Choff ?

Am na choff? This is a question my new friend Papa asked me that caused me to really laugh hard. When you are greeting people here many times they ask "Where is your husband?" I get to tell them about my fiance Bennett Sanderson, and I show them pictures too. They then ask me, "Am na choff?" which translates here to "Is he a big fish?" Let me remind you that I live on the beach in Africa, and fishing here is life. They eat fish for almost every meal, and they smell fish all day long. So now when people ask me where my husband is I am able to tell them "Am na choff." He's a big fish or as we would say "Great Catch."

On a serious note, please continue praying for the people here. I see the effects of prayer, and I am very encouraged. For example, two people on my team have been building a relationship with a couple of guys from here both named Alhasan, and they came to church with them on Tuesday night and were asking some great questions.

As for me, I am still teaching English and visiting the families of my students. One group of boys shows up at our door every morning even though their class only meets twice a week. They are eager to learn or maybe just hang out. Please pray for Lamine, Issa, and Sewrou (just a few of our students). Please pray for me too as the heat is really here, and it is easy to get tired, frustrated, and discouraged. Pray that my faith would increase and that I would know God more. I love all of you. Thanks again for your prayers.

Thank you for praying for the precious people in the village of Yoff. God is at work here in mighty ways.  

This is Bachu showing off her moves. I love this little girl.  

Lately at night the children have been playing drums they made out of cans infront of our apartment. The girls also did some dancing for me after our English class.  

We went to see Senegal play Togo in soccer to qualify for the African Cup. I wanted to show my support with the flag I bought for a dollar. The stadium is in the background.  

Aminata has a white scarf on, and she makes me smile so much.  

The word for dance in Wolof is "fetch." This is one of my favorite pictures so far because it really shows how beautiful the children are in Senegal.  

Me, Amy, Carrie, and Erin 

Sometimes we eat with our hands.  

Beach Life 

The Streets of Yoff 

This is the view from our apartment. I love the ocean. 

This process took about three hours. It has taken me about 2 hours to take them out tonight.  

Today I got my braids. Pretty? 

Pictures

I am having trouble getting my pictures on to a computer so if you would like to see pictures from our summer look at www.carrieinsenegal.blogspot.com. Click on June under her archives for all of them. She is one of the journeymen serving here in Senegal. Please pray for the people on her site.

Yesterday we rode a boat out to a deserted island, and I felt like I was on Survivor. It was a nice break from the village life that I am becoming used to. Today we are going to a soccer game, and they say it can get pretty crazy. Sounds like LSU football. I will let you know how it goes.

reflections

It is Sunday, and we are about to go and worship together on the beach. The water is beautiful here. There are great big waves perfect for surfing. I am living in an apartment about a five minute walk from the ocean. The small streets are covered with sand and cars that attempt to drive down them often get stuck. The past week we had orientation and learned about their language and their culture. One night we invited African drummers to the roof of our building and discovered again that white people can't dance. They tried to teach us, but we looked more like we were doing aerobics.

Monday our ministries begin, and mine will be primarily teaching English to children and teenagers. The other half of our team will leave today for the village where they will do medical work. Please pray that as we split up for a few weeks that our hearts will still be one.

When I get frustrated that the farthest point that I can get in a conversation now is "What is your name?" I am comforted by this hopeful promise, "For the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Hab 2:14

I am very encouraged by your prayers for us.