Far from home, our missionaries discover their American roots with new eyes as they dive into their country of mission and share life with a culturally diverse team. Thanksgiving is one beautiful tradition that our missionaries enjoy sharing...
Every other Wednesday, we visit the local landfill called Mbeubeuss. Here, thousands of people scavenge through trash daily looking for things to repurpose or sell. We have many good friends who work there every day, and others even who live inside of the dump. They have taken tin, wood, old signs, and rugs to construct...
A good friend of mine recently shared with me that self-knowledge is self-gift. Hearing this quickly summarized what has been surely the most difficult, yet probably the most rewarding part about being here so far. They come in the form of two French and two Slavs. ...
A few weeks ago, I had just finished buying vegetables from a friend of mine at the market. I think I had shared with him some joke I had heard the day before. As I turned to leave, there was a small boy in my path. He had ashy skin and was wearing an oversized...
Two months ago, I arrived at the airport here in Dakar, Senegal. I had previously heard stories of other missionaries being welcomed with big signs or parties and I had honestly hoped that such would not be the case. Thanks be to God, I was met by a tall French guy and a Ukrainian girl...
Our partnered mission center in Dakar recently celebrated their thirtieth anniversary. A sneak peek into Senegalese joy in words and images:...
“Abdou is one example of the ‘gold’ of Mbeabus (Dakar’s main garbage dump that we visit weekly). We visited him shortly after his wife, who lived with him and was very ill, passed away....
Of the many children that come through our doors daily, Abe is one that called my attention more quickly. A little rougher around the edges, he can be more violent than the usual rough-and-tumble way of most children here and has difficulty to listen or focus. After discussing in community what we could do to...
Often there is a temptation to think about where I am getting to, to think the mission is when I finish walking, at the scheduled place and time, at church or the home of a friend or Mbeobeos (the city dump – more on that soon). But the beauty of this mission is that I...
Going into my mission, I was a little nervous because of how little I had to offer - my clumsy French, my inexperience, my total naivete and ignorance of the culture and what this mission would look like. But it is truly only within our emptiness that we can be filled...