McMurray Update/November Edition

Oops. November is nearly done and I forgot to post our November update letter when we sent it out a couple of weeks ago. Let me right the wrong here. If you're not on our mailing list you can see download the letter right here (pdf):

McMurray Update / November Edition

If you would like to receive our update letters (and emails with urgent prayer requests) and you're not on our list you can join by clicking this link and entering your name and email in the form.

Click here to read more!

Monday Proverb

(note from Thom: Proverbs have tremendous cultural value here and matching local proverbs with key scriptures is a wonderful tool to starting a conversation about the Gospel.)

Wolof proverb:

Tabaski du bés bu nekk.

(translation) Tabaski is not celebrated every day.

“Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:26 NIV

(Note: this past weekend was the Tabaski holiday here) One cannot have pleasure all the time. Not every day is a special occasion. Life consists both of moments of joy as well as pain. This proverb is often used by fathers on the days when they do not bring home any treats, and the children complain. Tabaski, when Muslims remember Abraham sacrificing his son (but in a very different, corrupted way than in the Christian Bible), is the most important annual celebration in West Africa, of similar importance to Christmas in the West. However, believers in Christ cannot lose sight of the crucial difference between the two holidays. Christmas points to a hope - the coming of one who would be the sacrifice for all. Tabaski, to its observers, serves to point out their continued state of being lost and needing continual blood sacrifices to even have a chance at Paradise.

Reprinted with permission from "Wisdom of the Wolof Sages: A Collection of Proverbs translated and explained in English" by Dr. Richard Shawyer (c) 2009

Click here to read more!

Interesting but Useless Trivia (by Thom)

This is pretty self-indulgent, but I thought it was kind of cool that today mcmali.com had it's 100,000th visitor. In 2005, while we were still in language study in Paris, France, we started the blog, expanding to a full web site in the spring of 2006. It's been a real pleasure writing updates about our ministries and family over the past few years and we really appreciate everyone who stops by here!

Click here to read more!

Retreat Reflections (by Amanda)

As many of you know I went to a ladies retreat last weekend and had a wonderful time of worship and fellowship. Our theme for the weekend was Going Beyond Ourselves. Our worship leader wrote a song especially for our retreat. Our speaker brought messages from the heart and each member of the retreat committee and the team who came from Canada did an amazing Job of not just organizing the retreat, but also many shared testimonies that had us in tears.
It was very enjoyable. I was able to meet many ladies from all over; we had women from 20 nations and 42 different organizations attend. I really enjoyed getting to know some of our Senegal teammates. One day they had a mini spa where they gave away all kinds of nice clothing and I got myself a fun new hat. I was able to take a swim another day. It was a wonderful relaxing experience.
It was also a time of renewal and refreshing of the spirit. I was able to devote my focus on who God is and the plans He has for us. One of the main thoughts of the weekend was to focus on what is unseen rather than what is seen. In other words keep eternity the focus of our ministries. When we feel discouraged or tired we need to remember that it is not by our own strength, but God’s and that He has already given us the victory in Jesus. With these thoughts in mind we press on in our ministries knowing that God will take our little bit and grow it to the ultimate victory!

Click here to read more!

Happy Thanksgiving (by Thom)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Wondering what a Thanksgiving celebration l0oks like here in Dakar? Well, yesterday we started the festivities. We've mentioned before that we live just a couple of blocks from Dakar Academy, a boarding school for missionary kids. Yesterday they held their annual "Turkey Bowl" festivities, which involves a lot of football (the American kind, not what they call "fütball" over here) between the different grades and even the staff.
Today we're heading over to a colleague's house for a Thanksgiving meal. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie are all on the menu (I can't eat most of it because of my allergy, but Amanda and the girls will enjoy!). So, on the checklist for the holiday, we have family/friends, great food, and football. Check, check, and check! Sounds like a great Thanksgiving to me!
By the way, on of the things we're so very thankful for this year: It was exactly one year ago that we were in Dakar, Senegal, traveling from Mali, for meetings at the US Embassy as we were working on getting citizenship for our daughters. It was a long process, but we're so thankful to the Lord that everything is in order and this is Miri and Hannah's first Thanksgiving as American citizens!

Click here to read more!

What We're Thankful For (by Miri & Hannah)

Our daddy asked us this morning what we're thankful for. Here's what we told him:
Duck, Goat, Mommy, Daddy, sissy, Suzanne (our house-worker), toys, playroom, My Little Ponies, a dresser full of clothes, our Bibles and other books.

