This week we have had campaigns all week long. In David H's opinion, this is more fun than elections in America. I guess I can't really argue with that too much, though it is quite different. On Sunday this week (3/22) people will elect mayors and the positions similar to a regional seat for the next 2 years. So this week especially has been a time of campaigning for these who want the office.
At least it's only been a week of this, but wow has this been a loud week around here. When people hold meetings, they meet from 7 pm until sometimes 1 or 2 in the morning. These meetings typically have loud speakers, singers, dancers, and people to play drums as they dance and celebrate. Then the speaker will get up around 8 or 9 to speak about what is on his mind, changes he will plan to make and things he will immediately do, and then asks the people for their support financially. I've seen these meetings get started. Between 500-1000 people in the neighborhood will come and listen. Many leave very excited about the changes that will perhaps be made.
I drove through a village town not far from here today. They were campaigning in town and the whole village was drawn to it. I would bet 4,000 people were walking along the street and gathering as it started. Many were already wearing the t-shirts that were given away to gain support. It does seem like the people enjoy these meetings.
But here are some of the drawbacks:
-First of all, the noise. It's tough to sleep when these meetings are going on til 1 am and are 30 feet from your bedroom.
-Next, we'll mention the idea of being a politician. They're all the same. They think they have a new idea, they want to do something a new way, but in the end they eat the money of the people. Politicians here want to do what everyone before them wanted to do: bring power, telephone, and water to all the people-even people in the villages. They also talk about lowering food prices. But they don't talk about improving education or health care, which should be their top priorities.
-and finally, the idea that the promises the politicans are making are things that they may not follow through on.
I do pray that this time of electing new local leaders will be a peaceful event. I will be sure to enjoy observing this on Sunday.
Friday, March 20, 2009
my week in review
This has been a busy week around here for me. I took time each day to go out into the villages and visit friends there. This led to some very good conversations as we shared pictures, took pictures together, shared stories, and talked about my faith and some of the prophets of the Old Testament. I'm always so happy to be able to share moments like this with my friends, and sharing the pictures that I have of my family seemed to be a great way to break the ice with my new friends in these village towns. And not only did I prepare to share pictures, but I also prepared to share a story from God's Word during these visits.
The story that I am sharing now talks about the faith Abraham had in God. As I tell the story of Abraham, I conclude by sharing about my faith in God and Jesus as his Son. So far I have had some very good conversations with my friends regarding Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I have gone over the hurdle of just being friends with people it seems to them knowing that I am a follower of Jesus and that I have come to share stories about the prophets and about Jesus with the people. When I introduce myself to a new person in the group, before I can add much to my story, someone shares that "he's a follower of Jesus." I see this as a distinguishing characteristic that my friends know about me, and I proudly hold on to that reputation. When people see me and tell me "you're a good person," and think of me as "a follower of Jesus," I give God the glory that I can be like Christ to my friends. Continue to pray for their hearts to be opened by God's Spirit as he speaks through me in these stories.
Ooo, also, I'd like to let you know that my supervisors-Elliott and Pat-along with myself, will be hosting a volunteer team next week. Please also pray for their safety in traveling and the work that they will be doing next week. I think we will be visiting villages and doing prayer walks during the 4 days they are here.
The story that I am sharing now talks about the faith Abraham had in God. As I tell the story of Abraham, I conclude by sharing about my faith in God and Jesus as his Son. So far I have had some very good conversations with my friends regarding Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I have gone over the hurdle of just being friends with people it seems to them knowing that I am a follower of Jesus and that I have come to share stories about the prophets and about Jesus with the people. When I introduce myself to a new person in the group, before I can add much to my story, someone shares that "he's a follower of Jesus." I see this as a distinguishing characteristic that my friends know about me, and I proudly hold on to that reputation. When people see me and tell me "you're a good person," and think of me as "a follower of Jesus," I give God the glory that I can be like Christ to my friends. Continue to pray for their hearts to be opened by God's Spirit as he speaks through me in these stories.
Ooo, also, I'd like to let you know that my supervisors-Elliott and Pat-along with myself, will be hosting a volunteer team next week. Please also pray for their safety in traveling and the work that they will be doing next week. I think we will be visiting villages and doing prayer walks during the 4 days they are here.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
synopsis of work
Howdy everyone! I thought I'd take a chance just to let you know some of the work that I'm doing. I'm doing this simply to help refocus prayer efforts more specifically on the friends and sharing that I am doing these days.
