Girls Night December

 Christine and Sandarine are working on the cutouts for later in the evening

 This is our group before we really got going

 Christine's game was for each team to dress up one girl to look like Santa.  We provided them with a basket full of clothes and fabric and cotton.  They were so fun to watch.

 All the girls wanted their picture taken with Santa of course

Here we are with all of our decorated cookies.

Speaking in Mlump and Oussouye

Fun on a Sunday afternoon

Mission Senegal Newsletter December 2010

“For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make

righteousness and praise spring up before all nations” Isaiah 61:11

Mission Senegal December 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season!

I want to thank you for all your prayers and share with you how God has answered some of them. Ismael reappeared this week. He was in Dakar with his family since September when I last spoke to him. His phone was shut off and his brother told me previously that he hadn't heard from him. Thankfully Ismael is doing well and was attending a great church in Dakar. Yesterday when he stopped by to greet me we ended up sharing Christ with a whole group of workers who were at my house.

Which leads me to testimony number two. The awning project has started. All of the materials have been purchased and delivered. The metal guy has started building the awnings. Also the parts have been purchased for the new hot water tank to be installed. Hooray! Thanks for your prayers for these projects. Please pray the workers do a good job building the awnings and installing the hot water tank.

The ELECTRICITY CRISIS IS OVER!!! HOORAY!!!! Over the last month we have only had a few hours without electricity. Apparently the situation has been regulated in Ziguinchor for all of us! I'm so thankful, that was really a drag!

Our first Girls Night went fabulous in November. We had about 10 girls. This month I have been getting the word out about it. My vision is to gather a group of girls who are really interested in knowing God more and invite lot's of girls who don't know Jesus to listen and experience him. Saturday is our December meeting. We are going to decorate Christmas cookies, play games, worship and one of the girls is bringing a five minute teaching.

I was thinking back yesterday of the different lives that have been touched by our open house on Wednesdays. So many different names and faces over the last three years. Our house continues to be filled with, sometimes 45 kids on Wednesday afternoon. Last week we had a couch full of Muslim boys who had never been to Bible Study before. They weren't really sure what was happening. They loved singing with us though. Another Muslim boy, Bachery, shared a prayer request for his family. The teaching last week was on Nicodemus and how he sought out Jesus' without anyone else knowing it. I gave Bachery a Bible when he left. He says to me, but I'm not Christian. I said it's ok, just go ahead and read about Jesus. Yesterday Popsaigh, a new club kid came to church prayer with us. I have another new little friend named Ammadou who just can't get enough of me and my house. He helped decorate the Christmas tree on Saturday, spent all of Sunday and most of Monday here. At church on Sunday he was sticking his head through the door but wouldn't come inside. He's another Pular boy from a Muslim family.

Please pray for all of my activities over the next 3.5 months. The 2010 Missionary Training Program is more than half over. In January, I'll be headed to Dakar to take care of some personal visa and passport business. I am excited about my mother's visit and the team from Lighthouse. This will be their first visit to Oussouye. I hope the first of many to come! Christine and I will be traveling through the Cassamance Region at the end of January. The assistant Pastor from my church in Syracuse is coming to Senegal in February. I am also looking forward to the return of the Dynamic Parlato Duo!!

**** Mission Senegal monthly support can be sent to University Christian Fellowship, PO Box 35293, Syracuse, NY 13235. Note Kristina Friedrich on your check.****

www.tinasenegal.blogspot.com

Much Love, Kristina A. Friedrich

December 2010 Prayer Requests

Christine Feather: Missionary Trainee to continue to seek God's order in her life

Wednesday Night Bible Study: Jesus!!!

Monthly Girls Meeting: December 18th

My trip to Dakar January 6-11^th

Lighthouse Christian Fellowship Team: January 10th-22^nd

** Please pray for the team that we wouldn't lose any baggage, have no flight delays or sickness. God would anoint and bless the entire trip!**

May God Bless all of you who support this work financially and in Prayer!

My Christmas Tree

This is my new friend Amadou and my little Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Termites

Yes Africa is known for it's GIANT termite mounds.  I battle them in my yard as well.  They bother me the most when the rainy season starts and they flutter out of their mountain of sand and in their thousands try to get into my house.  So I asked my gardener to bring their houses down.  These particular termite mounds have only been there for about a year.  From one mound Daniel pulled out the queen, this big squirmy worm, their precious leader.  The second mound was built around a tree and Daniel was digging in such a way that it wouldn't fall down in a dangerous manner.  While digging he heard a noise and jumped out of the hole quickly and the whole hill fell over.  God totally saved Daniel from the termites. 

Tabaski

Tabaski is the Muslim holiday that celebrates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son and God's provision of the lamb.  Sheep are sold ALL over Senegal during the season before Tabaski and it's even more common to travel with sheep on the roof of your car.  I have been invited several times to pass the holiday in Loudia Olof.  Loudia is one of two primarily Muslim villages on the Elinkin road about an hour walk from my house.  Christine and I set out on the walk to Loudia chatting along the way.  We were welcomed into the village and met the families of the seven or so high school girls I know from there. 

After the sheep are killed, for breakfast they cook up the liver.  As we were making the rounds of greeting everyone we were served a taste of the liver every where we went.  I saw children playing with the sheep's severed head.  The food was however VERY delicious.  In one house curiously enough we met some Christian girls who had come home for the holiday.  Just before we left I was able to share more about friendship with God with one of the girls we met. 

Women's Seminar in Ziguinchor

In November we attended a seminar for the Christian women of our region.  There were about 30 women who were able to come from all the villages of the Cassamance.  Things really dragged for the first day.  Everyone seemed very guarded unwilling to open up about their problems.  I saw a vision on Saturday morning of the ladies laying their burdens down in the center of our circle.  The word was that if they didn't lay their burdens down today they were going to return to their villages still carrying these heavy loads.  After I spoke several other ladies spoke about what they sensed had been happening spiritually over the previous day.  The ladies began to open up about their struggles and they DANCED!!  They danced and laid down their burdens in the center of our circle.  I believe many women were refreshed and renewed. 

Thanksgiving in Senegal

I love to invite people into my home for Thanksgiving and share our American holiday with them.  This year Christine and I divided up the cooking and placed all the food on one large platter in the traditional Senegalese style.  The meat in the center and the fixings around the edges.  There were ten young people who joined with us in the feast.  The day ended with a chance to skype with friends in the United States.  It was a wonderful holiday.