Faces

I got back to the states on Saturday night. I want to thank everyone for the speaking and support that have been so graciously poured on me over the past two and a half months. They meant and mean the world to me.

Though the trip is over, it's far from the end. Coming back to the wealthiest country in the world after living an "average" life in a third world country for two months is a bit of a shocker at first. At first, you feel out of place and slightly angry, but, having done this once before last summer, I have come to feel blessed more than anything. Blessed to have been allowed a glimpse at what He is doing in West Africa, blessed to have meet some amazing Ms, both career, short term, and summer, but even more blessed because of the people I have meet and the world to which I've been introduced. We've been introduced.


I've been realizing more and more that the world that I love so much, that I've been living in, that we've been sharing through this blog even, does not exist to so many people. Before being assinged to work in Senegal, I had no idea where it was, much less what it was like. I've been blessed with a glimpse into a world that changed my life, and blessed to look upon faces of those who need our Father in a way that is so different, yet so basically the same as everyone in the country I'm familiar with.


So here's a look at a few faces that have changed my life. A few faces that no one else speaks for. That no one else knows names for. That no one else knows exists out side of their tiny village on the coast of an unknown country in West Africa.


This is my African Momma. She is a beautiful woman. She has a daughter who is almost two, and she longs for more. She loves to laugh and dance. She sings while she cooks and hates potatoes. She loves spicy foods and okra. She feels hopeless. She realizes that she does the same thing everyday, cooking, cleaning, breaking up fights between the many kids in the compound, she wants hope. She has heard about my hope, but is still trapped in the false beliefs that entrap the world around her.







This is Absa, but she likes to be called N'day. She is single and works as a nurse at the clinic in my village. She is crazy! She loves to dance to the most modern music from America. She is good with kids and is asked to come in the room when a child is afraid to have their blood drawn. Her favorite distraction to present them this summer was "just look at the white girls, listen, they'll talk to you!". She is worried that she may never get married. She has a boyfriend, but he already has a wife, she would be the second.* Her father is a very devout man and a prominent man in the village. Her family is well known for that.





This is Ndeye. She's 15 years old. She adores me and my roommate. She is African Momma's niece and lives in a different village, but spent most of the summer convincing her mother to let her come stay at our house so that she could see us. She loved the skirt we gave her and had it on almost immediately. She's been having trouble with her hair growing and is very self conscious about not having any and covers her head because of that, not her beliefs. We told her that women in America where their hair very short like her, and that it makes them look smart and sophisticated. She took her head wrap off by the end of her visit.




This is "D". He's a Leader in or village. He has had dreams of Him. One day, after weeks of working with him, he told us about his dream. We had nothing to say but "that is great. that is true". He has an Arabic school that he teaches at. We came twice a week to take care of their medical needs, which were mostly cuts, burns, and fungal infections. That took about an hour, then he liked to sit and talk with us for another. He has a wife and 6 kids. He spends a lot of time in speaking, asking the one he believes in to show him the truth. Ask that he finds it. Someday...

This is Monumbe. He is 12 years old. He is learning french at a nearby school. He appreciates that his family pays a lot for it, but really doesn't like school very much. He wants to be a mechanic like his uncle. He loves to jump rope and sheepishly asked if I had brought a new one for him because the one I gave him last year broke. I had. He loves the card game, spoons, we taught him. We left a deck of our cards there for him. He used to love listening to stories on the cassettes we had. He has one older brother, 3 younger, and 1 younger sister. He takes care of them. He's the only one that can make his 2 year old cousin stop crying.

Please don't forget these faces. Even if you speak for them once after you read this post, that's more than anyone else does. Coming home from the field sometimes makes people feel that they don't know their purpose anymore. Even if all my other purposes in this country fade away, I know that telling others about this unknown world is enough.

Work in Senegal is long and shows very slow progress. But should we give up? never. Progress this summer was telling them there is another way. Loving bratty kids. Sitting and drinking tea. Visiting our friends when they are sick. Telling people why I came back. Loving my family. Explaining why we don't dress like the Americans they see on TV. Why were are learning their language, not French. Showing a leader what followers look like. Putting band aids on kids. Learning to thank Him for meals in Wolof.** And slowly, ever so slowly, showing them Him who loves them right where they are.