In my neighborhood, I am currently spending time with 3 families, a teacher, and 2 boutique workers. I'd like to begin sharing stories with these families, but I do notice that it seems to be most difficult to find the men of the house home. Most men work here in the village. Maybe this will lead to me doing a large group sharing time on Sunday afternoons 2x a month in my neighborhood, and I can specifically invite this group of people for this.
In the villages I have visited with 7 villages. I have one friend in a village that has introduced me to 4 of these. There are two neighbors that have introduced me to the village they were born in. This relationship with them has led to these villages being opened to me. I hope that soon I will get the opportunity to share with these people, too.
In the market of Ngay Mekhe, I have several friends that I am speaking with consistently as well. I spend time with a construction worker and his crew, a welder, a boutique worker, and my tailor.
These are all very close friends that I have, and I would say that I see each of these people at least every other week, usually more often than that. Some of our talks last only 30 minutes, other conversations can last up to 3 hours. Please continue to pray for me to stay encouraged in sharing stories with these people. The relationships are there and obviously I have a lot of people I can be sharing with. I hope that I'm able to take these friendships and enjoy the time I have with each person. Thanks for your prayers :)
In my neighborhood, I am currently spending time with 3 families, a teacher, and 2 boutique workers. I'd like to begin sharing stories with these families, but I do notice that it seems to be most difficult to find the men of the house home. Most men work here in the village. Maybe this will lead to me doing a large group sharing time on Sunday afternoons 2x a month in my neighborhood, and I can specifically invite this group of people for this.
In the villages I have visited with 7 villages. I have one friend in a village that has introduced me to 4 of these. There are two neighbors that have introduced me to the village they were born in. This relationship with them has led to these villages being opened to me. I hope that soon I will get the opportunity to share with these people, too.
In the market of Ngay Mekhe, I have several friends that I am speaking with consistently as well. I spend time with a construction worker and his crew, a welder, a boutique worker, and my tailor.
These are all very close friends that I have, and I would say that I see each of these people at least every other week, usually more often than that. Some of our talks last only 30 minutes, other conversations can last up to 3 hours. Please continue to pray for me to stay encouraged in sharing stories with these people. The relationships are there and obviously I have a lot of people I can be sharing with. I hope that I'm able to take these friendships and enjoy the time I have with each person. Thanks for your prayers :)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Gamu
This is a new word for the day: Gamu. So, out of curiosity, who knows what a Gamu is?
a)a Senegalese food dish
b) a hairy lizard that bobs its head up and down
c)a celebration
d)what people call the temperature when it's 120 degrees.
Three weeks ago, I wouldn't have known the answer either. A Gamu is a celebration. It's a once a year thing where people get together to celebrate the birth of Muhammad. During this time they eat and eat and eat and eat, they share stories about the year that passed and catch up with family members that they have not seen in awhile. And then they take time to reflect on what Muhammad and the prophets had spoken to all people.
Today I went to a Gamu. It was in a good size town but 15 miles (yes, 15) into the bush. We arrived with goodies for helping prepare lunch. And we took time to greet many people in the village.
Lately I have spent a lot of time with my homeowner and his family. They had wanted to go and celebrate the Gamu here, and I reluctancly agreed. For one, I'm still a little hesitant in celebrating Islamic festivities. And 2, I knew that there would be a billion people on the road today. When the roads are busy, it's best to stay in town. People are not good drivers here, and if something happens and you're stranded, it's a tough spot to be in. But all this aside, I did agree to go, and so we went.
We left at 12 and got there about 1. After greeting the friends and families we knew, we made our way around the village. I got 3 lunch meals-which is normal at these celebrations. Every family makes a ton of food and if you visit you're expected to eat with the family. So I ate (sparingly) each time. We ate one of my favorite meals, rice and beef (cebu yap-pronounce the 'c' sound like the ch consonant sound). One of the families was having a wedding celebration today, and we celebrated with the family during the afternoon. After lunch, the people in the bedroom we were all in sang songs and danced. I even got down and boogied (yes I just said boogied, I'll never do it again) 2 or 3 times. I wouldn't call it dancing, whatever it was I did. There were a ton of people in the 12 ft x 12 ft bedroom-at least 40. Least it wasn't too hot today. And after eating and drinking, we made our way back around greeting people again as we left to go home.
