Workin' with the Fulakunda

it's over????

2010-01-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-10-07T09:47:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

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.

Over the river and threw the woods?!?

2009-06-19T03:51:00.001-07:00

I was on a research trip to the East, lost as normal! The good thing about being lost is that the Fulakunda people are always willing to help. Also because they’re cattle herders they know the area better than my GPS. I was hoping that I could get to a certain town by lunch time. Everyone I talked to mentioned that I would have to cross a river, but they acted like it would be no problem to get across. So what happens when I get to the river?

I remember seeing some high school kids about 300 yards back so I decide to turn around and ask them about the river. They tell me that the river isn’t that deep and that I could easily pass, just as they did. So I got back to the river to so see if it’s possible to cross. And there is only one way to do that! I leave my ride on the bank and I go in to check how deep it is.

After the exploratory mission of seeing the depth of the river, I decide the water is few inches too deep and didn’t want to take the risk or push the bike threw. If I was on a bicycle, I would have crossed in a second. But as you can see in the picture, it’s a little bigger than a bicycle. So I turn around to find another way around!

A BIG CHANGE!

2009-06-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

If you keep up with all the convention news you know that there are some major changes coming. In the month of June will be re-organizing with the intention of better reaching the lost and facilitating missionaries better. This change is affecting me as well as people all over the world.
My direct supervisor, the leader of the Fulakunda team, has been called to oversee a much larger area and multiple people groups. Since my supervisor will be moving in the middle of July, I will need to make somes changes as well.
It's been a while trying to figure out what I can and can't do. I have many things that I enjoy about my job and where I am right now. It didn't take long for me to realize this change means letting go of some of those things. I was initially given some options to work with two other people groups where I could still use my Pulaar to communicate or I could choose a different research job. If you have spent time with me, you know that I don't listen well, so I chose my own option. I really wanted to continue my research while still still respecting the guidelines of my organization. Are you wondering what that means?
In the first week of July, I will be moving to a town about 400 km (250 miles) to the east. Pulaar speakers are not the majority in this town, but they do live in surrounding areas. I will be able to use this town as a base to cover a new area of the Fulakunda and continue the research I've been doing. There are two other families that live and work in this town. I will be a memeber of their team and help them out anyway that's needed, but I will still get to have the Fulakunda research as my main focus. For this, I am thankful!
Please pray for my last month in Kolda. Saying good-bye will be difficult since this has been my family for the past eighteen months. Pray for the transitions of my new and old supervisors and for me. Change is never easy. Also, please pray for the entire orgnaization as we begin making these changes. Pray that we ALL remember that no matter where or when, we still need to keep Jesus as our number one priority.

No GAS!!!!!

2009-05-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

The other day I planned to go on a small trip to the east. I had a small route planned out and I knew it would be about 150 kms round trip. Because of the lack of hotels and or larger towns in this area, I had to take my tent and other supplies because I knew I would be spending the night in a village. I strapped all my stuff to my motorcycle or into my backpack and I started to take off. Going down the road I went through the check list in my head to make sure I had everything. That’s when I realized that I’m not certain of the amount of gas that’s in my motorcycle. So I stop, look, and then I make a small detour to stop by the gas station on my way out of town.

I get to the gas station and there’s no GAS!!!! Because I was in the process of switching and had two motorcycles in my possession, I didn’t have enough gas in my container at home. I really wasn’t paying a lot of attention because they told me that the gas had been out for almost 3 days, and since it’s been so long, gas was almost triple the price if I wanted to buy some from someone who was prepared. So what do I do? I go home and I look for something else to do.

The next day I called one of my friends around 2 in the afternoon to see if the gas truck arrived and he told me that it just came in. Iwaited till bout 5 and then went to the gas station. I had to wait in line almost an hour to fill up, and then I went home and got an early night’s sleep. The next day I woke up early and started the packing process all over again!!!

Trip to The Gambia

2009-05-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

Most of last week, I spent on a trip where I was able to do some research on a good chunk of The Gambia. For Yall that forgot all the things from geography class, The Gambia the country that in basically inside Senegal. It was a British colony that occupies the Gambia River and a few kilometers north and south of it. Gambia is a different country and it made a very different trip.

For starters I did not have my motorcycle and I used public transportation to get from place to place. I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to go through the hassle of all the paperwork for a new country. And since 11 different times I was asked by the Gambian police to see my passport, I think I made a good choice. Also with the different country came different money, different laws, and probably the hardest thing for me to adjust too, a different language.

Yall who know about Gambia might be thinking, “They speak English in Gambia???” That would be correct but that didn’t make things easier. For some reason it was very difficult for me to talk to an African in English. Even when the dude didn’t speak Pulaar I still had a hard time speaking only English. And when I was speaking Pulaar that was totally different too, here in Senegal there are many French words that are mixed in with the language. I had an easy time understanding them because they would mix in English words but they had a hard time understanding me because I would use some French word or two that they didn’t know.

All in all, it made for a fun trip and I was able to get everything that I needed. I just had a lesson on one of the first things they teach you when you do this kind of work, be flexible!!! I wonder what it’s going to be like when I go to the country to the south where Portuguese is the official language?? That will make for a real fun adventure!!!

Oh yeah, also when I was there I meet a French man that was riding his bicycle across Africa, I was a little jealous!

Medical Trip

2009-04-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago I had a small bump behind my ear. To me, it felt and looked like a boil was starting, so I didn’t think much of it. I've had a few before. I spent 4 days away from home as I was doing some research to the east. It bothered me a little, but I was able to still do my work without it slowing me down too much. The day that I came back the spot had grown in size, bigger than a quarter. We kept a very close eye on it here, and it looked like it was a huge boil that wasn’t going to drain itself. My supervisor said that it would be in my best interest to go to the capital city and have it lanced by a doctor.

So what does that mean? 12 hour drive to see the doc. The doctor tells me that it’s a cyst that got infected. The doctor drains it and tells me that she needs to see me again in about 5 days to check if the cyst can be and/or needs to be removed. So I had to stay in Dakar for a little bit longer than I thought. Since I was there, I went to the dentist and was able to do some other things that I could only do in Dakar. I spent the next five days just hanging out and relaxing.
I go back to the doctor 5 days later and the doctor tells me that it is healing nicely. She then tells me that the way that this it’s healing it could have been a boil or a cyst. The doctor tells me all the things that I need to look out for and tells me that I can go back home. So I take another 12 hr drive.

After almost a week of being away, it sure felt nice to come back and to see my friends again. But that also means getting back to work….I don’t think I’ve ever been so eager to get back to work before.

The worst road ever!!!

2009-04-11T10:28:00.001-07:00

I just came back from a 4 day trip. It was a very productive trip where I was able to find tons of information that will be useful for churches and people like you that want to come and work with the Fulakunda. I was at one village talking to some people about the best way to get to a larger village to the south. One person told me to take the right road when it forks ahead, and the other dude told me to go stay straight because that way would be easier. Then the first person said that his way would be easier. So I asked which one would I see more villages (in case I get lost) and they told me to take the right.

After about 10 kilometers down this road I start to see some really deep sand. And a motorcycle is not the easiest thing to ride in sand. Over time I've gotten really good at riding in the sand and I've learned a lot from the 2 falls that I have had in the sand. But after this small patch of deep sand I look ahead…and I didn’t like what I saw. As far as I can see, deep sand!!! Oh it was fun, at times I had to crawl and when I did get some speed I had to struggle to keep the bike going straight as it wants to go sideways in the sand. And did I tell you that the sand was HOT?!?!?!! Depending on the way that you look at it, it was a fun 20 minutes or a long 3 miles!!!

Sometimes I get in to some rugged areas, and it takes a lot out of me to travel on them. But that makes me think even more about Africans that travel these roads regularly, and they do it by foot or by donkey cart. Africans are some tuff people and many of them are tuff to get to. But their need to hear the Gospel is the same as everyone else. Please pray that the Gospel spreads throughout Africa that it would not be hindered by a difficult road.

Which way do I go????

2009-03-24T03:44:00.000-07:00

The other day I was out on a research trip. I was northwest of Kolda and learning all that I can about the Fulakunda in that area. After talking to one village, I decided to go south. After a few kilometers of going on this road, I hit a crossroads. I stopped and looked and my GPS to get a waypoint on the area and also to look at the map to decide which way would be the best way to go. I was coming from the North and after looking at the map I had a really good idea of what I would find if I went east. So I had to decide, South or West????? I picked West. After about a kilometer down the road I saw a cow, and of course the thing started running away from me. I turned a small corner and I saw at least 30 cows-- all running away from me now. I first have to slow down to their speed and then I try to see if I can get around them. But after a few minutes I realize that there are too many cows and it's too small of a road. I wasnt getting around them, I was hearding Cows!!! So then I tell myself….I’m going South. I back track a little (which isn’t the first time I ever had to back track) and I go south and continue my research. It's all in a day's work!

Which way would you go???

I got a roommate!

2009-03-12T15:21:00.000-07:00

Back in the month of November, there were two men that came from a church in Pennsylvania. It was a great time as they worked alongside us for about a week and a half. They then went back to their church and they were able to tell their church about the Fulakunda and how God can use people here and other places in Senegal.

One of the two that came in November, has been able to come back and work with the Fulakunda and will be over here for the next three months. Since I have been provided with a very nice house, (thanks to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering) I decided to give him my extra room and now I have a roommate.

Please Pray for Matthew. Pray for him as he continues to learn the language, and the relationships that he will be building here in Kolda. Once he gets settled down he will begin his ministry. He is a talented musician and he plans to use his talent to share the gospel and build relationships with the lost. He also has plans and ideas for worship opportunities with some of the local believers. And also, always pray for the Fulakunda team, that we can still be united under Christ.

New time, new schedule

2009-02-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

Over the past year, my basic schedule was going to class in the morning and doing many various things in the afternoon. I was able to use that time to talk to many different people and that time has brought out many different kinds of relationships. Now I don’t have language class and I must spend my time focused on a different task. The task that I came here for. The task of researching and finding more about the Fulakunda people. The research is and will be my main focus, but I will continue to have relationships and teaching opportunities in and around my home town of Kolda. As of now my research trips are in the surrounding areas of Kolda but they will slowly get to the point where I will need to spend more that just a day or two out in the villages.

As of now, I spend about 2 days of the week actually doing the research with a day before and after of planning and documenting the trip. I’m able to spend the rest of my time in Kolda, teaching and looking for opportunities to share the truth. I will soon get to the point where my trips will be taking the majority of the week and I wont be able to have a weekly cycle to be able to have time to meet with people in Kolda. Please pray that I will effectively be able to spend the time planning, researching, and documenting the areas of the Fulakunda people. And also pray for the relationships that I have in Kolda, as time might be shorter. Pray that the conversations and meetings will still be fruitful and seasoned with salt.

A CULTURAL TRANSLATION

2009-02-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

Now that I don't have language classes all day, I'm trying to balance the time between my research trips and being in Kolda. I have filled some of that time with a group of people in a village a few kilometers out of town. After about two meetings, I made plans for exact times to meet . I told my three new friends to invite anyone that might want to listen to my stories. Sure enough, there were two new faces on my most recent visit. Just as I started to begin my story one of the original friends started talking about me. He mentioned when I came to Kolda, where I live, how many times I've been to the village, what I've been doing this past year, etc. He kind of introduced me for two or three minutes, then he looked at me and said that I could start. When he did this I couldn't help but laugh as I thought how I would have been introduced in the States. I'm perty sure the introduction would have taken no more than three seconds and gone something like this..."This is Erik. He's cool (head nod)."

Continue to pray for me as I travel. Pray for these meetings I have every Monday morning in the village of PB.

So, what do I do now?

2009-02-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

I arrived January of 2008 and have been in language class everyday since, but guess what? I took my Pulaar language exam this Wednesday and passed! No more language classes, so what will I do????
Well, I will begin my research of the Fulakunda people and look for possibilities on where the gospel can be placed in order to reach the most people. I will begin in villages close to the city of Kolda. The better and more comfortable I get, the further away from home I will go. Over the next month or two I don't see myself getting too far away. One or two nights at a time is probably all I will do for a little while.
Please continue to pray for me in this time of transition. At first thought, it looks like I will have a lot more free time not being in class all day, but actually I will be even busier. I'm already seeing that my time is filling up quickly and I won't be spending as much time with some of my friends. I can also tell that I am going to be spending time with new friends. I'm excited that I will be having the opportunity to teach cool things from the Good Book to those new friends. Pray for my travels and that I can remember that God is always in control - even in the bush of Africa.

A PRAYER UPDATE

2009-02-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

The time has finally arrived and I NEED your prayers. Yep! It's time for my language test. Meeting the standard on my Pularr language test means I can get to work and do what I came here to do. I will begin the test at 9 am on Wednesday Feb 4th (that's 3 am San Antonio and Corpus Christi time.) No, I don't expect you to get up at 3 am and pray, but I do ask that you throw up a couple of prayers for me before Wednesday morning. I feel good about my ability to speak the language. Just pray that nerves don't get in my way . I'll write by week's end to share my results. THANKS for praying.

