The old guy in Senegal by Mike Rufo

After 3 red-eye flights in 8 days we unfortunately missed the last connecting flight to Syracuse.  I found myself sitting in the airport and reflecting on the most striking image of our time in Senegal.

During the last day of the conference this older gentleman named George was introduced.  He was one of the first American missionaries in Senegal arriving in the 1960’s.  SInce none of the adults would listen to him he began to hold “kids club” in his backyard.  He taught Bible stories and songs to the children.  After 7 years one of the children became a Christian as a teenager.  As the years went on 6 more of the original children became Christians.  He showed a picture of the seven Christians when they were all in their early 20s.  Today one is a judge, one a doctor, one an english teacher, and all still sharing the Gospel of Jesus in Senegal.  The church today in Senegal is largely a result of these six young men and one women.

The old man’s name was George and when he was showing the picture he was laughing with joy. He was overwhelmed by the number of people, both American and Senegalese participating in the leadership summit.  George has been back in the US for 16 years now but his joy at seeing his Senegalese friends was like no time had passed.  I guess because he was persistent for seven years and in the end he saw “only” seven conversions he likely developed an eternal perspective.  In George’s eternal perpective no time had really passed.  Seven Christians to an ever growing number of village churches.

I think I want to be like the old guy someday.

A day in Ndiadiane, Senegal

It was one of those “surprise” days in Ndiadiane.

After attending a graduation ceremony for the Timothy School in Thies (the school is a 3 year training program for village pastors) we headed to Ndiadiane.   (check out Ken Kaiser’s facebook posting)

We first stopped by Pastor Mbaye’s home, looked at the well under construction, millet grinder, and additions to the Pastor’s home.  Francois told us that the women run the millet grinder from 8am to 10am everyday.  They do not run it during the heat of the day to protect the motor.  The women pay to have their millet ground however they are still working out the “business” details.   The machine is saving the women time and effort every day.  The additions to Pastor Mbaye’s home will be completed in a couple weeks then his family can move to Ndiadiane.

We then headed over to the other new well near one of the compounds.  Along the way we ran into Fatu as she was dehusking millet.  She excitedly asked if our women were with me.  When told that they were not she asked about each of them.  Doug tried his hand at manually grinding the millet.  She then gave Doug and Ken their Serer names.  Doug was named Jeg Jam (meaning “I have peace”) and Ken was named  Ablai Sarr.

Continuing to other new well we were greeted by Mary Faye who again asked if our women were with me.  After obvious disappointment she invited Doug and me into her home to talk.  She expressed how thankful she was for the medical care recently given.  She asked about our women and then asked if we could find a way to help the women in Ndiadiane to read or hear the Bible.  We told her that we would talk with Pastor Mbaye and see what could be done.  As an aside we heard that the Proclaimer Serer recording will begin in early February and Mary Faye’s request should be granted in the second half of 2010.  A young women came to ask us to pray for Ginyon (her story in on the EHBC Senegal Blog).  We then joined Pastor Mbaye in a prayer for her in her hut.

We then drove to the village garden project and saw the completed water tower (does have a leak), the solar panel, well, and trees that Matt had previously planted.  The plan is for 430 trees to be planted (mango, citrus, papaya, and guava).  The goal was for “more than 400 trees” symbolizing the more the 400 believers” that will be worshiping together in Ndiadiane someday soon.  The irrigation lines will be installed shortly by the irrigation contractor and shortly thereafter the seeds will be planted.

We then started to drive to the village next to Ndiadiane to see Senabou Diouf and take her picture for our blog.  You may remember that she was the young women who came to see us during the November clinic and was very ill.  During the last 2 months her condition improved greatly.  While driving to see her we were informed that after all the improvement she suddenly passed away within the past few days.  The shock of the moment took us all back and we were now looking for her hut to give our condolences.  We met for a while with her mother and in a private moment she expressed to Matt and I how much she appreciated the care that was given to her daughter.  She said she knew that everything that could have been done for Senabou was done.  She offered to meet with Pastor Mbaye and/or one of our teams when we return to hear more about Jesus.   Matt and the Pastors met with Senabou’s father and he again expressed his thanks for the care and love shown his daughter.  It can only be described as one of those moments in Senegal when it is clear that God has plans and purposes far beyond what we can understand.  Village life is fragile and this is another example of the urgency of sharing the love of Jesus with our friends in Ndiadiane.

