Indigenous Worship in Africa

Recently when Becca and I were in Africa, we went to one village that had several Bible-believing, born-again Christians. Although the village was a Catholic village, these believers' worship took place outside the church building and apart from Catholic rituals. They found places outside to gather, to sing, to study God's Word...to worship. I was able to capture a couple minutes of their music on video. Keep in mind that the only instrument they had was a borrowed hand drum known as a "Djembe" (pr. JEM-bay). If they couldn't use that, they usually found an empty bucket or plastic container of some kind to "play."

Watch and listen to the following video...and let God remind you that worship isn't about all the "stuff" and "fluff" that we've made it out to be. Worship is found in God's people pouring their hearts out to Him in pure, unadulterated adoration. While we worship in our air-conditioned, multi-million dollar facilities...with padded pews and big screens...let's think twice before we gripe about the temperature or the lighting or the music selections or the length of the sermon. Let's just pour our hearts out to God in pure, unadulterated adoration for our King.

Are Women Born This Way?

I'm just asking a simple question, so don't tar-and-feather me...



Hmmmmmm. Beth, Morgan, and Becca...I love you!

(Some days we just need a good laugh, amen?!?)

in•ten•tion•al

[in-ten(t)-shə-nəl]
-adjective
1. done on purpose or by design.

I’ve been impressed by God lately about how intentional I am (we are) about life and faith. I had this illustrated somewhat last week while my family and I vacationed in Destin, FL.

Morgan, Becca, and I were just lazily hanging out in the water at the beach on Boogie Boards. It was so relaxing that I almost went to sleep out there…enjoying the coolness of the water and the motion of the waves. It was great. But at some point I opened my eyes to discover that Beth was no longer sitting on the beach reading her book. She had been there the last time I looked, but now she was gone.

I began to scour the beach scene looking for my wife only to discover that she had moved about 50 yards down the beach. She had moved everything! Our chairs, our towels, our cooler…everything! And there she was, just reading her book as if nothing had changed.

And then the thought struck me—Beth hasn’t moved…we have! Just going with the flow, we had allowed the waves to carry us away from where we had been in the beginning. Being the PastorDad that I am, I brought this out to my girls as a true-to-life illustration of how easy it is to drift away from God and His plan for our lives. We have to find our reference point (at the beach, that was Beth / in life, that’s God’s Word in which Christ is the Centerpiece) and work to stay in line with it.

Beth had not moved; we had. God does not move; we do.

Left to ourselves, we will never drift toward a deeper walk with God…or holiness…or evangelism…or obedience. Left to ourselves, we’ll always drift away from God, not closer to Him! We have to be intentional about everything in the Christian life.

Whoever told us that the Christian walk was the easy way wasn’t being truthful. In fact, Jesus said just the opposite: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

This is what God’s been speaking to me about lately. How intentional are we being in our pursuit of Him and His purpose? Are we demonstrating Christ through our lives on purpose? Are we growing deeper in our worship and walk by design? Are we being intentional about reaching out to the 9-in-10 people in Montgomery County who do not know Christ?

OR, are we just lazily hanging out in life…just going with the flow…allowing the waves to carry us away from where we once were with God? I hope God will speak to you like He’s speaking to me. And may we be sensitive enough to His prompting to obey Him wherever He leads us.

Parasitic sins

I've already shared that I brought back an African souvenir that I didn't mean to. I'm doing much better, by the way. But I've been thinking...

Evidently I picked up some kind of parasite without even realizing it...and it lay dormant in me for some period of time...and then at the "right" time (wrong time for me but right time for it), it manifested itself. How many sins develop in our lives the same way?

A thought or an image finds its way into our hearts, perhaps without us even realizing it at the time...and it incubates within us for some period of time...but then, seemingly out of nowhere (but we know better), we're tempted to commit some sin.

Let's not be so naive, folk. Satan's goal is to destroy you and me (and dishonor God in the process). And he operates in parasitic ways to accomplish his goals, unleashing tempting opportunities that cater to the most base part within us. Oh sure, maybe we don't feel the consequences immediately...but they're coming! Be sure, they're coming.

I've been taking two medications for my "problems"--Flagyl and Cipro. They're designed to kill the parasites and bacteria that have made me sick.