MOMADOU

2009-01-27T17:27:00.000-08:00

Inda am ko Momadou. (translation: My name is Momadou). That was the name given to me when I was visiting Erik. If you haven’t figured it out yet, this is Erik’s father as a guest blogger. I had the privilege of spending fourteen days in Senegal with Erik. It was undoubtedly the most fascinating and rewarding fourteen days of my life. The people of Senegal are very generous, gracious, gregarious, and loving. I always felt very welcomed and honored to be there.
It was the first time in over a year that I got to hug Erik. For those of you who are wondering Erik is doing amazingly well. He is a little skinny but very happy and healthy. He has assimilated into the culture and is real close to passing his final language (Pulaar) test. Once he passes the test, he will be pretty much be on his own to do his work.
What is his work? Erik’s job consists of researching and journaling the different areas (five countries) where the people speak Pulaar. His research will include things like. Are there any believers in the area? Are the people receptive to hearing the good news? What types of accommodations (hotel, food, supplies, transportation, etc.) are there in the area for those who would like to come and help? I actually got to go on Erik’s first research trip. It was amazing to see how grown and mature he is in this environment. It made mi well tima (me very happy).
How can you help? Of course Erik would want your continued prayers. Once Erik completes a few more research trips, you may want to read his reports and, who knows, you may want to go to Senegal and help out. It would make you mi well tima and you may get a cool name like Momadou.

Do you know what Europeans do?

2009-01-17T16:38:00.000-08:00

I’ve had some perty crazy days over the past 2 weeks but I have loved every minute of it. Over the past two weeks we have had a volunteer team of 4 people. And one of the four happened to be my father!!! It’s been a blast letting him see some of those many things that I have never been able to describe with words or even with help of pictures. He got to experience real African hospitality, and now he understands when I say that I have tons of free time but I’m always busy. Also this past week I was able to do one of the most exciting things that I’ve probably done since I’ve came here to Africa, I was able to go on a research trip with my father. We went to a town about 150 or some kilometers to the northeast to do some basic research so that we can share that information with people like you interested in coming over to help and work alongside the Fulakunda. I went in to one of the hotels in the area and I saw some Europeans sitting down doing what Europeans do and I realized something. There tons of people that pay good money to come over here just to see some of the sights of West Africa…and it’s my job!!!!

I’ve always been a little bit hesitant about my work coming up, because of the massive job that’s before me. By going on this first trip and also being able to see things through my fathers’ eyes. I realized that probably have one of the coolest jobs in the world. I still got tons of work, and I know it’s going to be tuff. But now I look at this “work” a little differently. It’s still going to be hard for me to not be overwhelmed by the gynormus area of land in which I will do my research. But now, I am excited to and able to think about not just the research that needs to be done but to be able to focus more on the “real work.” Please pray that I continue to remember these things. That when I’m on my research trips, that I keep in mind the job of the demographic and geography of the Fulakunda and the 5 countries in which they located in but that I’m focused more on the hearts of the Fulakunda and the “real job” getting the Gospel to them.

I will soon tell more about the adventures that I had with my father and many of the other exciting things that he got to see.

and a Happy New Year!!!!

2009-01-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

2008 has come and gone. I remember it was this day last year that I got on the plane to go to Senegal. I remember switching planes in Chicago and totally getting lost in the airport and being amazed because there was so much snow outside (and the last time I want to see snow for a long while). I arrived in Senegal on the 2nd and I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. For this blog I just wanted to share some of major events or lessons that I have learned over the past year.

I can communicate in another language and also know how to communicate when there is no language in common.

I have learned how to play soccer in the sand.

I have spent time making something that I would like to have and found much joy in making it myself or with the help of my African friends.

I have 6 hours towards a Masters Degree.

I have seen the Lord open the heart and welcome new believers.

I have seen the Lord close the heart of an unbeliever and had to move on to share with someone else.

I have been encouraged by the many people who have come from America for a short time but yet have the same if not yet an even stronger passion to reach out to the lost people in the world.

I have made many new friends, some who were believers before I came, some who have become a believer in the time that I have been here, and some in which I am still praying that their hearts will open up to the truth.

2009 is here. It’s going to be a big change, and I’m ready. In a few days my father will come and I will spend about 2 weeks with him. After that I will take my test for Pulaar and in February I should be able to start my research, meaning I will be spending my nights away from Kolda and meeting many new people and hoping to plant many seeds.

Here’s the picture of that Santa I promised. It's in front of the Christmas tree at the Bradford’s home, where I celebrated Christmas and New Years.

It's Christmas Time

2008-12-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

Living here in West Africa you don’t experience the Christmas Season the same way you would in America; in fact it's a lot different. There is a small population of Catholics here in Kolda and also in Senegal, and you could also say there is an even smaller population of “Westerners” so Christmas is something they are aware of. Actually from what I hear most about the Muslim people here, they have a celebration as well. They have it one the 24th and from what I’ve found out from the few people that I’ve asked they just use it as an excuse to party and have no idea that it’s a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

I wanted to share one of my favorite Africa nChristmas stories so far. It was Saturday morning and I was doing probably what a lot of Americans were doing at that time - I was Christmas shopping!!! If you haven’t seen an African market, it’s just filled with people, and many people walk around just selling the things that they have in their hand, kinda like the vendors when you go to a football game. Anyways, I was talking to someone in the market and I look over my shoulder and I see a dude walking with two inflatable Santa Clause. It just seemed so out of place, it was the first Christmas thing that I saw since I’ve come to Senegal. I take a second look at the Santa and then I laugh to myself, but then it hits me….I WANT ONE OF THOSE!!!! So I start walking in his direction trying to catch up with the dude. So after about a block and a half I got his attention and bought one. He even gave me one that wasn’t blown up so I could stick it in my bag and wait till I got home.

I paid a little more than 2 dollars for it and I wouldn’t even see myself wanting to have one if I was in America, but here in Africa it gave me a great smile and gave me a little Christmas sprit.

***I don’t have one at this time but I will try to get a picture of the Santa up here in the next couple of days.***

MY BEST FRIEND!

2008-12-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

Some of you back in South Texas or even one dude in South America might think from this title that I am about to talk about you in this blog. Even though I do think of many of ya'll as my really good friend, this blog is about an African. I call him The Sheriff, and I met him about my second week here. He has helped me greatly in my language and I would call him my closest friend here in Senegal. Yes, my closest friend here in Senegal is a 30 year old, single, metal worker. He is a very heavy smoker and can speak 6 or 7 languages, but he can’t read in any of them. Most importantly, he does not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Over time Sheriff and I have gained a huge respect for each other. The friendship is a true friendship. Sheriff has shown an interest in knowing what I believe, and I have presented the Gospel to him. We have had many talks about the differences of what we believe. Through the time that we share, you can tell that he has a curiosity of the things that I have told him but you can also see that as of now he has no intention of changing his beliefs, changing his lifestyle, and proclaiming nothing other than the faith that he was born in to.

Please pray for Sheriff. Sheriff has been given an opportunity to hear and talk about the gospel. He is now in a position that only he can change. Please pray that he will seek the truth and not seek the acceptance of his family members or his neighbors (including his white friends that live around the corner). Pray that he will seek something bigger than what he’s found on this earth. And also pray for me as our relationship continues to grow and we continue to learn, and understand more about each other.

Thanksgiving!!!!

2008-11-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share about my Thanksgiving experience. Thanksgiving might just be an American holiday, but I'm sure glad that I got to celebrate it. And my stomach is really happy too!!!!! For Thanksgiving, me and the other two journeymen down in Kolda, Michelle and Kimberly, took a 12 hour drive up to Dakar, the capital city of Senegal and we were able to celebrate with some of the other missionaries here in Senegal. We got there a little early and now we're in a conference for some of us "newbies" on the feild. The first picture is one of me and a couple that has been really good friends of mine. Since they live in Dakar we don't get to hangout too much but as you can see we're happy and our plates are empty!!!!

Just like Thanksgiving back in America, after we stuff our faces with food we hang out and spend time with the people that we love. Here is a picture of us playing some cards and we even got some football playing in the background .

Although I miss my family and I would have loved to spend Thanksgiving with them, I can still feel your prayers and I know that I'm loved. And to tell you the truth the one thing that I'm most thankful for is my family and friends that pray for me. I may not be in America but I know that I'm still in the hearts and prayers of many of you. Thank You!

A CHANGE IS COMING!

2008-11-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

As I look back at the time I’ve spent here in Africa, there are times that I can’t believe how quickly time has passed and there are times that it feels like it’s been way over a year. As you know most of my time so far has been spent learning the language and culture. If you remember, it was back in July when I took my first major test to see how far along I was. I was just a few points off from being right on schedule. I made some changes and got right back to trying to learn this language.
My confidence in the language of Pulaar gets stronger everyday, but sometimes I still find myself messing up on words or hearing a word that I don’t know. As the title explained, my time devoted to learning this language is coming to an end. Towards the end of December or early January I will take the level 2 test to see if I have met the requirement to start my research work among the Fulakunda.
Please pray for me as I continue learning this language. During the next few weeks I will be trying to fill in many of the gaps that I have in preparation for the final test. Pray that the time with both of my language teachers will continue to be fruitful and that I will find many more opportunities to share my faith. I’m ready for the change and ready to use my new language that I have been working on since I arrived in January. Another exciting opportunity is that my dad is coming to Kolda in January. That means that he will possibly be around as I begin my new work. I am definitely looking forward to a change!

THE POWER OF ONE!

2008-11-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

Here in Kolda, God has been and is doing a lot of work! It’s a very exciting time and you can really see that God is moving in the hearts of the people. I want to tell you about some specifics but you will have to allow the holy spirit to translate for you. If you read my blogs very often, then you know that I don’t shy away from truth. Out of respect and for safety, there are a few words that I will/can not say.
Over the past two weeks, the first person in Kolda has been dunked. This means that new groups will be formed and more people will hear the news. This new “ONE” totally changes the landscape of Kolda. Change brings opposition, so prayer warriors, start praying!! Pray for physical and mental and spiritual strength for this one. I’ve been thinking a lot about Matthew 13. The seed has been planted among the thorns. Pray that Kolda will be able to rise up over the thorns and produce the crop that it has been designed to make.

22 Days!

2008-10-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Over the past 22 days I’ve been without a computer. I made a few trips to the cyber café and used their computers to do a few things, but for the most part I’ve been doing everything without one. As I said in my last blog, I’ve had to find a new way to do many things, and for those of you who look at my blog regularly you know that it has been that long time since my last post. So for this post I thought I would just share with you some of the things that I’ve done over the past 22 days.

New notebooks that I purchased and started using – 3
Hours spent watching African French Television – about 6 (which includes 2 soccer games)
Stories from the Bible that I can now tell in Pulaar – 3
Times I shared one of the stories – 10…ish
Trips to the Hospital – 1
Minutes spent unconscious – I was told about 5
Number of times it has rained – 3
Trips to the new “white man” store – 5
Time spent talking to God - too much to count (priceless!)

Don’t worry I know that I need to explain some of those in more detail.

The new white man store, I love it! It even has ground beef, and it makes me really happy.

The rainy season is almost over. That also makes me happy because all the crickets and frogs are almost gone now!!

About the unconscious thing…I had an infection on my little toe. It had a bubble coming off the top of it that was the size of a marble, which was right next to a broken toe that I stubbed in the middle of the night. It hurt a lot so I went to the doctor to get it checked out. They told me the medicine I needed to get and sent me to another room to get it cut off. They broke the thing open and then cut off the extra skin from the bubble. They wrapped it up and then said that they were done. But that's when I guess everything caught up to me, the sleepless night, forgetting to eat breakfast, and the pain. I fell right off the table and hit the floor hard. That was Oct. 15th and I’m still nursing the bump on my head (from the fall) and the hole that was left in my toe because of the carving, but everything else is fine. I'm back to 100% other than the fact that I’m going to wait probably another week or two till I can play some soccer again.

Now that I got email, feel free to send me a note sometime. I have a computer I can have a respond within a week!

ANSWERED PRAYER

2008-10-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

I think you all know what it's like to pray for something. Sometimes the answer is "yes," sometimes it's "no". About a month ago I prayed that God would help me do a better job of organizing my day so that I could more efficiently and effectively learn this language to share with the people of Kolda. So how does He answser? He answered with a big fat "YES" by taking away my technological brain (you might call it a computer). I asked to be better organized..He he takes away the tool that I use to organize myself. I have had to covert my calendar, my journal, and many other things over to paper. Do I have more time? I'm not sure, but I will be spending more time communicating with the locals here.

Since one of my partners here in Kolda is taking a trip to the USA, she will take my computer to be repaired. That's a relief but for the next weeks I will be without my "brain". I will have to rely on visiting cyber cafes to communicate with some of you and that adds to my "to do" list. Pray that I will adjust to my new organizational tool and I will be able to take advantage of the time. Who knows. Maybe some new opportunities will come from this. I will not be praying for patience. I can only imagine how He'd teach it to me!

Futuro, the time is now!

2008-09-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

Today I was sitting down outside and talking to one of my friends that’s my age. We were having a fun conversation about the show Lost. It's really crazy when you think about it. You get out to some of these villages and you will find people that have never seen a toilet but they know who Jack Bower is. 24 is another show that they always watch.
So it was about 7 o’clock and we were talking about the dude from Nigeria that was in season 2 of the show Lost. I watched the show in English and he watched the show in French, and we were talking about it in Pulaar, I still laugh when I think about it. Anyways as we were talking and the call of prayer went off. They call this one "futuro," the prayer at sunset, also meaning it is now ok for them to break their fast. The second the call of prayer starts, he gets up and says “futuro is here" and he walks back home so he can eat.
I’ve had many different conversations with people about Ramadan and I don’t think I’ve gotten the same answer twice. Many people have no idea why they are fasting and are doing it only because they are told too. Please continue to pray for Muslims all around the world. I’m sure that this time of Ramadan is very different all over the world, but they seem to be doing it thinking that it will help them get into heaven. Pray that each Muslim worldwide will use this time of fasting not as an obligation that they need to do but a time of devotion and a chance to better understand the Lord. Pray that they will be able to clearly seek out the Truth of the Lord and listen to his Word without any distractions or outside influences.

IT'S ALL IN A DAY'S WORK!

