Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
SANSAMBA
What a difference a day makes. After an awesome time of worship Sunday, we went to set up our clinic at Sansamba. We arrived to loud music and lively dancing as they marched us into town for a celebration. At the celebration, every member of our team was pulled into the circle to participate in the native dances. I will be burning the video tape! The chief and imam welcomed us and then I was invited to say a few words. I took that as a call to preach, so I began to share the plan of salvation just as I had in Bambacounda. But this experience was completely different.
As I began sharing about Jesus being the perfect sacrifice for our sins, a man came around the back of the crowd and began whipping the children with a long switch, driving them away. Another man seated near me said something to me. I don’t remember much from 4 years of French, but I knew “ne pas, ecoute and enfants.” He was saying, “We don’t want our children hearing this.”
How tragic, that the only Name that can bring their children to eternal life was being denied them.
I never felt unsafe, intimidated or fearful during the event. What I did feel was literal pressure. I wish I could have had a barometer to gauge the air pressure. You could just feel the spiritual warfare. It was so eerie. It made the verse about being “hard pressed on every side” come to life. As our team debriefed the evening, we agreed to pray fervently for God to bind up the enemy forces. As Paul told us clearly in Ephesians 6, our real battle is not against HIV/AIDS, malaria, burns, and cancers. It is against the powers and principalities of this dark world.
GOD ANSWERED OUR PRAYERS! Sansamba was like an entirely different place today. The crowd was calm for the most part. They were cooperative. No one the entire day refused to allow me to pray for them or their children – and each time I prayed it was boldly in Jesus’ name. We were able to give out a lot of evangelism materials. People were begging for Bibles. We gave them everything we could.
Why are we so surprised when God does what He promises He will do?
We’ve all been amazed at the incredible things God has done. We have formed some wonderful friendships here with our African brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray for them. They live in such isolation, often being the only believer in their entire community. We so take our opportunities for fellowship for granted back in the States.
Last night, in our team debriefing, Dr. Usmane So, a Senegalese doctor who trained in Libya and who has worked with our team shared his inspirational testimony of how he came to faith in Jesus. He closed by saying that God is not content with 3S Christians: saved, seated and satisfied. He wants believers who will take seriously his commission to GO. I hope you’ll be praying about where God wants to send you on mission in 2009!
We are repacking tonight and will be heading back through the Gambia tomorrow toward Dakar. Our plan is to minister at ICRD (International Center for Refuge and Development) in Dakar on Wednesday. I also hope to see old SBU friends, Jason and Dorothea Lee, who are IMB missionaries working among the Serer people in Thies (pronounced CHESS). Then early to rise for a 3:30am flight Thursday morning back home! How bittersweet to say goodbye to dear friends here in Senegal, yet to be joyfully reunited with each of our families and church families in Missouri.
What a difference a day makes. After an awesome time of worship Sunday, we went to set up our clinic at Sansamba. We arrived to loud music and lively dancing as they marched us into town for a celebration. At the celebration, every member of our team was pulled into the circle to participate in the native dances. I will be burning the video tape! The chief and imam welcomed us and then I was invited to say a few words. I took that as a call to preach, so I began to share the plan of salvation just as I had in Bambacounda. But this experience was completely different.
As I began sharing about Jesus being the perfect sacrifice for our sins, a man came around the back of the crowd and began whipping the children with a long switch, driving them away. Another man seated near me said something to me. I don’t remember much from 4 years of French, but I knew “ne pas, ecoute and enfants.” He was saying, “We don’t want our children hearing this.”
How tragic, that the only Name that can bring their children to eternal life was being denied them.
I never felt unsafe, intimidated or fearful during the event. What I did feel was literal pressure. I wish I could have had a barometer to gauge the air pressure. You could just feel the spiritual warfare. It was so eerie. It made the verse about being “hard pressed on every side” come to life. As our team debriefed the evening, we agreed to pray fervently for God to bind up the enemy forces. As Paul told us clearly in Ephesians 6, our real battle is not against HIV/AIDS, malaria, burns, and cancers. It is against the powers and principalities of this dark world.
GOD ANSWERED OUR PRAYERS! Sansamba was like an entirely different place today. The crowd was calm for the most part. They were cooperative. No one the entire day refused to allow me to pray for them or their children – and each time I prayed it was boldly in Jesus’ name. We were able to give out a lot of evangelism materials. People were begging for Bibles. We gave them everything we could.
Why are we so surprised when God does what He promises He will do?
We’ve all been amazed at the incredible things God has done. We have formed some wonderful friendships here with our African brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray for them. They live in such isolation, often being the only believer in their entire community. We so take our opportunities for fellowship for granted back in the States.
