Carrot... where did you get those beautiful, stylish, orange pants??

Missionary giving a church presentation… not every country can have “the least reached people” with “the hardest languages known to man”.

The “new” missionary and the “better” missionary… read this post. It’s both funny and true!

Limes that we bought the other day… how is it that you turned out to be oranges? You were small, round and lime green!

African babies… how are you not deaf? Your mamas are some loud clappers! Especially when they take those two skinny slabs of wood, and smack them together (right over your head when you’re only a week old) for extra loudness. Yowza!

Bread knife… why don’t you just stick to cutting bread instead of my finger?

Dogs… you don’t all have to join in on the nightly barking chorus, do you? Why don’t you just take turns being the one that warns everyone of danger?

Revolution Church… we would totally volunteer to come and do ALL of the work on the new house (plus bring donuts and coffee) this Saturday (we would paint, hang drywall, do the plumbing…the works!). But sadly, we don’t think there are any flights leaving Senegal and/or arriving in Columbus in time. Bummer! Well, at least we were willing, right??

Mike and Molly (the show not the actual people)… how cool is it that the diner guy plays a guy from Senegal.

Americans who think “African” is a language… don’t feel too bad, the other day an African asked me if I speak “American”. It goes both ways. [For the record: we don't speak African or American because they are NOT languages.]

Strawberries… rumor has it you’re in Dakar. We sure would LOVE it if you found your way down here!

People who say and/or yell “BOOYAH”… is it really necessary? I mean really. Is it? If you’re a character on The Emperor’s New Groove, then by all means…go for it! Otherwise, not necessary.

Peanut M&M’s… well, it was nice knowing you.

Your friends in Senegal,

s&j

When we least expect it, God uses someone to encourage our hearts.

I love how God uses other people to boost our spirits and encourage our hearts in the most unexpected ways. Sometimes people don’t even realize that they’re being used to brighten our day!

This morning I was scrolling through the list of Facebook status’ from the night before when one status really caught my attention. No, it wasn’t talking about the incredible chocolate cake that someone made, or announcing someone’s 5th pregnancy, it was a status inviting people to come pray for the unreached people of this dying world! I guess it just came as a bit of a wake-up call. There are unreached people all over this world, and every day, no matter where we live, we have an opportunity to reach out, to make a difference, and to SHINE the light of the gospel.

At times it’s easy for us to get discouraged. We’re living far away from “normal”, we’re constant learners in a foreign language/culture, and we’re far from our family and friends [don't worry, this isn't a pity party or a "pat ourselves the back" post]. Things here haven’t exactly gone as planned, sometimes we really feel the isolation, discipleship is a slow process, some hard times have hit our families back home, and sometimes we question God’s timing in some of the events that have happened in the ministry here.

But then, just like that, we’re reminded of the bigger picture. We’re reminded that people are praying not only for the lost people groups of this world, but there are people out there praying for us! We’re reminded that God is at work. He’s at work here, across the globe and in our very lives.

So, to the person who wrote the status/plea to come and pray for the lost, {you know who you are}, thank you for lifting these missionaries’ spirits. We thank you for your faithfulness in remembering to PRAY for those that have yet to hear.

Here are a few other ways that God has recently used people to make us smile:

+ Friends from Revolution [our sending church in Ohio] sent us a note from their two young daughters saying that they love and miss us. Notes from kids are so fun to read!

+ Shawn’s Mom sent us some things we needed and threw in some Valentine’s Day goodies [sweets!!].

+ Someone sent us an out-of-the-blue $200 to put into our vehicle fund!

+ Listening to this song.

s&j

Hey! Guess what? Today is Monday. Well, you already knew that. But guess what else? Today is an unexpected Dear ___, post! Normally Dear ___, is a Wednesday feature, but last Wednesday we were gone for the day, so we thought we would do one today to make up for the one you all so desperately missed last week.

Local bar that set up loud speakers and played music for a solid 24 hours…please don’t ever do that again. It’s not that we don’t love music, it’s just that we love peace and quiet at 4:00 in the morning.

Monday… who invited you? Well, at least you brought the coffee.

Sunday night… why don’t you ever have anything good to offer us for dinner? Popcorn? That’s it? Okay, that’ll do.

Ocean… your waters are very icy, but the sound of your waves crashing in is still just as relaxing as ever.

House girl… we kind of had a sneaking suspicion that you were pregnant when you were throwing up at work every single morning.

Chicken… if you want to live, stop crawling under our gate and running past Roxy. Haven’t you ever heard of “fast food”?

