So far in Dakar!

We arrived in Dakar early Friday morning.  That day we slept and then went to eat with a friend.


Saturday we went to visit my Senegalese family, the family that I lived with during the Summer of 2007.  This visit went well.  They have even started eating with spoons, so no meals with hands yet!  I was sad to realize that my closet friend had gotten married and no longer lives there.  We called her and she said to come back on Monday.  We stayed about 6 hours....this is very different than visits in America.  Here, you sit, sit some more, eat, eat some more, and then take a nap on the floor.  They also hold men in high regards, so Martin got special attention all along.  They told me to get up from the seat and sit on the floor so Martin could lay down.  They insisted he rest as they fluffed a pillow for him.  Then everyone set on the floor around one large bowl to eat except for Martin, they brought him a special stool.  While eating they told me that I was a bad wife and that they would find him a Lebou wife due to the fact that I was not cutting up his food and putting it right in front of him.  I just laughed!


Sunday we went to church and then had lunch with some of the field missionaries here.


Monday, today, we went back to see the family.  This visit was great!  I helped cook, which was fun.  Then something happened which brightened my day.  One of the little boys who lives with the family, but is not directly related, and who gets very little attention;  would not talk or interact and had a sad face showing no emotion.  I asked him to come sit in the room with Martin and I.  He hardly acknowledged that I had spoken to him, until the women began to command him to do what the "white" woman had asked.  He sheepishly came and sat down.  I took a ball and rolled it to him.  After a long time of trying to get him to play, he had a smile on his face and seemed mesmerized that someone would take the time to play with him.


This visit was also special because Cole', my close friend from the Summer of 2007, came by the house. Because she speaks English we were able to communicate very well.  After the visit with the family, we went back to her house to have a coke.  Cole' has been heavy on my mind since my last trip due to a dream that I had about her.  I dreamed that I was in inside of Heaven and she was outside the gates yelling out to me, "Cass! You came, but you never told me! Cass, You came , but you never told me!" This has broken my heart ever since.  When I was there in 2007 we did try to tell the family, but it was very hard to communicate clearly.  This time, while drinking Coke at Cole's house, I was able to ask her if she knew why we come to Senegal.  I told her, "to learn the culture and to explain that Jesus is the only way to Heaven."  Though Cole' did not come accept Jesus as her Savior, I was able to plant a seed in her life.  It is my prayer and I hope yours too, that God will work in her life and continue to show her truth.  We did exchange email, facebook, and skype info, so hopefully I can continue to talk to her and encourage her.


Later today we had a good talk with the day guard at the guest house.  He is a 24 year old young believer.  He shared with us about the recent, tragic loss of his grandmother and also the loss of 4 other relatives in the last few years.  He also talked with us about his desire to find a wife who is a believer.  This is hard considering most people here are Islamic.  He asked us to continue to pray for this!


Please pray for Cole' (Co-lay), Omar and us for the Spirit of God to be at work