NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

dancing at a wedding – notice the violin-type instruments

So much has happened since my last update.

As it turns out, I decided to take my vehicle back to Guinea. It will be used by missionaries there until I find a good long-term solution. A WEC missionary accompanied me so that I wouldn’t have to travel on my own. It was a long, quick trip (one day there, and the next day back) and of course there were a few adventures along the way… I almost had an accident with a motorcycle, had difficulty exchanging money for the local currency, had some mechanical problems, played the role of an ambulance to transport injured people from the site of an accident, which then meant that we no longer had enough fuel to get to our destination. Despite all that, we saw God’s hand in the circumstances and everything went well.

A few days after my return from Guinea, I went to Dakar to attend our annual conference. I quickly saw that I was very tired and that village life was taking more out of me than I had realized. It was good to have a bit of time to rest, to talk with other missionaries, to have some good Bible teaching and to enjoy cooler temperatures.

 I came back to the village on Friday. I was happy to be back although returning to the heat was a bit daunting. It took me a few days to clean my very dirty house, put everything in order and reconnect with people here.

 Yesterday I resumed my language sessions. Each morning I spend three hours studying the language with Bonéré’s help. I’m really happy to be living in the village and to be able to really get into learning the culture and language and to see some progress. Having said that, the task of learning a language is difficult and your prayers are greatly needed!

 Bonéré continues to work on preparing Bible lessons. This week we hope to begin checking the lessons he’s already done. Our goal would be to check one to two lessons each week with the help of a Konyagi who speaks both Konyagi and French.

 There’s only three months left before I return to Canada on home assignment. There is so much that I’d like to accomplish during that time. On the other hand, it’s also the hottest time of the year and with each passing day everyone’s energy level seems to go down a little. Pray that I will be wise in the use of my time and energy and that despite the heat, I can accomplish what God wants me to accomplish during this time.

 I thank you for your partnership and your prayers. We serve a great God who is doing great things among the Konyagi! What a privilege to be a part of it!

 Prayer & Praise

• Ministry among the Konyagi

Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons. We hope to do the comprehension check of the first lesson this week (by teaching it to a Konyagi and having him tell me back in French). Pray that we would find a Konyagi who will commit to faithfully help us with these checks. Pray that these lessons will be well done and that we will be able to progress rapidly.

Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.

• Culture and language study

Pray for my language study. Pray for the ability to learn and the motivation and discipline to keep at it. Pray that there will be fewer interruptions so that I can really focus on CLA.

• Village life

Pray for wisdom in my relationships with people and in how to deal with requests for help.

• Vehicle

Praise that my trip to Guinea to bring my vehicle went well. Pray that I will eventually find a long-term solution. Praise for the vehicle that was lent to me!

• Konyagi missionary team

Pray for the Hofer family in this phase of orientation and French language study. Brian has reached the required French level – praise God! Pray that they may know God’s will for their future. Some of the new missionaries have shown some interest in joining the Konyagi work. Pray that God would send the right co-workers to join the missionary team.

• Konyagi Bible translation

Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. They are presently working on completing the book of Genesis. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.

• Konyagi people

Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep praying! I continually hear of others who want to know God and it’s really amazing to see their desire for Truth. Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation and that it will transform their lives.

• Wisdom

Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up.

• Spiritual well-being

Pray that knowing God will be my top priority each day and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.

• Physical well-being

Praise that I am healthy and even have quite a bit of energy despite the heat! Praise that my new house is relatively cool which allows me to sleep at night! Pray that I may continue to be healthy and have strength and energy.

• Mental well-being

Praise that God encourages me in various ways! Pray that I may have a good attitude and remain encouraged no matter the situation.

• Safety

Praise for God’s protection – each trip I am amazed by his protection! Pray that God would continue to protect me.

While you have been dealing with snow storms these past weeks, we’ve been dealing with sand storms. The harmattan, the hot dry wind that blows from the Sahara brings lots of dust with it. It makes life a bit more complicated and also a lot dirtier! Recently I found out though that there are worse things than dust.