2008-09-07T14:46:00.001-07:00

This week I had a little job that needed to be done. A few weeks ago we had two new members of the Fulakunda team join us. They will be living here in till around May. They are two college girls that are spending their semester overseas. Check out their site if you want at www.hands-on-africa.com. They will spend a few weeks getting the basics of Pulaar and then after that they will be teaching English. We found that English is good “bate” for the people here in Senegal and they are going to be using the Bible and other materials to teach English. What can be more fun than that??
This is where I come in, Hands On owned some bicycles that they wanted to give to the two girls, so they will have a means of transportation during their time here in Africa. The bikes were not in Kolda; they were in a city towards the edge on the country, the city of Kedougou. And I volunteered to take the trip and bring the bikes back.

You can see Kolda, down in the bottom middle. I was going to take local transportation to the city of Tambacounda and then switch cars and go to Kedougou. I was going to hang out with a family working in the city, get 2 of the bikes that were there, and the next day come back home. I asked a bunch of my friends about the trip to Kedougou. I was told that it would be around 7 to 9 hours driving. So I thought that I could leave early in the morning, arrive in the afternoon some time and get to hang out with the family, tell stories, and say bad things about the supervisor that we share. We didn’t do that, I just want to see if he actually reads my blog :)
I woke up early Friday morning had my backpack with an extra pair of clothes, my bible, and toothbrush, and started the adventure. There are two modes transportation, a cet-plas or a Rapiid, and I took the much quicker and more comfortable mode of the cet-plas . Cet-plas is French for seven people. They stick seven people and one driver in the car and drive. Some people like to call them a bush-taxi.

The picture that is shown would be one of the nicer bush taxies, but it gives you a real good idea of how the travel went. The other mode would be a big bus thingy, which has more people inside meaning more stops and a longer ride. That will be the other picture. My ride to Tambacunda was a rather normal ride other than it being slow, and it had two check points where the dude made me get out of the car, mainly because I white and they want to give me a hard time and see if they can get anything out of it. I handled the check points pretty well though. Either the dude thinks I’m cool because I speak Pulaar and then lets me go, or the officer doesn’t speak Pulaar and we have no method of translation and the dude realizes he can’t do much else after I showed him all the proper paper work.
So I arived in Tambacunda a little later than I wanted but not too bad. I first wanted to use the toilet and then found some lunch. After that, I found where I need to go to go to Kedougou and bought my ticket. We need 3 more people to make the 7 and then we would go on our way. The waiting took along longer than expected and I spent a good 2 hours talking with random people around the transportation center. I was having some fun conversations. The car that we were taking looked like a really good car that would go fast so I wasn’t too worried. And that’s where the fun story comes in.
About half way in the ride, about 2 hours in, the driver stopped and put some water in the radiator, but I didn’t think much of it. About 50 km out, we stop in a village and let someone out. We stayed in that city for about 20 minutes, letting the car cool and putting more water in. That’s when I started to get worried. About 15 minutes later we stopped to put more water in the radiator. Then about 10 minutes, right after I see the sign for 23 km to kedougou, the car stops.
We get out, the driver looks at the engine a little and he realized that the car is not going to go any further. So he pulls out his cell phone, and what do you know, no service! He walks about 200 yards each way and still no luck. About that time one of the big busses come over the hill and we all signal it to slow down. It slows down…and one of the guys with us jumps on the back. I wasn’t expecting that. So anyways we decided that we need to start pushing. And since I was the only one that ate lunch, due to Ramadan, the other quit pushing after about a minute. It was a very hilly place, which made it fun hanging on the back as the car was rolling down hill. So after, we got about a mile or so, yep you guess it!!! It started to rain. So we jump back in the car and watched the rain.
So I’m sitting in a car, with 5 other Africans, in the rain, in the middle of know where!!!! It felt like I was in a scary movie or something, I wasn’t scared but I had a feeling like a pack of monkeys were going to come and attacks us or something. And the white guys always dies first!!!!! So after about 45 minutes waiting in the rain, it stops and starts pushing some more. Soon the sun had set completely and it was dark. Since the car was cool again, he said that we will push to start it and then drive for a while till it gets too hot again. We have to try about 10 times to get it started so you can add another ½ mile of pushing. We go for a while and then he flashes his lights to another car that then towed us in the rest of the way. They knew each other and I had no idea how he knew about us, but I didn’t care. He pulled us with a 10 ft rope, and it was night time, that was a sight to see, I was surprised that we didn’t hit the car that was towing us. So I go in, called my friend and finally got to their place around 8 at night. Over 13 hours of traveling!!!! That was fun.
Had a nice dinner, slept on the living room floor, and was part of their family for the night. The next day I got the bikes and started the whole process over again. It was fun because everyone asked me and kept saying, “One man, two bikes?” I would reply “yes” and they wouldn’t know what to say so they would just say again, “2 bikes?” The way back wasn’t as eventful; just the check points, and the normal surprises that the other passengers get when an hour or two into the ride until they realize that I speak Pulaar and knew everything they said before hand. I got back to Kolda, took the bikes to my supervisor’s home, and then I went home. And I slept for about 11 hours.

It was a fun trip!

RAMADAN

2008-09-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

Ramadan is a 30 day period where Muslims fast from sun up to sun down. It’s done in the 9th month of the Muslim calendar. It’s the time that they believe that Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad. Muslim people use this time for prayer, forgiveness, and to practice self-restraint.
The questions have already started. I’m being asked by almost everyone if I’m fasting. For those of you who know my testimony, you know about the time in my life where I had a parcite, had a wrong diagnosis, and had a hard time eating for two months. It wasn’t until I changed my attitude and started an “involuntary fast” that things started turning around for me. That month I grew a lot in the Lord and I knew it was because I changed my attitude and looked toward the Lord first. So fasting is a topic that I get really excited to talk about. I’ve had a bunch of fun conversations where I bring up the story of Jesus fasting for 40 days and then being tempted by the devil, what Jesus thought about Fasting, or telling them my own testimony. I had a really fun conversation about fasting with the guy at the store across the street and it all started because I was making sure that I would still be able to buy bread in the morning.
This month should offer some new experiences. It’s something that I haven’t experienced and have no idea what to expect, but I’m excited. Please pray for the people here in Kolda, pray for their health and pray for their soul. Please also pray for the conversations that I and the other missionaries will have with the many people about fasting. Pray that I will remain sensitive to my surroundings while still keeping and showing my faith. Pray for the Muslims World Wide, that through Ramadan they will be able to experience more than just a time of fasting, but that they will get closer to experiencing the Truth.

At first I didn't believe it!

2008-08-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

My night guard told me a story last night. He said that early in the morning right in front of my house he saw a monkey on the back of a pig. The pig was freaking out and running real fast and the monkey was just laying down relaxing. I wish I would have been there to see that.

On another note, this week I start a new schedule with my language learning. Monday, Wednesday, Friday I will continue to go to my same language teacher, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays I will go to a different language teacher. This teacher is supposed to be real good on pronunciation, and if you remember, that was my biggest problem that I had on my test that I took last month. So please continue pray for my language learning. Please also pray for my classes with my new teacher that I start on Tuesday. You need a lot of patience to be able to teach me. Also, please pray that our relationship will start out on the right foot. Pray also that I will remember the real reasons on why I’m trying to learn this language and I will be able to spend an ample amount of time studying both the Word and Pulaar and that I will also be able to share stories and the things that I learn with my friends and neighbors.

A COUPLE OF SOUVENIRS

2008-08-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

I’ve been back “home” in Kolda for almost 2 weeks now and I must say that my transition was not what I expected. I thought that all my African friends would give me a hard time for being gone for over three weeks but that wasn’t the case. I had not prepared myself for the shock that I would get from hanging out with English speaking believers for three weeks and then going back to Pulaar speaking non-believers. The problem wasn’t with language, it wasn’t with the people here in Kolda, it was all me. I guess you can call it culture shock, but I’m getting back into the rhythm. Before I know it, I will stop focusing on learning the language and my schedule will change again!!!

I did want to show you one of my souvenirs that I got during my time away from Kolda. It's made from the wood of an actual African tree. Perty, huh?

Today I had a real fun experience. I was hanging out with some of the guys my age and they told me to come play soccer with them. I knew that this would be a lot different than the 4 on 4 that we play in the rode in front of my house, but I was ready. We went to a big field and had real goals!!! Well kinda, they were big branches that were dug into the ground and a rope tied to the top of the branches connecting the two and it made the top bar. We get there and we start kicking the ball around a little, and when everyone shows up we start to stretch. Then they tell me we are going to go for a little jog….20 minutes later we stop and then the coach dude tells us to get in a square and we run the short sprints basically chasing each other around the square. Then we did this little sprint drill running back and forth in the shape of a star. Then we did this other drill running just like the star drill but with only one line. After that they spilt us up into teams and we finally started to play, which was fun. Before I knew it, it got dark and we went home. I can remember a bunch of people telling me that African training consists of running, running, and scrimmaging. I guess you never really believe it till you see it with you own eyes. I was told it’s the same way in every sport. You may not be the best ball handler or have the best plays, but as long as you can run, you can do anything! I’ll have to remember that later on.

As much fun as I had I thought I would show you a little souvenir from the day. I remember kicking the ball and my toe hurting for a second. When I got home and cleaned all the dirt from my feet I could see that I really had bruised my toe.

Oh well, it doesn't hurt as bad as it looks.

(Cool tan, huh?)

epieniazek@gowestafrica.org

2008-08-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

This is my new email address. I've been having some problems with my other email address. The servers see that the email is coming from Africa and it goes to a lot of people’s junk folder, so I'm going to try something new. Would you please send an email to my new address and add it as a contact. I'm trying to get a little more organized. I'm still going to use my old email address as well but I'm going to try to use my new email address for communication between my prayer supporters and hopefuly I will start regularly sending out a short email with my prayer requests and leave my blog for the cool stories.

Oh yeah, all the build up of me trying to get home. Well, I finaly did and the process was very anti-clamatic. I'm glad to be back home. Thanks for the prayers.

And don’t be shy to tell all your friends to send an email to me. You can never have too much prayer. You can send your prayer request to that email accounts as well. I would love to pray for you.

epieniazek@gowestafrica.org

African traveling!!!

2008-08-02T02:09:00.000-07:00

My last blog was a little short, so I’ll try to explain while I still have a limited time here on the Internet. My one problem turned into 2 problems. Then one of the problems got a lot less serious, and back to one problem. But then I was back to two problems, if you would call them that. I’m in Africa, a problem is just a normal way of life.

First would have to be a problem with travel. I was told that I might have a hard time getting back in the country of Senegal with my passport but then I was told later that it won’t be as much as big a deal as I first thought. I would have the problem in some of the other West African countries, but when in Africa you never know.

The second problem would be an airline strike!!!! That’s not something that you want to say out loud either. It was a big scare but it only lasted about 24 hours and didn’t affect but about 15 people in the region.

The third, which we are still in the middle of now, is the plane had some mechanical problems. All the people going to Senegal (around 30) waited at the airport a while then they sent us to a hotel in Cote d’Ivoire, where I am right now as I’m typing this. Don’t know when we'll finally get back to Senegal, but I hoping and praying it’s soon. My local flight that I would take to Senegal takes off in like 2 hours so I’m going to miss that one, but that doesn’t bother me. I just want to get back to Senegal.

Prayer Warriors Needed!

2008-07-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

I need the help of some prayer warriors. I will spare you the details, but I may have some problems re-entering the country of Senegal. Please begin to pray now that my paperwork will not keep me from getting back to work in Kolda. I have had such a great experience here. I feel like I have learned new things, I have made new friends, and my spirit has been refreshed.
PRAY, PRAY, PRAY and I will update you the week of August 4th.

Sitt'n and Listen'n

2008-07-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

I shared a little on my last post that I was leaving my home in Kolda to take some seminary classes and then attend a week long conference with missionaries from all over West Africa. The first week here in Cote d’Ivoire, I took a theology class and this past week I took a class about church history. As you can tell by my clever title, the month of July will entail more sitting and listening than I am used to.
These two seminary classes were a lot different that the undergraduate classes I took. I never thought I would have so much fun taking a seminary class, but I was wrong! I still have a couple of papers to write and I’m actually kind of looking forward to it. I’m very thankful that I had this opportunity to take these classes and learn more.
I’m also really excited about this coming week and getting to meet all the missionaries from around West Africa. Including children, there will be more than 300 of us here. The leadership has done a real good job getting all this stuff planned out but you have to remember, “We’re in Africa!!!!” and anything at anytime can go …African! Please pray for our meeting, the hotel, the places we eat, all the traveling that will take place and that we can focus on the main reason that we are here.

The test is over!!!!