We have brother and sisters in Ndiadiane. Someday we will be rejoicing for eternity together with Mary Faye, Fatu, and all of our other brothers and sisters in His presence.

In His mighty power

Mike

Pastor Saliou and Jacqueline’s new baby

GREAT NEWS!!!

Pastor Saliou and Jacqueline have been blessed with baby Emmanuel.  Great pictures of mom and baby taken by Niki Paschall.

Pastor Saliou is an evangelism pastor at EEBT and has led the development of EHBC’s relationship with the people of Ndiadiane, Senegal.  Jacqueline has served the teams by cooking amazing food while the EHBC teams have stayed in the village. 

Congratulations from all your brothers and sisters in Christ at EHBC!

God’s life-transforming and life-giving power by Brenda Conley

In my limited experience I have come to the conclusion that Senegal is a land of extremes. Some of the most beautiful sights I have ever beheld have been in Senegal, yet, some of the most shocking scenes have been there as well.   The same holds true with my experiences emotionally, spiritually, and physically: the highs to lows, the exuberance to exhaustion, the hope and joy in the face of desperation and brokenness.   In no other place, or in any other time in my life have these paradoxes been more profound than my two times in Senegal.  The beauty of these paradoxes is the fact that God has used them to draw me near to Him, to worship Him in a deeper way, and to eagerly expect great things from Him.

One thing that I began to learn while in Senegal is that God wants to awaken in me a heightened imagination of what He can accomplish in every situation, even the impossible ones.   In May, on my first trip, I saw Matt and Niki Paschall’s backyard (They are a missionary family that lives in Senegal with whom our teams work and they live in Thies, Senegal).   Their yard was a barren piece of land that looked unfit for anything to grow upon, after all, it did not look like the dark, fertile soil I was familiar with growing up in America’s breadbasket.

Upon my return to Africa in November, the same lot had undergone an amazing transformation.   It had beautiful, large, cascading bougainvillea blooming, trees with ripening fruit, aromatic herbs that seasoned some of my meals, a green lawn, and producing tomato plants!   Now, I am not foolish enough to believe this miraculously happened on its own accord!   No. First, Matt and Niki had the vision, the imagination, and the desire to see the potential of that plot.   They had the hope of beauty, respite, shade, and provision.   Then they labored.   It was through their diligence: weeding, cultivating, tilling, fertilizing, planting, hoeing, and watering that allowed for the abundant results.   I also know that God provided the sunshine,  made it grow, and allowed this harvest to be reaped.   I also know that as the Pachalls continue to minister in Senegal, God will continue to allow a harvest beyond their yard.   It will be found in the changed lives of the people that they shower with the love and hope of Christ.

This backyard illustration was a picture of what God showed me time and time again while in Senegal: the life-transforming and life-giving power He has.   I witnessed a village pregnant with hope in a plot of land that will yield many harvests and provision for families because of a new drip-irrigation, water tower system, where before it was a barren field. I saw elation as the women of the village danced around the new millet grinder when before there was only back – breaking labor.   I saw fewer cases of malaria come through the doors of the clinic when before they were ravaged by it.   I participated in a beautiful evening of worship of the One True God under the starry sky with many villagers where before there were only one or two followers of Jesus.   Again, I am not foolish enough to think that this happened on its own accord (although our all-powerful God could do that in a twinkling of an eye, and someday will…)  But, I have been privileged enough to meet some of the laborers who have been driven by the possibilities of God’s redemptive work in the land, the health, and hearts of the lovely Senegalese, and I am humbled and changed forever.

Slowly,  instead of seeing the barren landscapes in Senegal and in my own life,  I have a new perspective.   I begin to more earnestly seek the power of restoration and vitalization.   I also begin to actively seek how God may want me to participate with Him in that process at home, in Senegal, and in landscapes that I have not or may never even personally visit.   My times in Senegal, the land of paradoxes, have given me hope.

