A friend recently brought some aid to a Wolof village near where we live that was devastated by fire. She sent us this photo of the chief–we were excited to see that he is holding his copy of Genesis in Wolofal!

Before we even left Senegal I started trying to get appointments in order to diagnose the source of the intermittent but increasing pain I have had in my left hip for the last 6+ years and what might be done to fix it. Our insurance company and the fact that it takes a long time to schedule medical appointments has made this a slow process. But I was finally able to get an MRI done on July 7. This test showed some tearing of the lining of my hip. This morning I saw an orthopedic surgeon and scheduled surgery (arthroscopy labral repair).

The surgery is scheduled for Sept 2 — the same date we had tickets to return to Senegal. Obviously, I won’t be flying that day! The doctor said I will need to stay in the US for one month after the surgery. So we are working to change our plans. Because Emma and Molly missed six weeks of school at the end of the school year, they really shouldn’t miss any more school. So we’re planning to send them back to Senegal with some close friends who are also in the States for the summer and who are returning to Senegal on Sept 6. The girls know this family well and are excited to get back to their friends at school. Wheaton will stay with us (and start homeschooling?). Lord willing, we will all be back in Senegal before the mid-term school break in October.

The doctor says this kind of surgery has a 95% success rate so I am very hopeful that this procedure will enable me to be more active again and to be pain-free.

We are so grateful that I can get this surgery while we are here in the US and that it will only mean a one-month delay in our return to Senegal. We need to do some shuffling of our plans and I don’t look forward to the surgery or having to use crutches, but this is an answer to prayer and I am really thankful! We already know that we can continue borrowing the van we are driving and that we can stay in the same house for the extra month. God is taking such tender care of us!

Financial support update

We came to the States needing to raise an additional $1,500 per month and we have been so encouraged as the Lord has provided more than half of that amount in just two months. Some supporters have increased their monthly pledges and we have also been blessed by some new partners who have committed to being part of our financial support team. Thank you for giving and thank you for praying!

We still need $600/month in order to return to Senegal fully funded in October. Please let us know if you are interested in supporting us monthly, bimonthly, or annually, as He provides, for this next four-year term. Don’t hesitate to email us if you have any questions about how our financial support works.