Summer

Summer is over!  Corey and Katie and the girls had a great time in the Casamance with their friends.  My anticipated quiet week at home was transformed by a couple who had planned to stay in a village near Kaffrine and practice their Wolof.  Thankfully I was here to host them when living in the village didn’t work with an 8 month old!  I DIDN’T get some of the things done that I had hoped, but I DID get to know this lovely family better!  And I DID get the bulk of my school year planning done.  The girls have had endless projects for us to do, and I find my room is frequently crowded with all the girls sewing, reading and playing games all at the same time.  I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

 

September!

September is here, and school is in full swing!  We started school August 16 in order to get done before we leave for the United States next June.  We are in Week 4 and still figuring out how to get the work for all three grades done in a day!  Corey does our Bible and devotional reading right after breakfast, and Katie does our ‘Read Alouds’ and listens as Molly and Wheaton read their readers.  Read Alouds are quality Children’s Literature that relate to the girl’s history topics most of the time.  It is nice to have Wheaton with us all day since she is no longer going to French School.

 

Wolof Youth Camp

We had Pre-Camp Day in Kaffrine this week.  All prospective campers and their parents are invited to this event to experience a sampling of what to expect, provide an opportunity for parents to sign permission slips and pay the minimal camp fees, and ask questions.  Camp is in less than two weeks!  Art and craft supplies were sent by a supporting church in Connecticut, USA and Senegalese youth who have attended camp previously have stepped up to take leadership this year and worked together as a team to bring the event to a successful conclusion.  There is still a need for confirmed speakers for the teaching sessions.

More information about the youth camp and the meeting this week is online here

 

My Car

At present, I have loaned my car to a missionary family that needs a car and doesn’t have one.  The heat here is not good for a car to sit in, and without a driving license, I can’t drive it.  So, they are driving it in Dakar and I am now the proud rider of a moped the mission keeps for interns.  If and when I need my car, I will have to go to the USA to get a new license.

 

Bible Study

We have become acquainted with two young men from Korea who are in Kaffrine as volunteers (similar to American Peace Corps).  Sun Yung is a new Christian, and NJ grew up in a Christian home.  Both are interested in learning more about the Bible so I am meeting with them on Fridays and Mondays to learn more about God’s Word together.  They also join us on Tuesdays for our team prayer meeting.

 

The SIM team in Kaffrine meets on Thursday afternoons for business.  I have started a Bible Club for the 7 kids (aged 6 to 10) whose parents are in the meeting.  We have an hour of Bible, snack time, do a craft of some sort, and then they play till the parents are done.  We learn about the books of the Bible, race against one another with Bible Drills, and giggle a lot.

 

Some Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Senegal

Do they slaughter animals in the marketplace?  Every family kills chickens, ducks, sheep or goats at home on special occasions. Sometimes a cow will be shared by several families.  Meat can also be purchased in the market by the kilo (there is no refrigeration though!)

Are they vegetarian at all?  Most families can’t afford to eat meat except on special occasions (Muslim holidays, weddings, births, special guests).  The standard lunch is rice with a couple of fish and whatever vegetables are available eaten out of one big bowl shared by 5 to 10 people.  In the village, dinner and breakfast are millet/sorghum/corn with peanut sauce with leaves or pumpkin or beans. In towns and cities people have bread for breakfast and more variety in their diet.

How do people eat if the harvest is weak or decimated by locusts or weather?  It is not uncommon for a family to get down to eating one meal a day during lean times.  This might be just plain rice if times are hard.  They are also vulnerable during bad farming years to lenders who charge 100% interest on loans; many get themselves deeply in debt.

What else besides insects endanger the crops there?  The rains are decreasing annually and the Sahara desert is encroaching further south each year.  The people use wood for cooking so the land has been sadly deforested which is damaging the environment. There is also a fungus which grows on all peanuts and which has been linked with liver cancer (and which more developed countries eliminate through a regulated process) and which Senegal is not in a position to deal with, making all our peanuts ineligible for export. The government used to have export contracts which enabled them to buy peanuts from the small farmers for export; without this they are no longer able to pay farmers a decent price for their crops.

 

Prayer Points

*  Please pray that we would find our schedule stride so I can attend to everything that the girls need to learn well

*  Corey has a field in the village where he is trying a new farming method.  Please pray that the rains would be just right for a bountiful harvest, and the villagers would see and benefit from this experiment.

*  Pray for a successful Wolof Youth Camp September 19-23.

*  Pray for my time at home when the others are at camp that I would have good renewal time and be refreshed.

 

Pictures of our activities in August and September are here.