Hello again, my old friend

This is quite strange seeing as more than a year has passed since my last post to this particular blog and much has changed; some and good and bad.
Life has accelerated to a point where I feel like there is no respite except for minor distractions in the form of weekend gettaways, or as is the the case earlier this month, I had the opportunity to reunite with my YWAM team in a small town in Pennsylvania.
After just a few awkward moments, the nine of us fell back into our normal conversation as if 15 months of separation had not even occurred. And just as quickly, our time was over. A week is too short a time to recount to stories of a year, and even though we have the promise of eternity before us, there is still a sadness in my heart as I reflect on a week of fellowship, joy, laughter, and most importantly, looking forward to a lifetime of friendship. I will always long for your presence, and anything less than eternity is not enough.

Our Final Week

It has been a long time since my last update so for that I’m sorry. I hope that you are in good health and that you have been blessed.

These past weeks have been an amazing time of seeing God at work, and of personal growth as witnessing to complete strangers becomes easier and easier, and now it’s normal to jump right into talking about spiritual things within minutes of meeting a person.

A brief summary: Since last time we've visited the island of Eloubaline where we experienced traditional African living for three days, and also witnessed the miracle of rain in the middle of the dry season (the first time in 30 years). This island is home to three or four Christians, and there is a very strong presence of the fetish there. We were able to pray there with the Christians, and we were truly blessed. We’ve done at least 10 open airs since my last update, prayed for healing for countless people, shared the Gospel and shared personal testimonies more times than I can count.

There have been many highlights during my time here, and one has been visiting with a Muslim man named T., and seeing a friendship develop. It started off just us going for tea and giving the occasional “this is what we believe as Christians”. But it has become so much more than that. Now when we go for tea it’s not just us talking with one guy but at one point talking with seven or so Muslims. And we were able to preach the Gospel in that place and continue to do so.

This has to be one of the lessons that I’ve learned here, that you need to be willing and able to share the Gospel with everyone and anyone at anytime and this is what I look forward to doing once I’m back home. Develop a relationship with somebody because they are a person that you want to know better, and then share the most important message of their life.

Here is very different from home obviously but human needs remain the same, the longing for relationship. And you can give that. At first on a human level, but you can then lead them into the much more important personal, spiritual relationship with God.

I hope that you will be in prayer for me in this final week here in Africa and more importantly for those that we have had contact with and shared the Gospel.

            These past two days some of the team has been fasting in preparation for a time of prayer at the Talibe Center in order that we can pray for God’s guidance in that place. It has been an intense two days because it started out with us going to the hospital to pray for people and then coming back and having a time of prayer at the base here, and then going to the church for a night of prayer. I have never experienced prayer like this before and it has been an amazing experience.

            This final week has been both exciting and sad. Exciting because of the growth and because of the connections that have been made here and sad because I'm leaving and there is very little chance of me returning, at least in the near future. 

            Friday was our last day at the Center and so we were able to share one last open air just for the boys and the staff there, and it was a special time. We took photos and bid our farewells and it was a really sad moment. I pray that each of those boys comes to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, not just because it's the right thing to pray for, but because it's very personal for me. 

            Today as I and some others were bidding our farewells to one of the many people we've met here in Senegal, I remarked that I'm leaving a part of my heart here with the people. I said it with out really thinking, but as I was walking, I realized that it's a very true statement. Part of me with remain here in Africa and I pray that I can return (hopefully speaking better French) and can again meet some of these wonderful people. 

           Thank you again to all of you who are supporting me financially and with prayer. I look forward to talking with you soon face to face and recounting some of these amazing stories, and experiences that I've had during these past six months.

God bless you.

Christmas in Europe, and the New Year in Senegal

Greetings everyone,
It's been quite some time since my last update. To quickly sum up, I spent Christmas break in London, Paris and a small town in Switzerland called Fiesch. It was a really amazing time and makes me appreciate the family vacations where I don't have to pay for anything! (London is very expensive) But overall it was a really good time, and I could just go on and on about it but I'm limited by time so I must move progress.
I came down with some sort of illness that gave me a fever, nasty cough, and regular bloody noses, but thankfully I'm all better now.
I've now been in Senegal for two weeks and let me just say it's been an eye opening experience. We spent our first week working at the Talibe Center (the place for the boys who are studying the Qur'an, and have to beg on the streets everyday) and it was for us to get accustomed to how things are run and for the boys to get accustomed to us and vis-a-versa.
It truly is amazing to see how quickly these boys who have nothing except the clothes on their backs in many instances, welcome in a complete stranger to share in the one full meal they have in a day. It breaks your heart, and warms it.
During our first week, we were able to go on a tour of the Koranic schools (daras they are called, but I'm unsure of the spelling) run by various marabouts. It was a spiritually oppressive place. Not only are the sleeping quarters awful, there was darkness. It wasn't just a physical darkness, but something far more tangible. But in one of the daras, it was hard to stay very long at all.
This past week, we began a series of teachings on the life of Jesus beginning with his birth and moving forward through his ministry. It's amazing to see how these uneducated boys are able to recite the story back word for word, and that they do understand a great deal.
The boys are split up into the older and younger, and then two people from the team teach the two groups. Afterward the eat lunch, which is when we leave and go back to the WEC, the place that we are staying.
So much has happened over these past two weeks that are very hard to put into words, and so much more is going to happen.
Normally we have team time, which is either led by a student or one of the three staff we have. Yesterday, Friday, it was my turn, and I took the time to reflect on the past week, and what stood out us.
For me it was when I was sitting down after playing some football with the boys (they are really good), and then a boy, Usman is his name, came over to me and leaned against me. I put my arm around him and after that for the remainder of the day, he stuck to me like glue. All he wanted was an arm around him to give him a hug and make him feel safe.
It was on this that I reflected and it brought me to tears to think that these boys, some from the age of three, never know the love of a parent, and that all they want is to experience love.
My request of you is that you be praying that myself and those on the team would experience what it mean to have the heart of God.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email and I'll get back to you when I can.
Thanks for your prayers and support.

