Ngente
We had some excitement here the middle of September. One of the ladies in Katie and Corey’s village household had a baby. Katie helped her get to the hospital and wade through some of the procedural requirements. When it came time for them to name the baby girl, they named her after Katie! This is a big honor, and we were all touched by this evidence of affection. Pictures of the day are in the current slide show here.
Wolof Camp
Wolof Camp was a great success! Thanks for all the prayers. Leadership from the youth in Kaffrine was excellent. Speakers from within the Wolof church gave tremendous presentations. Facilities were in good repair and there were no accidents and no break-ins. 25% more kids attended this year than last! Please see the September 24 posting on http://garrett.with.sim.org/prayer for a detailed report of all that was accomplished at this camp.
Pastor’s Book Sets
Three hundred pastors and church leaders from all over Senegal received two cartons of study aids at a conference in Dakar the 25th to the 28th of October. A report and video about this special event can be seen on the November 4 posting on http://garrett.with.sim.org/prayer .
Eid / Tabaski
Tabaski was a pleasant time of relaxing and visiting with friends and neighbors. Corey and Katie each had an opportunity to share the Gospel message. All in our Kaffrine team were blessed by loving interactions with villagers. We continue to pray for additional opportunities to spread the life-giving message.
Farm Crop
Corey reports the results with his zai-holes with red peppers had a significant difference in the yield and size of the peppers he grew in comparison with his host’s plants right next to Corey’s in their joint, fenced house garden. The final result for his corn field is still uncertain until the crops are weighed, but it appears that the kernels are larger and fuller.
Our School Day
We are one third of the way through this school year! We are figuring out how to do school with three levels and have discovered the world does NOT end if everything on the list doesn’t get done every day! Currently we are a few weeks behind on science and trying to catch up. At the same time, we are getting excited about Christmas coming.
Ladies’ Retreat
Last weekend, Katie and I went with a carload of other missionary women to the annual Women’s Retreat near the coast. Corey stayed with the girls, and another husband brought his boys to spend the weekend with Corey in Kaffrine. They all went out to the village while we were being refreshed at the retreat. It was a real blessing to be among almost 200 English-speaking missionary women serving in a wide variety of organizations with the many people groups around Senegal and other nearby countries. We were encouraged by an able speaker whose message revolved around different aspects of God’s Promises.
Christmas
We have exciting plans for Christmas already! Our family will be spending the holiday with not one but possibly two other missionary families with children. We also have Christmas secrets in the works . . . ssshhhhh!
Girl Talk
When asked if they had anything to say in this newsletter, they responded with the following.
Emma: ‘Grandma Janie makes things that otherwise would be boring very fun.’
Molly: ‘You are supporting the right person!’
Kaffrine FAQs
What do they grow in Senegal? The main crops people grow are peanuts, millet, corn, and sorghum. There is also some attempt being made to cultivate rice and cotton. Many also grow some tomatoes, okra, beans, watermelon, mangoes and pumpkin. But we have a short rainy season – for most of the year growing anything is extremely difficult. On the coast there is a great fishing industry which supplies the whole country with their daily fish for lunch.
What the heck is millet used for? We eat it! It takes a lot of work to get it edible (pounding, grinding, steaming, etc.), but in the end, it is kind of like a dry couscous and is the staple grain of Senegal traditionally.
What does a typical villager make a year when there is a decent crop? This is almost impossible to estimate because it depends on the family size and how much land they have and what they grow each year, etc. But 77% of the population are farmers and the GDP per capita is $1,900 U.S. 54% of the population are below the poverty line which places Senegal 192nd out of 228 countries in the world according to the CIA World FactBook website.
Do you wonder about Senegal or Kaffrine or what we are doing here? Send your questions and I’ll do my best to find an answer for you!
Prayer Points
v Please continue to pray for our school-day schedule, that all the educational concerns can be attended to for all three girls.
v Please keep praying for continued health for us all.
v Pray for continuing increase in my grasp of Wolof, I’m still struggling with this.
v Pray for many opportunities for Corey and Katie to speak the Gospel in the village and for people to be receptive to the freeing truth.
v Pray for us all as Corey and Katie travel to Dakar this weekend leaving the girls and me at home in Kaffrine. Pray safe travel going and coming, and a good and enjoyable time for us here at home.
v Pray for our Christmas preparations, that we would not lose sight of Jesus’ Birth in the excitement of gifts and visiting with friends.
Pictures of our activities in October are here.
Thanks so much for your continued support and prayers!
Blessings,
Janie