Fun times at the Beach

So, they tell me beach vendors kept trying to get me to buy something...Hate to tell them I was asleep! That's Emily asleep next to me. This is how we have fun!



This is my birthday cake! My supervisor made an angle food cake and I loved it...

Yes, this is my cheesy...Don't want my picture taken, smile.

We had grilled chicken and baked potatoes. The best dinner I have had in a while.










Niger

Tomorrow I leave with Emily to go to Niger. I am really looking forward to seeing new friends and learning about their lives. One group of guys lives about a rough 10 hour drive from the capital city. Then a group of three girls who live together, but work in different villages. Also, two girls, one whom has been very sick for almost her whole time on the field, but they are doing amazing work.

Peanuts and Cotton

Back row:Carrie, Me, Mary Beth, Emily
Front row: Danielle, Daren, Aaron
These are cool workers in West Africa. It was fun to hang out with them again at the West Africa regional Meeting last month. Emily, Mary Beth and her husband Daren live with me in Abidjan. I had not seen the couple since May. So it was really nice to see them again. We worked hard at the conference, learning how to be better workers and advance His Kingdom.



This is a picture I took in Senegal. Bailey is resting while looking over her row of peanut plants in Southern Senegal. I was playing around with different angles and a different focus.










Some of you have asked if I really do work, because all the pictures I show are of me having fun. Well, for one my work is fun and second most of it is observing all that goes on around me.


But here is an example of me with a notepad in my hand and writing down an interview with a fellow worker in West Africa.

Oh and it is the first time in 8 months that I have been allowed to wear JEANS!


Don't freak out...This is called "Hena." It is NOT permanent and has already washed off my hands. Though I also have it on my fingernails, which will last for several months! This is something the African women do to show beauty and for celebrations. I had it done with several summer volunteers who worked in Senegal and we were celebrating a job well done.


I went to a village two days after getting this done and all the women loved it! It did take me a while to get use to it...But now I forget I have it on. Don't you love it mom?!




This is also another example of me working...This is a different kind of work. Africans do not realize my job is to take pictures and ask questions.

If the team is out working in the fields, I am part of the team and should be working in the fields!

So, here I am weeding a peanut field. I also weeded a cotton field too. If I do say so my self...I got pretty good at and pretty sore!

This is the awesome group of singles working in West Africa! It was great fun hanging out with them in Togo. Emily found some great stories in this group and will be going to hang out with them soon!








This is the Atlantic Ocean from Senegal. This is were I spent the 4th of July and if you look hard you can see Lebou fishing boats in the back.
This is me, Carrie and a missionary kid, Maggie. Don't we look so cute!

The Return from Senegal

Tonight I am headed to Togo for a week-long meeting with other IMB workers. It will be a great time to hear about what is going on in the region and meet new people.

Senegal was a wonderful experience. Our Father has taught me a lot about himself and myself and working with others.

I learned greetings in six languages, slept alone in a hut-other Americans about an hour away, rode a camel, ate goat brains, told someone about Jesus, drove about 1,000 km in three days, got dressed up in African clothing and prayed with a teenager going through persecution. Oh and how could I forget...slid down a clift.

The women of Africa have taught me to be cheerful and thankful for my life. They work long, hard hours in heat I can’t explain, always having a smile on their face or singing a song.

Water on MY HEAD!

I pulled water up from a deep well and then carried it on my head, chopped wood and then carried it on my head, pounded millet, cooked over a open fire and drank more ataya tea than I ever thought possible.

Thanks you for your prayers during my time in Senegal, I stayed in relatively good health and had safe travels.

Here are some things to remember.

-Persecution for those in Senegal. I sat with a 15 year-old girl as she cried about what to do- reject her faith and follow her grandmother and religious leaders of her village or believe and be kicked out of her home and village. It is real.

-Safe travels for more than 150 IMB workers to Togo today and tomorrow. For a productive week of meetings and training and safe travels back home.

-I have a one day turn around from Togo, to Cote d’Ivoire and then back to Senegal. Hope it happens!