Yesterday a bush fire that was burning out of control approached our village pushed by these strong winds. The fire began several kilometers from here. It’s amazing to see the billows of dark black smoke with their nuances of orange but it’s also scary since these strong winds and the very dry straw all around create a great risk. If the fire gets too close to the village the whole thing can burn in no time since the roofs are made of straw. It took the villagers a lot of effort to redirect the fire towards an area that had already been burned. The fire did a big semi-circle around the village not so far away. We thank God for protecting the village. Unfortunately, the fire started up again today and again the villagers had to do battle. The fire did a semi-circle in the other direction so now we are surrounded by a huge circle of black ashes but the village has been spared. It seems that the fire spread in various directions and in some cases went on for many kilometers more. Although we are rejoicing that the village was spared, there are still consequences. The straw that burned was to feed their herds and was to be used to make some much needed new roofs. I continue to be amazed at the challenges these people face.

fire near the village (photo was taken from my yard)

The strong winds also complicate my language sessions. I spend my mornings under a mango tree in the yard of my Konyagi family. Wind gusts make it difficult to hear (and record), to see (because of the dust) and to keep my papers in place. It’s been necessary for me to be creative and I discovered that there is another very good use for a cookie sheet – a board unto which you can attach your papers with magnets!

language session with Bonéré (notice the cookie sheet)

Learning a language is hard work! There are highs and lows. Some days it’s a real struggle to stay encouraged. Other days, I see some progress and I’m thankful. The language is difficult and I desperately need your prayers!

Village life also has challenges. For example, what are my responsibilities towards my Konyagi family? They help me a lot and I help them a lot too but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by requests for this or that. Where is the balance in all that and how do I keep that balance?

Bonéré continues to prepare Bible lessons. He is very motivated but it’s not progressing very quickly. The group of Konyagi that are 40 km from here asked Bonéré to come help them do a Bible study that SIL recently given them. Bonéré and Sakou, a believer from another village, went on Saturday. There were around 40 people of all ages that gathered to listen to the first chapter of Luc and to then discuss the questions. It’s amazing to see their thirst for God’s Word! And just to clarify, these aren’t believers yet! God is obviously at work! Bonéré plans on going back next Saturday.

The situation with my vehicle hasn’t yet been resolved but I finally have a plan of action. In about two weeks I will bring my vehicle to another town where I have permission to park it. So, for the time being that’s what I’ll do and during that time I will be able to use the vehicle that was lent to me.

So, I will finish off here, thanking you for your prayers and asking you to keep battling in prayer with us!

Prayer & Praise

• Ministry among the Konyagi
Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons. We hope to do the comprehension check of the first lesson this week (by teaching it to a Konyagi and having him tell me back in French). Pray that these lessons will be well done and that we will be able to progress rapidly.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.

• Culture and language study
Pray for my language study. Pray for the ability to learn and the motivation and discipline to keep at it. Pray that there will be fewer interruptions so that I can really focus on CLA.

• Village life
Praise for my friends in the village. My Konyagi family is great! Pray for wisdom in my relationships with people and in how to deal with requests for help.

• Vehicle
Pray that my trip to bring my vehicle will go well and that I’ll easily be able to get the required paperwork to park it. I praise God for the vehicle that was lent to me!

• Konyagi missionary team
Pray for the Hofer family in this phase of orientation and French language study. Pray that they may know God’s will for the future. Continue to pray for co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.

• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep praying! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation.

• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up.

• Spiritual well-being
Pray that I may draw nearer to God day by day and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.

• Physical well-being
Praise that I am generally healthy. From time to time I don’t feel very well but I think it’s just part of life. Pray that I may be healthy and have strength and energy.

• Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways! Pray that I may have a good attitude and remain encouraged no matter the situation.

• Safety
Praise for God’s protection especially and pray that God would continue to protect me.

I knew that an update was overdue but I was shocked to find out that it had already been two months since my last one! So many things have happened during this time that I don’t know where to begin. Well, here’s a little summary…

As planned, we had a child naming ceremony for baby Chantal. Sadly, one week later, at the age of three weeks, she died. She was at a hospital in a town 100 km from here. I went there with a few people from the village and we had the burial there. Although I know that Chantal is now much better off, I was very sad for her family.

In December, my house was completed! I am thrilled with the result – it’s even better than I had hoped (click photos to view photos on-line). It was amazing to see how God intervened in so many ways so that the project succeeded. Brian came for several days to help with the solar panel set-up. Thanks Brian!

I moved into my house on December 20th. The next day, Harry came from Dakar to complete the solar installation and he brought my mom and Danielle (a woman from the church in Gatineau). Harry accomplished a lot before leaving two days later. Thanks Harry! My mom and Danielle came just at the right time to help me with moving and settling into my new house. They worked hard and I don’t know what I would have done without them!

