Saturday.

New Location for Kids of Hope Starts Out "Old School."

Due to all the rain here in Ouaga, the ground is still very saturated. We have been waiting for days for things to dry out completely before we can install the shelter (which will be just to the left of the tree pictured in the photo above). In the mean time, we are having the club the way it would be done out in the village - in the shade of a tree. So far - so good!

First day at new property!!!

After weeks and weeks of prep work, meetings, politics, refunds, and technicalities, we were finally able to host the club on the new land today! Even though we only had a single tree for shade and shelter, God blessed us with a wonderfully cool day and even a slight rain to keep things cooled down. Thank you for all your prayers and continual support!

All smiles on the first day at the new property!

Things continue to change...

As you can see in this pic, there is a rather large wall that has suddenly appeared at the Kids of Hope club property. We (Kate and I) are in the process of re-locating the club as things have become rather complicated with the current land owner that we were renting from. Please continue to pray for the boys and all the details surrounding the program. I will do my best to keep you posted on this blog each week.

Back in Session!

Great news! Though I don't have any pics from today, I do have fantastic news! The language school is back in session for the boys at the Kids of Hope club as of July 6th 2009! Stay tuned for pictures of the boys back in school!

Tired of those old board games? Try just throwing out the whole board....

Each week before the club starts, the boys have about an hour or more to play games and such. As our gaming supplies and equipment is sometimes very limited, the boys will often resort to a classic game as seen above. I still have to figure out how to play it myself.

"Old School" Telephone

Re-inventing the long distance telephone line here in Burkina Faso!!! The best part is that this call is absolutely FREE!

New Uniforms!

The boys had their first ongoing tournament throughout the month of May! Though quite challenging at times, it was a fantastic new opportunity for them. (seen above) The Fulani boys soccer team poses for their first official pic in their new uniforms [donated from a sponsor in England].

Club Games!

Each week we start out the club with a team game. The rules are simple - if you come to the club, you have to participate. It's a unique opportunity for the boys to work together and have a fun time doing it. (seen above) This little guy was at first considered way too small for the rice sack race; but according to the rules, everyone gets to play.

All Smiles

All smiles after craft time at the Kids of Hope club.

Craft time creativity

Each week at the Kids of Hope club here in Ouagadougou, Kate and I come up with a craft that goes along with the story and skit that we do. After three years of doing clubs each week, it becomes quite challenging to think of new and original crafts for the kids. This week, we were doing the story of when Jesus heals the man by the pool of Bethesda. Even a simple idea of coloring paper and then cutting it into 12 pieces to weave into a mat can be a challenge when working with a group of boys between the ages of 5-18. Over all it was quite fun though, and the kids had a great time!

Game time always comes before craft time...

Here in Burkina, we play this great game that is kinda like group jump rope. As seen above, someone stands in the center with a bike tire on a rope and proceeds to swing the rope around at ground level. As the tire moves, the kids have to jump over the tire to stay in the circle. If they get tagged by the rope or tire - they are out. Quite simple yet very fun at the same time.

Rolling into the new year....