Senegal blog Day 2
Entry 1

The sounds of French, pain au chocolat (chocolate inside a light, flaky bread), crêpes with Nutella, jus d’orange. It sounds like breakfast in Paris, but in reality, we’re worlds away from the City of Lights in Dakar, Senegal. Sitting in the hotel restaurant, we’re still worlds away from life in Tattaguine, the village we’ll be visiting, and the place Cecile calls home.

Reflecting on my first day in Senegal, I was surprised at how much I had already learned about World Vision. Most of it came from sitting in for a bit on their annual day of prayer and listening to the presentation. The verse they have chosen as they face their next fiscal year is from John 10:27: “Mes brébis entendent ma voix; je les connait et elles me suivent.” English translation, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” The pastor challenged the group to listen very intently to Jesus’s voice over the next year, and to follow him faithfully. He encouraged those who were Christians to minister to those around them with care, so that through their actions many would get a taste of the love of Christ through actions, and ask, “Why do you care about me?” What an open door, then, to share God’s good news!

I didn’t know it, but after the message, I was in for a treat! I was chosen as “an impartial party” to judge a chorale contest! This was a huge deal, as there were four choruses representing four different areas of Senegal. The categories we judged were based on: rhythm, harmony, lyrics of the songs chosen, movement, costumes, and the special way in which the choruses entered and exited the stage. Anyone who has seen African choirs knows that this was not only a feast for the ears, but for the eyes as well. The men and the women sported brightly colored hats, African attire and shoes to match. Their harmonies were rich and the movement spirited. All in all, it was great fun. Don’t tell anyone, but I gave them all the highest mark in the lyrics category because I couldn’t understand a lick of Serere, which is one of their native languages!

Entry 2

Happy Birthday, Dad, I wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but I know you understand why I’m here in Senegal. We’ll have to have to have some type of celebration when I get home.

Before going to the field, to see the life-changing work of World Vision in action we spent some time learning about what we would see in order to put it all into context. Precious in this country is water, something I so often take for granted. Taking life’s necessities for granted when a hurricane blows through South Florida. Then begin to lose things that SHOULD work in the US, like air conditioning, electricity, and running, clean water. All of this is semi-tolerable, because in the back of the mind is the knowledge that whatever is not working will be fixed. But what if there was no assurance that these things would be restored? How long would it be before South Floridians started seeking out water from nasty canals?
It’s something none of us want to think about, yet for many here in Senegal, it is part of daily life. On the journey today from Dakar to Fatick, we saw three young boys and two older ones bathing in standing, stagnant water left over from recent rains. We also saw a boy and a girl bathing in a river with their horse. At least the water had some movement to us, but it wasn’t the safest practice, especially since animals thing nothing of eliminating while in the river.

We did, however, see some women drawing from a borehole well, which could be a good thing, I suppose, but we learned today, that these aren’t always safe either.
Water is a huge issue as it either gives a body life, or transmits disease and nasty parasites. Some children can’t even go to school, as they spend their entire day walking back and forth to a water source that may be killing a family agonizingly slowly.

World Vision has come into areas and supplied them with wells that provide healthy water. The well is tested to ensure that the water meets with high nutritional standards. In addition, World Vision has helped train people in the use of drip irrigation, a clever way to water plants without watering neighboring weeds. The gardens remain organized and flourish, allowing the plants to make the best use of the rich Senegalese soil.

World Vision is bringing living water to nourish thirsty bodies and souls! Check it out, or better yet, help out at www.wrmb.org, and click on the World Vision banner!