WHY IS EVERYONE LAUGHING AT ME?

I’ve been living here in the city of Kolda for almost 3 weeks now, and things are going great. I would be lie’n if I said that I’ve loved every minute of it, but I am glad that I’m here. One thing that I was warned about by a lot of people was culture shock. I remember talking about it many times at orientation. I may have experienced bits and pieces of Culture Shock, but I still have not experienced it in the degree that I have been told about by many friends and colleagues. As I look back over my past years I can see that God has been preparing me for this my whole life! I remember many challenges and tests that God put me through that gave me the experience and knowledge to be here in West Africa. One of the things that God has prepared me for greatly is being laughed at! I’ve learned that being able to laugh at yourself is needed to survive while learning a culture and language. I thought I would share some of those stories where people were laughing at me and all I could do was laugh at myself too.
Everyone always laughed when I said the Pulaar word for bicycle. I would point to a bicycle and say the word and everyone would laugh. This week it happened three different days. I asked my new friend “Why is that funny?” and he explained that I wasn’t saying the word “bicycle” - I was saying “condom”! What else can I do but laugh at myself!! I can see a long relation with this new friend I’ve made. He speaks some English because he spent some time in Gambia, but he says many times to me “Don’t speak English to me, speak Pulaar.” His family’s compound is less than 100 ft from my house and I have been spending a lot of time with them. The Sheriff (my nickname for him) has been teaching me a lot of the language and his whole family is great and excited that I want to learn their language and that I’m here to study and research the Fulakunda.
You should have seen them laughing at me when I found Top Ramon. Well, if I would have seen my face I would have probably been laughing at me too. Man I love that stuff!
Another story that I will be laughing at for a long time is what happened to me on Friday. I had a perty long week and was doing a lot of different things. I walked to another compound where I made have made friends and started hanging out with them. It was great practicing the little Pulaar that I know, and just hangin with them. Then I started to feel kind of sick. If it wasn’t for my great non communication skills of putting the eyes in the back of my head and being covered in sweat they would not have known to take me inside, put a fan on me, and get me some water. I laid down and fell right to sleep. I was just a little dehydrated, ok.. maybe a lot dehydrated!!! I do know that this is something that this family and I will be laughing about for a long time. I pray that the relation with the family will begin to grow and once I learn the language I will be able to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them.
The people across the street from me sure did have a laugh when they watched me trying to start my motorcycle for like 5 minutes. Yeah, that’s right I got a Motorcycle! I will use an even bigger and cooler one once I start making research trips. Anyways, it was like five minutes of me trying to start the thing and finally someone comes over and he gets on it like he was going to start it. He couldn’t start it either. Within the next 5 minutes there were about 10 guys all trying to start the thing. The people at the shop had to install a whole new piston. But it’s all good now!!!
There is one thing that has happened to me at least three times that the locals sure do get a kick out of. I am learning from it, but I will never laugh along with them. I will share a story about a dude my age that speaks English that I met playing soccer. He introduced me to his family and made the statement: “God is One.” I replied, “Yes, God is 1 and 3.” He asked me and I explained to him that I believe in a God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He and his family sure did think that was funny and asked me “How can God be three?” The conversation didn’t go any farther than that and we started talking about other things.
I’m having a great time here in Kolda. I’m reminded of a quote that a fellow Journeyman told me back at orientation. He said, “Erik, the Africans are going to love you.” Well, they sure are laughing a lot! (That’s a good thing, right?) Pray that I will continue to learn from experiences and that both the locals and I will be able to laugh together. Please continue to pray for my language learning as I am now starting classes that will be 5 days a week. Also pray that God will continue to give me opportunities to share my faith with the Fulakunda and eventually be able to share to the stories of Jesus Christ with them.

Romans 10:15

I think i finally get this verse!

There Goes the Neighborhood!!!!!

