Safely home

Praise God for journey mercies. By His grace, we are safely home.

Final picture of the whole team, with us and the pastors and director of the Ecole Esperance Vivante in Yeumbeul - a poor suburb of Dakar, where these students made a significant impact. They will not soon be forgotten by the grateful students and teachers of this Christian school, nor by us! Sharon & Will Radford

On their way!

Hello parents, families and friends!

We know you are probably waiting to hear so we thought we would let you know the team is safely at the airport with all their baggage waiting for their flight which leaves in 2 hours. The flight is scheduled on time, so all should be well.

We cannot believe how quickly these 2 weeks went by - at least on our side of the Atlantic! :-) This is an awesome group of teens and we were so impressed by their servant hearts, good attitudes, willingness to work, flexibility, boldness and tender spirits. We know that their lives have been changed by their experiences here and we have no doubt that the Lord has incredible plans for all of them.

Can we ask one thing? Please listen to their stories. Pay attention when they tell you about people and places you haven't seen and cannot even picture. This will be vital to their ability to process all that they saw and heard and felt while they were here. And allow the Lord to continue to change and shape them. They are not the same young men and women who left Toronto 2 weeks ago. They have been changed and they are ready for whatever the Lord has next for them!

We are looking forward to seeing them all in a few weeks in Toronto when we come for a short home assignment. If any of you parents and families would like to see us then too, please just let us know! We would love to meet you. Our email address is _________________________

God bless you! Yalla bachna!

Will & Sharon Radford, Jesse & Beth

Last post

It is hard to believe that our time in Senegal is shortly coming to an end. It has been a time of growth and depth for each member of the team. Each of them has risen to the task of being a representative of Christ in this country. We are pleased and proud of each of them.

Today, we returned to the deaf school and presented the gospel to the children there. They were receptive and attentive.

In the afternoon, we went to Dakar Academy and led the chapel in this school which is home to a large number of Missionary kids who's parents are scattered throughout West Africa. What a privilege it was to be with these students. They sang praises to God with zeal and really challenged us to be bold in our praise of Jesus Christ.

In the evening, our students were dispersed among the different dorms of Dakar Academy and shared a meal with the students in the dorms.

Tonight, we are packing up and preparing for our day of debrief tomorrow before heading to the airport for the journey home. We will be spending most of the day at the Meridian hotel, enjoying a meal, swimming in the pool and beginning the important task of processing all that we have learned and experienced during our 2 weeks in Senegal. Please pray for this time. Debrief is a very important part of a short term missions trip and if done well can help us to properly take all that we have learned over these two weeks and solidify it for a lifetime.

Our flight home begins on Saturday March 13 at 1:50 AM. We will be flying from Dakar to Washington DC on South African Airways flight 207. It is scheduled to arrive in Washington at 6:00 AM.

We leave Washington for Toronto at 12:30pm on United Airlines flight 8049. It is scheduled to arrive in Toronto at 2:01pm.

As always, please check the airlines for any delays or changes to these times.

Please remember that your son or daughter must continue to take all of their Malarone for 7 days after their return from Dakar.

Wednesday, the 10th

Hello! It's the Radfords posting for the team again as they do not have computer access tonight. Today was the culmination of the work at the Yeumbeul school. It was a long, tiring day, but a very rewarding one too. I am sure Mr. Philip will give more details as soon as he can. But I am posting a picture of the amazing PCA team with one of the beautiful murals they created in the pre-school classroom at the school. They did an incredible job, as did the teams doing Bible stories and crafts with the kids. We have been blessed beyond measure!

Tuesday

Just a quick note to let you know that all is well. Today was another busy one with the trip through slow-moving traffic to the school in Yeumbeul which is called Ecole Esperance Viviante (Living Hope School) to continue work on the murals in 2 classrooms and the program of Bible story and crafts with the students. The PCA team is doing an awesome job on all aspects of this ministry time. Tomorrow the murals should be complete and we will finish with the 3 days of ministry at this school.

Thanks for continuing to pray for all of us. The team is healthy and happy We can hardly believe there are only 3 days left!

Will & Sharon Radford

Yembeul Day 1

Our day began earlier than normal as we were trying to avoid getting caught in traffic. We met in the common area at 6:30am for devotions and then breakfast. Breakfast this morning consisted of eggs and potatos. At 8am we boarded our bus for the trip to Yembeul.

I wish you could meet our bus driver. His name is Jerome. He is certainly the tallest and the happiest man I have met. He loves Jesus dearly and serves us cheerfully.

Again, I wish you could take a trip along the roads in Senegal. They are incredibly active and vibrant. In Senegal, horse carts share the roads with cars and busses. Interestingly, there are not many bicycles on the road. The women dress in bright colours and the men's long robes remind us of outfits from the Middle East. It is quite common to see men walking along the road fingering their Muslim prayer beads, reciting the 99 names of God in Islam.