I want to encourage you, in spiritual terms, to enlist the Flagyl of faith and the Cipro of sanctification to fight off Satan's parasitism. We must be vigilant in the fight against our enemy! We must not give him even a place on the doorstep of our lives, much less a foot in the door.

These are my thoughts today...maybe they're only mine, but that's okay. God used my circumstances to remind me of greater issues at hand...

Next Thing You Know Bro. Lyndel Will Be Preaching!

I thought I'd show you another video from our recent mission trip to Senegal, West Africa...

This is the video that would have been shown at Hilldale BC on July 5 IF technology had cooperated with me in Africa

“Souvenir” = French verb meaning “to remember”

I read the other day that 45% of English vocabulary is of French origin. If that’s true, that explains why we use so many French words in our everyday language and don’t even realize it. One of those words is “souvenir.” Did you know that’s French? It is. It’s the verb meaning “to remember.” And if you think about, it makes total sense. Why do we buy all those knick-knacks and trinkets when we travel? Is it not “to remember” our trip?

Becca and I bought some souvenirs in Africa…some artwork, jewelry, wood carvings, etc. But since we’ve been home, I’ve discovered another “souvenir” from my travels to remember my trip by. Every member of our team except Becca is sick with some kind of stomach bug (parasite/amoeba).

I’m on my third day thus far. Sunday was a bad day physically, but God’s grace enabled me to preach the morning and evening services at Hilldale. I wasn’t really “available” before, between, or after the services…but that side of the story can remain a mystery to my readers. ;-)

Someone mentioned to me this morning, “I hate that your trip has ended this way.” But I’ve got to be honest with you…our mission in Africa was worth it! Engaging the precious people in those Senegalese villages and sharing the good news of Jesus in the heart of spiritual darkness far outweighs whatever discomfort I’m now experiencing. Don’t get me wrong…I’m not enjoying this part of the journey AT ALL…but at least it’s happening on this side of the ocean and in my own house.

Just to put things in perspective in terms of how I feel about our time in Africa despite my sickness: I’d get on a plane today and head back to Africa if I could…well, after I pumped myself full of Imodium, of course. ;-)

Thanks for reading...

And as Dorothy said in the Land of Oz...

"There's no place like home."

Of course, I wanted to sleep late and couldn't...unless you consider that in Senegalese time, I slept until 11:00 in the morning! Aaaggghhh! I missed a whole night's sleep on the way home...you'd think I could make that back up somehow...but c'est la vie (they speak French in Senegal, y'know). :-)

Thanks for joining us on the journey through your prayers.

And so our time in Africa comes to a close...

I can't believe it, but this day has come--our last day in Africa. In fact, we just finished supper and are about to load up our luggage and head to the airport.

Today, we hit two villages...the second one is the one where Chief Malick Fay (pr. "Fye") is also the local Islamic Imam. The other pastor and I had the opportunity and freedom to present the truth of the the gospel according to the Bible. While the chief wasn't really receptive to our message, there were about 10 guys from the village sitting nearby listening to every word. My prayer is that if the chief rejects the gospel, perhaps one of those who listened today will hear Christ speaking to his heart. Please join me in that prayer.

I've got to cut my post short tonight since we're getting ready to hit the road. Becca and I catch our flight at 2:30 a.m. (9:30 p.m. Central Time) and will land at JFK in New York at 6:45 a.m. While we're there...and since we don't fly home until 8:00 p.m....we're going to spend the day messing around in Manhattan.

We're so ready to get home...For those of you who are Hilldale folk, I can't wait to see you Sunday!

I can't believe this is Day 9!

I expect that this post will be relatively short since it's late, I'm tired, and we've got to be packed up when we leave our rooms tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Today has been our next-to-last day on the trip and it was a really good day. We were in a Catholic village this afternoon and tonight, and I preached in the village tonight. The message went well, I think, considering it was being translated into one of the Sereer dialects.

We ate dinner in the village tonight (in the dark). It was a different kind of dish than we had eaten thus far and is hard to explain. It didn't taste bad...but I had some texture issues with it. I looked at Becca at one point (now here we were sitting in the dark and eating with all these villagers) and said, "Did you ever think in a million years that you'd be eating a meal in an African village?" I've got to tell you--it's both humbling and adventurous...

Tomorrow we return to the village we tried to visit yesterday (where the 10-year old little girl had just died from malaria). Actually, we're hitting a village before that too...so we'll visit in two Muslim villages tomorrow. But the second one is when we will seek to speak to the village chief/Islamic Imam about the the claims of Christ.