We celebrated Christmas with the believers in the village. Christmas Eve we had a campfire under a starry sky and sang songs in French and in Konyagi. Bonéré then told the Christmas story. We then gave out gifts to the kids from the village – they were so happy! We also introduced them to roasting marshmallows and ate caramel popcorn. It was an amazing evening that we will long remember! What a joy to celebrate the birth of Christ with the Konyagi believers!

January 4th, we went to Dakar so that my mom and Danielle could catch their flight back to Canada. I really enjoyed my visit with them and I really appreciated all their help!

I continue to have problems with my vehicle’s paperwork. While I was in Dakar, I was able to borrow another vehicle that belongs to a missionary family who has returned to the States. I can now use this vehicle and park mine until I return to Guinea. Of course, it’s not quite that simple and I’m still trying to figure out the best location to park the vehicle and avoid having more problems. I have to try to resolve that this week and that also means another trip.

A few days after my return from Dakar, I got sick. It became serious to the point that I could barely get up and a WEC missionary came to the village to get me and bring me into town. He brought me into Gambia to see a doctor whose diagnosis was a serious viral infection (therefore, no remedy). But, I thank God for His healing because a short time later I was already feeling much better. I’m gaining a bit more strength each day and I returned to the village on Friday. I’m trying to be careful but it’s not easy as there is always one thing or another to deal with.

Pray that in the next weeks and months I can really focus on language learning. Pray also for Bonéré as he continues to prepare Bible lessons in Konyagi.

I thank you for your prayers! Keep up the good work!

Prayer & Praise

• Ministry among the Konyagi
Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons. We are going to try something different. Bonéré will prepare the lesson in Konyagi. Then, he will teach it to a Konyagi who can tell it back to me in French so that I can make sure that all the important points are included and that his comprehension is good. Pray that these lessons will be well done and that we will be able to progress rapidly.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi. On January 31st, several people interested in the Konyagi will be meeting to discuss ideas and goals for the next year.

• Culture and language study
Pray for my language learning. Pray for the necessary help, the ability to learn, the motivation and discipline to keep at it. Pray that there will be fewer interruptions so that I can really focus on CLA.

• House construction project
Praise for God’s help in this project! He amazed me by His goodness towards me! Praise for all the help that He provided!

• Village life
Praise that I am finally settled! Pray for wisdom in my relationships with people and in how to deal with requests for help.

• Vehicle
Praise for the vehicle that was lent to me. Pray for wisdom in knowing where to park my vehicle and the steps necessary to make that happen.

• Konyagi missionary team
Pray for the Hofer family in this phase of orientation and French language study. Pray that they may know God’s will in the various challenges they face. Continue to pray for co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation – they are working on Genesis. They were here recently checking some portions of Genesis and I was able to sit in on it. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.

• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep it up! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation.

• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and especially with the vehicle situation and now that I live in the village.

• Spiritual well-being
Pray that I may draw nearer to God day by day and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.

• Physical well-being
Praise that I am feeling much better and that I sleep much better in the village. Pray that I may regain my strength and have the energy to get back into ‘normal’ life.

• Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways! I tend to get discouraged by the circumstances around me. Pray that I may have a good attitude and remain encouraged no matter the situation.

• Safety
Praise for God’s protection especially during the move and during travels! Pray that God would continue to protect me.

• Country of Guinea
Praise for a calm transition in Guinea! Continue to pray for the country of Guinea, its people, and for the missionaries who serve there. Pray for the new president and wisdom in making decisions that will benefit Guinea.

Am I ready to move to the village? I sure am but my house still isn’t ready. In part it’s because of the Tabaski fête. The workers extended their holiday and ended up taking ten days off. They just came back today. If all goes well, there is about seven days of work left. Two missionaries (Harry and Brian) were supposed to come on Monday to install the solar panel set-up. I just found out that Harry is sick and so he will probably not come. Brian is also sick but he still hopes to come. Pray that they may feel better soon.

Regarding my vehicle, the local customs office has agreed to help me and I am so thankful that I can continue to use my vehicle here. Thank you Lord! I still had to go to Guinea to renew a certain paper for my vehicle. With the current volatile situation as it was, I wasn’t sure if I should go. In the end, I made a quick trip that was very hectic but everything went well.
I’m enjoying the company of the two young women from WEC. It’s nice to have dinner table conversation and it’s a joy to have others to pray with and sing praises with. These are things that I have really missed and I thank God for providing in this way! I will sure miss that when I move to the village.

