Important Message to Families of Team Members

The team will have email and internet access throughout the trip. However, the communication infrastructure in Burkina Faso is rather unreliable. We hope to update the blog at least every other day, starting Jan. 4. But please do not be concerned if there is no update for several days or if promised email/phone communication ceases for a time. This is normal in a developing country.

Please refrain from calling the Collaboratory or Messiah College simply because of 'no news', since periods like this are to be expected. In the case of a serious problem, someone from SIM or the team will drive to a nearby town to get a message out to Tony Caito, Collaboratory Manager, and he will contact families. So no news really is good news.

The Collaboratory has sent more than 100 students to Burkina Faso over the last decade, on over 10 teams. Except for minor illnesses, all teams have been fine in the past, every day, and SIM has taken good care of us. This is what you should assume.

By January 5, we will have Burkinabe team cell phones, and your son or daughter can purchase international minutes to call home, at a cost of roughly $2/minute. You'll notice a slight time delay in the conversation; you'll speak and there is a pause before you hear a response.

Please remember that Burkina Faso is 5 hours ahead of Pennsylvania time.

Thank you so much for entrusting your son or daughter in this experience. As we travel, we pray for our families back home and ask for your prayer support as well.