first couple of days

May 16, 2011

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8

It is somewhere between 9:30 PM and 1:30 AM over the Atlantic Ocean, depending on what time zone we are actually in. I’m sitting between two new friends: one, a college professor at Penn State, and the other, a college student at EKU. Both are on their ways to Africa for their work: one to South Africa to communicate with university officials and the other to Senegal to proclaim the Good News of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s coming, dying, resurrecting, and coming again. These two seemingly dissimilar people are brought together by the reality that they both have jobs and they are both doing them.

In the compartment reserved for magazines in front of me, there is a large yellow envelope that reads, “CERTIFICATE: The Flag of the United States of America.” Within its folds are letters from old friends: one, an eighth grader who is stingy with his money but not with his smile; another, a college quarterback whose heart is much bigger than his athletic prowess could ever be; and still another, a young teacher who has a passion for young souls rivaled by none. Love is the common theme of their letters, and love is the common themes of their lives. This is a love that does not originate in their own hearts, but it is a love that flows from the blood of Christ through their hearts and into the lives of countless others, including myself.

The funny thing about this envelope is that it did not originally bear these letters; instead, it bore a lifeless certificate. In the same way, we did not originally bear the grace of Jesus; instead, we bore lifeless hearts. But now, but the grace of God, He has taken out our hearts of stone and replaced them with hearts of flesh that can beat for His glory alone, allowing us no longer to be the bearers of death and hate, but instead, to be, just as the envelope, couriers of love—the love that never end. “To Him be glory forever. Amen.” -Romans 11:36

May 17, 2011

I’m writing this by the light of my dying iPhone, propped up on my shoulder and taking place of the room’s overhead lights, which shut off because of the obscene amount of power we are using by having two fans plugged in.

Today was a whirlwind. It began by breezing through customs without having anything I had with me inspected. Then, I had my first encounter with a Talibe boy. He was probably six or seven years old, and he wore neither a smile nor a frown; instead, his face shone with a lack of emotion as I walked past his little outstretched hand. What do you do?

Next, the twenty five of us piled into a gutted fifteen passenger can and dove to our residence. After a much-needed nap, I dove into my first experience with Senegalese cuisine. Thieou Yapp is a dish comprised of rice, vegetables, a spicy sauce, and in this case, goat meat. It was surprisingly good and, for a little over a dollar, it was definitely worth it.

When we were finished eating, we made our way to campus where we met many new friends. Martin is a missionary from the Congo. Vincent is a Christian student at the university. And Waly is an English major who needs my help on his exam on Monday. If there is one thing that I’ve learned about the Senegalese people, it is that they love relationships. I pray that one day I will be as passionate about relationships as they are. After our time on campus, a few of us had dinner at a small Middle Eastern restaurant. I had Chawarma Royale, which is chopped beef, egg, cheese, and fries wrapped in a tortilla. Now, I’m sitting in the dark, writing this. I think that going without reliable electricity for a while could really help a lot of people. It shows you just how much God really is in control. When it gets dark, you go to bed because that is how God made it. There is no beating the darkness without electricity, you just accept it and deal with it. Luckily, we don’t have the same problem spiritually. The light of Christ can forever shine through our lives of love in a world full of darkness.

May 20, 2011

Today was so good. We ran this morning, and Senegal feels so good in the early morning. When we went to campus, Kevin and I met Waly for tea in his room. After telling him about the Reformers and Puritans whom he is studying in class, we had Senegalese tea. It was amazing, and I can’t wait to bring the practice back to America. I met a few of Waly’s roommates: Papa, Phillipe, and Abdullah. It was a great time, and we got to talk about Christ! We then waited for the bus. While we were waiting, we played with two little Talibe boys (pictured above). The younger one could not be older than 3. It was heart-wrenching. They kept peeking out behind the bus across the street and smiling at me. It broke my heart to think that they are on the streets so that they can study a god who does not exist. I then got to talk (in French, that’s right) to a Talibe who was a bit older, maybe 8 or 9, about my family. His name was Adam, and his eyes were full of life. He is a little boy who has to make it on the streets. His little three-year-old friend is just like my nephew, Isaac, and Adam beamed at pictures of him. It’s amazing how similar people are even though they are from places thousands of kilometers away. These boys are no different that our boys. They need the same love, the same care, and the same Savior. Why is no one taking it to them?