Seriously?

There are two boutiques within equal distance to my house - one to the left, one to the right. Boutiques are like little corner stores where you can buy basic daily goods, and they are everywhere! I am totally going to miss them in the US. Anyway, I generally go to the one on the left because I like the man who works there, and it's more familiar because that's the one my mom sent me to in the beginning. I see the same people there daily, and it's enjoyable. Sometimes at night I go to the one on the right to buy a phone card, cafe Touba, or gas with one of my sisters. About two weeks ok, two of my sisters were laughing when I walked in the door. Zeina explained that the boutiquer said he was in love with me. Awesome.

My family was kind enough not to send me on errands that required a stop to his boutique, and then I went on vacation and forgot about it.

Until last night, when I came home later than usually. Zeina said, "Um Kate, I have a little problem" I said, "What?"; I was very concerned. She said, "That boutiquer, he came here to ask me for your number"

Who does that? What makes someone think "wow I want to know that American so I'm going to go to her host family's house and ask them for her phone number"?! I barely even believe this is happening right now.

Staff at the Baobab Center have explained to us that men here think women don't know what they want and that they will eventually say yes if you keep asking. It can be incredibly aggravating, being constantly asked for your number, or worse, your hand in marriage. My host mom even warned me against the Senegalese men, saying there was maybe half of a good one out of every ten. Being back in Dakar after the village has multiplied my annoyance with these daily interactions, as it didn't happen there. People didn't bother us and were just friendly.

However, I am fortunate to know a group of really awesome young men who help me maintain my faith that not everyone is awful. And my family rocks.

I told Zei to tell the boutiquer I was already married. She made sure I had a ring (I wear a purity ring on my left ring finger, so it's all good). We'll see if that's good enough.

Feeling Burdened

I can't get the villages, especially Dindefello, out of my head. I don't think it was a coincidence that at Partners' prayer meeting this morning, we had a visitor from Kedougou, and he asked us to pray for the poverty there, as well as for opportunities to spread the Gospel in Kedougou and the surrounding villages.

I ache for those who have never been told the good news. After years of praying for various unreached people groups, it was surreal to visit them. As we sat and visited a family with whom we communicated through our guide, I wondered what it would take for them to hear of what Jesus had done for them. Pulaar is a minority language, and the Bible does not yet exist for those who speak Pulaar exclusively. Even with Wolof, there is only the New Testament. And in any case, there are many communities where most people cannot read. That's where storytelling evangelism comes in. I've learned about it, and gotten to try my hand a few times. It's hard because I don't speak Wolof well enough, so I can only share when the people speak French, but it's also really enjoyable. It's designed specifically for oral cultures accustomed to passing stories along in this manner. I feel like it would also work well for children in the US.

Oswald J Smith said, "No one deserves to hear the gospel twice when there is someone who has not heard it once". This quote is incredibly striking for me. I feel so deeply burdened for those who have not yet heard. I don't know where this will take me, or if I'm even called at all - it's possible God wants me to become a prayer warrior for this village community that has captured my heart. But if He asked, would I be prepared to give up everything to commit myself to language learning, village living and gospel-sharing?

I loved village life, I really did. Dakar is the first big city I've spent an extended period of time in - I've had day trips to Chicago and spent half a week in LA two summers ago, but this has all confirmed for me that the big city life is not for me. I like the peacefulness of the village, but I'm not sure how I would find it in the long term. Could I create a life set-apart from so many others?

*I do love Dakar, really, I do. But most of what I loved about Dakar is true of Senegal as a whole, and in some cases is multiplied in the villages.

Well, I'll be on my knees if anyone needs me. Ba ci gannauw

Macky Sall!

Vote Macky: youth, experience, and integrity. Senegal's youth make up over 60% of the population, so it's easy to see why "youth" would be an important factor for a candidate.

The second round of elections happened today. Sorry for not updating more on that situation, but it's been kind of a non-issue. Plus there's the fact I was in the village this week and really had no idea what was happening in the world around us.

Anyway, things were incredibly calm. I went to church this morning and walked by two polling stations, and people were waiting in line, singing and praying. When I walked home the crowds had already slowed down. My family and friends here seemed confident that Sall would be the victor.