Lately there has been lots of bad news – sickness and deaths – here in Senegal and in Guinea. Thankfully, we have a God that we can turn to in these difficult situations. In the midst of it all there was some good news. My guard’s wife gave birth to a baby girl last week so there is a new little Chantal. There will be a child naming ceremony next Wednesday.

Thank you for your prayers – they are greatly appreciated!

Prayer & Praise

• Ministry among the Konyagi
Praise that Bonéré and his family are all doing well after so much sickness. Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons – he’s at lesson 6. Pray that he can find time to do this despite all his other responsibilities.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.

• Culture and language study
Basically, CLA is not happening with all the things to do surrounding this move. But I am preparing myself to really get into it when I’m finally settled in the village. Pray that that would happen soon and that I may be motivated and make some good progress.

• House construction project
Praise for God’s help in this project! In general, they are doing a good job (it’s just slower than I would like). Pray for the construction team, that the building will be well built and that it will soon be completed. Pray also that the plumbing, electrical, windows, and doors would be well made and installed properly. Pray that I will trust the Lord in all of it.

• Vehicle
Praise for such a good reliable vehicle! Praise that the local customs office is willing to help me with vehicle paperwork so that I can use my vehicle here!

• Konyagi missionary team
Pray for the Hofer family in this phase of orientation and French language study. Pray that they may know God’s will in the various challenges they face. Continue to pray for more co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation – they are working on Genesis. Pray for them and their families. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.

• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep it up! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation.

• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and especially with this building project.

• Spiritual well-being
Pray that I may draw nearer to God day by day and that I would become the woman God wants me to be. Pray that I may really delve into the Word of God.

• Physical well-being
Praise that I am healthy and that my energy level has improved! It’s so nice now that it’s not so hot (it’s still in the 30′s°C). Fatigue still is a challenge so pray that I can sleep well at night and have energy to accomplish what needs to be done each day.

• Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways! I tend to get discouraged by the circumstances around me. Pray that I may have a good attitude and remain encouraged no matter the situation.

• Safety
Praise for God’s protection especially during this last trip to Guinea! Pray that God would continue to protect me.

• Country of Guinea
Continue to pray for the country of Guinea, its people, and for the missionaries who serve there. The second round of elections took place but the results were very close and the losing candidate is contesting the results. The situation is precarious and can be violent so your prayers are appreciated.

I am now back in Senegal. I had a wonderful time in Canada and I enjoyed the time with my family that I miss so much and I was also able to get some rest.

My arrival in Senegal was delayed by a day since I missed my flight in Washington. I was given a hotel room and I was able to take a flight the next day so it wasn’t bad.

The days since my arrival have been rather busy and many nights I haven’t been able to sleep so I’m pretty tired. I must say that we have an excellent support team in Dakar who helped me in many ways and I don’t know what I would have done without them!

Yesterday I did the 8-9 hour drive from Dakar with four WEC missionaries to the town where I live. I am always amazed at the dangers of driving here and again this time I thank God for His protection during this trip! We arrived to a very dirty house that had no electricity. I guess there have been many power outages lately. When the power came back just before midnight I was relieved as I had been concerned about the frozen food I had brought. I also was grateful for the fan which helped me to sleep in this heat. Again today we had several hours without power.

This morning I went to the village to greet people, to see the progress on my house and to meet the contractor. The people were busy in their fields and it was so good to see the harvest coming in and that people have more to eat. As for my house, the cement roof is done but there is still a lot of work to be accomplished! They think I’ll be able to move in at the end of the month – which is a disappointing although not surprising. The good news is that they seem to be doing a good job. In some cases, they may even be doing too much of a good job (I fear the additional costs). I’m really looking forward to being settled and being able to focus on language and culture study… but I guess I’ll have to wait a bit longer.

I continue to have problems with my vehicle paperwork so that I can drive around in Senegal. I’m considering several solutions but we’ll see. Tomorrow I hope to go to the customs office to meet the new director. Pray for this meeting. If he is willing to help me like the previous director it would save me many hassles. If not, my next step would be to return to Guinea next week.

I thank you for your interest in this ministry and am so thankful for your prayers for myself and for the Konyagi!

Prayer & Praise

• Ministry among the Konyagi
Praise that Bonéré and his family are doing well. Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons. Pray that he can find time to do this despite all his other responsibilities.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.

