We met Bryan Davis, the other missionary in St. Louis and he took us to the A/G school and we got there in time to help pass out vitamins to the kids. They do this twice a week and it is a process. Trying to get 180 kids to swallow 2 pills, and to try to limit them from taking the vitamin C pill twice since it tastes like lemon candy..
Peggy was definitely in her element with this many kiddos ages 3 thru 6 I would guess. They are short staffed at this time and really have a crowding situation for classrooms. Presently they have I believe 4 usable rooms, but need at least 6. The third floor is in the process of being finished but only enough money to do 2 partially, and a third is on hold.
I was told the kids have to pay $10.00 a month to attend and this is a real hardship for most of the families because of the extreme lack in these families. This is the minimum the school can charge in order to hire good teachers.
While we were there, we noticed one little boy in time out and it would have broken your heart to see him..everyone was outside playing and having a good time, but he had run away 4 times, so he wasn't allowed outside.
Peggy and I probably shook about 100 little hands, as in Senegal it is the custom to greet and leave people by shaking hands and it is so cute to see a 3 or 4 year old walk up and shake hands.
We got to meet Pastor Omer, the pastor of the church here that meets in the school and we were invited to his home. He is trying to learn English and he and I had a mini English lesson as we toured the school and his home.
As we toured his home, he was so proud that we were there, it is a "work in progress" and since money is limited he has no idea when he will be finished. No running water at this time so they have to walk to the school to get water, this is for a family of 6 plus a young man who is currently living with them, all living in basically 4 rooms.
About the young man, he is about 20 years old and around 2 years ago, the church presented the "Jesus" film and he attended and was saved. When his family found out, they burnt all his clothes, tore up his Bible, and kicked him out of the house. He went to live with his cousin,
and the family found him and again went in and burnt his clothes, tore up his Bible, and the cousin kicked him out. He had nowhere to go, so Pastor Omer opened his home to him. Pray for this young man as he is really fighting depression and you can only imagine everything else going on in his life. Pastor Bryan says he really thinks he will make it in his Christian walk, because he has come this far and has not given up.
I will include some pictures from the school and other random shots, and later I will post pictures of Pastor Omer and his family.
I don't want to write this blog with only negative and the poor side of the Senegalese people because what they lack in material things they more than make up in their smiles and happy faces. But I am not ignorant to the fact that poverty abounds and Jesus said we will always have the poor among us, but it is whatever we do to "the least of these" be it children, the poor, the persecuted, the imprisoned, it is as though we are doing it for Jesus, in person, in the flesh, standing before us.
Tomorrow is another day to love the babies at the Community Center, can't wait.
Love you all,
Ken and Peggy
One of many notes found in our luggage.
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