it's over????

Sorry that I have not posted anything for a while. I can give you a few excuses but I’m sure that you don’t want to listen to them. Instead, I will give you a quick update on me and the Fulakunda.

I have finished my research and have left Senegal, and I’m enjoying being back in Texas. It has been super fun catching up with friends and family and I hope that I can see more of ya'll in the weeks to come. I plan to start seminary in the summer or fall of this year and until them I’m going to visit seminaries, maybe get a job, and I’m going to share with anyone that will listen! Thank you for your prayers; they were needed and felt.

This week, there will be 3 new missionaries that are going to start work with the Fulakunda. There is a husband and wife that will start their adventure of working with the Fulakunda, and there is a young woman that is starting her work with plans to better equip the churches and Fulakunda team members in America. Please pray for them as they will be adjusting to the culture and learning the language, and please continue to pray for the Fulakunda. Pray for the ones that have never heard, pray for the ones that have heard and do not believe, and pray for the ones that have heard and believe.

Now, I am starting a new chapter in my life. I know it may not be as exciting as riding a motorcycle around in the bush of Africa, but I am excited to see what God has in store for me. I still plan to keep this blog, and you and your prayers are still welcome!

Thank You

My Last Trip

I will soon be taking off on my last research trip. With all the great times that I have had on some of my other trips; it’s hard to say that I’ve saved the best for last. But on paper this looks like it will be a fun one. I will be going to the country to the south, Guinea Bissau. Guinea Bissau is a country of 1.6 million people and it’s said that 30% are Fulakunda. If you want to know more about Guinea Bissau, Google it!

What makes this trip so much more exciting than my other jobs is the amount of research I will try to get in the small time I will be there. I originally planned to spend several months doing the research in Guinea Bissau, but because various different reasons, I’m now going to try to get the most information I can in one trip! I believe I will spend around 15-20 days making this trip, but it could be more or it could be less.

After I come back from this trip, things will change greatly, I will trying to close doors, hand things off, and will be getting myself prepared for another big move. But now I want to focus on my job at hand, which is my trip to Guinea Bissau. Please pray that God will open doors to allow me to share and also he will continue to protect and guide just as he has done on all my previous trips.

I'm Back!!!

I spent two weeks back in Kolda, and then spent 2 weeks with my father. I think it might have been one of the funniest months of my life. When planning for the team from Arkansas we thought that it would be a very difficult time because of Ramadan and a few other factors. But I am glad to say that I was wrong!!!! The 5 guys from Arkansas came and did a fantastic job. I spent a lot of my time just acting as a translator for the 5 or 6 trips to villages that we went on. We presented the gospel a good 2 or 3 times a day! There's nothing greater than the feeling of sharing the news of Jesus with someone who has never heard before!

The night the Arkansas team flew back to America, my father came here to Senegal!!! We spent the 2 weeks he was here just having a blast. We went to 2 different animal parks, a beautiful 300 ft waterfall, we went scuba diving, and went to Goree Island. That was also a blast and below you will see some of the great sights that we saw.

Now that I’m back in Kedougou, I’m looking at my maps and looking at my calendar. In the 2 months that I have left, I have 2 trips left to finish out the leg work of my research. Also in the country to the south, Guinea, there has been a lot of turmoil going on and there have been over 150 deaths. If you want to know more information I’m sure BBC or CNN will have plenty of info. Please pray for the country of Guinea.

Re Visits

The next 2 weeks I get to go back to Kolda! There is a group coming from Arkansas and I get to go back and help them out. They are actually on their 2nd visit to work with the Fulakunda. This church has made a commitment to work with the Fulakunda and while they are here they will be gathering information to take back. There are two different towns that we have decided are strategic locations and we hope that this church from Arkansas can adopt and start a ministry. I will be walking alongside teaching them so they can become more self-sufficient here in Senegal since their desire is to start their ministry with the Fulakunda people. Please pray for this church and this team from Arkansas as they are looking for God’s direction.

The day that they fly back to America, there will be a 2nd re-visitor. On September 10th, my father is coming again!!! I have tons of fun things that I have planned with him I will be sure to keep ya’ll posted!

One more thing... it is currently Ramadan, a fasting and prayer time for Muslim people. Please keep the Muslim people in your prayers as they will spend a month searching for the truth.

the round house

I thought that I would share with y'all a picture of my new living arrangements. As you can see, it’s called the round house. I can’t believe that I have been in this place for almost a month now. I call it my home, but I am also very aware that my time here in very limited. As I’m getting closer and closer to the end of my African adventure I can also see the end of my research with the Fulakunda. These last months I have and will be doing a lot of research, but what do I do when I’m not going from village to village asking questions? Well I have found that I spend my time much different than I did in the past.

I don’t live in a neighborhood like before. I live on a compound with other missionaries. There is one family that lives here along with many people that come and go for short stays, and there’s me. I haven’t decided if I’m here for a longer short stay, or a short long term stay. Because I don’t living in a neighborhood, I don’t know my neighbors. I never thought I would have said this, but at times, I miss all the little kids in my old neighborhood that would bug me every time I pulled my bike out of my garage.

One thing that I do enjoy is that my house is much closer to a restaurant. The way it works here is I walk in with a big bowl, give my greetings and tell the cook that I want one plate. She fills up my bowl and uses a cloth and ties a sack so you can carry the bowl filled with hot rice home. I give the cook a dollar and make the 3 minute walk back home. Most of the time, I don’t even know what’s in the bowl until I get home, but it’s always a yummy African dish which I know that I will miss when I come back to the states.

Before I know it, December will come and I’ll be looking back and thinking of all the things that I miss about my little round house.

A FIVE DAY TRIP IN TWELVE DAYS!

A little detour has kept me from updating you lately, but sometimes when you're in Africa, you just have to roll with the punches!
I got settled into my new home in Kedougou and then decided that I needed to make a trip to Dakar, the capital city. I was having a toothache, I had some problems with my computer and I needed a VISA for a future visit to a country to the south. The trip was supposed to take about five days. I planned to get some supplies I needed and enjoy some good food. But sometimes things don't turn out like we plan and the five days turned into twelve. Turns out the computer spent a full week in the shop and the guy said he spent thirty hours on my computer! Good thing I didn't have to pay that with the American hourly wage rate. The dentist didn't charge me (turned out to be a sinus problem!) and the rest of the trip was great.
This evening I will take an all night drive to get back home and then more fun begins! I have four months left here in Senegal and at least six months of research to do. I have a group coming later in August and my dad is actually coming back to visit in September. December will be here before I know it.

MY NEW HOME

As you know I have been in the process of moving. This past week I said my goodbyes to my friends in Kolda and said hello to a new city, new friends and new team mates. Early Monday morning I put all my stuff on a small bus (including my motorcycle) and made an 8 hour trip to my new home. No sooner did I arrive than I learned my sister had also had a big day in Texas delivering my new niece. Welcome baby Ruth!
Things have gone very smoothly here. Communication is a bit different than I'm used to but I'm being shown taranga "hospitality" everywhere I go. This new home has many more tourists and the Peace Corps has a strong presence. I'm staying at a hotel and should be able to move to my home within a week.
I'm keeping this short because I have much to do. It's cool to have the opportunity to see if I'm smart enough to have learned from my prior mistakes as I settle in a new place and meet new people.
Thanks for the prayers. I have definitely felt them.