*In Senegal, they allow a man up to 4 wives.

**Wolof is the native language of Senegal, though they national language is technically French, the Lebou all speak wolof.

The Twelve days of Senegal

Sung, of course, to the tune of the twelve days of Christmas...

On my first day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
A big bowl of red cheeb jen*
On my second day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
Two fields of trash
On my third day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
Three proposed marriages
On my fourth day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
Four days without water
On my fith day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
Five calls to speaking
On my sixth day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
Six in one taxi
On my seventh day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
Seven hot fatayas**
On my eighth day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
Eight power outages
On my nineth day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
Nine screaming children
On my tenth day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
Ten roaches crawling
On my eleventh day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
Eleven goats a bleeting
On my twelfth day in Senegal the Lebou gave to me
Twelve mosquito bites ***


*Cheeb jen is my favorite senegalses dish, rice cooked with a tomato paste sause with delisiously flavored veggies and fish in the middle, eaten, of course, with your hands from a common bowl.
**fatayas are like fried dough with seasoned fish in the middle...so good...
*** This, of course, is all said out of absolute love for the country, the people, and what I do hear, but always still appreciating the little things that make Africa, Africa!

The Call

Hear the call
The knees drop down
The shouts cry out
No hope to be found
It makes everything
Okay to go on
Makes every word
A part of the song

One little girl
Told who she should be
She's growing up blind
Just trying to see
The words pierce deep
In the midst of night
She just wants one
who can hold her tight

Just one more step
maybe one more word
give a little more
maybe i'll get there
And they're crying out
but the pain inside
sticks to their souls
just trying to hide

Each day the same
as he walks the street
a can in hand
prays for something to eat
Learning empty words
an honor they say
but the blows come down
if he cant pay

A shining light
walking down the street
will it pass by
or maybe stop to greet
The wall stands tall
can they see around
with the light to guide
can the wall come down?

Just one more step
maybe one more word
give a little more
maybe i'll get there
And they're crying out
but the pain inside
sticks to their souls
just trying to hide

Not one more step
One different word
He gave it all
For them to get there





We said goodbye to our roommate this weekend. It will now be me and Khadija finishing up our last two weeks.

This last week has been so busy, giving goodbye gifts and saying goodbyes with Mariama M, visiting tons of friends, even went to a wedding (the nephew of our Leader friend who was marrying an American!! He was super honored that we came, don't worry, my roommate has an embarrassing video of me trying to dance Senegalese style in my African outfit at the wedding)

We solved some of the issues we had been having with the talibe, but it is still hard for us, so please continue to speak. We have just under two weeks left with our families, so speak for endurance, open doors, and opportunities to share with them. It breaks my heart to know I will again have to leave the family I love with no assurance of ever seeing their faces again, but we cling to the fact that, though we see few steps of progress now, we are catching only a glimpse of what He is doing. We continue to hold on to faith that, if we follow and obey, it will be for His glory in the end, no mater how trivial our work may seem now. Thank you for your speaking!! Yalla Baax na (He is good)





don't even worry, this lizard is about the size of my forearm, and they do run accross your feet, just like the little ones at home











Me and Khady, showing off the henna we got on our arms this week (she has a flower and I have Africa)













And me and Khadija before we devoured our entire baguette for breakfast one morning.

Joyous Sorrow

I feel like so much has happened since I last wrote, but no worries, I will try to keep this short.


So, to add to the list of "unlikely friends" we have, which currently include Leaders, talibe boys, and old, prominant muslim men, we have befriended a witch doctor. Her name is Jara, and we met her on the road, as we walked past her house often, and we always greeted her. She was always asking for us to come by for attaya*, and so, this last week, we obliged her. Upon arriving, she did not heasitate to tell us of how she heals people with charms and spells, and proceeded to tell our futures with a specific kind of shells she had. But, in case we still had any doubt in our minds, she clearly stated that, while we were western doctors, she was a "senegalese doctor". And so, we drank attaya, talked, recieved gifts, and even got to speak for her stomach which she is having medical issues with! Please be speaking for her as we continue our relationship with her, as the spiritual realm is very real here, and the term "witch doctor" is not loosely thrown around. Also, be speaking for our friends staying in a nearby village as several of them have experienced spiritual problems with people in their families or households.