Please join us in praying that God will open a door clearly and miraculously to share the gospel!

On a more personal note, Becca told me today, "Dad, I love Africa...and I really want to come back. But I'm ready to see Mom and Morgan." I'll have to agree. :-)

The Best Laid Plans

If there’s one thing I’ve learned on mission trips through the years, it’s the necessity of flexibility. Oftentimes things turn out very differently than you’ve planned. What did Burns say—“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men”? Well, today was one of those days.

We arrived in the Gowout (pr. ga-WOOT) village at about 10:00 this morning, food in hand to share lunch with the village. But as soon as we got out of the vehicle, we got word that the chief’s nephew’s 10-year old daughter had just died of malaria. Her name was Aïda Diouf (pr. Ida Joof). Our plans were changed immediately. The food we had brought to prepare for lunch became our gift to the grieving family.

The Gowout village is impoverished, partly because of their Islamic beliefs…everything that happens in life—“It is the will of Allah.” Someone is sick with a curable disease? “It is the will of Allah.” Children are malnourished with stomachs protruding? “It is the will of Allah.” Someone has no education, thus stuck in poverty? “It is the will of Allah.” A 10-year old little girl dies of malaria? “It is the will of Allah.”

THEN to hear the women from neighboring villages wailing as they came to grieve with the family…wow! When I say “wailing,” I mean a distinctively African, high-pitched moan…and to hear women from every direction crying out like that…it was deeply emotional. I know that is their tradition, but I wept as I heard the cries.

The chief (whose name is Malick Fay, by the way) welcomed us into his village and urged us to stay. As I’ve said several times thus far, hospitality is huge here. But I told him we knew he was a man of many responsibilities and that if it would please him, we’d like to return Thursday (our last day in-country) and share a meal with his village. He once again urged us to stay, but I said that we wanted to respect him and the personal nature of what had happened. He graciously bid us peace until we return Thursday.

Malick Fay (pr. Fye) is not only the village chief; he’s also the local Imam (Muslim teacher). My heart is so burdened to speak with him about Jesus. I’m going to have to be patient, I know…but I trust that God will open the doors necessary to make Christ known here. We’re going to seek once again to have an audience with Chief Fay and other leaders on Thursday in which we can discuss faith matters.

Please join us in praying toward that end. It’s hard to believe that we only have tomorrow and Thursday, and then we head to the airport! The other members of the team catch a 2:00 a.m. flight to Atlanta on Friday, while Becca and I catch a 2:30 a.m. flight to JFK in New York. In some ways it feels like I’ve been here an eternity, but in other ways it’s like we’ve only just begun.

Thanks again for reading my blog and praying for us! Becca is a natural, and I’m so proud of the job she’s doing.

We miss Beth and Morgan! I can’t wait to see them both Friday night…

It's been a LONG day...thought I'd just show you some pics

This gives you some idea of how difficult their farming task is...

Relaxing just before lunch...notice the teapot near my knee.

Tree Huggers! Not exactly...actually we're seeing how many people it takes to circle the baobab tree. It took all nine of us! They're huge...and ancient.

The team and one of our translators, Charles.

Me and Augustine...I'm the one on the right.

Becca and Alexander...Becca's the one on the right. ;-)

Becca didn't really want me to take this picture or put it on here...but I think it's a great picture. This is just before lunch and we're just sitting with the villagers talking (building relationships).

Becca was a huge hit with her beads with the girls! She helped them make bracelets and necklaces...and she went through (you ready for this?) over 5,000 beads with about 20 girls! I told you she was a hit...

Remember the teapot? This is the strongest, sweetest tea I've ever put in my mouth! But it is awesome! Imagine the tea concentrate you have in a saucepan when you steep your tea. That's what this is, and with A LOT of sugar. Look out Lipton!

Becca separated peanuts for three hours! She says her back hurts. :-)

“I want to eat some giraffe!”

Let me explain today’s title. We travel (Bro. Terry and son Wesley, you’ll be excited to know) in a Toyota Land Cruiser. Becca and I have been riding in the back with two other members of the team…and with windows open and wind blowing, we don’t always hear the conversations in the front part of the vehicle.

