Anne and Daniel Kompaore
God's Vision, Our Commission

My origins:

• Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with American, and before that, Swiss ancestry

• My ethno-religious background is Mennonite, Anabaptist

Growing up:

• Acquired four brothers and sisters

• Dad worked in education in the Department of Indian Affairs

• Education in Ontario, and Quebec

• Fascinated with other languages: Learned French, dabbled in Spanish, Russian, German, Moose Cree (northern Ontario), Gipende (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

• Fascinated not only with other languages but also other peoples of different cultures in different parts of the world

• Dreamed of being an interpreter at the United Nations

• Also worked as a swimming instructor for few summers

• Personal faith in God and Christ developed through relationship with church, missionaries in Quebec and the Congo, Christian university organisations, and much, much reflection and reading.

Sensing the Call and Responding:

• In 1978, I sensed that God was calling me to work among the Senufo people in Burkina Faso, in language analysis and Bible translation

• Continued studies in linguistics, specializing in African linguistics, and took courses in theology

• Was hired by the General Conference Mennonite church and sent through Africa Inter-Mennonite Church to Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) in 1982.

• Lived and worked in the village of Kotoura, collected data for my PhD. Thesis on the tonal system of Sicite (Senufo), and along with my colleague Gail Wiebe were instruments in the planting of the first Protestant (evangelical) church and teaching new Christians in this people group.

New Directions:

• In 1992, I met Daniel Kompaore, a widower with five adult children, and we married on January 2, 1993. This necessitated a move to Ouagadougou, the capital city. We have not had our own children, but his grandchildren, now ten and still counting, make life with children full to overflowing!

• In the same year, I commenced training and supervising the translation of the New Testament into Sicite, under the administration of the National Association for the Translation of the Bible et Literacy (ANTBA).

• In 1997, I was seconded to SIL Burkina Faso as a linguistics coordinator and consultant, where I had the opportunity to help linguists with analyses of numerous languages in Burkina Faso, in particular of the Gur and Mande languages.

• In 1997-98, I also had the opportunity to study Hebrew in Israel, which eventually oriented me to translation consultation, which I began with Burkina Bible Society in 2005.

• In In 2010, I began a freelance ministry in consulting and teaching in the areas of linguistics, Bible, and translation, and since mid 2011, I serve under Commission to Every Nation.