This is my place in Kolda. It kinda sticks out in my neighborhood. It’s one of the only places that’s painted and it’s got that fence that’s painted real perty. It fits me, cause when I walk around….I stick out!!!! My orientation here in Kolda is going great. I couldn’t have planed it better myself. The Fulakunda team…Awesome!!! The Fulakunda People…Awesome!!! The city of Kolda….Awesome!!!! I’m learning a lot, some things are for the first time and some things I have to relearn, African style. Next week I get see if I know how to drive in Africa! I’m actually surprising myself on how much I know about cooking. I’m not that bad, or I’m not that bad of a critic !
Things have been going very smoothly. The people here in Kolda are very hospitable, and most people want to help and are very nice to me. As of now, I know less than 50 words in Pulaar. The people seem very happy when I say, “mi faalaa junngede Pulaar” (“I want to learn Pulaar”). Next week will still be a week of orientation for me and I should be starting language classes later this week or early next week! Let me give y’all a little more info on my job: for the next 6 months or so my job is to learn Pulaar! My only job is to live, and right now since I have the vocabulary of a 1 year old, that’s a challenging job. But I love it! I met someone in the market on Thursday. I was trying out the three lines in Pulaar that I knew and just trying to meet people and he knew a little English. He offered his help so Friday I spent about an hour with him. I plan to go back on Monday and many more times. Please pray for this new relationship that I’m starting, lets call him … Patrick. Please pray that I will build a strong relationship with Patrick and that we can continue share and learn from each other.
As I look ahead, I sure do have a lot of work in front of me! After I learn Pulaar, I’ll need to learn French. Next I’ll be researching the whole region and trying to find out more about the Fulakunda and how they can find out about Jesus. I’ll be sure to give y’all more information on that but like I said right now all I’m doing is just trying to learn the language. Actually one of my first jobs will be to map out the city of Kolda; that will be fun!!! This language is really hard, but I’m not stressed out. The Lord has given me the peace that I need. I was reading Genesis and the story of Joseph really helped me! Remember how he was sold into slavery, but he was righteous and people saw that he got all those promotions. Things got better for him then it happened all over again when he was sent to prison!!! Well, I was reminded of that right now that I have to be like Joseph. I might not be in prison, but I’m in a whole new environment with a whole new start!!! All I have to do is be righteous. All I need to do is keep my eyes on the Lord and the Good Lord will fulfill his promises!!!!! I know that this new adventure is going to take time and a WHOLE lot of energy, but I’m ready. Pray that I can remember to take it one day at a time and that I can keep my eyes on the Lord!

I'M IN AFRICA!!!

I’m presently in a guest house owned by the IMB in Dakar, Senegal, and I’m lov’in it! I was kind of dreading the flights that I had to be on, but all three of them were very pleasant. I saw a bunch of snow in Chicago, walked about a mile in the London airport to get to my gate, met my friend from orientation, Roy, who is working with the Wolof in Northern Senegal, and while waiting in the line to go through customs in Dakar, got to talk to two other Christians who were also coming to do the Lord’s work in Senegal. My traveling went perfect but Roy’s bags did not come in. We’re hoping that they will be in the next flight that comes in on Saturday.
Thank you for your prayers concerning my travels. I’ve have been just hangin’ out here in Dakar the past few days. The local missionaries have taken turns showing Roy and I around the city and helping us get some assignments done. The first thing that we did was to go back to America - well, the American Embassy, which was still very African. We got all our paper work set for a Senegalese ID card. I got a Visa so I can go in and out of Gambia, and I got a phone so I can look cool. My unlocked cell phone that I had in the states works here!!!! All I did was buy a card that was 4,000 CFA (a little over 8 bucks). Praise God for the little things too!!!! The first thing that we really did was get our cash advance from the business facilitator so we can pay for all our stuff. I’ve been meeting a lot of my colleagues that are working here in West Africa and they all are fun people that I hope I get to know better.
Saturday morning I will take about a one hour flight to meet up with the Fulakunda Team!!! They will pick me up and take me to Kolda. I’m really excited that I will finally get to meet my new family and some Fulakunda people! They have told me that they have a nice house set up for me and several things planned for my orientation. Pray that over the next couple of weeks I can soak up and remember every piece of helpful information as I learn about Kolda, the Fulakunda, my job, my team members, and everything that goes with it.
As I’m typing right now I can hear the call of prayer for the Muslims to all come to the mosque and pray. The whole time I’ve been here I have heard, seen, or sensed things all around me. The only word that I can use to describe it is … dark. I wish that y’all could be here and just see this. Your heart would break just as mine has for these lost people. Today is Friday and some of you know that Friday is the day of assembly in the Muslim world. Today I have seen, heard, and felt this presence even stronger than the other days. I’ve only been here 3 days and can’t imagine what this will be like later on down the road. Please join me every Friday as I will pray especially for the Christian workers among the Muslim. Pray for strength, encouragement, courage, and truth to be heard!
I started my journey on the first day of 2008. I know this will be a good year and I can’t wait to see what God has in store! Oh yeah, did I tell you…. I’M IN AFRICA!!!