Day 5 (Saturday) was our wind-down for the week of camp, and so in many ways, the more things stayed the same, the more they changed.

A big part of the “same-but-different” aspect of Saturday was in the content.  One of the goals for the last day of camp, even from the initial stages of planning, was to try to shift the focus from the commonplace to deeper and more significant things.  The theme that we’d been using to link together the different activities and teaching materials was “Journeys” — that is, why do people leave home/their comfort zones to venture far away/outside themselves?  We’d discussed a number of categories reasons with the students, including economic ones (e.g., employment), social/political issues (education, war/displacement), environmental causes (natural disasters), entertainment/adventure-related trips (vacations), and a few others.  But on Saturday we did our best to turn the corner from considering purely secular types of journeys to thinking about journeys that have a spiritual dimension to them.

We started by continuing a discussion that was sparked by our trip to Gorée Island (see Jenny’s post from a few days ago).  One student had posed the incisive question of whether it’s actually preferable to preserve the evidence–and, to some extent, the emotion–of the terrible things that people did to each other there, or whether the better part of wisdom is to simply forget it and try to move on.  Bruce (one of the missionaries) divided the students into two groups and had them formulate the opposing positions as if they were preparing for a debate.  Sadly, I was elsewhere while they were working on this, but the report that I heard was that the discussion was intense.

Like Josh mentioned in his post, one of the major cultural factors that helps to preserve the religious peace between various faiths in Senegal is a strong tendency to compartmentalize.  This is especially true for the educated: for the grand majority of them, the cultural influence of Islam provides a version of spirituality that exists at the mosque during prayers but basically doesn’t affect the rest of their lives.  (I guess you might compare this to the sort of Christianity that’s commonplace in America!…)  So, whether God actually intervenes in life–and whether he provides direction for his people when (if) he does–are legitimate questions for these students.  In keeping with our theme, we wanted to present to them the idea of life itself as a journey: we’re called out by God to do certain things, to live a certain way, to be a certain sort of people (like Abraham was, for example).  And to illustrate what that means, I told a part of my wife Kate’s and my life stories: how God called her into medicine and being a nurse and how he called me into the sciences, the kinds of bumps we’ve experienced along the journey, and how he’s provided direction and met our needs as we’ve followed him.  The students were full of questions afterwards, and while some of them struck me as lighthearted and somewhat flippant (Q: “When do you plan to have children?” A: “Not yet!”), we clearly touched some nerves too (Q: “How can your view–that God is revealed in nature as you study physics–be compatible with that of famous scientists like Steven Hawking, who are atheists?”).  Hopefully this–coupled with the discussion about the cultural history of slavery in Senegal I mentioned above–will inspire some serious thought and reflection on the part of the students.  Keep them in your prayers!

After a fairly late lunch, we wrapped up the day by tying up a few loose ends.  Geoff awarded a sand art “plaque” to the victorious team in the Gorée Island Challenge scavenger hunt (whose victory, I might add, was somewhat fraudulent and therefore disputable — not that I harbor any resentment or anything) and showed us a slide show compiled from the photos.  Then he and his groupies (the participants in his musical extravaganza from elective time) led us in rousing choruses of a couple American “goldy oldies” (I’ve already forgotten which).  And finally, after all was said and done, we watched a summary presentation of photos and videos from the whole week assembled by Lindy (another one of the missionaries).

I wasn’t sure how much difference it made that we were there, originally.  But we saw some measure of the impact we had on the students by the number of times we were asked for e-mail addresses, Facebook contact into, and (occasionally) even phone numbers.  Clearly the students were glad we were there.  I’m particularly glad that the missionaries we worked with are invested in these students for the long haul — I would feel terrible if all the relationship building we had done over the week ended on Saturday at 5 pm.

So, there you have it.  English Camp at the Phare d’Espérance is over for now, but we’re hoping–and praying–that God will be using the seeds we planted during the week for many years to come.

-Jeremy

We’re home!  After what nearly became a connecting flight fiasco, we managed to make it home safely Sunday night around midnight.  Look for a few more posts in the next few days as we reflect and decompress a little…

After our full day of adventuring on Goree Island yesterday, we continued with the camp activities today. As those of you familiar with Africa may have guessed, schedules can be a little bit fluid. As students trickle in each morning, they join us in a variety of activities while we wait. For some, this includes Pictionary or Speed Scrabble. For those who aren’t quite so animated, a (perhaps slightly too ambitious 1000 piece) puzzle awaits.

After morning announcements, students head off to their grammar classes, scattered around the camp property. For these lessons, the students are divided up based on their English proficiency in order to appropriately focus the learning exercises. For some of the beginning students, this included games like Memory, using related English words. Students would have to remember (and pronounce) the difference  between words like “Though” and “Thought” or recognize the difference between “Faith” and “Face.” The advanced students had reading comprehension exercises and thought-provoking questions to challenge them.

Following the grammar classes each day, we take a coffee break. For some of the students, this was also breakfast. In Africa, informal times together are just as important as the official programs that are scheduled. During these times, we were able to spend time talking with students, practicing their English, and building friendships. I spoke with one student about the fact that I will be unable to give blood in the U.S. for 3 years now that I’ve been here in Africa. As a law student, he was quick to point out that this sounded like discrimination. The students we’ve encountered have been extremely bright, and eager to engage us on topics across the board. In fact, they remind me in many ways of American students I knew while in college.

But today was a reminder that our world-views are not quite as similar as it might appear on the surface. While it may be unusual in many other countries, Muslims in Senegal are happy to coexist peacefully with those of other religious backgrounds. But the peace is shallow, and seems to be delicately held in place by social conventions which essentially serve to ignore the fact that differences actually exist. Earlier in the week, students dressed in Western attire, though a bit more formal than you might imagine for the average college student. Some even came wearing suits and ties. But today is Friday, the day when devoted Muslim men visit the local Mosque for prayers, and several students dressed in white prayer robes in preparation for this visit. Just before leaving for the Mosque around lunch time, one of the students passed by my table taking prayer requests from the students there – even those who were Catholic. Interesting.

After lunch, we watched a segment from the movie August Rush. After watching this as a group, we divided up into discussion groups, comprised of a mixture of students from various different levels of the grammar classes. The movie has some interesting spiritual undercurrents, and there were some opportunities to discuss questions such as whether God would ever abandon us, what it means to have faith, or whether God can speak to us if we are willing to listen.

Over the past couple of evenings, the J.Crew spent some time putting together a jeopardy game for the students. It was a fun but challenging exercise to think through a mixture of questions which would be both challenging and attainable. Sometimes the question itself could be easy, but the English wording would make it more difficult to interpret. But the students were up to the challenge, as we played the game today. Jeremy had the challenging role of host/referee as he tried to determine which team was first with the answers each time.

One of the anticipated events scheduled for today is a visit by the American Ambassador. But this morning, we received a call letting us know that he would be unable to make it. There was a coup yesterday in Guinea-Bissau, Senegal’s neighbor to the South, and the Ambassador had his hands full. In spite of this disappointment, we were able to make the most of the time and extend some group discussions and the time spent with the students.

And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

-Joshua/Genesis

Today we adventured out to Goree Island. Some of the students had been there, but a few were new to the Island. Geoff had an adventure trying to get tickets for all of us, and making sure everyone made it on to the boat in time. The day was filled with great experiences and interactions. On the boat ride over I had a conversation with one student who is very eager to learn as much English as possible and as soon as he can. The reason for this is that in a couple of weeks he will be getting on a plane headed for Washington DC. He has actually been given the opportunity to go the States for additional training in computers (Information systems, so something along those lines that is way above my head!). It was so much fun for me to hear his excitement at the opportunity to go the the US and spend a few weeks there getting extra training!

Once we reached the Island we broke up into five teams….each with the same goal of completing the scavenger hunt. It consisted of collecting pieces to a riddle, collecting different objects on our way, or taking pictures in front of various locations or doing some activity. The students were definitely tired by the end because we walked around the Island a couple of times and we were out in the sun for most of the day. It was also mentally challenging for them because all of the clues and questions were in English. Therefore, not only did they have to understand what they read, but they then had to figure out what it was asking them to do and sometimes that required them to ask the locals for help. So they had to understand the question enough in English to be able to explain it in French or Wolof to the locals. But it was great to see the teams work together and help each other comprehend! Even in their fatigue, they were laughing throughout the whole day!

Over lunch I sat with most of the team I was going around with….the three missing were the strongest English speaking student, and then Jeremy (who knows some French) and one of the leaders who knows both French and Wolof. There were times when it took minutes to figure out what we were trying to communicate to each other and in most cases it required a group effort for everyone at the table to be on the same page. As I was trying to teach them new words in English, they were trying to teach me some words in French and Wolof. They laughed numerous times at my attempt to pronounce the words properly! We had fun though and it was nice to connect with them a little more. I appreciate the fact that they are really enjoying the chance to learn English and at the same time have a lot of pride in sharing their culture and language with us!

On the return trip from the Island to Dakar I was talking with another student about the day. He was saying how he enjoyed the trip and sharing part of their heritage with us. At one point I asked if he was tired after the walking all day in the sun and he said he was and would most likely fall asleep on the bus ride home. My first reaction was to be grateful and thankful for how much these students are setting aside to spend the week at this camp! To get to the camp each day costs them money, and most of them are full time students. This means that some of them are missing classes this week and when they leave at 5, once they get home they have to do dinner and homework still before they are done for the evening. As I was thinking about this, he then asked where we were staying and if we could go rest after we returned. When he found out we were staying at the camp and that we had to pay to stay at the camp, he said we should have just stayed with some of the students. These students are so grateful for the time we are spending with them and all of the work Geoff and the others do at the English Resource Center, but it goes much beyond that. They would be willing to host us and welcome us into their homes, even though they do not have much to begin with. I am so humbled by how open and welcoming they are!

After returning we headed over to Geoff and Esther’s house to spend some time talking with them. They are such an awesome couple that have fully embraced Senegal. They have a love for these people and such a heart for reaching out to everyone around them. It is evident they are sensitive to God’s love and calling in their lives. I am amazed every day watching Geoff interact with people he knows and those he doesn’t! We can get into a taxi and he will carry on a conversation with this random driver, and in some cases making them laugh. Spending the evening with them was such a blessing and a great ending to such a wonderful day!

~Jenny

Greetings from Dakar!

We have now spent two days helping with the English camp and are enjoying our experiences. I have again been reminded of how appreciative people in other countries are of what they have. A lot of the students here at the camp are university students, some of which are currently getting their master’s degree, but they do not have the opinion that they are smarter than those around them and take every opportunity to learn. There are students that are doing very well with English and can have a decent conversation with us, and then there are the “beginners” who need more assistance getting the right words. No matter how much English they know, all of the students are eager to learn as much as they can and are grateful for any and every piece of information. They eagerly ask questions and and you can see they are absorbing the information like sponges. Our conversations with them have been all across the board and they are really enjoying trying to discuss any topic with us.

In these two days here, I have been so refreshed by their eagerness to learn, but also by their acceptance with each other and us. These students are from all walks of life, some not even Senegalese, and they are from all different levels of English. I know in certain situations I expect to hear snickering when someone stumbles but they are helpful and encouraging and work together to learn more.They are also patient with us when we do not understand what they are trying to say to us (though Jeremy’s knowledge of French has been helpful)!

It is great to see God at work. I was in a discussion group today and we were able to openly talk about God. We covered the difference between having faith and being religious, God being with us in the good and bad times and how He is not abandoning or punishing us in the bad times, and more. They were willing to hear what we believe and were open to us telling how we are not about all of the rules and regulations associated with the religion, but about faith in God and how that relationship shapes what we do and how we live. Being able to share something so important and to have them listen and ask questions and not try to get out of the conversation, was very encouraging! The English Center leader that I was working with, Bruce, then ended the conversation by leaving the door wide open, saying that we are always eager to talk about God and what we believe, because it is the most important thing in our lives and we want to share it with others. My prayer is that we will be able to continue the conversation and go deeper!

Tomorrow we are headed to Goree Island to go around with the students on a scavenger hunt. They will work on their English through conversations, but also while they try to figure out the clues and in being our guides around the Island! Pray that as we continue spending time with these students we can show them God’s love in our actions and attitudes, but also that we may have conversations and God will open doors for us to plant seeds.

-Jenny

Just a quick post to let you know we made it safely to Dakar. We’re settled in for the night at the retreat center, called the “Beacon of Hope.” It’s off to bed for now, but look for more updates soon as we kick off the camp tomorrow morning.

We’re on our way!

We left Rochester at 7:30 pm yesterday (Sunday) evening and have spent the last 12 hours experiencing the entire spectrum of sensations that airplane food, unusual airport design, duty-free perfumiers, and questionable neighboring passengers have to offer. Currently we’re wedged into the airport chairs (or nearby them) in the bafflingly tunnel-like terminal E of Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, awaiting our flight to Senegal (which leaves in something like 3 hours)…

A few photos to keep you occupied until our next update:

-Jeremy (more guest authors soon…)

The results from Sunday’s run-off election are overwhelmingly positive: even before polling had finished, Abdoulaye Wade, the incumbent, conceded that he had lost. (You can read the BBC News story here.)

This is very good news for Senegal, because it means that an orderly and peaceful transition of power is much more likely to follow (there were violent protests against the notion that Wade could even run in the election!). Keep Senegal in your prayers!

We’re back on! All three of us were able to shuffle our schedules so that we were able to align with the new camp dates. We’ll be leaving on April 8 and returning on April 15. Praise God!

Thanks for praying for us!