“You’re Bernard, the singer, aren’t you?” the employee of the gas station asks, and she continues: “Yeesu Rekk!” (only Jesus), “thank you for what you do for our country.” It is an example of the many conversations that have started since we started the “Yee[...]
Archive for the ‘Church’ Category
The cause of illness
A virus or bacteria can make us sick. Behavior, such as smoking or poor nutrition, can also cause illness, which is why lifestyle medicine is on the rise. It is a revelation to many Senegalese physicians, health care students, and nurses that our values and underlying belief systems and cultur[...]
On death, hope and perseverance
“A little further to the left Tabitha!” Dr. Soh shouts. It is 2013, we are on the empty site that he has just bought for the construction of the hospital. We (Maria, Tabitha, Simon and Jan and Dr. Soh) are each on a corner of the empty plot so that we can see the size. […][...]
Malnutrition in the slums
Alioune* sweeps the floor of the Koranic school, the room that we use for the church’s malnutrition program in this slum area in Dakar. The beautiful coastline in the distance stands out against the sea of corrugated iron with wooden huts. The sun-drying fish attracts a huge pest of flie[...]
October 28th, 2018 - 08:08 § in Church
Protection and Proclamation
“…. But then I heard Mamadou call me to look for his bag, and then I knew he was still alive!” It is the rather funny ending of a dramatic experience. Two of the evangelists, that had travelled some hundred miles from up country were in a serious bus accident. The bus had to deviate […][...]
April 17th, 2018 - 19:41 § in Church
Dutch Discipleship: cheap and direct
As I stand by the water and look out over the ocean and the palm trees beach I wonder whether Pastor Pape does not have some hidden Dutch blood. He always has bargains (like the location of this church retreat, literally on the beach, but cheaper than what we would pay in Dakar) and he […][...]
A musical revolution!
“This wasn’t a forum, this was a revolution!!” says a pastor at the end of the first edition of the International Forum for Christian Artists. The vision that had been penciled in our agenda for a long time but became concrete this summer when we visited the Christian Artists Semin[...]
Christian Medical Care: a national network
“A Christian hospital does not exist”, states the medical director of the only Protestant Mission hospital in Senegal. Confusion arises in the room of this first national conference for Christians working in healthcare.” The over 60 participants wonder how they can make a difference and a si[...]
Washing the dishes with Fulani women
Aminata shines when she talks about her daughters. They both go to school and one is the best in her class. She herself has never had that opportunity. Growing up as a shepherd’s daughter in a small village there was no school to attend. This Easter Sunday we wash the dishes together and chat in [[...]
Twenty white coats in the green south
“It’s really not far away, let’s just walk” says the nurse as he takes me to show me the clinic. Right behind those trees over there. The sun burns on my head while I’m walking from orange tree to mango tree, saluting everyone on the way as we try not to trip over chickens and [...]