I went to the beach this afternoon for an attaya session (shock!) and the results were already coming in by 5pm. Sall took an early lead, and even won areas Wade won in the first round. It's all but over. My friends were really excited and kept yelling and cheering "Macky Sall, president!", along with others in the street. Djibi told me, "This will be a new Senegal". So although the results aren't final yet, it looks like we're getting a new president. I'm unclear as to when he'd actually take office, but I, along with the rest of the country, am hoping and praying that Wade steps down peacefully. The neighboring country of Mali recently (this week!) faced a coup d'etat, and Senegal is as proud as ever that they've yet to have one. Let's keep it that way.

UPDATE: At about 9:30pm here, Wade called Sall to congratulate him on his victory! Alxamdulilaay

Where I Find You

The sophomore album by Kari jobe came out two months ago, and I am still listening to it almost daily. She was inspired by Jeremiah 29:13, which says: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Says Kari about the album, "I think there are times as believers when we feel entitled and that life shouldn’t be hard. We live in this culture of convenience that says we can do everything ourselves and find all the answers on Google,” Kari says. “But if we can learn to fall more in love with the Lord and trust Him in the middle of every storm, we build our endurance to keep running the race.”

I remember when I first came to Senegal, what I most looked forward to was things being easy. I realize that was the wrong way of thinking. I am now so appreciative for the way that God has been my light, source, and guide.

I again went to church in Dakar, Senegal this morning, and was again blown by the love, joy, and dedication of the church body. Today's sermon was about walking in the light of Jesus and no longer being tied down to darkness. I know that there are many people in that room who were once engaged in Islam and animism, and have come to know Jesus as Lord. Last week, there was a testimony of an elder who had once thought he could worship Christ and continue to put faith in his amulets, etc. He told of walking out of blindness, out of the darkness, and surrendering everything he was to the Lord.

This morning was also special because there was a dedication ceremony for baby Priscilla. This church believes in baptism by immersion, and so this was a brief rite for the community. The baby and her parents came up to the front of the church and the pastor spoke of community, of growing in the Lord. He asked the body if they were committed to praying for Priscilla and her spiritual growth, her experience of a relationship with Christ. Then the pastor held her and prayed over her. It was a beautiful thing to witness, especially because it was truly a sign of light shining in the darkness!

Being in fellowship has strengthened my own spiritual life, and has drawn me closer to God. I cherish the knowledge that no matter where I am, there are other believers searching the Scriptures and lifting their hearts to Jesus the same way I am. That's why God says that we will find Him when we seek Him with our whole hearts. He's not confined to just one place; we don't need to journey to find Him. We just need to allow our eyes to be opened.

On our bed #2 in Kedougou: Psalm 87:7. As they make music, they will sing; all my fountains are in You

Waterfall: Isaiah 62. Verse 4: You shall no more be termed Forsaken,

and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.

Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

Namanala/Malaraw ( I miss you/Miss you more)

I really wish I would've counted the number of times I heard/said these phrases today. My 15-minute walk to the Baobab Center this morning took well over an hour because everyone along the way stopped me, wanting to catch up and hear about my trip. I was told by my friends that I seemed more confident in my Wolof, which is probably because we had to speak it more over break, or at least I felt that way anyway. Doudou, our friendly tailor, got two stops, one in the morning and one in the evening. My neighbor was incredibly enthusiastic, as were a group of guys I've been hanging out with, including Djibi ( I saw them only briefly though; they were on their way out, but we're going to a birthday get-together tonight). Even the meat and nut vendors and various security personnel seemed glad to see me again. I also hadn't seen Papy because he was out when I got home last night and still asleep when I left in the morning and he greeted me with a huge smile, saying , "Ah, Kate, depuis quand?" (since when, meaning since when had I been home)

It is amazing to me that in a city of 1.5 million people, I can feel like I know so many people. Dakar feels so much like home now, it's crazy. It did before - it felt comfortable and friendly - but now, even more so after having been gone. Having people say they missed me was surprising, because sometimes it feels like I'm just that blonde American they happen to see everyday attempting to speak their language and usually not doing it all that well. It was nice to feel as though I was such a part of their lives that they missed me. It also felt good to be able to genuinely feel that expected response "malaraw". I did miss their daily presence in my life, always ready with a handshake, a smile and a Wolof lesson.