We have been getting very close to the mom of our family. The other day, she told us of how dissatisfied she is with her life and how she feels that she has no purpose, no hope in life. Though it was heartbreaking to hear, it was a good sign and open door to the One who can bring hope and purpose to life. She took us, last night, to Colobane, a suburb of Dakar, where she is from to meet her family. It was so much fun to see her huge family and meet so many of her friends. She seemed so happy there and her personality really shone through. The trip was only about 5 short hours, but it was great, even if we did break down on the side of the road on the way home and have to walk the rest of the way. We feel so close to her now, I can tell her anything (granted I know the words in wolof or can sharade them) and we are really speaking for the conversation to open up again to share with her more about the Hope that we have. This is me and her below.

We have been continuing our work with "D" and his arabic school, and have been asked now to go to a friend of his's house to take care of his foot. He has diabetes and has bad ulcers on his feet. Be praying for him. Also, we were stopped on the way home from the arabic school the other day to take care of a little boy who has very bad scabies**. We speak for him in wolof, so be speaking for his healing and that it would be obvious that it comes from Him.

Today, I helped deliver a baby, much to the dismay of my roommates who have been dying to see one. It was a boy, however, it seems apparent that he has a birth defect, so be speaking for his family.

Our relationship with the talibe house that we work with has become strained so be speaking for that relationship as well. Though many of these things have been encouraging, fun, and exciting to share with others, it is also heartbreaking at the same time. The darkness that surrounds the people I love seems to become more and more apparent every day I'm here. As my love for them grows, so does the burden on my heart for these people so lost in hopelessness, fear, and superstition. Please speak for those held captive by the dark culture surrounding them.

Other than that, all is going well, still working at the clinic, playing with the kids, hanging out with our family, and fadjing*** kids all over the place. My roommate, Mariama M is leaving this Saturday night for a school thing, so be speaking for her safe travel. Thank you all for your support and speaking!! I will see you in 3 short weeks!

So, we gave the kids in our house star sunglasses and paddle balls, which soon became weapons, but started out super cute.

Some of the kids in my house.

Me "fadjing" at our house.

*attaya is a friendship tea. It is very hot and served in three rounds in a shot glass. The tea symbolizes friendship as it starts off very bitter and gets super sweet by the end, just as friendship gets sweeter with time. (I am not a huge fan, in case you were wondering)
**scabies is a skin disease caused by small bugs that live under your skin. It comes from sleeping in the dirt and not bathing often. Small kids scratch at them, causing tons of painful sores all over their bodies.
***fadjing- from the wolof word "fadj" which means to heal, we just add the American "ing" onto the end when we talk about it with eachother. Its what people say we do, meaning that we give meds and bandage wounds basically.

Half Way Point

We've reached the half way point of our summer in Senegal. He has been faithful this week in giving us small encouragements and uplifting days amidst a semi-frustrating week. We have been without power or water (for most of the day) for a little over a week now. And, after days of sitting around, having slow days at the clinic, fighting off illnesses, making cultural mistakes with our family, and dealing with other unforseen issues, I had begun to grow weary. However, we were blessed to have a very uplifting conversation with our Imam friend about his dreams and visions, as well as accomplishing a few strides in friendships and trust with friends we had made.

And, though these things have been encouraging, I think that the most came from this past getaway weekend, from which I am just returning now. We had lots of fun, as always, hanging out at the pool, going to the beack, speaking english, going on safari, but there was so much more. We found ourselves encouraged to go on. I for one, heard a call to be so much more than I had thought I could ever be. And, I feel that all three of us will walk back into our house today with a renewed sense of meaning in the everyday things that we do. Meaning in every smile we share, in every hour we spend cooking with African Momma, in every blood pressure we take, every malaria test we run, every cut we bandage, and every child we hold, knowing that, though we love to use our words when we can, the realities of the world we're living in require the wordless testimony first and foremost, and that light shines through us that way.