Last night, in our team debriefing, Dr. Usmane So, a Senegalese doctor who trained in Libya and who has worked with our team shared his inspirational testimony of how he came to faith in Jesus. He closed by saying that God is not content with 3S Christians: saved, seated and satisfied. He wants believers who will take seriously his commission to GO. I hope you’ll be praying about where God wants to send you on mission in 2009!
We are repacking tonight and will be heading back through the Gambia tomorrow toward Dakar. Our plan is to minister at ICRD (International Center for Refuge and Development) in Dakar on Wednesday. I also hope to see old SBU friends, Jason and Dorothea Lee, who are IMB missionaries working among the Serer people in Thies (pronounced CHESS). Then early to rise for a 3:30am flight Thursday morning back home! How bittersweet to say goodbye to dear friends here in Senegal, yet to be joyfully reunited with each of our families and church families in Missouri.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Bambacounda – Day 4
We had an excellent end to the clinic in B. As we began to shut down about 4pm, there were very few problems and the lingering crowd seemed accepting of it. After we got everything packed back into the vehicles, we left the clinic and went down the road to the actual village where hundreds were waiting for us to hold a celebration. Loud music, lively dancing – everything you can imagine about Africa. The chief spoke and thanked us for bringing the clinic to his people. The lead Imam spoke and said that he had noticed that we weren’t just about medical needs but were truly concerned with the spiritual state of each person we touched. He expressed his appreciation and said he was praying God’s blessings on us…in Jesus’ name! Then the chief presented Cindy with a goat as a gift to the team. Then they invited me to say some words. I boldly presented the plan of salvation. I had been praying for the opportunity and the boldness if it were presented. Well it was and it was powerful.
Imagine standing steps in front of a Muslim mosque, in front of a Muslim chief and Imam, at the very moment of the Muslim call to prayer – all of them remaining in their seats listening attentively rather than running off to pray – as the name of Jesus was proclaimed as the only way to salvation. That’s what I got to do last night! Thank you Lord for calling me and counting me worthy. What a joy!
SUNDAY WORSHIP IN SEDHIOU
We had an awesome day worshiping with other believers at Pastor N’Gor’s Assembly of God church. Yes, I can now officially say I am a Bapti-costal! The service lasted 3 hours but you would never have known it. Great music, powerful prayer. I got to preach, along with 2 translators, so the team actually had to hear the sermon three times! After preaching from Isaiah 66:18-20 about the gathering of the nations, we extended the invitation. I sat down as N’Gor directed the invitation and prayed for one man. Mr. Mindey is the school-teacher in Bambacounda. He had been at the clinic each day and seemed very open to the gospel as we shared it. We knew a seed had been planted. But this morning, he came all the way from Bambacounda to worship in Sedhiou. As the invitation began, he came down the aisle and N’Gor had me come down to help lead him in the prayer of repentance. HALLELUJAH! What an awesome thing to see light shining in darkness. As far as I know, he is only the second believer in Bambacounda and will have an incredible impact on the future growth of a church that we hope to see planted there. Praise be to God for his indescribable gift!
We’ve just finished lunch and are preparing to head to Sansamba to set up our next clinic. Sansamba has not been as open in the past to the Gospel, so we covet your prayers for this village as we go again to share the Good News.
We had an excellent end to the clinic in B. As we began to shut down about 4pm, there were very few problems and the lingering crowd seemed accepting of it. After we got everything packed back into the vehicles, we left the clinic and went down the road to the actual village where hundreds were waiting for us to hold a celebration. Loud music, lively dancing – everything you can imagine about Africa. The chief spoke and thanked us for bringing the clinic to his people. The lead Imam spoke and said that he had noticed that we weren’t just about medical needs but were truly concerned with the spiritual state of each person we touched. He expressed his appreciation and said he was praying God’s blessings on us…in Jesus’ name! Then the chief presented Cindy with a goat as a gift to the team. Then they invited me to say some words. I boldly presented the plan of salvation. I had been praying for the opportunity and the boldness if it were presented. Well it was and it was powerful.
Imagine standing steps in front of a Muslim mosque, in front of a Muslim chief and Imam, at the very moment of the Muslim call to prayer – all of them remaining in their seats listening attentively rather than running off to pray – as the name of Jesus was proclaimed as the only way to salvation. That’s what I got to do last night! Thank you Lord for calling me and counting me worthy. What a joy!
