Chantal Pilon church planting among the Konyagi Has it really been a month since my last update? And what a month it has been! Moving to Senegal has meant a whirlwind of activity. I don’t even know where to begin to fill you in. During those weeks of preparation for the move, I was so often amazed at how God was preparing the way – providing furniture and appliances I could borrow in Senegal, providing the help of a couple men to bring these things and help me with numerous projects around the house, providing Jen my new roommate and co-worker, allowing for one of the mission leaders to visit the area and make contacts and finalize the rental of the apartment, providing a great host family here in town, providing finances for the expenses that quickly add up, and I could go on. You guys must have been really praying – it was amazing to see God work out all of the intricate details in order to make this move possible!
Before I go any further I want to introduce you to my new co-worker since I’ll be referring to her quite a bit in the coming months. Jen Rabe is a missionary kid who grew up in Senegal. She recently completed the mission training and she returned to serve in Senegal this past February. Since then, she has been living with a Senegalese family in Dakar (capital of Senegal) as part of the NCLA (national culture & language acquisition) program.
Ok, let me back up a bit now. During all the packing and preparations to move, we also had the visit of a few mission leaders to discuss the future of the Konyagi work. It was good to talk together and see where God is leading us.
For the immediate future, Jen and I are in Senegal and our primary objective is to connect with the Konyagi church, to build relationships and to help them in anyway we can. During these coming months we hope to get to know each other well enough to see how we can partner together to reach the rest of the Konyagi with the gospel. Towards meeting this objective, I will live part-time in a hut in the village where there are Konyagi believers and will attend their church meetings. I am eager to see how God will use this time in my life and in the life of the Konyagi church.
My secondary objective will be to continue Konyagi CLA (culture & language acquisition). Jen will continue with NCLA (in French) and therefore we will be speaking only French with one another.
My home base for this time is in a town about 12 km from the village. We’re renting a pretty nice ‘duplex’ and I am now enjoying luxuries such as running water, electricity and even internet! We are very close to the local evangelical church and we have a very kind and helpful host family who also live nearby.
I have to say that this past month has been exhausting, challenging, stretching, and sometimes my undoing J.Yet, up to now I have survived and besides a cold, I have been healthy, for which I thank God! Now the house is almost set up, most of the kinks ironed out and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel – what a relief. I think it will take me a while to recover and I’m thankful that I have a God who specializes in renewing our strength.
Thank you so much for your prayers – they have been (& still are) greatly needed!
- Pray for the country of Guinea and its people during this trying time. The situation continues to be very volatile.
- Praise that I am mostly healthy – only a cold is slowing me down. Please pray that I might recover from this trying last month. Please pray for strength and energy.
- Praise that my God is with me at all times. Pray for my walk with Him and that I will trust Him in all things.
- Praise that the Hofers made is safely back to the U.S. Pray that they will have a refreshing time at home, for Sherri’s pregnancy and for their future plans.
- Praise that Jen has decided to join me. Pray for her as she makes final preparations and says good-byes and will arrive here this coming Tuesday.
- Praise for all the help I received in order to move to Senegal. Pray that we will soon be completely settled in.
- Praise for God’s direction regarding my move to Senegal. Praise that He provided a good place to live. Pray for all the adjustments involved in learning to live in a new country.
- Pray for Jen and I as we connect with the Konyagi church. That God will clearly lead us in the direction He desires us to go.
- Pray for me as I continue to learn the culture and language of the Konyagi.
- Pray for the future of the Konyagi work. Praise for the meetings with the leadership. Pray as we continue working towards choosing a Konyagi village to move into in Guinea. Pray that we will be sensitive to God’s guidance.
- Pray that God will continue to work in their lives to prepare them to hear the Truth.
- Pray for more coworkers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.
- Pray for Jody whose baby was due Nov. 23rd. Pray that the baby will soon come and that everything will go well.
Thank you for your faithful partnership!
