Welcome to the hub for updates and prayer request from the team in Senegal.
The Senegal Missions Team is now officially on their way! Thank you all for your prayers and support to make this happen. Please pray:
- that their flights and connections all go well.
- that God would give peace to those travelling and to the family members back home.
- that they would be able to sleep on the flights so that they can be rested for the day ahead when they arrive in Dakar.
- for Pastor Cody who is dealing with the stomach flu, and for the rest of the team to stay healthy.
Somebody asked me what my first impression was: different. We arrived in Senegal at about 8:45 this morning and right away, we noticed differences with Canada. Driving down the highway into Dakar to Keith and Melanie’s house, we saw that the structured rules of the road are a little “looser” in Senegal. You certainly need to pay attention when you are driving 110 km/h down the highway.
Something that we have learned already comes from Keith and Melanie themselves. They tell us how much of a blessing it is to them to have us come and visit. Many international workers go four years and never get visitors from back home.
We are praising God because the puking pastor never puked after leaving Saskatoon. Pastor Cody started to feel better as the first day went on and by the time we arrived in Senegal, he was back to his normal self.
We would like you to continue to pray for us as we adjust to the difference between Canada and Senegal. The culture is different; the language is different. Also, the power is unstable. We would ask that you pray that the power fluctuations would not cause us any difficulties.
Sincerely Jim Buss & Team
The team got to try their French speaking and bartering skills today! Since we were by the coast the fish market had many different large fish, crab and even squid for sale. Outside the fish market was other vendor with different wares. Walking through the market, we were struck by how different the shopping experience between Canada and Senegal really is. But the team was successful (with the help of Keith, Melanie and the kids) in purchasing items from vendors despite the language barrier.
We are thankful for God’s protection over us as we travelled as a group to the market. No one was lost or hurt, and we were able to experience the city of Dakar together. Praise that we are all experiencing good health and feel rested from travelling the day before.
Please continue to pray for us as we grow together as a team, learning what it means to support our missionary partners in their field and opening our hearts to know when we hear God speaking and teaching us throughout this trip.
From Mikayla & Team
Today was our Sabbath day, we were thankful to slow down and focus on worship and rest. The Haensel family led us to an international church service that happened on one of the Dakar Academy campuses. It was encouraging to worship with believers from many different countries and to experience unity in faith even with our different backgrounds.
The worship was wonderful and especially meaningful. The worship songs were led by a very talented bass player, creating a powerful atmosphere of praise. We heard a strong message from Pastor Ray. His preaching gave a lot of our team members a detailed description on marriage roles and his fresh perspective of the story of Adam and Eve really stood out to me and challenged us to think more deeply about God’s design and grace.
At the service, we had the opportunity to meet missionaries from different countries. Through the IW’s we were reminded that God is working powerfully in Senegal and that the missionaries here are faithfully and effectively serving Him. At the same time, we recognized that Senegal still needs more people, prayer, and support.
Following the service, we went to a beautiful location overlooking the ocean and shared lunch with Pastor Ray and his wife, Kathy. During this time, we talked about how churches operate in Senegal and the challenges they face. We learned a great deal from these conversations and were reminded of how important prayer and encouragement are for those serving here for a long-term. We are praising God for this Sabbath day of rest, fellowship, spiritual growth. Please pray for safety as we travel outside of Dakar to the land where we will do some work.
From Eddie & Team