Yesterday as missionary Jason Lee outlined our activities for Sunday, he said, “We’ll go to the beach and have our worship service there. After we do that, there’s a wildlife preserve that we can go to…and they have giraffes and alligators and all kinds of exotic animals. We might get to see them. And there’s a restaurant there where we can eat lunch.”

All Becca heard was something about eating giraffe for lunch. She got all excited and said, “Oooh, I want to go there! I want to eat some giraffe!” And we all cracked up! I’m laughing about it right now as I type…“Oooh, I want to go there! I want to eat some giraffe!” Oh, that’s funny. (LOL)

Actually, we did eat lunch at the restaurant but only got to see some alligators, exotic birds, and turtles. Evidently the three rains we’ve gotten lately (including this morning) have enabled the other animals to stay out in the reserve without having to come to the river for water. Otherwise, Jason told us, there would have been exotic animals all over the place. So, it appears that we won’t be able to show Addie Lewis any pictures of giraffes. :-(

On the way out to worship, we stopped in and visited with our translator’s village. While he is a Muslim, he has been a lifesaver for us linguistically and culturally! I’m praying that the Word of God and the testimonies that he translates (not only for our group but for others too) will grip his heart and he’ll be saved. His story is not unusual here, though.

Family honor is so important here that, in the Senegalese Muslim’s mind, to convert to faith in Christ is to bring shame and dishonor upon one’s father and family. They “can’t” say that their ancestors were wrong and are in hell. And for them, conversion is not just about believing and accepting something to be true…it’s about knowing that when you become a follower of Jesus Christ, you will bring dishonor upon every member of your family, be disowned by your family, and lose everything you have (perhaps even your wife).

Puts things in a different light, huh? Conversion here seems so much more consistent with what Jesus talked about when he described following Him in Luke 9:23-24: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”

Pray for the Sereer people here in Senegal…pray that God, who is the only One who can truly reach them, will show them the path of truth. Pray that they will surrender their hearts and lives to Him through Jesus Christ and come to know the peace of eternal life. The evangelism process from a human perspective is slow, but God is the One saves. And as our missionary said in his message this morning in worship, our job is to sow the Word of God just as the sower went out to sow (Matthew 13). Only God can bring about new birth. Join me in praying toward that end…

Day 5 in Senegal

First of all, Happy 4th of July! Obviously there’s no celebration of America’s independence in Senegal today, but we know what day it is and what it means. I seldom think of Independence Day without thinking about how dependent we are on God. There’s a Senegalese proverb that says, “The remedy for man is man” (nit-nit ay garabam). And while I think I understand what they mean by that, the only true remedy for man is God. We are dependent upon Him!

Today we traveled to the Cafac (pr. CHEF-ahk, “ch” as in cheese) village, the village that the men visited the first day. It is a “Christian” village, meaning that it is a Catholic village as opposed to being Muslim. The chief didn’t offer us beer today, though. The Catholic priest did! The village chief took us to his church and introduced us to the priest serving that parish. He was a gentle, kind Senegalese man…about my age. After a moment inside his parlor, he rose to retrieve something for us to drink. Our translator said something that we couldn’t understand, and the priest said surprised, “You do not drink beer?!?” He brought us water, and we had a pleasant meeting. I hope to speak to him again on Monday when we return to this same village.

We had to cut our day in the village short because they were having a funeral at 3:00. While I would love to have witnessed the lady’s funeral, our presence would have been intrusive…not to mention that their funerals can go on for days. But we stayed for nearly five hours and ate lunch with them. The dish was called “ceebuyap” (pr. che-boo-YAP, “ch” as in cheese), and was mainly rice with vegetables and meat. It was FaNtAsTiC! I came to Senegal expecting weight loss, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen with food like that!

We’re returning to the village on Monday in order to do what we’d hoped to do today—pray for the sick and the crops, play with the children, and share relevant Bible stories. The funeral prevented us from doing much more than visit and eat.

Becca and I were talking last night about how hard this trip is in some ways. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful. The food has been surprisingly good…and the hotel is basic but adequate. But the language barrier is so hard. Wolof is unlike any language I’ve ever tinkered with; nothing sounds like any word we have in English. And I’m telling you the depth of lostness and the challenge of getting the gospel to the people is overwhelming. A basic concept like sin, for instance, can’t be taken for granted. And if a person doesn’t have a working knowledge of sin, there can be no repentance. And if there’s no repentance, there’s no lordship/soul surrender. Y’see where I’m going with that? And, further, when dealing with the Muslim villages, we have to be patient in building bridges through relationships in order to establish the context to share the gospel. The process works so much slower here than in other missions settings I’ve been to.