It was a long day today being in the village. But I was grateful for the time spent with my friends and my new friends in this village. My highlight that I have to share was probably 2 things. One was getting to dance and sing and the response I got from that. Everyone loved it and laughed really hard. And the other highlight was talking to a man before we left. When he found out I could speak Wolof, he asked me what I thought of the Gamu today and what I learned. That's the best question anyone can ask after any experience, by the way. So I opened up to him, reviewing all I did during the day and putting into words what I understood the celebration to signify. When I said that a Gamu is a time to review all the prophets have spoken, he said, ok, tell me, what story did you review? And this is EXACTLY why I had come to this town. You can't ask for a better invitation to share a story. All this work to prepare stories in Wolof and to share creation to cross, is in preparation for these times.
I asked permission to share a story, and this man agreed to let me speak. So I did, I opened up and shared with him the creation story as I have learned it, speaking loud enough for all 30 people in the room to hear. And after talking about Adam and Eve and their sin, and being kicked out of the Garden of Eden, I said, you know, God is a just God. And he is merciful. Adam and Eve saw that they cannot choose to satisfy themselves. Today, you and I cannot choose to satisfy ourselves. When we do not choose God, we sin. But God sent a Savior to the world to give us life again. His name is Jesus. And if we believe in Jesus, we can have life again. And I left it at that.
My 2 friends continued to talk about the story in more sophiticated Wolof than I can speak with the men in the room while I prayed silently for the words to be clear and the conversation to speak truth. My friends have heard this story several times, and I was confident they could talk about what I wanted to say. And I did interject a few more thoughts as well. But this was a great 15 minute highlight of the day.
Now I'm exhausted and I think my bed and a new James Bond book is calling me. Thanks again for your continued prayers. Last week was a tough week with missed appointments and unclear words. I do hope this is the start to a wonderful week of sharing this week.
a)a Senegalese food dish
b) a hairy lizard that bobs its head up and down
c)a celebration
d)what people call the temperature when it's 120 degrees.
Three weeks ago, I wouldn't have known the answer either. A Gamu is a celebration. It's a once a year thing where people get together to celebrate the birth of Muhammad. During this time they eat and eat and eat and eat, they share stories about the year that passed and catch up with family members that they have not seen in awhile. And then they take time to reflect on what Muhammad and the prophets had spoken to all people.
Today I went to a Gamu. It was in a good size town but 15 miles (yes, 15) into the bush. We arrived with goodies for helping prepare lunch. And we took time to greet many people in the village.
Lately I have spent a lot of time with my homeowner and his family. They had wanted to go and celebrate the Gamu here, and I reluctancly agreed. For one, I'm still a little hesitant in celebrating Islamic festivities. And 2, I knew that there would be a billion people on the road today. When the roads are busy, it's best to stay in town. People are not good drivers here, and if something happens and you're stranded, it's a tough spot to be in. But all this aside, I did agree to go, and so we went.
We left at 12 and got there about 1. After greeting the friends and families we knew, we made our way around the village. I got 3 lunch meals-which is normal at these celebrations. Every family makes a ton of food and if you visit you're expected to eat with the family. So I ate (sparingly) each time. We ate one of my favorite meals, rice and beef (cebu yap-pronounce the 'c' sound like the ch consonant sound). One of the families was having a wedding celebration today, and we celebrated with the family during the afternoon. After lunch, the people in the bedroom we were all in sang songs and danced. I even got down and boogied (yes I just said boogied, I'll never do it again) 2 or 3 times. I wouldn't call it dancing, whatever it was I did. There were a ton of people in the 12 ft x 12 ft bedroom-at least 40. Least it wasn't too hot today. And after eating and drinking, we made our way back around greeting people again as we left to go home.
It was a long day today being in the village. But I was grateful for the time spent with my friends and my new friends in this village. My highlight that I have to share was probably 2 things. One was getting to dance and sing and the response I got from that. Everyone loved it and laughed really hard. And the other highlight was talking to a man before we left. When he found out I could speak Wolof, he asked me what I thought of the Gamu today and what I learned. That's the best question anyone can ask after any experience, by the way. So I opened up to him, reviewing all I did during the day and putting into words what I understood the celebration to signify. When I said that a Gamu is a time to review all the prophets have spoken, he said, ok, tell me, what story did you review? And this is EXACTLY why I had come to this town. You can't ask for a better invitation to share a story. All this work to prepare stories in Wolof and to share creation to cross, is in preparation for these times.
