No GAS!!!!!

The other day I planned to go on a small trip to the east. I had a small route planned out and I knew it would be about 150 kms round trip. Because of the lack of hotels and or larger towns in this area, I had to take my tent and other supplies because I knew I would be spending the night in a village. I strapped all my stuff to my motorcycle or into my backpack and I started to take off. Going down the road I went through the check list in my head to make sure I had everything. That’s when I realized that I’m not certain of the amount of gas that’s in my motorcycle. So I stop, look, and then I make a small detour to stop by the gas station on my way out of town.

I get to the gas station and there’s no GAS!!!! Because I was in the process of switching and had two motorcycles in my possession, I didn’t have enough gas in my container at home. I really wasn’t paying a lot of attention because they told me that the gas had been out for almost 3 days, and since it’s been so long, gas was almost triple the price if I wanted to buy some from someone who was prepared. So what do I do? I go home and I look for something else to do.

The next day I called one of my friends around 2 in the afternoon to see if the gas truck arrived and he told me that it just came in. Iwaited till bout 5 and then went to the gas station. I had to wait in line almost an hour to fill up, and then I went home and got an early night’s sleep. The next day I woke up early and started the packing process all over again!!!

Trip to The Gambia

Most of last week, I spent on a trip where I was able to do some research on a good chunk of The Gambia. For Yall that forgot all the things from geography class, The Gambia the country that in basically inside Senegal. It was a British colony that occupies the Gambia River and a few kilometers north and south of it. Gambia is a different country and it made a very different trip.

For starters I did not have my motorcycle and I used public transportation to get from place to place. I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to go through the hassle of all the paperwork for a new country. And since 11 different times I was asked by the Gambian police to see my passport, I think I made a good choice. Also with the different country came different money, different laws, and probably the hardest thing for me to adjust too, a different language.

Yall who know about Gambia might be thinking, “They speak English in Gambia???” That would be correct but that didn’t make things easier. For some reason it was very difficult for me to talk to an African in English. Even when the dude didn’t speak Pulaar I still had a hard time speaking only English. And when I was speaking Pulaar that was totally different too, here in Senegal there are many French words that are mixed in with the language. I had an easy time understanding them because they would mix in English words but they had a hard time understanding me because I would use some French word or two that they didn’t know.

All in all, it made for a fun trip and I was able to get everything that I needed. I just had a lesson on one of the first things they teach you when you do this kind of work, be flexible!!! I wonder what it’s going to be like when I go to the country to the south where Portuguese is the official language?? That will make for a real fun adventure!!!

Oh yeah, also when I was there I meet a French man that was riding his bicycle across Africa, I was a little jealous!

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.