We can hardly believe that it has been over a year since our family moved to Dakar! We truly have a lot for which we are thankful. We have a beautiful home, wonderful neighbors, Caleb’s safe arrival, many family members who came to visit, good health, the Lord healing us the times we have been ill, a generator to help us make it when the power is cut, our children enjoying Bible stories more than any other books, opportunities to share Jesus with those who are lost, and each one of you who so faithfully lifts us up in prayer. We are grateful to God for His faithfulness in our lives.
In this newsletter, we want to let you know that we are very excited (and a little nervous) as we prepare to start English lessons along with Bible stories on Tuesday, the 21st. This will take place in the little park in front of our house with the students who attend a middle school near us. They “hang out” in this park when they are on a break from school. When Crystal told them we would start next week, they shouted and jumped around! They are excited, too. We have another missionary who will be helping as well as David, Yacine, and Mariama who will help with the Bible stories in Wolof.
Please pray for the following:
1) That the hearts of the students will be open and ready to hear the Truth from God’s Word.
2) That we can learn all of their names, and really build relationships with them.
3) That no one in our neighborhood will oppose us.
4) That none of the students’ parents will object to their coming.
5) That some of the parents would even come to hear the stories.
6) That David, Yacine, and Mariama will be able to tell the stories well and answer any questions clearly.
7) That we will do this relying on God’s strength rather than our own.
8) That we will find those who are truly seeking God and lead them faith in Christ.
We desperately need you to be praying. We know that nothing will happen without the Lord’s Spirit moving ahead of us. If you are interested in fasting as well, we want to fast on Mondays at lunch time. We are calling it “Lundi (Monday in French) Lunch for the Lost.” We hope you can join with us.
“Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods.”
1 Chron. 16:23-25
We pray that you and your families will have a blessed Thanksgiving. We love and appreciate each of you.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
The Spirit of God
Thank you for you prayers. This is a difficult time for us, as it is Ramadan (the month of fasting) for Muslims. They do not eat or drink all day long. They don’t even swallow their own spit. It makes everyone grumpier and more impatient. The hard part for us is that it is a time of much spiritual warfare. We often get opportunities to share about why we are not required to fast at a certain time to earn God’s favor. We share that we get to fast sometimes mainly to draw closer to God. So, as you can imagine, the enemy does not want us sharing this Good News. Many of our personnel (our family included) have had multiple illnesses, family emergencies in the States, broken bones, etc. Would you please pause to pray for our health and well-being especially for the next few weeks? Also, please lift up those who are truly seeking God – that they would know the Truth, and that God would send them dreams and visions which are a powerful confirmation in this culture.
But, God’s Spirit is moving:
We would like to take a few minutes to give you updates on some volunteer teams who worked here in Dakar. First was the Vacation Bible School which took place the week we headed out for vacation. We helped with the preparation and registration. An interesting thing happened in that we were working with the French-speaking Baptist church, and we asked the man who is in charge of the neighborhood if we could invite all of the children in the neighborhood to the VBS. He was reluctant because the VBS was to be held in the church. He said that it would be better to hold the “camp” at a nearby school! This opened many doors in the community for the church. There were at least 75 children who participated in VBS and very few were members of the church. Many parents attended the closing ceremony where the children sang praise songs and acted out Bible stories. Each family was given a “goody bag” with school supplies, candy, and Bible stories on cassettes. All were very happy to receive these gifts. Please pray that they will receive God’s greatest Gift – His Son!
In September, the basketball camp was also a huge success. A team of 4 men and 1 woman came from Florida to help with it. There was a morning camp and an afternoon camp. There were at least 36 students involved in each of the camps. After each basketball practice, the team visited in the participants’ homes. This means that at least 72 home visits were made during the week! Please pray that the local church will be able to follow up on the contacts made in these homes.
Another way we have seen God’s Spirit moving is in the life of our favorite taxi driver, Ibrahima. Many of you have prayed a long time for this man, his wife Fatou, and their 5 children. Well, the other day, he came by and was very distraught about his work situation. He only rents the taxi that he drives and is having lots of problems with the owner. He has been able to observe the lives of many missionaries, and many have shared the Gospel, Bible stories, their testimonies, etc. with him. So, of course, when he told Crystal his problems, she asked him if she could pray for him in Jesus’ name. He agreed, and God’s Spirit moved!! After we had prayed, Ibrahima sat with his head in his hands for so long that Crystal thought maybe he had fallen asleep. But, no, it was the Presence of the Lord dealing with him. So, we still don’t have the answer to his taxi problem, but he is moving closer to a real relationship with God. PLEASE PRAY fervently that he will accept Christ as The Way, The Truth, and The Life. We know everything else will fall into place after that.
