tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798804439347119202023-11-16T03:03:33.893-08:00Serving In The GambiaWe will be serving in the Gambia, West Africa on a year long mission internshipElias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-72569952052369227382010-12-22T08:15:00.000-08:002010-12-22T08:15:15.304-08:00We're home! For all of you avid blog followers, we apologize that this is coming about three weeks late, but we are indeed home safely! We arrived in Albany, NY at about 6:30 p.m. on December 1st where we were met by my (Jess') parents. We collected all of our luggage then headed off to Subway for our first meal stateside. We then headed back to Lowville quite exhausted and running on fumes. Elias was able to stay awake a bit longer than I could, but the first few days were quite challenging to adjust to the time change.<br />
For this post I am going to copy and paste our final newsletter so that all of you who don't get our newsletters can also get a taste of what our final month looked like. So here it is:<br />
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<div style="font: 13.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Our final month</div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">The first day of November marked our final month in Gambia. We knew that this month would fly by in a whirlwind of packing, moving and wrapping up. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> The month began with our final three weeks of Bible studies with our groups. For the most part this went quite well. Some of the youth were sad to see us go while others simply acknowledged that it was time for us to leave. During this time we were able to meet our goal of finishing the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Also throughout this time we began packing up our small, one bedroom house. For a long time I didn't think that this would be a very big job. While we had a decent amount of "stuff" that we had accumulated I felt that it was nothing compare to packing up our apartment in the States before leaving. In reality this was true, but the job was bit bigger than what I was expecting. Thankfully, with my (Jessica's) parents coming in August we were able to send quite a few gifts and souvenirs home with them making room for the items that we needed to take home. The rest of the things that we used this past year either stayed at the house for the new tenant or went to Gary and Denise. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>After our final week of studies we devoted one week to pack and moving to Pirang along with trips to the city for forgotten items. On Saturday the 20th we borrowed the truck from Jeremiah (the director of MEHDA in Pirang) and officially moved out of our house and into the guest house in Pirang. We stayed here until Monday and then we headed off for vacation until Friday. On Thursday of that week we were blessed to have Thanksgiving with Gary and Denise along with EMM workers Beryl and Andrew from Guinea-Bissau. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Our five days of vacation were a nice time of rest and reflection on our past year in Gambia. We took a time of talking about all of the positive things about the past year and the culture. We chose not to mention anything negative as it is too easy to get caught up in the negative and let it overpower the positive. This was a really wonderful time of reflection and it was a true blessing to see all the things that God has done for us and through us this past year. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Upon returning from vacation we were left with only four days to wrap up our remaining "to do's". Saturday we went to visit our groups in Gunjur Beach and Madina Salaam for one last time. We too a small bag of rice to each group and had a wonderful time of fellowship and goodbyes. Sabadu from Gunjur Beach even gave me some beautiful Fula fabric as a gift, that is woven by locals from the Fula tribe. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Then on Sunday we went to visit the Kiti group one last time. This was the group that we were closest to since we were able to spend the most time with this group and through that time we had developed the deepest relationships out of all of our groups. We went early for church and stayed through for lunch and some time of visiting before saying goodbye and heading back to Pirang for supper. Elias was able to visit with some of the men and male youth while I learned how to "properly" crack and shell peanuts leaving my fingers rather sore, but my heart full that I had been able to once again experience a part of daily life in the village. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Monday I had my hair braided in preparation for our journey back to the States. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Tuesday was once again a whirlwind of packing and last minute running before heading off to the airport at 5:30 p.m. for our 9:00 p.m. flight</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>After a few hiccups, we were through security and waiting in the gate. Overall traveling went well and we were both touched when the pilot for our flight into Dulles said "welcome home". A few hours later we flew into Albany where we were met by my parents.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Our last few days in Gambia we were able to really see the beauty of the country and realize just how blessed we were this past year. While we looked forward to coming back to the States for a long time, we recognize that this is our temporary home and we never want to lose sight of that. We want to strive to keep God first in our lives and marriage even when life gets busier than it was in Gambia. This will be a challenge, but it is one we are praying that we will be able to maintain. Thank you for all of your prayers that covered our time this past year. The power of prayer is indescribable and made our time so much easier than it would have been without th<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13px;"></span>is covering. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDdtAlXi7m-B-lEt18socD7zPmhSgVNQyLzmbxnixCLBTn_45_Nxu1edzExlS5rPv9CuSlGuh-LUqRO1fmEu47xgaN2NSPNysPGJabWYyzFf3_tbMSJf2b-MbPZ9RGzewLuzmLzuMFb0/s1600/DSCN4057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDdtAlXi7m-B-lEt18socD7zPmhSgVNQyLzmbxnixCLBTn_45_Nxu1edzExlS5rPv9CuSlGuh-LUqRO1fmEu47xgaN2NSPNysPGJabWYyzFf3_tbMSJf2b-MbPZ9RGzewLuzmLzuMFb0/s320/DSCN4057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Getting my hair braided by one of the girls from Pirang</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">"From two to three"</div><div style="font: 13.0px 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">In our last few weeks in Gambia we decided to make an addition to our family. As we have mentioned before, there are many dogs around our house in Methodist Mission. In Late August-early September one of the dogs that we had named Betty, had puppies. We heard the little pups crying in the woods in front of our house. After a few weeks, Elias decided to venture out and find the little guys. A little while later he came back announcing that there were two male puppies that he had found. </div><div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We are unsure if there were more in this litter or not since there were a few large monitor lizards that had been coming around and bothering the mother. It is not uncommon for monitors to eat puppies so it is possible that a few were lost to this. On the other hand, the mother is getting quite old and has had many batches of puppies leaving the possibility that she only had two pups this time.</div><div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We figure that the puppies were about 3-4 weeks old when we found them and from this time on we would go out and give their mother some food and water and hold the puppies. One night however, it began to pour and their mother came to us in distress, so we ventured out and brought the puppies to our flower bed in the front of the house where they would stay dry. From then on we played with and cared for the the puppies that we had named Pickles and Scrumpy. </div><div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Our cook Agnus quickly decided that she would take Pickles once they were weaned, which left us wondering what we would do with Scrumpy, who at the time was quite quiet and anti-social. Agnus then told us that there was a woman who worked at the Methodist Mission dental clinic where she cleaned who was looking for a dog. We thought at this point that we now had homes for both puppies, but we then found out that the women who wanted Scrumpy doesn't feed her dogs or give them water. After caring for this little guy for a little over a month we knew that we couldn't let him go to a home that wouldn't love him. So, we made the decision to bring him home with us!</div><div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We had friends who had done this back in July so we knew it was possible. We then began vet visits to a German vet and had him vaccinated and de-wormed. We then set out on the challenging job of finding a kennel for traveling However, we knew that this decision could not affect our remaining time for our ministry. I was slightly concerned about this, but it worked out and he didn't detract from our remaining time at all, he just created a bit of extra work. In the end everything worked out and he is now in the States with us trying to adjust to the cold! He's doing quite well and we are very happy with our new family of three! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbxxgZUXPWnBZHm-tJDGPreIP3412I_ePD8nhyWM8Vy9o49JcQkxUY3shhpdJbgedbZ76EE7Q1XTGU_pOfOx_jPZzeiPlJExG1Yl0HRkAPM-KBERUEi6afa6obaDX_tzXtd7CAXLzEBM/s1600/DSCN3897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbxxgZUXPWnBZHm-tJDGPreIP3412I_ePD8nhyWM8Vy9o49JcQkxUY3shhpdJbgedbZ76EE7Q1XTGU_pOfOx_jPZzeiPlJExG1Yl0HRkAPM-KBERUEi6afa6obaDX_tzXtd7CAXLzEBM/s320/DSCN3897.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Scrumpy at 3-4 weeks when we first found him<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGYFWcot2RghEl31qiur4VihRlVHPl8kT4UFopM6aLQtm3F5OJa789szmKe3lVFwnZwCdgiMxBE4b6D8RqyQIk6y_cjNq3HTY2dqFX8dm8biQhyphenhyphenyx98oMT_b6KG0IZpgFaCLkI4X9lEE/s1600/DSCN3920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGYFWcot2RghEl31qiur4VihRlVHPl8kT4UFopM6aLQtm3F5OJa789szmKe3lVFwnZwCdgiMxBE4b6D8RqyQIk6y_cjNq3HTY2dqFX8dm8biQhyphenhyphenyx98oMT_b6KG0IZpgFaCLkI4X9lEE/s320/DSCN3920.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Playing with Pickles<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4utuAjq-SDJ8cscJtDdmtkWYCdfhuSn7EXI272kouZ3fDSr1MCHFV4xeu6Nw1DLjtNoTTBDHR1JASZqev-0AlcMnG_Tc0OxyXv_0RIBhTaQgqaO_8q8cyiW1RPXqQltm7cFBgk-GkQbE/s1600/DSCN4028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4utuAjq-SDJ8cscJtDdmtkWYCdfhuSn7EXI272kouZ3fDSr1MCHFV4xeu6Nw1DLjtNoTTBDHR1JASZqev-0AlcMnG_Tc0OxyXv_0RIBhTaQgqaO_8q8cyiW1RPXqQltm7cFBgk-GkQbE/s320/DSCN4028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Getting bigger!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeAxVP-mvyBxz3bk18778I-PWmcJdCu7feDuje5uXHTKyii_MTMEZbqW36hHzO7GXbGFlP9qbX36B5Rcs-fG5ddYr_BD0BY09R54hToqKOHEKMcIBzz1dm0Kp39tTNw3dY6DhHtljaNw/s1600/RSCN4064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeAxVP-mvyBxz3bk18778I-PWmcJdCu7feDuje5uXHTKyii_MTMEZbqW36hHzO7GXbGFlP9qbX36B5Rcs-fG5ddYr_BD0BY09R54hToqKOHEKMcIBzz1dm0Kp39tTNw3dY6DhHtljaNw/s320/RSCN4064.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font: 11.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> Our final family picture before heading home!</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Praises:</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">-We were able to finish strong!</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">-We have made it home safely!</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">-We have left with some beautiful new friendships and some very promising future leaders!</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Prayer Requests:</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">-Please continue to pray for us as we transition back to American culture and the cold.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">-That the youth will continue to grow in their faith, knowledge and leadership abilities</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">-That the church will continue to grow and more and more Gambians will come to know Christ.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">So, this was our final newsletter. If you have any additional questions or if you would like to hear more about anything please let us know and we will fill you in. I will do my best to update you on our readjustments and where we are at now. We are currently living with Elias' parents in the apartment attached to their house. I (Jess) have been officially accepted in to massage school in Albany so we are now in the process of trying to find housing and a job for Elias before I begin school on February 22. We know that God has a plan for us, but please be praying for as we continue to adjust and seek God's will on employment and housing. Right now we haven't heard anything on job availability and we are hesitant to do anything with housing until we know how much we can afford, and until we know that Elias has a job. Maybe this is lack of faith or maybe this is time that God is giving us to readjust. We just continue to seek and pray that God will reveal his plan to us. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support! We couldn't have made it through this past year without the power of prayer! Many blessings to all of you and Merry Christmas!</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-23060831071250276422010-11-19T09:54:00.001-08:002010-11-19T09:54:35.222-08:00Tobaski<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> This past week was the Muslim celebration of Tobaski. If this holiday is new to you, you are not alone, we had to look it up to know what this big celebration was all about. According to the "Access Gambia" website, this is the holiday that remembers Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, but at the last minute was provided with a ram from God in place of Isaac because of Abraham's faithfulness. Some of you may be scratching your heads as you know this to be an Old Testament story, but the Koran uses many stories from the Old Testament. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> On this day, the ritual is to sacrifice a ram, but if a ram is not available or too expensive a sheep, cow, goat or chicken will suffice. The animal should be slaughtered using a sharp knife while Allah's name is being spoken and then 2/3 of the meat should be given to friends, family and the needy so that nobody goes without. Almost everyone gets new, very expensive, clothes made to wear for this celebration and they celebrate all day long. Parents buy their children sugary, western treats as well on this day.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> After living in this culture for a year, we tend to struggle a bit with this celebration. We have no problem with our Muslim brothers and sisters having a celebration, but we struggle with how much money is put into this celebration. Many Gambians have to ask for financial assistance to send their children to school, but they can spend $100-$200 American dollars on new outfits! This is not to say that everyone spends that much, but there are some, maybe even many, that would easily make that price range. This is on top of the cost of the animal that is being purchased for this celebration. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> As Christmas approaches I think of how closely this reflects our own culture. We complain throughout the year that we don't have enough money for this or that, but then we spend a ton of money that we don't have on material gifts that we don't actually need. This causes me to think about how in our marriage and family, Elias and I can make sure that we are preserving the true meaning of holidays such as Christmas and Easter and not allowing them to get lost in the materialism of our culture. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Also as a side note for those of you who aren't aware, Elias and I will be heading home on Nov. 30th and arriving on Dec. 1st. We are excited about coming back the U.S. and for what God has in store for us stateside, we just ask for prayer as we finish up our last 11 days here. It is is bit of a stressful time, but we know that God will be faithful! Thank you all for your support during our time here and I will try to make a few more posts before we go home and continue with a couple after we return. Blessings to all of you!</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-76052787561768244592010-11-16T10:36:00.000-08:002010-11-16T10:36:30.470-08:00Lasts As our time here comes close to it's end, we are beginning to experience certain things for the last time. This past week we had our last Bible study with three of our four groups, which also meant that we rode our bicycles for the last time to these groups. We have also finished our last week of having our cook, Agnus, come and cook Gambian food for us. I'm sure we'll still have a few more opportunities to eat Gambian food, it just won't be in our own home.<br />
Some of these "lasts" will be sad, such as saying goodbye to friends that we have made. Others however will not be so sad, such as taking our last cold shower here, our last time washing laundry by hand (which will hopefully be tomorrow!) and our last time sighing as the power goes out once again.<br />