The streets are lined with vendors selling their wares. Some are selling shoes, some are selling sunglasses, some are selling phone cards. Each vendor has one thing he or she sells. Retail stores, like what we are familiar with in Canada are nowhere to be seen. Instead, if you want oranges, you simply need to get stuck in traffic and the man selling oranges will come to your window and sell them to you directly.

There are children everywhere in Senegal. They zip in and out of traffic with ease. It is quite common to see a girl of 6 or 7 years with her infant sibling swaddled to her back. A number of young boys are supposed to be taught and cared for by a local Muslim leader called a Maribou. Unfortunately, the majority of these children end up on the street with a red tin can, collecting alms which will go back to the Maribou.

The public buses are something to behold. They are painted in rich colours of yellow and blue with Muslim slogans and blessings written on their sides. People board from the back of the bus where a ticket collector stands, usually hanging off the back. There are no designated stops. The bus simply slows down and people will jump off or on the moving bus as they need. Life is made all the mor interesting by the fact that on the city streets (not the highways) there are no lanes. Add to this the fact that most roads are not wide enough for traffic heading in one direction, let alone two directions, and you can understand why traffic is slow here.

We arrived at Yembeul by 9:30am and began setting up for the day. The students were divided into three groups. One third of the students were on the art team. They are painting two murals in classrooms at the school. The second group worked with the primary students. The last group worked with the older students. Everyone gave their best effort and the day was a real success.

Interestingly, students in Senegal have a long break in the middle of their school day. They start at 9am (I believe) and end at 1pm. Then they go home until 4pm. At 4pm they return for more school until 6pm.

Once the students left for their afternoon break, we stopped for lunch (sandwiches) and continued with the murals. The team painting the murals are doing a phenomenal job. We anticipate that these murals will likely be regarded among the great masterpieces of art!

Throughout our time in Senegal, we have been blessed with the presence and assistance of Pastor Ngor. He is gifted in languages and has helped to translate for us since we arrived. He has sacrificed so much time and energy to help us. We are very thankful for him and his presence.

By God's grace, we continue to enjoy good health and spirits. Please pray for our continued health and for the seeds of the gospel to find a home in good soil in the lives of these children.

Preparing for the week ahead

Hello,

We trust that you had a blessed Lord's day. All are well but definetly tired after an unexpectedly long day.

After church this morning, we had lunch. From lunch we were supposed to make a quick jaunt to Yembeul where we were going to prep some of the work that we will be doing in a school in this town. It should have taken 45 minutes to get to Yembeul but traffic being what it is slowed us down. In the end, it was more like a 3 - 4 hour trip!

We have finally returned from Yembeul. We did not complete all the work we wanted to but the sunsets very quickly here.

By God's grace, we continue to enjoy good health and spirits.

Tour and Market

Hello,

In the midst of the busyness of the first week of ministry, we never noticed that we had not taken a tour of the city of Dakar. Mr. Radford allowed that to happen today with a nice tour of this city. After lunch, we went to the market to pick up souvenirs for family and friends at home. The markets required us to bargain a good price. It took some getting used to for the students but soon they had the hang of it.

By God's grace, we continue to enjoy good health, strength and spirits.

Tomorrow will be a busier day as we attend church in the morning and then head to Yembeul to prepare for our three days of ministry there. Please pray that the day would be used well so that we are well prepared for all that God has prepared for us to do.

Thank you!

A day of preparation and rest

Today was set aside as a day of rest and preparation for the upcoming week. In the morning, students reviewed their lessons and activities for next week's ministry activities. After noon, we travelled to the beach where everyone had a truly refreshing day.

Tonight, the missionaries who work with the Radfords will be sharing about their ministry and their lives as missionaries. We pray that our students will develop a fuller sense of the call to missions and all the meaningful work that falls within that call.

Everyone is happy, healthy and being made holy!

Agnes and the children of Dalifort

Jonathan meeting the children of Dalifort

Preaching the gospel to the children of Dalifort

Merna amongst the children of Dalifort

Thomas teaching the story of Peter walking on water

Dorothy sharing her testimony with the children of Dalifort

At the school for the deaf

Teaching the students at the school for the deaf a craft (with the help of an interpreter!)

Some pictures of our adventures!

Hi parents & friends! We know the updates are great but we know from experience how wonderful it is to see pictures of your children when they are so far away! So, here are a few pictures from the last couple of days.

Learning about and tasting Senegalese tea, made by our translator and friend Pastor Ngor Ngom.

Below are some pictures of yesterday afternoon's rest and preparation time at our house. Several team members slept through a lot of commotion in our living room!





SOME students played some games instead of sleeping, and some preferred to destroy Jesse Radford's basketball hoop! Just joking Samuel! It isn't broken, it comes apart all the time! :-)

Some team members climbed the "big gun" on Goree Island today.

And here is a picture of the whole team, with our family and Pastor Ngor today at Goree Island. Keep praying for us and thank you for praying! Will & Sharon Radford

Goree Island

This morning, the team is heading out to Goree Island. Goree Island was one of the locations in Senegal where African slaves were shipped off to Europe and North America. It will be an opportuniy for students to learn about a darker period in Senegal and Africa's history.

