Dave and Jacob took off Friday after school for a weekend of work, play, and reaching out to villagers in Senegal with most of the DA Senior Class and sponsors. It was a great experience for them, and Dave took some wonderful pictures. Click to see more of them on flickr or more yet (with captions!) on Dave's facebook album.
The Dakar Deckers were all involved in the 2009 Dakar Academy Harvest Fest Down-Under! Jacob ran a "chicken chasing" booth with one of his friends, which seemed to go over well with the little kids. The bigger kids had fun when the chickens escaped from the pen! I clipped the wings of one rooster, hoping to keep him in the pen, but he managed to jump out anyway. Dave kept busy grilling, relieving kids at their booths so they could get a bite to eat, and selling drinks... while I walked all over the campus helping out and troubleshooting as needed. We had a great time, and we're all tired out now that it's over! We feel privileged to be senior class sponsors, and love working with these students!
After three weeks without a drop of rain, we got a downpour last night. Dave and I were almost finished with our nice dinner at a restaurant near our house when the deluge began. We waited about 1/2 hour to see if it would let up, but finally decided we needed to leave. The drive home was a challenge, with flooded roads and a low car. In several places I thought the car would float away! This pic is after the worst parts, but still gives an idea of how much water came down! (It doesn't look as deep as it was in reality but this gives you at least a sense of it!)
Dave arrived home on Friday afternoon, so glad to be back on his scheduled return-day! This is not something we take for granted when traveling around West Africa!
His trip went well, with many hours of talking and listening to team members. Please continue to pray for their leadership needs! (The acting director is leaving earlier-than-planned because of health concerns.)
He was able to be part of a "men's night out" with the SIM'ers there... they brought sandwiches to the top of the Ducor hotel and got ice-cream afterwards.
He also got to visit with some of our many Liberian friends-- who are the reason we love Liberia so much!
Greetings from Senegal (and Liberia!)
We feel blessed and privileged that our ministry in West Africa involves providing quality leadership and administrative support to missionaries working in Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Liberia.
This week, we'd like to ask you to pray for Dave as he spends time in Liberia. He is working with the SIM Liberia team to consider their leadership needs, as Matt and Brenda Carr (working in leadership and personnel roles) will be leaving much sooner than expected, in December. We had planned that Dave and I would travel to Liberia together, but the available flights changed, requiring too many days for both of us to be gone with Jacob still at home. I'm disappointed because I would have LOVED to travel to Liberia again, and would love to be working together with Dave, but trusting that God's plan is for me to be here at the moment. Please pray for great times of listening and encouraging with the team, and for wisdom and flexibility as the team strategizes. He is scheduled to return on October 2, but the flights have been pretty unpredictable so he's prepared to be flexible!
Please continue to pray for our financial needs. Our support account is precariously low, as is our ministry account. As we mentioned in another update, we currently need at least $1000 for medical deductible expenses. Because of the way SIM's financial support system has changed, and due to skyrocketing medical costs, we find ourselves in a new situation for us-- ON the field yet needing additional financial support. In the past, when this has happened, we've benefited from SIM's pooling system-- however, that no longer exists. Please pray with us, and if you sense God's prompting to be part of meeting these financial needs, click here to learn about online giving, or email us.
... [We] have need of endurance, so that when [we] have done the will of God [we] may receive what is promised. Hebrews 10:36
The difficult month of Ramadan has ended, and we're thankful for that. The last several week we've enjoyed more consistent electricity, and are very thankful for that as well. The next six weeks are traditionally extremely hot and humid, before the cool, dry breeze from the desert arrives in November, so you could pray for stamina, energy and endurance for us!
Jacob is working very hard in school, with three Advanced Placement classes. He really enjoys the classes, and is working diligently at the many hours of homework each day from each class. We ask prayers for his good health, energy and endurance as well. Pray for God's leading as he pursues applications to colleges.
We are thankful for your partnership, in prayer, encouragement and financial giving. Our endurance is only possible with God's help, and we are very aware that YOU are one of the means through which He helps us, so we pray for your endurance as well!
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your [and our] hearts and establish them in every good work and word. 2 Thessalonians 16-17.
With HOPE in HIM,
Mary
for the Dakar Deckers (in Dakar and Liberia!)
We've had a lot of rainy days recently, and the roads aren't made with drainage in mind since most of the year is so very dry!
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14
That was one of our Bible verses at breakfast yesterday morning, and it's an encouraging verse as we wait for the Lord through some hot and humid days in Dakar! We've been continuing to review our financial situation, and believe that it is important to let you know some of the specifics.
Monthly support needs: Our support is coming in about $800 short on average each month. We have a "support account" (kind of a buffer) that is down from 8,000 to about 1,000. Between those figures, it seems that our support may run dry very quickly.
Ministry account needs: Due to the same skyrocketing medical costs that you all deal with, our medical coverage has been scaled way back this year. We now have an annual deductible of $1,000 per person, which we were not at all prepared for. We've already spent over $1,000 for Mary this year (nothing serious, just some very expensive testing!), and we don't have funds in our account to pay the deductible. The good news is that we can use ministry account funds for all legitimate medical costs not covered by insurance, which means that donors can help out and get a tax-deductible receipt at the same time by giving to our ministry account.
We appreciate your prayers, and ask you to look with us to the Lord as we wait for His provision of our need. If you feel led to be a part of meeting some of these needs, here is the link for information about online giving.
