NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

One of the ways to strengthen your faith, I’ve heard, is to look to someone whose faith you admire, and to follow in their footsteps. Follow someone who is light and salt to those around them. Follow someone who is choosing truth on a daily basis, even during the difficult times. Since we were young we’ve been watching, we’ve been mimicking. That’s how we learn. That’s how we grow.

There is a Senegalese woman at our church who is a mother to all. She is passionate, full of energy {I mean FULL of energy}, and she is a living example of a godly woman. She dances pretty much every time there is music, and joy oozes from her spirit.

Today at church she grabbed both of my hands, got really close to my face {she’s energetic and very intense} and began to ask me some questions about life. I talked. She listened, face still very close to mine. She encouraged. She referenced Bible verses {Ps. 145}. She told me about her experiences. She didn’t sugar coat her words. Not at all. She led me back to the truth. She cared for me. She did what an older godly woman should do.

 Even though we, in all reality, came to this country to serve, disciple, and teach… she is the one teaching me.

Even though this woman comes from a completely different background, culture and language, I’m grateful for her influence in my life. I’m grateful for her past, and for how she’s using it to testify of God’s faithfulness.

I am grateful for someone to mimic.

 J

Whose faith do YOU admire?

Hello, sun shining and dust in the air.

Hello, taxis, buses, people, cars, and horse carts out front.

Hello, Shawn, the “guy supply buyer”, going around town looking for solar panals, batteries, tires and seeds.

Hello, Canada team staying in the guesthouse. Welcome back, Quebec-ers.

Hello, new arrivals to the field. We’re SO glad you’re here.

Hello, birds chirping in the trees.

Hello, pink sandals.

Wearing sandals in January? Great!

Hello, blanching, canning, freezing or blending 150 lbs. of tomatoes. 75 kilos! Lots of work, but we’ll be glad we did it.

Hello, our dog Roxy, wearing a {bright green} bandana around her neck.

She's a good friend to all the kids who pass through the guesthouse, and a guard dog at night.

Hello, homemade zucchini walnut bread for breakfast.

Hello, African mama with a big bowl on her head.

Hello, to our home assignment coming up in July.

Hello, to taking some engagement pictures for a friend.

Hello, to different currency, new languages and new cultural practices.

So much to learn and experience!

Hello, to the weekend!

 Thanks for your love, prayers, financial support, and friendship.

On your team,

Shawn and Jenn

I promise. People really are asking for some package ideas / a list of things we miss / can’t find. This isn’t a made-up, “let’s hope we get some packages out of this deal” kind of post. Although, we sure wouldn’t turn any down! *wink*

In all seriousness, it can greatly encourage your missionary family {wherever they may be serving}, to receive a note / letter / card, care package, some pictures from home, or even a personal visit! The sending church has a big responsibility to care for their missionaries. Yes, monthly financial support is necessary, and a huge blessing, but so are the reminders that you’re on the same team. Reminders that you’re praying daily for them, and that you care about how they’re doing (as a family, in their marriage, and in their ministry). We are blessed to have an amazing sending church {we miss you, Revolution!}, and we thank God for their involvement in our lives and ministry. Every now and then they’ll mention us in a podcast and it’s just so cool to know that they haven’t forgotten about us.

If you or your church support a missionary, ask them how you can bless, encourage and pray for them. If they’re coming home on home assignment, they may need new clothes, haircuts, help finding an apartment to rent, a vehicle to borrow, or someone to talk to. Transitioning from one culture to another is not easy, and can be stressful and overwhelming, even though, it is considered the “home culture”.

There are many ways to bless and encourage your missionary friends, whether they’re serving abroad or on home assignment. For us, some of those things are notes, emails, and {you guessed it} care packages.

So, here, in no particular order, are some package ideas for us, living in Senegal:

 + Pasta mixes. Add water or milk, the seasoning, and you’re done! A perfect side dish.

Ranch and bacon. A perfect combo.

+ Flavored instant oatmeal. A good, fast breakfast option.

Instant oatmeal

+ Candles. I can find some here, but they just don’t quite smell the same. You have to make sure and wrap them well so that they don’t break. Holiday scents, coffee, and fruity scents are my fave!

Amanda, remember this? I’m still enjoying it.

+ Canned or packaged chicken or tuna. A great thing to have when traveling, too!

Sandwich time.

