4/14 Window Movement in Africa
The 4/14 Movement and the Awakening of the Sleeping Giant
of French Speaking Africa
Introduction:
The first words uttered following dinner at a meeting of the Board of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) and the 4/14 Window facilitators and servant catalysts by Chairman Samuel Yameogo were about the 4/14 Movement and the Awakening of the Sleeping Giant of French Speaking Africa. Over the next four days 750 participants gathered from Burkina Faso and fourteen of the twenty six countries in French speaking Africa the unfolding drama of an awakening giant became evident to the delegates in four scenes during our time together at the regional 4/14 Window conference for Francophone Africa. In scene one, we saw indications of a sleeping giant awakening. 
In scene two we received instruction about how the sleeping giant awakens. In scene three we considered an illustration of a sleeping giant awakening and in scene four we considered the implications of a sleeping giant awakening.
Scene One: Indications of a sleeping giant awakening
The announcement was made at the opening ceremony presided over by the President of the Federation of Churches and Missions (FEME) of Burkina Faso and chairman of AEA Samuel Yameogo as the children were looking over his shoulder: "There is arising a sleeping giant in French speaking Africa," referring to those very 4/14ers.
The facilitator of the 4/14 Movement in the Francophone countries, Jonas Robert Sawadogo said: "this is a historic moment for our country. It is the beginning of a new era."
Mario Li Hing (Executive Chair of AEA) from French speaking Mauritius noted that for the first time the chairman and general secretary of AEA are both French speaking.
Aiah Foday-Khabenje, Association of Evangelicals in Africa, General Secretary from Sierra Leone said: "The 4/14 Movement is a call for the church to place children in the way of God and His mission. That's what Jesus did. He put the child in the midst."
President of the Assemblies of God of Burkina Faso, Michel Ouedraogo, said: "Francophone Africa will no longer be the same. Children will be blessed. They will be included in the plan of God. The name of the Lord will be glorified."
The facilitator of the 4/14 Movement for Africa, Shiferaw Michael said: "The continent of Africa is ready. God is able to make a queen out of an orphan."
The facilitator of the 4/14 Movement for Western Europe Harry said: "What some refer to as the 'sleeping giant' of Africa is waking up to a new awareness of God's heart for the children and the urgent need to make them a vital and permanent focus of the Church's prayers and action."
Scene Two: Instruction about a sleeping giant awakening
The seed planted in our minds during a presentation by Shiferaw Michael, the 4/14 Window facilitator for all of Africa coming from Ethiopia, communicated giant awakening thoughts for harnessing the potentials of the 4/14 Window for the transformation of French speaking Africa.
The 4/14 Window Movement is a call to the church in Africa to start a new paradigm to see many trees in one fruit. We need to see many churches in a child. There is no greater mistake than seeing only a child in a child. Seeing only a child in a child is very dangerous. If you see only a child in a child it is you who are becoming a child.
We must fight ignorance about the foundational importance of early childhood in human development -- in character formation and mental development.We fail to recognize that the child is everything. The church has to lead in this.
Pastor Nam Soo Kim and Luis sit reflecting on all that they are seeing and hearing in amazement and awe. We begin to see a giant arising in French speaking Africa through the instruction and the growing number of speakers indicating that this is so.
Scene Three: An illustration about a child who became a giant in faith
Over lunch on the final day of the conference Etienne Pousga Zongo told our thirteen year old granddaughter, Sophia Himalaya, his story which illustrates how a little lost boy of six worshipping a tree could become a giant serving 1056 ministers of the gospel and 1100 churches in Burkina Faso. He explained the markings on his face applied with a knife when he was four which identify the clan from among the Mossi People he is from. Sophia had researched on the internet and prepared a report of the Mossi People so it was the goodness of God that we were sitting with someone from that people for lunch on the final day of the conference. 
As Etienne told his story of how he came to faith and grew in his understanding of the ways of God it became clear that from a little child without God and without hope he had become a towering strength of faith and inspiration. He shared with Sophia counsel as a 4/14er first to recognize that God is real. He told Sophia out of the lessons of his life that three most important things for a 4/14ers are 1. To know that God is real, 2. Each day read at least one word of God's Word. 3. Speak to God every day.
Scene Four: Implications for implementation
Jonas Sawadogo, facilitator for the 4/14 initiative in French speaking Africa exhorted all the participants.
- Be ambassadors in your country of the 4/14 Window Movement. We believe you have grasped this vision.
- Let the 4/14 Movement be your main burden.
