Outreach weekend report

Satan attacks, hopes we will falter
But we have all the power through the Father of Lights
And in that power of God’s Spirit and might
The victory is ours in Lord
So take up the sword and put on the armor
Watching always praying pressing on toward the mark
Standing firm, standing firm on the Rock

The lyrics of this song from ICA is very true to our experience on outreach last weekend, an outreach that was predominantly characterized by two words. The first word is DELAY.

We left on time on Friday morning, arrived to our camp site by mid morning and began dispersing to our various locations. It’s always slow going organizing 140 people to do anything, even if we are about as well oiled a machine as you can get for our size. The delays we had were not generally a result of poor planning on our part (i.e., we tested all equipment before we went) - they were out of our control.

The foundation/brick team, the largest group, charged with digging and pouring the foundation for a new church building, headed out with the medical team who would work nearby. A 12 km sandy road stretched between the work site and camp - about a 30 minute drive. By late morning virtually everything arrived, but there was a delay in digging as the foundation was not properly marked and had to be re-measured. The brick makers didn’t have enough water so a vehicle had to run back to camp to get barrels - a 1 hour round trip. The medical team’s original location fell through so they had to relocate to a new spot. They didn’t see their first patient until around 1 pm.

Meanwhile the drama team, delayed at first by having to drive the foundation crew’s equipment to that site before heading off to their assigned villages, made it half way through their day before their generator broke. They had to come back to camp for repairs.

The drama team, inside the van, and some of the foundation crew and
equipment above and behind the van, head off to the digging site.

The bench crew, which works at camp, found that not one, but TWO generators (the only two left at camp) were no longer working so they were delayed until another generator could be delivered to them.

The water crew, whose job is likely the very most important one - filtering well water so we can safely drink it all weekend - saw their filter irreparably break only a few hours into the first day.

The mural team set out to paint a mural on the front wall of a church we built last year. Upon arrival, they found that an important tool for their job had gone missing and they would have to improvise.

Mindee's paint crew had the fewest setbacks, but did have a delay when the truck delivering their paint thinner got lost.

Mindee's paint crew

The food crew had one propane gas tank that wouldn’t open, leaving one burner inoperable which was meant to cook a HUGE pot of food.

My sound team was delayed both nights while we waited for our guides to arrive and lead us to our locations for the evening campaigns. Each night we were mere minutes away from complete darkness by the time we were ready to start the generator and begin running our halogen lights.

Mike in the sound trailer running the board during the evening campaign.

Each night, aside from our main evening campaign, we try to send two more projection teams out to show a movie and give a message in nearby villages. The first night, one location fell through so the team couldn’t go, the other had a technical malfunction which prevented them from playing their movie, even after several hundred people had gathered to watch it. Dejected, they promised to return the next night and try again.

During one of my many trips between the camp site and the foundation site, I got a flat tire. In my Life Skills class back at school I teach how to change a tire. THIS was not the same thing. Changing a tire on a sandy road is harder. ESPECIALLY when the jack for your car is back at camp holding up the trailer whose hitch broke on the way out. After a 30 minute delay of waiting for someone to arrive with a spare jack, the tire took another 45 minutes to change. Anyone want to predict how the spare tire fared? You got it. Flat too. Another delay while we secured the car, left it in the bush, and piled into (and onto) the rescue vehicle. It took an additional 2 1/2 hours to get the tires repaired and get the truck back.

There are more delays to describe, but I think this will suffice to set the stage. We were facing some serious resistance to what we were there to do.

Now for the second word. DESPITE

Despite the delays in each of these situations, we succeeded in all our projects. Everything that broke was either repaired or replaced, foundation crew poured the foundation, brick crew made nearly 600 bricks, drama made it back out to their remaining villages, even if it meant a late dinner for them that night, everyone had their fill of food and water, etc., etc.

At our main evening campaign the results seemed discouraging, especially after last year when hundreds and hundreds of people responded. We had a few hundred attend each night, but the first night, when the pastor asked for anyone who wanted to make a commitment to come forward, only ONE solitary man came forward. Eventually the pastor coaxed a few more individuals to come forward, but it was no more than 6 or 7 total. The second night was similar. One young girl stepped forward and stood, alone, for several minutes. Then, two more children stepped forward. No more.

In these cases the disappointment is only due to the DELAY in pertinent information. DESPITE it only being one man who came forward the first night, the fact that it was THIS one man may be the beginning of something far, far greater. For that one man who stepped forward that first night... was the village CHIEF!

We also had a delay in hearing the other good news. Most of us didn’t learn until Sunday night back in Dakar how the projection team did. They returned to their village the second night to show the movie and give the gospel message. DESPITE all the set backs the night before, around TWO HUNDRED people responded to the invitation to receive salvation!

There are so many more stories we could share and countless more we haven’t heard. One thing is certain. God is on the move in Senegal. He is breaking strongholds and softening hearts. He is revealing Himself in new ways to men, women and children. And we get to be a part of it.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Keep it up, as we get to do this all over again in January!

Mike and Mindee

Mike accidentally distracts the kids during Sunday school. Oops.