Side note: I totally prefer the Wolof "namanala" to the French "tu me manques". Se manquer is the absolute worst, most confusing French verb that exists. It looks like I'm saying "you miss me", but it's really "I miss you" and I don't understand why. No one does. It's just the way it is, and it's dross. (That's not a typo. Watch this video and you'll understand)

Jaramma: Spring Break 2012

The title of this post means "Thank you" in Pulaar, which is spoken in the region we traveled to in south eastern Senegal, along with some Wolof and French. It was honestly one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and I'm going to tell you all about it.

This book, I mean, post is going to be divided up into chapters:

Chapter 1: Jehova Jireh (God, my provider)We take the night bus, arrive in Kedougou, and get settled in.

Chapter 2: Li Lan La?. We take a caffe caffe to the national park, see animals, and go swimming in our clothes.

Chapter 3: Welcome to the Oasis. Arouna helps us find a sept place, which we ride to Dindefallo and almost immediately head to the waterfall. It was insanely amazing.

Chapter 4: Dafa Tang For Real. We arrive back, hang around the village, and have some early morning mishaps.

Chapter 5: The Bus Leaves When? We get the run around trying to find a bus, but end up in the deluxe huts and have a relaxing evening.

Chapter 6: Greet Everyone and Their Grandma. We had a horrendous bus experience and finally ended up in Dakar, 16 hours after our scheduled departure.

Chapter 1: Jehovah Jireh

We arrived at the Baobab Center around 5:30 to wait for Pape Samba, who is notoriously late, but proudly showed up saying "I am in time". So after one last bathroom break and a group photo that I don't have, we headed off for the bus stop in a taxi. Our adventure started early when one of the taxis got stuck. We were not to be derailed, however, and we arrived to a mess of sewage water between us and the bus. Oh well, who wants clean feet anyway? We sat awkwardly with a bunch of Senegalese people until it was time to go. We boarded the bus and got excited when we saw the bus wasn't full. It was actually very spacious, and the breeze flowed well. We were shocked when our 8:00pm bus pulled out and 8:12. Not to worry, moments later, we stopped again - for nearly 3 hours - while cargo got loaded and we were hassled by people trying to sell us cds, belts, and flashlights. We decided it would be a good time for the dinner we'd packed and before we knew it, we were off. I personally found that I didn't do much reading, iPoding or sleeping on the way down - I mostly people watched. I think we all got our own seats for at least some amount of time, which was great. I couldn't keep my eyes open for the morning leg, however, and missed a lot of the villages we drove through.

As we got off the bus, we asked someone for directions to Campement Chez Diouf.

The first person we asked apparently sent us in the wrong direction, but Arouna, who works at the campement overheard and helped us get there. We were so happy to be there, but as we asked for our rooms he told us, "Your rooms aren't ready. The people who were supposed to leave haven't yet" After a moment of panic (us), he added, "But there's room across the street". Phew. Even though the cases weren't as nice, they would serve us well. Next up: lunch. We totally failed at finding a place to eat and just got refreshing sodas at a boutique before heading back. We were met by Souleman, who would help us arrange to go to the national park the next day, which would require 4-wheel drive. We asked him about lunc helped h and he us find a restaurant that my mother would never have eaten in. But it was satisfying and delicious. Next on the agenda was getting water from a market, showering, and chilling. It had been a long day, and it was really hot, just like everyone said. We found some dinner, thanks to a little boy eating just what we wanted outside the boutique that sold it and ate together. I also had my first ever mango, and Addie and I REALLy had a good, if not slightly deranged, time eating them when everyone went to wash off and crash. We commented at how faithful God had been providing Arouna, Souleman, housing, and food. "You are the God who has saved us we will rise to praise You"

For all the peoples walk
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever. Micah 4:5

Chapter 2: Li Lan La?