It doesn't seem quite real that our time here is going to come to a close so soon! This Saturday we are planning on moving out of our house in Brikama, staying two nights in Pirang and then heading off for vacation for a few days at the ABWE guest house. This will be a time of reflection and relaxation before we head back to Pirang for our final four days.<br />
Leaving is always a bittersweet time, but we look forward to the next chapter of our lives as this one comes to a close. God has truly blessed us this past year, through both the easy and the difficult and we look forward too all of the blessings yet to come! Thank you to all of you that have supported our time here and made our time here that much more sweet! Blessings!Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-71461118022756359362010-11-03T06:50:00.000-07:002010-11-03T06:50:34.622-07:00October First of all, I have to apologize to all of you who have been actively reading our blog throughout our time here and have not had any new posts for quite a while now! It seems as though the longer we're here, the worse I'm getting at making regular posts. I also owe a special apology to those of you who don't receive our newsletter and therefore rely on our blog posts as your only source of information regarding out lives here. Hopefully this will get you up to date a bit and I will try to be better at making posts for our last month here.<br />
October seemed to pass by rather quickly. It wasn't that it was unusually busy, it just seemed to go fast. We have been able to have quite regular studies with our youth and we are hopeful that we will finish teaching the life of Jesus to all of them, which is our goal. We have been feeling quite blessed by some of our groups as they have been quite active in their participation and have been asking some great questions! On the other hand we have had some groups where participation has been decreased due to some of our main participants moving away for school. This has been a bit disheartening, but there are still one or two that try to come out and we know from God's word that where two or more are gathered, God is present!<br />
We also had to discuss our goals and vision for leadership for our groups when we leave. Our original vision was to have each group choose 1-2 leaders from their group that we would mentor into leadership to take our place. However, as our studies progressed we realized that this may not necessarily be a realistic goal. Reading comprehension is quite low and the Bibles that we have are in english, which is the second or third language of all of the youth. Biblical knowledge is also somewhat low and many of the youth that we have provided Bibles for are receiving their first Bible. This means that they have not been able to study the Bible on their own until this point. This isn't to say that the leaders haven't been doing well leading their fellow youth by conducting our time during, but Elias and I have felt that it would be best if we continued to teaching until we leave to provide a more firm foundation of basic Biblical information. We feel as though that we should then be replaced by two Gambian leaders who are currently in other leadership positions and have a broader knowledge of the Bible. It is our vision that these leaders would then continue to mentor our current younger youth leaders into leadership throughout the next 1-2 years. We feel that this time frame would give the younger leaders more time to gain a firmer knowledge in the Bible before transitioning into the role of leading their fellow youth. The two young men that we have chosen are both taking a pastoring course that is being taught here by Canadian professors. One is Raymundo Manneh, the pastor of the Kiti church and the other is Sang Jatta, who is developing into a rather strong leader.<br />
As for the weather this past month, we have been experiencing quite a few changes. The month began with almost no rain, but extremely high humidity. October is typically one of the worst months and as we continued to have electricity issues, it also brought many hot and sticky days and nights. As the month progressed, humidity continued to be high and rains were scattered. However as we progressed toward the end of the month the humidity began to decrease and now that is it November the nights have been cool enough that we have chosen not to use the fan and have had to cover up with our sheet and fleece blanket! This is not to say we won't still have hot nights, but the weather should get progressively more pleasant throughout the month and should be almost in it's prime around the time that we leave on the last day of November.<br />
I could continue on, but to prevent this post from being too long, I will save some of the other information for a few different posts. I hope all is going well and we thank you for all of your prayers and support! We hope to see many of you soon!<br />
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Praises:<br />
-Our studies are going well and we should be able to finish the life of Jesus!<br />
-We have had some really nice team time this past month.<br />
-Our electricity issues seem to be improving/possibly fixed after being unreliable for the past 3-4 months<br />
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Prayer requests:<br />
-That we would finish strong in our relationships with those that have been a part of our lives here for the past year.<br />
-That God would prepare us to transition back to the United States gracefully.<br />
-That we will handle frustration situations with mercy and compassion.Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-23124790606486304762010-10-05T15:53:00.000-07:002010-10-05T15:53:38.690-07:00Hospitality I think that we have determined that if there is one thing that we want us to take away from our time here it would the Gambian view on hospitality. This view isn't unique to Gambia, but it's quite different from our cold climate culture view.<br />
At home, for someone to come to a meal, we plan on them coming, then we make sure our house is clean and we make something that's not too expensive and can stretch a bit, but that is also tasty. We might bring out nice plates and silverware, or put a nice tablecloth on the table. No matter how we go about it, we usually prepare in some way, yet we still usually withhold the best, saving it for ourselves and our families.<br />
Here in Gambia hospitality is much more relaxed and in many ways I would say it comes more from the heart. On any day, at any given time we could show up at one of our groups and if anyone was eating we would also be invited to eat. It would never cross their minds to think "well I only made enough for 5 and now there's 7 of us", rather, the thought process would be that it would be rude not to offer their food to us. In fact, food is one of the few things that they <i>can</i> offer us, so at times it can be offensive if we don't eat at least some of the food that we are offered. Also, it is always guaranteed that we will have plenty of fish is in our section of bowl, even if that means that others go with less, since we are the guests. In addition, whatever crop is in season we are usually offered and/or sent away with. Stools or chairs are made available for us to sit on, and in some cases the conversation then moves away from the flies.<br />
While my parents were visiting, we headed out to Kiti and Tiu Jon had just finished sealing two new rooms with concrete. These are going to be where his sister is staying, but at that time they were still drying. He was so proud of these rooms that he invited all of us to sit on mats on the floor, chat with him, host our Bible study inside and even eat in the new rooms! This resulted in rice on the floor and then it needed to be swept, but I feel that this showed his true heart of hospitality. He wanted to give us the best that he had. He could have proudly showed us the room, then had us eat outside, but instead he welcomed us in to enjoy what he had worked so hard to construct.<br />
I have to admit, I am not the best house keeper. While I enjoy cooking and preparing meals, cleaning is not my strong point. I find that both Elias and I are are fairly careless as we set things down, which leads to items piling up. I also have a hard time finding space for all of the odd items that we own. This results in me scurrying around as I try to make our apartment at least presentable for whoever is coming, or being embarrassed by by what I see as a mess, even if the other person doesn't notice. I feel like I'm rarely prepared for people to just show up, which is fairly common here in Gambia, and when they do I have trouble focusing on them rather than that cleaning that I should have done before this point. I also find myself being the person that says "but we don't have enough food for anyone else". In many ways, with our American cooking style this is true. We don't all eat out of one bowl until we are full, instead we have our own plates and we take our portion. Since there are only 2 of us currently and we only have a fridge that comes up to my hip, with a tiny freezer that doesn't usually freeze and electricity issues, I try to make small meals with little to no leftovers. I also can't store many extras for this same reason if they need to be kept cold. But, I have found that even with this cooking style, there is always enough to share. If that means taking less for ourselves and improvising later, then so be it. Not having enough to share is usually more of an excuse for not wanting to share our precious meat that we only get about twice a week rather than a reality.<br />
As I think more about this, I'm reminded of the story in the Bible about Mary and Martha. Jesus came to visit and Mary sat at his feet and just listened to him speak, but Martha let herself get so distracted by making everything presentable for Jesus, she missed out the true meaning of hospitality. Mary was the better hostess because she gave her guest her time and attention, Martha on the other hand wanted to please her guest so much that she end up neglecting him instead. I feel like the Gambians are Mary. Guests arrive, they are welcomed in and given what's available at that time. They are attended to and given the time of their hosts. We however tend to more like Martha. We spend time preparing for guests, but when they arrive we hardly enjoy them because we are distracted by all we need to do, and we deprive them of the best gift, our time and attention. This is not to say we are all like this, or that we always do this, but as a culture in general we are much more work oriented than relationship oriented.<br />
As I go home I want to take Mary's spirit of hospitality that I have found here with me. I would love to lean to keep a tidier home so that I'm prepared for guests, but even when I'm not prepared I want my attention to be focused on them and not on what I should have been doing to prepare for their arrival. I want to give the best of what I have available and put relationship first. Elias and I have both come to value this and we pray that we can keep this desire as we step back into a time and work oriented culture.<br />
Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-23220251744699097242010-09-10T08:57:00.000-07:002010-09-10T08:57:02.152-07:00The Fish Market After this title I feel like there should be that music that goes "dun dun dun..." in a movie that signifies that nothing good can come from the current situation. This is how I feel about the Brikama fish market.<br />
When we first moved to Brikama there was a large structure being built in the middle of the market that was hidden behind walls. We spent a few months wondering what it would be and when it would be done. One day however, the walls were down and what was revealed to use was a large building with concrete tables. We still had no idea what this building was going to be used for, but all we knew was that it was in the middle of the market. We eventually found out that it was to be the new fish market.<br />
Prior to this building fish would be sold in various parts of the market from bucket or a little stand made of wood with a tin roof. It was fairly easy to pic up fish on your way to buying other items if you so desired. This did make the majority of the market quite smelly and it wasn't uncommon to try and avoid fish parts or fish fluids when trying to maneuver the narrow walkways throughout the market. But now a building has been erected for all the people selling fish and with large ice chests to keep the fish. This isn't a bad idea. All the smell is condensed in one building and you know when you enter into the building that you will have to avoid fish parts and fluids, for which drainage has been made.<br />
However...I for some reason, find the fish market to now be extremely intimidating! I hate the thought of having to go and pick out fish. I never thought I would actually have to experience this part of the market until we were in Ramadan. Our cook, Agnus, informed us that during Ramadan, fish would not be available until the afternoon or evening. We usually have Agnus go on Monday morning with money to pick out what she would need for the week, but since fish was not available in the morning and she lives quite a long distance from the market, she asked if we could go in the evening and get it. As much as I dreaded it, I knew we had to agree.<br />
So one day, when we had the car and my parents were here, we ventured for the first time into the dreaded fish market. The closer we got the stronger the smell became, and as we passed by buckets of fish parts we were greeted by swarms of flies that had been feasting on these fish remains. Then we arrived at the area where the fish is actually sold and we have to face all these tables where everyone is looking to sell you their fish, yet we have no idea what kind of fish we should even get! So, we chose the first table we came to, bought 3 fish for 10 Dalasi, about $0.37, and headed home. The next day we discovered that we bought the worst fish that we could have chosen as it is very boney and has a strong flavor that neither my father nor I appreciated very much. But, much to our demise, we would get another chance the following week to try again.<br />
The following week went a bit better as it was later in the day and there were less vendors and less fish. This time we went after the smaller, less boney fish and we were successful! This being said, I don't think that trips to the fish market will become a regular part of my week if I can possibly avoid it. Thankfully Ramadan is now finished and the job of fish buying will return to Agnus.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6IynUTNbb5LcAkzPR3oN8CYDd1Ms7GnaBxaVZK2_n1TbNcnLRsfwJ12g9eZ5K3g38GyIMqGoUx32c9PIJ9kuT98XNEBnC5Zhu2Va46UQx2bsmJjLJOIIHvMYvfKlb-Wouhz5S5RCQis/s1600/P8250208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6IynUTNbb5LcAkzPR3oN8CYDd1Ms7GnaBxaVZK2_n1TbNcnLRsfwJ12g9eZ5K3g38GyIMqGoUx32c9PIJ9kuT98XNEBnC5Zhu2Va46UQx2bsmJjLJOIIHvMYvfKlb-Wouhz5S5RCQis/s320/P8250208.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Picking out the boney "bongo" fish, when little to our knowledge, the small fish sitting next to it was the better option.</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-39868946391077293672010-09-07T05:20:00.000-07:002010-09-07T05:20:16.213-07:00Ramadan This week will mark the end of the month of Ramadan. Since the last new moon, all of the Muslims here have been fasting from both food and drink each day from sunrise to sunset. This has marked some changes of daily life for both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Rather than being able to go to the market at any time of day and get water, icy treats, bread or even fish, most items don't appear later in the day when people would begin preparing to end their fast. To go to the market in the evening however, the market comes alive and their is more food available than we would even find at any other time of year.<br />
For those of us who have tried fasting in any form we know how difficult the discipline can be. However, here it is just that much more difficult. Just because they are fasting doesn't mean that the work stops. The women are still out in the fields working in the hot sun with no water all day. For me, this puts up some red flags when it comes to health. "You can't be out in the hot sun in 100% humidity and not drink any water!" is what my brain is yelling at me. Yet, since they don't typically drink enough water according to our American standards anyway, they do it and don't realize the effects that it has on their bodies. I was even told by a Christian friend that her Muslim friend who was pregnant was trying to fast, and thankfully after trying and finding it extremely difficult, she heeded the advice of our Christian friend and chose not to fast for the safety of herself and her baby.<br />
Overall this is a challenging month for Muslims, yet they remain faithful to what they believe. This brings some questions to mind regarding faithfulness. If you think of what you believe to be truth and then imagine that it would require you to fast everyday from sunrise to sunset for a month while maintaining a vigorous work schedule, would you remain faithful? I am thankful that as a Christian I don't have this demand put on me and that I can choose if and when I want to fast, for how long and the activities that I do during that time, yet I have been challenged by the dedication of the Muslims here and I am challenged to think about my level of dedication and commitment to what I believe to be truth and the calling that I feel that God has placed on my life.<br />
We ask for prayer for our Muslim friends as they finish this time of fasting, and we ask that they would remain healthy and strong.<br />
Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-61068537859008966672010-08-30T06:15:00.000-07:002010-08-30T06:15:43.486-07:00How quickly we forget "I will never take _____ for granted again!" How many times do we find ourselves either thinking this or saying this when we have something that we have missed for a period of time. I can't even begin to count the number of times since being here that I have used that phrase. It usually comes at the time of a cold shower, or the blessing of a warm one, that I think or even verbalize that I will "never" take hot water for granted again. Recently it has been electricity as power outages have been more frequent and for longer periods of time. We can almost expect each night that our electricity will go out between 6-8 p.m. and not resume until sometime throughout the night, leaving us in the dark, breezeless night with the humidity settling in around us like a heavy blanket. This is more of a frustration and inconvenience than anything else, but unfortunately we do rely on electricity to keep medications cold and with temperatures like ours, our little refrigerator has trouble keeping the cold in, or even getting cold for that matter when we do have electricity.<br />
I also tend to think about this phrase when it comes to rain, the cold, always having running water at our fingertips and having the convenience of a vehicle. But the biggest event that triggered this thought recently was the use of a washing machine!<br />
A few days ago, we were blessed to once again to have family here in Gambia. My (Jessica's) parents came to visit for 9 days. We decided to take a couple of days in the city to enjoy some A.C., a pool, satellite tv, hot water and much to my delight: our very own washing machine! Usually if we go somewhere with a washing machine we have to pay someone to do our wash for us, but at this particular place we were able to do it ourselves. You may find yourself laughing at this, but after washing clothes by hand for 9 months, it is amazing to use a washing machine and to realize how dry clothes get when spun rather than hand rung! Elias and I actually made the 30-40 min. drive back to our house just to get the rest of our laundry so that we wouldn't have to do it by hand later in the week.<br />
As exciting as this may be, it got me thinking about how may times we say that we won't take something for granted ever again and then in a matter of weeks, or maybe a couple of months if we're fortunate, we have forgotten and begin complaining about the very thing we were never going to take for granted! Even I have to admit that before I know it, I'll be complaining about having to take the time to put the clothes in the washer, let the machine do the work and then take the time to hang them on the line. Or I will be stepping into the hot shower, because I have to without even thinking about the hundreds of cold showers that I had to take here. When we experience the infrequent power outage at home, it will most likely be followed by surprise and possibly groans if it interferes with our daily routine.<br />
I then began to think about how we even do this with people, especially our families. After having Elias' family and then my parents come to visit, we were reminded how nice it is to have time with family and how much we do actually miss them. Yet when we get home, we may find ourselves getting irritated with the very people that we missed so much while here. I would love to think that I will never take the blessing of family for granted, but I know that all too often that is exactly what happens. And as I thought about how quickly we take for granted our immediate family, I began to think about our church family and how this so easily happens with the body of Christ. Rather than recognize the gifts that others have to offer, we argue about our differences. Or rather than complimenting our pastors on all the work they do, we nit pick and complain about what they aren't doing.<br />
Which then brings me to think about how often we take God himself for granted. In times of need, we cry out with all our being, and when He answers, we promise to be more faithful, make more time for Him and never take for granted how He provides for us and blesses us. Then things get better and we find that it has been days, weeks or even months since we sat down and read our Bible or prayed to the One who carried us through our time of suffering. We forget all of His blessings such as the blessings of food, shelter, clothing, work. We forget to thank Him for our families and lift them up to him, especially when we're irritated with them. We forget to thank Him for the body of Christ and how He made us each unique yet in His image so that we can show others, who our God is and bring His kingdom here to earth. This is coming from personal convictions that I know I have to work on, but I think that it is all too common in most of our lives. My prayer is that we can strive to remember all of our blessings, big and small, and truly not take things for granted rather than just saying that we won't.Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-44858403884768448982010-08-14T05:05:00.000-07:002010-08-14T05:05:28.742-07:00Anniversary Vacation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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From August 3-10 we went to the city for a week of vacation to celebrate our anniversary. Overall the week was pleasant and restful, only after following a few days of stress which God used to bless us in the end. We chose a hotel with self catering apartments on the beach so that we would still be able to cook our own meals while enjoying the ocean that we rarely see at home.<br />
The first day that we arrived we found out that we had to supply our own cash power which is basically like phone credit but for electricity. This was a little frustrating, but we went out and bought our cash power while getting groceries with the team and all was well...until we got back to the hotel that is. Upon entering our cash power into the meter we discovered that the meter was broken and since the power can't be transferred from meter to meter our money would either go to waste or the meter had to fixed. We opted for the meter being fixed. So for the first few hours we had no electricity until they decided to wire our meter to another meter to use the left over cash power on that meter until our meter was fixed the next day. We readily agreed to this arrangement which in the end provided us with just enough cash power for the week.<br />
The next day however we woke up and discovered that our computer cord had been fried by the power outages and flipping of breakers the previous day and throughout the night. Unfortunately, while we love our Mac laptop, finding Apple products in Gambia is like finding a needle in a haystack that may or may not even be in the haystack. We did find one man who said he could get a cord in a couple of days, but then we found another man who thought he could fix the cord. So we left the cord and agreed to come back the next day. This took about half the day which also added to our frustration, but it was turned around into a blessing considering we were in the city where we were able to easily check about power cords and return in a day where as if we had been in Brikama the travel would have been even more difficult and stressful. We were also happy to arrive back at the hotel and find that the satellite TV had been fixed and we were able to enjoy some different shows that we have never seen or at least not in about a year along with some of our favorite movies that were playing.<br />
So once again the next day we set out and discovered that our cord could not be fixed, but it could be spliced to another power cord until my parents arrive with a new cord. We also discovered that the man that would "repair" our cord had an Apple cord but it was 24 V instead of 16 V which would have fried our computer. With this knowledge we decided that rather than wait another day for the other place to get an Apple cord which may also be 24 V we would trust these men who actually knew what they were doing to provide a temporary fix. This was a success and the rest of the week went quite smoothly!<br />
The rest of the week we were able to enjoy swimming in the ocean, see a sea turtle be set free that had been caught in a fishing net, just relaxing and of course celebrating our two year anniversary in West Africa! We decided that the hotel we went to wouldn't be our first choice for another vacation, but it served it's purpose and God was faithful!<br />
Here are some pictures from our time in the city:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hHUQHbKIGurH6EIbjqJv6Pik9S7aM3J2vlr66gLfsdAQjFtk066p7fm0CjOHK8PAFNqpTc6gwyswUmj-5b6UyH8DoBEqFe7FFz-JNhDP1Lk7QLOSimC1Zbut1CVCwMYegyPIVGf4ELc/s1600/DSCN3677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hHUQHbKIGurH6EIbjqJv6Pik9S7aM3J2vlr66gLfsdAQjFtk066p7fm0CjOHK8PAFNqpTc6gwyswUmj-5b6UyH8DoBEqFe7FFz-JNhDP1Lk7QLOSimC1Zbut1CVCwMYegyPIVGf4ELc/s320/DSCN3677.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">kitchen/dining room area</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQbPPive5FGapvbv67y3G0UsdQjpsnzH16j6-CdeWTZM29_T3aHsHK96PyNzMJzXl7unYBRuYzBLwqLpMOiWLZk0Qde92coIcVwiSM29-hBbZSB2inlq34Atv5gWwE-UA0jKitVT-Nd8/s1600/DSCN3678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQbPPive5FGapvbv67y3G0UsdQjpsnzH16j6-CdeWTZM29_T3aHsHK96PyNzMJzXl7unYBRuYzBLwqLpMOiWLZk0Qde92coIcVwiSM29-hBbZSB2inlq34Atv5gWwE-UA0jKitVT-Nd8/s320/DSCN3678.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">living room</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsSkLxcecHasZLj32mB4vas3bqIs07CWoPxNR4qGJwzEAUUVf7RfFO-HU7q_MIy8g9N0nDMPicy-bAozOz91ZT1j975741Uv-juPSI67vBbD-Ms4YIIiLdICVhyfxDbD31wT5zwLopIE/s1600/DSCN3680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsSkLxcecHasZLj32mB4vas3bqIs07CWoPxNR4qGJwzEAUUVf7RfFO-HU7q_MIy8g9N0nDMPicy-bAozOz91ZT1j975741Uv-juPSI67vBbD-Ms4YIIiLdICVhyfxDbD31wT5zwLopIE/s1600/DSCN3680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsSkLxcecHasZLj32mB4vas3bqIs07CWoPxNR4qGJwzEAUUVf7RfFO-HU7q_MIy8g9N0nDMPicy-bAozOz91ZT1j975741Uv-juPSI67vBbD-Ms4YIIiLdICVhyfxDbD31wT5zwLopIE/s320/DSCN3680.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">balcony</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCtcwa3pWvqCByvFulhU7FyqwaLrtFm4a0GRJ174dPLvE5X3cVtvoUCibSYbpl0x1gCU93tO3gp7JJTZmC5ArgLEO2qGQNerIgk1N5FjVNospqAP2XiRWaf07pZYFXemWvBOw9RlOWCc/s1600/DSCN3681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCtcwa3pWvqCByvFulhU7FyqwaLrtFm4a0GRJ174dPLvE5X3cVtvoUCibSYbpl0x1gCU93tO3gp7JJTZmC5ArgLEO2qGQNerIgk1N5FjVNospqAP2XiRWaf07pZYFXemWvBOw9RlOWCc/s320/DSCN3681.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">bedroom</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAMQSA4iPagCZ_vZ3sqvVC9jeaJDxafLdcWed4ZoMBm40auY866atdRL1a5F-zcADHCn66b_hBxYRv65nQe4MzQbNAgFs-BfP09lPlcSO7fCtB-GCONdRldT1-F9CwE0uE92ivRsa_ug/s1600/DSCN3682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAMQSA4iPagCZ_vZ3sqvVC9jeaJDxafLdcWed4ZoMBm40auY866atdRL1a5F-zcADHCn66b_hBxYRv65nQe4MzQbNAgFs-BfP09lPlcSO7fCtB-GCONdRldT1-F9CwE0uE92ivRsa_ug/s320/DSCN3682.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuMAjBRsUooyuuPXBD-g5q-pseVkjY4wlj1_28kMlUBcsna6ooh_C7XfZUFwsPd4lApeSCFDUV6fxYkjszElDcWKKLT5lxGhaYrXK0_GccOjXkel2IazypMdkPblD1hNDiRk-tstzDIo/s1600/DSCN3683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuMAjBRsUooyuuPXBD-g5q-pseVkjY4wlj1_28kMlUBcsna6ooh_C7XfZUFwsPd4lApeSCFDUV6fxYkjszElDcWKKLT5lxGhaYrXK0_GccOjXkel2IazypMdkPblD1hNDiRk-tstzDIo/s320/DSCN3683.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9Sd2656vAokimbpNQiFbtRgB_MFDT1tvRgBcGfhl_brRZ7im1w5HUA0pFDIb3AfcgCczXJQDk8UA7GSOcu0Wm6ikwAQ2MEVojxR3KD8RGQBlLnpwAm1DAYPWG3enQQnXxRBzhoEENkc/s1600/DSCN3679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9Sd2656vAokimbpNQiFbtRgB_MFDT1tvRgBcGfhl_brRZ7im1w5HUA0pFDIb3AfcgCczXJQDk8UA7GSOcu0Wm6ikwAQ2MEVojxR3KD8RGQBlLnpwAm1DAYPWG3enQQnXxRBzhoEENkc/s320/DSCN3679.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">View from our balcony</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92ExKzqEuHurOjtGOYOq0veDObKiEjj34wy_XjHrb2zg0mgJJsySChyphenhyphenN5xIQegChwvSzGswKDxhXspshc6e-hu4_Jjm9bOW83DjIvjPHihc899owQL1DGmVnYdpnuJCjMF-YIfwRNUxc/s1600/DSCN3712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92ExKzqEuHurOjtGOYOq0veDObKiEjj34wy_XjHrb2zg0mgJJsySChyphenhyphenN5xIQegChwvSzGswKDxhXspshc6e-hu4_Jjm9bOW83DjIvjPHihc899owQL1DGmVnYdpnuJCjMF-YIfwRNUxc/s320/DSCN3712.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaZk5KSzqNM_Vgw7mBKWiOtg7xdgtV1kBLe5roCrqr6-eHmcX8R8iKhoXXY6azvUAroSuKMwYGkTThRPfyot7uUDnk1FRdO7dV_FUqzCYdPCFRwFK1UaUAGiI_1-fmJml7xwTpySh7VU/s1600/DSCN3699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaZk5KSzqNM_Vgw7mBKWiOtg7xdgtV1kBLe5roCrqr6-eHmcX8R8iKhoXXY6azvUAroSuKMwYGkTThRPfyot7uUDnk1FRdO7dV_FUqzCYdPCFRwFK1UaUAGiI_1-fmJml7xwTpySh7VU/s320/DSCN3699.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">enjoying the ocean</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWvae7XIyVYOvBfN-Wwbhv8foCwTWLI9czZwi8fU9JPGaaFvjU1yTFub8bwnYfnxCK_r6_GHimQTBgVp3xspzm6seLLbz4m9l3lNw5eck_YuJL_NI8nhs-nHm_8c5RHvC67eeLXeicsw/s1600/DSCN3709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWvae7XIyVYOvBfN-Wwbhv8foCwTWLI9czZwi8fU9JPGaaFvjU1yTFub8bwnYfnxCK_r6_GHimQTBgVp3xspzm6seLLbz4m9l3lNw5eck_YuJL_NI8nhs-nHm_8c5RHvC67eeLXeicsw/s320/DSCN3709.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Apparently every Sunday during the off season until Ramadan there is a beach party where thousands of Gambians go to swim, eat, dance and just have a big celebration. We were unaware of this initially when we went swimming on Sunday, but Sunday evening after going out for dinner we decided to walk back to our hotel along the beach and this is part of what we saw. The picture doesn't do it any justice compared with how many people were really there. It was really nice to see this though since Gambians don't get too many opportunities to enjoy the beach. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Prayer requests:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-My parents will be leaving on Monday the 16th and arriving on the 17th. We would like prayer for safe and easy travels and just a blessed time with them here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Our teammate Lori leave on Sunday the 15th to return to the States. Please pray for all of her travels as well</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-For rain! We need a lot of rain this month or there will be problems and it is actually very dry!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Praises:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-We had a wonderful vacation overall</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-We have met a new friend who is a Peace Corp worker, but lives in the Methodist Mission here as well</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-We will once again be able to enjoy time with family!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-56991403779900222862010-07-22T10:27:00.000-07:002010-07-22T10:27:30.456-07:00Women of the Gambia Here in Gambia women work harder than any other women I know. Every day is spent either in their gardens in the hot sun, cooking for their family along with others that happen to be there, pounding different items such as rice, cous, millet, fish, etc, washing laundry and taking care of their children among other things.<br />
One example in particular that comes to mind is one of our youth. Her name is Miriama and she lives in Pirang at the house where we do our weekly Bible study. Each week we arrive and Miriama is busy at work until the rest of the youth come and then she sits down for our study and as soon as it is over she is back to work. Some days we arrive and she is busy hauling water from the school that is some distance away from the house. Other days she is pounding, washing clothing or doing some other work in the house or outside with others that live in the compound. While Miriama is a prime example of a hard worker, she is by far not alone in the heavy workload that women face.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXsK2hHjGljtyfKM2p6lzmMrboeQOlL0OazGUscovJ1eNUDzUJSP-R6V60yhmP7rG89ZJm-vMGYMevxD2P8JNI35qpuBZd1uJXolar3n3VjMDFA0Peg5qLNg6dYNUK1PfOvvFcq0NVBE/s1600/DSCN3007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXsK2hHjGljtyfKM2p6lzmMrboeQOlL0OazGUscovJ1eNUDzUJSP-R6V60yhmP7rG89ZJm-vMGYMevxD2P8JNI35qpuBZd1uJXolar3n3VjMDFA0Peg5qLNg6dYNUK1PfOvvFcq0NVBE/s320/DSCN3007.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixC_E5u2BDXKVtH0AbO2GYI1Q0B4jfjALH9GPRDXwyRQpFQVH9m9aTpoVkEoDYtGKv2zlKgeaBJFPudnUL-Ob3iMogrZTqTcoW0td1mmhP9um-AE04mTN0mSV2BzehK9X8QZOJ7NWrFfU/s1600/DSCN3008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixC_E5u2BDXKVtH0AbO2GYI1Q0B4jfjALH9GPRDXwyRQpFQVH9m9aTpoVkEoDYtGKv2zlKgeaBJFPudnUL-Ob3iMogrZTqTcoW0td1mmhP9um-AE04mTN0mSV2BzehK9X8QZOJ7NWrFfU/s320/DSCN3008.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Miriama pounding rice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhip_wYHAlIAskCPc_E0_s0J2secJke-KeC7FkufYalocRciRYr87x-E9-4-PzTYZRG8XiGBgMjFo3XKb01Wruvclbaz3U4VbJWzu15AysU44YFYa79w3yERNdrwoCAdbGNm70HbmT6aY0/s1600/DSCN2908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhip_wYHAlIAskCPc_E0_s0J2secJke-KeC7FkufYalocRciRYr87x-E9-4-PzTYZRG8XiGBgMjFo3XKb01Wruvclbaz3U4VbJWzu15AysU44YFYa79w3yERNdrwoCAdbGNm70HbmT6aY0/s320/DSCN2908.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">carrying water, even the smallest children start carrying things on their heads</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div> Another example is the compound that we hold studies at in Kiti. Any day of the week that we come to Kiti the women are going about their various work. The only time that I have seen them rest is Sunday afternoon where they take time to braid each other's hair.<br />
