Among friends...part of God's family.

Who wants to bet that brother Sam is eating peanuts? Hmmm... goobers and Coke in Senegal... just like good ol' Van Buren Arkansas!

Wow! What the Lord can pack into 24 hours when you are obedient to Him. We have had such an awesome time the past night and day; words almost cannot describe. Yesterday, the trip from Sedhiou to Zig was hot, close and bumpy, but we made it safely, and are thankful. The hotel was a refreshing site, with more than adequate accommodations. The fellowship, however, was the true rejuvenator. We had not really had the luxury of just sitting and sharing life and laughter, and we finally had an opportunity to do so. What a blessing this team is. We walked to a beautiful, seaside restaurant for dinner, where we shared a candlelit meal while hearing the crashing of the waves and the blowing of the breeze…we have to whisper to remind ourselves “we are in West Africa.”

The meals were good, the Coke’s even better, and the company the finest in the world. Of course, the meal was leisurely, and after a few hours, we returned to the hotel for a restful night’s sleep for our travel to Dakar. We headed to the airport early in the morning, to be sure and get in line for seat assignments to Dakar. For those that have made the trip before, you know that it is a crucial step in the travel itinerary if you do not want to end up on a hot, sweaty bus headed through The Gambia to make your flight to the StatesJ Even so, our trip to the airport was almost uneventful, except a brief hiccup that was cured by the purchase of an extra ticket. We were thankful that God’s hand was resting upon us, and allowed yet another leg of our trip occur without incident.

After our arrival at the guest house in Grand Yoff today, we gathered the bags that traveled with the interpreters yesterday and began sorting (OK, resorting, or re-resorting) the medications to leave with Dr. Steele. During this time, God answered our prayers that He would continue to use our skills during our last few days, when we got the “call” (literally) from Elizabeth, a wonderful lady with The International Center of Refuge and Development in Dakar. Her group of teachers, some Christians, some refugees, had been praying that a medical team might come to examine the children in their care. Wow! The mission that the Lord has called these people to is heart-tugging, as their mission statement declares: “A Chance of a Better Life for Today’s Child…Tomorrow’s Leader!” I am sure that many of our team will be sharing about the works that ICDR is doing and encourage participation in their mission to share the burden of seeing the hurting cared for and giving these school age children a chance not only for a better life, but for eternal life with our Savior.

The team cared for about forty children, as well as all the workers, and although we ran short on some appropriate medications, the Lord made up for in fun and fellowship. What a joy…Brandon, Megan, Rhonda, Jeania, and others led in VBS songs that made them laugh, smile, and even “hurl” (R-crest friends know what I mean…). What a site for sore eyes, to see children in West Africa smiling, giggling, and “throwing up” their hands to the Lord.

Thankfully, the majority of the children were in great health, and were well cared for. Minor illness, including ear infections, rashes, constipation, asthma, and dental decay were among the things that we treated. Additionally, we were able to administer medication for parasites as well as multivitamins, pass out Jesus bracelets and suckers, and screen all the adults. What a wonderful day! I don’t think that one team member was without grins and full of thankfulness to the Father for blessing us in such a big way today.

Finally, we headed off to dinner near the Western-most tip of Africa, a beautiful Oceanside restaurant (did I say that in this blog once before; remember…whisper to remind yourself…”We are still in West Africa.”) We again shared good food and great fellowship before heading back to the guest house for some rest. We re-re-re-sorted the medications for Dr. Steele, as we will be de-briefing with him over lunch tomorrow. We hope to get in a trip to his clinic, some prayer walking in Grand Yoff, and a trip to the artisan market (if anyone wants anything particular, speak now or forever… you know the rest) before sharing our final dinner in West Africa with the Mandyak Association.

I know that tomorrow will be full of emotions. Anticipation and excitement in looking forward to seeing family and friends, dread and exhaustion when contemplating the trip home, thankfulness for the answered prayers for our health and safety, love and mercy for those that we are leaving behind, prayers that the Lord will continue to sew the seeds that were planted by our team, and many more. Please continue to pray for the health (we have a few who are feeling under the weather tonight) and safety of our team, for adequate rest and refreshment, and that our lights may continue to shine brightly for the Lord during our remaining time here. To our family and friends, we are so thankful to you for your prayers, well wishes, sacrifices and hard work in our absence… we will be home soon. Until tomorrow…

He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews that were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Ephesians 3:17-21(New Living Translation)

Submitted by Kindra York