We rose up at the crack of dawn and met up with Bruno, our 4-wheel driver. He is like a movie character. He's a frenchman who moved here 8 years ago, and lives in a tree because the village life is too busy for him. Him and Souleman were great buddies and guides. We got to the park pretty easily and saw some animals and such. It was a lot of driving, but we got to get out then and walk around. We saw the Gambian river, and realized how hot and dry it really was around here! We had a picnic lunch with some guests - naughty monkeys! When we were so hot and tired, we got to a point where Souleman and Bruno started undressing (swimtrunks underneath) and jumping in the water. None of us were wearing swimsuits, but we all decided to jump in in our clothes, a wonderful decision indeed. After a long day, we drove back, paid, and said our farewells. We again got dinner and thought about arrangements for Dindefallo, which we were told would not be a problem, all we'd have to do is visit the transportation office. Yeah, we'll see about that. We also learned there was not bus on Saturday, like we thought, so we decided on leaving Thursday. Or so we thought. "There is no one like You there has never ever been anyone like you"

And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11

Chapter 3: Welcome to the Oasis

Since I am the early riser, I volunteered to check out the transportation office, however it was closed. Too early I guess. Addie and I went back later and were told we're have to go to some garage? We went to talk to our friend Arouna, a crazy friendly guy who may have run the campement, and we took his moto bike to negotiate a sept place deal. We had a little time to pack before the driver got there and we were off to Dindefallo, about 35km away. It took an hour, and our guide for the day, Moussa, met us and led us to Campement Villageois. We changed into swimsuits, and chose maafe for lunch, and headed to the falls. It was about a 2km walk, and then we felt it. It was so cold compared to the dry desert heat. We stripped our clothes off right away and jumped in. Nothing has ever been so beautifully, wonderfully refreshing. It was the kind of experience you read about in travel magazines. We couldn't believe it. After a lot of splashing around, we dried off and ate delicious lunch on the rocks, along with more mangos. Yum. We took pictures, hung out, and enjoyed the cool air. Then, it was time to head back. It was easy to tell the difference, as it was terribly hot as we got back. We were offered sodas, and we gladly took them. After some hanging out, we were ready to explore a little. Moussa took us around the village, and we even got to meet his family, who gave us a bag of mangos and taught us a few words in Pulaar. I was sitting there, and just thinking "I love the village. I love the village. I love the village" I told Val I was moving there. I really did enjoy it, minus the difficulty of getting water. We headed back and were waiting for dinner, when Addie asked if there were women who worked there or if the men cooked. They told us there were women and invited us to sit down around the fire with them as they cooked, and made attaya. We sat under the stars and chatted in Wolof and French, and teased and made jokes. We ate dinner, filtered some water we'd grabbed from the falls, and got ready for bed. In the desert land, we'd found peace. "When somebody's hand hold me up, helps me stand, You are good, so good"

but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 4: 14

Chapter 4: Dafa Tang For Real

People had told us it was hot. Nothing could have prepared us. There was no air flow in the case, and no fan like there was in Kedougou and it was hot. Around 3am, Angeline, Debbie and I realized we were all awake and quickly decided to go outside, despite the fact we were just in little shorts and bras. We were deliriously hot and dehydrated though, so out we went. We did realize we were the only ones there, and chatted about when Disney was still awesome (late 90s/early 2000s) and sang parts of the Freaky Friday soundtrack. We moved locations slightly, and put on shirts for the occasion. When workers started arriving, around 4:30, we went back in the case and attempted to sleep, which we did for a few hours before breakfast. We were served hot coffee and tea, which we only drank because there was water. The sept place came an hour early, but we didn't mind because we wanted to get back to Kedougou, where water and refreshments were plentiful. We were grateful to see Arouna again, and "Tony" our friendly supermarket worker. What happened next, though... "You're it, you're the ultimate. It's automatic I'm sure of it no lie, so don't even try to tell me that you're not the guy...you're it, you're the ultimate you"

Chapter 5: The Bus Leaves When?