2008-07-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

I want to thank all the people that have kept me in their prayers, especially over the past few weeks regarding my language test. I had my test. It was fun; it was nice. It seems crazy that the past 6 months came down to a 45 minute test, but we all know that God’s got bigger plans than tests that people have to take…well actually it is all one big test, but we would all fail that one if it wasn’t for mercy!!!
My test consisted of sitting at a table with 3 native Pulaar speakers. They each had something that they evaluated me on: how I talked, the words that I used, and how much I understood. There’s this big system and a check list of things that I should know. One guy did the talking and the other two just made notes on the conversation. We talked about many things, about life in Kolda, about the differences between USA and here; we talked about food, I gave directions somewhere, I read out of the bible to them. It was just a bunch of small talk I would say. It was a fun test, I know that I could have done a lot better but I also think it was an accurate evaluation of the Pulaar that I know.
So what did the evaluation say? I’m a level one! They said I’m about a 10-12 year old!!! I’m not ahead and I’m not behind on my learning. I’m right in the middle of the curve on where I should be right now. One of my biggest problems that made me lose a lot of points was my accent. This language has two “B’s” two “D’s” two “Y’s” and three “N’s.” When you write them there is only a small difference with a little tail or accent and you say them the same but with your tongue in a different position. Because of my lazy self I always made the letters the same sound; I knew the people still understood what I wanted to say so I never thought it would be a big deal. But because of it, the evaluators said that my accent was a little distracting and it took points off. They also took off points on my correctness and fluency skills. I also got some points taken off on my vocabulary. I was told that I had a huge vocabulary and that they were very impressed by it, but they also told me that I used many words that were French or Wolof. When I’m here in the city, that’s no problem. People understand me fine, but when I will be out in the villages where they only speak one language, there might be a problem. This was very shocking to me because I had no idea that I did that.
So what am I going to do differently? I have already told my friends to not let me be lazy and correct me when I’m saying something wrong. I’ve also made my friends a lot more aware that I’m past the point that I just want to communicate. I want to know what words belong to what language and I want to be aware of that. Please keep these in mind when you're saying your prayers for my language acquisition.
So what’s next? I’m going to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. I’ll be there for about 3 weeks. The first two weeks I’ll be taking seminary classes, and the third week is a conference where the West Africa region will be able to get together. I'm really excited about the next couple of weeks.

Planting Seeds!!

2008-07-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

I’m going to warn you that this story, even I don’t understand, but there’s been a couple of events that I really want to share with y’all. I really don’t know how to introduce this story, so I’ll get right to it.
There’s a friend of mine that I like to visit and talk to once or twice a week. I’ve written about him in the past. Patrick is his “name”. Because I spend so much time there I have started to get to know all the people that own shops next to and across from Patrick’s. There has been this one guy, still don’t know his name, that is near Patrick’s stand that I’ve had unusual dealings with. He sells radios, luggage, and other various items, but when he sees me, he would get right in my face and say…something I don’t know. He would be almost yelling at me. The first couple of times this happened it would catch me by surprise and I would just stare at him and then look to Patrick and ask what he said. After a while, I did what every normal person would have done. I started yelling back at him in English.
About a week ago the same thing happened, but for some reason I responded back to him in Pulaar. I’ve heard the Wolof language spoken a lot and I have a vocabulary of about 50 words. I had no idea what he was saying but I had a clue and would respond. This went on for about 5 minutes and everyone in the area got a big kick out of watching the two of us.
The other day the same dude comes up to me and gives me his greetings in Pulaar!!! I was totally surprised and so later that day I came and sat down next to him for a while. He knew a good amount of Pulaar too. He and about four of his friends sat down and starting asking me why I’m here. It took me a while to convince them that I’m not Peace Corp. Then the conversation moved to Jesus and he quickly asked, “Who is Jesus’ Mother?” Then he asked “Who is Mary’s Mother?” Before I could answer, someone else asked “Who is Jesus’ father?” I quickly responded “GOD!” They all gave the same reaction. I don’t know how to describe it but the noise would be a cross between the noise you make when you stub your toe and when you see a car crash. They all stared at me in disbelief from what I had said. I tried to say with my face “Bring it. It’s the truth!!” but on the inside I was saying “AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! What are they going to do to me?????” They asked me a couple more questions and then I could tell they had enough. I was told to go back and talk to Patrick.
I run into people all the time and I’m able to share a little about my faith like I did in this story. It will be fun to see if anything happens to the seed that was planted that day. I also had a big laugh yesterday when my new friend came up to me and gave his greetings and then Patrick looked at me and said, “You two are friends now?” PRAISE THE LORD!

TEST?!?!?!?!

2008-06-27T07:40:00.000-07:00

Yeah I didn’t believe it when I first heard it too, but I have a big test coming up soon. On July 8th I will take a test to see how much Pulaar I really know. I will sit and talk will three Pulaar speakers. They have a checklist of the things that I should know and afterward they will tell me if they feel I am a Level One Pulaar speaker.
I won’t be able to start my research until I become a Level Two. If I do well on July 8th, I might have my level two test in 2 or 3 months. If I don't do as well as they expect, I will have about 4 more months of language school. If I do horribly on the test they’re going to send me into the bush and make me live by myself. I made that last part up, but there will be some changes. I'm hoping they won't be that drastic!
So, over the past few days I’ve been a little crazier than normal, and I know it won’t stop until I take the test. Sometimes I think I really need to study and I stay at home and study the whole night, and at other times I think I’m fine where I’m at in my language and focus more on my relationships and friends. It will be a battle trying to find a nice balance during the next week and a half.
I have many mixed feeling about this upcoming test. I’m really anxious to get out and start my work but I really enjoy my time with my language teacher and helping the new believer as he grows. Please pray that I can keep my mind focused and that I will be able to balance my time between studying Pulaar, building relationships with my friends, and most importantly, building my relationship with Jesus Christ.

Re-inventing the Wheel

2008-06-21T03:20:00.000-07:00

Today, being the first day of summer, I thought I would show you something that I made a couple of weeks back. Here in West Africa you try anything to beat the heat and this new toy that I made is doing a really good job.

It all started a while back when I was talking to my Dad on Skype. I don’t remember exactly what we were talking about but the African heat was one of the topics. I explained that I have fans and that they do a good job but on some nights the fans just move the hot air and it’s difficult to go to sleep on those nights. My Dad responded “You got fans right? Make an air conditioner! You can do it like one in a car but use cold water instead of Freon.” And that got the wheels turning upstairs.

My first issue that I had to discover was how to get the air around the fan cold so that the fan would then blow cold air. I had a couple ideas and then I had an even greater idea. The internet!!!! I did a search online and I found about three different sites of people who made a contraption with cold water and a fan to cool the air. I studied them, and decided what I would do. I would put copper tubing on the back of a fan and then ran cold water threw the tubing and the condensation would lower the temperature around the fan.

The next big step was a way to get the water to move through the tubing. After making a big mess I canceled out using a siphon system and knew I would have to use a water pump. This is a whole 'nother story by itself but my friend Roy and I were able to find an aquarium store back when I spent that week in Dakar.

So after getting the pump I then searched the city of Kolda for the rest of the materials that I needed. I had a really fun time trying to explain what I wanted. I would say I’m using a fan, and cold water to get cold wind, and they would just stare at me. Half of them would look at me like I’m crazy and the other half would look at me like I was a mad scientist or something. So either way, I looked crazy…but that’s nothing new!!!!!!

So after making an even bigger mess than before I was able to get the water to circulate. The water pump wasn’t very powerful so I had to raise it, I first had a chair but then I went all out and had one of my friends make a stool for the ice chest to sit on.

This last picture is showing you the final product. If you look closely in the background you can see that I have it pointed right at my bed. Right before I go to bed I drop in about 3 big chunks of Ice and I get beautiful cold air till 3 or 4 in the morning, even if I don’t use ice it lowers the temperature slightly but when you got ice, you use it.

So are you jealous???

Oh yeah

2008-06-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

The other day I was riding home from my Pulaar class and on the other side of the street I saw something that I've never seen before. It was two white people each on their own motorcycle . The motorcycle was loaded down with stuff like they have been riding for a long distance. When I saw them I kinda tilted my head and stared at them, you know like a dog does when he is confused. It was a sight because they looked out of place. So when they passed me they both gave me a nod. That same nod that people give in those small Texas towns when you pass each other. And that’s when it hit me - I wasn’t any different. I may not have had my motorcycle loaded down with things on my trip across Africa, but I was a white guy wearing a bright orange African outfit riding down the road on a motorcycle. I guess sometimes I forget how out of place I look when I'm traveling down the streets in West Africa.

For a final update on my health, I'm now back to 100%!! After the last blog it took about 3 more days for the swelling to go down in my neck but now I'm fine and have no sign of the sickness reappearing. Thanks again for your prayers.

MMMMMM.....Penicillin!!!!! (part 2)

2008-06-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

I know that yall are all very worried, so I will first say that I'm a lot better! I woke up on Sunday morning without the fever and in a whole lot less pain. I still had swollen glands in my neck, but the fever was gone along with about 80% of the pain, and that made me really happy. As Sunday went on, I felt a lot of my strength coming back and I was even able to go next door to watch a soccer game on TV, but other than the 2 hours for the game I stayed inside my house and tried to keep my strength. Because I knew the next day was Monday.

Today when I woke up, I felt even better. My headaches were gone. I still feel and see that my glands are swollen but a noticeable amount less from the past two days. I went through my regular morning schedule and then went off to my language class. Had a very nice and smooth class, after class I had lunch at a restaurant in town and I returned home, in which I will stay in the neighbor the rest of the day.

The next couple of days I try to keep very calm and peaceful, sometimes that is very hard to do some times when you in Africa, but I will try. The next couple of days are also very important because on Thursday, the 12th, the whole Fulakunda team (4 adults and 3 children) are going to The Gambia. There we will have some team meetings, do so much needed shopping and relaxation, and get to speak some English (Gambia is a English colony). Please pray for the next couple of days so that I will be able to regain my health back to normal so I will be able to enjoy our time in The Gambia. Also pray for our travels and the many new faces and people that we will meet on this new adventure.

Thanks again, for your prayers, I have really felt them the past two days.

MMMMMM.....Penicillin!!!!!

2008-06-07T05:13:00.000-07:00

Over the past 5 months, my health has been a lot better than I thought it was going to be. But as we all know, things don’t stay perfect for ever. Over a week ago I started having some pain in my neck, mostly when I swallowed. I didn't think much of it and just took some flu medicine and some immune busters. The pain that I would experience would be strong one day and then the next day it would feel almost gone. This went off and on for almost a week. I starting asking around and many people have had the same thing and they all told me to get this medicine called "Anjil." So I went to the pharmacy and asked the dude there and he confirmed and gave me the medicine. He told me the dosage and that it will take a day or two for it to start working. So after that, I went to go have lunch at a local restaurant and by the time I got home the pain had worked its way over to one side of my neck and it was starting to get really swollen. So I went home, read the information, (the papers inside the box are in French and English which helped out alot) found out that I got some penicillin. I was just about a day too late on going to the pharmacy because that night my neck got real swollen, I had a real bad fewer (102.5), and lost all my energy.

As I'm typing this its now, it’s the next day, and I woke up with the same pain. As the day is going on I'm starting to feel relief from the medicine but still in the back of mind is the thought that there was a miss communication somewhere down the line and I have the wrong medicine. Please pray for my body as I'm trying to recover from this illness, and please pray for my mind, that I can still be aware of my surroundings and continue to keep my testimony. I don’t know how but everybody in the neighborhood knows that I don't feel well and if I step outside for a second I get three or four people asking if I’m OK.

I can see the change!

2008-06-04T03:37:00.000-07:00

When you’re an American living in West Africa you experience change and/or something different every day. But over the past couple of days I have experienced this change to a whole new level. About 3 months ago I started playing soccer (or football) with some of the kids my age in my neighborhood. I have a very fun time playing and the other kids all seem love playing with the white guy!!! I know it wasn’t a good picture but from that last blog you can see that the area that we play is just an open space, no grass, just dirt! I never played soccer before on the dirt so quickly filled the stereotype that American’s don’t play soccer, but over time I gain accustomed to the dirt, was able to bring but my soccer skills from my pee-wee days, and slowly I began to regain my confidence. My confidence was the easy thing; the next thing that I had to do was gain the confidence of the other kids. And over time I have seen the change in the eyes and by what they tell me. I am no longer token white guy that has to play because he bought the ball, I’m still not to the point where I think they truly accept me as one of them but I’m gaining respect. Which brings me to real topic, the friendships that I had made because if it. Once it gets dark, for the Africans, it’s the time to go home, wash up, answer the call of prayer, and then get ready for dinner. The last few time that I’ve played, I stayed after sat on a log and discussed religion with one of the other guys. He knew a good amount of English so the conversation would be about 75% Pulaar and 25% English and we are able to communicate very well. He is a very smart kid; I believe that he is in line for being a leader in the local mosque. I was surprised when talking to him seemed to have been educated about Missionaries. He was the first person that herd use the word missionary and after that he quickly asked about my family and I was able to talk about how hard it was to be away for my family and the choices that I had to make to do so. He seemed very eager to tell me what the Koran said and he was very excited when I accepted the question of “When you speak Pulaar really good, if you teach me the Bible, can I teach you the Koran?” I pray that the relationship that I have will continue to grow and I will be able to share with them what I believe. I pray that over time, my relationship and trust with the people that I play soccer with will grow. And that it will give me the opportunity to share with them about God’s son.

Also on another note, with the first day on June came the rainy season. And believe it or not, the first heavy rain of the season was on June 1st. The change that is happening because of this is also a whole new experience. I smell the rain in the air, the wind is much stronger, and even the dirt has changed. It used to be very sandy and very close to the color of sand on a beach and now the water has made it to be almost like the dirt on a baseball field, the orange tone, the getting stuck to the bottom of your shoes, I love it!!!!

Homesickness and my home

2008-05-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

As I told y'all on my last blog I went to the capital city of Senegal, Dakar, to hang out with a friend and spend some of my vacation days. It was really fun and a nice time that I had in Dakar. The thing that I enjoyed the most had to be the food. Since the city is a little more developed I was able to eat some food that I can’t find in Kolda. The pizza, bacon, huge hamburgers, and even apples gave me a huge smile. But over this trip I learned a lot about myself. It’s hard to explain why but I had many experiences that let me know I’m where I'm supposed to be right now. First example would have to be how I got to Dakar. I took a set-plas (that’s seven people in French, 7 people one driver). I drove for 12 hours in a station wagon and I was hump seat in the back row, and for some reason that didn’t bother me??? Also the other big thing that surprised me was that I got home sick. Three months ago I had some of the same feelings about the things that were missing. I was missing speaking Pulaar, sitting under the shade tree and talking, and yes I was even missing the heat. I don’t know why but all I can pull from it is that I’m in the right place. If you would have told me two years ago I that I would be homesick from a small town in West Africa I wouldn’t have believed you, I might not have even believed it 3 months ago.
Now that I have internet at my house I’m able to spend a little more time uploading pictures and stuff like that and I thought that this blog would be a great time to show y'all a few pictures of my house. So….here you go, my home in West Africa

Here is a view from my front door. It’s also where I play soccer right out in the middle of the street. The big tree in the background is the one that I sit under and hang out with the Sheriff.