And so, we may be half way done for this summer, but every minute we spend, may last a lifetime, even eternally, for those we spend it with. Please continue to speak with us:

1. For our spirits to remain uplifted, taking joy in our struggles and hardships, and rejoicing in the comfort we receive from them.
2. For our health, and our team's, as several of us have battled or are battling intestinal bugs.
3. For our family as we focus our time and love towards them.
4. For friends at the clinic; words to say when we have hours to sit and talk and patience when we must do things that go against our instincts.
5. "D", our Leader friend who is truely seeking.
6. For the F4Fers of my village's feelings of safety and security.
7. The talibe house we work with, that they would see His love though it is illegal for us to proclaim it with words.

The girls from my and nearby villages in our African outfits at meeting on sunday

(don't get too excited, it's an international meeting and there are no senegalese people there, mostly people from other parts of Africa.)

Me and Billie, one of the little boys in our house, who loves to spend time with us.

(and he talks about you too, momma!)

Me, African Momma, and little sister, the last to finish dinner... I think I'm confused as to why my roommate popped up out of nowhere with a camera...

There's no real maternity leave in Senegal, so this is me and Mariama M with one of the nurse's new baby, Naffi.

Our safari car, and me preoccupied with my camera...

Me and Khady with 2 giraffs in the background!!

us

Speak

For those of you who are checking the newest post, just to add, please speak for "D". He is the Leader who has had dreams of Him. We had a great conversation about the dream with him and are speaking for the draw on his heart as well as continued open doors for us and our other brothers and sisters in our village. Thank you!!

Mae Muma

There's a little girl who lives on our street. She is 6 years old and is the friend of one of our brothers and sisters here. She has already been sick for most of her life, no one can figure out what is wrong with her. I met her last summer, and she was tiny. She now looks worse than the pictures you see of concentration camp victims. I can see every bone in her body.
Her family had just about given up hope and was going to take her to a witch doctor as a last resort before she died. So our sister decided to ask if she could take her to her doctor the day before and see what could be done. We spoke for her, spoke over her. She has now been admited to a children's hospital here, and is being re hydrated, fed, and they are trying to figure out what is wrong. We are so thankful that the witch doctor has been avoided for now, and are thankful that our sister is getting to spend time with her family and her in the hospital.
please speak for this situation, as it is very taxing on her and her family, as well as our sister here who loves this little girl so much. pray that He would be glorified through this all, and that any improvement is attributed to Him and Him alone.

Since this has been going on, myself and a few other F4Fers have been helping out a lot with a volunteer team that has been here, and they had been such a blessing to us. So, we have been quite busy with them this week, but are now getting back to our normal routine.

We had our first getaway weekend last weekend, which was also my birthday. We went to a ropes course in the baobob trees, swam, went to the beach, ate american food, spoke english, sang together, and celebrated my birthday with cake and ice cream that my roomates made for me (so good!!) It was a great weekend, we all had a really good time.

Other than that, we have been doing our normal things; hanging out with our family, working in the clinic, and working with the talibe and arabic school. Though I dont have any big news in any of these areas, I can say that our relationships with all are growing and going well. We just continue to try an be faithful and obedient in our words and actions that we may show light.

Thank you for speaking! Please, this week include Mae Muma and her family as well as some other F4Fers out in a smaller village who lost one of their friends this week who had been sick for a long time. Speak for them as they visit Fatou's family and pray that He would be glorified. Thank you agian, and Blessings!!

Me and some of the kids that are always all over us.

Me and my roomates in our new afriacan outfits!!!

Our getaway weekend, as I slide to the end of the last zip-line in the ropes course.

Me and Mariama M on the beach at our getaway, wearing... you guessed it...shorts!!!

and finally, some of the girls with our game faces for the ropes course

:-)

Some Pix

Just a few pictures for those of you who've been waiting. (sorry, I haven't figured out how to turn them yet...

me and Khady on the flight from JFK to Dakar. They gave us a whole set of fun goodies for the ride :-)

These are my two roommates coloring with a few of the kids in our compound. They LOVE to color!!!

So, if you know me at all, you know i'm not a huge fan of fish, and I can ususally be sneeky here and avoid eating it, but the other day, I was handed this fish after it had been prepared very little beyond killing it and sticking it whole into boiling grease, and i'm proud to say I got it all down with a smile on my face!

and this is me and my roomates in our scrubs and skirts that we wear to the clinic.

(L to R): Khadija, Mariama Mbang, and me (also Mariama, but Mariama Ba)

And thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes, I had a great day will all the americans here and even had some ice cream!!!