This isn't to say that men don't work here, and there are some very hard male workers here in Gambia, but while it is a fairly common sight to see men sitting under a tree in the afternoon drinking tea, the women are usually busy at work. This is an example of the oppression that women still face here in Gambia. While it may not be as extreme as in other cultures, men are still viewed more highly than women as a general rule. Women however, are beginning to stand up for their rights a bit as they become more exposed to western culture and see how other women live. This can be seen in areas such as clothing and marriage. While skirts are still the most common form of clothing for women, more and more women are choosing to wear pants or jeans, especially for special occasions. Women are also stepping out and saying that they want to be their husband's only wife rather than being one of 3 or 4 which is also still quite normal.<br />
Unfortunately this heavy workload has not come without consequence. Many of the women here suffer from back pain and hip or leg pain from carrying water, bending over their gardens for hours at a time, washing clothes by hand, hours of pounding and pregnancies/childbirth. Each day I am thankful that I don't have to garden in the sun on days that are 110 degrees or more for a living. As I watch the women, I know that I could not physically do the work that they do and I continue to develop a whole new respect for them. I am also reminded how tremendously blessed I am to have been granted the life that I have. We wouldn't consider ourselves patriotic people, but I will admit that I am continually made more aware of how different my life would be if I had been born and raised somewhere else.Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-20823463668014199512010-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:002010-07-08T08:00:45.508-07:00Family Recently we were blessed to welcome Elias' parents and sister into a little bit of our life here in Gambia. We picked them up from the airport early on the morning of the 23rd of June and said a bitter sweet goodbye on the July 4th. During their time here we were blessed to have some peaceful days of rest along with showing them a little bit of our daily routine. We took two days at a hotel, called Hibiscus House, that Elias and I had been wanting to go to ourselves and enjoyed sun, a pool and each other's company. We returned from Hibiscus house and the following day headed out to Kiti so that they could meet the youth that we meet with their and some dear friends that we have made by going out there. While we were there, we again encountered true Gambian hospitality by receiving cashew apples and a typical Balanta dish that they cook in this compound made with rice, fish, mango and palm oil. The compound was also in the middle of the process of preparing palm oil that would be put into large jugs and then sold at the market. From this process they are also able to make their own soap, so I explained to some of the youth that in the United States many people are trying to live more naturally and make their own things where as here in Gambia they have no choice, it is just second nature. The palm oil making process would seem quite primitive for us, for lack of a better would. No fancy machinery just fire and big metal oil oil drums with hoses connecting the ones that need oil transfered from one drum to another.<br />
Also while in Kiti, we showed Elias' family the nearly finished pig house project that Tiu Jon has been working on throughout our time here. When I say nearly finished I mean the outside is finished but the flooring still needs to put in. After lunch and time conversing, we had our lesson with the youth, took a few pictures and headed on our way, having to refuse the gift of a liter of palm oil that would be difficult for the Zehr's to take home, but choosing some homemade soap instead.<br />
Monday we borrowed the car to go grocery shopping since the five of us filled up the car without any room for the rest of the team. We make a stop at the Brikama craft market to pick up some hand carved items then headed off to the pool that is next to the ocean so that the family could experience both at once. We then picked up our groceries and headed home, returning the car to Pirang for the rest of the team to do their shopping the next day.<br />
The rest of the week was spent bird watching, taking trips to the Brikama market where we get some of our veggies, when their are available, fish, chicken and almost anything else you can think of other than most American foods. Joe and Malinda (Elias' parents) along with Elias all purchased Gambian clothing that they now have to remember their time by. We were also able to make it for a morning of My Sister's Company, which EMM will soon be handing over to the local women, and purchase a few fair trade items that the women make there.<br />
Friday, Gary and Denise offered to let us use the car, so we took a trip down to Gunjur Beach so they could meet the compound we work with down there along with being able to see the local fishing boats. Unfortunately now that we are in the rainy season the car couldn't make it whole way so we had a bit of a walk down to the see the boats, with a quick stop at the compound where we do studies. We then walked down the beach, stopped to check out rooms at a hotel for future reference for Elias and I, then headed the long, hot trek back. By the time we reached the car we were hot, sweaty and tired and bordering on arriving late for our Bible study in Pirang.<br />
Saturday was our last day with the Zehr's, and since it was "clean up the nation day" otherwise known as Set Settle, we did not return to Gunjur Beach for our morning Bible study, instead, the Zehr's packed and then we spent quality time together.<br />
While we couldn't show them everything we do, it was a blessed time of allowing family to have a glimpse of our time here from cold showers, to hand-washing clothing, to local food thanks to our wonderful cook Agnus. We will admit, going from five down to two was a bit lonely the next day, but the blessing of family being here with us outweighed the loneliness by far.<br />
I wrote earlier that the goodbye was bitter sweet because their coming was amazing, but it also marked a huge mile marker for us and our time left here. We are now down to less than five months which can feel long, but when we break it down and think about all we have left to do, it is actually relatively short. Also, we only have a little more than a month before we have another blessing of family as my parents will be coming to visit in August!<br />
It's easy to get used to not having family around, but it doesn't take long to be reminded of what a God given gift family truly is. Here are some pictures of our time with the Zehr's:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tkK-ZYhKVgfenM0fzKuwrgW0OBGpm_kZuDPZAhqvLkstpTzGcuc0TSA2m5g_f9g1jMfJsXTkgxrJPld4LgIiBGkT8oL_-5M37i7foIX3Kx9a938LkLpx0m3OFvZhIHxCJgPrsMA9jVQ/s1600/DSCN3450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tkK-ZYhKVgfenM0fzKuwrgW0OBGpm_kZuDPZAhqvLkstpTzGcuc0TSA2m5g_f9g1jMfJsXTkgxrJPld4LgIiBGkT8oL_-5M37i7foIX3Kx9a938LkLpx0m3OFvZhIHxCJgPrsMA9jVQ/s320/DSCN3450.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pool time at Hibiscus house</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOP9k5yaYu_ROw0HeIf4avN43OQwUw1AkTvsN87d3lKzUDnWpVDLQVS9tlBu3-RRhDrrTIUmbFv3gIKs_FM_jD64rcDdsHzotideqUTfvfr8ErV1iLKJ6DJleh764EPO_kjLx-D1z9yes/s1600/DSCN3468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOP9k5yaYu_ROw0HeIf4avN43OQwUw1AkTvsN87d3lKzUDnWpVDLQVS9tlBu3-RRhDrrTIUmbFv3gIKs_FM_jD64rcDdsHzotideqUTfvfr8ErV1iLKJ6DJleh764EPO_kjLx-D1z9yes/s320/DSCN3468.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">at Hibiscus house with the famous Journal and Republican</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBI0HBn4eVHG8t2FRzHG_Ae2ceqLKA8zukMHjvmuHT46trwJQy5UoYLTfkhIS44MaPhzu77VY9WniORXf5npinW_fg6mQsOizyoVe1vnFN18L5OEthxL6Tdfjw904dBEV2k6QmsANpsYM/s1600/DSCN3481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBI0HBn4eVHG8t2FRzHG_Ae2ceqLKA8zukMHjvmuHT46trwJQy5UoYLTfkhIS44MaPhzu77VY9WniORXf5npinW_fg6mQsOizyoVe1vnFN18L5OEthxL6Tdfjw904dBEV2k6QmsANpsYM/s320/DSCN3481.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">spending time in Kiti</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcNB0He8dLhY8qkWNUzuegkXaZoqZ7Y8MavEFFWHxm43kKJ4AhPWs_DHWJCJvv8ycsiNiIV7LHfjAVoit6HT46_m4tDnnQllpiW5QSsLT6hKasqQO5c8VG92ZPfRNH-XiJi4TUeXmzf8/s1600/DSCN3484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcNB0He8dLhY8qkWNUzuegkXaZoqZ7Y8MavEFFWHxm43kKJ4AhPWs_DHWJCJvv8ycsiNiIV7LHfjAVoit6HT46_m4tDnnQllpiW5QSsLT6hKasqQO5c8VG92ZPfRNH-XiJi4TUeXmzf8/s320/DSCN3484.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">palm oil process </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8GIm5eAmCM0r6NHRpuefr33fA1MLqbNCwvIVrXk8_JYV6uIhBS-jrSIgWr6mQpCz-Q6ViF56Hb8VpFhTFpFlaGe-PM7OkKtZDJxyw-UH-PpZJbfWIhi6U_GjvNf5x0aX-8fXZqVFNLY/s1600/DSCN3486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8GIm5eAmCM0r6NHRpuefr33fA1MLqbNCwvIVrXk8_JYV6uIhBS-jrSIgWr6mQpCz-Q6ViF56Hb8VpFhTFpFlaGe-PM7OkKtZDJxyw-UH-PpZJbfWIhi6U_GjvNf5x0aX-8fXZqVFNLY/s320/DSCN3486.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">again</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSOwxXw3WDMRenKwO6ybqHWvq082VH-cqTc9K88Bf0sDWQIhWduKXpY6TLYsT5vANaXDmEVoJC_NsldthmFYEXEIf1Hiy2YfI2BB_MZXA7TqW0aOPKSdecd762PxA-jk1TXedEeZ3Ibw/s1600/DSCN3494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSOwxXw3WDMRenKwO6ybqHWvq082VH-cqTc9K88Bf0sDWQIhWduKXpY6TLYsT5vANaXDmEVoJC_NsldthmFYEXEIf1Hiy2YfI2BB_MZXA7TqW0aOPKSdecd762PxA-jk1TXedEeZ3Ibw/s320/DSCN3494.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ready for the market</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGLbhgoFLHT6gXcK-XXz4g08ALTobcOMipscYh3tsy_TRi76DRhpZ1ZSOqVkayw45i2ewrnYaACgVgbVwFKM6KL4Vllb6XC9Mtbua3rVKehnoy4WyAI1Cug7iXGs8cT0O1INZpQyAZYo/s1600/DSCN3517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGLbhgoFLHT6gXcK-XXz4g08ALTobcOMipscYh3tsy_TRi76DRhpZ1ZSOqVkayw45i2ewrnYaACgVgbVwFKM6KL4Vllb6XC9Mtbua3rVKehnoy4WyAI1Cug7iXGs8cT0O1INZpQyAZYo/s320/DSCN3517.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">with some of the Kiti crew and the journal once again</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuVcvMRbjOB5nz9sr5YPD2qYK30NtzGKAj9Tf3YKauHem73vGiDCImK2rvFFKkJdZWynpHkDdM2BeReEiNhbzozstGxga-DlOAUeRJBORng1QXPmQJJidSQJ0I2zgGXhGMuE2BHZeAyM/s1600/DSCN3524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuVcvMRbjOB5nz9sr5YPD2qYK30NtzGKAj9Tf3YKauHem73vGiDCImK2rvFFKkJdZWynpHkDdM2BeReEiNhbzozstGxga-DlOAUeRJBORng1QXPmQJJidSQJ0I2zgGXhGMuE2BHZeAyM/s320/DSCN3524.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">bird watching in Pirang with our friend Armstrong</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_ODqSTxIIoYUwyOjfatZFPfB6tHJAU6jYoXzGrI21EskTvFIuHJdNXE8PZnd_zPVYznU2NDxxEWE44GjirNwmpQpg_r37_II29vKdTw9-ezrsY225dOAqqdTByp85Bv5Ti9Rc9njU7c/s1600/DSCN3539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_ODqSTxIIoYUwyOjfatZFPfB6tHJAU6jYoXzGrI21EskTvFIuHJdNXE8PZnd_zPVYznU2NDxxEWE44GjirNwmpQpg_r37_II29vKdTw9-ezrsY225dOAqqdTByp85Bv5Ti9Rc9njU7c/s320/DSCN3539.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">standing in the roots of the big tree in Pirang (and it is really big!) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1kex-nj9mR8n9k0ZLO0VmRONWqZEL9HvNVctvpYSY4PhwjBJL90NnO2KSYgZ3zJ5Jsc6r4dPjYia7zUZ2WsYQkb4V-slFZxz5NpqjH2i-_wAveVePLEzb8Puj7FN-oykJq1Mftj9gAw/s1600/DSCN3558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1kex-nj9mR8n9k0ZLO0VmRONWqZEL9HvNVctvpYSY4PhwjBJL90NnO2KSYgZ3zJ5Jsc6r4dPjYia7zUZ2WsYQkb4V-slFZxz5NpqjH2i-_wAveVePLEzb8Puj7FN-oykJq1Mftj9gAw/s320/DSCN3558.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">our last day in our Gambian clothing</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-36824082343663496162010-06-21T07:59:00.003-07:002010-06-21T09:43:57.317-07:00Spiritual awareness I know it has been awhile since we have posted. Things have just been so crazy here right now! Just a quick update before I get into what I'm really writing about. It has rained twice now and it looks as though we will be getting rain again within the next couple days, which means humidity is high, but right now we are enjoying a nice breeze. Since our last post, we have a new member to our "team" here in Gambia until July. One of the members of the Guinea Bissau YES team has joined us up here until their team heads home in July. Lori is currently traveling in Germany with her sister-in-law and will return this week, so the team leaders from the YES team came up to stay with their team-mate. In exciting news, Elais' parents and sister will be here on Wednesday until July 4, so we are looking forward to a wonderful and fruitful time with them, showing them our work and allowing them to experience part of our life here. Gary and Denise will be returning next week, so we also look forward to catching up with them on how their time has been. Overall our work with the youth is going well, but now that the rains have begun we will see some changes in participation as some will be traveling and the work load will increase.<br />
Now onto what the post is really about. In the United States, we aren't as aware of the spiritual world as people are here in Gambia. We may or may not acknowledge the fact that their are spiritual beings present in the world other than God and Satan. Some of us are aware of the spiritual warfare going on around us every day and others of us either don't believe or are uncomfortable thinking about the spiritual realm. Here in Gambia that mentality is very different. Nearly everyone is aware of the spiritual realm no matter what their religious beliefs.<br />
While Islam is the most common religion here, you will also find idol worship, Christianity or a combination of Islam and idols. In one of our fellowships that we meet with, in the window of one of the houses, there is an idol that one of the non-believers put up. It is not uncommon to either go to an idol for medical problems after visiting the local marabou. A marabou is a witch-doctor and are quite common throughout the country. People tend to go to the marabou for various medical issues or even to curse each other. I know that I wasn't completely convinced about curses before coming here. I didn't doubt that they could be done, but I didn't have much knowledge about them. Most pregnant women won't tell you when they are due because there may be someone who wants to hurt them or their baby by placing a curse on them. We also have friends that are involved in youth ministry through soccer and have seen their players drop in the middle of a game, or a goalie miss an easy block because they have been cursed.<br />
The thought of spiritual warfare has always been a bit unsettling for me and in the U.S. it was somewhat easy to "ignore" or at least not deal with. Here however, the spiritual world tends to be more "in your face" and is very hard not to see, even if you don't want to see it.<br />
Being here in Africa has definitely opened our eyes to an aspect of the spiritual world that we were not fully aware of before. We still have much to learn, but we certainly have received more exposure here than we had in the States. Thankfully we have a God who is greater than any other spiritual power on this earth. While I said before that spiritual warfare is a bit unsettling, we take comfort in the fact with the simple act of prayer, we give God full control of our lives and allow Him to fight the battle for us. Please continue to pray for the Christians of the Gambia, since while it is not illegal to be a Christian, it is not easy either under the heavy blanket of spiritual oppression.<br />
<br />
Prayer requests:<br />
-For the bondage of spiritual oppression to be broken and for the Christians who have bravely stepped out in the name of Christ<br />
-For the Zehr family as they travel to see us over the next 2 days<br />
-For Gary, Denise and Lori as they are all traveling<br />
-For the YES team who will be returning to the States in about 3 weeks<br />
-For our continuing youth ministry. That the youth will understand what we are sharing and the leaders will step up and beginning leading their fellow youth more.<br />
<br />
Praises:<br />
-Overall our ministry continues to go well and there continues to be interest<br />
-We have had a bit a of a breakthrough with the women of Kiti as they have agreed to me, Jess, come and do church in their compound with them since they feel as though they have too much work to actually attend church at the church building<br />
-We will soon have the blessing of sharing part of our lives here in Africa with family!Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-50411599805269596192010-06-10T03:58:00.000-07:002010-06-10T03:58:21.305-07:00Rain! This past week has been quite eventful as will the remainder of this month. Saturday we had the blessing of seeing two friends from HDC (where we trained to come here). Jess Mengel had went to visit the team in Guinea Bissau and travelled up here with one of the team members who will be staying here for the next month and half! So on Saturday after going to Gunjur Beach, to find that no one was there for studies, we headed home, showered and headed off to Pirang. We spent the afternoon enjoying the company of Jess and Bree, Jess who we haven't seen since November and Bree who we haven't seen since January. After a supper of spaghetti we said goodbye to Jess and headed home. Sunday we had church at home and then headed off for Kiti in the extreme heat and humidity for studies. We were able to see the pig house, which is almost finished! It just needs a roof and the floor, but since no one knew when the rains would start the roof was the first priority. Tiu Jon was disappointed that we couldn't stay and eat, but it was getting late and we had to ride our bicycles home. Monday we were preparing for our cook, Agnus, to come when we hear someone at the door. We went out to see some other missionaries that we had met a couple of time from the Netherlands had stopped by. Ester and Anor stayed for a couple of hours and it was nice to have another white, young couple who is going through the same things as us to talk to. Hopefully we can continue to build this relationship and support each other until we leave.<br />
