Feb 24, 2020 - Northern Senegal
With a porous border probably over 500 miles long separating the Gambia and Senegal, getting from one side to the other unofficially must be pretty easy, especially as both sides share ethnicity, but we thought we should take the official route, just in case. From the resort area, this involves taking a local ferry across the mouth of the Gambia river for 30 or 45 minutes depending whether you get the slow one of the fast one. Now a bit like smart motorways, this has not been thought through. We missed the first slow one by minutes but...
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Jan 20, 2020 - Our first look at Dakar!
Hi everyone! Hard to believe that this is my first full day waking up in Senegal, Africa. After a long journey and a restless day in the hotel yesterday I was so excited to begin to explore my new home for the next four months. Although I already miss my family and friends (yes- I know it's only day two), today has really affirmed that this experience is the type that I have been yearning for since beginning my college career. Most of our day consisted of a guided tour of the city. We started off only about 2 minutes from our hotel at a...
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Jun 7, 2017 - Wrapping Up Class
The hardest part of teaching an intensive class like the one I have been doing here in Africa is getting started. Well, that and getting finished. It takes me a little time--maybe the first day--to feel like I am "with" the students. And, there is always so much more I want to teach that it is hard to know where to end. One of the paradigm-shifting concepts I try to leave students with--wherever I am teaching--is that teaching is not simply telling. That teaching is a much richer discipline than merely passing along information. Teaching...
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Jun 6, 2017 - Rose Lake
So, Monday was Pentecost Day--a day off work. The students asked to renegotiate our time for the day. We ended up meeting from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Got our five hours in. They were able to head to the special services their churches had scheduled. Pastor Lee, Fear Love, Joon, and I headed for Rose Lake. I had this rather romantic picture in my head of what Rose Lake would be like. A picturesque place with African bao bao trees, maybe zebras wandering around its edges, and bright pink water. The actual picture is a bit more like a dessert oasis...
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Jun 4, 2017 - Pentecost Sunday
OK, let me just throw it out there. I am a Baptist. We like the Holy Spirit, but we are not so big on the Pentecostal doctrines related to the Holy Spirit. So, how did a Baptist youth minister-turned-professor end up preaching on the Holy Spirit in an Assembly of God Church on Pentecost Sunday? If you are not familiar with the story, Pentecost was a Jewish holiday and also just happened to be the day that God chose to send His Holy Spirit to dwell in believers and empower them for ministry. Christians believe that the presence of God, in...
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Jun 3, 2017 - Class and the Slave Island
I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days. At midnight on Friday, all my grades for the Spring Semester were due. I had a bunch of Public Speaking students that had prepared sermons for me to evaluate and, well, no time to do any journaling. I leave for church in 25 minutes or so, so I doubt I will have time to complete this entry, but thought I would get started. The missionary here who is hosting me is also from Korea. I guess the fact that I am part of an American consortium of mostly Korean pastors on this trip sort of makes this make...
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May 30, 2017 - Changing Places
Tired, but decided to post a quick update. Internet was spotty the last couple of nights. Monday--Finished up class, gave the final, lots of hugs and handshakes. I am going to miss these wonderful people. Went out to dinner with a van load of Koreans. Praise God for my friend Michael Ahn. He actually spoke to me in English. OK, a few of the others did as well. It was actually a nice evening. Tuesday--Got up and packed. Michael told me that breakfast was at 7 a.m. He told me at 7 a.m. So, I went in my gym shorts, T-shirt, and sandals. I...
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Apr 23, 2013 - Dakar, Senegal
Today we had our final breakfast & left the ship. So sad! I wasn’t really ready to go home yet & could happily stay on another week or two. We said our goodbyes to other passengers & the outstanding staff. Mo, Eric, Rastko, Monica, Sean & I have all booked a day tour with Senegal Style to see Bandia nature preserve rather than doing the more standard Dakar city and Goree Island tour. A wildlife safari sounded like a great departure after 2 weeks of city tours. It also sounded right up Sean’s alley. Our tour guide has turned out to be a bit...
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Mar 26, 2013 - Bintang Bolong Lodge Gambia to Ziguinchor Senegal
Tuesday 26th March 2013 Bintang Bolong Lodge, The Gambia to Ziguinchor, Senegal (southern part of Senegal) Today we left our lodge at Bintang Bolong River at 8am after having breakfast out on the jetty. This was an absolutely beautiful place, totally peaceful. Today we drove across the Gambian border back into Senegal to Ziguinchor, the largest city in Southern Senegal. Senegal totally surrounds Gambia and in the south, the people have always wanted to be a separate country, so there is quite a deal more security, soldiers etc. there. When...
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Mar 25, 2013 - First part of trip in West Africa
Wednesday 20th March 2013 Dakar to Toubakouta Up really early today at 5.30am for a 6am breakfast as today the trip started from Dakar. Met everyone downstairs, packed up the back locker with our bags and set off at around 7am before the city was very busy. We then headed off out of Dakar to the south and then west heading for Touba, a town in which the largest and most historic mosque in Senegal is situated. The day was fine, and got very hot as the day progressed. By about 11.45am we had arrived in Touba and were taken on a tour of this...
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Mar 19, 2013 - Dakar City
Monday 18th March 2013 Dakar N’gor Beach to Dakar City Up late today and down to breakfast on our last morning in the La Madrague Hotel at the beach. After breakfast, we packed our bags and checked out of the hotel at 12noon and waited for our taxi which we had asked to come at 1.00pm and took us to the city hotel where we are staying for two nights until we leave on the trip from Dakar on Tuesday morning. We arrived and while we were checking in, our leader and co-driver were at reception and we met them. After checking in, we went out and...
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