Phase 2 Continued and beyond

     I forgot to mention previously that in celebration of our completing the lecture phase, we watched in order, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, in the extended format. Friday to Sunday. It was awesome as many of the people watching had never seen the films before, and it reminded me of the first time I saw them in theaters.

     Monday was the official first day of the Practical phase, and it was presentation day. The nine of us were broken up into teams and given a different topic to present on. My group was focusing on the Wolof and Djola people groups (the two major ethnic groups in Senegal), and we talked about various parts of their culture. The other groups shared on Islam and on Animism.

These last couple of days have been focused on the several skits (or for our English readers, sketches) that we have been preparing for the open air evangelism we will be doing in Senegal.

     We have had more classes on culture and how as Westerners, and more importantly as white people, the way we behave has lasting effects on the mission effort in Senegal, so it was a warning against acting in a way that could hurt the way the church is viewed where we are working.

     Today was primarily cleaning and packing. Tomorrow afternoon, I along with Spencer ( a fellow American) will be flying to London to start our Christmas break. I ask that you be in prayer for us as we are going to be travelling a lot and are in a strange place. 

     This is going to be my last blog entry for awhile ( I don't know how long) and I look forward to writing to you again soon.

Phase 1 Complete; Commence with Phase 2

      So this is it. The final class of our DTS. Twelve weeks of intense teaching, intimate encounters with God, and moments when my life was just laid bare. It's both sad and exhilarating that I have reached this point, and in part it is thanks to you for the financial support and the prayer that you have offered on my behalf.
This weeks teaching was on the one topic that we haven't looked at yet; the Bible. It wasn't a in depth study of how the Bible came into being or how to read the original Greek and Hebrew, but it was a concise and simple teaching on the evolution from individual manuscripts into a comprehensive text. This was a class devoted more to getting us to think about the Bible, and pursue the answers within the text.
The topic that I really enjoyed and will take more time to study later is the inspired nature of the Bible and what to do when you see "contradictions". When you encounter a seeming contradiction, instead of just running off to tell the world that the Bible is a bunch of hooey, to think that maybe you are reading the particular passage out of context, or that you don't understand it. I realize this isn't the clearest way of saying this, but for me it doesn't just apply to the Bible but to other texts as well, and life in general. Think through something before jumping to conclusions. It was a nice way to wrap up the teaching by going back to basics.
     A bunch of people needed their immunizations for Senegal, primarily the Yellow Fever vaccine, so we all piled into the cars and made the trip to Avignon, the city of Popes. It's a bit weird that it's called that because the last time a pope lived in Avignon was in the 14th century. Seeing as the three American's were all set with  our shots, we decided to brave the French city on our own.
     It was really cool to see another French town and be able to explore, but it was sad to see the state of disrepair the city had fallen into. Graffiti and the like. All that couldn't take away from the beauty of the square. I took lots of photos which I will hopefully be uploading tomorrow before I leave for Christmas break.
     It was very cool to see the history of the place and visit the places that are talked about in history books, and and being a history nut, I soaked it all in. I saw the Pont d'Avignon, which is one of the most ridiculous looking pieces of architecture that I have ever seen. It is only half a bridge that just ends in the middle of the Rhone. We all took some time to mock this creation, and then took pictures in front of it! 
     Here is a  well know French rhyme that once you get in your head, never goes away.
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse tous en rond
Les beaux messieurs font comm' ça
Et puis encore comm' ça
     It was rather rainy and cold so we then went to Ikea. To get hot dogs. And they were awful. But I had two because I was starving. I thought that it was rather funny that an American was at a Swedish store in France. This made me laugh for quite some time. (Don't judge me.)
     Saturday was a go, go, go day. Everybody was rushing around preparing a Christmas feast. Roast potatoes, roast pork, Yorkshire puddings, spiced cider and mulled wine. I, true to form, volunteered for far to many things, and was running in three different directions. 
     It was a fantastic night, a great turnout and we even had a Secret Santa! It was a really great time, and it made me realize how much I really love my family and friends.
     (Phase 2 to follow)

Christmas Greetings

16 December, 2012

Chères amies et famille,

I’m not accustomed to writing Christmas letters, so this will be a combination of an update along with my thoughts on Christmas. It is my hope that this letter encourages you and is a blessing in this Christmas season.