After we were hydrated, the mission was to get bus tickets. But someone had told us the bus didn't leave today as we thought, and our bus line was going straight to voicemail. So Angeline and Val volunteered to see what was up. They ended up running all over town, to 3 different garages where they were finally told they could purchase tickets for 8am. Tomorrow. Debbie, Addie, and I were incredibly anxious and nervous so we ended up praying for them, the situation, and for God to guide us and to help us be grateful for His timing. Once that was settled, Addie and I went to get a refreshing lunch and chatted it up with Tony, which lifted our spirits. When we got back, Angeline, Val, and Debbie and explained we'd need rooms, and after lunch we were led to our luxury cases. We showered, and hung out enjoying the fan and the refuge. It turned out our bus issue wasn't so bad after all. Addie and I enjoyed walking around the village market; it was so different from Dakar in that people weren't constantly hassling us to buy things. We got back and planned another nice dinner and ice cream session, and prepared to leave. I slept well until 4 am, when I couldn't sleep anymore. When everyone else was up, we bought breakfast and snacks for the road, paid up (we had to wake someone up, even though we'd said we were leaving early) and headed to the bus stop. This bus was significantly more crowded, hot, and cramped than the first one. We also didn't leave for nearly 2 1/2 hours because they wanted it to be full. But we were so looking forward to Dakar. "This dry and desert land, I tell myself keep walking on. Hear something up ahead, your water falling like a song"

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:2

Chapter 6: Greet Everyone and their Grandma

Although the bus "left" it wasn't for long. We stopped almost immediately to pick up one last person, who turned out to be an incredible annoyance. He tricked Angeline into letting him use her iPod, hassled us and everyone else for food that got passed, needed a smoke break every 10 minutes and made the bus stop, and could not stay out of everyone else's space. "That guy" fortunately got off at Kaolack.

During the first bit of the trip, we made obnoxious amounts of stops. Our bus driver seemed to find it necessary to greet EVERYONE, if not verbally, by slowing down and beeping the ridiculous horn loudly in succession. Then people would come on the bus and greet others and ask how their family was. We even stopped an hour for lunch, which was probably the highlight because we got to drink bissap and baobab juice. The bus itself was smelly, sweaty, and uncomfortable, making it difficult to sleep. Addie and I amused ourselves by playing "What's the longest we can go between stops" (A little over an hour. There was a time where it was 4 minutes, 7 minutes, 11 minutes right in a row). We also played "What's your favorite part of every book of the Bible" We only made it through Daniel, but that's pretty impressive, considering we were speed reading every book. I listened to music, including Desert Song, and realized that this was a great time for worship.

As night fell, it got cooler, and we were able to catch a few zzzzs. We were in touch with Dakar,and got excited when we made it to Mbour, Rufisque. Addie got cranky and listed all of her complaints, after which we just laughed "We stopped one thousand times and bought cookies for the bus and greeted everyone and their grandma and let that guy off for a smoke break whenever he wanted" We got dropped off in the middle of nowhere, and it was hard to tell because it was dark. We caught taxis and eventually made it home, right around midnight. I took a shower and headed straight to bed. "All of my life, in every season You are still God I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship. I will bring praise, I will bring praise, no weapon formed against me shall remain"

In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. Job 1:22

IN CONCLUSION: I really enjoyed break, and I don't think I even have words to explain why. I loved the simplicity of it, and all of the wonderful provisions and blessings, which is why i say Jaramma.

Kedougou!

Dinner time. Peeling those eggs was strangely satisfying

Beautiful, isn't it?

Going home :)

Besub Tey Jii

Well folks, this is it. The girl who didn't even go camping until her sophomore year of college has packed up her $11 office max backpack and is headed to the interior of Senegal. It still feels pretty unbelievable. I'm excited for this adventure, not just because of where we're going or how we're getting there, but just for the simple fact that we are going. I have never done anything even remotely like this in my entire life.

Besub tey jii, besub tey jii

Yalla moo ko def, Yalla moo ko def

Beg naa ci lool, beg naa ci lool

Sama xol di sedd, sama xol de sedd

Besub tey jii Yalla moo ko def

Beg naa ci lool sama xol di sedd

Besub tey jii, besub tey jii

Yalla moo ko def.

This is the second song I now know in three languages, and I find it to be very appropriate for today. This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

I can't wait to see what God has planned for this week! I'm sure I'll have a lot to say once we get back sometime Saturday night, but for now - ba bennen!