Tomorrow is my last day in Senegal. Let me rephrase that. Tomorrow is my last day of THIS trip to Senegal. I am already making plans to come back next summer, for much longer than 3 weeks. And if I can plead my case to the people in charge (my parents), I'll be back sooner than that. This week has been very busy, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Although, at one point I made a mental list of everything I wanted to eat that I can't get here: chips and salsa, cherry coke zero, a FRESH salad, just to name a few. Even though the food here is less than desirable, it is not enough to keep me away from this beautiful place. When I say 'beautiful' I don't really mean that it's aesthetically pleasing. I mean that these are the most spiritually and emotionally beautiful people I have ever met.

Was this trip what I wanted it to be? No, it has been so much more than I ever expected. Can I see myself living here? Yes. Will I miss all the amenities of home? The people make up for the lack of amenities. They make you realize that material things just aren't important. They make you realize that you have too much stuff (Mom and Dad, hope you are ready for a MAJOR cleaning out).

When I get back home, I will be letting you all know how you can help Senegal, with your time and your financial support. I will gladly share countless stories and pictures with you, because I want you to know Senegal. I want you to love these people as much as I do.

I see children like these all over Dakar. If you'll notice, each child has a small bowl or container. They use these containers when they beg outside of restaurants, grocery stores, or other public places. Why are they begging, you ask? Well, you see, these children have been given by their parents to a Marabout, an Islamic leader and teacher. The Marabouts live by donations alone, so they send these children out to beg. My struggle here is that I do not want to give these children money, because I don't want to support the Marabout. But there's a catch. If the children do not get any money, they are beaten severely and not fed. They go back to the Marabout every night and either turn in the money they have received or be punished. How could I sleep at night knowing these precious children are beaten and starved? I can't, so I donate to every last one that asks me for money. Am I supporting the Marabout? Yes. I can only pray that my small donation saves them from abuse.

Bishop Boni, Cote d'Ivoire Annual Conference, is the care taker of the UMC in Senegal and Cameroon. The Senegal District Meeting began yesterday afternoon. Today each pastor in the district was brought before the Bishop, along with the District Superintendent of Senegal and the GBGM Senegal missionary. There performance was evaluated by the amount of church members they have and how many programs they are trying in their separate villages.
It was about half way through the day when it came time for Pastor Ndecky to tell us his news. He has been pastor of this parish for two years. And he sat in that room and told us that he had not even one church member and not one program initiative. Nothing. Bishop Boni then said, "Are we paying you? What are you doing to deserve pay?" The Bishop went on to say, "We do not have time for this! Christ is going to return, and he will look at you and ask what you have been doing! Do not make it your fault that these people do not know the love of Christ!"
Whoa. Ok, Bishop Boni, please calm down. 'What is he so panicked about?' I thought. I took a break from the consultations to think on what he said. The urgency in Bishop Boni's voice is not unlike the urgency found in Paul's letters in the New Testament. After a long time of thinking, I realized that it is that urgency that makes me love African Christianity. They aren't complacent like most American churches. They don't sit around worrying about offending people and petty problems waiting for a vote from the council. No, friends, Africa is in a hurry. The African Christians are making people so uncomfortable with their faith that they are converting to Christianity from Islam and tribal religions. Just as Bishop Boni said, "Christ is going to return, and he will look at you and ask what you have been doing." Don't waste your time, people. Be urgent. Remember that being comfortable is not a good thing, in regard to your faith. Don't be calm. Don't avoid the issues. Don't be comfortable.

As the overwhelming, orange sun began to set over Senegal, I made my way up to the roof-top garden of the Nord Foire mission. The breeze from the ocean swept across my face, and my breath was taken away. The roof-top allowed me to hide from the pandemonium of Dakar's streets and everyday life. I sat quietly by the pitiful lettuce plants and closed my eyes. As I took a deep breath, the 5th and final call to prayer rang out from the nearest mosque. People in the streets stopped. Car horns stopped. A child's cry stopped. A woman hanging her laundry stopped. Everything stopped, and all was silent. The faithfulness of the Senegalese is astounding. They put most Americans to shame. They put my faith to shame. There are many things to be learned from these people in this place. This, my friends, is only the first.

Meet Emma. She is the precious, middle daughter of Joe, the pastor at Nord Foire. Her English is limited to "How are you doing?" Emma and I had several hours together on Friday afternoon, and I wanted so badly to be able to tell her how much she fascinated me. The only thing I could think of was 'parfait' or perfect. She pointed to herself with questioning eyes.
"Oui, Emma. Parfait," I said.
Running after Emma, learning about roof-top gardening, watching young women graduate from the Methodist Women's Skill Center, talking to people about who they are and where they're from: this is why I do this. This is why I give up air-conditioning and comfort. This is why I walk on the sewage-lined, sandy streets of Dakar. It's because I see Jesus in people like Emma.
Listen: Thirsty, by Chris Rice

I made it!

I have just completed my first day of work at the Nord Foire United Methodist Church! I landed in Dakar this morning at 5:45 AM (local time) and was on the job by 9 AM. Senegal is nothing like I expected. Of course, I don't really know exactly what I was expecting. All I know is that the Senegalese find white people to be extremely rare, which might explain all the people pointing at me as I left the airport.

Summary of the Day: THREE marriage proposals, Zero sleep, Two official Senegalese meals, and at least FIVE lbs lost because of some extreme sweating