+ Velveeta cheese! Oh, the possibilities. Actually, you could send a whole block of cheese. Unless it’s exceptionally hot or there are delays, it should be fine and ready for the freezer / our stomach’s when it arrives.

Cheeeesey.

+ Magazines. It’s fun to keep up with what’s going on in the fashion, recipe, home design, celebrity world, from time to time… in paper form!

Something fun to receive in the mail: magazines!

+ Muffin, cake, cookie… any “add water” mixes! It’s great to be able to have a quick, you-don’t-even-have-to-sift-the-flour option.

We love blueberry muffins on Saturday mornings. Berries are something you can’t find here, aside from the short strawberry season.

+ These are new on the market, at least they are to us. MIO drink enhancers. Simply amazing. Just add a squirt to water and you can have sweet tea, raspberry lemonade, a flavored energy drink, etc.

So many flavors, so little time. Thanks for introducing us to these, T&K.

+ Snacks {granola bars, trail mix, seasoned almonds}, “new” on the market products, and/or things you think you would miss if you lived in Africa. Also, Starbucks’ VIAs are a great thing to have here. Whole bean coffee and hazelnut creamer are some other ideas. Sometimes we may have specific needs like TUMS, mascara, batteries and so on.

We had no idea these were out on the market now. How cute {& handy}.

+ Gum {peppermint or fruity}. Candy {a-n-y-thing}.

Good, American gum. Nothing like it.

+ Wall decals are such a fun way to spruce up our home, or the guesthouse. They are easy to move around and are great for cement walls.

Perfect for cement walls.

+ Two words: ba.con. Bacon! We love it. At ALDI they sell fully cooked bacon that doesn’t have to be refrigerated. Ideal for being shipped across the world, right?

bbbb-bacon.

+ iTunes or Amazon giftcards are great for special occasions like anniversaries or birthdays.
+ There are a lot of options in Dakar these days, from restaurants to finding American goods {Dr. Pepper, Skittles, peanut butter}, but things can be pricey. So if you want to do something but don’t have the time to put together a package, you can put $ in our account, labeling it “gift”.

Again, you’ve asked, so we’re telling!

Missionary friends around the world… what encourages you? What things can’t you find where you live / what do you like to receive in care packages? What things have your supporters or sending church done to bless you, in big or little ways?

Thankful for our support team,
s&j

Vendors of Dakar… at the market, on the street corner and at our taxi window, you are there. We dedicate this Dear ____ ,  post to YOU.

1. Don’t force us to shake your hand, saying, “Here we shake hands!” Yes, in this culture, people do indeed shake hands… with people they know. People don’t just go around shaking anyone and everyone’s hands.

2. Please just tell us a price when we ask. Don’t make us pick out the one we want, or tell you how many we want, or what else we might want to “bundle” into the deal. Just answer the question. How much?

3. Don’t make us hold whatever it is you’re selling. A carving of a giraffe? Cool. No, I don’t want to hold it. Because as soon as I do, you won’t take it back. Then you’ll tell me to name a price, you’ll put your hands behind your back, forcing me to look at the object, and seriously consider how much I would pay for it, when I wasn’t even interested in the first place!

4. If we happen to point at something, or if someone in our group happens to point at something, it’s not a final sale! Don’t make us spend 1/2 an hour going back and forth on the price just because we accidentally used a hand gesture that highlighted our interest in one of your items.

 5. This last one goes along with #3. If we’re holding something, and we want to give it back, please just take it back before we get angry and don’t buy a thing.

 6. Please don’t block us inside your shop so that we’ll look longer. If we want to leave, and we feel that you’re forcing us to say, that’s actually not a good way to befriend a customer and make a sale. Also, please don’t grab our arms, shirt or any part of our clothing in order to keep us near whatever it is that you’re selling. Husbands will get mad, and threaten to fight you.

7. Thanks for making a simple shopping experience a memorable one!

- We’ve had eggs and toast for breakfast.

Hello, hearty breakfast.

- You’ve worn those hideous black Velcro shoes, which, apparently, someone has complemented you on (might I add that it was the trash man).

Shawn adores these shoes. And apparently so does the trash man. I, on the other hand, have never been a fan.

- The sky has been cloudy with dust, but the air cool (80s).

Clouds of dust block the sun.

- I haven’t done a thing with my hair. Did you hear? The “rooster” look is in this year. *No picture necessary.

- You’ve been working on rebuilding a window frame for our room #6 redesign project.