Thankful for God's promises,
the Dakar Deckers
We went out to Goree in the late afternoon with a young lady who has spent two months as a short-term missionary in Kaffrine. It was fun to hear about her experiences in different village and many ministry opportunities she's had during her time here! And, despite the intense heat and the sad history of the island, we all enjoyed some of the beautiful sights at Goree.
Decker Update
Dear friends and family,
Greetings from HOT, HUMID Senegal! We are in the hot months, knowing that in November a breeze will blow away the humidity... but until then, we sweat, drink lots of water, and try to stay cool!
We are so thankful for the many ways God has blessed us over the past months! We were blessed by Mark and Andrya from our home church, who loaned us a car for our time in Minnesota. We were blessed with frequent flyer miles so that we could get up to Minnesota after Danny's wedding in Miami. We were blessed by Lee and Tracy loaning us a cell phone with unlimited minutes for our time in the States! We were blessed with time together with our extended family and time to relax at my mom's cabin. We were blessed by the gift of a hotel room in Appleton Wisconsin where we were able to attend the wedding of Cal, son of one of our support team families! These and many more blessings encouraged our hearts during our time in the U.S.
We loved staying in Miami with the Prinz family, the parents of our new daughter-in-law, Leah. Our two families enjoyed being together and developed friendships that will last a lifetime, and we're so glad! It was wonderful being with Danny and Leah. Danny drove us around and took us shopping more times than he would have preferred-- out of love and service to us-- as we re-stocked things we'd need for the upcoming year in Dakar.
Danny and Leah's wedding was beautiful. It was held in an "ancient Spanish monastery"-- and was a joyful time of celebration with family and friends. We ask your prayers for them as they begin their married lives. Danny will finish college this semester, if all goes well with his schedule! Leah is taking a semester off from her college course, and is teaching music on a part-time basis.
Joey is back to John Brown University for his senior year, and has been accepted into the Navy Officer Candidate Program and Flight School after he graduates. He is very excited about this, and we are thankful that his hard work and dedication is paying off. We trust that God is leading him into this program, and have seen evidence of this in many ways. Please pray for Joey this year as he works as an R.A. in his dorm, and finishes his college studies.
Jacob is also a senior this year-- in high school at Dakar Academy. He has enjoyed the first days of school, and has a very challenging class-load but is loving it. He is beginning the process of college applications. Pray for Jacob to continue to grow in the way God is leading him. We're excited to watch and encourage him as he grows!
Today is the first day of Ramadan, the month of fasting for the Islamic world. Here's a little information about Ramadan: " Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of the religion of Islam and one of the highest forms of Islamic worship. Abstinence from earthly pleasures and curbing evil intentions and desires is regarded as an act of obedience and submission to God as well as an atonement for sins, errors, and mistakes. Muslims fast during this holy month from the moment when it first starts to get light until sunset. " For more information, here's a helpful source, with a 30-day prayer guide for this month as well.
In a practical sense, this is a very difficult month for people living here. It's beginning to be the hottest part of the year, yet they will continue their normal work and school, while fasting from all food and water between sunrise and sunset. As sunset draws close, people are exhausted and often grumpy. It's not a good time to be trying to take a taxi, or even driving somewhere because the other drivers are often irritable and worn out.
Please continue to pray for young Christian believers during this time, who may face grave difficulty with their families because of their choice to follow Jesus. For updates on the situation we asked you to pray for with the specific young man, please continue to check the Garretts' prayer log.
Many blessings to you as you pray and partner with us, as we seek to follow Jesus here in Senegal, day by day in the hottest months, with or without electricity!
a little list for this Sunday afternoon
Things that make me happy to be back in Dakar:
--seeing Dave again (he came straight back to Dakar and missed the Minnesota/Wisconsin part of our trip!)
--finding a "welcome home aunt mary" message on my Dakar cell phone
--my cat
--my own quirky kitchen with all my important stuff life my coffee grinder, my garlic press, "my own" space (it was fun to be a guest but it's really fun to be in my own kitchen again!)
-- the anticipation of seeing special friends at DA and in the community!
Things that make me sad to be back in Dakar:
-- my dish drainer is a lot more rusted out than I remember!
-- i'm not as acclimated to the heat and humidity after a month in central air-conditioning and cool Minnesota/Wisconsin!
--the anticipation of not seeing Danny, Leah and Alexis for a very long time...
-- the anticipation of not seeing Joey again for a very long time...
-- knowing that our family in the States will miss us, and the little kids will keep growing up without us being around!
P.S. One more thing that makes me happy is knowing that I will have pictures to edit and post in the days ahead, hope that makes you who read this blog happy too!
We're enjoying our time in Miami, having fun with family and friends. We are keeping busy, and here's a link to some of our pictures on facebook!
We had fun today taking engagement pictures for Danny and Leah... Dave took this one!
I can't guess whether I'll be blogging a lot or very little during the next month! We will be seeing sights that are very different than our everyday sights in Senegal, and seeing special people we don't get to see often enough! We'll definitely be taking pictures, and it remains to be seen how many and how often they will be posted here.
Dave, Jacob and I will travel tomorrow night to Miami, Florida and spend about two weeks with Danny, Leah and Leah's family before the July 18 wedding. Joey will be joining us on July 6, from England and N. Ireland. Did I mention we're excited??
Meanwhile, we need to pack (one of my least favorite jobs!) and get our household and pets in good order to be cared for while we are gone!
