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.
