Goats Everywhere!! Welcome to Senegal..Welcome to Africa. I love Senegal....
From Mauritania we crossed over to Senegal, which is where we have been for the past two weeks. Senegal is a very special country. Up until Mauritania we had experienced Africa with a touch of Europe, even though poverty still remained a strong characteristic, but when we reached Mauritania we got a glimpse of 'rustic' Africa. Senegal is almost like the full realisation of the 'rustic' Africa. The humility and simplicity of the lifestyle is so full of richness. The country has a sense of contentment even in the midst of poverty. It is almost a glimpse of what the world would look like if we did not covet our neighbour's belongings. As a result, the country is very peaceful even in the midst of such socio-economic and spiritual
poverty.
We initially stayed in a small town called St Louis before moving on to a small village called Rao. I will always think of this village as the pure essence of Africa.
As wonderful as it was to experience a refreshing side of Africa through Rao, it was also heart breaking to see the spiritual desert that people find themselves in. This village is really hungry for the love of Christ. God, in His goodness, has placed amazing believers in this small village to reach out to the surrounding community. Senegal is predominantly a Muslim nation but still allows much freedom as far as choice of religion is concerned. With that said, it is usually the foreigners who really experience and live in that freedom. As for the locals, Islam is the default religious identity that they are brought up in and it forms the basis of their culture.
The believers in this small village of Rao are from other countries and have committed themselves to loving and serving the Muslims around them. They showed me the true expression of 'Love your neighbour as yourself'. They run ministries that serve the children and the women in the community. I had a very close encounter with the women's ministry. In this ministry they seek to empower the women with skills and expertise that will help them become entrepreneurs. Even greater than this, they seek to love and serve these women so that they may come to know the love of Christ. They invest a lot of time and energy into building meaningful relationships with the people in the village. It was such a privilege to be part of this and it certainly made a life changing impact on us as individuals in the EA team.
We are now in Dakar, the capital, and we are getting ready to fly to Niger. On a 'lighter note' we are really having fun and we are on a fantastic adventure! We get to laugh a lot, we experience moments that can only be captured by the heart and can't always be expressed in words. Our character will hopefully tell the story behind such moments as they change us for the better. We are embracing the different cultures, colours, people and food as we move from place to place. We are also learning to love and appreciate each other within our team. We eat, laugh, cry, grow and give thanks together. Being in a team like this is really special and exposes us to a more microscopic view of church.
On a more personal note.....!! The motivation behind this journey was the desire to explore God's heart for Africa and I can gladly say that He is exceeding that expectation. I have seen how God loves people and gently pursues them. I have seen Him meet people at their greatest point of need. I have seen how He reaches places that no man can reach, all in pursuit of His beloved ones. He is not limited by legal, economic and political systems or idolatrous religions. He stands and knocks patiently at the doors of people's hearts with such irresistible love. His arm is truly not too short to save.
Thank you for your time and for being part of our journey!!