Monday night was quite hot. We both took cold showers before bed to try and cool down enough to at least fall asleep. At around 4 or 4:30 in the morning I was half awake when Elias starting tapping me and saying "listen!". The sound we heard was, you guessed it, rain! It wasn't just a light sprinkle it was a hard rain that brought a wonderful cool breeze with it so that I was able to cover up! The only thought that crossed my mind about the rain not being good was, "what about the pig houses?". We prayed that they wouldn't be affected by the rain before the roof could go up. Tuesday morning was nice and cool as we got ready to go into the city for groceries. But once the sun came out, the humidity was higher than ever (in the 90% range). The day was sticky and hot, but we got done what we needed to get done including get a new, real, mattress!<br />
We them came home and sat under our ceiling fans until around 6 pm when the electricity went off. This isn't uncommon, but there were other houses in Methodist Mission with their lights on. Apparently the provider for the city had an issue and the power didn't come back on until 6 pm yesterday. This made for miserable sleeping and a hot day yesterday, plus we didn't know when it would come back on and we needed to keep Elias' medications cool. Thankfully we got a cooler from Pirang some places in the city still had frozen ice. So we loaded up the cooler with medications and prayed for the electricity to come back on. Needless to say, last night was much nicer sleeping.<br />
Also, the director of the church stopped in last evening and was asking about how our youth work was going and asked Elias if wanted to go to Kiti today to put the roof on the pig houses. We asked if they were affected by the rain and he said no! Praise Jesus! So Elias is now off to build a roof while I catch up on work here at home.<br />
I apologize for the length of this post, but there has been so much going on, I haven't had time to update. Here are some of our latest prayer requests:<br />
<br />
-That we will know how to best mentor the youth into leadership and how much we should or shouldn't do when it comes to leading at this point<br />
-That God will open doors for new chances to share the gospel with other outside of the youth, I have a special heart for the women<br />
-For travel:<br />
-Jordan and Jeweli Ritz, team leaders for the team in GB, as they come up next week<br />
-Elias' parents and sister as they come in 2 weeks!<br />
-Gary and Denise as they return here in three weeks<br />
-Lori will also be traveling next week to Germany to see her sister-in-law<br />
<br />
Praises:<br />
-The rains have begun!<br />
-We have another young couple to share and fellowship with<br />
-We will have family visiting very soon!<br />
-Some of the youth are really flourishing and excited about what they are learning, which makes us excited to teach themElias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-19230802370249142002010-06-03T08:27:00.000-07:002010-06-03T08:27:54.532-07:00Mid-point reflection<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> For those of you that don't receive our newsletters, this was one of our articles from our May update:</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> We have reached the half-way mark! As I reflect over the last six months I see how much we have grown and changed in how we live, how we relate, how we see the world, and what we consider "normal". Six months ago we stepped off a plane into a new and unknown country and culture. We left the airport in the dark passing through towns that would look completely different come daylight, and wondering how far we would have to travel to get to the village of Pirang. As I smelled the smells and saw the small shops, memories of Bolivia flooded back to me, but I would quickly learn that even though we were in a warm climate culture once again, Gambia would be very different from Bolivia. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Our first month was spent in Pirang where we adjusted to life without electricty and the world of hand washing clothing. I began to learn to become more creative in cooking without an oven and with limited meat. Shower time was my least favorite time of the day as I dreaded stepping into the cold stream of water. I also adjusted to wearing a skirt nearly every day.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>As month two rolled around, Elias and I moved to Brikama making our own new "normal". Little by little we began to find new goodies in the market that one month ago seemed so huge and scary. Our days were busy with language study and trying to move past the fear of venturing out to some of the villages, that we would be soon traveling to every day, to develop relationships. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We then went through another change of ending our time of language study and beginning our work with youth. We had to readjust our schedule once again to find what worked for us and the different groups. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"> With our new ministry came more use of public transportation and bicycle riding along with the challenge of preparing weekly lessons in both english and kiriol. Also throughout this time, I began experimenting more and more new recipes trying everything from my own mayonaise, which didn't turn out so well, to making homemade bagels, french bread, yogurt and granola bars. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Things that once seemed so foreign and strange have become quite normal for us now. I now find myself not thinking twice when I step into a cold shower, even though I still rather enjoy a warm one. Laundry day comes once a week, and while Elias is counting down the numbers of time we have left of hand washing, and it gets done in a couple of hours. Each day I wake up and even if I'm not going any where I put on a skirt and one of my ribbed tank tops. We both know that we are only allowed about 3 outfits per week, no matter how sweaty they get, for the sake of laundry. Three days a week we hop on our bicyles, and yes many times I do ride in a skirt which was quite strange and frustrating at first, and either ride to the bus park for public transportation or straight to the village we are working with that day. Then one day a week we walk to the bus park, hop onto public transport and ride to and from our other study. I know that grocery shopping comes once a week meaning that we need to decide if two meat meals for that week will be ground beef and chicken, ground beef and fish or fish and chicken. The rest of the week our meals consist of meatless meals that we have grown accostomed to such as cheese quesadillas or cheese and veggie pizza (cheese only makes one vegetarian meal per week since it is costly). I also have to think about what will fit into our dorm size fridge. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Each day we mix up powdered milk unless we splurged on some real milk. We drink water only from our filter and heat up water to wash our dishes. We have come to acccept that no matter how many time we sweap and mop our floor it will never be truly clean and the dust will just come back later that day or the next. We groan when the power goes out once again and praise Jesus when it comes back on. I know which fellowships have "nice" pit latrines and which ones I would prefer not to use and I no longer worry about how I smell because I just blend right in. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>No matter where we go and how strange it is, life does become "normal". I put normal in quotation marks because what really is normal anyways? Everyone and every culture lives life differently, but for them that is just how life is lived. We have had to adjust to a new way of living that has challenged us, but has forced us to grow. We know what we appreciate from home, but we also know what we can live without and that God will be faithful through it all. We have learned things about ourselves and each other that we would have never known without this exeprience. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Every day God continues to form us into the people He has made us to be. We just have to be willing to let Him. We see how He is working in us as individuals and as a couple and we like what we see. However, we are exremely thankful that He's no where near finished with us. We are excited to see what else He has in store for us this second half of our journey. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">Also, a quick puppy update. Unfortunately all 7 of our puppies have died due to infection and poor mothering from our young and inexperienced mother. We are saddened by this, but it may be for the better since they wouldn't have been cared for in this culture.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">Praises:</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">-We have made it half way!</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">-Our ministry is going well, the youth that are involved seem quite interested</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">-We were able to take a short retreat to regroup and rest</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">Prayer requests:</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">-That we will have open doors for opportunities with non-believers</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">-That we will know how to mentor our leaders into their leadership positions</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">-For Elias' parents and sister who will be coming in less than three weeks! That they will not have trouble with visas, that their travel will go well and we will have a blessed time with them.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">Thank you for continuing to follow us and being part of our work here in Gambia!</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-89430115110451052742010-05-20T04:16:00.000-07:002010-05-20T04:16:11.108-07:00Puppy update Our puppies our now 2 1/2 weeks old and are beginning to open their eyes! The other week our neighbor Linda had mentioned that would like to move them to a different location. We searched and didn't find a nice place for them, so they stayed where they were. Being "wild" dogs, things are a little bit different than when we prepare a nice place for them to have their puppies in the states. We usually have a nice big box or pen with some old blankets where they can be comfortable. I would have loved to put a nice blanket down for our furry friends, but we don't have an old one and we don't have a nice place indoors for them. We hate to see them crawling around in the dirt becoming more flea infested by the day, but that is life here and we need to accept it as it is as they will have to learn to find food and fend for themselves as they get older.<br />
Now back to moving of the location of the puppies. Our mama, Tia, had chosen a nice concealed area, but unfortunately the path was becoming quite worn from all the visitors, making finding the pups a bit too easy. Lately some of our dogs have been digging in our flower beds for some reason. Therefore I didn't think too much of it when Tia came around last night, dug for a bit then laid down and stared at me. She didn't stay long and then she was gone to check on her babies. This morning however, I heard the squeaks of puppies quite loudly from my bed. I wasn't completely awake so it didn't register that they couldn't possibly be that loud from their prior location. Elias then came in the room asking if I was awake and telling me to look out our window. I sat up, put on my glasses and looked outside to find the litter was now sleeping peacefully under one of our plants in our flower bed.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> We haven't completely figured out the reason for this move, but Tia has not enjoyed being so far away from us and the rest of the dogs. She has been coming around more and more often to just sit and be with us and her siblings, leaving the puppies alone. We think that she just wanted to be closer to us and the rest of the dogs. We have to say we don't mind the puppies being close by to keep a watch on them and visit them as often as we like, but it did come as a bit of a surprise. Unfortunately, since the move we did lose another pup. She was our favorite and this morning when I went to go see her she was cold. We have since wrapped her in paper towel and laid her in a shallow grave, marking the location with a cross that Elias made. We aren't sure what happened, but Elias is convinced it's because Tia leaves them too often and isn't a good mother. I'm not sure how wild dogs mother so I'm not convinced it's because of that, but there is no way for us to know. Here are some updated pictures of our little cuties:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgrHKi-NrBrJKpy-bUwAQDA6krqtKIsZ26iHsZLchU8SnbOwKrHOu4uN-KyT7UgYrTKjidn-mJfkhIOK68PQfV0BnZSpa98e0kaiQsl9fDFNLE5-1exAYiKWR6CZ5a9Gm7bn-4HvBGGU/s1600/DSCN3218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgrHKi-NrBrJKpy-bUwAQDA6krqtKIsZ26iHsZLchU8SnbOwKrHOu4uN-KyT7UgYrTKjidn-mJfkhIOK68PQfV0BnZSpa98e0kaiQsl9fDFNLE5-1exAYiKWR6CZ5a9Gm7bn-4HvBGGU/s320/DSCN3218.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">they are under this plant, which as a disclaimer practically dies every day because of the heat despite our efforts to keep it alive</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6tmCSKPGvbb2fIwFvAe4sH9eVT1HA2YVm5Ckv3a461QdtOIEdKjUbrHjaQRsMYEnM5eBvlaySnBAeskYtWND4OFT1JF8qvaTy02zpfH7wwDedgNotqBuAMaAZK4s7Vw7uhRG6X31VbM/s1600/DSCN3212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6tmCSKPGvbb2fIwFvAe4sH9eVT1HA2YVm5Ckv3a461QdtOIEdKjUbrHjaQRsMYEnM5eBvlaySnBAeskYtWND4OFT1JF8qvaTy02zpfH7wwDedgNotqBuAMaAZK4s7Vw7uhRG6X31VbM/s320/DSCN3212.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">here are the five of them before we discovered that the dark one had died</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E0Jr7JOY5Ztp-JCuDFX2MzThIwjEYi3ku8tMUg_foAbaGUcjmMNj4yJ6z5p-K8w_quunjkVCqQT6nORzlyTohDTDixwiL14pNCFo1nTt7pNH6qSJQvUmaWutOg9zNEEZeH05bR7TLWs/s1600/DSCN3176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E0Jr7JOY5Ztp-JCuDFX2MzThIwjEYi3ku8tMUg_foAbaGUcjmMNj4yJ6z5p-K8w_quunjkVCqQT6nORzlyTohDTDixwiL14pNCFo1nTt7pNH6qSJQvUmaWutOg9zNEEZeH05bR7TLWs/s1600/DSCN3176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_E0Jr7JOY5Ztp-JCuDFX2MzThIwjEYi3ku8tMUg_foAbaGUcjmMNj4yJ6z5p-K8w_quunjkVCqQT6nORzlyTohDTDixwiL14pNCFo1nTt7pNH6qSJQvUmaWutOg9zNEEZeH05bR7TLWs/s320/DSCN3176.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">even though they are dirty, they are still cute and we can't resist holding them every now and then</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Blessings to all of you and thank you for experiencing our time in Africa along with us through our blog!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-77898603952919952662010-05-15T14:26:00.000-07:002010-05-20T04:26:50.082-07:00Public Transportation For any of you that have been in a developing country, you know that taking public transportation is always an adventure. Here in Gambia it is no different. You never know what kind of van/bus you will be riding in when you enter into the bus park, but you can guarantee that it will be nothing like anything you've seen in the United States. Sometimes you climb up in and there are nice, new padded benches, and other times the benches actually move around the floor a little. I have also been in transports where the floor itself moves.<br />
<div> Most transports have 2 large back doors, like a delivery van, for entering and exiting. Some also have a sliding side door, or a door that used to slide and now opens by hinges. Then they always have your two front doors that all vehicles have. Some that only have 2 back doors for main entering and exiting make it fairly difficult to get in and out of considering the vans are usually quite full. This also makes riding long distances fairly uncomfortable and smelly since it is a hot climate, with many people, in a small space that is all metal making it feel a bit like a toaster oven. </div><div> The benefit to public transport here compared to many other countries though is that there is a limit to how many passengers the van can legally carry. All passengers have to be seated, there may be "too many" on a seat by our standards, but the more that can fit, the more money the driver and his apprentice make. In many other countries, you are fortunate to get a seat and then there is always more room for standing passengers (this was my experience in Bolivia and I have heard stories of it being the same way in other countries). To enforce this law there are various police check points set up along the roads that look into the vans to make sure that it is not overcrowded. It has not always been this way, but not too many years ago this became a law and has been enforced since. </div><div> Now onto our most recent transport adventure. Last evening we were coming home from Pirang and right as we reached the road, what looked to be a transport was coming along. We flagged the van down and hopped in. This van was different however. The seats looked like mini tour-bus seats and there was even a baggage rack above our heads. Elias and I looked at each other and questioned whether we were actually in a public transport or if we had just flagged down a group traveling into kombo, the city area, from up country. People will flag down any vehicle passing here and many times pickup trucks, cars and SUV's will pick up people on the side of road as they pass. As we continued on I noticed more and more the bright red dust that is only found farther up country where the main road is no longer paved. I first noticed the dust on the floor. It was so thick that I couldn't actually see the floor itself. Then I noticed it on the seats, on people's clothing and then I even notice it in their hair and skin. This is the same dust that caused Elias and I to come home early from the youth camp we went to in December as it was too much for Elias' lungs. It covers everything and as dry season progresses it becomes worse. Soon however, the rainy season will be here making travel more difficult and muddy instead of dusty. I'm not sure where the transport was coming from, but it must have been a decent distance as people were coming in with duffle bags for their stay. </div><div> As I said before, you never know what you will find when you climb into a transport, but it will never be like anything you have seen or experienced in the United States.<br />
