VBS in Dakar with Gordon College volunteers

The pastor welcoming the families to the closing ceremonies.













Some of the families watching the children's presentation.












The cheif de cartier's wife attended our ceremony!












Some of the children singing praises!

Making tortillas with Mommy!

Being silly around the house, even Odette!

Mariama's baby dedication in Togo

William's VBS journal

Monday 7/24/06

We had a rainy day in Echo Bay. We made a rain stick and a snow globe. In music we listened to rain sounds, played the rain game, and heard the Bible story of Elijah who asked God to send rain. We have the courage to know God sends the rain.
Today Pop learned to play our musical instruments. He was a good listener and answered Bible questions. He loves balloons.

Tuesday 7/25/06

Echo Bay had snow today so we made soapy snowballs to use in our bath. In the story we learned how Joshua listened to God in Joshua 3:1-3 so we tried very hard to listen and follow our teachers. In Kayak Cove we made a paddle for our canoe and in music we had water sticks that we move to music.

Today Pop liked to use his imagination in a world all his own. He joined our group activities but was eager to “be on his way”. Outside he loved the bubbles and discovered how to word the auto bubble machine.

Wednesday 7/26/06

It snowed again in Echo Bay so we took out our ice skates and went skating. In our story Jesus told the fishermen where to put their nets. We made a Jesus necklace. Pop loved that project.

Thursday 7/27/06

It snowed heavily in Echo Bay. We made our snowflakes fall gently from the sky, then we went ice skating again. We have learned our songs for family night and practiced on the stage.

It has been our privilege to care and teach Pop this week. Our prayers are with you.

Lunch at the beach

Our family went to a restaurant to wait on our volunteers and other team members. Mariama could not wait for everyone else, so she had a snack while we waited. William and I played along the beach a little. Then we were joined by William's good friend Chase.

My Little Man

Our Easter package finally arrived from Grandma, only two months late. Hooray for the postal system! Thanks Grandma! Anyway, William still looks handsome in his outfit. What a cutie!

Me with my little Blessings on the swing in the little playground at the resturant. 

Aclose up of us.. he put the hat on himself that way! 

Playing on the swing  

Getting ready to go get Ice cream and play 

Missed opportunities

At this very moment I am reminded how truly inadequate I am. Praise the Lord for the reminder ahead of time of where my adequacy is to come from, because I am truly not!

I have, had, a friend who lived across the street. Her husband was living in France and she was living here with her inlaws. Unfortunately the past few months have been so busy with school and the children, that I have not had much chance to visit her. When I did try to visit, she was never there. She had asked me in the past to pray for her to be able to join her husband. Despite not seeing her for a while, I had not forgotten her nor stopped praying for her. I found out this weekend though that she has gone to live with him in France. I praise the Lord for her being able to be there, but I mourn that my chance to share with her anymore is gone. I weep for missed opportunities, but I trust that she will come across someone that will share the Truth with her.

More overwhelming is the news I received this morning. In a neighboring household, a young man, maybe Rich's age with a wife an children, passed away yesterday morning. During their month of fasting last year, we had been over at their house one evening. We did not stay overly long because it was getting late for the children, but still an opportunity passed by. We know this man's younger brother better and I sort of know this man's wife. Had we shared more with one of them, maybe they would have come to faith and shared with him. Now it is too late for him, but there is still time for the rest of the family. Where do I start? It would be so easy to cast blame to someone else, like Adam and Eve tried to do, but I still bear the guilt for this man's blood.

In the states, with the abundance of churches, it is easy to tell yourself that the person at the grocery store or McDonald's has heard the truth---but it is not a given! Yes, the chances of me talking to a person who does not yet know the Lord here are greater, but it does happen there. The people here live their lives hoping their good outweighs their bad, whereas those in the states often don't see a difference in the lives of Christians around them that makes them want to know the Lord.

Who will you see today that needs desperately to hear the good news? Will each of us seize the moments we are given this very day? We have good news to share. Share it!!

Being Adequate!!

I just wanted to share a word of encouragement with all of you today. Have you ever thought you had said something different or more or seized the moment more or not been sure your language conveyed all you wanted it to? I am doing a Bible study by Kay Arthur on 2 Corinthians called, “Lord, Give me a heart for You.” Last week’s chapter was on being adequate, particularly focusing on 2:15-16 and 3:5-6. Arthur says it this way, “Your adequacy will never come from anything you can ever do or be apart from Christ. Your adequacy will come only from God.” What a blessing and a relief! God is bigger than anything I can do to “’mess” Him up. I will never be adequate enough in myself to do the job He has called me to do, but He is always adequate and makes me so. Another encouragement to me lately has been Beth Moore’s Voices of the Faithful devotional, particularly since this month’s focus is missions, but there is just too much to share right now.
For now lets all pray that we will remember where our adequacy originates.

William still playing on the couch with Mariama. He picked mimself up and kept going (see Rich's blog for first video).