• Culture and language study
Pray that I know how to balance my time between language study and all the other things I need to deal with at the moment. Pray that I may be motivated and make some good progress. Pray that I can soon move into the village and be able to soon be settled and really focus on CLA.

• House construction project
Praise for God’s help in this project! Pray for the construction team, that the building will be well built and that it will soon be completed. Pray also that the plumbing, electrical, windows, and doors would be well made and installed properly. Pray that I will trust the Lord in all of it.

• Vehicle
Praise for such a good reliable vehicle! Pray for the situation with my vehicle paperwork so that I can freely drive in Senegal without too many complications. Pray for my meeting tomorrow at the customs office.

• Konyagi missionary team
Pray for the Hofer family in this phase of orientation and French language study. Pray that they may know God’s will in the various challenges they face. Continue to pray for more co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation – they are working on Genesis. Pray for them and their families. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.

• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep it up! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation.

• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and especially with this building project and vehicle situation.

• Spiritual well-being
Pray that I may draw nearer to God day by day and that I would become the woman God wants me to be – a woman whose heart is fully committed to the Lord.

• Physical well-being
Praise that I am healthy! I am rather tired so pray that I can sleep well at night and have energy to accomplish what needs to be done each day.

• Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways! I tend to get discouraged by the circumstances around me. Pray that I may have a good attitude and remain encouraged no matter the situation.

• Safety
Praise for God’s protection especially during this last trip. Pray that God would continue to protect me.

• Country of Guinea
Continue to pray for the country of Guinea, its people, and for the missionaries who serve there. Pray for the second round of elections which is scheduled to take place November 7th.

Well, I can’t say there is much news to share but I still wanted to give you a little update and send you a reminder to keep praying.

After almost three weeks of hardly any progressing on the new house, they have finally begun doing the cement roof. They say it will take a week to complete and then another week to completely dry. There is still a lot of work to do but I’m hoping that it will be completed by the end of the month. We’ll see…

Language learning hasn’t progressed much. Bonéré has been sick these past two weeks. He is doing better now but still not fully recovered. His daughter Hélène was also very sick but is now on the mend. It seems that the rainy season brings lots of sickness. It’s also a time when there is not much food as they wait for harvest time. It’s not an easy time for the villagers.

Last Thursday I went to a town in eastern Senegal to visit Jody and her family. It’s good to see them all and it’s so nice to talk with someone who knows me and understands life here. I won’t be going back home right away as I really need a break before I can get back into work.

The Guinea elections haven’t yet taken place. They are now planned to take place some time in October. Pray that everything will take place peacefully.

Thank you very much for your prayers!

Prayer & Praise

 • Ministry among the Konyagi
Praise that Bonéré is feeling better! Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons – he’s on lesson 5. Pray that he can find time to do this despite all his other responsibilities.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.

• Culture and language study
Pray that this little break will help me to then get back into language study. Pray that I may be motivated and make some good progress. Pray that I can soon move into the village and be able to soon be settled and really focus on CLA.

• House construction project
Praise for God’s help in this project! Pray for the construction team, that the building will be well built and that it will be completed in good time (preferably by the end of the month). Pray also that the plumbing, electrical, windows, and doors would be well made and installed properly. Pray that I will trust the Lord in all of it.

• Konyagi missionary team
Pray for the Hofer family. Praise that baby Landon is better now. Lately they have been facing many challenges and your prayers are greatly appreciated.
Continue to pray for more co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation – they are working on Genesis. Pray for them and their families. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.

• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep it up! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation. Pray for them also during this especially difficult time of sickness and hunger.

• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and especially with this building project.

• Spiritual well-being
Pray that I may draw nearer to God day by day and that I may become the woman God wants me to be – a woman whose heart is fully committed to the Lord.

• Physical well-being
Praise that I am pretty healthy! I must say that I am struggling with fatigue but I’m very thankful that I can take a little break and get some rest. Please continue to pray for my health, for the energy and strength to accomplish what needs to be done.

• Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways. Pray that I may remain encouraged regardless of the situation.

• Safety
Praise for God’s protection and pray that God would continue to protect me.

• Country of Guinea
Continue to pray for the country of Guinea, its people, and for the missionaries who serve there. Pray for the second round of elections which is scheduled to take place sometime in October.

Hi! Here is the latest news…

The walls of my house are up! The next step is to do the cement roof. I think they were going to start that today. As planned, I gave the kola nuts ant then I found out that it’s also good if the owner prepares a meal for the entire village. So, since I want to have good relationships with my new neighbors, I did it. You can see photos by clicking the photo tab and following the link.