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Since posting this post I have taken a few picture of the bus park and the transports:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkU0wV6yPVttkJC4qHYH4HJPijABW2nTLhKNxPuneBYsQShtoCE33PA9OCf54ex5yIDR-jWU0xxJ1ZjCxx21PhRKv3ddmX6NvSrnN3mOMbDDZU8TUIuy6v5YPrXUpOBqKBiUGDnhYns6s/s1600/DSCN3206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkU0wV6yPVttkJC4qHYH4HJPijABW2nTLhKNxPuneBYsQShtoCE33PA9OCf54ex5yIDR-jWU0xxJ1ZjCxx21PhRKv3ddmX6NvSrnN3mOMbDDZU8TUIuy6v5YPrXUpOBqKBiUGDnhYns6s/s320/DSCN3206.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMx1LbXMNyixzM_hCTI5DOjxVweeHnE_o5E2vy0hkynqkXW948yxu_vWUMpz28j-tEbaSrvrG-JILj5JLI5J4UOgL3Zle1SWvYT_scLtwu5iTIW83P8eorbuzfYh6RF0RWZJnxWAyRvvg/s1600/DSCN3207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMx1LbXMNyixzM_hCTI5DOjxVweeHnE_o5E2vy0hkynqkXW948yxu_vWUMpz28j-tEbaSrvrG-JILj5JLI5J4UOgL3Zle1SWvYT_scLtwu5iTIW83P8eorbuzfYh6RF0RWZJnxWAyRvvg/s320/DSCN3207.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRh2-EyRovxLH2AoX0w-CjZpv84JwLVl-fsaaFpreaHCWwRekeFEa_pfnPcGouGK3yMNTN4EBluMfWxMv_t_d-AyG53RtEtB0EeBzVxD8W7WcG3lVJuRuLdbcfHpVbRahxEiL8TtBsW4/s1600/DSCN3208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRh2-EyRovxLH2AoX0w-CjZpv84JwLVl-fsaaFpreaHCWwRekeFEa_pfnPcGouGK3yMNTN4EBluMfWxMv_t_d-AyG53RtEtB0EeBzVxD8W7WcG3lVJuRuLdbcfHpVbRahxEiL8TtBsW4/s320/DSCN3208.JPG" /></a></div><br />
</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-50726156223855507862010-05-10T12:41:00.000-07:002010-05-10T12:41:51.663-07:00A Sunday in Kiti On Sunday Elias and I headed off at around 9:30 on our bicycles to the village of Kiti for church. We had been wanting to do this for awhile but spending all day at Kiti in the heat sounded a bit daunting to be completely honest. This week however, we gave ourselves no choice. We decided the previous week that we would meet with the leaders of the youth group, to begin training them to replace us, right after the service. <div> As we got closer to the church, there is a smaller dirt path that we have to ride on. At the end of the path there is a cashew tree. To summarize an embarrassing story, the combination of the low hanging branches and loose sand resulted in me (Jess) running straight into a bunch of leaves and branches. With my pride hurt and the help of my husband to get the dirt off, we continued on to the church where a couple of the members had viewed the event. Thankfully, no one said anything so I can only hope that maybe they didn't have as good of a view as I had originally thought, or they decided that it would be best if left unmentioned. </div><div> Once inside the church, the pastor called Elias aside and returned about 15 minutes later announcing that Elias would be preaching that morning. This wasn't the first time Elias had been asked, but it was his first time agreeing to preach. So the pastor, Raymond, gave Elias his half completed notes and had him preach on faith. I have to say I was quite proud of my husband. It is never easy to preach from part of a sermon that was prepared by someone else. </div><div> After church we met briefly with the leaders, Zil and Ezekiel Manneh, to let them know our vision and how we typically prepare lessons. They informed us they didn't have Bibles so we promised to get them both Bibles as soon as possible so that we can begin preparing lessons with them. We then left our bikes at the church and headed to the compound of one of the elders in the church who we know as Tiu Jon, or Uncle Jon. We have found Jon to be very different from many of the Gambians. He is very easy to talk to, he doesn't make fun of our language blunders and he doesn't ask for anything unless he absolutely needs it. Elias said that his mouth was goat instead of his mouth was broken on Sunday and Jon didn't even chuckle, but I have to say I was having a hard time keeping in my laughter which provoked laughter from one of youth. </div><div> We spent the day drinking Gambian tea called atia (the spelling may be incorrect) and just chatting. I learned how to make a mango, rice and fish dish that Elias and I really enjoyed last time we ate lunch in Kiti. The day went quite quickly and we felt that it was a really successful day! By just being in the compound talking and spending time with families from the church (even though they don't all attend), I feel as though a new bond was created. We have spent time there before, but not since we began the lessons. That evening the youth seemed more interactive and open to us even though we weren't necessarily talking to them the whole day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div> We also felt as though we made some breakthroughs with our understanding of the youth. We thought that more of the youth had stronger english language skills than they have. We knew that one of the boys who came yesterday couldn't speak english so the youth decided that rather than having someone translate, it would be better if we taught in Kiriol. What a difference it made! Some of the youth who have seemed very inattentive and disinterested in the past paid attention the entire time! One even admitted that he didn't want to answer questions because he felt that his english was terrible. It was so exciting to see the difference teaching in their heart language made, compared to a language that they have to struggle to understand. We also noticed how much praise and encouragement when they answered questions helped. We have known that praise does wonders, but in a culture that is full of put downs and discouragement, youth seem to come alive when they are praised.</div><div> We see so much promise our groups and we are praying that they will be open to God doing wonderful things with them. We both came home tired, but extremely satisfied as it felt that we are finally bonding with the culture and developing relationships that we will be sad to see come to an end in November. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebprYrOPimGvH7Rgh86lOZIj66o7eKj4RYiTqkLfaUTPMXU4oDclTTpBuhiRUr4H5pAFw1Syjm5dvW8wDc6Mt17a2HetoZTK6lneYTD84_fOzCrt8N6RJ46Y2zrxmOCIEw9n5PIjKOBQ/s1600/DSCN3026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebprYrOPimGvH7Rgh86lOZIj66o7eKj4RYiTqkLfaUTPMXU4oDclTTpBuhiRUr4H5pAFw1Syjm5dvW8wDc6Mt17a2HetoZTK6lneYTD84_fOzCrt8N6RJ46Y2zrxmOCIEw9n5PIjKOBQ/s320/DSCN3026.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">tea and mango time!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0gN712mhyphenhyphenpZo7-Qo2M0ArSMC6UVObFsesaFsI7VQMVG3tYZOQgtt73uSbsY6o32h7yR6eH4aNPRAk9fGcqAjtBb7CCOmMKUyZLHIbh1fAtqxgKSdeAs6lnSFXna2paTXMR-ZvydJYOw/s1600/DSCN3027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0gN712mhyphenhyphenpZo7-Qo2M0ArSMC6UVObFsesaFsI7VQMVG3tYZOQgtt73uSbsY6o32h7yR6eH4aNPRAk9fGcqAjtBb7CCOmMKUyZLHIbh1fAtqxgKSdeAs6lnSFXna2paTXMR-ZvydJYOw/s320/DSCN3027.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Elias and Tiu Jon studying the lessons we do with the youth</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkb9N2Q6ssKIjaZQnM5xS6-FXu9QJhHkYNbG2-tGfnQvRmurj4JSv0Onb7olnTllbTuxWXdfEUVgjBde9JQGHCu7yuh2OvWb9gBX0H0Xbv2SYcPJ_j6uc27jw_JiMfnebduTmtCeJL6U/s1600/DSCN3030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkb9N2Q6ssKIjaZQnM5xS6-FXu9QJhHkYNbG2-tGfnQvRmurj4JSv0Onb7olnTllbTuxWXdfEUVgjBde9JQGHCu7yuh2OvWb9gBX0H0Xbv2SYcPJ_j6uc27jw_JiMfnebduTmtCeJL6U/s320/DSCN3030.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">lesson time</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Km-173oKExjdaDIGKjjEakRDmuMeHsJGyjKx6xQys8mcMSmhp-AceDVleM8bKeqdsxLAbnWH5Dbn2oejj1scnBZrIw3bGAkICZGtRRgvH8hb3Rtztesk-MSbnJCoyq96SuGRve1ftmw/s1600/DSCN3023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Km-173oKExjdaDIGKjjEakRDmuMeHsJGyjKx6xQys8mcMSmhp-AceDVleM8bKeqdsxLAbnWH5Dbn2oejj1scnBZrIw3bGAkICZGtRRgvH8hb3Rtztesk-MSbnJCoyq96SuGRve1ftmw/s320/DSCN3023.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our new friend Holly-stein, since we think she looks a bit like a holstein cow. She is three weeks old and probably the smallest goat we have seen so far. Her mother died, so Tiu Jon is caring for her by giving her water, rice and scraps. She loves to be pet and you can see that she is barley longer than Elias' hand! </div><div><br />
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</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-81231786054099852002010-05-03T08:42:00.000-07:002010-05-03T08:42:02.814-07:00Excitement in Brikama As we walked back from the market we saw black smoke billowing up into the sky. Our first thought was that the Galp gas station was on fire, which would be quite dangerous and terrible in itself. As we kept walking we looked down a side street where many people had gathered and were staring at the source of the smoke. We decided to venture down ourselves to see where the fire was exactly. As we rounded the corner of the intersection the crowd became larger and we found what we were "looking" for. Sadly it was a family's compound. The flames were raging on the inside all the way to the ceiling. Being a concrete or mud block house the flames were contained inside, but our hearts sank a little as we quickly continued on our way in efforts to be out of the way of the fire department.<br />
At home we have house insurance. In a fire we lose things that are meaningful and valuable to us, but with the help of insurance, family and friends they can be replaced and a new house can be bought or built. Here insurance is less than common and most people don't have bank accounts so their money is most likely kept in their homes. I'm not sure the typical protocol for a house fire here, but thankfully, being a warm climate culture there is usually family to help out at least some. Unfortunately a compound contains several families that would in other situation help each other out.<br />
It is hard to hear of someone losing their home in the United States, but seeing the house engulfed in flames here hit me in a new way. I felt a new sorrow and disturbance about the whole ordeal. The Gambia is continually becoming more and more developed, but the people here still have much less than we have as Americans and seeing someone lose it all, knowing that the money to replace what they had will be hard to come by, made me think about how blessed we are.<br />
On a lighter note, we have a few dogs here that live on the grounds of Methodist Mission where we are living. We have grown to love them dearly as we throw out our scraps, fill up a bucket of water and just enjoy sitting outside with them. For the past couple months one of the dogs has been pregnant and we knew that the puppies were coming soon, we just weren't sure when. Yesterday morning Tia (the pregnant dog) came to see us and we could see that her belly had changed so we knew that it would be soon. We didn't see her the rest of the day so we figured that she had bedded down somewhere to have the pups, but we couldn't find her. Then, last night as we were coming home, some of the other dogs came to greet us and I heard some growling coming from the bushes as one of the other dogs got too close for Tia to feel comfortable. So, I trekked back through the leaves to find our furry friend, and there she was looking proud as can be with her new babies. I took her some water and we counted 6 alive and unfortunately one dead. This is more than we were hoping for as some of the residents here at the mission don't really like the dogs and have been trying to send them away (two have already been sent away). We are hoping that they will at least let Tia wean the puppies before doing anything about her or the puppies. Typically people will come and take them away so that they can have a guard dog of their own, so hopefully that will be the case this time as well. Either way, we are excited for our new additions to the mission and we can't wait to watch them grow and develop personalities! Here are a couple of pictures:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKXJyiAi3GgsswPoSpjLKGb6IXrvdyt0yml_ab9fXMImDunVAr-hBU98IWyCaCaiepVR1mVDEK9XGwgwB8ESNow5TFA686fRsTA6QHhUlrgHk5aC61tng7PTXPIEW9iURfSQWdE-t1fY/s1600/DSCN2623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKXJyiAi3GgsswPoSpjLKGb6IXrvdyt0yml_ab9fXMImDunVAr-hBU98IWyCaCaiepVR1mVDEK9XGwgwB8ESNow5TFA686fRsTA6QHhUlrgHk5aC61tng7PTXPIEW9iURfSQWdE-t1fY/s320/DSCN2623.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">mama-to-be</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuJF2xj7fz0QVsJHdGmhvfyq9iz97LamNI6aX5mpBUeliY7uQIo-qRTj9Y3e4UfIom_adKaVQMpUZ85DEeqPUts6D-mZN_9hyphenhyphenZdwE_f22F_REWFfaF_RFtlbYjpTETNdESxKLeGVK1U8/s1600/DSCN2859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuJF2xj7fz0QVsJHdGmhvfyq9iz97LamNI6aX5mpBUeliY7uQIo-qRTj9Y3e4UfIom_adKaVQMpUZ85DEeqPUts6D-mZN_9hyphenhyphenZdwE_f22F_REWFfaF_RFtlbYjpTETNdESxKLeGVK1U8/s320/DSCN2859.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"can't it just be over, it's too hot!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDPCES7pg94McRXWIVRyJtrnGP1NaeLJqggml13mKPpSvrMiqRhn9SQGRUeM1U3qpOcpe2S6uOX6ofZlQDGdNfwbfoe_pHJhWI7qGvwgcFEpzdbBezz0QsSy_onyZwPrYVP7A3kPPe_V8/s1600/DSCN2952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDPCES7pg94McRXWIVRyJtrnGP1NaeLJqggml13mKPpSvrMiqRhn9SQGRUeM1U3qpOcpe2S6uOX6ofZlQDGdNfwbfoe_pHJhWI7qGvwgcFEpzdbBezz0QsSy_onyZwPrYVP7A3kPPe_V8/s320/DSCN2952.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"hey, look what I did today!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QwaNX9-mDfaqJf-4Cy01weLqfqpGgJQjHWYhaxTfpdOplusxRO6dbmkYjRjVM8AL45EwSyTcI5NUFMaum4WeSoqyb0fWyop_68vMj63inPSEhxCeojhP6OOEy8s58McQ-yr8qBM3Xx4/s1600/DSCN2953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QwaNX9-mDfaqJf-4Cy01weLqfqpGgJQjHWYhaxTfpdOplusxRO6dbmkYjRjVM8AL45EwSyTcI5NUFMaum4WeSoqyb0fWyop_68vMj63inPSEhxCeojhP6OOEy8s58McQ-yr8qBM3Xx4/s320/DSCN2953.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> our new litter</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-67675594156204894072010-04-19T06:24:00.000-07:002010-04-19T06:24:52.435-07:00James IslandThis past Wednesday we took a trip to James Island. For those of you familiar with the book <i>Roots</i>, you may have heard of James Island. The Island is where the slaves were held before they were loaded onto the British ships. In the 1700's 60,000 slaves were held at Fort James, which is mind boggling when you see the size of the island and the size of Gambia. It is quite small in the middle of the not so small Gambian River. We took local boats and were honored to have Lisa Landis with us from Lancaster County's christian radio station, WJTL. There were six of us that went, Elias and I, Lori, Gary, Lisa and a Gambian friend named Amidou, or as we call him, Armstrong. We also had two boats each with a driver and an apprentice or water scooper when the floor leaked and waves came up over the edge.<br />
We left our house around 8 arriving in Pirang at about 9 and then we walked to the tributary where we would launch the boats. Once we were all there and the boats were ready to go, we climbed in and took off. Now there needs to be some explanation here. Our drivers were local Balanta fishermen, some from the Pirang church, who go out at night to fish. Since it was cheaper to pay them than go with a tour group, we opted for them to take us in their local fishing boats. As I said before there were 6 of us, with 4 fishermen, and we needed two boats so the boats weren't extremely large. We could have fit in one, but it wouldn't have been the best idea. The local boats resemble a large, fiberglass canoe, with boards on the top edge to make the edges higher. The seats inside were boards and small logs, some attached some not. Lori and I decided to take the front "seat" which was really a board that wasn't attached to the boat, it just sat on the lip from the edge where the fiberglass met the board. Then there was a small log about 4 inches in diameter behind so that the board wouldn't slide past that point.<br />
On the way there the water was quite smooth, there wasn't much wind and it only took about an hour. We then got out and walked around on the island, seeing the ruins of the building where the slaves were housed. Unfortunately the island is eroding away from the waves, and while it is trying to be preserved it continues to get smaller. It was definitely a humbling experience being able to see a place where the slavery movement was in full swing, but I will admit, it was hard to get a real feel for what it was like when it was active. Also, we didn't have a tour guide so we didn't know all of the details of what each room was used for.<br />