Me and William reading and counting.

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William climed into my lap after lunch yesterday and wanted me to read his book with him. Mariama is playing in her swing you get to see her some too. We may start posting more things this way, so you can see and hear us more. Plus it is faster and more fun then us typing.

A visit

Hi there

I just had to share with you all about my visit at the B. household yesterday. I was doing the story of Adam and Eve sinning. I did it on tape especially after I found out I had a time limit because of Madam B having a previous engagement. It was her with three of her daughters and one son. We listened to the scriptures and the story and then the questions. I jumped ahead a little, please forgive me, but I felt lead to cover why the clothes of leaves were not good enough. So I brought up Tabaski and the shedding of blood for sin. One of the daughters asked if I really believed that God instructed the sacrifice for the sin. I said yes, but I could see confusion in her eyes as she kept asking me over and over again if I really believed it. I wanted so badly to tell the whole story right there but was not sure how and where the others were at in all of this. I said that yes, God’s word says that there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood, but…..I believe that the blood has been spilt to completion. We wrapped up the story session, with even another young man coming in during the story as well as their househelper. She and all her children, except maybe the youngest daughter, answered questions, especially the son and the daughter who pressed me. Because Madam B. had to get ready to go, the daughter who kept asking me and who I have a pretty good relationship walked me out. She was still in awe of what I said because we do not sacrifice. I told her I want to tell her more if she wants to know, but I need to pray and seek out the words to tell her. It was amazing to see the look in her eyes, like she had never heard that from a Christian, but it is crucial to know what is required before we can know it has been paid. Anyway, just wanted to let you know to keep praying.

It looks like Thursday after lunch will be the best time for me to go visit with them so PLEASE be praying for me and for them on that day. Pray that the words will be given to me and for their hearts and minds to be opened.

A video from home

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To Momma (and Mothers everywhere)

I saw this today and though you might enjoy it as well. I dedicate this to all mothers out there, especially mine. I love you Momma!!!

Somebody said it takes about 6 weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby . . .
Somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, "normal" is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct . . .
Somebody never took a 3-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring . . .
Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said good mothers never raise their voices . . .
Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother . . .
Somebody never helped a 4th grader with his math.

Somebody said you can't love the 5th child as much as you love the first . . .
Somebody doesn't have 5 children.

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books . . .
Somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery . . .
Somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the 1st day of kindergarten. Or on a plane headed for military boot camp. Or get on a plane for West Africa and the Mission field.

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back . . .
Somebody never organized 7 giggling Brownies to sell cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married . . .
Somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son- or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home . . .
Somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her . . .
Somebody isn't a mother.

Hello again from the girl down the street

Hello again!
This is Jessica, for all who forgot.. I am back in action and wanted to write a little excerpt to fill all ya'll in on what I have been doing for the last couple of weeks. Well I am in good spirits at the moment because my older brother (Chris) and college roomate (Linzi) left Dakar last night after a week of visiting me! It was so amazing. We did so much together. We laughed, sat on the beach, ate a lot, hung out with my family, prayed, and simply talked while enjoying each other's company. It was such an emotional, rejuvination week for me. I begun to process a lot of what I have been learning out here which was nice to do with people who know me and love me. It was good to start processing things so that when I go home it wont hit so hard. That's just it.. I go home in a month! I thought I would be really sad to see Chris and Linzi leave, but realizing my departure date, I have decided that there is no time to be sad. It's time to focus on why God brought me here and what he still has time to do through me. So thank you for all your prayers regarding my heart and struggles here. The Lord is blessing me once again. So Let me fill you all in on what the Lord is doing with my family.
C.S. Lewis wrote a quote about people who see in his book, "The Last Battle". I don't remember the quote exactly word for word, but it says that everyone who truely seeks truely finds. I couldn't agree with Lewis more. I believe that you don't need a check list of what constitutes someone as a "seeker". I believe that people who are searching for truth, asking questions, and trying to make sense of life are seekers. This is my family. I have had wonderful conversations with them about prayer, God, and Jesus. They are listening and watching me and I believe that the Lord has met them in some way so far. I pray that my family will continue to seek because if they do they are going to hit rock bottom and that rock is going to be Jesus. Please continue to pray for the Ba family. Pray that they will see visions and dream dreams of Jesus. Pray also that when they experience God that they come and talk with me and ask me questions. Jesus said that people will know that we are his disciples by the way we love each other. This is all I am doing. I am striving to love God and love my neighbor.. I just happen to be in Senegal doing it! So, be encouraged that what Rich, Lisa, and I are doing is nothing out of the ordinary.
I am going to try and write more about Senegalese family life and some of my own reflections of my life here. Untill then.....
Jamm ak Jamm (peace with peace)
Jessica

Christmas morning collage

A compilation of photos from Christmas morning with my family, including a few after effects photos (the sleeping ones). Click on image for a larger view.