Pray for Jason and Dorothea Lee as they serve God and Southern Baptists here. Their task is big, but God is bigger. Being here and experiencing the work makes me want to pray harder for our missionaries and give more to missions. It makes me also want to share my faith back home more intentionally. There’s no reason, with the culture and language barriers gone, that we shouldn’t be far more deliberate in our evangelism. May God make it so…

I love you and miss you!

A Good Day

Today was a good day. We left at about 9:00 this morning and drove about 30 minutes outside of Thies (pr. “chess”) to a Muslim village. The village chief is also the Islamic Imam (sort of like a Muslim preacher, but not exactly). I discovered upon my introduction to him that my African last name is also his—Fay (pr. “Fye”). The translator laughed and said, “You can ask for anything. You are part of the chief’s family.” Ha!

Incidentally, do you think I ought to get new business cards and update the church website with my new name, Laman Fay (pr. “LAH-mahn Fye”)? Oh well, I digress…back to the story.

The village chief was actually very hospitable. By the way, I’m blown away by the Senegalese people’s sense of obligation to hospitality (“toranga” in Wolof, pr. “tu-RAHN-guh”). It is a matter of honor to them as a people and as villages to respect their guests. And the fact that we are Americans and that we’ve come to THEIR village out of all the villages in the area just adds to the respect. They might not have much in terms of earthly things, but what they have they’ll gladly give to you. Their concept of kindness, even to strangers, sure smacks in the face of our American greed and selfishness.

Becca and a couple other members of our team stayed with the children and played games, while I joined the other two members of our team to pray for people in the village. I explained to the village chief in the time of our greetings that we were Christians and, as Christians, we believe in the power of prayer. Also as Christians, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ and we’d like to pray for any sick people in their village in that same name. HE AGREED! So we had an open door.

I prayed for the first man we came to (Moor Mbang) and he was incredibly grateful. Before I prayed, I told him the Bible story of the blind man Jesus healed by rubbing mud on his eyes and telling him to go wash them. I explained that I do not have the power to heal…but that Jesus Christ does. Then I prayed for him, for his family, for his crops, for his animals, and for rain. When I finished, he immediately began talking and he said, “You have traveled many miles…from another country…across an ocean…to my country…to my village…and even to my home. Thank you for your prayers!” Now keep this in mind…all of these people are dedicated Muslims…and yet we requested and received permission to pray in the name of Jesus Christ to bring healing and hope to the sick. We ended up praying specifically for at least 8 people…all with the blessing of the village chief and Imam.

We’ll be returning to that same village on Tuesday and will spend the day there, including lunch. Please join us in praying that the seeds planted in these trips will bear fruit in days/months/years to come.

In closing, what would you do in the following scenario? The village chief excitedly showed us the Islamic mosque being built in his village. It’s only a shell of a building at this point but he took us inside. THEN, in his thanksgiving for our visit, the chief asked us if there was anything we could give—even if it was very small—to help pay for the building of their mosque. Our translator just translated the words and then the room fell silent. I did the only thing I knew to do…I looked at Jason (our missionary) and smiled. Actually, the mission work Southern Baptists do around the world isn’t about throwing money at people…so the ultimate answer is simple. But in that moment, “awkward” seemed like an understatement to describe a group of Christian missionaries being asked to help build a village’s Islamic mosque!

This trip to Africa is amazing…and I’m so blessed to be here. And Becca too! I love you and thank you for joining us on the journey…

Senegal Update

Today is our third day in-country and I think we’re finally getting acclimated to the time change. Because I don’t want to change the time on my iPod (which I’m using as our alarm clock), I’m waking up at 1:00 in the morning to take my shower and get dressed. Of course, that’s 6:00 here..but my body’s been protesting since we’ve been in Senegal.

I know many of you have been praying for Becca based on my request yesterday, and I want to thank you. She was feeling better by supper time last night and woke up today as her normal self (which is debatable as to whether that’s a good thing or not…I’M JUST KIDDING!). I’m not sure what caused her to feel dizzy and sick yesterday, but I’m so glad she didn’t have some bug (and that could be literal here!) or something.