Turning Soil in Ndiadiane, Senegal by Alison Fisher Cullen

This past trip to Ndiadiane (sometimes N’diadiane) was once again a life altering experience for me.  I had the oppotunity again to be involved in women’s ministry. However, I discovered that God had a much broader and deeper definition of what that meant than I could have ever imagined!

Women’s ministry on this trip did not consist of any organized meetings with prepared bible lessons and teachings aimed at sharing God’s love. This time we, (Brenda Conley, Carol Hornstein and myself) physically showed God’s love by “rolling up our sleeves” and helping out with the daily chores that are the life of the women in Ndiadiane.

We spent most of the first day with a women named Fatu who I had become friends with on my last trip back in March. She and her husband were Muslims then, but she still drifted in and out of our bible studies between chores and caring for her three boys. She explained to me that she really wanted to hear all that we were saying, but since her husband had only one wife, she had no one to help her with all the work to be done.
None the less, as a result of hearing the gospel in those bible studies and seeing the “Jesus” film two weeks after, she and her husband became Christians! And I can’t even begin to tell you how the joy of the Lord just shines in this women!

We began the day by helping her build a fence. It was more like basket weaving on a large scale! She was having a hard time with the top since she is very tiny. The tree of us, however, all being tall, made quick work of the task. The best part…….was that others from the village kept coming by to see what we were doing. There were some giggles, as we must have been a sight. But they had to be asking themselves…”Who are these “toubabs”, and why are they helping out?”

Next we moved on to helping pound the millet off the dried stalks. This is still a job that must be done by hand before going off to the new millet grinder. By this time, another women had joined us ( also a new Christian ) and a host of children! We all took turns pounding and then winnowing the grain from the chaff since a breeze had picked up. After that, the two women lead us down a path in the sand to a field that looked barren to us. One of the women picked up a rake and began to turn up the soil beneath some parched, dead remains of some plants. And there were peanuts! Thousands and thousands of peanuts! I would have never guessed that anything could be cultivated out of this ground, but there they were laying just under the dirt, waiting to be harvested. So, we dug and sifted and winnowed and sang paises to God together! And there was a growing mound of peanuts right before our eyes!

Well, we were now into the very hottest time of the day ( likely upwards of 100 degrees ) and Fatu gestured ( we had no translator with us which didn’t seem to matter ) that it was time for us to be out of the sun! She walked us over to a nearby well and drew up some water for us to wash our hands in. Then she thanked us and lead us to the path that would take us back to the village. As the three of us started back we heard Fatu singing. We turned around to see her standing there in the field. She had one hand over her heart and the other was waving in the air. Her eyes were closed as she sang praises! Not to us, but to the One True Living God! The God who now lives in her!

I turned to Brenda and Carol (we all had dirty tears rolling down our sunburned cheeks) and said “There it is….. God is showing us HIS harvest!”.

A couple days later, as we took the long treck back to Thies, Senegal I was looking out the window of the bus remembering my first trip into the bush a year ago. Seeing mile after mile of desolation, poverty and trash I had sensed the overwhelming hopelessness of Africa. I wondered why God had foresaken this place. In fact, even after returning home, the images and faces kept me up at night with great pity and sorrow. But now I realize I had it all wrong. Just like that seemingly barren field, I just couldn’t see it. God has not foresaken Africa. He is HERE and He loves these people more than I could ever know! All we have to do is turn up the soil to reveal God’s harvest!

Now when I lay awake at night the image I see in my mind is of Fatu standing in the field, praising God!  And my heart is filled with great joy and thanksgiving and I can hardly wait to see what God will do next!

