Thanksgiving outreach

Hi everyone,

We are hosting students for dinner and watching "The Passion" movie on Wednesday night. It is part of Thanksgiving celebration and an attempt to explain to students why Christians are thankful. Please pray for Mbagnick, Antoine, Sophie, Hadji and Hadji. These are some of our closest friends in country. I love staying that we are friends because the Lord is really building in us love for the students to whom we minister. Our team grows increasingly affectionate for our students the longer we remain in-country. Our team wants this group of students to understand the Jesus loves them not because of their goodness, but in spite of their sin. He died to receive worship from and give new life to our students. If I might ask, please ask that the Holy Spirit would open hearts to start a relationship with Him for the first time on Wednesday evening.

Finally, my grandfather's funeral is Wednesday in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Some of you knew my grandfather. My family and I appreciate the continued outpouring of prayer and sympathy. Thank you so much for your support. For my family, the children and grandchildren, especially my younger cousins Skyler, Garrett, Randell, and Angelina. I've been praying that the Lord would minister to the hurting in my family in a special way.

campus ministry and culture

Our team is getting established in our routines of campus ministry. We are finding there is much to learn! Meeting with students in Senegal is much different than meeting with students in America-- an easygoing sense of time and loose planning here replace the hurried pace and tight scheduling of the United States. Students here have also been generally more outgoing and willing to lend a helping hand.

We are also learning just how tied Islam is to the culture and way of life here. Many Senegalese people pride themselves on the apparent inter-religious harmony here, and there is a certain degree of religious freedom here. However, it seems to me that in many cases, orthopraxy, as dictated by the religious leaders, shrouds spiritual truth.

Please pray that the Holy Spirit would enable our team to speak words that, instead of being persuasive or wise, are full of the Spirit's power (1 Corinthians 2:4), so that these students can hear and receive God's truth.