- We agree to share the work. We agree to share the cost.
- From this moment you are a member of the national 4/14 Committee in your country.
- Go and meet with brothers and sisters and share the burden with them. This is the strategy. Hand-picking one person at a time and talk to them of the things you have seen and heard here.
- Set up a team for your nation to carry forward the 4/14 Initiative in the nation.
- Plan a national 4/14 summit in your country before the end of this year.
- Be diligent and persevere, persevere, persevere and pray and pray and pray.
A mother stood up and moved us all as she appealed to mothers to nurture in the first years of a child's life as only a mother can. She said about the 4/14 Movement "this is our movement." We were exhorted by another woman who received a word from the Lord directly form Matthew 10 and read it word for word to go forth two by two in the nations of French speaking Africa.
Stéphane Lauzet : World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Regional representative to the francophone world wrote: "It is as a visitor and observer that I speak and particularly as a person newly entrusted by the WEA with a mission to serve Evangelicals in the French-speaking world. It is wonderful to see such a gathering and on such a scale organized in Africa by Africans. I appreciate the brotherly warmth and spirit of service of the organizations associated with the event. It was a privilege to hear pertinent teaching delivered in many interesting and varied styles. Without a doubt, it is important that the support such a project and encourage the churches of WEA to dedicate themselves to pursuing this vision."
Michel Ouedraogo, President of the largest denomination in Burkina Faso, exhorted us to "Go back and make disciples of the children."
Representing the 4/14 Initiative in South Asia, Jesudason made recommendations based on what they are doing in South Asia including the following:
- Seminars for parents on "Shepherding the hearts of children," Parents are desperate. How to get their kids out of PORN and into discerning God's will for their lives.
- Advocacy appeal on behalf of the children.
- Holistic Child Development training. Curriculum of courses are now available and readily distributable for designed for certificate, MA.
Pastor Nam Soo Kim confirmed at a final lunch with the 4/14 Steering Committee that intercessors from Promise Church in New York, which hosted the first two global summits, have been assigned to pray for the different countries of the world. He committed to send God's servants and intercessors to each of the twenty six French speaking countries in Africa before the end of March of 2014.
Reed Olson exhorted the participants to reach every 4/14er in Burkina Faso and French speaking Africa using the Story of Jesus.
In 2010, Olson reported, "following the 4/14 conference in New York, I captured the Lord's vision to present the Gospel to every one of the world's 1.2 billion unreached children and youth (ages 4-14) through a unique kind of resource, one that would grab and hold their undivided attention in an informative yet fun and captivating way." David C. Cook responded by creating The Story of Jesus Christ (SOJ), a 16-page booklet illustrated by DC and Marvel Comics artist, Sergio Cariello, from Brazil. The response has been amazing, whether in urban Cambodian districts or Pakistani Sunday School classes or in remote Peruvian Amazon villages. "The Lord inspired and anointed it," Olson explained, "and with the support of national church networks and ministries in 42 nations, we've helped to equip believers with enough copies in 11 languages to share with 17.5 million 4/14ers in the past 9 months alone." Dialogue is occurring, in addition, with interested parties in another 43 countries (including South Sudan, Malawi, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Switzerland). The morning Olson spoke, a request was received for 250,000 Arabic copies for war-torn Syria, followed by another 10 million Hindi copies for India. In late March, thousands of booklets will be launched by helium balloons into the skies of South Korea, floated over the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone and dropped into strategic locations inside North Korea (ranked #1 by Open Doors among countries that persecute the church most severely). "There is no place on earth God's Good News cannot go," Olson shared, "as long as the Lord opens the door and the church is willing to co-labor with Him to share it, to work with other members of the Body of Christ, to be daring and courageous and invest its time, talent and treasure to complete the unfinished task at hand with all of its might."
"If," Olson concluded, "the Lord is stirring you to equip your armies with this spiritual weapon in your nations, David C. Cook would be honored to help support your efforts in winning all of your unreached 4/14ers to Jesus, as the Lord leads."
Conclusion: "It is time we stop seeing only poor children in our children. It is time to see a Queen in our orphan girls." (Shiferaw Michael). Harry Bryans, 4/14 Window facilitator for Western Europe said: "What some refer to as the "sleeping giant" of Africa is waking up to a new awareness of God's heart for the children and the urgent need to make them a vital and permanent focus of the Church's prayers and action. Over 2/3 of the French speaking countries are in Africa and following this gathering the francophone church will never be the same again!"