I must admit that this building project exhausts me, probably more mentally than physically. The last few days I’ve had to really slow down the pace and today I’m happy to say that I’m feeling much better. Pray for wisdom in all these decisions, that the work will be well done and for my meeting with the contractor tomorrow.

Language learning was progressing quite well until the rains slowed us down. We got a huge amount of rain in a short period of time. This makes traveling very difficult and it also makes life very difficult for the villagers. Many of their huts have flooded and when it rains like that at night, they spend the night trying to scoop the water out so they’re really tired. Their compounds (where they spend most of their time) become huge mud puddles. It’s not an easy life.

I am happy to tell you that Bonéré received his glasses and he is very happy with them. He says that he can see very well and he is progressing in preparing the Bible lessons.

The three young women who were supposed to come live with me arrived on Wednesday. One of them is from France and the other two are from Switzerland. They are very nice and pretty resourceful so that is helping them in their adjustments.

In about two weeks, Jody and Benjamin and their little daughter Elianna will arrive in Senegal. They are coming to visit Jody’s parents but I hope to at least spend a few days with them. They will also bring me a number of items that I need for the solar set-up in my new house.

Elections in Guinea are planned for September 19th. There seems to be some complications. Pray that everything will take place peacefully.

Thank you very much for your prayers!

Prayer & Praise

• Ministry among the Konyagi
Praise that Bonéré received his glasses! Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons. Pray that he can find time to do this despite all his other responsibilities.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.

• Culture and language study
Praise that Bonéré is available to help me every day! Pray that I will persist despite the fatigue. Pray that I may be motivated and make some good progress.

• House construction project
Praise for God’s help in this project! Pray for the construction team, that the building will be well built and that it will be completed in good time. Pray also that the plumbing, electrical, windows, and doors would be well made and installed properly. Pray for me in the decisions and plans that I must still make and that I will trust the Lord in it. Also pray for my meeting with the contractor tomorrow.

• Konyagi missionary team
Pray for the Hofer family. Baby Landon has had high fevers for several days now and they haven’t been able to find the cause. Lately, they are facing many challenges and your prayers are appreciated.
Continue to pray for more co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. Pray for them and their families. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.

• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep it up! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation.

• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and especially with this building project.

• Spiritual well-being
Pray that I may draw nearer to God day by day and that I may become the woman God wants me to be – a woman whose heart is fully committed to the Lord.

• Physical well-being
Praise that I am pretty healthy! I must say that I am struggling with fatigue but I’m very thankful that today I’m doing better. Please continue to pray for my health, for the energy and strength to accomplish what needs to be done and that I will sleep well during the nights.

• Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways. Pray that I may remain encouraged regardless of the situation – it’s not always easy!

• Safety
Praise for God’s protection! Pray that God would continue to protect me.

• Country of Guinea
Continue to pray for the country of Guinea, its people, and for the missionaries who serve there. Pray for the second round of elections which is scheduled to take place on September 19th.

Yesterday they finally began to dig the foundation of my new house! As a result, I discovered that I made a cultural blunder – I neglected to give them the kola. When they begin to dig the foundation, the owner is supposed to present them with kola nuts. A kola nut is a bitter nut that contains caffeine and is often used as a token of respect in various situations. I will remedy my lapse by presenting the kola today. Now that all the supplies are on site and that the work has begun, they say that it will progress quickly. So, for those who are curious, I will try to post current photos of the house’s progress on my website. It’s a project that is requiring lots of energy and decisions and I must continually turn to God for strength and wisdom.

I go to the village almost every afternoon for language study. I would have preferred the mornings since I have more energy then but this schedule allows Bonéré to work during the mornings and around 3:00 pm he is available to help me. It’s working out pretty well.

There is very little progress in the preparation of Bible lessons but I hope that that will soon change. Thursday, I will be going to a town 100 km from here to pick up the supplies I ordered from Dakar. Among those should be Bonéré’s new glasses and I hope that they will be a big help to him. I’m also trying to find a solar lantern that would facilitate him working at night but I haven’t succeeded yet.

The trip to Guinea with the Hofers went well – no problems! It was good to see Brian and Sherri and meet the new little Landon – I made the most of the chance to cuddle this cute baby. It was also good to see our Konyagi friends and attend the small local church. Our days there were very busy as it was a big job to sort and find all the things we wanted to bring back to Senegal, pack them up and then fit it all in the vehicles. It was rather chaotic but we succeeded with God’s help.