In the afternoon, we will be leading activities at a local community center.

All the students are feeling well and are in good spirits. The four students who stayed behind yesterday are back to normal. They were either tired or had minor upset stomachs, which is normal. They had joined us for the evangelism yesterday afternoon. The students had a good night of rest and are being encouraged to drink plenty of liquids.

Dalifort Part Two

Our day began, as is now customary, with devotions and breakfast. For devotions students are study John 10 in depth. They are studying the chapter verse by verse, identifying its meaning, significance and application. We move out devotions and into breakfast which consists of fruit and cereal.

This morning was a little more low-key. We went to the office of the deaf school and finished some projects there. Because it was low-key, four students who were tired or sick stayed behind with Mrs. Paas to rest up.

The rest went to the office and put in a good effort. For lunch, we had Senegalese burgers. A Senegalese burger is similar to burgers at home except for the fact that they tear out the inside of the bun and stuff it with french fries!

In the afternoon, we returned to Dalifort, the community we visited yesterday. We had two evangelistic campaigns organized for today. One was for children at 3:30, the other was for adults at 6:00.

We arrived at 3:45 to find that the field where the campaign was to be held was already full of children eagerly waiting for our arrival. We began the campaign and were deeply moved by the response of the children. They were attentive to the gospel and responded with great earnest. The children's campaing was followed by a campaign for the adults. Again, there was a real hunger to hear the gospel and an earnest response to the invitation. Well over one hundred young children gave their lives to Jesus Christ today. We praise God for this and celebrate the work He is doing in this community.

The campaign highlighted the need for missionaries in this community. Just beyond the field where our students were preaching the gospel, the mosque was blaring the call to prayer. The Islamic religion is very strong in Senegal but Islam provides no hope for these people. It demands submission and offers no redemption. The gospel of Jesus Christ - his death for our sins, in our place and his resurrection from the grave is the only means by which these people can know peace with God.

Would you pray for the Senegalese people that the gospel would bear much fruit in their lives and in their nation?

Deaf School and Dalifort

Wow! What a day the team had. We were working in two places today. In the morning, we went to a deaf school run by Mrs. Radford's sister. The students were split into two groups. Half of them worked on crafts, led by James Tam, Katie Shau and the PCA team. The other half went to an adjacent field and played sports with the children. Trying to communicate with the deaf students certainly posed interesting challenges. Thankfully, the teachers at the deaf school were extremely gracious and patient with us. The entire experience was a rich blessing for all of us. We were moved by the genuine happiness expressed on the faces of these deaf students.

After spending the morning at the deaf school, we headed to Mr. and Mrs. Radford's house where Mrs. Radford had prepared a delicious and filling meal for the entire team. We spent the afternoon resting, playing games and preparing ourselves for the evening activities.

In the evening, we went to a neighbouring village called Dalifort. We split up into two groups and went through the village sharing the gospel with individuals and families. Josh Lau had a wonderful opportunity to preach the gospel to an entire family and had the privilege of seeing the whole family respond to the message by trusting Christ for salvation. Truly, the gospel is the power for salvation for all who believe!

Students continue to enjoy health and strength. We are encouraging them to get plenty of sleep and drink plenty of liquids. Other than some minor upset stomachs, all are well.

Tuesday, the 2nd

Just a quick note to ask you to pray for the team as they are involved in evangelism this evening in a neighbourhood near where we live. They are partnering with a local pastor and his congregation to do some door-to-door evangelism and a short "open-air" type meeting. Pray for receptive hearts and a clear presence of the Holy Spirit in this neighbourhood! Thanks for praying. Mrs. Radford

A hot day in the village

The day began with devotions. We gathered at 7:15am. Everyone was on time, with Bibles and pens. We meet in a common area where we also share meals. No one was late or sleeping in. This is a good sign.

After devotions, we at breakfast and then boarded a bus which took us out to a village. The bus drive was over two hours long and most of the students used the chance to take a nap.

We had a tour of the local school where we sang songs for each class. They, in turn sang songs for us. After the tour of the school, we returned to the home of a local pastor where his wife was preparing a very delicious meal for the team.

Senegalese meals are eaten communally. So, four or five students gathered around one very large dish and ate rice, beef and vegetables.

After eating our fill, we waited for the heat to pass. We made our way to the school and played a number of games with the children (probably in the area of 200 children were present).

Some played soccer, some played frisbee, some played with a parachute we had brought. After a while, all the games stopped and students had the opportunity, with the help of a translator to share the gospel with the children. Many children responded positively to the gospel message. We trust that the Lord will use the message of the gospel to transform their lives.

After this, students lined up and received a treat of candy before we boarded the bus to return home. Because of traffic, the trip home was almost twice as long as the trip to the village.

Students are healthy and well. We have been monitoring their water consumptions - especially today with the heat. By God's grace none of the students had any issues to deal with.

Please continue to pray for their health and pray that the preaching of the gospel would be powerful and effective in changing lives.