Red & yellow bell peppers at the market… well, well, well. It’s good to have you back.

Colored V-neck t-shirts… you are a comfy and colorful staple in my wardrobe.

Lady who gave Shawn a jar of homemade piment [hot sauce] and said, “Careful, it’s hot!“… you weren’t kidding.

Our co-workers’ parrot who sits outside on the porch and says, “knock, knock”… you are so stinkin’ cute and you make us laugh. We just have one question: why do you so desperately want to come into the house?

Shawn… you’ve done a great job preaching [en français] these past few weeks!

Chinese take-out… we miss you and your delicious chopstick-self.

Weekend video chats with family… you’re the best! Even though the time difference makes things a little bit complicated, we still look forward to you.

Missionaries all over the world learning a new language… it’s not easy but you can do it. Remember that you have to talk like a baby before being able to speak like a man. Take what you know now and use it. Also, listen, listen, listen to the language.

Peanut M&M’s sitting on the shelf… please stop calling my name. I want to eat you, I really do. But you just arrived in a package a few days ago. I must practice some self-control! *Runs into the other room and breaks open the bag*

Enjoy your week. Wherever you are,

s&j

It’s time for some vlog action up in here [cue gangster hands]. Once our s-l-o-w internet cooperates and decides to upload them for us, that is. Every now and then we’ll post a vlog about whatever we want. Hopefully it will give you a little better idea of what our days are like, what kinds of things we’re enjoying, facing, doing, and what life is like here.

Wait. What? You don’t know what a vlog is? No worries, there’s always urban dictionary [yes, I know, it's not Webster, but still] to give us a definition:

1.Vlog 

A video log.  A journalistic video documentation on the web of a person’s life, thoughts, opinions, and interests. A vlog can be topical and timeless, instructional and entertaining. The main thread is trying to communicate on a personal level with your audience.

[Never mind the loud winds in this second video here. The video still doesn't do justice for how loud the music really is. Oh well.]

Well, there you have it. Just a little glimpse into our weekend. So…what do you think? Do you want to see another vlog in the near future? What about a Q & A vlog where you write in questions for us to answer? Hmmm, just an idea. If you have any ideas/questions for a future vlog, leave a comment! We would love to know!

s&j

A little ham.

As we’ve traveled around we’ve noticed that although every people group is unique within their own culture, there are behaviors, attitudes and reactions that all people seem to have in common. It makes us wonder could these things be universal?

Things such as:

+ Little boys fighting with pretend swords, wrestling and getting as dirty as possible

+ Everyone wanting to look at the bride. They love to admire her in her beautiful dress, hair, makeup and/or body paint

+ Every mother loves her children and will do whatever she can to keep them safe

+ Holidays and festivities involve some kind of food

+ Old men think that they’re stand-up comedians

+ Old women are good cooks

+ Little girls care what their hair looks like, they like things that sparkle and they love to be told that they’re beautiful

+ Bodily sounds are just plain funny

+ Where you’ll have a really shy person there will be an outgoing ham

+ Everyone fears something

+ Everyone believes something

What do you think? Are these things true where you live? What universal thing have you noticed?

We were so excited to sneak away for some beach time on Valentine’s Day. 

It’s one of the perks of living in this region of the country!

Off to the beach to enjoy some time together on Valentine's Day!

What beauty! What a creator!

Feet in the icy cold water.

Cows on the beach.

Hello, hearts in the sand.

“Every time you feel in God’s creatures something pleasing and attractive, do not let your attention be arrested by them alone, but, passing them by, transfer your thought to God and say: “O my God, if Thy creations are so full of beauty, delight and joy, how infinitely more full of beauty, delight and joy art Thou Thyself, Creator of all!”

Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain

Thankful for the beauty of the beach,

s&j

Because today is February 14th, we thought we would send a little love your way, from us here in Senegal.

A little love song for you:

A little love story for you:

A little something tasty:

A little quote for you:

{photo}

Wishing you a happy day of celebrating L-O-V-E.

Because in knowing God, we really can know what true love is.

+ Eating homemade deep dish pizza together

+ That song that makes me think of you

+ Making fun of each other, and being able to be made fun of

Her leaving her family in Colorado and moving to his hometown in Ohio.

+ Letting her sleep in

+ Listening

+ Taking time to tell him you respect him, and why

Letting her have fun times with her girlfriends.