-Right now there is unrest in Cote d’Ivoire. They young people have made life difficult for the last couple of days, protesting for disarmament and well a lot of things. We are safe and our Father is good.

Tares are hollow on the inside, but look like wheat on the outside…

How many of us have the Christian walk and talk down…we know what to say and how to act in a crowd of SBC’s, but on the inside are empty and don’t have a personal relationship.

The Tares among Wheat
24Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "(U)The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25"But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed [a]tares among the wheat, and went away.
26"But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.
27"The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
28"And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?'
29"But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.
30'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but (V)gather the wheat into my barn."'"

God has let me see even in West Africa there are tares. It is a lot like separating the sheep from the goats. Christ is our shepherd and He knows us each. Those of us who hear His voice and know Him, follow after Him.

I have learned so much in this last week about really letting God have control and knowing He doesn’t need me but He wants me to follow Him. God can call people to Him with or without me.

I have done some awesome things these past three weeks and have met some fantastic people. Here are some more fun pictures…

Me infront of Rhino's-sweet...
Male giraffe

Me on a snapping turtle...I am so cool!

Until next time...

See His work all over West Africa!

I am in Dakar, Senegal, at the moment. I am watching the most beautiful Senegalize girl separate the different colors of construction paper. She seems to be content to just help.
She is at the home of another J-girl, Carrie, who lives here in Dakar. Carrie teaches ESL and uses it to teach Bible stories. Carrie is an amazing person and I am learning a lot about her work here and how God has used her in awesome ways over the last year.


<---This is us at the Island called Goree Island and it was the last stop before the Americans for slave ships. We hung out there for a day and it was pretty cool... this is Carrie, Emily, me, and Aaron. We are all Journeyman. I have been here for ten days following around two volunteer groups, one from New York and the other from Texas...I have also had some fun...Pictures to come... Today, I had church by myself. I studied about suffering and how when we are not suffering for Christ we tend to get ourselves into trouble-like King David and Bathshiba, also when he wanted to count the numbers in the Israelites army... I realized I might think some one is suffering...But who am I to judge whether they are suffering or not...It could just be their life! I pray that we all find peace in our suffering, like Paul, who suffered most of his Christian life, yet gave all the glory to God. Blessings to you all, Jesse
This is the door the people who had just gotten sold, stepped out to get onto the boats. It is called the door of no return...

Guys we know have BIRD FLU in Abidjan! I am running from all chickens!

This is Sammy: Mary Beth's and Deron's gate guard...he speaks English and is a really nice man. He is standing in front of our gate and if you look down the street our office is on the right at the end! A 1 1/2 min. walk!

This morning, I woke up at the unheard of hour of 5.30 a.m. to meet Emily and another worker Lucy for a morning walk around the neighborhood! Well, it was a beautiful morning and we saw a ton of people out walking...for me it turned into a sweat bath!

I guess it is something I will get used to...sweat and more sweat!

I am getting into the swing of things here at work...I am in the process of planning out our travels for the next year, well at least until Dec. It is hard work, but I am really enjoying it. I am also finishing up the stories from my trip in Burkina Faso...I think I got two good ones.

Today, Lucy invited us girls over to get our toes painted -- a women she knows is coming over to do it! I am VERY excited...clean and pretty feet, here I come.

Next day: I have pretty toes now!

Here are some pictures of my office and apartment -- enjoy...

<-- office

Our car

My apartment is on the bottomMy room--i took one of the beds out (the one in the corner) My living room

I have now lived in Abidjan for one week! And...I LOVE IT!

I love...

the weather
the people
my new apartment (pictures to come)
my job
the city
shopping

It is a huge city of 4 million people...Although not the largest city I have ever driven in, it is by far the most congested. Today, a group of us went fabric shopping downtown and decided taking a taxi would be the easiest form of transportation.

It is very expensive though for example... there is a Canadian store near by which imports goods from Canada. I found 12 tortilla shells for 7-8 bucks. Mary Beth and I made tortillas that night (from scratch).

