by Katie Garrett | Oct 13, 2016 | Praise report, Prayer request
I ended up going to an Urgent Care center in Connecticut on Monday evening, October 3 because my three hip wounds were infected, red and swollen. They were healing well until I had an allergic reaction to some band-aids which caused them to reopen and get infected. I had gotten an antibiotic the Friday before but I had an allergic reaction to that (!) which left two-thirds of my body covered with an itchy red rash. The Urgent Care doctor we saw that night was a Christian and a huge encouragement and help. He gave me an IV with a cocktail of meds for the rash and a new antibiotic. He also suspected I might have scarlatina so he tested me for that; later, that test came back positive, which means a lot of my rash is caused by strep/scarlet fever. We got home from Urgent Care at around 2 am.
Armed with my new meds but splotchy and itchy, Corey, Wheaton, and I got up at 2 am the next morning to leave for Senegal and traveled until we arrived in Senegal just after 1 am EST (5 am GMT/Senegal time) on Wednesday, when we crashed into beds at a guesthouse in Dakar and slept. On Sunday we traveled to spend the day with Emma and Molly at their school and had a wonderful time with them. On Monday we made the trip home to Kaffrine. We were warmly welcomed by neighbors and friends.
Tamxarit meal from a friend–millet couscous on the bottom and a separate dish of meat and vegetable sauce.
Tuesday night was Tamxarit, a Muslim holiday, so three different neighbors brought us bowls of millet couscous and meat sauce, which was a sweet homecoming gift.
Prayer requests:
- It is in the high 90’s and extremely humid. I still have itchy rash all over my neck, torso, arms, and legs so I am pretty miserable. But the three infection points are now well healed. The doc said the scarlet fever can take several weeks to clear up. My main prayer request is for health and strength: for the itchiness to stop!
- We thank God for bringing us back to Kaffrine and for our guard and househelper who kept our home, our dog, and our rabbits in good shape during our four months away.
- We are beginning to gather what we need to do another homestudy update for our adoption. We are going to do the update without a home visit this time. The agency said that USCIS might accept this or they might require us to find a social worker to do another home visit. Please pray that we will have everything submitted by the Dec. 4th expiration date, and that USCIS will extend our approval without requiring another home visit. Pray too for things to move forward on the Guinea side!
- Pray for our readjustment to life here. It is hot and humid and there are many challenges in day-to-day living. We have less emotional and spiritual support here than we have in the US and the needs around us are myriad. There is so much work we want to do — please pray for the Lord to guide us moment by moment into His priorities for our time and energy.
- Wheaton and I started her 6th grade schoolwork on Wednesday. Pray for her transition back to homeschooling and for a good school year for us, as well as for Emma and Molly at their school.
- Pray for the Sanderfers and the Gallaghers as they work to come join us in the work here. We praise God for calling them and pray that He will bring them to Senegal very soon!
We are so grateful for and dependent on your sustaining prayers; we are so weak…
Katie
by Corey Garrett | May 19, 2016 | Praise report, Prayer request
We are a week away from leaving Kaffrine en route to a plane to the USA for our three-month home assignment! Lots of excitement about seeing family and friends for the first time in three years, as well as many last-minute things to take care of here in Kaffrine for our three-month absence.
Check out our schedule and let us know if you want to get together while we are in your area. We’d love to get to share with you face-to-face about this last term and what God is doing here.
- May 29: Arrive in Charlotte, NC
- June 8-15: In Asheville, NC
- June 15: Fly to Connecticut
- June 19: @ the Barn (Covenant Presbyterian)
- June 26: @ Trinity Episcopal Church Tariffville
- July 10: @ Bakerville Methodist Church
- July 11-25: Midwest road trip (PA, OH, IN, IL, IA)
- July 31: @ Ft. Square Pres. Church, Quincy, MA
- Aug. 7: @ Valley Brook Community Church
- Aug 9-15: @ Browncroft Church, Rochester, NY
- Aug. 17-26: In Maine
- August 21: @ Windham Baptist Church, Windham, ME
- Aug. 28: Goodbye Sunday at the Barn
- Sept. 2: Fly back to Senegal
We saw some camels on the way to the Workshop!
In other news, the Wolofal Workshop went well, and although we had some last-minute cancellations, we had seven great participants who gave all their energy and left reading, writing, and typing in Arabic script.
Wheaton finished her school year yesterday and so will be free during the summer in the US! I doubt the other two will be so fortunate….
We’re looking forward to seeing all you who are Stateside soon!
by Corey Garrett | Mar 24, 2016 | Praise report
The new Android Wolof Bible app
Last week was the Wolof Consultation, a yearly event where those working among the Wolof get together to talk over how things are going, to exchange ideas, and to encourage each other. I was able to present several things, including the newly published Wolofal (Wolof language written in Arabic script) Genesis and Psalms.
But I was equally excited to be able to share the brand-new Wolof Bible apps – one for use on Android devices, the other for use online with any web browser. SIL has released an app builder tool which makes it very easy to share scripture digitally. The Android app that I made with their tool was quite easy to put together and has the potential to reach a wide audience. If you have an Android phone or tablet, you can check it out on the Google Play Store right now by clicking here or by clicking on the screenshot at the right.
The new Wolof Bible Web app
We also released an online version of the Wolof Bible app that is readable in a web browser, again made possible through SIL’s app builder tool. You can check it out by clicking here or on the image to the left.
These apps are free online, so they make God’s word accessible all over the globe in an easy-to-carry and convenient way. It’s also an advantage for those living in environments that are hostile to the Christian faith who might be wary of owning a paper Bible.
And – there’s even more good news! – the Wolof Bible translation team gave me permission to include many books in the apps which have been approved for publication but never before published in any form. Appearing for the first time in these apps are the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Amos, & Jonah! These books join the previously available complete books of Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, and the New Testament.
How many times have we wanted to share a scripture or Bible story in Wolof only to find that part of the Bible has not yet been translated? How many times have we seen, or done (!), spur-of-the moment Bible translations during a sermon being translated from French to Wolof? What a blessing to have so many more books at our fingertips! Praise the Lord for this technology and pray that these Wolof Bible apps will have a wide readership and bring hope to new readers of the Book.
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