June Update

A Long Road Ahead

Words alone do not capture the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings I have experienced since arriving in West Africa. It has been a full five days of entering into my new life here and the beginning of learning what it means to be involved in church planting in a Muslim, African context. How is the Gospel lived out in this city, country and region of the world? More than anything I realize that I have a long road ahead of me of living by faith and depending upon God’s wisdom to guide me. Thank you for wanting to partner with me through prayer and various ways of support. I am tremendously blessed by you. THANK YOU!

Hospitality
Yvette, who works with campus ministry, has graciously let me stay at her apartment since my arrival and has been an excellent tour guide, making me feel at home in the city. Today, I moved into a mission guesthouse where I will live for the next week. It is within walking distance of the university and will be great for French class.

Pleasant Surprise
When I left to come here, I thought I would be giving up going to cafes and Western comforts, but upon arrival I realize that this is not completely true. In the city you can find many Western amenities, sometimes expensive, but, not necessarily. I realized I had little exposure to this last time I was here, because of where I lived. It has also reminded me that the average national does not live this way.

Cultural Learning
It has been great to be here and learn from the team what they would like me to be involved in with my time here. The first six months will be spent learning French and Wolof, so that I will be able to function in both by the end of the year. It will also involve cultural learning, both in the city and in the villages. Before you can effectively minister to others, it is necessary to learn their language and the culture they come from. As much as I would like to dive into “doing something” that helps, these next months will give me an opportunity to put my ideas on hold and learn how to function effectively in the context.

Need for the Gospel
In coming back, I realize how very few national evangelical believers exist in this country. It is less than a percentage of the whole population. Interestingly, most of the Christians I have met in the city are not from this country but other African countries. Yesterday, I attended a Bible study of around twenty people, all of whom were from other parts of the continent. In the city there are hardly, if any, national evangelical believers; the national churches my mission works with are located outside of the city. Despite the presence of missionaries, the main Muslim ethnic group has been resistant to the Gospel. The need for the Gospel in this city and nation is evident, so please pray for the Holy Spirit to work in mighty ways,PRAYER
Praises:
Safety in Travel
A Warm Welcome
Good Health
Temporary Lodgment
Sense of confirmation and vision

Requests:
Personally
Good Rest (sleep, time in God’s Word, and prayer)
Daily trust in God’s plan for my life
Wisdom and direction in where I should live (I would like to settle down sooner, rather than later, and desire a peace of mind about this. Ask that God would make it clear to me where He would have me live and that He would provide a place I can afford. Most of the places I have heard about I would need a roommate which is hard to find.)
Discipline and fun in learning French and Wolof
Relationships to be plentiful and Christ-centered

Mission Team
A healthy relationship between the mission and the national church partnership
Wisdom in direction in church planting
Good relationships within the mission

I love DC

This afternoon on the way back from the market, two guys were walking down the street wearing American t-shirts. One was an Old Navy 4th of July shirt and the other one said I love DC. They did not want to be in the picture, but said I could take one of their shirt.

Glimpses

Little children chatter outside my window as I hear the nearby sound of men chanting prayers to Allah. The fan clicks back and forth as I try to take in my new surroundings and process my first day. I know God brought me hear, I am reminded as I read the many replys from my e-mail, but why? Unanswered questions fill my head in knowing what my life should look like here and how to navigate the information, sights, and sounds that I've experienced so far. Unknowns are good, because they force me to depend upon God for His daily faithfulness. His grace is sufficient and I desire nothing but His direction.

Last night I took a sleeping pill at 2:30am and didn't arrouse from my slumber until 11:30am. I feel rested but still exhausted. I'm staying with a teammate until Wednesday and then am going to move into a guesthouse for a week and after become a vagabond. No, well maybe. The guesthouse has availibility for a few weeks, but there is a week in between that they don't have room. It will work for now and is best since I am not sure where the most convient place will be for me to live long term.