This is my kitchen I don’t use it a lot, but I do
cook in it!!!

This is my bed room, perty simple. Got a bed, dresser and that door in the back it to my bathroom.

And this is my living room. I got some nice couches and as you can see it is where I have my computer. I also use it as my desk. I have a guest room and another room that you are welcome to come visit anytime. I store my bike, washing machine, and my drying rack in them but when you've seen one room, you've seen the others. Thanks for taking the time to look at my house.

THIS BOOK MAKES ME SO HAPPY!

2008-05-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

If ya’ll remember, I have asked for prayer for me and my language teacher as communicating with each other has been such a challenge. I am pleased that the rocky start we had was the beginning of what I see to be a long relationship. The last 30 minutes of class every day we spend reading the book of John. I have it written in Pulaar before hand and then we read what I wrote. Next, I rewrite in English, just above what I wrote before in Pulaar. As we read, sometimes I have a language question and we stop and look it up in one of my dictionaries or he would explain it to me. I’ve told ya’ll before that his best friend became a believer a couple of months ago. I remember asking the new believer if he talks with my language teacher about the Bible and he gave me a response that I never will forget, “He’s my best friend. We have known each other since we were young. I talk about it every time I see him.” That really inspired me. My teacher always tells me that he is very happy when his is reading the Bible. I decided to be very direct and ask him if he believed the Bible and he answered a very direct and quick, “Yes.” So then I asked him, “So, you’re not a Muslim, you’re a Christian?” He had a short pause like he never thought about it before and then he pointed to the Bible and told me that it’s the truth and the only way to get to heaven. I was very happy to hear those words but I was also saw that with this new decision there are a lot of circumstances that will greatly change his life now. So, I did the only thing I know to do; I continue to be his friend and continue to pray for him.
The other day he surprised me greatly and told me something that I will never forget. He was very excited and was telling me about “the last days” and how Jesus was going to be the Judge on that day. I told him about another story that talks about that and opened up the bible to Matthew 25. I told him to read the parable of the sheep and goats and that we would talk about it the next day. Being African I knew he knew a lot more than me the differences between goats and sheep and he seemed to understand the parable very clearly and sounded very proud. He said, “I am a Sheep owned my Jesus.” Beautiful, huh?!
On a lighter side I will be spending the next couple of days on vacation. I will be taking a bus to the capital city and will be spending about 5 days with my friend Roy from training I had back in November and December. On the way back, instead of the 12 hr drive, I will be taking a overnight boat and a 3 hr drive. I’m super excited to be able to talk with my friend Roy again and can’t wait to see what God has in store for me over the next couple of days.

I'VE BEEN ORANGED!

2008-05-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

If ya’ll remember, back in February I told the story on how I got a bill to get my phone line set up. Over the past two months there have been many tries to get everything fixed so I could get internet at my house. And if you wondering, the phone company here is called Orange, that’s why I’ve been “Oranged”.
I just want to share with you the African experience that I’ve just been through. In the middle of March I got the phone line installed. They came out and connected it to my house. The company told me everything should work and left, but I had no dial tone! I made a trip to the phone company, and after waiting an hour, I was able to tell them that my phone was not completely set up. A couple of days later my phone rings!! I pick it up and the guy tried to speak French. That didn’t work so I tried to speak Pular. Eventually I figured out that my phone was working and that I needed to go back to the phone company to get stuff set up for the Internet. I went, waited, and then was told they will call me when they “get everything worked out”. After some time, I realize that I can receive calls on my phone, but I’m not able to make calls. So I go back to the phone company, wait, and then tell them what’s going on with my phone. (Let me remind you this is going on in either my broken Pulaar or the worker’s broken English) They tell me they will check on it and let me know. Six more weeks pass and I get a call from the phone company telling me that there’s a problem somewhere in the city and they can’t find it. As soon as they find the problem, they will be able to fix it.
Finally, I got a call that they fixed it and soon after that I was able to call out on my phone. Now it was my boss’s turn. And after about a week of trying to contact people here and in the capital city, Scott got what we needed. I still wasn’t there yet since their program didn’t have the updates for Windows Vista yet. I don’t know what Scott did, but he got whatever was needed and shortly after that I was able to get the Internet set up in my home. It only took four and a half months, but now I am happy!
So now I have Internet and I don’t have to go to the cyber café. I’m able to take my time and get a lot more things organized. Now that I have Internet I will be able to do more things, but as of right now, I don’t know where I should start. If you have any ideas please let me know. What do you want to know about Senegal, the Fulakunda, and what pictures would you like me to get so I can show y’all? You can let me know by leaving a comment on this blog or emailing me at erk2p@hotmail.com Thanks again for all your prayers and support.
If you want to know, the coolest thing about having the internet at my house is being able to listen to some American radio. And yes, that means that I have been waking up at 2 in the morning and listening to the Spurs games on the radio. GO SPURS GO.

YOU'RE GONNA START SOME PROBLEMS!

2008-05-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of weeks I have been having some conversations with my friend. He first told me that the Koran and the Bible are the same, and he seems very fascinated that I would not agree with him on that statement. I tell him that the Bible says things that I know he doesn’t agree with (like Jesus being God’s son) and I ask him, “Does the Koran say that?” About a week ago we stayed up until almost 2 in the morning talking about this subject. He would ask a question and I would explain to him what I believe and why I believe that. Personally, it’s very hard for me to believe that I can say that much in Pulaar and have someone understand me. There was a couple of times that I had to repeat myself but all in all I’m sharing my faith and I love it. So anyways I was talking to this friend the other day and he told me something very truthful that I knew took some thought on his part. He told me that when I start my job I will go out and talk to and meet all the people in the villages and if I find someone that wants to follow Jesus, it will mean problems. He reminded me that if the family continues to follow the way of Islam, the new believer might even get kicked out of the village. “What do you plan to do about that?” he asked me.
I stood there a while and then told him that I don’t know. I told him I would ask around and get back to him and then I tried to explain to him that things on this earth are not as important as eternal things. He didn’t think I understood his question so he then told me again…and I then repeated my answer back to him. We were both clear on the question, and then the Holy Spirit reminded me of a story of some believers of a “sister people group” in the country of Nigeria. I told him that there are some believers that are having their houses burned down by their families and all their livestock is being slaughtered because they are following Jesus. I then asked him, “What’s more important, your house on earth or God’s house in heaven. He quickly responded, “God’s house!” and the conversation changed because someone else walked up.
Persecution is something that is real and something that happens everyday for the local believers here in West Africa. Persecution has claimed many houses, cattle, jobs, and yes, even lives. Please pray for the work that is being done here in West Africa. Pray for the local believers that they can stand strong in their faith. Pray for the ones that have felt the persecution - that they can be assured of their salvation and that they can find the courage to still proclaim. Pray that the walls of persecution will not hinder the spread of the gospel but will open even more paths that lead to God’s Son. Also pray for the seekers, for the ones looking for the truth, the one that may even believe it, but can also see the consequences of this decision. Pray that they know what they’re getting themselves into, but also that they also know the reward that’s waiting for them at the end.
“I have come to set the world on fire…..” Luke 12:49 NLT

Now i find it!!!!

2008-04-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I was hangout by my house talking to my friends, my broken Pulaar is coming along very nice, I think so at least. I was hangin out with the sheriff, that same guy that welded my lamp, as you can see in the blog below. We were talking about boats or something, I don’t know, I look up and I see a man walking around with a bunch of lamps! In Africa there are a lot of people who just walk around the city with a bunch of stuff just trying to make a living, some people like to call it walk-mart. Anyways, I call him over and look at them. No it didn’t have a stand with it but had the switch and socket, and the plug already assembled and with this fancy stretchy wire, (like on a telephone). I still would have needed the sheriff to make me that stand, but I could have saved the hassle of making the switch and all that stuff.

But missing out in all that fun of making it, and electrocuting myself twice. Nahhhh it was worth!!!!

I'M WAY TOO PROUD OF THIS!!!

2008-04-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

So I’m here in Africa and as you know there are a lot of things that you don’t find here that are easy to find in America...like a lamp! I really wanted a lamp. My room had only one big light and it was on the other side of the room so it was kind of a hassle when I would be reading and then the sleepy bug would hit but I didn’t want to fall asleep with the light on and I didn’t want to get out of bed to turn it off. I know the problems of a missionary are sooooo hard!!! Anyways, I looked all over the city and I couldn’t find one anywhere. Most of the people had no idea what I was even asking for. I was really losing hope on trying to find a lamp. Then one day I was at a hardware store and I was getting nails so I could…nail something. I got the brightest idea in the world… “I can just make one!!!” It took another 30 minutes trying to ask the dude behind the counter if he had everything that I needed, and yes he did. I went and drew up my lamp. I took the drawing over to my good friend, the sheriff, and within 30 minutes he welded together a stand for the light with some re-bar. I went home, put it together and now I have a lamp!!!! I know I could have done more stuff to it real easily to make it look better (like put a sheet over it!!!) but when you look at this lamp, remember that it’s coming from Africa, and that the only tool that I had was a leatherman, a hammer and a welder. When you first look at it, it looks really ugly, but after that second look it looks like something a fancy designer would use. I'm sure you understand...one of those things that is so ugly it’s cool. Remember this is coming from someone who has over 2 years experience in interior design. I know what I’m talking about!!! (Thanks Ben and Todd)

2008-04-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I got a haircut. I was starting to get a lot of people talking about my long hair, and I was even getting a lot of people asking me if they could braid my hair or add links to it. I knew that would get pretty close to a cultural line that I didn’t want to get near, yet. It was quite fun and a very different experience. And as most of ya’ll also know my hair during my college career got long; it was different and fun. Since I graduated high school I believe I’ve cut my hair 4 times. But before that, like the normal American I have had my hair cut by the same person almost my whole life. So when trying to figure out where I should get my hair cut I had to make a very difficult decision…I went to the place closest to my house. It was a fun time. I had about 4 people in the room watching me and I had to give the dude cutting my hair a couple of pointers. When cutting hair for guys he only knew one hair cut - shave it. And then I had to try to explain to everyone that if I shaved my head that it would burn. They just don’t understand about sunburns, they think it’s really funny. I didn’t ask him, but I’m pretty sure I was his first white guy. Another thing that I know ya’ll would like to hear, is how much I paid for this wonderful trim. I paid the guy one thousand Fcfa. And I knew I was giving the dude way too much, almost twice as much as what all my friends said they pay. But a thousand Fcfa is equal two about 2 and a half bucks and I just couldn’t bring myself to ask for change after I handed him a 1000.
Things are going great; it’s starting to get really hot and I got about 3 more months until rainy season starts. I don’t know if it gets even hotter. I might even try the shaven head if it does. I thought I was using a lot of sunscreen so I can’t image how much I would use on my head if there was no hair.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SENEGAL!

2008-04-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

April 4th, 1960 in Senegal is the equivalent of the USA’s July 4th, 1776. I thought this would be a great time to tell you all a little about Senegal.
Senegal is a country filled with many different people groups, all of which have their own language, culture, tradition, animistic beliefs, and way life. I can think of eight right off the top of my head and there’s many more than that. Of the many different languages in Senegal, French is the official language, and Wolof is the national language. Pulaar is probably the third most spoken language in Senegal, but I haven’t done any research or anything on that.
The people on Senegal rely heavily on the land on which they live in with peanuts as one of their major exports. Senegal’s economy is greatly influenced by agriculture.
Senegal is a country of almost 20 million people. I’ve heard anywhere from 92% - 97% are Muslim - I guess it matters who’s doing the research. Actually last month they had a huge Islam convention in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. I really didn’t know what to think when I looked at the TV and I saw the president of Senegal talking to the person who claims to speak for every Muslim country. Senegal is just like many of the countries around the world that are filled with lost people who have little to no chance of having the gospel presented to them. April 4th will be a day filled with Senegalese people celebrating their country. Please join me on this day and pray for the people of Senegal. Pray for the missionaries in Senegal, the government, the schools, the people and their fields. Pray that April 4th is also a day for the Kingdom of God.

YEAH! I'M DEFINITELY IN AFRICA!

2008-03-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

So, the other day after playing soccer I was taking a shower. You know the just the same ol’ same ol’. I actually was having a really good shower! I have a hot water heater, but I don’t use it on the account that it’s 150 degrees outside, but it sure is nice. So yeah, I was in the middle of washing my hair and I had my eyes closed. I opened them and I noticed that something was not right - there were colors that were not supposed to be. As most of ya’ll know I’m not really good with colors and my first thought was that it was red because of a big cut and it was blood all around me. After a second look I noticed that it wasn’t red, it was brown!!!!!!! I’m telling you that if I was wearing pants, I would have been scared right out of them!!! I jumped out of the water and stared at it a while. I watch as it turns to a lighter shade of brown and then back to that very nasty brown color again (you know what I’m talking about). After a couple of minutes I started thinking about my options and how I can get clean. I walk to my kitchen and get my 5 liter jug of water that I have sitting around just in case of a water emergency. I get everything all ready for a good old bucket bath, but I decided to wait and give the shower water one more try before the bucket bath. Sure enough, the water slowly turned back to the color that it should be. So…I took a shower.
I know not too long ago I talked about retrieving my cell phone in my septic system. But this one is different. There is a whole different mindset when expecting something dirty. I guess when you’re in Africa you can never let your guard down on stuff like that. I got a picture of that lovely water coming out of the sink and no there is no hidden tea packet or I didn’t get board and have too much fun playing with the photo programs on my computer, this picture is pure Africa!!!!

