by Katie Garrett | Apr 22, 2017 | Uncategorized
- Recently, along with some others, we were able to visit three different villages on three different evenings and show movies that point people to Jesus. In one of the villages, an elder gave a speech that surprised and touched us, saying that even though he is a Mslm he knows that we Christians are living in the light. Pray for many from these three villages to be drawn to the Light!
- Praise God for two young Wolof men who say they are ready to be baptized. They have studied God’s Word for years but have hesitated to proclaim allegiance to Christ because of their Mslm relatives. Pray for conviction leading to boldness.
- Pray for the two little boys we are working to adopt from Conakry, Guinea, and for our adoption process to move forward quickly. We got to talk with the boys via Skype for the first time ever during Easter break while Emma and Molly were home from school – what a joy!
- Pray for our family’s witness in our neighborhood and for our little church’s witness in Kaffrine. Katie continues to write new Sunday School lesson plans each week and teach the children. Pray for the Word to take root in the kids’ hearts and minds.
- Continue to pray for the Wolofal Luke/Acts publication that Corey is working on. Pray that God will shepherd the whole transcription, proofreading, and printing process and use this format of His Word to draw many Wolof people to the Light.
by Katie Garrett | Dec 27, 2016 | Uncategorized
Last week, a group of six village girls spent the afternoon at our house. They asked me about the toy nativity set in our living room so I told them the Christmas story: how God had promised through the prophets to send someone, Almasi bi – the Messiah, to rescue us from sin and darkness and fear. Using the toy angel, I told how He sent an angel to announce to Mary and Joseph that Mary would miraculously have a baby, a baby who would be the promised Messiah. And then I showed the girls how Mary put Jesus to sleep in the animal feed trough and how poor local shepherds and rich foreign men came to see this special baby. They said they had never heard the story before. It is such a strange and compelling story when you hear it for the first time!
School kids here get a short vacation for “Noël” and many have heard of Santa Claus. In town, many Muslim families prepare a special meal on the 24th or the 25th and there are some decorative lights in the round point in the center of town. But otherwise, particularly in the villages, Christmas comes and goes with nothing to distinguish it from the day before or the day after. Most kids here don’t know what Christmas is….
“Mark” is one of the few Christians from the region of Kaffrine. He is now in his 20’s and attending university in a city six hours away from here. As a child, he heard about Jesus and attended a camp we used to do annually. Now, he wants other kids from this area to have a chance to hear about Jesus and to know the joy of Christmas too. So, for the third year in a row, in cooperation with the local Senegalese pastor and with us, he is spearheading an overnight Christmas Camp during his short break from school.
We expect 100 kids to come spend two days at the church school – December 29-30. We’ll eat out of 20 common bowls, play games, do crafts, sing fun songs, and hear what Christmas is about. The theme of the camp is specifically: Jesus, the Light of the World. For many, it will be the first time they hear about Jesus.
Please pray for God’s hand of blessing and protection on every aspect of the camp. We are excited that our teammates, Jeff and Amanda, who arrived in Senegal in November, will be coming to visit Kaffrine for the first time this week, so they’ll be able to help out with the camp. There is always plenty of work to do so we’re thankful for the extra hands!
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!
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