Outreach (by Thom)

This is an exciting weekend for the missions community in Senegal. Each year Dakar Academy, a local boarding school, sends out all willing high school students on an outreach trip into several small villages in the interior of Senegal.
This morning at about 5am several vans loaded up to take the kids out to the bush where they will break up into teams like child evangelism, roofing churches, building benches, drama team, and others. Each evening there will be evangelism films, drama presentations, music and preaching.
You might think "Over 100 high school students in the bush? This won't end well..." However, these kids have done wonderful jobs over the years and have displayed maturity beyond their years, leading to many new people responding to the Gospel.
It so happens that this year the outreach trip coincides with a major national and spiritual holiday - Muhammad's birthday. Please stand in prayer with these students during their outreach trip. They should be returning Sunday afternoon and the church will be having a special service Sunday evening to provide a recap of the trip.

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Teaching Moments (by Thom)

Today was my first Daddy/Daughter Date with Hannah (Miri's first was 2 weeks ago). The timing was perfect as we had an 'event' last night. Last night around 11 I heard someone in the girls' room kicking their bed. I went in the room to see Hannah wiggling. I asked her if she was kicking the bed, to which she denied it 3 or 4 times. Miriam was clearly sleeping so I asked Hannah again and she admitted she had lied, which was the first time she'd blatantly lied to me. It gave us something interesting to talk about at the restaurant today, anyway. (That was a *big* understatement!) It wasn't all serious, though. Here's a couple of pictures from out time taken with my new phone's camera.

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Wallpapers (by Thom)

I tend to be on the early adopter end of the technology curve and enjoy trying out cutting-edge programs. I've been very happy with Windows 7 since I installed that on my computer. One of the great features about it is the automatic rotation of wallpapers*. I have mine set to shuffle every 30 minutes. With that, I've set aside a folder of some of my favorite pictures I've taken over the years in Africa, France, and the US. I thought it might be fun to share these with everyone. Amanda or I took all these pictures except for two - one of the garden photos was taken by my dad and the bird was taken by my friend in Dakar. If you'd like to download any of these you may feel free. To see a listing of all the pictures click here.

My personal favorite is the empty lean-to that advertises 'good coffee here'.

*If you don't have Windows 7 there is a free program available that allows you to automatically switch your computer's wallpaper at your chosen intervals. It's called John's Background Switcher. I've used it myself at work for some time because it supports duel monitors.

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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:
(I don't have the original text this week. See below for the translation.)

(translation) God provides for the blind vulture.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26 NIV

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WAISTed (by Thom)

Sorry about the lack of a Monday Proverb yesterday. I had a good reason, honest.
This past weekend was the annual WAIST (West African Invitational Softball Tournament) event in Dakar. I got hooked up on a team called, appropriately enough, "The Leftovers". Our team was guys who wanted to play ball but for whatever reason weren't in a full-season team. We didn't have a lot of expectations going in but we had a great time. We had two games scheduled on Saturday and another 2 on Sunday against the other teams in our grouping. The top team from each grouping moved on to the playoffs on Monday.
We had a good first two games, beating both teams by wide margins. I didn't play a lot in the first game but went 3 for 3 in the 2nd with a pair of singles, a ground rule double, a walk and 6 or 7 RBI.
On Sunday our strong play continued as we easily beat both our opponents. I didn't have much power in the game but still slapped the ball enough to get on base just about every time. Being 4-0 we easily got into the Monday playoffs where we faced a tough Senegalese team in the first round. I did lousy at the plate but we still got by them (the score was 8-2, I think) and that moved us on to the championship game.
This team was made up of ex-pat workers in The Gambia and was easily the toughest team we faced all weekend. We took an early 4-2 lead but things fell apart in the fourth inning and we trailed 7-4. We got back a couple of runs in the 6th inning but it wasn't enough and we lost 7-6, finishing 2nd place in the tournament. That was disappointing but certainly exceeded any expectations we had heading into the weekend.
Overall it was a great weekend. Miri & Hannah were really excited each day to head out to the ball fields and spend time with friends there and we got to know some new people. I'm already looking forward to next year's games (although I'll need to find some ice packs before then).

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One-on-One (by Thom)

Yesterday Miri and I had our very first "Daddy/Daughter Date". We went to Festival des Glace (a local restaurant) and had a great time! There's a playground there and then, while we waited on the food, we played "I Spy". We also had a good time to talk about things - like why we pray. Aside from the one-on-one time, the highlight for me was seeing Miri's 'individuality' come out. The twins are so used to being together that it's easy to think of them almost as one person. Hannah stayed home with Amanda and made personal pizzas. In two weeks we'll switch girls. They're already talking about it!

