Building a Bridge (by Thom)

Later this week a major conference will be getting underway here in Senegal: Bridge Senegal 2009.

The C&MA's African-American Association and Short-Term Missions Office will partner with 16 Alliance missionaries and Senegalese church leaders to demonstrate the love of Jesus to the homeless, the imprisoned, and the infirm.
Through community outreaches, The Alliance is bringing the good news to Senegalese people. The team that is building the bridge will be:

* Pastoral Training Ministry (PTM): Work with the Senegalese church in pastoral ministries, youth ministries, and building Christian community.
* Homeless and Prison Ministry Team (HPMT): The HPMT will work with the Senegalese church to minister to the homeless and prisoners.
* Music and Education Team (MET): Partnering with an established ministry at the university, MET will focus on evangelism through music, conducting a presentation of the history of gospel music.
* Medical Missions Team (MMT): The MMT workers will assist in existing clinics as well as teach and train Senegalese medical staff.

This is going to be a busy couple of weeks for us and the other members of our team here in Dakar. Here are a few things you can pray about as this conference gets underway: Pray for the travel of those coming from the US. Pray also for their health and safety while traveling and working during their stay in Senegal. Pray also that lasting, meaningful relationships will come about through this and that those traveling from the US will go back with a vision for more 'bridges' that can be built in the future. And, most importantly, pray that the name of Jesus will be lifted up, proclaimed and worshiped.