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.