Click here to read more!

This Was Good to Come Home To (by Amanda)

~cross-posted from Facebook

On the way to the store yesterday the girls asked me "Did you go away (to the ladies retreat) to sing?" I replied, "I went away to worship God and praise Jesus." Hannah answered, "I love Jesus." At that moment I stopped and prayed that as they grow older that they will still say "I love Jesus".

Click here to read more!

Monday Proverb

Proverbs have tremendous cultural value here and matching local proverbs with key scriptures is a wonderful tool to starting a conversation about the Gospel.

Bambara proverb:

• Jirikurun men o men ji la, a te ke bama ye.

(translation) No matter how long a log stays in the water, it doesn't become a crocodile.

This is one of the best known African proverbs and it exists in many different languages and cultures.

In certain ways we are called to change our lives. Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3). This change requires a zeal, a commitment, a forward direction. Paul says, "But this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).

Click here to read more!

Retreat! (by Amanda)

This morning I leave for a ladies retreat (Yeah!). Hope all goes well for Thom; he gets Miri and Hannah all by himself. Myself? I'll be at a resort south of Dakar, relaxing on the beach between sessions. Life is rough sometimes. :)

Click here to read more!

Harvest Time (by Thom)

I'm amazed at how many people have emailed us regarding the garden we started on our roof! Back in September, we started a couple of garden beds along with our neighbors. Miri and Hannah were really interested in how vegetables grew (thanks to a book from the library) and it was a great teaching-moment to show how God provides for our needs and how they could focus their prayers. We had a rather limited selection of seeds but we planted radishes, turnips, and cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes weren't rated for our climate (I bought the seeds in Michigan!) and they never sprouted. However, this past week I picked our radishes and most of the turnips. Miri and Hannah were very, very excited to see the results - until they tasted them. For what it's worth, they tasted exactly like radishes and turnips ought to taste. Unfortunately, that doesn't exactly match the palate of the average three year-old. As a kid, I always said my favorite food was turnips (I was a weird kid) and I got to enjoy some nice, fresh vegetables.

Since we have good planting weather all year I've already replanted the radish beds. I think I'll look for some lettuce seeds next time.

Click here to read more!

Doors and Dough (by Amanda)

~cross-posted from Facebook

I have been having 'door issues'. Last Sunday,at 1:30 am, when a team arrived I was locked out of the guest house because the bottom lock was locked when only the top lock is supposed to be used. Later that evening, room four's bottom lock got locked and the top lock wasn't working! My guests must think the house is always in chaos. :) I inherited a bucket full of keys when I started managing the guest house here. Unfortunately, it seems like less than half of them actually work!

The rest of that day was good, though. We have had a wonderful time going to church in the morning and then took our girls out to eat at the restaurant 'Festival De Glace' where there is a little playground for kids. They had a really good time. It was so cute to see them run after daddy saying wait up as we walked home.

Monday was a fun day, too. Every time I go to make some food the girls want to help. If they can't help they like to watch the mixer blend. That night I made tortilla's and, of course, the girls wanted to help. Here they are, "helping".

(I spent 3 and a half hours yesterday morning taking out the girls braids Ugh. I only got them each half-finished. I wanted it ready to be redone before I go to a ladies retreat this weekend but I think it will have to wait until after.)

Click here to read more!

Bridge Senegal report

(Note from Thom: This is a guest-post from the Senegal church planting team leader, Doug Conkle, regarding the recent Bridge Senegal 2009 conference. Hopefully this will be the first of several reports I can pass along.)

Reporting what the Lord did as you prayed for the Bridge Senegal:

Doors of ministry were opened wider: The Pastoral team ministered to Senegalese leadership couples, encouraging them to bless one another by acknowledging their wives' gifting even though it goes against cultural norms. The Prison team’s visit was so effective in the juvenile prison, the warden came and joined in for the first time, encouraging the youth to listen to the Biblical truth presented by team member Floyd Wheeler. When the medical team treated the street boys, their Muslim teachers stayed the whole day with them, very amazed at the love shown to the boys. The music team was joined by three Senegalese musicians and during one praise service, sang praises to the Lord in three languages!

The door was opened wide for partnership with African-American churches. Participant Gwen Evans says that God “blew the doors off”, building a bridge of hope and understanding, as President Gary Benedict washed the feet of Donna Baptist and Terrence Nichols, co-directors of this mission team, during the reconciliation service.