In a few weeks, three young women who are coming to serve in Senegal short-term (6 to 12 months) with another mission, will come live with me. Pray for their travels, their adjustments and that we can be a blessing to one another.

I will end here since I’m running out of time (and also energy). A huge thank you for your prayers!

Prayer & Praise

● Ministry among the Konyagi
Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons. Pray that he can find time to do this despite all his other responsibilities. Pray that he will get his glasses on Thursday and that they’ll really help him.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.

● Culture and language study
Praise that Bonéré is available to help me every day! Pray that I will persist despite the fatigue. Pray that I may be motivated and make some good progress.

● House construction project
Praise for God’s help in this project! Pray for the construction team, that the building will be well built and that it will be completed in good time. Pray also that the plumbing, electrical, windows, and doors would be well made and installed properly. Pray for me in the decisions and plans that I must still make and that I will trust the Lord in it.

● Konyagi missionary team
Praise that I was able to see part of the Hofer family. Pray that they will make good contacts in the new town in Senegal where they are living. Pray that they can progress in learning the culture and the French language. Continue to pray for more co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

● Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. Pray for them and their families. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.

● Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep it up! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation.

● Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and especially with this building project.

● Spiritual well-being
Pray that I may draw nearer to God day by day and that I may become the woman God wants me to be – a woman whose heart is fully committed to the Lord.

● Physical well-being
Praise that I am pretty healthy! I must admit that I’m very tired lately. Please continue to pray for my health, for the energy and strength to accomplish what needs to be done and that I will sleep well during the nights.

● Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways. Pray that I may remain encouraged regardless of the situation – it’s not always easy!

● Safety
Praise for God’s protection during our trip to Guinea and that all went well! Pray that God would continue to protect me.

● Country of Guinea
Continue to pray for the country of Guinea, its people, and for the missionaries who serve there. Pray for the second round of elections that will take place on September 19th.

New photos are posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/cp.guinee

It’s now been over three weeks since I started planning to build myself a small house in the village. Let’s just say that the more information I got, the more I was convinced that this project was impossible for me to accomplish. Discouraged, I was writing an e-mail to the leadership team when my host, Alexis, came to visit me. During the conversation, he remembered en entrepreneur who had built a building for him. The same day we went to meet him. Mr. Diouf has a lot of experience in construction and he was willing to oversee the entire project. Suddenly I had hope and after getting the estimate and a few more discussions, I signed the contract this past Tuesday. If all goes well, the house should be completed in sixty days. It’s true that hiring an entrepreneur costs more then I had originally planned but I believe that God directed me to go ahead with it. This is a very brief summary of what took place but I can tell you that during these past weeks I have been amazed to see how God orchestrated each event (even the seemingly negative ones) to bring me to this point. I see that God is overseeing this project for me and I rejoice!

Having an entrepreneur take charge of the project has removed a huge burden from my shoulders. Despite that, I still have many decisions and plans to make. Often I start to worry and I must continually remind myself that God is the One who is in charge of this project and He will guide me in every decisions and He will bring the necessary help when I need it.

A verse that has spoken to me lately is 2 Chronicles 16:9:

‘For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.’

It’s encouraging because we have a compassionate God that is actually seeking to strengthen His children. It’s also a challenge because I must examine myself to see if my heart is fully committed to Him.

During the next weeks I will try to focus on my language learning during the mornings (when I have the most energy) and take care of my other responsibilities during the rest of the day. I know that it won’t be easy as there something unexpected always seems to comes up. The Hofers and I also plan to go to Guinea for a few days to get some of our belongings to bring them back to Senegal.

The Bible studies with Bonéré are progressing slowly but each lesson he prepares is better then the previous one. One reason it’s so slow is that he is very busy with field work. Another reason is that his vision is not very good. Evenings is when he has time to work on the studies. The combination of poor vision and trying to work with only the light of a flashlight makes it almost impossible. The process to get him eye glasses has been rather difficult but I think that the end is in sight and I hope that by the end of August he’ll have his glasses.

Thank you for your prayers – they are so important – please keep it up!

Prayer & Praise

● Ministry among the Konyagi
Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons. Pray that he can find time to do this despite all his other responsibilities and that he will soon have his glasses.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.

● Culture and language study
Pray that it will be possible for me to focus on language learning during the mornings. Pray that I may be motivated and make some good progress.