IT'S OFFICIAL - I'VE EXPERIENCED CULTURE SHOCK

2008-03-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

As most of ya’ll know, the two months before I got here I spent training with the IMB. It was a great time where I was able to grow and learn about my job. There was one topic that was stressed a lot and I thought that it was never going to bother me. Yep, you guessed it, culture shock. There were tons of people that came to speak about the stages of culture shock, how to prevent it, how to recognize it in your colleagues, what to do about it, and how to overcome it. There even was this cool little video that a missionary from India made about culture shock. They must have shown it to us like five times.
My Sundays are just like your Sundays. In the morning I usually eat breakfast and then get ready to go to church. It’s probably not just like your church, but me and the other missionaries in this city have what you call “house church”. We sing, pray, someone teaches, all the same stuff that you would do. Anyways, this Sunday was different. When I woke up I remembered that all my colleagues were on a little vacation in a town about six hrs away. They asked me to come but, I thought I didn’t need a vacation. I thought I was fine; I love it here in Kolda! So, instead of going some where to worship God, I decided to worship in my place. I had a real nice peaceful morning. It started to become lunch time and I was thinking about my choices. Usually I just find a place in town to eat or I’ll eat at one of my friend’s houses with them. Today I cooked lunch and started watching a movie on my computer. After, I studied Pulaar a little, read a little and then I put in another movie. It was around six in the afternoon. I looked outside and I noticed that my night guard had already shown up and he was hangin out with some of my neighbors. For some reason I couldn’t get enough courage to get up and go outside to talk to them. So, I cooked dinner, watched another movie and called it an early night. I was not proud of myself knowing that I spent the whole day in my house and never even changed out of the clothes that I slept in.
So the next day was Monday. I wake up do my same morning routine and then go to my Pulaar class. I came home to eat lunch and do the only thing that I know - dive right back into the culture. I decided to leave my motorcycle at my house and walk to the market. I had a few things that I needed so I thought I would go on a little shopping spree. I bought a spatula, a mouse pad, some light bulbs, and I spent about an hour talking with the people in the clothes market. There’s this place that gets these big bags of clothes from America, Europe, and all those places and you just go looking through the piles until you find something that you want. I almost bought this shirt that was from a Doctor’s convention in Houston. It was perty cool with a big Texas Flag on it. So during my adventure I randomly met the chief of my neighborhood. He was a fun dude and was very interested in my job and why I was here. His friend was very curious that I believe that Jesus Christ is GOD. He asked a lot of questions that I was able to answer. I just hope that the door will still be open once my language gets stronger and I can answer some of the deeper question.
I went home, put my stuff away and hung out with my friend, the Sheriff and his family. They were all really worried about me because they knew I spent the entire day in my house on Sunday. They were asking me tons of questions thinking that I was sick or something. I finally said, “I’m white. You’re black. I was tired, and I’m not used to living in Africa!!” I know they didn’t understand but they did understand enough that I’m going to live and that I don’t need to eat some special plant that will make me poop or something.
I love my job. I’m starting to like this language, and most importantly, I love my Lord. And because I love Him, I’m trying to love the Fulakunda. Some days are a lot harder than others, but I’m here for a reason and to do that I know I have to live amongst the Fulakunda. I eat what they eat, I smell what they smell, I’m trying to talk what they talk, and I sweat like they sweat. Please pray that I can remember God’s love for these people. Pray that I will keep my eyes on the only one that can give me the rest that I need. Pray that I will be more like him.

A LOT OF LESSONS IN ONE DAY!

2008-03-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

Alright, I knew that this story would be hard to believe so I got some pictures too. This first picture is my back yard, (I guess you would call it that). I got a bunch of those squares all over the place and I never really investigated them, so I thought I would take a peek. And as you can see it’s my drainage system. I played around a little and found out that this is all the junk that comes from my kitchen sick. I was done playing and I grabed the cover to put the lid back on and my phone falls out of my shirt pocket and down into the yummy water. I stood there like five minutes staring at the water trying to figure out what just happened. I learned a lesson: shirt pockets may be convenient, but when you least expect it, they will turn on you. So I’m standing there, and since I was also in the middle of me lunch I quickly returned but to my food. During lunch I decided that the phone might be dead but if I got it back, I could get the sim card back and save the hassel of changing numbers. After about ten mintues of debating with myself I got enough courage, put on my swin siut and went after the phone. It took my a while to climb down. It was hard with just that little hole and small space, but as I got down there I was very lucky (yeah, I’ll say lucky), The water was only about two feet deep and I only had to put one leg in that water. I found my phone and climbed back out and took like a ten minute shower. I was happy because then I didn’t have to tell everybody the embarssing story about how I lost my phone while I’m giving them my new number. I learned a lesson. I got my phone, took it apart, as much as I could, and told myself that I would try it out tommorow. The next morning I put my phone back together, and it worked!!!! The thing dried out in less than 16 hours. I learned a lesson, the African heat has some uses!!! I was all happy about my phone, but then the next day I found out that it was too good to be true. My phone didn’t charge. I looked up in my books all the words that I needed to know to explain the story and off I went to see if anyone could help. I go to one place where the dude speaks some English, but the guy sends me about two streets over where the dude is a specalist on batteries. That dude sends me to someone about a kilometer away. After a lot of help, I found the right place and tell the story. He said to give him 8000 CFA (about 8 or 9 bucks) and he would fix it. I knew I was giving him too much, but I was just happy that he said he could fix it. Anyways I sat there and watched him take the thing apart and put it back together like three times as he was looking for what was wrong with the phone. He was also fixing three other phones at the same time. He never found the problem but he gave me a charger that would work. Now when I need to charge my phone I take out the battery and connect to the charger. I got a picture cause it’s real hard to explain.

It made me think back to when my phone back in America broke and no one wanted to help me. My African experience was ten times better. I learned a bunch of lessons on this adventure…. STUPID SHIRT POCKET!

PICTURES TELL STORIES

2008-03-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

The other day I was hanging out at the same compound where I almost passed out from dehydration. They were showing me a bunch of pictures that they had. It’s really interesting that in their photo album this family had, they had the regular pictures of them staring at the camera or making a really funny face, but in the mix of their pictures were two other white girls. They told me that one was from Germany and was here 5 years ago, and the other was from Switzerland from about 3 years ago. It made me wonder about this family. It is very uncommon for a family to have a white person as a friend and this family has had at least 3. Please pray that THIS white guy will be different. I have no idea who those people were or why they came to Kolda, but I hope that this family will see more than just another white guy. Pray that they will see that Jewish carpenter that wants to know them. Anyways, let me get back to the pictures. They were showing me pictures so I thought I would pull out some of the pictures that I have. I had a bunch of pictures of my family, and they were very impressed with the pictures and that I could describe who everyone was. I knew I would need to know all the words for family so I’ve been practicing them a lot. This one girl in the family, I think she’s 8, asked for one of the pictures. I asked her which one and then she showed me a picture of me and my nephew Sam. “Bbiddo jaja am – baby older sister mine.” It’s this picture right here.

Then her mother asked her “Why do you want that picture?” and she responded “It’s a picture of Erik.” The mother then said, “That’s not Erik. That guys is huge!” I then shook my head yes and said, “That’s me!” She had to show the picture to everyone in the room again and ask what they thought.
Here in Africa it’s too hot to wear tight clothes, you wear big baggy clothes that don’t show off your physique. Ok, Ok, maybe I have lost a little weight, but not that much! It sure does make you think, right? I know that I’m eating more than I did in my college days, but I guess when rice is over half your meals your body starts to adjust. Or maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t had a Whataburger in over 3 months! MAN, I really want one of those right now!!!!!

SOME THINGS ARE CULTURE and SOME ARE COMPLETE ACCIDENTS!

2008-03-09T15:29:00.001-07:00

The other day I’m in language class and my teacher is introducing me to some new verbs. We get to the verb, “saltaade”, which means “to refuse”. My teacher says the word, and then I look it up in my dictionary, and say, “to refuse”. My teacher then repeats what I said and flaps one of his arms like a chicken. I’ve never seen that before so I try my hardest to figure out what it means. My teacher would make the motion and then say “to refuse,” then do it again and say “saltaade”. He did that like twice and in the middle of one of the times, he turned his head to the side and blew a snot rocket (snot rocket - to blow your nose without a tissue). In my mind I just thought that blowing a snot rocket was another African way of saying, “I don’t want it” I’d never seen the flapping one arm thingy so I didn’t think the snot rocket would be that different. Anyways, I figured out what I wanted and we went on forward to some more verbs, or should I say “dandols”. About 30 minutes later my teacher blew another snot rocket and thinking about his earlier lesson I said, “saltaade”. My teacher then says “I’m sorry” and gets up and walks about 10 ft away while continuing to blow his nose. Now I can tell he thinks that I don’t like it when he does that. If you know me, then you know that blowing a snot rocket does not bother me at all. It’s actually on my top ten list of things to do when I’m board.
Some people say you learn something new every day, and I’m also finding out that you learn something wrong every day. So….yeah, if you’re ever coming to West Africa, remember, blowing a snot rocket doesn’t mean that you refuse, it just means that you got buggers in your nose!
Quick side note, my teacher’s best friend, just became a believer. So over the next few months he will be in close contact with two Christians. Pray not only for the witness of the new believer, but for the witness that I will be on my teacher.

KNOWING THE TRUTH

2008-03-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

One thing that’s hard to believe is that I’ve been living in Africa for 2 months. If I ever wonder if it’s true, all I have to do is take a look out my window and … I’m in Africa!! Almost every time I’m watching a movie, right in the middle of it I will hear the call to prayer, a donkey braying, or any other random African noises and I tell myself, “Oh yeah, I’m in Africa!!”
I want to give you an update on my friend Bob, and thank you for your prayers for him. He is just one of the many over here that are blind to the truth. If you haven’t been keeping up with my blogs, I gave him a bible about 3 weeks ago. I try to hang out with this family at least once a week and the last time I was there Bob told me, “I read the whole bible and I didn’t see where it says that God is three.” My response was, “OK, that’s fine, so do you believe that the bible is true?” …. “Yes” … “So do you believe what is says about Jesus is true?”…. “What???”… “Do you believe that all those miracles? Do you believe Jesus died on the cross and came back to life three days later?” By his response and the look on his face I don’t think he ever read the Bible, but I don’t go there. We talked a little more about some of the miracles that Jesus did, and then he asked me, “Who killed Jesus?” Bob has asked me some good questions so I know he is searching for the truth, but it also seems that he wants to stay where he is.
We all know that you can’t change the truth. Some people here flat out reject it. Some of the people know the truth, but don’t want to believe because it means that they will have to change. Some people, like my friend Bob, have the truth within their reach but can’t take that first step and take hold of it. Sadly, there are many people here in Senegal that have never and might never get the chance to hear the truth. Pray for the truth and pray that the word of God and the word alone will convict these people. Pray that I remember that my job is not to make them believe; my only job is to present the truth and leave the rest up to Holy Spirit. Pray that the Fulakunda, West Africa, and the world will quit hiding from truth. Like I said earlier, you can’t hide from the truth for too long!
Hey, if you haven’t gone to www.gowestafrica.org you need to. You can find info on the Fulakunda, or about the many other people groups in West Africa. April 4th and 5th, there will be a big convention in South Carolina that tries to connect the many people in America with the many opportunities to serve the Lord over here in West Africa. Many times missions start because of events like this. Please keep it in your prayers.

The Language of PULAR

2008-03-01T06:46:00.001-08:00

As I’m spending my time here in Kolda my biggest prayer request is still my language. There’s a parable here in West Africa that “Slowly, Slowly, you catch a monkey in the bush.” When I say it they seem to get a big kick out of it. I hope they’re laughing at the parable and not at me, but it wouldn’t be the first time. And that’s just what is happening…I’m slowly getting this language. Now that I’m here I have been told that Pulaar is probably the toughest language of West Africa , so yeah, I do mean slowly. There’s only one way to eat an elephant, one bite at a time!!!!! I really do appreciate the prayers for my language and I thought that I would spend this time and just tell you some cool things about this language that make it so “fun” to learn.
NOUNS: A lot of times the singular and plural words are completely different. For example, Man – gorko Men – worbe
ARTICLES: If you look up the translation for the word “the” in the Pulaar-English dictionary you won’t find one – not because they don’t have a word for it, but because they have 23!!!!! Each noun has its own article and you basically have to just remember the article along with the word. And yes, it’s different for singular and plural nouns.
VERBS: In Pulaar, verbs aren’t necessarily conjugated for the subject. Instead, it depends more on when the action occurred. To conjugate, you get the stem of the verb and if it is present tense you add –ii; if it is present negative you add –aani. There is also a past tense and 2 future tenses that both have different negative forms (One of the future tenses is for when you know what will happen and the other is for when you aren’t sure what will happen).
MULTIPLE MEANINGS: There are a lot words in this language that are hard to translate and/or have two meanings. You just have to know the context of what they’re talking about. For example to read and to learn are the same word in Pulaar. Another example is the word Nande which means to hear and/ or understand (because many people in Africa can understand a language but they can’t speak it). The word that I gave you earlier, gorko¸ doesn’t just mean man it also can mean husband if it has a possessor after the word. One of my favorite things about this language is the many words for wash. There’s a different word for washing clothes, washing yourself, washing your hands, and washing your feet. I don’t know why, but I think that’s awesome!!!
As I said before I don’t expect to learn this language over night and I plan to still be taking language classes 6 months from now! As you can see, I almost have to totally re-wire my brain to be able to get this language. So please continue to pray for my language learning. Pray for my teacher. As I start learning more language I will start to bring out my Pulaar New Testament and translating them and using the bible as my lesson plan for learning Pulaar. That’s perty deep…lesson plans of life…I can go on for hours. I will not only share with my teacher but please pray that I will be able to “practice” these stories on my friends and eventually for the many villages and people that I will visit.

