CFC Senegal Mission Trip 2011

Thank you for your prayers!

2011-03-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your prayers. God provided above and beyond what we could have ever imagined. There were many firsts on this trip: first birth of a baby, first baptism of a CFC team member in Baback, first baby named after team members, first opportunity to teach pastors and church planters, and the first time to heard Chief Diouf say that he was surrendering his life to Jesus.

There were more opportunities to share the gospel, pray with people based on their real needs, and just hang out with the people of the village.

The team was unified, healthy (for the most part) and each team member was impacted for eternity. God protected us on two occassions from very serious accidents. Other team memebers will provide posts in the days/weeks to come to share what God impressed on their hearts.

On Saturday we served with Pastor Francois' church in Dakar. The gentleman was the leader of the painting team. Randy, Mark, Ryan and Chris, did a great job with the painting. We also conducted a mini clinic and played soccer with the kids in the community. We presented the church with school supplies as we closed out our time together with a time of worship and prayer.

It was a blessing for the families on our team to serve together. Mark and Ryan connected with the children in the village. Carl and Hilda were overwhelmed to observe their daughter, Inez, as she cared for so many patients with the compassion of Christ.

We worshipped in Baback on Sunday and then met with our sponsored children in the afternoon. God also answered our prayers and provided for a productive meeting with MIS to discuss the sponsorship program and plans for continued improvement.

God opened a door for Mike to meet with the Chief of Baback for over an hour on Tuesday afternoon. We learned that he wanted to be a priest when he was a child and even went through the Catholic Cathechism before becoming a Muslim. He listened intently to the gospel and was drawn to Ephesians 2:8-10. The following night we gave him a wordless book prayer scarf. He stood and proclaimed that he was surrendering his life to Jesus. We were not sure what this meant but it definitively shows that God is working in his life. Pray for Pastor Antoine's follow-up this week.

Darla, Randy, Inez and Mike each met with their adopted families early in the week. Here, Inez waits for her Name Sake to return to her compound. We visited with the children as we waited. So much of our time in Senegal was focused around relational time. Mike also was able to meet with the wife of Demba Diouf, who died 5 months ago. Demba's oldest son had hindered him from following Christ. He now has the wordless book prayer scarf.

Tuesday night was a special Naming Ceremony for the 11 first timers. Each was adopted into a family in the village and given a Serer name. There was fun and dancing. Wednesday included a showing of the Jesus film in Serer and many from the village attended.

Tuesday and Wednesday were fruitful days in Baback with medical clinics, games with the children and many conversations and prayers with men and women waiting to be seen by the doctors. The team was unified and reflected the love of Christ. There were many opportunities to share the gospel.

On Thursday we divided into 4 teams and visited door-to-door throughout the village. God opened the door to visit with the village Marribou (the man holding the polariod picture in his hand and looking down). They welcomed us to pray for them in Jesus' name. We gave them a flashlight (in his left hand) and asked him to think of Jesus as the Light of the World each time he uses the flashlight.

School supplies presented to the school teachers in the village of Baback. They thanked the Lord and Pastor Antoine for our relationship with the village. These are all Muslim teachers.

Randy and I were honored to have Sacre Sow, our partner from MIS, name his second son in our names, Caleb Michael Randy Sow.

The day has arrived

2011-03-03T02:38:00.000-08:00

After more than five months of preparation, the time has come for our departure. The Lord has answered so many prayers along the way. We have prayed for love and unity within our team. At our final team meeting on 2/20 it was evident that we have grown to know and love one another. A I was waking this morning, the Lord brought to mind something about each team member that I am thankful for. I look forward to serving with this group over the next 10 days. The Lord has also provided for us with a wonderful prayer team with hundreds of people committing to pray for us each day. Thank you Lord! Jehovah Jireh has also provided for all of our financial needs.

Lord willing, our plan is to hit the road for Dulles Airport in Wash, DC by 10:30AM this morning. We have a 5:40PM flight arriving in Dakar, Senegal at 6:10AM on March 4.

The team is healthy (as of yesterday)! We have packed up more than 600 pounds of school supplies and donated another 250 pounds of supplies to the Bridge Academy in Coatesville and the Chester County Food Bank. We are in awe as to how our local body of believers at CFC responded to this opportunity to bless MIS and the village of Babak in this way. We thank the Lord for our local community of faith at CFC.

My thought for the day comes from Ephesians 6:10-20 and Psalm 91 as we walk in the power of the Spirit and abide in Christ. He is our strength and the battle is His. May we live with a growing sense of urgency and complete dependence on Him for all things, especially open doors to share the good news, in both word and deed.