Alison

Seeing God in Ndiadiane, Senegal by Kim Jenkins

Happy holidays to everyone! It has been about two months since the Eastern Hills Bible Church (EHBC) November trip to Senegal, but it still seems like it was just yesterday.  This was my first trip to Ndiadiane (sometimes N’Diadiane), Senegal and I was not really sure what to expect.  I assumed that we would be going in to provide medical attention to the sick and that we would continue to teach these wonderful people on how to improve their lives. We were able to accomplish what we had set out to do, however; what I did not expect is that I would learn so much more from the people of Ndiadiane.  They taught me in one week what I have been searching for the past six years. Which is how to get close to God.

I have never been with someone who has had so little essentials in life but would still share what little bit they had.  When we ate together they would break pieces of the small amount of meat available and put it on my side of the plate.  The children jump up from their water barrels, which is all they have to sit on, and give you their seat with a smile on their face. In the fields they would pick up left behind peanuts and break them open for me to eat.

One of the nights that we were there we had to find a family to share our spiritual journeys with.  This is something I spent quite a bit of time preparing for as I knew we would be doing this on the trip. I was nervous to talk to a family, comprised mostly of men, that I did not know, so I let Andy Newhouse do most of the talking.  Soon enough I was overwhelmed with a feeling of closeness and began to cry.  I was ready to tell my story. I told the translater to let them know how long I have search for closeness to God and how hard it was on my family and I.  Not knowing this would be the night I had been waiting for all of my life because even though we couldn’t comunicate through words they taught me so much in there actions.  I saw God in them and it hit me so hard that I wept.  That’s when one of the men that I was so nervous to talk in front of put his arm on my shoulder and asked if I was all right.  When it was time to go, these men hugged me like I was their daughter.  To have someone who has so little in daily comforts show such compassion is hard to describe.

EHBC is trying so hard to help these brothers and sisters in Christ, to improve their health and their lives and we have been making progress but still have a long road to go.  You can see it in the decrease of malaria and some of the other major illnesses.  You can also see it in the building of the well, the millet grinder, and fence making machine, which will help to make life easier for the village.  Giving the people the ability to learn a trade, spend less of their day searching for water or grinding millet.  But by far one of the most important thing that we are helping them with is to educate them on who Jesus and God are.  While I went there to provide medical aid and share my experiences with them, I came away learning more myself about Jesus and God.  I was able to see God in the individuals from EHBC who went with me on the trip, in the people of EHBC who work behind the scenes and those that contribute to make these trips possible, and most of all in the wonderful people of Ndiadiane, Senegal.

Update on very sick young lady from the November 09 Trip

Below is a note from Matt Paschall, missionary to Senegal, regarding a young lady that was brought to the clinic during the November trip to the Village of Ndiadiane, Senegal.  As background she was brought to the clinic on a cart.  She was severely swollen and had skin issues.  Her parents said that she had been brought to two different hospitals and two different witch doctors in the past few months and nothing had helped.  Robin’s assessment was that she would not survive in her current condition.  The team decided to pay for her transportation and diagnosis at the Bartimae Clinic in Thies, Senegal.  With that as background below is an update from Matt . . .

“You probably remember that severely swollen young lady, Senabou Diouf, who was brought to the clinic by the local LifeFlight Chariot.  Your team ended up flipping the bill to get her checked into Bartimae Clinic and covering the expenses.  Well, the amazing thing is that she made a full recovery.   They ran some tests, cleaned her wounds and I’m not sure what kind of antibiotics or drug treatment they put her on, but her family was very touched by this “random” act of kindness.  Well it turns out to not be that random.

Her father is actually related to the chief in the next village who came to us over a year ago wondering if we come and visit his village of Ndofane.   In March of 2009, when the ladies were here in Ndiadiane, Saliou, Kwashie and I followed up with a formal meeting with the leadership of the village. Then in May (just a few months later), the Caravan spent a full day singing and giving testimonies.  Then six months from the Caravan, this sick gal shows up at our doorstep.  The team had no idea where this person came from, but basically your response and her recovery has flown wide open the door to the village.   Saliou, Adama and Kwashie believe that God is going to plant a daughter church in their village soon.”