Thank you for praying!

Living the Call in Senegal,

Doug and Karen Conkle

(The Bridge Senegal 2009 team, taken on Goree Island)

Click here to read more!

Monday Proverb

(note from Thom: Proverbs have tremendous cultural value here and matching local proverbs with key scriptures is a wonderful tool to starting a conversation about the Gospel.)

Wolof proverb:

Gàcce ak xamadi, laajul a ko indi.

(translation) Failing to ask brings shame and ignorance.

“You do not have, because you do not ask God.” James 4:2 NIV

Reprinted with permission from "Wisdom of the Wolof Sages: A Collection of Proverbs translated and explained in English" by Dr. Richard Shawyer (c) 2009

Click here to read more!

A Morning at the Zoo (by Thom)

Amanda and I took the girls to a local zoo this morning. When we first walked in we walked by the large birds and crocodiles. "I'm not afraid of crocodiles", both girls loudly proclaimed. They loved the monkeys that were next but then we got to the water buffalo. For whatever reason, that freaked them out. They were then too afraid to really look at the porcupines or pythons. The lions were next and that was a big hit. "Look, it's a lion; it's a big kitty!" Miri exclaimed. The girls also loved the camels, antelopes and large tortoises. They weren't big fans of the chimpanzees or the baboons. I took pictures during our trip and posted several here on our site. Enjoy!

Click here to read more!

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations (by Thom)

Lost in the craziness of the BRIDGE Senegal 2009 conference I forgot to mention an exciting thing that began last week.
The C&MA is aggressively committed to 'pushing back the darkness.' One of the ways to accomplish that is to put your resources where they're most needed. After many years of missions-work in countries like Cote d'Ivoire, Republic of Congo, Gabon and others the Alliance has begun to pull back, during over the reins to the local, national churches so they can continue the work (and they can be much more effective than Western missionaries can be!) to reach the lost and push back the darkness. However, we're not retreating! It's exciting to see ways that the C&MA is looking to effectively retool and re purpose it's resources. Some missionaries from these retiring-fields are being redeployed to existing fields but we're also looking for new horizons.
Last week an American C&MA worker, who serves in a South American country, came through Dakar on her way to another West African country. The field she serves in is looking as sending missionaries here and this was an exploratory trip to see the needs and the ways the mission could partner with the existing, but very small, local church. For now, we'd prefer to keep the name of the new country and the scouting country under wraps but please be in prayer for this opportunity.
It excites me to see new frontiers opening up. Obviously nothing is firm yet and a lot must still be worked through if this is the place the Lord is leading the mission but I'm waiting expectantly on Him to do great things!

Click here to read more!

A Fun Evening (by Thom)

Last night we had the privilege of serving dinner to 12 members of the BRIDGE - Senegal 2009 team. Amanda made a few chicken pot pies (including a special gluten-free one for me) and tossed some salads and a fruit salad. We had a great time listening to them talk about their day. The BRIDGE conference broke up into four teams yesterday morning with some going to a medical team, others working on a music ministry team, others yet were part of a pastoral training team, and the group we had was the prison team. As we ate, the team members reflected on their day. They had visited a boys' prison. Mercifully, the warden had given them access to spend time with the boys, play music for them, and give them gifts of soap and other sundries (this can be tough sometimes because wardens might keep the gifts for themselves).
The team has a couple more days in front of them as they minister in prisons before they regroup with the other teams and ultimately head back to the United States, hopefully touched with the needs here and a vision for future ministries in Senegal.

Click here to read more!

My Days (by Amanda)

I was recently asked to write about my days here in Dakar, Senegal as a mom and as a missionary. I decided it might be interesting to post my thoughts here, too.

Each day is a little different here for me. All mornings we get up a little after sunrise to start the day. I let the girls watch a prerecorded Dora or VeggieTales and drink their milk while I take a shower and then I wake up Thom. I have a lady who comes 5 mornings a week at 7:30 who cleans my floors and does my dishes and other general cleaning tasks until she leaves at 11:30. During that time I try to get lots done. I walk to get groceries and vegetables usually about twice a week and often the girls walk with me. I try to fit as much as possible in the mornings so I don't have to do it when it gets too warm. One morning a week I try to walk to the library with the girls, too.

