Burkina Faso

The Jula people are traders, living primarily along the trade routes in the southwestern part of the country, well respected for their centuries-old trading abilities. In fact, their tribal name Jula (spelled many ways) means “itinerant trader.” One of the largest ethnic groups in Burkina, they are, however, unreached by the Gospel message. Only a handful of the Jula are Christians, so Christian laborers, evangelistic resources, and prayer warriors are needed to share the Good News of Christ with this Muslim people.

In fall 2007 our entry family arrived in Burkina Faso to establish a home in an area that will allow the greatest access to the Jula; a second family arrived in fall 2008. Their new team will use Chronological Bible Storytelling, a key tool that has already met with success in Ivory Coast. Community Health Evangelism (CHE) will also be used to bring about holistic change within communities. Through CHE people are taught to do things for themselves with the resources they have available, all while integrating physical and spiritual teaching. The team will work in tandem with the CMF-Ivory Coast team to plant churches among the Djoula-speaking people of both countries.

(The Jula are a specific people group that speaks the more widely used trade language known as Djoula.)