- We’ve been talking about our upcoming trip to GERMANY!

Planning a trip in April!

- Roxy has been anxious to get outside and run, play with friends, and chase cats and/or  rats.

Roxy & friend.

- We’ve been sleeping in!

- You’ve been doing some landscaping.

Flowers and bushes!

- We’ve been talking about last New Year’s Eve, and how we made beef stir-fry, watched a movie, and then went up on our (flat) roof to watch tons of bright, loud fireworks.

And yes, we remember 2012 like it was yesterday.

Wishing you a great start to the new year,
s&j

***This corny post goes out (with love) to our dads and their sense of humor. Happy 2013!

Here’s a look at 10 popular {and by “popular”, I mean that I just picked them myself} posts of 2012. Okay, well, the first one really was rated the most viewed post of the year.

Enjoy the flashback, friends.

Dear _____ , — from June 6th. Not sure why, out of tons of Dear Blank posts throughout the year, this one was so well-clicked. Maybe it was the mouse trap or the random fact #603 that pulled people in. 

Her life story — The time I talked with the village Grandma, and realized I knew nothing about her life, her story. We’re still praying for a happy ending.

Deep thoughts and chai tea —  No matter the difference in skin color, culture, daily habits, or even religion, we can push racism aside and choose to love.

5 things we love about living in Senegal — because sometimes we can only think of one or two things. Ha!

Our new role in missions — We had a BIG year of moving from life in the village, working in a cross-cultural church setting, to managing our mission’s guesthouse in the capital city.  

Paint + fabric = a new look — Once we took over the guesthouse, we had a lot of work, decorating and fix-it projects to take on. We have a long to-do list for this coming year, too. Take a look at some of the rooms we’ve redone.

Our must-have travel items — Yep. Gotta have toilet paper, money, {hopefully candy} and some form of identification when traveling. What do you take with you when you travel?

The sheep showed up — This was also the year that Shawn won a live sheep at our grocery store. Pretty sure all of our dreams have now come true!

Love is {according to us} — things like watching King of Queens and choosing not to judge. What does love mean to you?

My African mother — She took me under her wing, gave me an insider’s look into the culture and brought me food to taste.

How Shawn takes pictures.

 Thanks for spending another year with us, your missionary friends in Senegal,

s&j

There are just a few more days left of 2012. Crazy, I know! I love beginning a new year. I love the fresh start stretched out before me.

Here are some things I want to remind myself of, as we head into 2013, the beginning of a brand new year.

+ Drink more water. My Mom is always telling me to drink water. Our brains, body, skin and energy levels are desperate for it. It’s so good for us. You really can’t drink too much water. Especially in this dry, dusty season.

+ Love much because we have been forgiven much. It’s so easy to not love. It’s so easy to judge, speak what comes to mind, be harsh and unforgiving. But why? Jesus forgave us when we were his worst enemies! He has loved us with an everlasting love. Let’s be quick to love [everyone] this year. Let’s remember how much we don’t deserve the love that he gives us, day after day after day after day.

+ Lighten up. A quote from New Girl, “Jess, you need to lighten up. It’s just life!” Not everything {a messy kitchen, a change in plans, a cluttered office, something someone says or does} is that big of a deal. Life is short and we need to relax and enjoy it… AS IS.

+ Be content. Yes, this is a life-long lesson. We compare because we have a sinful nature. We want a different life, we want what they have, we want to be somewhere else with a different life. But we’re here. Now. Let’s bloom where planted. Let’s be grateful for our lot in life.

+ Keep taking pictures and write about it. This life will fly by and we’re going to want to remember it.

+ Invite people in. We really get to know people when we open our home to them, don’t we? It doesn’t always have to be a big, fancy meal either. Have people over to visit over coffee, or share what you have ready in the fridge {or, ahem, freezer}. Ask about them, take the time to listen to them.

+ Talk to God. This is a new year for us, but he already knows what’s going to happen and how we’ll respond. He’s there, all along the way. Talk to him, trust him, lean on him.

What about YOU? What are you reminding yourself of as you head into 2013?

This year we moved from the village to the city of Dakar.

This year we met some new friends, some spread all over the country.