The Senegal Team is Home

Thank you for your prayers!  We arrived home safely yesterday morning.  At the end of an intense week we are simply in awe of God’s love and goodness.  We saw very tangible progress on several fronts in the village: our medical staff reported a drastic drop in malaria cases due to mosquito net usage, the millet grinder is up and running, two new wells are dug and ready to cap which will ensure clean drinking water,  the village women and some of the women on our team further developed meaningful relationships while working together, and construction of the infrastructure is nearly complete for the garden project, which will allow men to farm in the village year-round and sell produce in the market instead of moving to cities to work.  We could see hope in their eyes!

This progress on physical and social fronts is exciting, and it’s essential to meet these needs for any kind of long-term change to take place.  Most importantly, though, spiritual needs are being met, and more and more of the villagers have ETERNAL hope!  The village church is present and growing.  From everything we saw, the village pastor is loved and respected by the villagers, even though he moved there only recently.  Christianity is still a minority in the village, but it’s spreading quickly – the spirit of fear and spiritual bondage to a witch doctor are breaking before our eyes.  Praise the Lord!

One of our team’s main responses to this trip was humility – God’s doing so much in this village, and while we show up once in a while and try to contribute what we can, it’s clearly NOT our power that’s accomplishing these significant changes.  Each of us counts ourselves blessed to come along for the ride, and see God’s work up close.  Your prayers are absolutely making a difference.

We wrapped up our time in Senegal with some relaxing team-time to discuss and start processing what we’d seen.  We’re humbled by how much God blesses us and teaches us during these trips.  Each of us has a lot to process and sort out, but it’s clear that God’s working on our lives and that we come away changed.

Finally, if you would like to hear more stories and see more photos, we’d sincerely love to share them with you!  Also, please reply to this email if you would like to talk about how you can get involved.
Thanks again for your prayers, support, and encouragement,
The November 2009 Senegal Team

Three Days in Ndiadiane

The team has returned to the Auberge Hotel after spending 3 days in Ndiadiane.  The medical team saw over 350 patients, the ag/irrigation team participated in 3 training sessions and visited a working drip irrigation system, and the women’s ministry team cooked with, talked with, prayed with, made fence with, picked peanuts with, and ground millet with the women of the village.

The medical team again worked seamlessly with the Senegalese nurses. It was a pleasure to watch as the teams learned from each other.  We had worked with many of the nurses and pharmacists on previous trips and friendships are developing among the medical teams.

The ag/irrigation training sessions were run by a local pastor/farmer that has greatly increased crop yield on his land.  These seminars included training on crop rotation, irrigation, specially-adapted seed varieties, application of natural fertilizers, and Bible stories that related to the topic being discussed.

Everyone spent time talking with villagers and deepening relationships.  Matt Paschall challenged each team member to share their faith story with at least one villager.  By the end of the three days most had shared it multiple times.

One of the most interesting observations is the fact that we met many young men (15 to 25 years old) in the village.  In past trips we saw very few (if any) men this age in the village. When we asked them what was different this time they said that the garden project will give them opportunities for work in the village so they will not need to travel to a big city to make money.  The garden project is a project where, together with our partner church in the city of Thies, an irrigation well, drip irrigation system, solar-powered pump, and water tower will provide the infrastructure for about 10 families to grow vegetables and fruits year-round.

The time our women spent with village women continued to build on the relationships from previous trips.  Even without an interpreter (and maybe because there wasn’t one) performing daily tasks together deepened our understanding of each other and significant connections were made.

Lastly we spend significant time with the newly-appointed village pastor, Mbaye Nbour, getting to know him and his wife.  He has a clear vision to share the Gospel with the villagers.  His home in the village is almost complete, and he holds two church services each week with about 60 people attending.

Thank you all for the prayers and support!

Check out our recent pictures…

Roog a Faha (Serer for “God is Good”)

Mike on behalf of the Nov 09 Travel Team

Second Day in Senegal (first day in Ndiadiane)

Greetings again from Senegal!

