A big thing on the Internet now are "blogs". At their best they invite you into another person's life. They say here is what I am experiencing, seeing, feeling. Join me here.

That is the goal that I have for this piece of cyberspace. I want to have you join Connie and myself as we travel to Senegal, Africa. We love this place, these people, especially the missionaries. God worked through them to change our lives. That makes them very special to us.

If you know us, you know that we are passionate about mission work and missionaries. The beginning of that goes back to January of 2001 when a team of sixteen, most from our home church - Story Memorial Presbyterian Church in Marion, NC, went to Dakar, Senegal, to build a second story addition at the Beacon of Hope. This is a conference and training center for the evangelical community of West Africa operated by United World Mission.

Before we went to Africa (by the way going was nowhere on our radar screens beforehand), we had only known missionaries through their reports at church. This was our first experience of being with them "in the field". It was eye opening not to mention emotion opening and soul opening.

Missionaries are called by God to serve Him. Connie and I first realized what that really means working alongside the missionaries in Senegal. The impact of this changed our lives. What I hope to do in these reports is communicate a part of what it means when God calls you, as He called these missionaries, and you do what He wants you to do. It is amazing!

The reason we are going is that Jose and France-Lise Oliveira emailed me back in August asking if I could come and do photos/video of the work going on with their ministry, Mission Inner Senegal (MIS)? She and Jose, the director of MIS, were so busy doing the Lord's work that they didn't have time to communicate to the mission's supporters what was happening. Would I come and put together a DVD they could send out?

------France-Lise and Jose Oliveira------

I said yes, all the while convinced that I didn't have time to do it. But God sometimes gives us things to do that don't fit into our schedule but do fit into His just to see what we will do. Who is more important? Who will we obey?

Right now just before Connie and I leave for Senegal I know two things. First, I know we are following God's will. That doesn't mean everything will go smoothly, I'm sure it won't, but I know going to Senegal is a part of His perfect plan. That excites me!

Second, I look ahead and see a schedule that makes those 16-hour days at Jack Frost seem restful. We will start off staying up all night flying and then do a full day's work. Then it gets busy!

I see a week when Connie and I will need your prayers. Only with God's people lifting us up to Him in prayer will we be able to achieve the goal ahead of us. Please pray for us while we are there from January 25 to February 1. Thank you so much!

As soon as possible after we get there I will get report #2 out. Bye for now.