If we have access to a computer will try to post a few updates during the trip.

In Christ,

Mike and the Team

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Psalm 91
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty, I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

Please pray for a few families in Babak

2011-02-25T18:37:00.001-08:00

Whenever a new team member visits the village of Babak for the first time, Pastor Antoine asked a family in the village to "adopt" that person. In 2005 my "namesake" became Demba Diouf. Each year I longed to visit with Demba. I prayed that God would reveal Himself to Demba. Each year we discussed the good news of Jesus Christ. This picture was taken last year. The CFC Prayer Shawl Ministry sewed this wordless book scarf that I gave to Demba. The 5 colors summarize the Gospel. I just received news that Demba passed from this life. My heart is so heavy. I was looking forward to seeing Demba when we return to Babak. Please pray for his family and the family of one of our sponsored children whose father died in the past two weeks.

In light of this news, I would like to share the message of hope of eternal life using the wordless book message. The 5 colors are Gold, Dark, Red, White and Green.

The story begins with the gold color. It reminds me of the streets of gold in heaven that the Bible talks about. Do you know who lives in heaven? God does and He wants you to be in Heaven with Him some day. You usually like to be with people you love, don't you? That's why God wants you to be with Him in Heaven - He loves you very much! In the Bible, He says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). That means that God loved you even before you were born! You could put your name in there and say, "God has loved me with an everlasting love." and it would be just as true. God wants you to be in Heaven someday with Him, but there is something that can keep you from being there - sin.

Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27)

The dark color represents the darkness of sin. The Bible begins with people enjoying the presence of God. We were created to be in relationship with our Creator. But, very soon, sin entered into the world and into the hearts of people and put a barrier between God and humanity. The Bible states that “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It’s a universal, spiritual problem. It contaminates every part of us: our physical bodies, our minds, our relationships, our emotions, our decision-making abilities and our destiny.

The Bible states that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Death is the just penalty and punishment for sin. In the Bible, the word “death” means “separation”. There are three degrees of separation people experience because of the problem of sin:

Physical Separation: Every obituary is a reminder that all of us are mortal. Our physical death, separation from this life, is the result of sin in the world (Genesis 2:17).
Spiritual Separation: Sin puts a barrier between us and God and prevents us from enjoying a relationship with Him. The holiness of God prevents Him from compromising Himself and turning a blind eye to sin. He must, instead turn His back on us.
Eternal Separation: Some have thought hell to be an imaginary place. However, the Bible teaches that sin leads to a very real separation from God forever (1 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

This inward sin problem cannot be cured by outward actions. No matter how good, helpful, truthful or kind we might try to be, none of us will ever be able to change the condition of our sinful heart. Only God can do that. And He did!

The red color represents God’s solution to our sin problem. Jesus came to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He visited our world, took on human flesh and lived a perfect life deserving no punishment. Yet Jesus willingly took on Himself the just penalty for our sin by dying on the cross. The Bible says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). By taking our place, He exchanged our imperfection for His perfection. Think about this truth: “God made him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The white color represents the cleansing and forgiveness that we experience when we receive the free gift of eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus. King David said this when he confessed his sin before a holy God, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean, wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7).

A transformed life is a free gift of God. It is not earned. It is not purchased. It is personal and non-refundable. It is the ultimate gift that will last forever. And, it’s available to you. You may respond to God’s gracious provision simply through faith. You can trust Jesus for who He is and what He has done for us. The Bible speaks about this step into new life: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

The Bible says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Have you ever believed and received the Lord Jesus so you could become God's child?

I'm not talking about whether you attend church or have been baptized or if your parents are Christians. Those things are good, but they cannot take away even one sin. Jesus wants you to believe in and receive Him as your Lord and Savior.

I admit that I am a sinner and I need a Savior.
I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for my sin and rose from the dead.
I confess that Jesus is my Lord and I surrender my life to him and desire to live for Him.

The Green color reminds me of things that grow. (Like trees and grass and plants.) When you become God's child, He wants you to get to know Him better. The Bible says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). You can get to know God better by reading and obeying His Word, the Bible. Another thing that can help you grow in Christ is by talking to Him in prayer. Going to a church and being in community with other Christians who also desire to grow in Christ will help you know Him better too. You can also tell others about Jesus! In fact, if you have just become God's child, by grace through faith, would you let me know? I would like to thank God for what He has just done for you. It would be a good idea for you to thank Him right now as well.

This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
1 John 5:11-13

Jesus speaking … “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24

Pray along with us day-by-day!

