The gambia:

While we never knew where we’d be by the end of the day, we operated most frequently in door-to-door evangelism. We’d often end up simply doing life with whomever we were speaking to, from cleaning, gardening, and cooking, to milking cows. We were also able to distribute bibles in the languages of nearly everyone we spoke with. Nearly every week we’d move to different villages and meet new people, when we went to speak about the gospel we’d be welcomed in with open arms by both muslim and christian.  

Every day, every hour, every minute, was a blessing and held its place in my heart. To write that much however would be nearly impossible so for this mission recap, I want to be able to share a blessing from each village.

One of our first weeks of ministry we met a pastor who invited us to assist at the youth camp he was running ‘not far’ from the city, it was indeed far. When we arrived, he asked if we were ready, I don’t think my team knew I was the one who said yes, when in fact we certainly were not. He intended us to run the evening game, thinking we had one in our back pocket, we did not. We eventually decided to play kickball. It was a very educational week and I’m glad it happened so quickly into our outreach because, from then on we attempted to be prepared for everything, from children’s to women’s ministry. The camp also showed us how ready the youth of The Gambia are for God to move in their nation, it was one of my favorite weeks. 

The first village where we stayed, we had almost 30 kids appear every morning. So, we learned a skit to perform for them about Jesus taking away the weight of sin. I have always loved children’s ministry being raised by children pastors and involved in it for so many years. This week though I adored speaking to these kids, playing cards, and football, and seeing them follow as our team evangelized.

The next village we stayed in we met a Portuguese missionary team, and went evangelizing together! While we were out, during our final moments of ministry we walked into a compound with a family of about 15. We spoke with the men of the house about the gospel and saw their entire family dedicate their lives to Christ!

While we were in The Gambia our contact was a missionary named Paul, a Gambian, leading the rebuilding of a YWAM base! He led us to each village and one of them ended up being the village he was raised in, which opened doors for us to stay with a ministry family, speak in schools, and with village leaders, build relationships, and go swimming in a river we probably shouldn’t have gone swimming in. One night while we were there we had a huge bomb fire and nearly every kid in the village came, and danced and sang with us, and before they left we performed another skit!

At our halfway point, we briefly stayed with a pastor whose wife gave birth the day we left! We then stayed with a British/American Missionary Family who had been living in The Gambia for over 20 years. Working with the local village on tree planting, and welding. Staying with them the focus for the week was mostly intercession, gardening, and welding the foundation frames, for the new YWAM base.

After the foundations were finished we went back to the pastor who had just become a father again and began digging and clearing the land in his village for the YWAM base. We stayed however with Korean missionaries running a school. We worked on the base in the morning and did street and school ministry through the evening. I loved this week because I had a kitchen and was able to cook and shop in the markets!

We went back to the city for some of our final days active, and stayed with missionaries, running a Hope House, for sexual assault and trafficking victims. Then a church smack dab in the city center. Where we walked from compound to compound sharing the gospel and distributing bibles! We even held a Q&A for mulims asking questions about Christ! It was a good week to end our mission.

Lord, do not let me carve a book from my

memories.

Do not let them gather dust or the stench of

bitterness.

Show me where you challenged me,

so I can see where you’ve brought me.

Filter the tiny offense and show me what you see.

I ask that when I recall every memory,

I see it rightly,

Amen.