Over the years, the meaning of Christmas has evolved for me. I knew that it was the birthday of Jesus, but it wasn’t always the focus. It used to be a time for looking through every catalog I could find and making a list of all the toys I wanted. And then it was a time for just being with family and eating a lot of good food. It has become so much more than that for me now. It is a time for being with family and remembering the coming of Jesus. Christ’s birth was the beginning of the end and the start of something new.

Probably the strangest thing is that this is the first time that I’m missing Christmas with my family. It doesn’t seem quite real, like I’m in a dream. In just a few short days, we will be on Christmas break and I will be off to see London, Paris and Switzerland and I’m blessed to have a travel companion. I’m a bit sad to be missing this time with my family, but God has blessed me with another family. We have our dysfunctional moments. Times when we’re annoyed with each other, and times like the other night where we just spend time together, talking and laughing.

This past week concluded our final week of teaching for the lecture phase. Twelve weeks of intense teaching, cover a variety of topics. Out of this time I have experience God. I found it really telling when during the base Christmas Party, the speaker from the first week approached me and said that there was something different about me, to which I replied “I feel different.”

Tradition dictates that I ask people what I want for Christmas, and the one thing that comes foremost to my mind is prayer for my time in Senegal. I ask that you give two months of prayer, whether that is once a day or once a week. I’m going into enemy territory, and will be living right next to a mosque.

1.       Pray that I and the team would be protected from both physical and spiritual harm.

2.       That I would continue to grow in my faith, and not be swayed by the enemy.

3.       That the hearts of the Senegalese would be receptive to the gospel.

            In closing, I would like to once again thank those you for being there to support me both financially and spiritually. It means a lot to me that I have you, and I want to bless you this Christmas season. That you would remember the reason for the season, and rejoice in our inheritance through Jesus Christ.

            Joyeux Noël, Bonne Année et la Bénédiction de Dieu.

            Sincèrement. 

   

                       Taylor

What is Islam? And other preparations...

So this was a different week. In every other class we have been allowed to take notes so on and so forth, but not this week. It was completely oral. It was explained that we were being taught this way because when we encountered objections from Muslims, we wouldn't be able to go to our notes and find how to respond. It needed to be in the forefront of our minds and in our own words.

Being from a western education system where it was required to take notes, it was a moment of shock and dismay for me because I'm not accustomed to this type of teaching. But it turned out really good, because it really made you think through stuff before asking questions and memorization is key.
I learned many new things about Islam: Abrogation, the Hadiths, how the Koran was compiled into a "single" text, how it is a sin for Muslims to question the Koran (and that if you question it, Muslims usually become angry) and more about the history of Muhammad.
One of the most interesting things about this week however had to be how they view Christians. They often know more about Christianity than about their own faith, but it has a twist to it. Many Muslims believe that when a Christian says Son of God, in reference to Jesus, they believe we are saying that God came down and had sex with Mary. But that is clearly not what we believe, so it is important to make sure that when talking to a Muslim, that you are using the same definition.
Another thing was the use of honor and shame. For Muslims, everything is honor and shame, and so it is important to make sure that you don't make them feel shame. In other words, don't make them feel inferior. This makes it very hard to use debating to convince a Muslim, because it is an attempt to prove them wrong, which puts them in a position of shame.
This can work in your favor however. If a Muslim is speaking against the Bible (which they believe is the word of God), then you can use shame to make them stop. Here's an example. A Muslim is saying that the Bible isn't true. My response could be. "What do you think about God? Do you think that man can change Gods word? What a shameful thing to say." This makes them stop because they are shaming them selves by speaking against God's word.
There are many more examples of how special care needs to be taken when witnessing to Muslims, but I think you get the idea.
It really opened my heart up to the Muslim world as well. They are just like any other lost people that God is heart broken over. The only way that we can come to a place of authentic witness is when we have God's heart, and that is where we can witness from.
This weekend was going out and buying some of the stuff we would need for Senegal. The list seemed to keep getting longer and longer. Thankfully, I have most of the stuff I will need and just need to order a few more things.
We also all went out and visited a Christian bookstore in the area. It was really cool to see (and I saw Wayne Grudem's Théologie Systématique. Really wanted it, but expensive) I was able to buy a really cheap French Bible, along with another journal. I now have three Bibles with me.
So I think that about sums it up. I only have another two weeks here at the school, and then for my grand tour of Europe. I will be going to London, and then Paris, and on to Switzerland. I need to leave France and the cheapest place to go is London ( Then going with some friends from the school here to Switzerland via Paris.) I really look forward to being able to see many of the places that you read about in history books. The craziest thing is that I will be spending Christmas in Paris! Who would have thought that I would have this opportunity. It makes me so thankful to you back home for your support, and for God's faithfulness in bringing me on this journey to know him.