Lisa wanted to do a live broadcast from the island, so she and Armstrong climbed a tour to get cell phone service and went on the air. We have to say it was quite a sight since Armstrong had on a fuzzy, black hat, his sunglasses and his bright orange lifejacket while sitting on top of a tour doing a radio broadcast.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cxDKkDq3UZ7txn2db3SOHRkgq_Q6zN77e_Jg7mMASj2hBjUwz9OPpQzV3JWN62lACB_WCKBJBvJJZQa6BF-XJ1iPXD_M9ylA-H14MT6iQ6VFBCCFM6qPJW7fPvAo8Ubu6zAZOV5Q5fo/s1600/DSCN2807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cxDKkDq3UZ7txn2db3SOHRkgq_Q6zN77e_Jg7mMASj2hBjUwz9OPpQzV3JWN62lACB_WCKBJBvJJZQa6BF-XJ1iPXD_M9ylA-H14MT6iQ6VFBCCFM6qPJW7fPvAo8Ubu6zAZOV5Q5fo/s320/DSCN2807.JPG" /></a></div> We then ate lunch as the wind was picking up and we knew that it would be more difficult getting back. So once again we climbed into our boats and headed back to Pirang. This time the trip was a bit different though. The water was much more choppy so as we hit the growing waves our boat did not come down very gently. As I said before, the board Lori and I were sitting on wasn't actually attached, so with the first hard hit the board fell and we came down with it. We tried to put it back up and give it another try, but within 30 seconds we had fallen again. So we decided to give up on the board and sit on the not so comfortable 4 inch log that was nailed into the boat. This wasn't so bad at first but after so many hard hits the log wasn't as pleasant as it had first been. Elias on the other hand was quite comfortable as he sat on the cooler on the way home. There were a few times when I doubted the boat's strength to withstand the beating that it was enduring was water was came in over the sides, the seam in front of us was sealed with a calk that didn't look too strong and there were pieces of wood falling off the boat, but we weren't sure where they were coming from. Elias then went on to inform us, as we came to the end of our trip, that there was a large crack right underneath our bench. But, the boat didn't fail us and as we came closer to the tributary again, the water became calmer and the last stretch was quite peaceful.<br />
As a disclaimer, we did have life jackets and since I'm a fairly strong swimmer, this trip wasn't scary per se, it was just adventurous. We were even able to see dolphins from a distance even though we hoped they would be closer. Needless to say, we came back, wind blown, slightly sunburned and quite salty (the river water was salty considering it's closeness to the ocean). Here are some pictures of our adventure, some are a bit blurry do to salt on the lens.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9XawcMEBZERlZvOXNZRyPBnCfgWo60pPfqWkz4h2sVRbgPz5BFC2cMW8qBHTauPN5vAbTj604JP34TJ4r9nPGgsHYv7mjWE16RwW4qNrGkicxvkm3hunUA0QXyaw9o-WmIQFhHB8SQw/s1600/DSCN2705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9XawcMEBZERlZvOXNZRyPBnCfgWo60pPfqWkz4h2sVRbgPz5BFC2cMW8qBHTauPN5vAbTj604JP34TJ4r9nPGgsHYv7mjWE16RwW4qNrGkicxvkm3hunUA0QXyaw9o-WmIQFhHB8SQw/s320/DSCN2705.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">our boats await</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqG7vNWLwYUws0cTTHKKx3FUwSrb5zbn1IuejPTS4UmwtCHdK0D1kBY6AqVJJpJgFKXMy-JeVVgO0vUNtEDdB-JgpCyCs88dFT_EzEoYLGoPBIsv_RelxJZZPOe-60CReqTazUY0VvmXI/s1600/DSCN2716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqG7vNWLwYUws0cTTHKKx3FUwSrb5zbn1IuejPTS4UmwtCHdK0D1kBY6AqVJJpJgFKXMy-JeVVgO0vUNtEDdB-JgpCyCs88dFT_EzEoYLGoPBIsv_RelxJZZPOe-60CReqTazUY0VvmXI/s1600/DSCN2716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqG7vNWLwYUws0cTTHKKx3FUwSrb5zbn1IuejPTS4UmwtCHdK0D1kBY6AqVJJpJgFKXMy-JeVVgO0vUNtEDdB-JgpCyCs88dFT_EzEoYLGoPBIsv_RelxJZZPOe-60CReqTazUY0VvmXI/s320/DSCN2716.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqRWDWE5xnriGDRStMURHfWpNT8CcVNsHSTsmIoERgT64m5qPtJoLWCGrhWlxODycjGX2XugBUxOMCxvHmkZXu6pc4KVCBT2rnCsw0kFPDexi7OvzqEvfvwMT4OpRfDtv8xWIpsFxxko/s1600/DSCN2715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqRWDWE5xnriGDRStMURHfWpNT8CcVNsHSTsmIoERgT64m5qPtJoLWCGrhWlxODycjGX2XugBUxOMCxvHmkZXu6pc4KVCBT2rnCsw0kFPDexi7OvzqEvfvwMT4OpRfDtv8xWIpsFxxko/s320/DSCN2715.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">here we go!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIa3dBstJzVnjVDuYMPvJMe-BwrEzbNw9O0sd6u7xBgvQVtJJlp7asbX0Eirp4ozChVhb5Nv860KghvE1rKFn8lWdd4pELVrK9FwQzBl7bmNYW9vKRPQR1iGdwSeMyA7YBL-lojd-_CY/s1600/DSCN2734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIa3dBstJzVnjVDuYMPvJMe-BwrEzbNw9O0sd6u7xBgvQVtJJlp7asbX0Eirp4ozChVhb5Nv860KghvE1rKFn8lWdd4pELVrK9FwQzBl7bmNYW9vKRPQR1iGdwSeMyA7YBL-lojd-_CY/s320/DSCN2734.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Baobob tree and cannon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIa3dBstJzVnjVDuYMPvJMe-BwrEzbNw9O0sd6u7xBgvQVtJJlp7asbX0Eirp4ozChVhb5Nv860KghvE1rKFn8lWdd4pELVrK9FwQzBl7bmNYW9vKRPQR1iGdwSeMyA7YBL-lojd-_CY/s1600/DSCN2734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qD1Jht2H5ICJRSwxlkQ0uaKjvsvXUZI6bi1aVd39G_e5iWxOoI7Z28O_qFNOgSA0FO-kpDzCcJUHUd43ugc6u5pM2wBJ_wlE4kQBQxKn0T7hr9W87QkDlptWQtmH2Gvgo5_QPlyMs-s/s1600/DSCN2724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qD1Jht2H5ICJRSwxlkQ0uaKjvsvXUZI6bi1aVd39G_e5iWxOoI7Z28O_qFNOgSA0FO-kpDzCcJUHUd43ugc6u5pM2wBJ_wlE4kQBQxKn0T7hr9W87QkDlptWQtmH2Gvgo5_QPlyMs-s/s400/DSCN2724.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the island</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvDeFxpkBx9UAiIH1A5xmHFhFChvwtr9dzXvh8mf7rBMgIgsv8vl-2Fj0KMPxaOlQhyphenhyphen_Ui4hqcBVjuktais3Bk98dRdB-ikLDzuyrEk100qi8SwqOOtMR8Wjn6bH3wduTBvCyUKJExJw/s1600/DSCN2737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvDeFxpkBx9UAiIH1A5xmHFhFChvwtr9dzXvh8mf7rBMgIgsv8vl-2Fj0KMPxaOlQhyphenhyphen_Ui4hqcBVjuktais3Bk98dRdB-ikLDzuyrEk100qi8SwqOOtMR8Wjn6bH3wduTBvCyUKJExJw/s320/DSCN2737.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">model of Fort James</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gCx-MKx0wp2VPa25L94uy7PKP-P_bN1wqj0ukiaBzO7XswWFCZqDARR7TKlh9dEbulOOy40NXuPYLBlKJWafTgNhoBj8sd97JxY3bjIjZB39HOm8Rr4GAHIRQxZ4ax_zHZe2NpQYSZM/s1600/DSCN2768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gCx-MKx0wp2VPa25L94uy7PKP-P_bN1wqj0ukiaBzO7XswWFCZqDARR7TKlh9dEbulOOy40NXuPYLBlKJWafTgNhoBj8sd97JxY3bjIjZB39HOm8Rr4GAHIRQxZ4ax_zHZe2NpQYSZM/s320/DSCN2768.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMmf21ctBNOe4eHPmwu-MIjW21ATmBwwy4IzcaZpM8DX5TJbWvWiiyQhF0I8MkFgzlTC6U3TmS7qjlWDx0rDbLfGB2X4c96YCbQWCDvSEv8YTBDS1_u1YnNyyXHs1hmP5ubP85W6rCso/s1600/DSCN2825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMmf21ctBNOe4eHPmwu-MIjW21ATmBwwy4IzcaZpM8DX5TJbWvWiiyQhF0I8MkFgzlTC6U3TmS7qjlWDx0rDbLfGB2X4c96YCbQWCDvSEv8YTBDS1_u1YnNyyXHs1hmP5ubP85W6rCso/s1600/DSCN2825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMmf21ctBNOe4eHPmwu-MIjW21ATmBwwy4IzcaZpM8DX5TJbWvWiiyQhF0I8MkFgzlTC6U3TmS7qjlWDx0rDbLfGB2X4c96YCbQWCDvSEv8YTBDS1_u1YnNyyXHs1hmP5ubP85W6rCso/s320/DSCN2825.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the large crack under our "seat"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu4frAknRKYvelk8v2MpfvrydtBnLhWEgFSSfdmt29l6WQA2Qa1pL6FhMzvKQRyDJQKO9xGzzazPM841ItBDDKdNzrfywBcY78i0A_QIaizLTaEE14qFuXJF4r2MJtbM9bN6v9bqnZtE/s1600/DSCN2837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu4frAknRKYvelk8v2MpfvrydtBnLhWEgFSSfdmt29l6WQA2Qa1pL6FhMzvKQRyDJQKO9xGzzazPM841ItBDDKdNzrfywBcY78i0A_QIaizLTaEE14qFuXJF4r2MJtbM9bN6v9bqnZtE/s320/DSCN2837.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">our seat, minus the board in front of it</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymQef0_CqjejJHTgbtUfn98Uextr-cM3uB3HXGpOtktte2z_qH0OjFI52ZT7H5gRTe-dlaT1xIUpLR7SxRLA5pXJHfDY0Xlcd6wZC_Lab393buS7lv4LK8oBsvej6AItNncQz2LTnZP0/s1600/DSCN2836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymQef0_CqjejJHTgbtUfn98Uextr-cM3uB3HXGpOtktte2z_qH0OjFI52ZT7H5gRTe-dlaT1xIUpLR7SxRLA5pXJHfDY0Xlcd6wZC_Lab393buS7lv4LK8oBsvej6AItNncQz2LTnZP0/s320/DSCN2836.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">coming back into shore</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-4591681068655151332010-04-13T15:21:00.000-07:002010-04-13T15:21:39.538-07:00The next chapter has begun Now that we are into April, our time of formal language study has ended and we have entered into the next chapter and remainder of our time here. We have finally begun our work with the youth, which we are finding will keep us quite busy. We are currently meeting with four different fellowships in four different villages on four different days. This, combined with our weekly grocery shopping trip, leaves us with two days a week where we don't have to do any traveling, which has certainly changed the pace of life for us. During language study we were at home almost every day for class. We had our weekly shopping trip in the city and we usually traveled to Kiti or Pirang for church on Sunday. We also tried to go to Pirang and Kiti to visit the people once a week or every other week. Now, however, we spend our days preparing Bible studies, taking public transportation or riding our bicycles to the villages, which is much more tiring than it sounds since even to take public we have to walk 15 minutes to the bus park and then another 10-20 minutes to our destination after we get off.<br />
For those of you who don't get our newsletters, our main focus will be on youth work during our time here. Our vision for the next eight months is to hold weekly Bible studies with the youth of the different fellowships, while training one or two of the older youth to take our place as leaders. Right now we are doing most of the leading and preparing, but we want to slowly move out of that position into a participatory position where we can lend guidance and provide input, but leave the leadership up to the youth. Our purpose in doing this is so that the youth do not depend on us to lead them, leaving them without a leader once we leave. Rather we want them to take ownership of their Bible study and continue meeting after we leave. We realize that ultimately it will be up to the youth to decide if they find this time to be valuable enough to continue on on their own, but we want God to use us to bring them to a place where they can sustain the group on their own if they have desire. Hopefully they will not only be able to keep meeting weekly, but we hope that they do find these times to be valuable and meaningful so that they desire to continue meeting.<br />
We are also hoping this time will allow us to develop deep and meaningful relationships with the youth that will open doors to deeper discussions on a personal and spiritual level, which is not common in relationships here. We are excited to see what the Lord has prepared to teach us throughout these next eight months.<br />
On a different note, now that we are busier and I find myself to be tired more often, I find that it has been a bit easier to get discouraged, probably part spiritual attack, part lesson from God. The other day I was thinking about how much we had to sacrifice to take this time off and serve the Lord. We had to put a year of our lives in the States on hold to come to here to Gambia where I sometimes wonder what we are doing. As I was praying and telling this to the Lord, He reminded me of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. I felt like one year of my life was pretty insignificant in comparison, and thought about all of the unreached peoples in the world who have never, and would never, have a chance to hear the gospel if we (as Christians) weren't willing to make sacrifices sometimes. I desperately want to avoid seeking the life of the "American dream", but as my high school classmates finish college I find myself thinking of where I "could" be. Instead, I need to remember where I am. Living in the present is not easy for me, and I tend to always be looking to the future rather than being content with where I am. I have dreams and plans, and I know God respects that, but I also know that His plans are bigger than anything I can imagine, if I just take the time to pay attention, listen and live them out. So as I think about those plans, and about the sacrifices I may have to make in the future, I am challenged to think about whether I am willing to make the sacrifice or not, regardless of the cost. I hope that I can walk in obedience no matter what I/we are called to do.<br />
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Praises:<br />
-We have begun our work with the youth!<br />
-Drivers licenses are finally being processed<br />
-Lisa Landis from WJTL, a Christian radio station in Lancaster, PA, has arrived safely and will be here in West Africa for a week raising money for schools here in Gambia and Guinea-Bissau<br />
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Prayer Requests:<br />
-That Darrel Hostetter, HR rep at EMM, will also arrive safely later this week<br />
-That we will be able to develop deep, meaningful relationships with the youth that cross cultural barriers<br />
-That we will be open to the Lord and His path for us during the remainder of our time here and after we go homeElias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-41359854984205348212010-03-29T14:38:00.000-07:002010-03-29T14:38:08.358-07:00communication confusionWhenever one is in a different culture there are plenty of times for confusion in communication. Even though most people here in Gambia speak english there are still plenty of opportunities for miscommunications. This evening was a prime example. My friend Ansel came to visit last week and she informed me that she was going to see her tailor on Monday. I asked her if I could come along and see where her tailor was so that I could have a Gambian dress made for myself for any baby-naming ceremonies or funerals that may come up. My purpose in going was to look through the catalog of patterns and see what kind of work her tailor did. So when Ansel arrived this evening to go to the tailor in the market I was ready to go with her, but I did not bring extra money for fabric or a dress. As we entered the market we went into the first fabric shop that we came across and Ansel determined that it was too busy so we moved on. We went next store to the next fabric shop and quietly looked around, not seeing too many fabrics that i really liked, but giving Ansel an appropriate amount of time to choose a fabric she liked. She had the shop keeper pull a couple of different fabrics down for her to look at and she would ask my opinion, but since the conversation was happening in Mandinka I was unable to understand what was being said. After the conversation was over Ansel asked how many meters I needed and I finally realized that I was buying fabric for me and that she wasn't looking for her! I kindly let her know that I didn't want that fabric, but I realized that I would be finding fabric to have a dress made at that point. So I went on a journey to find a fabric that I liked enough to have a dress made. I had found one fabric that I had like in the past, but with the overturn of fabric I knew that I was unlikely that I would find it again. I knew that if I didn't find one soon that I would have to settle for a fabric that I didn't like all that much. Then we entered a shop that had the previous fabric that I liked and I found one that I really liked! I had eyed this fabric previously thinking that it would be too expensive so I always walked away, but today I asked about it and it wasn't bad! I bought six meters for about 6 dollars and then took my fabric to the tailor where I chose a pattern and paid 80 dalasi, slightly more than 3 dollars, for my dress to be made. Thankfully I had enough money to pay for these things, but the moral of the story is, be prepared for anything! I didn't think I would come back tonight with a dress being made for myself, but I did and I'm really excited about it!Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-77437082299682674922010-03-27T09:57:00.000-07:002010-03-27T09:57:48.131-07:00Women's retreat This post is a bit late coming, but from March 12th-14th the ladies of EMM went to the city for a women's retreat. Denise, Lori and I left around 9 Friday morning and headed to Serekunda for a weekend away. <div> Our first stop was at ABWE, which is property of the three guesthouses where we stayed. The guesthouses are run by a Baptist mission organization here in Gambia and serves as a get away for missionaries serving here in Gambia. They have missionaries that serve throughout the country who always get first dibs, but if the guesthouses are free, then other missionaries can also enjoy it's commodities for 325 dalasi, or about 13 U.S. dollars a night. Unlike our homes, the guesthouses have air conditioning, hot water, satellite television, VCR, DVD player and even a bathtub! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9XIvaTbg506W14gAwm-9fSAZtV3NII0JRC6kzGBoi_hiWEfaJqX8GJGv91BKYO6F7qfNlbeNyNnMbr0YLppOwi4j4Ns9okCtF3MHVU3WmtIWbsdOr2_OP0m7dRd0cSCHpU7mpOsksuY/s1600/DSCN2469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9XIvaTbg506W14gAwm-9fSAZtV3NII0JRC6kzGBoi_hiWEfaJqX8GJGv91BKYO6F7qfNlbeNyNnMbr0YLppOwi4j4Ns9okCtF3MHVU3WmtIWbsdOr2_OP0m7dRd0cSCHpU7mpOsksuY/s320/DSCN2469.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">living room</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrAmqy70qdxEVv-aJxNfDpg4SNShgH5UZXlxirAd0KIVuiIk9xK7jAjGHVBYx14BzkBs2v3K9GXJm1ZUDL_3Zm26jmH1kjti_5l1lp0plrBvt1lUNZay2n1oDhtbVgzH6jICflSaIyD0/s1600/DSCN2470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrAmqy70qdxEVv-aJxNfDpg4SNShgH5UZXlxirAd0KIVuiIk9xK7jAjGHVBYx14BzkBs2v3K9GXJm1ZUDL_3Zm26jmH1kjti_5l1lp0plrBvt1lUNZay2n1oDhtbVgzH6jICflSaIyD0/s1600/DSCN2470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrAmqy70qdxEVv-aJxNfDpg4SNShgH5UZXlxirAd0KIVuiIk9xK7jAjGHVBYx14BzkBs2v3K9GXJm1ZUDL_3Zm26jmH1kjti_5l1lp0plrBvt1lUNZay2n1oDhtbVgzH6jICflSaIyD0/s320/DSCN2470.