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…