The ferry ride from Dakar to Ziguinchor went really well! Fortunately Mark booked rooms with bunk beds our team, so that we could sleep comfortably through the night. The boat rocked me into a solid eight or so hours of sleep, and when I awoke the next morning I went up on deck to watch the sun rise over the Casamance River!
And now it is high time I share what my team and I will be doing here in Senegal! One of our primary goals is to love on and care for the talibe boys in this area. Talibe boys range in age from 4-18 and have been handed over by their parents to a marabout, or Islamic leader, who raises them and teaches them the Quran.
Talibe boys spend hours everyday learning the Quran in Arabic (a language they do not understand) and begging for money on the streets on behalf of the marabout. They live in poor conditions, are poorly fed, and in some cases are beaten by their marabout when they do not collect enough money.
Four or five mornings each week we will be working in Le Centre Talibe, founded by a Christian, Wayne Lawthei, who wanted to create a bit of a refuge for these boys. It’s open five days a week from about 10am-2pm, and it’s a place where the boys can play soccer, take showers, wash their clothes, and eat a warm meal. My team and I will play soccer and foosball with them, hang out/get to know them, and teach them French and Bible stories. Ultimately we are there to love them and share Jesus' love with them!
The language barrier is already presenting issues. Some of the talibe boys speak French, but most of them speak tribal languages (Wolof being the most common). We’re all trying our best to learn a bit of Wolof, while using French when we can.
As for our afternoons/evenings we will be going to one of the local high schools twice a week to help out with an English speaking club. We will also be doing “open airs” in the streets. Open airs consist of skits, preaching, and sharing personal stories of how Jesus has changed our lives. We will also be working in other areas, but I'm not entirely sure what that will look like yet.
So. Here I am in Africa. Crazy. The first two days here were really fun. Everything was new, different, interesting, and exciting. But day three came, and I crashed. The dirt, the language barrier, and other aspects of the culture were getting to me. To complicate things more, I'm not very good at just chillin' and living in the moment. My family will attest that even on vacation I count down the days till we return home, because I want to move on to whatever’s next in life. So being here in Senegal, where everything’s new and different and harder than what I’m used to, provides an even greater challenge to living in the moment. But I believe that’s one really important thing God wants to teach me here—the ability to be happy moment by moment, day by day, no matter where I am or what I’m doing. And that's possible because of Jesus Christ! Paul says in Phillipians 4:11, "I have learned in every situation I am to be content" and then in Phillipians 4:13, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." God has called me here, he has brought me here, he has good work for me to do here, he will sustain me, and he will be faithful. I'm gonna fight hard to remember that and to enjoy living in the moment!
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