GOOD NEWS - BAD NEWS!

2008-02-23T07:19:00.000-08:00

I’ll start off with the bad news first cause if I don’t, it kinda ruins my point.
Bad News: There is only one Cyber Café in Kolda that has wireless Internet where I’m able to connect with my computer. I go there every ten days or so to send my blog and/or receive other documents that I need. Well, a few days ago I went there to spend a good 2 hours, but I got there and the place was under construction. It’s all good though, I’ve been getting by. I’ve been using my thumb drive a lot and I’ve been using these “frenchy keyboards.” I just have to remember where to click and/or guess the French word that looks close to the American word that I want.
Good News: Yesterday I got a bill from the phone company!!!!!! I couldn’t read it because it was all in French, but I called one of my colleges in the capital city and he is going to try and get it all figured out. I don’t know what it all means but I know that I’m one step closer to getting Internet in my house. I think the next step will be the actual installation of the phone line. Please pray that this whole process will go smoothly and that I will soon get Internet at my place. I’ve really been itch’n to get on the Internet and not have a time limit. And if Africa isn’t cooperating, which is probably most likely going to happen, pray for my patience and my time at the Cyber Café.

How Do You Handle a Hungry Journeyman?

2008-02-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share these pictures with you. What happens when you get a hungry journeyman, a can of ravioli, and no can opener?

It took me about 5 minutes to get this can open and as I looked at the can I thought to myself, “If I spent this much energy getting the can open, I’m going all out!!!” And then I turned the stove on and placed the can on top.

That was some of the best ravioli I have ever had. Except for yours, Mom ;)

And if you’re wondering, I have a can opener now!

I'M ALMOST THREE YEARS OLD NOW!!

2008-02-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

I have lived here in Kolda a little over six weeks now and I was thinking of all the things that I have learned. I have found a lot of new friends that are teaching me a things, but as you can tell by the title, I still have a lot that I need to learn. Everything that I’m learning can fit into two categories; language or culture. I was told when I first arrived that my only job here in Kolda for now is to learn the culture and the language.
When thinking about culture, the first thing that comes to mind is this whole thing about which hand to use. I can think of many times where someone hands me something and I reach out with my left hand to grab it and I realize what I’m doing and switch hands. When that happens, I always get that little half smile; don’t know what it means but at least they aren’t yelling at me!! There are also many things about the culture that I don’t understand but that I have to remember out of respect. My favorite was the other day - after sitting a while I was stretching and I left my hands to rest on top of my head. My friend calls out my name, puts his hands on his head and says “Moit yannie” (translation: not good). In this culture there are somethings that I know I won’t be able to understand completely but I just have to remember what I can and can’t do.
As I knew before I got here my biggest struggle is the language. I knew it would be hard, but I had no idea that it would be this hard! A lot of people speak some English. I love it when a random African sees me and they say the one thing they know in English, “Good Morning”, and its 3:00 in the afternoon!!! A small percentage of people speak enough English that I’m able to understand it, so right now when I communicate it consists of a lot of facial expressions and movements of the hands. My biggest prayer request right now is my language. Every night when I go to bed I’m exhausted, not from the sun, not from walking or playing soccer, but from my brain working so hard trying to communicate. I wish y’all could see my language classes. My teacher, Lamin, knows very little English and I know very little Pulaar. It’s a 2 hour class and I have to take a break after class just so I can continue with the day. To tell the truth I don’t know how we still like each other after class. Both of us get pretty frustrated when we still don’t get each other after trying to explain something for 14th time. Most of the time it doesn’t click until I’m able to talk to one my friends that speak English later that day or week. The Sheriff and Patrick have both been super big helps and I would probably still be a 2 year old without them. I keep telling myself that I just need to be patient and over time it will get easier and easier. I can’t wait for the day that I will be able to communicate with these people. Oh, I pray that day will come soon!!!

2008-02-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

Erik Pieniazek
BP 352
Kolda, Senegal

Here is my address. I know that a lot of ya’ll have been asking for it, so I thought that I would finally give it to you. I will get the mail if you send it to this address. Let me also give ya’ll some guidelines if you want to send something. It takes over a month for it to arrive. My team members have never had problems, but the African mail carriers are well known for opening mail and taking something if they want it. If I get a box in the mail, I will have to pay customs on it. Don’t let that stop you, but if you’re able to fit things in one of those padded envelopes then I don’t have to pay customs and envelopes don’t get opened and checked and all that good stuff. One thing that you can send me is pictures. Africans love pictures and I really didn’t bring as much as I would have liked. It doesn’t matter what the picture are of; pictures of your dog, pictures of us together, baby pictures, or just a pictures of the great state of Texas, the locals will still love them and it will be a great way to practice my language and build relationships. I, as of now, don’t need anything that won’t fit into an envelope. Please contact me if you want to send anything bigger than an envelope because there might be an easier way of me getting it to me. Teams come from the US throughout the year. Don’t hesitate if you do want to send something, have anyone questions. We all know that everybody loves mail! I would love to hear more about what’s going on in your life and how I can be praying for you.

WOW! You Guys Are GOOD!

2008-02-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share this with y’all as soon as I could. I hope that this story will make you as happy as it is making me. Remember the story about my friend who thought it was funny that I believe that God is one and three. (If you didn’t, then read the story below; it’s a good one) Well, early this week I had dinner with the same family again. My one friend, that speaks some English, and I were sitting outside and talking when the call to prayer went off. He asked me if I was going to pray, and I responded that I pray to Jesus Christ and I don’t need to go anywhere to pray. He then brought up the point again and asked “How can God be three, God is One?” There was a pause and then he asked, “How can God be man? God is God!” I then reminded him about Adam and Eve and how Adam was created in His image. There was another pause and then he asked about Mary, “How can God have a mother?” I responded that Mary is not God’s mother, Mary gave birth to Jesus, but Mary was a virgin. There was another pause, this one a little longer, and little more uncomfortable between us. He then asked if I believed if God is just up there (he was pointing up, because every time I said God, I pointed to the sky.) I said “No, God is everywhere. It says in the Bible that God is in all and through all.” There was another pause and he then asked me about my bible, and if he could read it. I responded saying that I have many bibles and that I would love to give him one but right now the only bibles I have are Pulaar and English (he speaks Wolof and doesn’t speak Pulaar). I asked him, “Do you want one in English, French, or Wolof?” He told me French, and I told him that will get one, and I would give it to him next time we see each other. There was another long pause, then he went to answer that call to prayer. Well, the next time I saw him was yesterday as I saw him pass by my house when he was walking home. I gave him the Bible and showed him the four gospels and told him they explain how Jesus is God. I then told him that John was my favorite of the four gospels and I like how it explains Jesus. He then told me that he will read John and then started to walk home. Please pray for Bob (don’t laugh, that’s actually the first three letters of his name). My friend Bob now has the Truth in his hands and it is between him and God to see if he is ready to accept that God is three.
When my friend Bob went off to pray I was just sitting there by myself, in shock over the conversation that just happened and that he had just asked me for God’s word. I was in shock trying to remember what just happened and then I remembered my blog and that shortly after reading about him, many of you stopped to pray. I could picture in my mind so many of you reading and praying. I knew that this conversation happened because of those prayers that came from each one of you reading this blog. I could do nothing but laugh and say, “God is Three!!! And God is Good!!!”

WHY IS EVERYONE LAUGHING AT ME?

2008-01-25T09:38:00.000-08:00

I’ve been living here in the city of Kolda for almost 3 weeks now, and things are going great. I would be lie’n if I said that I’ve loved every minute of it, but I am glad that I’m here. One thing that I was warned about by a lot of people was culture shock. I remember talking about it many times at orientation. I may have experienced bits and pieces of Culture Shock, but I still have not experienced it in the degree that I have been told about by many friends and colleagues. As I look back over my past years I can see that God has been preparing me for this my whole life! I remember many challenges and tests that God put me through that gave me the experience and knowledge to be here in West Africa. One of the things that God has prepared me for greatly is being laughed at! I’ve learned that being able to laugh at yourself is needed to survive while learning a culture and language. I thought I would share some of those stories where people were laughing at me and all I could do was laugh at myself too.
Everyone always laughed when I said the Pulaar word for bicycle. I would point to a bicycle and say the word and everyone would laugh. This week it happened three different days. I asked my new friend “Why is that funny?” and he explained that I wasn’t saying the word “bicycle” - I was saying “condom”! What else can I do but laugh at myself!! I can see a long relation with this new friend I’ve made. He speaks some English because he spent some time in Gambia, but he says many times to me “Don’t speak English to me, speak Pulaar.” His family’s compound is less than 100 ft from my house and I have been spending a lot of time with them. The Sheriff (my nickname for him) has been teaching me a lot of the language and his whole family is great and excited that I want to learn their language and that I’m here to study and research the Fulakunda.
You should have seen them laughing at me when I found Top Ramon. Well, if I would have seen my face I would have probably been laughing at me too. Man I love that stuff!
Another story that I will be laughing at for a long time is what happened to me on Friday. I had a perty long week and was doing a lot of different things. I walked to another compound where I made have made friends and started hanging out with them. It was great practicing the little Pulaar that I know, and just hangin with them. Then I started to feel kind of sick. If it wasn’t for my great non communication skills of putting the eyes in the back of my head and being covered in sweat they would not have known to take me inside, put a fan on me, and get me some water. I laid down and fell right to sleep. I was just a little dehydrated, ok.. maybe a lot dehydrated!!! I do know that this is something that this family and I will be laughing about for a long time. I pray that the relation with the family will begin to grow and once I learn the language I will be able to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them.
The people across the street from me sure did have a laugh when they watched me trying to start my motorcycle for like 5 minutes. Yeah, that’s right I got a Motorcycle! I will use an even bigger and cooler one once I start making research trips. Anyways, it was like five minutes of me trying to start the thing and finally someone comes over and he gets on it like he was going to start it. He couldn’t start it either. Within the next 5 minutes there were about 10 guys all trying to start the thing. The people at the shop had to install a whole new piston. But it’s all good now!!!
There is one thing that has happened to me at least three times that the locals sure do get a kick out of. I am learning from it, but I will never laugh along with them. I will share a story about a dude my age that speaks English that I met playing soccer. He introduced me to his family and made the statement: “God is One.” I replied, “Yes, God is 1 and 3.” He asked me and I explained to him that I believe in a God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He and his family sure did think that was funny and asked me “How can God be three?” The conversation didn’t go any farther than that and we started talking about other things.
I’m having a great time here in Kolda. I’m reminded of a quote that a fellow Journeyman told me back at orientation. He said, “Erik, the Africans are going to love you.” Well, they sure are laughing a lot! (That’s a good thing, right?) Pray that I will continue to learn from experiences and that both the locals and I will be able to laugh together. Please continue to pray for my language learning as I am now starting classes that will be 5 days a week. Also pray that God will continue to give me opportunities to share my faith with the Fulakunda and eventually be able to share to the stories of Jesus Christ with them.

Romans 10:15

2008-01-18T04:50:00.000-08:00

I think i finally get this verse!

There Goes the Neighborhood!!!!!

2008-01-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

This is my place in Kolda. It kinda sticks out in my neighborhood. It’s one of the only places that’s painted and it’s got that fence that’s painted real perty. It fits me, cause when I walk around….I stick out!!!! My orientation here in Kolda is going great. I couldn’t have planed it better myself. The Fulakunda team…Awesome!!! The Fulakunda People…Awesome!!! The city of Kolda….Awesome!!!! I’m learning a lot, some things are for the first time and some things I have to relearn, African style. Next week I get see if I know how to drive in Africa! I’m actually surprising myself on how much I know about cooking. I’m not that bad, or I’m not that bad of a critic !
Things have been going very smoothly. The people here in Kolda are very hospitable, and most people want to help and are very nice to me. As of now, I know less than 50 words in Pulaar. The people seem very happy when I say, “mi faalaa junngede Pulaar” (“I want to learn Pulaar”). Next week will still be a week of orientation for me and I should be starting language classes later this week or early next week! Let me give y’all a little more info on my job: for the next 6 months or so my job is to learn Pulaar! My only job is to live, and right now since I have the vocabulary of a 1 year old, that’s a challenging job. But I love it! I met someone in the market on Thursday. I was trying out the three lines in Pulaar that I knew and just trying to meet people and he knew a little English. He offered his help so Friday I spent about an hour with him. I plan to go back on Monday and many more times. Please pray for this new relationship that I’m starting, lets call him … Patrick. Please pray that I will build a strong relationship with Patrick and that we can continue share and learn from each other.
As I look ahead, I sure do have a lot of work in front of me! After I learn Pulaar, I’ll need to learn French. Next I’ll be researching the whole region and trying to find out more about the Fulakunda and how they can find out about Jesus. I’ll be sure to give y’all more information on that but like I said right now all I’m doing is just trying to learn the language. Actually one of my first jobs will be to map out the city of Kolda; that will be fun!!! This language is really hard, but I’m not stressed out. The Lord has given me the peace that I need. I was reading Genesis and the story of Joseph really helped me! Remember how he was sold into slavery, but he was righteous and people saw that he got all those promotions. Things got better for him then it happened all over again when he was sent to prison!!! Well, I was reminded of that right now that I have to be like Joseph. I might not be in prison, but I’m in a whole new environment with a whole new start!!! All I have to do is be righteous. All I need to do is keep my eyes on the Lord and the Good Lord will fulfill his promises!!!!! I know that this new adventure is going to take time and a WHOLE lot of energy, but I’m ready. Pray that I can remember to take it one day at a time and that I can keep my eyes on the Lord!