2011-02-22T19:38:00.000-08:00

We’re traveling back to Senegal, for the 7^th consecutive year to support Mission Inter Senegal (MIS) and its church planting ministry. We’ll be assisting with medical clinics, spending time with our 21 sponsored children in Babak, as well as supporting an evangelistic campaign in the village. This year God also opened a door for Randy Thompson to teach the MIS church planters for two days. As you pray, remember that Senegal is 5 hours ahead of us.

Daily Schedule (Please prayer as you are led by the Spirit.)

Thursday, March 3
Safe travel CFC to Wash, DC. 5:40PM flight to Senegal.

Friday, March 4
Arrive 6:10AM (Senegal time). Rest, orientation and dinner with Pastor Francois’ church in Dakar for prayer and fellowship.

Saturday, March 5
Return to paint Pastor Francois’ church and conduct mini-clinic for the neighborhood (very poor area of Dakar). Pray for our team to reflect the love of Christ in this Muslim area. Safety on highways as we travel to Thies late in the day.

Sunday, March 6
Attend Worship Service in Babak and visit with our sponsored children. Pray that Pastor Antoine would be encouraged and that doors are opened to connect with those in the village.

Monday, March 7
First day of teaching seminar for Randy in Bambey. The rest of the team will interact with the MIS staff and prepare for clinics.

Tuesday, March 8
Travel to Babak for medical clinic. Day two of teaching seminar for Randy in Bambey. We’ll reconnect with families in the village late in the afternoon follow-ed by dinner and an evening celebration in the village. Pray for good health as we spend the night in Babak.

Wednesday, March 9
Second medical clinic in Babak. Worship and testimony time late in the afternoon followed by an evangelistic program in the evening. Pray for open hearts to the Gospel. We sleep in the village tonight.

Thursday, March 10
Relational day in Babak. Pray for many open doors as we respond to questions from last night’s program. Pray for safe travel back to Thies in the evening.

Friday, March 11
Return to Dakar in the morning. Visit Goree Island and debrief from the week. Leave for airport at 11PM.

Saturday, March 12
2AM (Senegal time) flight arriving in Wash, DC at 6AM. Return to CFC by 11AM, Lord willing. Pray that some may be able to attend the Imago Dei benefit concert at CFC this evening (7pm).

Sunday, March 13
CFC Mission Sunday with a focus on short term trips. Stop by our table in the Community Café to hear more about the trip.

What do you know about Senegal, West Africa?

2011-02-14T17:10:00.000-08:00

Senegal

Republic of Senegal

Africa

Geography

Area: 196,722 sq km

Mainland Africa’s most westerly state: arid, with few natural resources.

Population: 12,860,717 Annual Growth: 2.66%

Capital: Dakar

Urbanites: 42.9%

HDI Rank: 166 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 57 (47% unreached)

All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: French. Language of wider communication, Wolof; spoken as a first language by around 40% of the population Languages: 46

Prayer Needs

Spiritually, Senegal is both open and closed. The nation enjoys religious freedom and is remarkably tolerant toward other faiths – a point of pride for Senegalese, perhaps because so few Muslims have ever come to Christ. Despite a longstanding Christian presence and outreach, a spiritual heaviness covers the land. Allegiance to religious leaders renewed in each generation prevents any significant people movement to Christ. Virtually all Wolof, Fulbe and Mande peoples remain Muslim. Pray for the spiritual breakthrough for which so many wait.

Islam dominates religious life, growing from about 45% of the population in 1900 to over 90% by 1960. The Muslim Sufi brotherhoods are well organized, wealthy and politically powerful; over 85% of all Muslims belong to one of them. The Mouride Brotherhood is virtually a state within a state, based in their capital, Touba. But aggressive Islamist groups funded by Saudi Arabia and Libya are making inroads and threaten the tolerant status quo. Pray that religious tyranny might be thwarted, and that God may use all forces to draw people to Himself.

