Prayers and Praises

Prayers and Praises

by | Oct 16, 2019 | Praise report, Prayer request

We appreciate your continued prayers. Here’s what’s happening with us. 

  • Praise God for his protection as the passenger side tie rod of our vehicle snapped suddenly on Sunday. Thankfully, Corey was in town and only going about 20 mph when it happened – it could have been much worse if they had been moving at a higher speed. He and our son Jacob and two Senegalese teachers from the Kaffrine Christian school were all in the car when it happened and no one was hurt. Pray for our vehicle to be repaired soon and well; we have been without a car since Sunday, making do with just Corey’s motorcycle to take the boys to preschool, etc. which is not ideal. 
  • The community garden project idea that Corey was investigating is not going to happen. Pray for wisdom and God’s leading as we pursue another idea for a project to help in this village.
  • Praise God for several donations to the Kaffrine Scholarship Project. The Scholarship account had gotten down to essentially $0 and school started up again this month so this is a big praise! Pray for God to bless and work in the lives of each of the Scholarship students.
  • We are still waiting to hear from USCIS – pray for them to give us an appointment for our boys’ citizenship interview before the boys’ visas expire at the end of February.
  • Pray for wisdom and grace to parent all of our kids well. Pray for our three girls at boarding school, and for the two oldest (Emma and Molly) as they make decisions about college during the next two years. Pray for patience with our boys and good connection with them.
  • Pray that we will not be discouraged. We’re saying goodbye to our teammates the Gallaghers as they leave Kaffrine next week heading for a new role in the US. Also we were surprised to learn that our Senegalese pastor here in Kaffrine has been relocated by his denomination. He has been a friend to us and an invaluable ministry partner here in Kaffrine for the last nine years so this is a sad loss for us. He and his family moved yesterday. Pray for the new pastor and the new school director who will be sent out by the denomination. 

Thanks for praying with us !

New Scholarship student goes from not attending school at all to earning fourth place in her class!

New Scholarship student goes from not attending school at all to earning fourth place in her class!

by | Jun 20, 2019 | Praise report, Prayer request

Well done, little one! Your school career is off to a great start!

On Saturday we went to the end-of-year program at the school that our boys attended this year. After some singing, dancing and a skit, the top ten students in each grade (1st through 6th grades) were called forward to receive a prize. When I heard the name of a certain six-year-old girl called, my heart burst with joy! This first-grader had not been to school before, never having attended preschool or kindergarten. Over the summer we had talked to her father, encouraging him to put his two young daughters in the church school and letting him know that the Kaffrine Scholarship Project could pay the $12 monthly tuition as well as the registration fee and the cost of their uniforms and school supplies.  

Our SIM Kaffrine Team began this Scholarship Project in 2007 when some mature Wolof Christian leaders from another region of Senegal encouraged us to invest in the children and young people in the small Christian community here. Many families can’t afford to pay for their children to attend school, particularly a private school where the teachers don’t go on strike and the students can get a good education. So we launched this project which has helped over two dozen young people at different points in their education, from preschool all the way to university or job training programs. We have seen the short-term impact already, and now that the project has been running for twelve years, we are beginning to see glimpses of the long-term impact as students graduate, get jobs, and choose to serve the Lord as adults.  

We are so grateful to all of you who have given money towards the Scholarship Project. Our young friend who came in fourth in her class this year thanks you for the opportunity to go to school! I am praying that she will go far!

If you would like to help these young people through the Kaffrine Scholarship Project, you can give here. Your prayers and gifts make a big difference!