Daniel's trip through S. Senegal

 On the way they had some adventures...a flat tire...

 They saw a termite hill...

 The radiator overheated...

 And finally...the New Tribes Guest house (whew!)

 Some of the things they saw included classrooms for literacy...

 Lots of small villages (and lots of grass roofed huts)

 The Gambian River

 Another classroom

 Daniel outside of the one of the "guesthouses" he stayed in

 Mosquito nets ...a normal and necessary part of our life here

Yes, these are the bathrooms. Don't be worryin' none about turning on a fan!

And after you use the bathroom...you might see some goats or sheep?

 Yep, you know what that is:)

 Daniel and Augustin, a new friend (and pastor)

 Daniel rode down with Jim and his daughter, and here they are reading a Bible story in these kids' heart language.

The crew coming back up to Dakar (including one of our Senegalese colleagues and family)

Daniel hard at work

Since Daniel started working at SIL again in January, he's done a number of different maintenance type projects, but his favorite is working on vehicles/motorycycles that need repair. Since he doesn't have automotive training (officially anyway!) he's been doing tons of research as well as just "figuring things out". One of the big hurdles/skills is needing to be creative/patient everyday since there are not the correct tools available (its not a full shop where he is currently working) and getting the parts is often a half-full day process and that's often just ordering the part. Life is certainly different and more challenging in Africa, but we are learning and growing in our new "roles". Here are some pictures of Daniel hard at work:

One of the challenges you might notice is that everything is always covered in a thick layer of dust.  Often the skies are brown from the dust and within a few hours of cleaning something there will be a new layer. 

Daniel will also be taking a break from this role for a week and a half starting this week to do some traveling here in Senegal and look into possible projects for our future here (as well as seeing more of "rural" Senegal).  We are excited for this opportunity!

Grandma and Grandpa Crosby in Senegal (Part 2!)

 The kids went on a cool merry go round thing in the big fancy expat mall courtesy of G &G Crosby...it was my first time there and I felt like I was stepping back into the USA. Lou did NOT wabnt

 Liv on the elephant

 Marianna on the Saint of St. Louis airplane

 Later we went to a restaurant with a playground...a rare and awesome treat. 

 Louis on a bouncy toy

 Liv was super excited to have her first hot dog since france.

 Louis too...although he didn't know what a hot dog was.

 A little wheel turned this little merry go round thing. 

 Three bucks for huge ice cream cones with two big scoops...yes please (happy campers!)

 A nice family pic

 They look so Senegalese!!

Grandma and Grandpa Crosby in Senegal! (Part 1)

Outside Zippyland

At the fabric market, at the prettiest stall with grandma (Marche HLM)

Le bateau!  Louis LOVED riding in a boat.  Grandma and Grandpa took the kids on a little ride in a little lake we just discovered at our local park.   Thankfully it wasn't deep...the boat was barely seaworthy:)  I keep asking grandma and grandpa if they were sure they could rescue themselves and the grandbabies!

The happy sailors and the strong Senegalese man who acted as guide and manpower.

  Outside the tailor shop.  It is very very "rustic":).  Most of the "building"  is made from scavenged materials and they definitely are squatters (it is in the middle of an empty lot with some other squatters).  Generally he's done a good job minus one of the dresses for Karen.  He seemed to be working off someone else's measurements there!

More to come!

Trip to St. Louis, Senegal

Daniel was able to visit St. Louis, Senegal last weekend to see the dedication of a new maintenance internship program for young underprivileged boys. It won't start for awhile yet and we are praying about the possibility of working with them, but have no clear guidance in that direction yet. Overall we were excited about the involvement of the local Senegalese leaders and church elders and liked the town of St. Louis.

Pretty Tile work

Daniel helped set up for the ceremony

View of the neighborhood.

The ceremony

AFterward there were SNACKS! (and lots of cool outfits)

Local leaders giving interviews.

Boys playing outside

The shop

Welding shop

The front of the building

View of the cool tile in the hall from above

Daniel met lots of inspirational people while there.

The sports turf above (with some of our Dakar friends' boys)

At the local church

Daniel's host family's home (and two of their four kiddos and missions pastor)

The plaque (the center for professional training of underprivileged children)