by Katie Garrett | Nov 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
At 6 am on Thursday, November 10, both the Gallaghers and the Sanderfers are set to arrive in Senegal. Yes, both of the couples who are joining our SIM Senegal team are arriving on the same flight next week! This is such an exciting time for us and we are full of thanksgiving as we see God working out His good plan.
If you have been following our updates, you know that both couples have experienced delays. We know many of you have been praying for them; see how the Lord has answered! We will go to Dakar on Wednesday to be there to pick them up at the airport on Thursday morning. We’ll have just a short time together before we all separate: one couple will be with our SIM team in Dakar, the other with our SIM team in Thies for language study, and our family will return home to Kaffrine. By the summer, we trust both families will have enough Wolof language and cultural competency to be ready to move to Kaffrine.
We are so grateful for the Gallaghers’ and Sanderfers’ perseverance through all the trials and setbacks and hoops they have had to jump through to get to this point. And we appreciate your continued prayers for them as they begin to learn the Wolof language and culture, and for us as a team as we get to know each other. Please pray:
- for peace for the Sanderfers and Gallaghers through the goodbyes and the packing.
- for a safe, uneventful trip to Senegal on the 9th and 10th.
- for the Lord to bless our team as we get to know each other; pray that we will care for one another well and work together well.
- for God to enable them to work hard at learning Wolof and to make good progress so they will be able to communicate well and thrive here long-term.
- for the Lord to help them to adjust well to all aspects of life here.
- that God will already be preparing the hearts of those in the villages of KMN and NW that He wants to reach through our team with the Good News about Jesus!
by Corey Garrett | Oct 5, 2016 | Uncategorized
What a great summer (plus) it’s been! We’ve been so encouraged over these months and we are excited to head back to Senegal! We’re heading out tonight to catch a 5:45 a.m. flight. Pray us over all day Wednesday, then we’ll arrive in Senegal 1:30 a.m. EST on Thursday morning.
by Katie Garrett | Sep 29, 2016 | Uncategorized
Katie on crutches after surgery
Our flight leaves in the wee hours of the morning on October 5, so we are busy packing and weighing our bags and saying goodbye to our family and friends here in the States. It is a time of mixed emotions as we plan to be in Senegal for another four years before our next home assignment back in the USA. Emma and Molly are already back in Senegal – they flew with friends on September 6 to be there in time for the beginning of their school year – so we look forward to being on the same continent with them again!
My hip surgery on September 2nd was successful and I am off crutches and doing well. I have two more physical therapy appointments and a list of exercises I can continue on my own. I am so grateful to have had the surgery and I look forward to being much less limited physically this term!
Our hearts are full of praise and thanksgiving for all of the sweet blessings we received during this time in the States.
Every day, we had a vehicle to drive and a place to stay. We had precious time with friends, both new and old, and were prayed for and encouraged. God’s people also continue to generously support us financially; we are at almost 100% of our goal and expect to hear back soon from two congregations who may become new ministry partners.
The Gallaghers at SIM HQ
So, the Lord has provided all we need – and we are ready to return to Senegal to see what He will do next!
Delay of New Teammates’ Arrival
Some of you may have heard that we were excited about getting to meet one of the couples who is coming to work with us in Kaffrine who were booked to be on the same flight to Senegal with us on October 5. Jeff and Amanda Gallagher are coming from California and are fully supported — but they have just had to cancel their booking so that they can take care of a medical issue that has come up. Obviously, this is disappointing for all of us, but we are so glad that the Gallaghers are able to take advantage of the quality medical care available in the US and we trust and pray that the delay will not be a long one.
Our other new teammates, Kody and Jennifer Sanderfer and their three children, are poised and ready to come to Senegal as soon as the last 27% of their financial support comes in.
The Sanderfers
We trust the Lord is in control and will bring the Gallaghers and the Sanderfers to Senegal in His good timing.
We appreciate your prayers for both of these families!
Adoption Update
Three years into this process, we are hopeful that things are now moving forward with our adoption in Guinea. However, the US government’s approval for us to adopt from Guinea only lasts 18 months. Our adoption agency doesn’t think that the process will be completed before our approval expires again in December. So… we need to update our homestudy again. This is complicated by the fact that the American social worker who did our original homestudy and update no longer lives in Senegal. Would you pray that the Lord will work this out? Not only do we long to bring our children home, but it breaks my heart to hear that since the orphanage is full right now, when the police bring abandoned babies to the orphanage, they have to turn them away.
by Katie Garrett | Jul 4, 2016 | Uncategorized
Katie sharing with Wintonbury’s Sunday school–these four volunteers enjoyed trying on some Senegalese clothes. Don’t they look great?
We have been in America for about a month now – two weeks in North Carolina and two weeks here in Connecticut. What a joy to see family and friends! We’ve had the opportunity to share in four different churches and each one has been a blessing. The Lord has provided a lovely home for us to stay in this summer and a van (sometimes two!) for us to use. We are overwhelmed with the love and care of His people.
If you have our old family photo magnet on your fridge, you may be surprised when you see Emma, Molly, and Wheaton this summer since that picture was taken four years ago and they don’t look quite the same anymore! We now have new magnets with a current family photo. If you receive our quarterly newsletters in your mailbox, we are already preparing to send you one. But if you only receive our updates via email, or if you are not on our mailing list at all – and you would like a magnet – just let me know and we’ll send you one. Email us your postal mailing address. The purpose of the magnet is to be a reminder to pray for us when we go back to Senegal for another four years. We want you to keep praying!
by Corey Garrett | Mar 14, 2016 | Uncategorized
In the print shop
At the end of last month I was able to pick up the first 700 copies of Wolofal Psalms! You might remember that the first time the print shop printed Psalms, a corrupt Mac ruined the printing, and the whole lot had to be destroyed, including 1,000 bound copies. The Mac was so corrupt they had to get rid of the machine in the end. But this time after completely starting over, Psalms turned out beautifully. Next week I will pick up the remaining 1,300 copies. At the same time, I will approve a sample print-out and the plates for Exodus. We just finished the last verification read-through of Exodus last week.
Later in the week I will be at the Wolof Consultation in Dakar. This is an annual gathering for those working among the Wolof. I’ll be doing a short presentation on all the new materials available this year including Genesis, Psalms, and the upcoming Wolof (Roman script) Bible web app and Android app.
Praise the Lord for this good progress and pray for the next steps with Exodus.
In other news, today is our eighteenth wedding anniversary! We praise God for these good years together and for all that he’s allowed us to see and do in them.
You must be logged in to post a comment.