Gas is now at 35,000cfa to fill up the tank. That would be about 70 US dollars! Talk about HI gas prices, it is well over $5 dollars a liter!

Some of you have asked about Easter worship here in West Africa.

I was traveling around Leo, Burkina Faso for Easter and was able to worship in a large (for the area) Assembly of God church and the pastor asked a fellow worker to preach. I want to give you a walk through of that day.

We slept outside, the power had been out for a little over 12 hours and it was over 110 degrees outside, so very hot inside.
Woke up when the roosters started at 3.30 am and a little later the donkeys started calling to each other.

Got up and got ready, church was to start at 10 am. I put on a traditional African dress called a boo-boo, was in it about all of five min. before I was covered in sweat.

Changed into a long, loose dress and we left for church.

By they time we had gotten to the church it had already started and our fearless leader led us through the front doors. The men (4) sat up front with the other pastors and the women were directed to sit with the other women out in the church. Let me paint a picture for you.

It is a rectangle room with about three windows on each side, a back door and a front side door. There are wooden benches (without backs) for the congregation to sit on. Women sat on the two sides while men sat in the middle row and man was it crowded. There must have been at least 500 people there.

At least five choirs sang a song to open the worship that is five different groups...

One for
-teenagers
-young women
-old women
-adults mixed
-children

and at least two quartet groups sang

After about an hour of singing and praying, began the preaching (which was very good by the way). The only thing is that it had to be translated. Normally sermons are translated into one other language that day it was two...from English into French and then into Mossi...took twice as long. Then more singing and praying. By the end of the service four hours had gone by and I loved every minute of it.

It was hot though and almost no ventilation. There were three rotating fans for the pastors upfront, but none for the congregation.

I had a Kleenex to constantly wipe the sweat dripping down me, I don't think I have ever sweated as much as I did that day.

Because it was Easter or in French "Pacques" the church had a "fete" or celebration. Which means FOOD! (We thought they were closet Southern Baptist)

I really don't know what to tell you we ate it was good though! They went and bought cokes for the visiting missionaries and it felt so good going down my very dry and hot throat. I think I also drank four bags of water and a koolaid type drink called beesap. (very good purplish drink they usually freeze)

That afternoon we took a break and really relaxed. I sat outside (power still out) and swung on a hammock and sang praise and worship with five MK's (missionary kids). It was one of my best Easters!

This tree is on the mission property...work was started 25 years ago and at the time, the people of the village said this tree was haunted by evil spirits...but after the missionaries came the spirts left and have not returned.

For your thoughts...

The work among the Wala people

The workers in Leo

Starting new work in Abidjan. Right now I am working on travel plans to Senegal

For a Tennessee church to catch a vision to reach an unreached people group in West Africa.

What a week!

Riding an African driven bus!

Three nights in three different villages

Getting to know two awesome missionaries who have a daunting task before them

Hanging out with Mary Beth and mice

Realizing you can sleep and sweat at the same time

Eating…well who knows what

Meeting a village chief (70ish years old with maybe a 6 month old daughter!)

Watching a village pastor hunt termites

Seeing a village church worship

Understanding women’s roles in different cultures—work, constant back breaking work

Going one WHOLE week without being asked to marry some African!

Thanking my mom for giving me a touch head of hair…Africans do know how to do your

hair!

Getting sick of mangos and being sick from mangos…we think I am allergic to the skin!

(my tongue swelled!) It is mango season and there are tons of mangos and we were given tons of mangos!

But I was able to cook...I made mango up-side down cake, mango bread, mango muffins and Tami made a mango cobbler!

This guy is picking mangos!

Contentment is what you make of your life no matter what you have-or don’t have

Visiting "The Neddles" -- A wonderful example of God creation!

Realizing reaching the lost for Jesus Christ has only just begun!

Here are tons of pictures-Enjoy!

Pointing at a poisonous fruit with a nut on the end!

David and Deron with village chief to trying to communicate. The Chief does not know French and we did not know Viega.

P.S. The Otter did go with me…but he had to stay hidden (not culturally excepted!)