Happy new year. God's already there. Let's move forward and remember these things.

s&j

Once upon a time we celebrated our second Christmas in Senegal {yesterday}.
We hosted two parties, with tea lights lit and finger food for all.
We sang Christmas carols as a mission, dressed up for our Senegalese church’s party.
We wrapped gifts with glee {ok, that’s a tad enthusiastic, if you ask me}.
We Christmas Eve-ed it up with friends, playing charades, eating cookies and ham sandwiches by the tree {ok, well, we actually “ate” at the table. But whatev.}
T’was not a silent night, as most of Dakar set off fireworks late into the night – nope, not the 4th of July, just what they do here.
We {meaning Jenn} woke up early on Christmas morning. Presents {bedspreads, Ohio State hats and mini Snickers} were opened, breakfast was made and coffee was poured into red and green mugs.
The air conditioner was turned on, and our home was quiet, cool and smelled of hazelnut candles.
Homemade waffles, bacon, sausage, eggs and juice were enjoyed while Christmas carols played on our “Christmas radio” Pandora station {yes, we skipped past “Santa Baby” because this day was all about baby Jesus, of course}.
Families were Skyped and FaceTimed, we were passed around from family member to family member. Kisses were blown, “We miss you”s were said and presents were held up to the camera.
Roxy enjoyed a candy cane shaped dog bone {brought over by Kristen} while we went to enjoy fondue with our fellow Dakar friends. Sausage, crackers, bread and veggies were dipped into a variety of homemade cheese dips. Yummmm! It was a wonderful evening, and no, we didn’t eat “under the tree”, but it was always within view.
Chocolate fondu {with marshmallows and bananas} was the perfect Christmas night dessert.
More calls to family were made, and alas, our second African Christmas came to a close.

Our NTM Christmas party. Desserts and carols.

Missionaries visiting and talking about traditions within cultures.

Our church choir sang some great songs!

Everyone dressed up for the party.

Of course, there was some dancing.

All the married women had to serve the food, to make sure there was enough.

Games and fun on Christmas eve.

Christmas morning!

When it comes to presents on Christmas morning, I'm like a kid on Christmas morning.

He made the BEST breakfast.

The taste of Christmas morning.

Happy pup.

I love what my friend Jess tweeted today, “Because of Jesus, we have nothing but good gifts and endless Christmas mornings to look forward to!”

Looking forward to a great new year.

s&j

MERRY CHRISTMAS from warm, dry, sunny Senegal. We are so grateful that we can celebrate the birth of Christ, because without his birth, we wouldn’t have a King who dwelt among us, or a Saviour who died in our place, and rose victoriously from the dead. Hope has come! Joy has come!

Jingle bells, jingle bells… what the horse wears as he pulls his cart of trash, hay or furniture through a long line of traffic.

Skinny, multilingual Santa Clause is coming to town.

What child is this who lies on his mama’s back, sleeps and cries and eats and plays….

All I want for Christmas is a trip to America, a trip to America , yes a trip to America. Gee if I could only have a trip to America, then I could eat a delicious hamburger, pizza and have free drink refills see my fa-mi-ly!

 I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know… where white butterflies float in the warm December air.

O little town of Daaaakar, how noisy and rambunctious thee are!

Baby it’s cold outside {because 70* can sure feel chilly after a hot season like that}.

O Christmas tree palm tree, O palm tree, how lovely are your branches leaves, so tall and wide, all lined up along the Corniche.

Up on the housetop we dry our laundry on the line and have extra reservoirs of water…

 Happy 2013!

{For more pictures and updates, visit www.shawnandjenn.com}

With just FOUR days til’ Christmas, I thought I’d post some Christmassy pictures from Instagram [jenndeatley] to give you an idea of how we’re celebrating this “most wonderful time of the year” over here in Senegal. Enjoy!

Little Christmas-themed chalkboards are scattered around our house.

Planning {Christmas} parties is one of my favorite things. Decorating, cooking, entertaining! Tonight we have our mission's Christmas party.

His and her snowmen bottle cap ornaments. Our Pinterest-inspired craft from our ladies' Christmas party.

A hot holiday drink featuring bissap, oranges, lime, cinnamon and cloves. YUM! Good job, Shawn!

Food, candles, music, games, and a craft for our "ladies' of NTM" Christmas party.

I ran into "skinny, multilingual Santa" the other day. Yes, I asked to take a picture with him.

Shawn sure knows how to make a good breakfast!

Now to make some BBQ meatballs, a tomato & mozzarella appetizer and a dessert for tonight’s NTM Christmas party.

Wishing you a “merry and bright” kind of day,
s&j