● House construction project
Praise for God’s help in starting up this project! Pray for the construction team, that the building will be well built and that it will be completed in good time. Pray for me in the decisions and plans that I must still make and that I will trust the Lord in it.

● Konyagi missionary team
Praise that the Hofer family is settled in their new home in Senegal. Their adjustment is going quite well. Pray that they may make some good contacts and may progress in learning the culture and the French language. Continue to pray for more co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

● Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing – let’s keep it up! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation.

● Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and especially with this building project.

● Spiritual well-being
Pray that I may draw nearer to God day by day and that I may become the woman God wants me to be – a woman whose heart is fully committed to the Lord.

● Physical well-being
Praise that I am pretty healthy! I’m still somewhat tired and have a cold but I hope that I’ll be better soon. Please continue to pray for my health, for the energy and strength to accomplish what needs to be done.

● Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways. Pray that I may remain encouraged regardless of the situation – it’s not always easy!

● Safety
Praise for God’s protection! Pray that God would continue to protect me and protects us during our trip to Guinea. Pray also that we’ll think of all the things we need to do and bring back.

● Country of Guinea
Continue to pray for the country of Guinea, its people, and for the missionaries who serve there. Pray for the second round of elections that will take place in the next few weeks.

Thank you for praying for the meetings that were held regarding the ministry among the Konyagi. We had some good discussions and evaluated the situation. The Konyagi in Senegal seem open to hearing God’s Word – actually, quite a number are asking to be taught. It’s amazing to see that – God is truly at work! In Guinea, the situation is a little different for they are more tightly held by their traditional beliefs but we have a burden for them as well – we also want them to hear the message that God has given us in His Word. It’s not so obvious where we should begin the church planting effort but what is obvious is that I must learn the language and culture of the Konyagi. Ideally, this could be more easily accomplished if I lived in a Konyagi village in Guinea. Yet, without partners, I don’t believe it’s good for me to go in one of these remote villages on my own. So for the time being I will remain here in Senegal. I will continue to work with the Konyagi believers and to train Bonéré so that he can teach the others. My other big task will be to really give myself to learning the Konyagi language and culture. In order to do that I plan to have a little house built in the village so that I can spend more time there.

Even if it’s a small house, it’s still a pretty big project for someone who doesn’t know much about building. There are local masons/builders that are quite knowledgeable and Bonéré has accepted to be my intermediary (since the men don’t really appreciate having a woman telling them what to do). I’m also trying to include a few features that will help the house be a little cooler. We hope that this project can be completed pretty quickly but we’ll have to wait and see.

While this project is going on, I will continue my other ministries. Pray for this project but also pray that I can find a good balance in all of this and that I can really get into language and culture study.

We praise God for the calm elections in Guinea. Since none of the candidates had at least 50% of the votes, there will be a second round of voting in the coming weeks between the top two candidates. Continue to pray for this situation.

Thank you so much for your prayers – you’re a vital part of the work here!

Prayer & Praise                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             �
● Ministry among the Konyagi
Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons. Pray that he can find time to do this despite all his other responsibilities.

Praise for God’s direction during the meetings regarding the Konyagi work. Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step.

● Culture and language study
I still have been rather unproductive in this area and I hope to get back into it soon. Bonéré said that he could continue to help me but I must say that with his busy schedule, I’m not so sure how it’ll go. Pray for me as I continue to learn the culture and language of the Konyagi. Pray for the construction of the little house in the village and that it will really be a huge help in allowing me to become part of the community and make much progress.

● Konyagi missionary team
Praise that the Hofer family arrived in Senegal safe and sound. Pray for their adjustment to a new place and new people and that they may progress in their French study. As for Jen, she will be joining the work among the Jola de Ere people. Continue to pray for more co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

● Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing – let’s keep it up! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation.

● Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and especially with this building project.

● Spiritual well-being
Pray that I may draw nearer to God day by day and that I may become the woman God wants me to be.

● Physical well-being
Praise that I am feeling much better! I do continue to have some stomach issues. Pray that I may fully recover. Please continue to pray for my health, for the energy and strength to accomplish what needs to be done.

● Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways. Pray that I may remain encouraged regardless of the situation.

● Safety
Praise for God’s protection! Pray that God would continue to protect me.

● Country of Guinea
Continue to pray for the country of Guinea, its people, and for the missionaries who serve there. Pray for the second round of elections that will soon take place.