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Roughing It (by Thom)

Between the bugs in the kitchen, the frequent power cuts and lack of Dairy Queen, Third-World living can be a challenge sometimes. And then every once in a while you get to enjoy something like this: a campfire on the beach in February.
Last weekend we had the fun opportunity to roast hot dogs and hang out with some friends at a rocky beach here in Dakar. I posted several pictures of this trip to our picture page.

This picture is easily our favorite!

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January 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 January we received gifts of $580 bringing our total to $17,187 or 68.7% of our goal. Here's our fund-raising thermometer. We've finally filled up to the windows!

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.

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Impromptu Party (by Amanda)

As I was fixing dinner yesterday evening the doorbell rang and I thought ,"Who could this be?" I wasn’t expecting anyone. It turned out to be a neighbor who has twin girls a year older than Miri and Hannah. She said that they wanted to come over and wish Miri and Hannah happy birthday. I gave her a confused look and said, "But their birthday is in July!" "Oh, the guard said that it was their birthday” she told me. She then asked if her kids could make a visit anyway because they would be so sad to hear that there was no party and she asked if now was a good time. Although I was in the middle of cooking dinner I said yes since they rarely come over and I wish they could visit more.
When they didn't come soon after I began to wonder if I had misunderstood. I finished dinner and we all sat down to eat. Then the doorbell rang again. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the kids had returned. I had Miri and Hannah and three little girls plus one teenager play a game of Disney Princess Memory in the playroom (Miriam won). At the end of the game I handed out balloons and candy and sent them on their way so that concluded our impromptu birthday party. The little girls who came will probably never realize that the party was spur of the moment, but hopefully they went home having had a good time even if it was short.
Ah, life here is never dull and rarely plays out by the plan.

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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.

Tuareg proverb:
Ta n-ameri salah, ta n-amiksan sadsa.

(translation) The (word) of a friend makes you cry; the (word) of an enemy makes you laugh.

“Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts, but profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Proverbs 27:6 NIV

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Six Years (by Thom)

Six years ago our plane touched down in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and I first planted my foot on African soil. Time flies by, doesn't it? I went along with seven other men from Lima, OH to help build a radio station in the remote town of Tougan. I had no idea at the time that I'd be returning to Africa, much less call it home someday. Yet in His infinite wisdom the Lord called me and my family back less than one year later. He is amazing!

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Prayer Items Update (by Thom)

Two weeks ago we sent out an update to those on our prayer list (sign up here if you haven't already) and I thought it would be good to update that here. First, here's what we sent out on January 23rd:

Some prayer concerns - some urgent, some not so much:

1. Thom's dad was admitted to the hospital last night with pneumonia. Please keep Eugene in your prayers.

2. Dry (and dusty) season is upon us here in Dakar and it's been very rough on Hannah. She has been having a hard time breathing, especially at night, which in turn keeps Amanda from getting much quality sleep. We're looking for a local option for a humidifier to put in her room. Please keep this whole situation in your prayers.

3. We just received news that the people coming out to handle our audits won't be able to come at this time. Although audits aren't necessarily 'fun', they are an important part of our ministry. Would anyone out there reading this be qualified to run an audit of our mission finances and have the means and time to fly to Dakar, Senegal to perform this ministry? This would likely involve spending a week here in Africa and going over the books for 2 or 3 fields. This isn't a job that requires a CPA-level person but some experience with auditing would be strongly preferred. Thanks for prayerfully thinking through this. If this is a need you feel called to please send me an email and I'll get you in touch with someone in our National Office who can get things moving along.

4. All of us will be travelling this weekend to a city in the north of Senegal - St. Louis. This will be our first time up there and we're excited to see the missionaries and their work up there. We'll be gone Sunday through Wednesday. Please pray for our safe travels.

The Lord has been good to us:

• My dad is now home from the hospital and doing much better, I'm told.
• We didn't find a humidifier but we were directed to an allergy medicine that has made a huge difference for Hannah. She's now sleeping through the night and only coughing occasionally!
• We're still waiting on the Lord to develop something here. We had one offer that couldn't work out. If this is way you feel called to put your skills and gifts to use, please let us know.
• We had a great (and safe) time in St. Louis, Senegal! It was great to see our teammates up there and get a feel for how they live, their ministries and their challenges.
  

Thanks to everyone for praying for the Gospel to spread in West Africa (and our very small role in all that)!

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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.

Wolof proverb:
Nebbon bi ci dënnu tuabéer, ba tax ko tëbëntu, mungi ci xàbban te mu ne tekk ak moom

(translation) The hump of animal fat which hangs from the chest of the ram, and incites it to manifest its power is also found on the steer, which however remains calm.

(explanation) Modesty is something to be valued. When one boasts of something whether it be knowledge, strength or fortune, there is always someone else who has far more yet without feeling the need to boast or show up the vanity of others.

“This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 NIV

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

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