I'M IN AFRICA!!!

2008-01-04T17:44:00.000-08:00

I’m presently in a guest house owned by the IMB in Dakar, Senegal, and I’m lov’in it! I was kind of dreading the flights that I had to be on, but all three of them were very pleasant. I saw a bunch of snow in Chicago, walked about a mile in the London airport to get to my gate, met my friend from orientation, Roy, who is working with the Wolof in Northern Senegal, and while waiting in the line to go through customs in Dakar, got to talk to two other Christians who were also coming to do the Lord’s work in Senegal. My traveling went perfect but Roy’s bags did not come in. We’re hoping that they will be in the next flight that comes in on Saturday.
Thank you for your prayers concerning my travels. I’ve have been just hangin’ out here in Dakar the past few days. The local missionaries have taken turns showing Roy and I around the city and helping us get some assignments done. The first thing that we did was to go back to America - well, the American Embassy, which was still very African. We got all our paper work set for a Senegalese ID card. I got a Visa so I can go in and out of Gambia, and I got a phone so I can look cool. My unlocked cell phone that I had in the states works here!!!! All I did was buy a card that was 4,000 CFA (a little over 8 bucks). Praise God for the little things too!!!! The first thing that we really did was get our cash advance from the business facilitator so we can pay for all our stuff. I’ve been meeting a lot of my colleagues that are working here in West Africa and they all are fun people that I hope I get to know better.
Saturday morning I will take about a one hour flight to meet up with the Fulakunda Team!!! They will pick me up and take me to Kolda. I’m really excited that I will finally get to meet my new family and some Fulakunda people! They have told me that they have a nice house set up for me and several things planned for my orientation. Pray that over the next couple of weeks I can soak up and remember every piece of helpful information as I learn about Kolda, the Fulakunda, my job, my team members, and everything that goes with it.
As I’m typing right now I can hear the call of prayer for the Muslims to all come to the mosque and pray. The whole time I’ve been here I have heard, seen, or sensed things all around me. The only word that I can use to describe it is … dark. I wish that y’all could be here and just see this. Your heart would break just as mine has for these lost people. Today is Friday and some of you know that Friday is the day of assembly in the Muslim world. Today I have seen, heard, and felt this presence even stronger than the other days. I’ve only been here 3 days and can’t imagine what this will be like later on down the road. Please join me every Friday as I will pray especially for the Christian workers among the Muslim. Pray for strength, encouragement, courage, and truth to be heard!
I started my journey on the first day of 2008. I know this will be a good year and I can’t wait to see what God has in store! Oh yeah, did I tell you…. I’M IN AFRICA!!!

Erik's Mom's Prayer

2007-12-30T10:55:00.000-08:00

Dear Lord,
I know that you know my heart's cry as I wonder how an occasion can be so joyous and yet so sad at the same time. I am a grateful mother who has known that you would use Erik for your service since the day he was born. I am asking for your continued blessing on Erik's life as he begins this incredible journey of following you to Senegal. In less than forty-eight hours every minute of Erik's day, week, and month will be filled with the unfamiliar - unfamiliar surroundings, people, language, and situations. You have blessed him with an awesome sense of humor and wit and I ask that you allow him to use that gift to make new friends. You have blessed him with a sharp mind, so I ask that you guide him through all the decisions he will be making and give him discernment to know your will. You have blessed him with a healthy body, so I ask that you continue to keep him strong and free from disease. You have given him a high pain tolerance so don't let that keep him from acknowledging signs when he needs to rest. You have given him a strong will that doesn't accept defeat and one that has never wanted to follow the crowd. Allow him to use that to his advantage so that when adversity comes, he sees it as opportunity.
Protect my son as only you can. Let him feel our prayers every minute he is away from us. Continue to grow him into the man you want him to be. And most of all, Lord, thank you for the gift of being his mother.

I'll Be Home For Christmas - This Year!

2007-12-24T08:04:00.000-08:00

I arrived back in San Antonio the night of the 20th. These days will be bitter sweet as I spend time with my friends and family. I am looking forward to riding bikes with my dad, playing football with my cousins Kris, Spencer, and Matthew, and seeing baby Sam (my nephew) giggle like a crazy man when he takes a bath. Christmas Eve will be our yearly family feast on barbque ribs, sausage, and chicken and I can’t wait for that! I look forward to one more trip with Suzi (my truck) to Corpus Christi. Chris has been looking forward to shaving my head all year and that will happen in a few days. I will also get to see one more AlamoBowl before I leave. Those are the fun things, but I already know that I am going to miss my cousin Matt and my best friend, Chris’, wedding. I don’t like thinking how much of Sam’s growing up I’ll miss and what the holidays will be like next year. I want to stay focused on the important things. Jesus asked his to disciples to “Come follow me…” and that’s what I’m doing.

One of the most important things that I learned at the International Learning Center was that family comes in many forms. Those wonderful people became my family. They may not have filled the entire void that I felt from missing my family and friends back home during the holidays but they did remind me of the one true comforter and His heart for the lost. My colleagues might not have been my family by blood but they are my family by the blood of the lamb. I look forward to many years of keeping in touch with them. Thank you.

The next few days will be fun! I almost have it all planed out, and I hope I can plan enough time to remember to pack! I leave on January 1st at 2:25 PM fly from San Antonio to Chicago, to London, then I will land in Dakar, Senegal at 6:55 PM on the 2nd. I spend two or three days in the capital city and then I will take a local flight out of Dakar to Ziguinchor and then about a 3 hour drive to Kolda in which I will live and meet the next extension of my family!
Please pray for my final days in the states! Pray that I may spend quality time with my family. Pray for preparation both physically and mentally as I say goodbye. Pray that I remember those last minute details before I leave, and most importantly pray for the Fulakunda.

I know that this might be hard for y’all to believe but this was my first snow!!!! December 5, 2007 will be a day that I will remember forever!!!! Here’s hoping you have a white Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A Letter To Myself!

2007-11-27T17:54:00.000-08:00

Back in September, right after I got my new computer, I put a countdown that tells me how long until I leave for Senegal. My roommate, who is going to northern Senegal, called it my Fulakunda Countdown! Today I had another mini freak-out when I saw the clock go under 35 days. I’ve been doing that a lot lately. I’ll be just sitting there talking to someone, or even just reading something about Africa and I ask myself, “What in the world am I doing?????” I know that it’s God’s will for me to work with the Fulakunda and I truly want to go but as you can image, there are sometimes when the devil slips his ideas in my mind and I believe them. It was over the Thanksgiving holidays I got a little homesick and really had to be reminded why I’m doing this. I hope that the ten days that I will have with my family before I leave on January 1st, will be both a time of fun and one with lasting memories.
Yesterday the Regional Leader gave me and the other West African missionaries an assignment to write myself a letter that will be mailed to each of us in six months. They asked me to tell myself the reasons why I am where I am. It’s meant to be a reminder to myself that I’m being obedient to God and that I’m doing what I was called to do. I can imagine that after living in Senegal for six months the “What in the world am I doing????” feeling will still be constantly running through my mind. I wonder if my own words will have any impact on me. To write a letter to the Erik six months from now, I had to think of the Erik six months ago. I want to share just some of the things that I have learned in the past six months and some of the things that I want to learn in the next six months.
In the past six months I’ve learned
...that I’m not as much of a morning person as I thought I was.
...it’s really neat to just pull out your Bible and randomly read a Psalm.
...I’m spending more time in prayer (and I want even more).
...that I can cook for myself!
...the book of Acts is awesome!!!!
...I have fallen in love again with the red letters in the Bible.
...that I need to know more about the Old Testament.
...that I can sew a button back on a shirt.
...I can feel my prayer partners’ prayers everyday (especially Saturday night.)
...that I have a lot more work that I need to do to be the person that I want to be.
...that I love the Fulakunda people, even though I have never meet one.

In the next six month, I want Erik to
...be able to speak Pulaar!!!!! (the language of Southern Senegal.)
...feel peaceful when I wonder, “What in the world am I doing here????”
...bring the Fulakunda closer to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
...be happy with the decisions I have made.
...know more about the Bible, especially the Old Testament.
...have a more dynamic prayer life.

I hope this has given you a feeling for how to continue to pray for me. This year has been such a year of God stretching, teaching, and molding me into a new person. I am positive He is not done! Pray that when that letter comes next June, I will be proud of where I am, why I am, and whose I am.

I got it figered out....I think

2007-11-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

This past weekend without electricty was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. It got dark around 7 o'clock but I had a realy cool flashlight to be my eyes. The cooking from scratch wasn't all that bad. We had to pretend we had gas stoves like we will have in West Africa.

Here is a pic of me cooking the one thing that I know how to cook, TOAST!! The other West African Missionaries and I cooked more than just that, I just wanted to share this picutre.

A World Vision and a Heart for the Fulakunda

2007-11-09T19:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the Worldview Workshop Day. We got to hear someone speak about a certain worldview and how through understanding them we would be able to share Christ with them. I chose to go to the Tribal Worldview. It was very interesting and we got to talk about many things. The teacher mentioned times when she has tried to share and ran into barriers. The tribal people couldn’t understand the difference between the one true God, and the god that they have been told about. We also talked about many different animistic beliefs and what to do if tribes are practicing their beliefs while you are in the village and about to share. (Would you drink the blood of an animal if it was offered to keep from offending the tribe?)
The afternoon of the workshop we watched a video about the Taliabo people who live in a very hard to-get-to island in the Pacific Rim. The video shared the stories of the Taliabo people and what they believed and how these people are so afraid of death. There were two missionary couples that found these tribes and asked to live with them and learn their language. Once they learned the language they shared the stories of the Bible with the tribes. It was great to hear how these missionaries went about breaking through the barriers and were able to lead the Taliabo people to Christ. It was a story of people being obedient to Christ that were told to share with people that were waiting and needed to hear the good news. I thought to myself, “Man that would be great if something like this would happen to the Fulakunda!!” And then it just hit me, the Fulakunda are just as needy as the Taliabo. God wants the heart of the Fulakunda just as much as the wants the heart of the Taliabo and the heart of you and me. I stopped right there and started to pray for the Fulakunda, that God would work in their hearts, so they can long for that eternal joy that the Lord gives me. I still don’t know what will be in store for me or the Fulakunda, but I do know that God is seeking the hearts of the Fulakunda and he is going to use me for his glory. Ohh, I pray that I can see the harvest of the Fulakunda. Pray for with me, please.
On a different note, this weekend we are simulating a West African experience and we will spend the weekend without electricity and cooking our meals from scratch. I hope that I will learn from this experience. Cooking has never been my strong point and I hope that I learn enough to not go hungry while I’m by myself in Senegal.

2007-10-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

It's All Good!
I’ve now been in the International Learning Center for almost a week and I’m loving it. The whole place is set up for me and all the other missionaries to learn and get ready for the journey we have in front of us. When I first got here they gave me the key to my room, my name tag, and about five hundred papers to read. Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a little but they have given me a lot of things to read and do over the next 8 weeks. I have that same feeling that you get in the first week of school when you look at the syllabus and you wonder how you’re going to have enough time and strength to do it all. I’m slowly getting things checked off one by one but I don’t want to burn myself out by doing it all in one weekend or something. Pray for my time management. It’s funny that I’m worried about doing too much, too quickly. Normally I am a procrastinator who waits until the last day to do a project!
There a large number of people here in VA with me. On top of all the reading that I have to do, I want to meet everyone here, and hear all their stories. We all know that there are only 24 hours in a day and some of the time that I spend talking to other missionaries takes away from my own personal quiet time with the Lord. Please pray that I have more discernment on when I need to go back to my room and when I can stay and hang out with all my new friends.
Like I said, it’s all good! I’m thinking of my family and friends as I write this note. Your prayers are being felt! Keep it up.

God is Good!

2007-10-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

The days are coming fast, and before I know it I will be employed by the International Mission Board. I even started packing yesterday….well I thought about it and rearranged my clothes closet.
On October 23rd I will start my eight week training in Rockville, Virginia. I’ve check the temperature averages in that area in November and December and right now I’m more worried about the cold weather there than the heat in the Sub-Sahara region of West Africa. While in Virginia my goal will be to get myself mentally and physically ready for the work God has in store for me. This will entail studying the culture, learning to work effectively with a team, and of course, much time in prayer. Pray that God continues to prepare my heart for His work.
Even though I believe one could never be totally ready for a journey like this, every day I feel more and more ready.
I want to thank all the people from FBC-Corpus Christi that will and have been praying for me. I also want to thank all of my FBC family members that were present at the Sunday evening service Sept 30th to hear me speak about my journey and the Fulakunda people. Sunday, Oct 21st, I will have the opportunity to share with youth at FBC-San Antonio. I look forward to having them as prayer warriors.
I have no idea how often I will be able to make a post. My goal will be to try a least once every ten days or so, but I’m not making any promises, in Virginia or Senegal.

1 Corinthians 10:31-33 Just thought I would share this passage with ya’ll, it’s a good one.

The Beginning

2007-09-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

In about a month I will start the next chapter of my life working for the International Mission Board. I will spend about 2 months in Virginia and then I should be off to Senegal, Africa the first week of 2008 to work alongside the Fulakunda people group.

Please pray for strength for me and my family as the day that I will leave is getting closer and closer by the minute ... or by the day, however you want to say that.