Each day varies depending on how many guests I have at the guest house and how many I have coming. Amelie, a Senegalese lady we’ve hired, does all the cleaning and laundry there so I just have to let her know when people are coming and manage the finances and room reservations. Often people come during the night so I have them either pick up their key at my door or call me if they are unfamiliar with our guest house. At lunch each day Thom comes home and we eat together then he helps me get the twins ready for nap time. He reads a story and then the girls and I lie down for a nap. Having Thom come home at lunch time has been a wonderful blessing with his job. My job is sporadic - sometimes I have a lot to do (like today) and sometimes it takes no work at all. When we have lots of guests I end up running more errands and making sure things are in working order. For example, on Saturday morning the tub plug broke so I had to call a plumber and on Sunday morning I had to go over and switch the gas bottle for the stove because the old one had emptied. Today I went out this morning and got a bunch of cleaning supplies. It comes and goes but like all of you my life changes and there is very little routine. Sometimes we get to fit in fun things, like trips to the beach or the small zoo close by. Sometimes we have friends come over with their kids for play dates or just head to the roof of our apartment building to jump on the trampoline. Afternoons are usually a bit calmer and often we stay inside where it’s cooler and we color or the girls ‘help’ me bake something.

We definitely have a God who takes care of us daily and meets our needs whether we are busy or just hanging out at the beach.

Click here to read more!

I'm Getting Old.... *sigh* (by Thom)

Today I was reading the twins a story before nap time. In the book was a picture of a living room and there was a boom box-style radio on the floor. "What's that Daddy? asked Hannah. I told them it was a radio. They cocked their heads a bit, looked quizzical. "Ok...." was their response, like they were accepting the answer but not really believing it. Honestly, we don't own a radio. We have MP3 players and we'll listen to US radio stations over the internet through our computers. Contrast this to something that happened over the weekend: I was showing the girls one of the videos of them on the video page of our redesigned website and while playing the video paused and a little circle in the center began spinning around. "It's buffering! It's buffering!" Hannah exclaimed. They're three years old and they know YouTube but not a CD....

Post Script: I've thought in the past that when my kids hear that I didn't have the internet growing up they'll look at me the same way I look at my mom when she tells me they didn't have indoor plumbing when she was a child.

Click here to read more!

Monday Proverb

(note from Thom: I'd like to see this be a regular feature on mcmali.com. Proverbs have tremendous cultural value here and matching local proverbs with key scriptures is a wonderful tool to starting a conversation about the Gospel. What do you think? Do you want this to be a regular series?)

Wolof proverb:

Lu dul Yàlla, ag neen la.

(translation) What is not of God, is nothing.

“Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labour in vain.” Psa 138:1 NIV

Reprinted with permission from "Wisdom of the Wolof Sages: A Collection of Proverbs translated and explained in English" by Dr. Richard Shawyer (c) 2009

Click here to read more!

Site Changes (by Thom)

See anything different here? Thanks to the many, many hours put in by my brother, Dan, mcmali.com has a completely new look. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Not only are things looking a little different now, we also have some new features. Particularly, there's a page dedicated to showing some videos I've put together over the past few years. I have posted a few now (six, to be exact) but more should be coming soon. Feel free to poke around. If you find any links to be broken or things looking weird, don't hesitate to email me.

PS. My brother just found out this week that his division is closing and he needs to be looking for a new job. He has been working in the IT department for a banking software company but is also very skilled in web design (as you can see here). If you know of any job leads, you can pass them on to Dan through me. Thanks!

Click here to read more!

October Car Fund Update

For the past several months we’ve been mentioning our need for funds to purchase a car in our new country of service. Our goal is $25,000. That’s not a magic number or anything, and probably won't allow us to buy a new car (vehicles are much more expensive in West Africa), but it's our goal. If we can raise more we will be able to buy a sturdier, newer vehicle.

In October we received gifts of $559 bringing our total to $15,218 or 60.9% of our goal. To borrow an idea from the United Way, here's our fund-raising thermometer:

If you would like to help with this need there are a couple of options. You can send a tax-deductible gift to:

The C&MA
Thom McMurray Vehicle Special
P. O. Box 35000
Colorado Springs, CO 80935

There's also a secure way to make your donation on-line, through the C&MA's website. If this interests you, click here.

Thanks for considering this and praying for us. We appreciate all the support we've received to-date and it's exciting to realize we're about two-thirds of the way there! We'll keep this updated and hopefully start to see this car turn more red in the months to come.

Click here to read more!

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.

Click here to read more!