SUNDAY WORSHIP IN SEDHIOU
We had an awesome day worshiping with other believers at Pastor N’Gor’s Assembly of God church. Yes, I can now officially say I am a Bapti-costal! The service lasted 3 hours but you would never have known it. Great music, powerful prayer. I got to preach, along with 2 translators, so the team actually had to hear the sermon three times! After preaching from Isaiah 66:18-20 about the gathering of the nations, we extended the invitation. I sat down as N’Gor directed the invitation and prayed for one man. Mr. Mindey is the school-teacher in Bambacounda. He had been at the clinic each day and seemed very open to the gospel as we shared it. We knew a seed had been planted. But this morning, he came all the way from Bambacounda to worship in Sedhiou. As the invitation began, he came down the aisle and N’Gor had me come down to help lead him in the prayer of repentance. HALLELUJAH! What an awesome thing to see light shining in darkness. As far as I know, he is only the second believer in Bambacounda and will have an incredible impact on the future growth of a church that we hope to see planted there. Praise be to God for his indescribable gift!
We’ve just finished lunch and are preparing to head to Sansamba to set up our next clinic. Sansamba has not been as open in the past to the Gospel, so we covet your prayers for this village as we go again to share the Good News.
Bambacounda – Day 3
Another awesome day in B. We are amazed at the open doors the Lord has shown us here. Last night, as Gary and I were praying before we went to sleep, I asked him to pray that God would open an opportunity to preach before we worship on Sunday. Today, the local school brought 80+ kids to clinic. Before they came in, they sang some songs for us in the courtyard. Then their teacher, who is a seeker, but not yet a believer asked if I would like to read a Scripture. I quickly read Romans 10:9-10 and shared with them that this is the real reason we are here. We are called and glad to provide any physical help we can, but our desire is to see God reveal the full extent of his love to them through Jesus. They stood there and soaked it all in. Even the Imam was sitting there listening to every word – and never left nor attempted to discredit it. What an open door! We are going to see if the Chief and Imam will allow me to preach a full message tomorrow at the close of clinic. Please be praying that this door opens too. We are also praying that God would raise up a young man or young boy as a pastor or evangelist for this community. There are so many seeking here, but they need a leader beyond what we can provide in just 4 days to disciple and encourage them.
The other touching story of the day was baby Anastasia (name suggests some French catholic background in the family, but they are total animists). Her mother Angelique has brought her every day. She got her ticket to the clinic, but hadn’t yet gotten a green armband to allow her in. (Long story – but that’s the way we know who is really legit. Lots of back door scheming among the locals to get preferential treatment for their friends and family.) Anyway, when we decided to close for the day, she was the next person in line after all the green bands. As we started to close the doors, she just came up pleading for me to let her bring her baby in. After awhile of this, I don’t know if I was softened or just tired of listening to her, but her persistence paid off and I let her in. (Read the story of the persistent widow in the bible!) Anyway, once she got in, we found that her baby had congenital cataracts and was born blind. We all gathered to pray in faith for this precious child. We are still praying and ask you to pray that as God opens the eyes of this child that it will open the eyes of this entire community to the truth of the Gospel.
Pray especially hard today. We will be closing clinic in B. tonight and that will be hard on us and the people.
In HIM,
Ryan
Another awesome day in B. We are amazed at the open doors the Lord has shown us here. Last night, as Gary and I were praying before we went to sleep, I asked him to pray that God would open an opportunity to preach before we worship on Sunday. Today, the local school brought 80+ kids to clinic. Before they came in, they sang some songs for us in the courtyard. Then their teacher, who is a seeker, but not yet a believer asked if I would like to read a Scripture. I quickly read Romans 10:9-10 and shared with them that this is the real reason we are here. We are called and glad to provide any physical help we can, but our desire is to see God reveal the full extent of his love to them through Jesus. They stood there and soaked it all in. Even the Imam was sitting there listening to every word – and never left nor attempted to discredit it. What an open door! We are going to see if the Chief and Imam will allow me to preach a full message tomorrow at the close of clinic. Please be praying that this door opens too. We are also praying that God would raise up a young man or young boy as a pastor or evangelist for this community. There are so many seeking here, but they need a leader beyond what we can provide in just 4 days to disciple and encourage them.
The other touching story of the day was baby Anastasia (name suggests some French catholic background in the family, but they are total animists). Her mother Angelique has brought her every day. She got her ticket to the clinic, but hadn’t yet gotten a green armband to allow her in. (Long story – but that’s the way we know who is really legit. Lots of back door scheming among the locals to get preferential treatment for their friends and family.) Anyway, when we decided to close for the day, she was the next person in line after all the green bands. As we started to close the doors, she just came up pleading for me to let her bring her baby in. After awhile of this, I don’t know if I was softened or just tired of listening to her, but her persistence paid off and I let her in. (Read the story of the persistent widow in the bible!) Anyway, once she got in, we found that her baby had congenital cataracts and was born blind. We all gathered to pray in faith for this precious child. We are still praying and ask you to pray that as God opens the eyes of this child that it will open the eyes of this entire community to the truth of the Gospel.
Pray especially hard today. We will be closing clinic in B. tonight and that will be hard on us and the people.
In HIM,
Ryan
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