Djembering on the sea

David and Niolib

Joe and Alliune

Fernando in front of his house in Cap Skiring

The Mission House in Djembering, home of Albert and Irma

A friend of Irma with Tina and Lexie

David, Niolib, and Edward

The flower of a banana tree

Wendy, Josie, and Lexie with the kids in Djembering

 

The Old, original church building in Dejembering

inside the old church

The doorway to the old church

A traditional drum used for cong cong communal dances for the youth

Edward, Kristina, Christine, Niolib, Wendy, and David on top of "Offie's hill"

Josie

Lexie

Offie Bolie's church in Senchaba

Vultures on the edge of town

The Artists Market in Ziguinchor

 

 

Offie has a vision to build a community center here

More of Offie's land

Part of Offie's land that's next to the main road

David traded his sneakers for some art and these sandals with an artist

The Lighthouse team with Offie, his wife Olga, and their baby boy Haniel

Tina takes a "repose" in the sept place car on the ride home

Home, sweet home!

We brought the Lighthouse team to Ziguinchor to meet Offie Bolie and his family.  He brought us to a piece of land that he'd like to buy to build a Christian community center that is near the center of the city.   We prayed there for God to provide the money for him to buy the land and build the center.

Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord

Leaving for Service with Sanderine & Bourgasy

Through the gate of the church building

Lighthouse team sings "Open the Eyes of My Heart"

Flambo, the youth group, leads worship

David prays for the elders

A blessing for Gerard

"The Cross", seeing outside the box

Sharing Tieboutienne for lunch under the mango tree

David and Barnabas, who is all smiles

The Lighthouse team joined the Oussouye Evangelical Church for 2 Sunday services.  During their first visit, the group went to the front of the church and, before they introduced themselves, sang "Open the Eyes of My Heart," followed by "Jesus, Be the Center." Then, David Herr introduced his group to the church, and Kristina introduced her mom.  During their second visit, David did a creative teaching using words translated into Jola onto large cards that formed a box.  When you opened the box, it formed a cross. 

Hitou, the Island of White Sand

Reading a map of the Casamance on the bus ride to Elinkin

Marcel, elder, Assist. Pastor Jerome, Pastor David (Lighthouse), and Pastor Joe

Alliune, elder and Ismael

Mangrove roots with Oysters

Wendy

Kristina, Josie, and me departing for the island of Itou

Alliune washed the black mud off all our feet when we climbed from the boat to the land

David shares about Jesus with an entire group of teachers on Itou

Baby Marcel and Marcel

Baby Marcel's mother (blue)

David shares the gospel with the father of baby Marcel on Itou

The team on the island of Itou

After lunch some of us took a "repose" on the boat

Sun set when we arrived back in Elinkin

The team back in Elinkin

Week after week, have been praying for the gospel to advance on the islands of the Casamance River.  I was so excited to have an opportunity to travel there for prayer and some evangelism with the team from Lighthouse Christian Fellowship.  We went to the island of Hitou, which means "white sand," according to the locals there. Here, David shared the gospel with an entire group of teachers.  Afterwards, they asked the elders of the Oussouye church if someone could come back with Bibles and explain the scriptures to them.  They want to hear about Jesus and about Christianity.  Some of the teachers were from other islands and the pastors discussed the possibility of meeting them on the islands where they are staying.  God has opened some amazing doors of opportunity there.  After that, we stopped to visit a lady who prayed with Marcel to start a friendship with Jesus on a previous trip he took to Hitou.  She was pregnant and the time and when she gave birth, she had a baby boy.  She gave him the name Marcel.  During the visit, David explained the Gospel to her husband, who also prayed to start a friendship with Christ. On the way back, the team stopped on the island of Vendaye, where Kristina and the leaders of the Oussouye church had shown the Jesus film in 2009.   They stopped there to great the new believers there who were very happy to see them.   Soon, we will be going back to the islands to distribute 500 gift boxes from Samaritan Purse's project Christmas Child.   Please pray that the islands will know the love of Jesus through this endeavor.