Connecting

Not long after the Phare campus was a flurry with young football players was it again a flurry with another group. For several years the Wolof Consulation has held their annual meeting here. Pastors, missionaries, and lay people from all over who work specifically with the Wolof get together to worship the Lord and learn from each other and hear about what God has been doing among them.
I talked with one of my friends who lives in a village far from Dakar and asked her what benefits did she glean from these times together.This is what she said:
“I think the biggest benefit for me is the personal connection I get with people who I know are in the same boat as I’m in. It’s so encouraging to hear peoples personal testimonies of how they came to the Lord and how they’ve grown in their faith in spite of the hardships. It’s also neat to be around people who struggle with language and culture. Makes me feel not so alone. For me it’s the relationships that are the most important.”
For those of us on the outside (not attending the meetings, but providing a place for them) its also encouraging to see. You hear of God working, but when you see a rather large group of His servants coming together for sharing and worship it’s almost like a bigger piece of the puzzle is put into place and you can see the picture a little more clearly.

Wheaton Team Part 2

The Wheaton Team has come and gone. It was a real positive experience for most with a few mishaps along the way. One of the guys on the team cut his leg down to the bone while playing with a kid and ended up having to go to the hospital. While the rest of the team went away to a resort to debrief about their trip, this poor kid had to camp out in Dakar. A positive in this whole ordeal was that this particular guy had grown up in Africa and had actually gone to DA. Had it happened to any other kid, he as well and his family might have been really freaked out, but they took it all in stride.


There were three different trips that took place for the football team. One came to Senegal, one went to Botswana and one went to South Africa. Each group teamed up with already existing ministries to help out anyway they could.
Afterward, all three teams met up in Senegal for debriefing.

During this time the leaders of the team encourage the guys to not let their experience end as they get back on the plane headed for the US, but to carry it with them, letting God work it out in them, perhaps teaching them something in the process.
We (the group discussion leaders) were given a series of questions designed to get them thinking about what they saw. They were challenged to unpack there thoughts and attitudes about their culture as well as the one they had just encountered.
It was neat to listen to these big ‘boys’ tenderly express their hearts at what they saw. Every one of them had a story about some child they played with, held or fed. In fact, the common theme in all their recounts had to do with the kids. One guy expressed how amazed he was that in the worst of conditions, these street kids he encountered actually found reason to smile. He talked about the Jesus using so many illustrations with children as the centerpiece and now that was making sense to him. He also was filled with gratitude for what he had and learned a big lesson on thankfulness.

Besides what they had learned, I was personally amazed and impressed with how they acted and the light that illuminated from them as they enjoyed the resort we stayed at.
I think the staff and the other people staying at the resort were shocked to see a group of young americans having a good time without partying and drinking. No night clubbing for these guys, oh no, instead they were making african tea with the street vendors andsharing their faith.
I was very encouraged by these young men and their leaders because in spite of all the ‘bad’ news that seems to be permeating the news, I saw Jesus working in and through his vessels and it gave me hope for our future.

March Madness

The 'thunder' has rolled in. Wheaton Thunder, that is. The annual Wheaton Football Team has come at last and these guys (and a girl) have hit it hard this week.
The week started off with a rousing game of volleyball. Wheaton vs L'Eglise Evangelique youth. They played a ton of games (not sure exactly how many, but it seemed like a lot) and the Americans did their best, bless their hearts, but you know what it means when someone says 'bless their hearts'. Yeah, they lost. But HEY, let's give up for L'Eglise! They made a little thunder of their own.


Monday the projects were given to each group. These guys had the task of clearing out brush that blocks the ocean view. What would have taken us two months to finish,these guys did in a day. Gotta love that 'get in there and get it done' work ethic!

One of the walls on the outside of the property was in dire need of repair. This group was assigned the task of knocking it down and reconstructing a new one.

Today they were able to take a break from hard labor and visit another ministry in another city.

This particular ministry provides a trade to be learned by young men who don't have many opportunities. They make all sorts of beautiful things ranging from drums (as seen in the picture) to jewelry to furniture.
A perk in today's trip was that the ministry is actually located at someones house and this house has a lovely pool. I'm told this was a shot of a belly flop. Who's belly is a mystery, but yowza, that had to leave a mark!
That's a midweek synopsis of the events here at the Phare. More photos and commentary will be added in the days to come.