+ Letting him eat at White Castle, hunt, get muddy, and hang out in the garage with his brothers

+ When he gets excited for her, because she found the best new purple eyeliner

+ When she gets excited for him, when he talks about his old 64 Ford Galaxie 500

+ Patient, not easily angered, always hopes [1 Corinthians 13]

+ When you kill that mouse, those maggots, that snake [for her]

+ A good backscratch [for him]

When he tells her to stay inside where it's warm while he scrapes the ice and snow off the car. Thankfully we don't have to deal with that in Africa!

+ A night away at a hotel

+ Notes on the bathroom mirror

Exploring cool places together.

+ You watching your show on your laptop, me watching my show on my laptop [win, win]

+ Moving multiple times, enduring the stress, making it an adventure

Remembering that time when we were dating, you were living 600 miles away, and you surprised me with a bouquet of tulips in the mail.

+ Chocolate covered strawberries

+ Watching King of Queens on a Saturday night, laughing together

+ When one person does all of the dishes, just because

+ A coffee date, playing random word games, or the “remember that one time…” game

+ Him making it known to her that she will always be loved and protected

+ Her taking hot cinnamon rolls out of the oven for him

+ When going to a restaurant one person says, “your choice”

+ Traveling together, keeping the commentary rolling as we take it all in

+ Being there with a hug when someone has a bad day

+ Choosing not to judge

+ Simply saying “you’re the best” to each other

Happy Valentine’s Day.

 [Hey guys, don't worry, it's tomorrow]

xoxo,

s&j

The other day Shawn said, “Tonight I’m making you dinner.” [Isn't he the best?] I said, “Oooookay!!”, grabbed my camera and headed out the door for a walk.

The dinner: homemade chicken nuggets with garlic mayo dipping sauce, onion rings and collard greens {from the garden} turned out a-mazing. Here are some pictures that I took as I walked through the village, anxiously awaiting my dinner:

A kid playing with an old paint roller on a stick.

Jump!

Safi doing laundry for her big family.

Washing clothes by hand.

After school snack. Is it okra? Not sure. They only knew the word in Wolof, and I didn't.

Dusty sky.

Kids out riding a bike.

Bébé Jenn hanging out.

I LOVE this one.

Selling veggies.

Eggs for sale.

Woman at the well.

s&j

African baby in a pink dress… I know that you’re a boy because your ears are not pierced. Yes, it caught me off guard at first too.
[Note to self: pierced ears = girl. Non pierced ears = boy. Colors, lace, flowers, teddy bears or dump trucks are not the determining factors.]

New kitchen shelf … welcome to our home. You will be a great place to put our coffee, tea, sugar and powdered milk canisters, along with any other random thing that needs a place to be stored.

Valentine’s Day… I don’t care what anyone says about you. I like you. I like the colors, the heart-shaped candy, and the beauty of love.

Neighbors … we died laughing the other day when we realized how many dear ___,‘s have been about you! I guess you can say that you’ve inspired and entertained us, in one form or another.

2,000 Operation Christmas Child boxes coming this way… WOW! All we can say is, “wow.” Last year we thought that handing out 300 boxes was hectic and crazy. *Develops a nervous tic just thinking about it*

Neighbor … [yes, again]… why, I repeat, why, must you begin sweeping the dirt in your courtyard BEFORE the sun is even up? In this laid back culture, what’s the hurry?

People that type ROFL … how is it that you can A. be rolling on the floor laughing (yes, older generation, that’s what it means), and B. type at the same time? Impressive.

Roxy… it’s so cute how, as soon as we leave the house, you run up on the roof and watch for us to come home. Who needs to hire a guard when we have you?

The popular picture pose where people’s heads are cut off and you just see their bodies… you may be cool now, but don’t you think that someday down the road you’re going to actually want to see what you and your entire family looked like? Also, faces are kind of a big deal when you’re identifying someone.

Today’s breakfast… your homemade-by-Shawn breakfast burritos were outstanding! Did I taste a little bacon mixed in there? Why yes, I sure did.

People who are honest about the struggles they’ve faced in marriage and parenting… thanks for being real. Life is not always easy, and it sure helps to have someone to look to who is working hard at loving their spouse and training their children in a Biblical way.

Older couple who saw us at a restaurant while we were in the US, knew we were missionaries, and paid for our meal… wow! It’s kind gestures like that that speak volumes to people. Thanks again.

Coke in a glass bottle… it’s true, sometimes we miss free fountain refills, but you taste so good and you’re so very “retro”, now, aren’t you.

Your friends,

s&j