Hey Everyone!
First of all, thanks so much for your prayers and support to us as a family. We appreciate it and have been thinking and praying for you all at CE during this difficult time. Life has changed so dramatically for everyone since we were home just a few months ago, and it's hard to believe it at times. We have been able to keep in touch with friends and family at home, and it has been nice to be part of Edenderry Sunday morning services over the past while too. Living overseas we're used to just communicating via skype, zoom, or whatever and now that church and other meetings are online we can be more connected than usual, which is nice.
A State of Emergency
A state of emergency was pronounced here in Senegal nearly two months ago now, and this has brought with it various restrictions. Schools are all closed as well as many public places such as parks, restaurants and places of worship etc. There are restrictions on travel within the country as well as the borders and the airport being closed. The advice to us was to stay at home and stock up on supplies which we did. I (Robert) was the only one to go out if we needed anything, and we did this for several weeks. We are very blessed that in our small neighbourhood the kids can get out, ride bikes and play so we generally do this in the mornings when nobody else is around.
School
The kid's school went online and so most mornings (and some afternoons) are taken up with this. We have heard of people doing online courses, baking more or starting new hobbies during the lockdown. Yet, if I am honest, with all four kids at home all the time, we have found life pretty hectic. Senegal is so dusty, and we used to have a lady come every week to sweep, mop and help clean the house. Still, since she can no longer come, Kyla has been trying to keep on top of this, and just simple things like shopping and cooking take longer here than they do at home. So we haven't had much free time, but it has been nice to have more time together as a family.
Normality
For many people here, though, life goes on as usual. They need to work to live and feed their families so have to go about their business and don't have the luxury of being able to isolate. Nearly everyone wears a mask out and about, and there are hand sanitisers in most shops. Still, in many ways, most can't maintain the same level of lockdown or isolation as may be possible back home. The government seem to have done an excellent job dealing with things, and numbers of official cases and deaths are low. However, testing is limited, so it's hard to say what the actual impact has been. The state of emergency runs until the 2nd of June, and we will hopefully know in the next week or so if that will be extended or not. Most people anticipate that it won't although some restrictions will remain in place.
Trusting God
We only have a few more days of online school left before the summer break, and the kids are looking forward to that. We had a busy summer planned and will miss the CE team that was going to come out, but we trust that God has a reason for all of this and hope that maybe this will be possible next summer or some other time. I guess one thing we have learnt or been reminded of is that God is sovereign and in control. So often we feel like things depend on us and we need to do this or that and be busy all the time. And yet during this time when many church/outreach activities can't take place, we know that God is still at work and He is still building His church. It is too easy to focus on outward activities and programs and often neglect the work that God wants to do in our hearts. To do that work He needs our attention, and that takes time which we usually fill with other things.
Some Thoughts for Prayer
Thus, our challenge is to walk humbly with our God, seek His face and spend time with Him. I pray that as we do, we would hear His voice and come to know Him in a more profound way.
Please also pray for the people of Senegal at this time. We are coming towards the end of Ramadan during which many Muslims fast from before sunrise to sunset.
Pray that our God, the true and living God will speak to them and bring many to know and follow Him. Across Africa, virtually all our Ambassadors programs have stopped. In many countries, we have been trying to support families of those involved in our teams and academies; particularly those who's need is greatest. We are very thankful for generous gifts which have helped buy food, water, soap, clothes and other items for those who have needed it most.
We would value your prayers at this time, and we do trust that in this time of crisis, many will turn to Jesus and find their hope and salvation in Him.
Thanks again for your prayers and support!
God bless,
Robert, Kyla, Jacob, Manuela, Daniel and Micah