I asked permission to share a story, and this man agreed to let me speak. So I did, I opened up and shared with him the creation story as I have learned it, speaking loud enough for all 30 people in the room to hear. And after talking about Adam and Eve and their sin, and being kicked out of the Garden of Eden, I said, you know, God is a just God. And he is merciful. Adam and Eve saw that they cannot choose to satisfy themselves. Today, you and I cannot choose to satisfy ourselves. When we do not choose God, we sin. But God sent a Savior to the world to give us life again. His name is Jesus. And if we believe in Jesus, we can have life again. And I left it at that.
My 2 friends continued to talk about the story in more sophiticated Wolof than I can speak with the men in the room while I prayed silently for the words to be clear and the conversation to speak truth. My friends have heard this story several times, and I was confident they could talk about what I wanted to say. And I did interject a few more thoughts as well. But this was a great 15 minute highlight of the day.
Now I'm exhausted and I think my bed and a new James Bond book is calling me. Thanks again for your continued prayers. Last week was a tough week with missed appointments and unclear words. I do hope this is the start to a wonderful week of sharing this week.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
our new AGS
Yesterday I went to Dakar for a meeting with our new Affinity Group Strategist (AGS), Tim Clearley, along with his wife, Charlotte. I was first very happy to find that they are very ordinary people, very humble people who realize the challenge and enormosity of the job they have before them. Tim will be the lead strategist for all of Sub-Saharian Africa. It will be his job as we move forward to see that the advancement of the gospel is efficient and effective. My prayers go out to him and Charlotte as they transition into this assignment.
Tim is an NC State grad! Right then and there he had my love! He is also very passionate for lost people. I know that will drive him in this new position.
Tim and Charlotte are traveling to various places in West Africa to greet many of the missionaries working here. Through these meetings he is telling his testimony and introducing some of the new ideas that his team is currently working on. Through the meeting yesterday I was able to hear his story and hear him tell of the plans they are continuing to work on. And I was excited to be a part of this meeting. Being the lowest member of the totem pole, I often would not get called in on something like this in other businesses. I thought our gathering was very productive yesterday.
So Tim and Charlotte, you have my prayers as you continue to set goals and meet deadlines, as you travel and as you learn some of the challenges we do face in sharing the gospel here in Africa. Along with you, our #1 goal is that all peoples, tribes, nations, and tongues will hear and know of Jesus as the Savior and Messiah.
Tim is an NC State grad! Right then and there he had my love! He is also very passionate for lost people. I know that will drive him in this new position.
Tim and Charlotte are traveling to various places in West Africa to greet many of the missionaries working here. Through these meetings he is telling his testimony and introducing some of the new ideas that his team is currently working on. Through the meeting yesterday I was able to hear his story and hear him tell of the plans they are continuing to work on. And I was excited to be a part of this meeting. Being the lowest member of the totem pole, I often would not get called in on something like this in other businesses. I thought our gathering was very productive yesterday.
So Tim and Charlotte, you have my prayers as you continue to set goals and meet deadlines, as you travel and as you learn some of the challenges we do face in sharing the gospel here in Africa. Along with you, our #1 goal is that all peoples, tribes, nations, and tongues will hear and know of Jesus as the Savior and Messiah.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
prayer drive
Today Elliott and I went out for an adventure! 2 Saturdays each month we try to make time for a prayer drive to villages on the outskirts of Mekhe. Today was a day for that.
Our drive today took us into the wilderness! I've always enjoyed exploring new places, and seeing new places was fun today. I'm constantly amazed when exploring new places that a) the agricultural fields rarely change much, and b) there are some people living in villages that are really in the middle of nowhere.
Today we didn't stop and greet anyone. However, we did pray for each village we drove through. I am not sure if we would even be able to find the villages again, but God did speak to me today through this prayer drive. For me, I'm eager to get out and greet the people as I see a new village. I have to remember, though, that our strategy in doing these prayer drives is to first let God do the work before us in preparing these villages for our visits. So we first pray without contact. After prayer and encouraging churches to pray with us for these villages and the people, we will begin to contact the people. We'll introduce ourselves, probably beginning next month, and then over the next several months we will begin meeting with the men of the village and ask permission to share stories with them from God's Word.
I mentioned that God spoke to me today. What I felt convicted of was to have patience in reaching the people here. God is an infinite God. He knows these people, knows all about them. He knows where they live when we might not be able to find them again! And he knows their hearts. When I would like to jump out of the truck, introduce myself, and share a story from God's Word, I have to remember that I am a minister of God. God will work in his time. When God appoints it, the Wolof will come to know him. It won't happen before his Spirit endwells in their hearts and there's nothing I can do to expediate that. So I pray that in God's time-whether it be myself, Elliott, or missionaries that come behind us-these people in these villages will come to receive Christ as their Savior. Thank you for praying with me.
