How hard I work.

How many years we’ve been in Africa.

What people think of me.

How much money we have.

Degrees and education.

What I accomplish in this lifetime.

Having the perfect marriage.

Our ministry.

The way my house does or doesn’t look.

The adventures we’ve been on.

Looking a certain way.

Our knowledge of the culture.

The praise of others.

Having the perfect family.

What I did to help others.

Trying to measure up

How well we do or don’t speak the language.

Success.

Failures.

My joy and identity are in CHRIST. Nothing else.

Two months have flown by, and tonight is the night {early morning, to be exact} that we take our missions intern / friend Hélène to the airport.
Since this was her first time in Senegal, I asked her to share some of her pictures, along with some of the things she loved about being here / this country / the people here:

[You're going to love what she has to say!]

+ I liked the terànga. Terànga is the Wolof word for hospitality and the Senegalese are amazing at it. Everywhere I went in Dakar, but even more in the villages, the people would offer me a seat, a drink and something to eat. In Senegal, I always felt welcomed.
+ I liked the culture shock. I’ve traveled a lot in Europe, and it might sound weird, but I was always hoping to be “shocked” by the culture. I’ve experienced culture shock, but nothing compared to my African culture shock. And this is perfect because learning about another culture teaches us so much about ourselves!
+ I liked the people’s generosity. They have so much less than what we have in our Western countries, and still, they share so much more. What a lesson to learn!
+ I liked the passion of the people. When they greet each other, talk, dance, play music, etc… they do it with passion. It might be overwhelming at first, but it turned out to bring me such joy!
+ I liked the languages. They speak French. I speak French. Awesome! But they also speak many other languages and are so proud of it!
+ I liked to see how proud most of the people are to be African. Not in an ethnocentric way. They are just proud of their culture, and they want you to really “bite into it”!
+ I liked the believers’ faith! They are in a Muslim country. Many of them have suffered persecution from their families… but they still believe, and they have the desire to share their faith and their love for Jesus. How inspiring!
+ I liked the friendships that I made. People are so interested in meeting each other and their kindness amazes me. In church, at the guesthouse, teaching English, going to a Talibé Center, visiting villages, doing evangelism, etc. I met so many people, and now saying goodbye to those people is heartbreaking, but I’m thankful that God allowed me to develop amazing friendships with so many of them!
+ I liked how they dance. As soon as the music starts, everybody (boy or girl, young or old) dances, and it is really pretty to see!
+ I liked the ocean. The beach, the palm trees and the powerful water reminded me how our God is great, powerful and such an artist!
+ I liked the fruit. Mangos, Papaya, other-fruits-that-I-don’t-remember-the-name-of, all delicious!

“When I travel, I focus on new places and once I visit a city, I kind of “check it off my list”, and plan my next trip. But Senegal was different. My two months there were so amazing, that there is no doubt that I want to come back. And I know that once I come back, I’ll be more than welcome because this is the country of terànga!” ~ Hélène

Thanks for Sharing Hélène! We wish you a good trip and a quick return to Senegal,

s&j

+ Saturdays. Naturally. Even if every Saturday is different, depending on how many people are staying at the guesthouse, what the day holds, what we have going on, etc.

+ Sleeping in. Seriously. Is there anything better? I’m not always able to sleep in on Saturday mornings (and there will be a season in life when I won’t be able to, like, ever), but when I can, I will most certainly take advantage of it! A {big} shout-out to Shawn who went downstairs earlier this morning so a guest could pay and check-out.

+ Coffee + breakfast dates + friends. Hélène only has ONE more week here!

I also love my blue *heart* ring, given to me by my sister-in-laws Abby and Kristen. Aw.

+ Thunder, rain, and all that comes with it! A break from the high{est} humidity = such.a.treat!

"And the thunder rolls, and the lightning strikes" (A little Garth Brooks for you..)

+ Having some forever21 look-alike shirts made at the tailor shop.

One of the many, many tailor shops in Dakar.

+ Taking pictures. In case you didn’t already know!

click, click.