Religion

Largest Religion: Muslim

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	825,658	6.42	3.0
Evangelicals	25,792	0.2	6.1
Muslim	11,709,683	91.05

click graph for key

click map to enlarge

Meet the Team

2011-02-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

With less than three weeks before the team leaves for Senegal (March 3), our team members are in the final stages of preparation. Everyone has their shots (Yellow Fever, Hep A and B, Typhoid, etc.), airline tickets have arrived, transportation to Dulles Airport is confirmed. We have one more team meeting scheduled for February 20th. Here's a look at the members of our team:

Hilda Carl, and Inez Stoltzfus

Megan Flinn, Shannon O'Donnell and Randy Thompson

Irene Porrecca, Denise Wells, and Darla Eldredge

Terri Smith, Hannah Burner, and Chris Bollinger

Mark and Ryan Roe and Mike Edelman

School Supplies

For the past 6 years our CFC family has donated over the counter medicine that we've used in medical clinics. Each year we have been privileged to bless MIS with almost $5000 of medicines. The national health organization has temporarily stopped the entry of medicine into the country until greater controls can be implemented. Instead, we plan to bring a school supplies for a church in Dakar as well as a few villages that we'll be visiting.

Please pray for God's provision of the following school supplies by February 27th.

Composition books and spiral notebooks
Markers, Crayons and colored pencils
Box of pens
Box pencils with pencil sharpener
Children’s scissors and rulers
Assorted chalk and erasers for teachers
Batteries (AA and C)
Stickers and/or Christian silly bands to be used as awards
Folders with pockets and loose leaf paper
French Dictionary
Soccer balls, jump ropes, frisbees
Assorted hard candy and lollipops

You may drop off donations at the Senegal Table in the Community Cafe. We'll pack up all these supplies on Monday evening, February 28.

Meet our new Friend: Pastor Francois and his church in Dakar

2011-02-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

Four weeks from this morning we will be on the ground in Dakar, Senegal. I was reading in 1 Thessalonians 3:6 how Paul longed to see his dear brothers and sisters in Christ and they longed to see him. We too long to be reunited with our partners in the Gospel from Mission Inter Senegal and the church in Babak. We have two more team meetings before we depart, 2/6 and 2/20. Pray that the Lord will make our love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else (1 Thess 3:12).

(Pastor Amet and Alexia, Pastor Francois and his wife, Pastor Mike, Dr. Inez and Darla)

God is preparing the way be fore us. God has opened the door to serve Pastor Francois in Dakar as we help with repairs on their flooded church building and provide medical care for the community. Pastor Francois has requested we pray as follows ...

Open doors and hearts for the evangelism work in the neighborhoods of Dakar.
Church members would grow in their faith and offer their tithes (a weakness in the Sengalese Church, as in the church in the US).
His family would grow in the faith, especially his eldest son who works with him in the ministry.
The church will be rebuilt to withstand the rainy season.

(Pastor Francois and Pastor Amet assessing the repairs to the church ... raise the floor 6 feet to get above the annual flood waters from the rainy season (see green water to the right).
This picture was taken in March 2010. The walls and ceiling have been completed and are now ready for painting.)

We will be hosted by Pastor Amet and his wife Alexia during the first two days of our trip. We have known this dear couple for over 5 years and long to serve with them. Join us in praying for them as well.

God would direct their ministry in the Banlieue (poor suburbs of Dakar)
The Gospel would be broadcast through the radio ministry that God has provided.
Prayer groups would begin in 5 surrounding communities.
God would help with the financial, spiritual and emotional means to serve Him well.

Please unite your hearts with ours as we pray for the people of Babak. Pray that God may open a door for us to help with an evangelism campaign in the village. May the Holy Spirit strip away the scales that blind the hearts and minds of those who have yet to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor 4:4). Pray that Holy Spirit will empower us to perform a powerful drama to reinforce the gospel. We'll be working on this drama in our final team meetings as well as learning a few songs to praise to our great God and Savior in the tribal tongues of Serer and Wolof.

Less than 5 weeks and we'll be in Senegal

2011-01-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

Calvary Fellowship Church has partnered with Mission Inter Senegal and the village of Babak since 2005. On March 3rd, 2011, a team of 15 people leaves for Senegal, West Africa for a 9 day short term mission trip. Four members of our team are returning while this will be the first trip for eleven of our team members. We welcome your prayers for our team as we prepare for this trip

Our 2011 Team: Randy Thompson (5th trip), Darla Eldredge (4th trip), Dr Inez Soltzfus (3rd trip), Pastor Mike Edelman (7th trip), Mark and Ryan Roe, Carl and Hilda Stotzfus, Denise Wells, Irene Porrecca, Terri Smith, Megan Flinn, Shannon O'Donnell, Hannah Burner and Chris Bollinger.

Some immediate prayer needs as February 1st ...

Finalize plans for medical clinics, evangelism campaign in Babak, teaching church planters, support church in Dakar.
Ability to purchase meds in Senegal prior to our arrival on March 4th.
Continue to grow closer and unified as a team as we meet on 2/6 and 2/20.
Team learns Wolof and Serer greetings.