Our drive today took us into the wilderness! I've always enjoyed exploring new places, and seeing new places was fun today. I'm constantly amazed when exploring new places that a) the agricultural fields rarely change much, and b) there are some people living in villages that are really in the middle of nowhere.
Today we didn't stop and greet anyone. However, we did pray for each village we drove through. I am not sure if we would even be able to find the villages again, but God did speak to me today through this prayer drive. For me, I'm eager to get out and greet the people as I see a new village. I have to remember, though, that our strategy in doing these prayer drives is to first let God do the work before us in preparing these villages for our visits. So we first pray without contact. After prayer and encouraging churches to pray with us for these villages and the people, we will begin to contact the people. We'll introduce ourselves, probably beginning next month, and then over the next several months we will begin meeting with the men of the village and ask permission to share stories with them from God's Word.
I mentioned that God spoke to me today. What I felt convicted of was to have patience in reaching the people here. God is an infinite God. He knows these people, knows all about them. He knows where they live when we might not be able to find them again! And he knows their hearts. When I would like to jump out of the truck, introduce myself, and share a story from God's Word, I have to remember that I am a minister of God. God will work in his time. When God appoints it, the Wolof will come to know him. It won't happen before his Spirit endwells in their hearts and there's nothing I can do to expediate that. So I pray that in God's time-whether it be myself, Elliott, or missionaries that come behind us-these people in these villages will come to receive Christ as their Savior. Thank you for praying with me.
Friday, February 20, 2009
2 busy days
I am getting back into my routine of visiting with friends and neighbors. I do love the volunteer groups that come, and I'm enjoying challenging myself to learn even more Wolof by listening. Some days I do pick up a lot of the words I hear, and other days I feel like I'm not hearing as well as I should be. I think being tired has a little to do with that, but if I am able to pace myself I know that I'm going to grow so quickly in my Wolof these next few weeks.
If the next few weeks are anything like the last 2 days, I'll be a fluent speaker by the time my term is up! There is so much to share about what I have done lately. So I'll try to be brief but detailed, and detailed but fun. So here goes!
Yesterday started out with a trip to the post office. After that I visited with a shop keeper for an hour. We teased each other like always. I was able to challenge him to a wrestling match at the end of March! We'll see if he remembers but I'll look forward to wrestling him-win or lose.
Then I visited with my welder friend for a few hours. During this visit we were alone enough so that I could talk to him a little more about my beliefs. We talked about Adam and Eve, their fall from sin and being kicked out of Eden. We talked about Cain and Abel and the sin Cain did. And we talked about Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. I purposely wanted to get to that point, and then I'll backtrack a little to talk about how God promises to bless Abraham by making him the father of nations. So the things I said today I hope to share with several people during the next 2-3 weeks. I need to continue to work on it so that it comes out clearly, but despite the pauses from him working and from me stumbling on words it went pretty good. We had good discussion from it.
There I was also able to talk to some of the guys about having multiple wives. I shared with them first that God made Adam one wife, Eve. God knows that Man needs Woman, and one woman was good. And then I teased them. In their culture it is a sign of wealth to have multiple wives. But I told them, if I work the same job you're working, and I have one wife, you have 4, and I have 5 kids but you have 20, it may look like I have less money, but I would have more money in my pocket. So if you have one wife, people may think you don't have money, but you do. The mindset of the people here is amazing. They have absolutely no common sense. They think by having 4 wives they will be rich, and it's not the case.
During the afternoon I went to a village I am close to and visited. Together my friend and I went to 2 other smaller villages to visit his family and friends. We had a good time catching up, though I was a little quiet. And greeting so many people I didn't have the opportunity to say much else. But it was good to get back into the village and touch base. I was able to talk briefly about my family's trip, about our other guests we have had, and that my work was starting again. That was basically my conversation to 30 or so different people.
Today a good friend invited me to his village to spend the day. I remembered that he wanted me to come for a celebration, but I didn't realize it was an Ngente (baby naming ceremony). I didn't get to participate in the festivities, but I did get to talk with my friend's family for the day, eat lunch, and even rest.