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">television, satellite box, VCR and DVD player</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPP7SR672HEbAlsk6EpFebrtsCY-BWktTIocFa_WyuzuWoW4gk-N7Wge3gMXf2JHzLk-kyEnUImjMAmBkGOmvj8U2soElfOSlAyJQ64JUIXB3m-ZM8FSnD4aRdtWPdAXrvHzL_9vYxUU/s1600/DSCN2471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPP7SR672HEbAlsk6EpFebrtsCY-BWktTIocFa_WyuzuWoW4gk-N7Wge3gMXf2JHzLk-kyEnUImjMAmBkGOmvj8U2soElfOSlAyJQ64JUIXB3m-ZM8FSnD4aRdtWPdAXrvHzL_9vYxUU/s1600/DSCN2471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPP7SR672HEbAlsk6EpFebrtsCY-BWktTIocFa_WyuzuWoW4gk-N7Wge3gMXf2JHzLk-kyEnUImjMAmBkGOmvj8U2soElfOSlAyJQ64JUIXB3m-ZM8FSnD4aRdtWPdAXrvHzL_9vYxUU/s320/DSCN2471.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">kitchen/dining room</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21h31watWhf7ZkDsfX-TKAW-Z69kewdTiiJZwiLp7imzOaedbX0Xzz3bADxEw_7d3Nv6iDEvldDexvT0W1uL_aZNejm1QjLet15tTfIAIDvbADUKpMFxXJrHzLO2eDuvdFsejn4MO3FY/s1600/DSCN2472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21h31watWhf7ZkDsfX-TKAW-Z69kewdTiiJZwiLp7imzOaedbX0Xzz3bADxEw_7d3Nv6iDEvldDexvT0W1uL_aZNejm1QjLet15tTfIAIDvbADUKpMFxXJrHzLO2eDuvdFsejn4MO3FY/s320/DSCN2472.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">my bedroom, it is a child's room but they gave us the only house with three rooms so we could each have our own</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWbNUIkYHjhSHnZM0YFMK77eGWzr8m-QKPffTCgvYYMtNzDYxnNROnuMW_nH92IMgpJ_IniGsL_ylbUVNi1I0jdFV0-5BWM82vEZbI0I5nHfiEsfk3N5mruGMpmWt2Uyc5VlQCqHgJzo/s1600/DSCN2473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWbNUIkYHjhSHnZM0YFMK77eGWzr8m-QKPffTCgvYYMtNzDYxnNROnuMW_nH92IMgpJ_IniGsL_ylbUVNi1I0jdFV0-5BWM82vEZbI0I5nHfiEsfk3N5mruGMpmWt2Uyc5VlQCqHgJzo/s320/DSCN2473.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the bathtub!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KEUEgSxyprDIrtJ1VhxNGtohvgt_aKrOGMj5g4XsirGRuBhpU7GJTAJWhyphenhyphenGjxyrtWHl8bASowGt-Hw5LcIRRGTGCs1xCLdtYMg2PtFd4THz_78HGIMA5h7UAUP7ex0LkCBfcyAjkWJc/s1600/DSCN2474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KEUEgSxyprDIrtJ1VhxNGtohvgt_aKrOGMj5g4XsirGRuBhpU7GJTAJWhyphenhyphenGjxyrtWHl8bASowGt-Hw5LcIRRGTGCs1xCLdtYMg2PtFd4THz_78HGIMA5h7UAUP7ex0LkCBfcyAjkWJc/s320/DSCN2474.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">possibly my favorite part of the stay, the hot water heater!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUXjP3YMTF0L84TaURBYqU7b1ODkmU3Iqgwo_FFyKiYgT_A5nW98fMROUDdesNKW2cVTHT0bmUzJ6o7L6z4AuRWlYhi_uI1J0gquA-H1IPaQe082L1YyyFLXxUS_PmfRzs33Ok4vNe3M/s1600/pepperoni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUXjP3YMTF0L84TaURBYqU7b1ODkmU3Iqgwo_FFyKiYgT_A5nW98fMROUDdesNKW2cVTHT0bmUzJ6o7L6z4AuRWlYhi_uI1J0gquA-H1IPaQe082L1YyyFLXxUS_PmfRzs33Ok4vNe3M/s320/pepperoni.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...and our 11 pieces of pepperoni for our pizza! Pepperoni is very expensive here so this was a treat, we paid 25 dalasi for these 11 pieces!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div> We stopped in briefly, dropped our things, left our laundry to be washed in a washing machine for 50 dalasi, about 2 dollars, and then we headed off for a relaxing day at the pool. The pool is at a hotel, but is open for public use for 50 dalasi per person, roughly 2 dollars. We cooled off at the pool for awhile, escaping the 100* plus temperatures for a couple of hours, enjoyed lunch and then headed back to ABWE. </div><div> We then made homemade pizza and while it cooked had an amazing discussion on hearing God's voice which is a struggle for all of us, some times more than others, but still all of the none the less. We followed a study guide that Lori had found online which opened up some great discussion that helped us to get to know each other just a little bit better, but also gave us a chance to reconnect as Christian women trying to live lives that are pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ. Then we enjoyed our pizza and a movie and headed off to bed in our air conditioned bed rooms.</div><div> The next day we planned nothing but a day of rest. Lori and I had a 75 minute massage from a Christian Nigerian massage therapist for about 18 U.S. dollars when in the U.S. the cost would have been anywhere from $50-$100! The rest of the day was spent reading, praying and even enjoying some world news and other American shows on the television.</div><div> Sunday we went to the ABWE church for a change of the norm, then went back to ABWE to pack up, rest for a little while longer and then head home. It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend away from the dust and heat, but it was nice to get back to my husband who was so supportive in my going away for the weekend. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Praises:</div><div>-We have finished language study and can now speak 1 1/2 new languages!</div><div>-We now have our alien cards, residency permits and we may be getting licenses soon</div><div>-We will be beginning our youth ministry the first week of April</div><div><br />
</div><div>Prayer requests;</div><div>-That we will be in tune with God as we begin our youth ministry and that it will be a fruitful for both the youth and us</div><div>-For the wife of the director of MEHDA in Pirang who lost her mother last week and the funeral was on Monday</div><div>-For our EMM prayer retreat that we will be having this Thursday-Saturday-The dogs that live here at Methodist Mission may be being sent away quite soon, so we ask for prayer at we may have to let them go even though we've grown quite attached to them</div><div><br />
</div><div> </div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-16053664171881214122010-03-11T13:55:00.000-08:002010-03-11T13:55:39.330-08:00Amidou updateI just wanted to update all of you on Amidou's condition since my last post. The next morning Amidou's speech had returned and the paralysis was gone! He says that it is because of our prayers that he has been healed and we are now praying that he will come to know the Lord because of this miraculous recovery. All we can say is praise Jesus for His goodness! Thank you all for your prayers, they hold more power than we could ever imagine!Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-60966331750413229552010-03-10T06:52:00.000-08:002010-03-10T06:52:33.462-08:00A trip to Pirang First of all I want to apologize for not writing in a month! I don't know where the time went! We were without internet for a week and a half and then time seemed to just get away from us. A quick update before I get into this blog post, we finished our Kiriol studies last month and we have now started Mandinka studies which we will only be doing for this month and then we will be done with formal language study for the rest of our time here, but as we know the learning will never stop throughout our time here. As I have posted before, Mandinka is the more popular local language for the part of the country that we are living in so it will be very useful for us when going to the market, communicating with local people and the people in Pirang and even with the youth of the church, especially with those that don't speak Kiriol. And while most people do speak english they definitely appreciate it when you try and speak their local language and for those with limited or no english it allows us to fill in the language gaps. We will continue to let you all know how these studies go as we learn more.<br />
Now onto our trip to Pirang. On Saturday morning I climbed out of bed at around 8 ready to get an earlier than normal start on laundry so we could leave at a decent time for the village of Pirang (where Gary, Denise and Lori live). I strolled into the kitchen picked up the teapot to fill it with water for some oatmeal, went to the sink, turned on the tap and....nothing. Now it is not unusual for our water to be turned off occasionally, especially in the morning, so that the water tower can be filled. The water is not usually off for long so I figured that I would still have time to do laundry when it came back on. Well this morning it was a bit longer than normal and as 10 rolled around with still no water I began to realize that we were not going to get laundry done before going to Pirang. Now let me explain, it takes us at least 2 hours to do our laundry which would have taken us to about 12, then it takes about an hour to get from our house to Pirang by public transport which brings us to 1 o'clock. This still isn't terribly late, but one of our reasons for wanting to go was to visit another missionary from England who was going to be there and to get there early enough to visit with the women of "My Sister's Company" which finishes between 1:00-2:00.<br />
So, going against the grain of our usual weekly routine, we left for Pirang with dirty clothes still in the hamper (and of course the water came on just as we were leaving). We arrived at MEHDA around 11:00-11:30 and found the center to be quite busy. Nichola (the missionary from England) was there, along with the women from "My Sister's Company" and a group of "tubobs" (white people) that were there bird watching.<br />
There were only 4 women from the company working that day, all dressed in their new uniforms and hard at work canning tomato juice. One of the things that Denise and Lori have been teaching the women in addition to sewing, tie and die and jewelry making is how to can. They have canned mangos in the past which are then sold to grocery stores in Serekunda or hotels. This was the first time canning tomato juice and it seemed to go quite well. The tomatoes were ground up squeezing out all the juice through a hand cranked press, the juice was then boiled so it would thicken, then it was spooned into hot used jars from items such as jelly, pickles, mayonnaise (basically anything glass) and placed into an amish canner, from Lehman's hardware, on hot charcoal until sealed and finished. The hope is that these jars can be sold but also used by the local women in their cooking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSGscuahS2zuWkneJjcAEQXSnfu4j6Qr6axukP2rZmEk2u89fHCAJspJ_ju_m-8ZZq_icP7ohHANRvAbKI0SgXEStX5DhMmi66V5PZeR3Rprj9Ow2vwyA7AKQC8DnIeBaBbZE2meRj9A/s1600-h/DSCN2413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSGscuahS2zuWkneJjcAEQXSnfu4j6Qr6axukP2rZmEk2u89fHCAJspJ_ju_m-8ZZq_icP7ohHANRvAbKI0SgXEStX5DhMmi66V5PZeR3Rprj9Ow2vwyA7AKQC8DnIeBaBbZE2meRj9A/s320/DSCN2413.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">pressing the tomatoes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFW66PXDygsjk5bdBI1QqgSlhC_jsoXsJnbc5DVTAWJFq1Y_Xr0fc7FOQtvpN85P6LM5sb91NEl4oOa3yekSrHZWaauS6XjLjTSkPudAKyuakGsKLxawyC5cFGZlkG84tu06xIh2nWkc/s1600-h/DSCN2411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFW66PXDygsjk5bdBI1QqgSlhC_jsoXsJnbc5DVTAWJFq1Y_Xr0fc7FOQtvpN85P6LM5sb91NEl4oOa3yekSrHZWaauS6XjLjTSkPudAKyuakGsKLxawyC5cFGZlkG84tu06xIh2nWkc/s320/DSCN2411.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9f3uebnPA94lfZXYNowFNi9vsr19zLzJ1yfqu1UDph3pc4Sd2Jt1kRx7JRWXFJ2RA_6wArJiBsURP_-nPM5uonloIBm81vFZm_5zOeFdpVvGGKuSoZ55GaMUmXqHkyfU0ZKAxTLAoPGw/s1600-h/DSCN2412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9f3uebnPA94lfZXYNowFNi9vsr19zLzJ1yfqu1UDph3pc4Sd2Jt1kRx7JRWXFJ2RA_6wArJiBsURP_-nPM5uonloIBm81vFZm_5zOeFdpVvGGKuSoZ55GaMUmXqHkyfU0ZKAxTLAoPGw/s320/DSCN2412.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">adding salt to the sauce before it is boiled</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> After the canning was finished we enjoyed a hot lunch of soup and solar oven baked biscuits with Gary, Denise, Lori, Nicola, our language study teacher Raymond and one of the youth from the Medina fellowship, Zang. After cleaning many many dishes and chatting for awhile, Nicola gave us a ride home in her car with air conditioning!</div><div style="text-align: left;"> In effort to keep this post from being too long I do want to wrap up by informing everyone of a prayer request. Yesterday the local carpenter in Pirang that lives in Gary and Denise's compound had a spell while in the shower. His wife came to Gary and Denise and informed them that his speech was slurred and he wasn't able to use his right hand or foot very well. The Williamson's then took Amidu (the carpenter) to a non-Gambian doctor in Serekunda who confirmed that he had had a mild stroke. She said his blood pressure was very high when she examined him. She was not able to give him any medicine that we have in the States to prevent further damage so she said that he needed to rest to get the bleeding on the brain to stop and to get his blood pressure down. She, being a Christian, also advised us to pray for a full recovery. Since Amidu is a carpenter he needs both of his hands. He only uses hand tools since there is no electricity in Pirang and carpentry is his livelihood. He is only 46 years old so he is still quite young and had a family to support. Please join us in prayer for our friend and brother that he will recover fully and quickly so that he can continue on with the work that supports he and his family. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> We have many other things that we could write about, but we will try and update the blog more quickly this time so that we can have shorter posts about a variety of happenings. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Praises:</div><div style="text-align: left;">-Our Kiriol studies went well and we are able to go out to different Balanta compounds and converse with them in one of their heart languages</div><div style="text-align: left;">-Jess, Denise and Lori are able to have a women's retreat this weekend giving them a time of rest and reconnection with the Lord while Elias and Gary are able to have some reflective time for themselves as well</div>-We continue to meet new friends, especially those that also live in Brikama and Methodist Mission<br />
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Prayer Requests:<br />
-For our brother Amidu as he rests and recovers<br />
-For our Mandinka studies, that we will learn enough to get around the market and public transport efficiently<br />
-For our brothers San Pierre, Raymond and Zang that are taking a pastoring course worth 12 credits that will grant them a diploma and teach them how to better pastor their churches (I will write more about this later)<br />
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</div>Elias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79880443934711920.post-41822996779349679932010-02-09T13:53:00.000-08:002010-02-09T13:53:27.477-08:00Eyes on the prizeAs we cross the street a sort of organized chaos ensues, we have now entered the Brikama market. We quickly maneuver through the crowded entrance being careful to avoid wheelbarrows, bicycles and the occasional motorbike ignoring the calls of "toobob" (white person). We are on a mission and we know what we came here to buy. We continue on through the crowded, narrow alleyways where I eye the numerous tables selling most of the same vegetables to see what is freshest and to scout out new items from the gardens. As we walk, careful to avoid running into women carrying bowls, vegetables, rice or some other item on their heads, our noses are filled with the poignant scent of raw fish sitting out on the tables waiting to be sold for lunch or dinner. As I smell the familiar, yet still unpleasant smell of the fish I realize that we are almost to our first destination. We arrive to a larger stand where we buy a stack of three potatoes, a stack of 3 onions and 7 eggs (just enough to fill up the egg holders in our fridge). We quickly thank the man and then we begin to backtrack the same way that we came. I pick up a small lemon and contemplate the green peppers, but they are not what we are here for so we continue on. Lastly we come upon our final destination, the prize, the final touch to our dinner that I will make tonight and the real reason for coming to the market at all. We have arrived at the chicken section! As soon as the ladies realize what we are there for, they all begin pulling the "hard" (frozen) chicken out of their coolers to show off what they have. We buy two half pieces and then, happy with our purchases we make our way back to the road where we entered. We have been successful once again!<br />
The longer we live here in Brikama the more things I discover I can buy in the market. Two months ago the market looked big, scary and extremely unorganized, but now it's not so big and as I stated in the beginning of the post it's a sort of organized chaos. Everything has it's place or it's section it's just a matter of figuring out where the section is and how to get there each time we enter the market. I like to buy as many things locally as I can while still making meals that help remind us of home. It may not be wal-mart or the local farmers market, but it's what we have here and I'm learning to appreciate it more and more as people begin to recognize us and welcome us with smiles and greetings.<br />
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Blessings from the Gambia!<br />
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Prayer requests:<br />
-For health as our stomachs have been off<br />
-Against spiritual attacks which we have been feeling, especially when we want to go out into the villages<br />
-For language study, as we get better at Kiriol we are thinking about beginning some Mandinka study<br />
-For breakthroughs with the Muslims that we are in contact with every day<br />
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Praises:<br />
-We are getting more comfortable in our new home<br />
-Language is continuing to progress<br />
-We continue to learn more about ourselves and what we believe as individuals and as a coupleElias and Jessica Zehrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02648271531791605979noreply@blogger.com0