We enjoyed a delightful day in the village today.  We were humbled by how God has worked, through us as human vessels.  We participated in a ceremony to celebrate and dedicate several recent projects (the community garden with drip irrigation, the millet grinder, new wells, and a fence-making machine).  We also had the privilege of spending a few joyous hours with the villagers…  But we’ll let each team member fill you in on some details of what stuck out most to them.  One of the most exciting parts for me was to see tangible progress on the agriculture projects that were merely IDEAS a year ago!  I keep thinking what a privilege it is to just be along for the ride of what God’s doing here!

-Andy

Enjoy everyone’s stories below, and check out today’s pictures!

An incredible day of celebration.  Friends getting back together.  Celebrations of the goodness of God, hope for today in the eyes of villagers, and a village Pastor with a vision to see hope for eternity in Ndiadiane.  Amazing! – Mike

Define the term: Joy, and think of the happiest moment you have experienced recently. Then magnify that by a 1,000! Today in the village of Ndiadiane I witnessed pure and genuine joy expressed by the villagers. They were lifted up and smiling continuously and welcomed us with open arms! – Katie

Today I witnessed a culmination of many cultures, religions and people brought together in celebration all originating from a vision of Christians wanting to adopt a village in order to show the love of God to people in need of hope. The lovely people of the village of Ndiadiane, who we showed love in our deeds, show us love in return and I cannot express the joy wonder and acceptance we experienced. Only God could have brought us all together like that. It is amazing what can happen we we ask God to use us and he does. – Carol.

So I show up on my first trip to Ndiadiane for this great celebration and was quickly humbled by the hard work of so many since the first team from EHBC came to Senegal in January of 2008. God has worked through the villagers, the local Senegalese pastors, the resident missionaries and the various teams from EHBC to transform Ndiadiane. The graciousness and joy of the people was inspiring and exciting. I am extremely grateful to be a part of it.  -Sam

So here is how today went. We woke up early and had breakfast.  Then off to Ndiadiane.  It seemed like forever to get there but when we finally did they were there waiting for us.  The women there gave us such a warm welcome dancing around us.  I believe it is the warmest welcome I have ever received!  The sweat never stops, we get very little sleep, and my shoes are filled with sand…. I never want to leave.  Just ship over my husband and children and I will be all set.  Thank you to my husband Dan for telling me about this trip.  I can’t wait until it is your turn! – KIM

What impacted me the most during the village celebration today was seeing the excitement and passion of the women in N’Diadiane.  They expressed their incredible thanks and gratitude for all that is happening and what God is doing.  Very much looking forward to what is in store in the days ahead.  - Andy Carlsen

Today has been overwhelming for me to say the very least. I went to bed last night feeling like it was Christmas eve, but today was so far beyond that!  A year ago, I sat cooking with the “ladies” and asked them how we could help them…what did they want? Without a pause, they said a millet grinder. In my mind I remember  thinking , “what else do you want?” Because I couldn’t imagine how we could pull off a grinder way out here, not to mention the cost. I was right, we couldn’t pull it off…but God can! And He did! To be there today with those same “ladies” hugging, kissing, and dancing, dancing, dancing celebrating the arrival of their millet grinder and the end of generations of back breaking work for them was a joy beyond joys! Later in the day I asked them if they thought they might still use their old mortar and pestle (for millet grinding). Their response was no,no,no!….followed by more dancing! So, I asked “what will you do with all the extra time in your days now?” They said “we want to learn to read.” Are you cryin’yet??? I could go on and on, but Mike just told me I need to get off now…….love to all.  -Alison

Roog a faaxa’ is Seereer for ‘God is good,’ and what I witnessed today in the village was the goodness of an amazing God.  What a privilege to be here to witness some of the fruit and new life that He has born in this land. To experience the joy, hospitality, and generosity of the Senegalese is truly humbling and life-changing.  -Brenda Conley

Today was a great day of celebration.  We were able to tour the new irrigation system and the 3 acres of land ready for planting.  The millet grinder is up and running, and the drinking water well should soon be in place – hopefully reducing the need for de-worming the kids. And  when I inquired today about the illnesses we should be prepared for in clinc tomorrow, we were told much less malaria due to the mosquito nets recently purchaced and used by the villagers!  God is good.  On to another day of fun. -Robin.