The highlight of the day was getting to talk to this one person for over an hour. As we walked out of the village area we saw where a room by itself is going to be built. So we gathered to watch the work for 2 hours. While sitting there this person talked to me about his faith. I talked to him about the prophets, he was aware of their names. I talked to him about Adam and Eve and their sin, he was aware. I talked to him about Jesus coming and only through faith in him can we go to heaven, and he was aware of that. He talked for most of the time, telling me about learning in school-learning how to pray, learning about the prophets. We compared what we do when we pray. He even mentioned that Jesus is coming back. I know Muslims believe this, but I have yet to hear one mention it here. The only difference is that he believes as a Muslim he has faith in Jesus. He doesn't. One difference in our prayers, in his words, is that I pray to Jesus while he prays to Muhammad for God to hear our prayers. I enjoyed very much talking to him. Wow, his Wolof was clear! I wish I could talk 1/4 as good as he was, and even communicate to him that I was understanding most every word he spoke. But I did walk away saddened that I could not change his heart. I know that I will see him again, and do pray for words to speak that may spur him to think more of putting his faith in Jesus.
I did enjoy the conversations I had with the men of this village. I was exhausted by the end of the day, though. Now I am looking forward to reading and turning in before another big day tomorrow.
If the next few weeks are anything like the last 2 days, I'll be a fluent speaker by the time my term is up! There is so much to share about what I have done lately. So I'll try to be brief but detailed, and detailed but fun. So here goes!
Yesterday started out with a trip to the post office. After that I visited with a shop keeper for an hour. We teased each other like always. I was able to challenge him to a wrestling match at the end of March! We'll see if he remembers but I'll look forward to wrestling him-win or lose.
Then I visited with my welder friend for a few hours. During this visit we were alone enough so that I could talk to him a little more about my beliefs. We talked about Adam and Eve, their fall from sin and being kicked out of Eden. We talked about Cain and Abel and the sin Cain did. And we talked about Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. I purposely wanted to get to that point, and then I'll backtrack a little to talk about how God promises to bless Abraham by making him the father of nations. So the things I said today I hope to share with several people during the next 2-3 weeks. I need to continue to work on it so that it comes out clearly, but despite the pauses from him working and from me stumbling on words it went pretty good. We had good discussion from it.
There I was also able to talk to some of the guys about having multiple wives. I shared with them first that God made Adam one wife, Eve. God knows that Man needs Woman, and one woman was good. And then I teased them. In their culture it is a sign of wealth to have multiple wives. But I told them, if I work the same job you're working, and I have one wife, you have 4, and I have 5 kids but you have 20, it may look like I have less money, but I would have more money in my pocket. So if you have one wife, people may think you don't have money, but you do. The mindset of the people here is amazing. They have absolutely no common sense. They think by having 4 wives they will be rich, and it's not the case.
During the afternoon I went to a village I am close to and visited. Together my friend and I went to 2 other smaller villages to visit his family and friends. We had a good time catching up, though I was a little quiet. And greeting so many people I didn't have the opportunity to say much else. But it was good to get back into the village and touch base. I was able to talk briefly about my family's trip, about our other guests we have had, and that my work was starting again. That was basically my conversation to 30 or so different people.
Today a good friend invited me to his village to spend the day. I remembered that he wanted me to come for a celebration, but I didn't realize it was an Ngente (baby naming ceremony). I didn't get to participate in the festivities, but I did get to talk with my friend's family for the day, eat lunch, and even rest.
The highlight of the day was getting to talk to this one person for over an hour. As we walked out of the village area we saw where a room by itself is going to be built. So we gathered to watch the work for 2 hours. While sitting there this person talked to me about his faith. I talked to him about the prophets, he was aware of their names. I talked to him about Adam and Eve and their sin, he was aware. I talked to him about Jesus coming and only through faith in him can we go to heaven, and he was aware of that. He talked for most of the time, telling me about learning in school-learning how to pray, learning about the prophets. We compared what we do when we pray. He even mentioned that Jesus is coming back. I know Muslims believe this, but I have yet to hear one mention it here. The only difference is that he believes as a Muslim he has faith in Jesus. He doesn't. One difference in our prayers, in his words, is that I pray to Jesus while he prays to Muhammad for God to hear our prayers. I enjoyed very much talking to him. Wow, his Wolof was clear! I wish I could talk 1/4 as good as he was, and even communicate to him that I was understanding most every word he spoke. But I did walk away saddened that I could not change his heart. I know that I will see him again, and do pray for words to speak that may spur him to think more of putting his faith in Jesus.
I did enjoy the conversations I had with the men of this village. I was exhausted by the end of the day, though. Now I am looking forward to reading and turning in before another big day tomorrow.
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