New ministry, old ties
Missionary Audrey Dejager is getting settled into her new ministry -- helping short-term mission teams visiting Senegal learn about the mission field first-hand.
After serving many years among the Jalunga people, she has moved to a nearby town and is preparing to initiate a program demonstrating to short-term mission groups how missionaries learn language, build relationships and plant tribal churches.
Though Audrey's ministry has changed she is still involved with her Jalunga friends.
"As they see it," Audrey wrote, "I am still part of them, and many people, [even those] who are not Jalungas know this. So even if someone is a Peul, a Malinke or a Bissari, many people will try to greet me with the Jalunga greetings, and if they know more than that they will speak to me in Jalunga, otherwise we communicate in French, which isn't anyone's first language. Isn't that nice of them?"
Audrey is serving in several areas in the small city where she lives. She takes care of the mission guest home, preparing meals and encouraging the missionaries coming in from remote tribal areas. She also helps with supplies arriving for the missionaries. The airstrip had been closed because of government regulations but thanks to fervent prayers by many folks, the airstrip is now open.
However, now the plane is down for a major inspection and probably will not be available for two months or more. So supplies will need to be transported by truck and missionaries needing to go to the capital city will need to travel overland.
Audrey requested prayer for the situation. She wrote, "Pray that while we have to depend on road travel the Lord would keep everyone healthy so no emergency medical flights would be needed."
After serving many years among the Jalunga people, she has moved to a nearby town and is preparing to initiate a program demonstrating to short-term mission groups how missionaries learn language, build relationships and plant tribal churches.
Though Audrey's ministry has changed she is still involved with her Jalunga friends.
"As they see it," Audrey wrote, "I am still part of them, and many people, [even those] who are not Jalungas know this. So even if someone is a Peul, a Malinke or a Bissari, many people will try to greet me with the Jalunga greetings, and if they know more than that they will speak to me in Jalunga, otherwise we communicate in French, which isn't anyone's first language. Isn't that nice of them?"
Audrey is serving in several areas in the small city where she lives. She takes care of the mission guest home, preparing meals and encouraging the missionaries coming in from remote tribal areas. She also helps with supplies arriving for the missionaries. The airstrip had been closed because of government regulations but thanks to fervent prayers by many folks, the airstrip is now open.
However, now the plane is down for a major inspection and probably will not be available for two months or more. So supplies will need to be transported by truck and missionaries needing to go to the capital city will need to travel overland.
Audrey requested prayer for the situation. She wrote, "Pray that while we have to depend on road travel the Lord would keep everyone healthy so no emergency medical flights would be needed."