Medical Trip

About two weeks ago I had a small bump behind my ear. To me, it felt and looked like a boil was starting, so I didn’t think much of it. I've had a few before. I spent 4 days away from home as I was doing some research to the east. It bothered me a little, but I was able to still do my work without it slowing me down too much. The day that I came back the spot had grown in size, bigger than a quarter. We kept a very close eye on it here, and it looked like it was a huge boil that wasn’t going to drain itself. My supervisor said that it would be in my best interest to go to the capital city and have it lanced by a doctor.

So what does that mean? 12 hour drive to see the doc. The doctor tells me that it’s a cyst that got infected. The doctor drains it and tells me that she needs to see me again in about 5 days to check if the cyst can be and/or needs to be removed. So I had to stay in Dakar for a little bit longer than I thought. Since I was there, I went to the dentist and was able to do some other things that I could only do in Dakar. I spent the next five days just hanging out and relaxing.
I go back to the doctor 5 days later and the doctor tells me that it is healing nicely. She then tells me that the way that this it’s healing it could have been a boil or a cyst. The doctor tells me all the things that I need to look out for and tells me that I can go back home. So I take another 12 hr drive.

After almost a week of being away, it sure felt nice to come back and to see my friends again. But that also means getting back to work….I don’t think I’ve ever been so eager to get back to work before.

The worst road ever!!!

I just came back from a 4 day trip. It was a very productive trip where I was able to find tons of information that will be useful for churches and people like you that want to come and work with the Fulakunda. I was at one village talking to some people about the best way to get to a larger village to the south. One person told me to take the right road when it forks ahead, and the other dude told me to go stay straight because that way would be easier. Then the first person said that his way would be easier. So I asked which one would I see more villages (in case I get lost) and they told me to take the right.

After about 10 kilometers down this road I start to see some really deep sand. And a motorcycle is not the easiest thing to ride in sand. Over time I've gotten really good at riding in the sand and I've learned a lot from the 2 falls that I have had in the sand. But after this small patch of deep sand I look ahead…and I didn’t like what I saw. As far as I can see, deep sand!!! Oh it was fun, at times I had to crawl and when I did get some speed I had to struggle to keep the bike going straight as it wants to go sideways in the sand. And did I tell you that the sand was HOT?!?!?!! Depending on the way that you look at it, it was a fun 20 minutes or a long 3 miles!!!

Sometimes I get in to some rugged areas, and it takes a lot out of me to travel on them. But that makes me think even more about Africans that travel these roads regularly, and they do it by foot or by donkey cart. Africans are some tuff people and many of them are tuff to get to. But their need to hear the Gospel is the same as everyone else. Please pray that the Gospel spreads throughout Africa that it would not be hindered by a difficult road.

Which way do I go????

The other day I was out on a research trip. I was northwest of Kolda and learning all that I can about the Fulakunda in that area. After talking to one village, I decided to go south. After a few kilometers of going on this road, I hit a crossroads. I stopped and looked and my GPS to get a waypoint on the area and also to look at the map to decide which way would be the best way to go. I was coming from the North and after looking at the map I had a really good idea of what I would find if I went east. So I had to decide, South or West????? I picked West. After about a kilometer down the road I saw a cow, and of course the thing started running away from me. I turned a small corner and I saw at least 30 cows-- all running away from me now. I first have to slow down to their speed and then I try to see if I can get around them. But after a few minutes I realize that there are too many cows and it's too small of a road. I wasnt getting around them, I was hearding Cows!!! So then I tell myself….I’m going South. I back track a little (which isn’t the first time I ever had to back track) and I go south and continue my research. It's all in a day's work!

Which way would you go???

I got a roommate!

Back in the month of November, there were two men that came from a church in Pennsylvania. It was a great time as they worked alongside us for about a week and a half. They then went back to their church and they were able to tell their church about the Fulakunda and how God can use people here and other places in Senegal.

One of the two that came in November, has been able to come back and work with the Fulakunda and will be over here for the next three months. Since I have been provided with a very nice house, (thanks to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering) I decided to give him my extra room and now I have a roommate.

Please Pray for Matthew. Pray for him as he continues to learn the language, and the relationships that he will be building here in Kolda. Once he gets settled down he will begin his ministry. He is a talented musician and he plans to use his talent to share the gospel and build relationships with the lost. He also has plans and ideas for worship opportunities with some of the local believers. And also, always pray for the Fulakunda team, that we can still be united under Christ.

New time, new schedule

Over the past year, my basic schedule was going to class in the morning and doing many various things in the afternoon. I was able to use that time to talk to many different people and that time has brought out many different kinds of relationships. Now I don’t have language class and I must spend my time focused on a different task. The task that I came here for. The task of researching and finding more about the Fulakunda people. The research is and will be my main focus, but I will continue to have relationships and teaching opportunities in and around my home town of Kolda. As of now my research trips are in the surrounding areas of Kolda but they will slowly get to the point where I will need to spend more that just a day or two out in the villages.

As of now, I spend about 2 days of the week actually doing the research with a day before and after of planning and documenting the trip. I’m able to spend the rest of my time in Kolda, teaching and looking for opportunities to share the truth. I will soon get to the point where my trips will be taking the majority of the week and I wont be able to have a weekly cycle to be able to have time to meet with people in Kolda. Please pray that I will effectively be able to spend the time planning, researching, and documenting the areas of the Fulakunda people. And also pray for the relationships that I have in Kolda, as time might be shorter. Pray that the conversations and meetings will still be fruitful and seasoned with salt.

A CULTURAL TRANSLATION

Now that I don't have language classes all day, I'm trying to balance the time between my research trips and being in Kolda. I have filled some of that time with a group of people in a village a few kilometers out of town. After about two meetings, I made plans for exact times to meet . I told my three new friends to invite anyone that might want to listen to my stories. Sure enough, there were two new faces on my most recent visit. Just as I started to begin my story one of the original friends started talking about me. He mentioned when I came to Kolda, where I live, how many times I've been to the village, what I've been doing this past year, etc. He kind of introduced me for two or three minutes, then he looked at me and said that I could start. When he did this I couldn't help but laugh as I thought how I would have been introduced in the States. I'm perty sure the introduction would have taken no more than three seconds and gone something like this..."This is Erik. He's cool (head nod)."

Continue to pray for me as I travel. Pray for these meetings I have every Monday morning in the village of PB.

So, what do I do now?

I arrived January of 2008 and have been in language class everyday since, but guess what? I took my Pulaar language exam this Wednesday and passed! No more language classes, so what will I do????
Well, I will begin my research of the Fulakunda people and look for possibilities on where the gospel can be placed in order to reach the most people. I will begin in villages close to the city of Kolda. The better and more comfortable I get, the further away from home I will go. Over the next month or two I don't see myself getting too far away. One or two nights at a time is probably all I will do for a little while.
Please continue to pray for me in this time of transition. At first thought, it looks like I will have a lot more free time not being in class all day, but actually I will be even busier. I'm already seeing that my time is filling up quickly and I won't be spending as much time with some of my friends. I can also tell that I am going to be spending time with new friends. I'm excited that I will be having the opportunity to teach cool things from the Good Book to those new friends. Pray for my travels and that I can remember that God is always in control - even in the bush of Africa.