SENEGAL REPORT #2

"TALIBE BOYS"

   

Was that once a white shirt? That thought struck me as I took this photo. Did Disney ever sell a Mickey Mouse shirt that was that shade of brown? I decided not. It was too much of a coincidence that this Mickey Mouse shirt was the same color as the pervasive brown dust that marks the ground of Dakar.

The boy (Was he nine? Ten? Younger? Older?) was sitting on a short block wall outside the entrance to the Beacon of Hope center where Story Faith Promise missionaries Tad and Jane Hampton work in Dakar, Senegal, with United World Mission.

Years ago Jane started a ministry with the talibe boys in this area. Talibe are young boys whose parents send them from their villages in interior Senegal to the cities to study the Koran under a Muslim teacher, called a marabout.

Jane was moved by the fact that these boys no longer had a mother in their lives to feed them, care for them when they were sick, or take them to a doctor or dentist when they needed it. They no longer had a mother to, well, mother them.

She and Tad stepped forward to help these boys. It didn't matter that they were Muslims studying the Koran. Their Christian faith saw a need and they responded to it.

Friday Connie and I saw the latest light coming out of this Christ-centered ministry. Over 200 talibe boys studying under six marabouts came to the Beacon of Hope to be fed, showered, given vitamins, get immunizations and receive treatment from a medical team from Providence Church outside Philadelphia.

The four boys in the photo had just finished eating a meal similar to oatmeal that was served in a large stainless steel bowl they and a couple of more talibe had encircled and scrapped clean. (There are no leftovers when the talibe eat and there are no picky eaters.) The one boy still had his spoon that he was making sure didn't have any food left on.

I wish all of you could have been here for this special day, this day when Christ once again showed that He is alive and He walks this earth through the actions of His people. Let me share some images of that with you.

     
       
 
I love to hear Jane Hampton laugh! She laughs a lot around the talibe boys, but she also scolds them, holds them, speaks to them in their own language and gives them wonderful examples of Christian love and the power of God's grace.    
       
   
Dr. Mike Carnuccio examines a talibe while a Senegalese Christian sits nearby to translate his questions. "Dr. Mike" combines a strong faith with committed service. This is his third year in a row coming here.
       
       
  An older talibe finishes up the last of the meal served in the metal bowl. By reaching out to the talibe Tad and Jane have gained the trust of Muslim teachers who knew little about Christians before. God is working mightily here in Senegal!  
 
One of the nurses gives a talibe a immunization shot for yellow fever while another looks on with apprehension. The immunizations that the talibe receive while under the Hampton's care are the first in their lives.
         
   
  I had heard for years that the talibe boys ranged in age from 5 to 17 but this youngster gave me a new appreciation for how young some are. Sara Toombs told Connie that there was a talibe who is four. I think I found him. He had fallen and had a knot on his head.Please pray!
           
   
  The day wasn't all shots and exams for the talibe. There was also fun times like here where a game was played using a large piece of plastic.
             
     
  I don't want to leave you with photos that might make you sad because talibe day wasn't about sadness but was about hope. Hope for a better future!
             
     
  What can you do to help the talbe boys right now, today? Pray! Pray for missionaries Tad and Jane Hampton. Pray for the marabouts that they would want to learn more about Jesus. And please pray especially for the talibe boys!
               
  Bye for now....