Purchased Ticket and Packing

It's been a while since I've given an update on my journey to West Africa, and I'm sure it has something to do with not publizing my blog for you to read. My ticket is purchased and I'm waiting in anticipation for June 20th to roll around. Actually, I'm a little nervous that I won't be ready upon its arrival. I want to leave well, so I am trying to soak up all the little things I enjoy in the States before I leave, while processing all the changes that are about to take place in my life. Mostly I'm thankful that I am finished the support rasing and am preparing for the next stage. I'm trying to figure out all of the important things to take with me to Africa for two years. What do I really need? It's hard to decide...
I'm still working at the cafe, and should get some sleep before I become incoherent. a bientot

Seeds of Exchange

On Saturday I drove up to Denver to visit a college friend and ended up spending six hours at a Seeds of Exchange party. It was a wonderful, refreshing day. Sarah (a friend of a friend) started Seeds of Exchange a year ago and hosts a fair trade market every two months. Each time different women from around the world share their story; this time we heard stories from Uganda, Afghanistan, and Denver. After the market and stories, Rebecca and I made flatbread for the rice and lentil soup dinner.




http://www.seedsofexchange.spaces.live.com/

Blessings

Blessings come in many forms: newborn babies, spring time blossoms, best friends, bargin buys, the bonds of the body of God, surprise books, birthday celebrations, the breath of life, and bunches more.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

ECHO PICTURES

The Heavens declare the Glory of God
My attempt to capture the beauty of the stars through my webcam failed, but the ski tonight is clear with twinkles up above. Over and over at ECHO I am being inadated with ideas and resources, my favorite being through conversations with people here. I am going to make this a passing comment, because I was told that there is a little bit of duck left for me to try. Yes, yesterday Derek, one of the interns, killed a duck. ciao

Pictures to come, but first the recap.

Amaranth, Moringa, Canistel, Neem, Black sapote, Pigeon Peas, Cassava,...

These are a few of the tropical plants, I knew nothing about before I stepped foot onto ECHO. A week ago I arrived in South Florida to spend two and a half weeks learning about agricultural development in preparation for my time in West Africa. Little did I know that it would be cold and I would feel overwhelmed by the amount of ag. knowledge I do not possess. Before coming I did not understand what I did not know, but now I am beginning to...

The staff and interns live and work on the farm and have been a wonderful group of people to get to know. Although I have only been here a week, I am starting to settle in and understand farm life. I don't think I realized how much of a city girl I am, until now, spending a solid week on a farm will clue you in. Before I went to church this morning, I had only left the farm to go for a run.

Work/Study Schedule

I am here under their independent study program where you work in the morning around the farm and in the afternoon you study in their library. Last week each morning was a little different, but I mostly helped the interns out in their various tasks. There are six interns who spend a year on the farm to gain practical experience in working in a tropical climate in one of the six demo areas (semi-arid, monsoon, low-lands tropics, rain forest, high altitude, and urban roof-top). They also are responsible for helping out in the nursery and seed bank, cooking occassionally, giving tours, working the bookstore, and taking care of farm animals (rabbits, chickens, goats, ducks, and geese). I have a high respect for each of them. I have helped harvest, forage for goat food, prune grapes vines, dig a small trench for irrigation, weed, feed squawking geese, etc.
In the afternoon I research on different topics I think will be relevant for me in my time in West Africa. I am learning about all sorts of interesting plants and gardening techniques. I'll post some pictures this week to give you a better idea.

Support Raising

Sometimes God strips us of everything we hold dear and have placed our hope in, so that all we can do is weep and be broken before Him. He does not leave us there, but then clothes us graciously with His grace, His righteousness, His love, His wisdom and it is rich.

If you would have told me in June I would still be support raising in February, I would not have believed you. These months have not been what I have desired, but they have been good. It has taken me this time to begin to learn what it means for me to trust in God daily and depend upon His grace.


"I have community with others and I shall continue to have it only through Jesus Christ. The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us." -Dietrich Bonhoeffe

waiting |ˈwāti ng | noun 1 the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens.