Writing ...

I used to enjoy writing. As a young girl, I would always write my thoughts down. I had quite a vivid imagination, too. I was always writing stories with characters that did things that I wished I could do and possessed qualities that I wished I possessed. When I was about 10, I had the brilliant idea to write a series of books about a young ice skater. She won all the championships and always had the cutest boy in class as her boyfriend. I think this was right around the 1994 winter olympics, so I was going through my periodic gee-I-wish-I-was-an-ice-skater phase. Every little girl goes through phases like that - pony phases, dancer phases, ice skater phases ... I could go on forever.

I don't think girls ever outgrow going through phases ...

I geuss this new-found desire to write has come from the fact that I have been reading Donald Miller lately. I finished his "Million Miles in a Thousand Years" in about three days. In it, he talks about your story and how you have to be pro-active in creating your story. That got me thinking ... what about my story? My whole life has been a pretty cool story - it has had it's boring moments, but it's still pretty cool. I mean, when I was only a year old, my family and I moved to Nome, Alaska. And then when I was ten, we were living in France and then on to West Africa. The life of an MK is quite a unique story. I realized that I have a pretty interesting story, but no real documentation of it. I have memories of the big things, but what about the little things? What about the late night conversations in the dorm with my best girl friends? What about the heartbreak in high school when I realized a certain boy did not return my interest? What about the moments when God really spoke to me? What about the deep valleys when God felt so far away?

So, I have decided to restart my blog, but with a different angle ... I'm going to tell my story. Every day is a story. One story I have been thinking about today is my life before coming to Senegal. I taught high school French and I loved it. I love being in the classroom. I don't think I could be anything other than a teacher. I'm such a school supply nerd, too. I think that's a qualification for teachers - "Must love new crayons, pencils, pens, and erasers."

I spent three years in a great high school with great teachers and with great kids. I have many days where I really miss all that; days where I wonder if coming here was truly God's plan. Today was one. But today was different - I suddenly realized I missed all that because I missed how comfortable and safe I was before. I had a safe job in a comfortable community with a cute, comfortable apartment. Those three years I spent there, I was afraid to leave. I knew God wanted me to go on the mission field, but I was so comfortable. I did some seminary studies, I taught Sunday School, I chaperoned youth trips - I did anything that I thought would make up for the fact that I was not going ...

We all know how the story ended - I'm here. I'm not sure if returning to the mission field is something I can do long-term (definitely not single!) I know I will always be involved in missions somehow. It's in my blood. The main thing God has taught me through this experience is that I am not always going to be comfortable. I have to be willing, sometimes, to pull myself out of that comfortable little spot I have wrapped myself up in and take some risks. (People who know me really well know I am not a risk taker!) Coming to Africa was a huge risk for me and I am glad I did it.

I only have about seven months left here and I have been thinking about what I'm going to do when I return. I going back at the end of October and I'm wondering whether it would be worth it to apply to teach anywhere for the 2010-2011 school year. I'm not sure if anyone would hire me in the middle of the year. I'm also considering grad school - LSU has a really amazing French graduate studies program. The problem with that is they only accept new students in the fall, so I would have to wait till 2011. I know God has it all taken care of, I just have to remind myself of that everyday!

So I'm going to continue to write, hopefully everyday. We'll see.

I'm a horrible blogger...

So, I have come to the realization that I'm not much of a blogger! I last wrote something in March and it is now August! I've got to be much better about this. A lot has happened since I last posted. Although, many of you do keep up with me on Facebook ... I am much better at updating that than this blog. One main issue is my internet. It's off half the time because the power goes off for the majority of the day. And if the power is off, so is the internet.

To catch you up with that has been going on - My summer vacation from school is almost over. I have this last week and then the kids start back with "Miss Holly!" I've been decorating and arranging the classroom, reading and studying curriculum, and making out plans. It's really exciting to start the year new and fresh. I'm making changes from the lessons I learned this past year. I know the kids (and their parents!) are excited to start back as well. Please pray for all of us as we start out this new year.

Since I haven't had school, I have had more time to get out and visit people. I have really been able to get to know two young ladies a little younger than me. I have spent several afternoons with them - teaching them to play spoons, them teaching me their favorite card games, watching Senegalese soap operas (quite amusing, BTW!!), and eating yummy Senegalese food. This week, I am planning on going to visit them again and I would like to be able to share a little with them. I'm going to work on my testimony in French and see how that goes.

Also, this week, Liz (the other Journeygirl here in Fatick) will be starting an English club with some young people in her neighborhood. Pray for her as she teaches these young ladies and as she builds relationships with them. Also, pray for me as I visit with the two aformentioned ladies - pray that I would have the courage to share and the words to say.

One thing that I have really improved on since my last blog are my moto skills! I can now easily get around town and do my market shopping. It also helps because a 20 minute walk to town in 100* heat is no fun! Now it is a cool, breezy 5 minute moto ride! I've learned how to dodge all the traffic obstacles (goats, sheep, crazy moto drivers, small children yelling "Toubab!") Who would have ever thought I'd be driving a moto?! I love it though.

Here are a few pics of some of my latest adventures:

This was at our last Operation Christmas Child distribution. The box was almost as big as she was!

One of my friends with her nephew who lives in a nearby village. Kim and I went out there to give the village chief a Bible in Sereer.

My cat, Rose, has become quite the school mascot! She loves being with the kids during the school day.

Liz and I at the wildlife reserve near Fatick. I loved the giraffes!

Ways to pray for me and the Sereer-Sine team:

1. Pray for people around us with medical needs. We get people coming to us with everything from burns to broken arms.

2. Pray for the rains. Rainy season is upon us, but everyone says we are not getting as much as we should. People need these rains for their crops.

3. Pray for the English clubs Liz is starting. Pray for the young people that will be coming. Pray for Liz as she builds relationships with these young people.

4. Pray for my friends "A" and "B". These are the young ladies I like to visit. Pray that I would have the courage to share with them.

5. Pray for the new school year.

6. Pray for the whole team as we move forward in our ministry. We have several open doors, it's just we need God's guidance as to how to procede through them. Pray for wisdom as we proceed in ministry to the Sereer-Sine people.

Horse carts and trampolines

Now that I am here in Fatick for a while (I just got back from three days in Dakar), I have decided that Saturday is my shopping day. The ladies in the market only sell vegetables in the mornings, so Saturday is the only day I can get out since I teach school during the week. Today, I was actually able to get a horse cart to town ... both ways! I do prefer riding on a horse cart to walking because it's really starting to get hot. It's almost impossible to get out from 1:00 to about 5:00 because it's soooo hot!

A donkey cart (similar to the horse carts)

The horse carts are great, but it's a bumpy ride! (They only cost about 25 cents, so I really don't mind the sore bottom!) My main reason for riding horse carts is to meet people. Right now, because my Wolof language skills are so limited, I can only do the basics. But the more I listen, the better I get. I'm able to understand a lot more than I can speak. I can pick out individual words and get a basic meaning in sentences. My responses are usually head nods or hand motions. It's hard for me not to rely on my French skills. If I have to communicate something, I'll do it in French. But for the sake of learning Wolof, I try to communicate as much as possible in Wolof.

The kids love it when you take their picture and then show it to them on the camera!

School is in full-swing! The kids are getting used to the new routine and I'm learning the homeschooling ropes. (It's nice only having four students!) At their house, they have a trampoline, swings, and all kinds of other fun games. They have also become the local hangout for all the kids. It's not unusual to see 40 kids inside and outside their gate! I was able to take some really cute pictures yesterday.

Sweet!

Be praying for the Sereer-Sine team. We are having a small group of volunteers come at the end of this week, so we are busy preparing for them. They will be helping with our Operation Christmas Child distributions and with some research and prayer walking in the Sereer-Sine area. Pray for their safe travel and for the kids who will be receiving the boxes (we'll be giving a gospel presentation also). Pray that God will use us for His glory!

Relaxing on a hot Friday afternoon!

Still waters?

Life in a dry, desert area can be interesting. You suddenly realize the importance of water. Right now, as I sit here typing this, I have no water. I turn on my faucet and nothing comes out. I sit here thinking, "Today was really hot and I'm pretty smelly ... how am I going to get un-smelly?!" Then I think of my favorite Psalm - one that everyone should know: Psalm 23.

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul."

After being away from "green pastures" and "quiet waters" for two months, I really have a new appreciation for them. One day, in Dakar, we were at the Marine House to watch the movie "Fireproof." (They set it up like a movie theater! I got to eat a hot dog and Kit Kat bar!) Well, they had grass there! GRASS!! I took off my flip-flops and walked barefoot in the grass. It was AMAZING!!

Life is like that. Sometimes we have been out in the desert for too long. We need to take off our shoes and run barefoot in the cool, green grass. We need to stick our feet in the refreshing, clear water. Living in the actual desert, I have to remind myself not to be in the "desert" for too long. I have to let God lead me into those "green pastures" and "quiet waters." I cannot rely on my own strength out here. I have to rely on HIM!!! Otherwise, little things like no water or the electricity going off every day will really start to get to me. I have to look at the glass as 1/2 full, not 1/2 empty. I praise God for the lady who lived in my house before who filled up about ten 10 liter jugs full of tap water for times when the water is out. I praise God that the electricity only stays off for about an hour at a time, sometimes 30 minutes. I praise God for technology that allows me to video-call my parents and "attend" my grandmother's 74th birthday party. I praise God for a cat who kills my bugs at night so they don't crawl on me!

In all, I have had a good dose of culture being here. I had a guy from telephone company wander into my house unannounced (scared me to death!). I've eaten from a common bowl (I did get a spoon though). I've met many people and look forward to building relationships with them. I'm continuing my Wolof learning and making lots of people laugh in the process. God is good though. I am very blessed and know that God will continue to bless me.

Long time, no post!

Wow, I've become that bad blogger who never posts already! I must remedy that!

Since my last post, I have returned home to Fatick and have really gotten to settle in. I have been teaching for two weeks already and I am really starting to learn the "homeschooling ropes." It's quite different from a high school classroom full of teenagers! I'm really enjoying it too. The classroom is in my house, so I can work on stuff for school while baking my breakfast for the next day or late at night!

I am really starting to feel at home. I have learned how to find my way around Fatick and even went to the market Saturday morning all by myself! I was quite proud. I am meeting people around town and am looking forward to building relationships with some of the local women. There is a beauty salon that I'm planning to visit later on this week and really get to know some more women. Pray for me as I seek out friends and someone I can practice my Wolof with.

The Definition of Language Learning

The definition of language learning from the dictionary of Holly: 1) contorting your mouth in foreign shapes in the hopes of producing sounds that you have never heard in your life; 2) making a fool of yourself as you completely and absolutely butcher a language; 3) smiling through it all as the locals laugh at you as you try to make these weird sounds; 4) enjoying making them laugh because you know they enjoy hearing you speak their language.

Despite the trials of language learning, I love knowing how happy I make the people by speaking their language. Their faces just light up when they hear this white girl speak Wolof. It's really quite fun.

My week here in Dakar has been quite an adventure. I climbed a mountain (literally), looked out upon Dakar (I'll post pictures once I have steady internet access), have ridden in many taxis, have learned how to bargain for taxis, and I am ready to brave the Saturday market. Dakar is a busy, bustling city with many fun and interesting people. I have eaten so much good food and I am ready to try some more local dishes.

I walk about a mile from where I'm staying here in Dakar to my language classes around 2:30 in the afternoon. At that time, men all over Dakar and Senegal are praying towards Mecca. As I walk to class, I pass many people on their prayer mats, praying to the east. As I walk, I pray for the people that I pass. Please pray with me for these men and women. Pray that God would open their eyes and change their lives.

2 weeks in Senegal

I have decided to sum up my time here so far in as few words as possible - but it might take a while!

Crazy Dakar taxi drivers, fruit sellers directing traffic (and really not doing a good job - I mean, they're fruit sellers), nearly running over people walking and moto drivers, nearly running me over, dirt in the Chacos all the time, wind so strong it'll knock you over, Harmattan dust haze, lizards pooping on my kitchen counter, loosing electricity three days in a row, mosquito nets, trying to light my gas oven, successfully lighting my gas oven and baking my first banana bread, "Dema jang Wolof.", "No, I can't marry you. You'll have to talk to my father in America and he'll say no." "Yes, I know you have a house and a good job as a mechanic, but I still can't marry you.", riding on horse carts to the market, looking at fish in the market, cleaning fish after the market, turning down another marriage proposal in the fish market, walking 2 miles to pay my electric bill, listening to my washing machine dance around for two hours, wishing they would put the goat next door out of it's misery, ... oh the list goes on and on.

In all, I have really been enjoying being here. I survived culture shock and now feel at home. I'm heading to Dakar for two weeks to begin my Wolof language learning. I can't wait to be able to really communicate with the people. Please pray for Liz and I as we begin.