+ In a generally dry and dusty country, I love seeing color. Even if it’s in unexpected places!

+ Redoing a room, furniture… anything!

BEFORE

The AFTER living room furniture.

Bright colors!

+ A thoughtful word or note.

+ ANY time spent with Shawn. {I love that guy}.

“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness…” Vierzig

I walk outside and I am quick to look the other way when a little barefoot talibé kid asks me for money, or for something to eat. I see it all the time. It seems like every time I’m sitting in a hot taxi, waiting for the line of traffic to move forward, I look out the window and see a mom and her twins sitting on the side of the road, hoping someone will come and help them out.
It’s easy for this to become commonplace. It’s life here. You can’t help everyone. I’m only one person. What difference can I make? It’s their own cultural system that puts them in that situation. These are some of the things that I try to tell myself, so that I can move on about my day, focusing on something other than the needs that are all around me. The pain that is so clear.
Granted, we can’t help everyone, and there are ways that we can reach out without giving hand-outs, but here’s what I don’t want to happen: I don’t want to become desensitized to pain. I don’t want to always look the other way, minimizing the sufferings that are so real, in the lives of people that God gave his life for.
Something that really stood out to me when I was visiting a tribe in the Amazon Jungle, in Bolivia, was how the people live. They are born in poverty, they die in poverty. But here’s what really stood out to me: they didn’t choose where they would be born! This makes me realize that it could just as easily be me in their shoes living out under a tarp in the jungle, hoping that I will have some rice for dinner. It makes me realize that it’s by his grace alone, that I am where I am today. It makes me very grateful.
So my prayer for us all today, no matter where we’re living, is that we will take a moment to look people in the eye, and love them. It’s not easy! It may cause us to be very uncomfortable. We may see heartache and need. Just remember, you are where you are today, by the grace of God. Share that love and grace with those around you, and step outside of your own little world.

"Break my heart for what breaks yours" - a bold prayer.

Well, sometimes. This past Wednesday I took Hélène to one of my favorite places in Senegal: Gorée Island. Despite its sobering history with slavery, I love its bright colors, its view of the ocean [um, it's an island, views all around!], and its historic buildings and landmarks.

Pictures from our day:

Things are beginning to look different around here…
Reidun, the former guesthouse manager, has been anxiously awaiting the “before and after” pictures {as I’m sure all of you have too! Okay, maybe not…}, to see how we’ve added “our own personal touch” to the place. So, here are some pictures from some of the projects we’ve been working on these past few weeks.

The final paint color choices for the dining room. Bold orange and 'lightish' gray.

Shower curtain "before" picture.

"After" shower curtain picture. New colorful rug, purple curtain against green walls.

"Before" dining room/sitting area picture. (Note the couch cushions and wall color).

The "AFTER" dining room/sitting area picture.

Metal mirror and wall sconces. Made by a team of Senegalese Christians!

The pineapple curtains in the dining room. Yellow, purple, green and orange.

Coffee bar art. Stop by for a cup.

New brown walls in the entrance.

More of the brown walls. Yes, they're very different!

The stairwell was also painted!

The "before" hall closet / curtain.

New paint color and zebra curtains covering a closet by the front entrance / bathroom.

The "before" guest bathroom picture, in the entrance of the guesthouse.

The after picture: a new look for the guest bathroom!

Next project: recover the living room furniture. It's being done as we speak / type.

Adopt a Room update: only two people have asked for more details on the project, and I’m guessing it’s partially because it’s summer in the USA, so people are probably out water skiing, going to family functions, eating popsicles and swimming all day and night {wow, is that what summer is really like?}, so I’ll probably wait until sometime this fall to pursue it again. However, if you or your church are interested in helping a community of missionaries in this way, don’t hesitate to drop me a line! jenn_deatley@ntm.org
ALSO, my friend Beth in Niger shared the brilliant idea that her guesthouse coordinator did: register online at Target, and then people can have a “guesthouse shower”, knowing the things they are purchasing have been chosen for a purpose. Cool, huh???

I’ll keep you posted.
Happy weekend!
J