Finally, please pray for a missionary family here, Greg and Angela Queen and their daughter, Meredith. They have had several miscarriages and lost a little baby in the past. She is pregnant again, and an ultrasound today showed that this baby has water on the brain. There is a possibility that it can still drain over the next 15 days. Please intercede with us for this precious baby and the family during this time.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your prayers. You are helping to sustain us through challenging times. We appreciate each one of you.
But, God’s Spirit is moving:
We would like to take a few minutes to give you updates on some volunteer teams who worked here in Dakar. First was the Vacation Bible School which took place the week we headed out for vacation. We helped with the preparation and registration. An interesting thing happened in that we were working with the French-speaking Baptist church, and we asked the man who is in charge of the neighborhood if we could invite all of the children in the neighborhood to the VBS. He was reluctant because the VBS was to be held in the church. He said that it would be better to hold the “camp” at a nearby school! This opened many doors in the community for the church. There were at least 75 children who participated in VBS and very few were members of the church. Many parents attended the closing ceremony where the children sang praise songs and acted out Bible stories. Each family was given a “goody bag” with school supplies, candy, and Bible stories on cassettes. All were very happy to receive these gifts. Please pray that they will receive God’s greatest Gift – His Son!
In September, the basketball camp was also a huge success. A team of 4 men and 1 woman came from Florida to help with it. There was a morning camp and an afternoon camp. There were at least 36 students involved in each of the camps. After each basketball practice, the team visited in the participants’ homes. This means that at least 72 home visits were made during the week! Please pray that the local church will be able to follow up on the contacts made in these homes.
Another way we have seen God’s Spirit moving is in the life of our favorite taxi driver, Ibrahima. Many of you have prayed a long time for this man, his wife Fatou, and their 5 children. Well, the other day, he came by and was very distraught about his work situation. He only rents the taxi that he drives and is having lots of problems with the owner. He has been able to observe the lives of many missionaries, and many have shared the Gospel, Bible stories, their testimonies, etc. with him. So, of course, when he told Crystal his problems, she asked him if she could pray for him in Jesus’ name. He agreed, and God’s Spirit moved!! After we had prayed, Ibrahima sat with his head in his hands for so long that Crystal thought maybe he had fallen asleep. But, no, it was the Presence of the Lord dealing with him. So, we still don’t have the answer to his taxi problem, but he is moving closer to a real relationship with God. PLEASE PRAY fervently that he will accept Christ as The Way, The Truth, and The Life. We know everything else will fall into place after that.
Finally, please pray for a missionary family here, Greg and Angela Queen and their daughter, Meredith. They have had several miscarriages and lost a little baby in the past. She is pregnant again, and an ultrasound today showed that this baby has water on the brain. There is a possibility that it can still drain over the next 15 days. Please intercede with us for this precious baby and the family during this time.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your prayers. You are helping to sustain us through challenging times. We appreciate each one of you.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Back In Dakar
Whew! What a great time our family had as we took a month to vacation in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas. We were so blessed to see so many of you, but our time passed so quickly! Thank you for the many ways you blessed us while we were there. Thank you for your continued prayer support as we jump back into our life and ministry here in Dakar. (Don’t worry. We did sleep for about three days after we returned.)
This will be a short newsletter because we mainly want to ask you to pray for a volunteer team who is here right now. They have come to lead a basketball camp for young boys in the neighborhood around the French-speaking Baptist church. There are five people in the group from Callahan Baptist Church in Florida. They are: Mike, Larry, Chuck, and another Mike and his wife Kathy. People from the church will be helping as well.
Please pray for the following:
* Pray that the volunteers and church members will have good visits as they go into the homes of the camp participants each day.
*Pray that the hearts of the basketball players will be stirred by the love that the believers show.
*Pray that people will be open to hearing the Truth of God’s Word and the testimony of the believers.
*Pray for stamina for the volunteers as it is hot and humid right now – at least they are from Florida. They will have a morning group and an afternoon group.
Thank you so much for lifting up these requests this week. We promise to update you soon about the Vacation Bible School last month and this camp.
This will be a short newsletter because we mainly want to ask you to pray for a volunteer team who is here right now. They have come to lead a basketball camp for young boys in the neighborhood around the French-speaking Baptist church. There are five people in the group from Callahan Baptist Church in Florida. They are: Mike, Larry, Chuck, and another Mike and his wife Kathy. People from the church will be helping as well.
Please pray for the following:
* Pray that the volunteers and church members will have good visits as they go into the homes of the camp participants each day.
*Pray that the hearts of the basketball players will be stirred by the love that the believers show.
*Pray that people will be open to hearing the Truth of God’s Word and the testimony of the believers.
*Pray for stamina for the volunteers as it is hot and humid right now – at least they are from Florida. They will have a morning group and an afternoon group.
Thank you so much for lifting up these requests this week. We promise to update you soon about the Vacation Bible School last month and this camp.
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