Today we spent the morning in the marketplace, which allowed us a double blessing. We were able to interact with the Senegalese and get a better feel for their culture. Plus we did a little shopping. Becca got some beautiful African dresses and a skirt, and I got an African shirt (with matching pants). Beth’s going to love me in that outfit; I can just feel it. :-)

We spent the first couple of hours this afternoon at a local restaurant. It was good…in fact, I think even Bro. Mike and Bro. Tony could have found something on the menu to eat (and to think my grandmother thought I was a picky eater). Ha!

We’re heading to a village in a few minutes where we’ll spend 3 or 4 hours this evening. There are actually a couple of believers in this village, so we’ll have the opportunity to worship with them in a distinctively indigenous manner. I’m looking forward to that. Bro. Tim Edwards (pastor of FBC, Highlands, TX) will speak briefly tonight on praying for their friends and family members, and I’m going to speak to these same folk next week about sharing their faith. Pray for me as I prepare. Obviously an American preaching format is out the window when you do something like this, so I need God to fill my heart and mouth with His Word.

We’re getting better with our Wolof (the language used most commonly here). We’ve learned to use basic greetings and questions…and it’s just so neat when the words work like they’re supposed to! Actually, most of the people are so impressed that you’re trying to speak their language that they are very gracious to help you know the right words.

Oh, by the way, God blessed us last night with a thunderstorm—rain, lightning, thunder, the works! Never mind that the power was knocked out 3 or 4 times in the night…the storm was wonderful. Actually we’re on the front end of the “rainy season,” which is a relative term here. Don’t get the idea that it rains a lot during the rainy season, only that this is the season of the year when it rains.

I want to thank you again for keeping up with us and praying. We are powerless here without God at work around us and through us, so your prayers are huge. You’re on mission with us as you pray! We love you and miss you!

Pray for Becca

Let me say, first, thank you for checking in on us. It means a great deal to know that you care enough about us and this mission trip to read these updates.

As I type, Becca lies on the bed sleeping. After we awoke this morning and ate breakfast, we had a Wolof language lesson. (Wolof is a widely-used African dialect.) Becca acted very tired then. But we all loaded up and headed out to our first village (as a group…the men went to one briefly yesterday)--a Muslim village. We were very well-received and the children were ExCiTeD, to say the least. We had so much fun with them. But Becca just seemed lethargic, and anyone who knows Becca knows that’s not Becca. She never complained, though, unless I asked her, "What’s wrong?" The missionary, Jason Lee, ended up bringing us (Becca and me) back to the hotel just before lunch.

I’m not sure if she’s struggling with the effects of jetlag or the food or the heat/humidity or the culture shock or what. I covet your prayers for her, though, as I know she would rather be out there interacting with children in the village! Actually, she was quite the celebrity today since she was young. I know God’s going to use her to be a light to these children who live in such spiritual darkness.

Before we left today’s village, the chief wanted to give us both African names. He named Becca first and called her Mamsey Fay (pr. "MAHM-say Fye." The translator told me that the term "mamsey" has to do with "grandmother," but the chief was using it as a term of high honor and respect. The village chief named me after his father and called me Laman Fay (pr. "LAH-mahn Fye"). We have the chief's last name.

Receiving an African name is an important step in building relationships here. I was humbled as the village chief, speaking through our interpreter, pronounced our names over us. At this point, I’m not sure if this happens in each village or if we’ll just tell them our African names in the other villages.

I cannot describe to you how far out of my element I am here. I feel like such an infant! I mentioned last night at dinner that God has reminded me that I must depend upon Him if I am to be used here. The culture and the language are so different than anything I’ve ever experienced. Plus most of the adults (especially the older ones) are illiterate, so doing anything that requires reading won’t work. That’s why storying is so important.

Today, as the children were coming from every direction, I asked them to sit down because I wanted to tell them a story. I told them of a time when some children wanted to approach Jesus but His disciples told them to go away. Jesus told His disciples not to prevent the children from coming to Him…because Jesus loved children…that children are important to Jesus…and that we all must become like children to follow God. It was a challenge but they were receptive…so I told them another story--Noah and the Flood. So different from preaching but fun!

Well, I’ll stop for now. "Ba beneen yoon!" ("Until next time!")

By the way, the pictures are of:
1. The village chief and me.
2. Becca and some of the children.
3. Becca and her namesake in the village.