Dan
& Esther Penney and family with Worldventure in Senegal.
Also see
their Worldventure website.
and their personal website
Latest News
Thu Jan 5 20:47:39 2012
Dear Prayer Team,
Thank you once again for your faithful prayers. Our apologies for the lateness of this month’s update; the dawn of a new year often brings extra busy-ness for the first few days, especially after the break for the fun of the holidays.
May you know God’s great goodness in this New Year.
Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Fri Dec 2 22:00:06 2011
Dear Prayer Team,
Thanks so much for your faithful prayer coverage. We could not live here without it, let alone be fruitful.
Attached please find our December update. And may you have a joyous and peace-filled Christmas!
Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Thu Nov 3 14:47:00 2011
To our faithful Prayer Warriors,
As always, we are so grateful for your faithful support before the Throne. We have felt the need of it this month, and we have felt the strength of your prayers, upholding us through the mighty arm of the Lord.
Attached please find our November update. Many blessings from our family to yours, and from our thirsty land to your cool one.
Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Wed Oct 5 15:06:08 2011
Dear Prayer Team,
Thanks for your prayers this past month. We’ve felt the need of them. Attached please find our October update (a few days late).
Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Sat Sep 24 18:04:47 2011
Dear Prayer Team,
We have to say a huge “Thank you” to all of you who so generously responded to our appeal for funds to help provide pastors’ libraries to the 30 leaders identified by our national church association. A truly amazing and unexpected thing has happened: we have received commitments to cover 100% of this need, so we need to let everyone know that the “window” of this opportunity has closed. If you made a commitment, please make sure to fulfill it. But if you intended to give but haven’t yet let us know about it, we have to say, please don’t. We would either have to send your gift back, or write and ask your permission to use it another way!
However, since y’all are so generous, let me provide another, similar opportunity in case the Lord is still moving you to give. Our Bible school (ITES) library is still in great need of quality reference books in French. Our WorldVenture colleague who manages the ITES library is constantly concerned that it is not up to standards, and wishes he had more funding to provide more theological reference works to the seminary students. So if the Lord is still motivating you to give toward Bible study resources for current and future Christian leaders in Senegal, please designate that gift to Special Project #6403-901. And our thanks in advance.
Once again, accept out sincerest thanks for your generosity. We thank you on behalf of these pastors and lay leaders who will benefit—they, their ministries, and their congregations—from these books for decades to come.
God’s grace to you all,
Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Tue Sep 6 15:40:22 2011
Dear Prayer Team,
We neglected to include in our recent email update an opportunity to invest in kingdom growth here in Senegal.
SIM, another mission organization, with whom we work in cooperation occasionally, is making a one-time offer of a “Pastor’s Library” for a greatly discounted price to any Senegalese pastor. This set of books comprises some 34 Bible study and reference works in French; they are the kind of resources these pastors would otherwise never be able to get their hands on, let alone afford. Even though the retail value of one of these libraries is over $1,100, SIM is offering them at the phenomenal price of under $100 each. Unfortunately, even at that price, many of our rural pastors and lay leaders will not be able to afford these libraries. Our national church leadership has identified almost 30 church leaders within our own (WorldVenture-related) national church association that would qualify for the libraries, and whom they would like to have receive them. However, at least two-thirds of these pastors are not going to be able to get together the $100 necessary by the deadline of September 30th. So without financial assistance, they will miss out. Would you like to provide assistance to one or more of these pastors so that they would be able to receive one of these libraries?
If you feel called to help, please let us know via email of your commitment to give, and of how much. Then send your gift in to our Ministries Account by sending the gift to WorldVenture designated to “Dan & Esther Penney’s MA (acct #575-6160).” We will pass your gift on to the church association so that these pastors will be able to take advantage of this unique opportunity to enhance their study and understanding of God’s Word.
Thanks in advance for any help you can be. If you decide to give, please do let us know soon, no later than a week before Sept 30th, so that we can get the funds to the appropriate individuals in time. Our apologies for the late notice on this opportunity.
Your fellow servants,
Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Sat Sep 3 15:54:12 2011
Dear Prayer Team, Thank you for upholding us once again. Our Muslim friends say, “God is great!” but they’ve no idea just how true it is. We do, and you all help us see his power through your prayers each and every month. Attached please find our September update. Blessings from our family to yours, Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Wed Aug 3 13:54:36 2011
See their August newsletter.
Sat Jul 2 14:56:42 2011
See their monthly newsletter.
Mon Jun 13 18:49:07 2011
See their June Newsletter.
Tue May 3 21:45:54 2011
See the May newsletter.
Tue Apr 5 22:18:00 2011
Dear Prayer Team,
Once again we express our sincere thanks for your faithful prayer support. Attached is our latest update. May our great God give you grace,
Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Mon Mar 7 17:53:35 2011
See a thank you note from the Penneys.
Thu Mar 3 14:19:10 2011
Dear Prayer Team,
How the days fly! It’s that time again, time for a brief update of what God is doing in our corner of the world. We are so grateful for your prayers. We would not survive here without them.
Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Sun Feb 6 13:55:26 2011
Dear Prayer Team, Thanks for upholding us. We know we need it, and we feel the impact of it. Many blessings from us to you, Dan & Esther Penney See February Newsletter.
Thu Jan 6 18:38:12 2011
Dear Prayer Team,
We hope you’re experiencing God’s significant blessings in your New Year! We are. Please read the attached for more details.
As always, accept our sincerest gratitude for your faithful prayer support,
The Penney family
Senegal
Sun Dec 5 21:00:06 2010
It IS warm here (still). We hope your hearts are warm, too. Ours are, in part because of your faithful prayer support. Attached please find our December update.
Fri Nov 5 12:38:27 2010
Dear Prayer Team, We just wanted to follow up briefly with some good news on one item that we mentioned in our update two days ago. Yesterday the Dakar Academy dorm dad who had been jailed for his unwitting involvement in a fatal traffic accident was exonerated by a Senegalese court. He is expected to be released this morning, and the entire DA community is excitedly preparing to welcome him. (The overnight delay in his release is due only to the mountainous paper work necessary in the courts here.) Thank you for praying with us. Your prayers were obviously effective, as they always are. Dan & Esther
Thu Nov 4 14:03:45 2010
Your prayers uphold us. We could not say “Thank you” enough. Attached is our November update.
Tue Oct 5 15:18:46 2010
Dear Prayer Team,
Our sincerest thanks for your uplifting prayers this past month. We
have felt the need of them; we have also felt the positive impact of
them. Attached please find October's update.
May our great God richly bless you in this coming month.
Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Sat Sep 4 14:39:31 2010
Greetings from warm Africa, As always, thank you for your prayers. We are surviving on them! Attached please find our Sept update. Blessings, Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Sun Aug 1 13:36:51 2010
Once again, thanks so much for your faithful prayer support. Please read in the attached update how your prayers are encouraging and uplifting us.
Sun Jul 4 13:49:42 2010
Once again we are in transition. It seems like a major theme of our lives.
Once again, we are thriving because of your prayers upholding us. Many thanks, and we hope you enjoy July's update.
Sat Jun 5 20:40:03 2010
Hi everyone,
Our sincere thanks for all your prayers. Dan saw the ophthalmologist this morning, and the diagnosis was as good as it could have been. We’ll give the short version for you “executive summary” types, and then some more explanation for those who like details.
Executive summary There is no problem. No treatment is necessary.
Details The ophthalmologist examined Dan thoroughly and reported that he has several pinpoint holes in his retina(s). However, he said that this was relatively normal, occurring in about 6% of the population, and that they were causing no problems and required no treatment. His only caution was to say that if Dan ever saw flashes or new “floaties” in my vision, that he should hop on the next flight to the US and get those treated (but that would be pretty standard advice even without the holes). So all is well. We’re delighted that nothing serious is wrong, and that we will not have to spend any more time or money getting medical treatment for his eyesight.
PRAISE THE LORD FOR THIS BIG ANSWER TO PRAYER! And many thanks for all you who were praying. God heard your prayers and moved on our behalf (once again).
Fri Jun 4 13:12:45 2010
See their June Newsletter.
Fri May 14 21:54:36 2010
Dear Prayer Team,
I (Dan) am forwarding on this report by Esther (which she initially sent to her mom about an hour ago). Since she was the one to accompany Luke to surgery, hers is the eye-witness report…
Luke came through surgery really well. He has very little pain and was quite perky afterwards (despite being slightly nauseated)—well, after the grogginess of anesthesia wore off. He's happily watching movies and reading books that I checked out of the library for him and generally enjoying himself (he's thrilled to be home from school and that he doesn't have his usual chores to do). He has very little pain. The worst pain he has is from the tube down his throat. This is just amazing to me.
The doctor reduced his turbinates and removed his adenoids. He said the adenoids were swollen and infected. He sent those into pathology to be tested for antibiotic resistant bacteria. The doctor was pleased with how the surgery went.
We won't know for about 2 weeks how the surgery impacts Luke's breathing and feeling in his throat/neck as he is more congested now and will continue to be for about 2 weeks.
Luke was a trooper. He was being brave and yet nervous anticipating everything. The worst part for him he told me later was when he was taken into surgery and I had to leave. He was surrounded with people and didn't know anyone. He said that Jesus was with him. He also said that this wasn't nearly as bad as he had anticipated.
Thanks so much for praying.
Dan & Esther Penney
Fri May 14 12:19:26 2010
Dear Prayer Team, As those of you who’ve been on our monthly update list a long time know, we almost never bother you with mid-month announcements. But we felt it was worth it in this instance. Just this week two unrelated developments have occurred that we wanted you to know about right away, so that you could be praying. 1) Luke has been scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning (Friday), at 9:45am Chicago time. (For you medical types—or just those who are well-informed enough about these things to understand the terms—he is having a coblation of the turbinates and an adenoidectomy.) Fortunately, this is outpatient surgery, but please pray for him in the following ways: a. for courage as he faces this ordeal he’d prefer not to have to endure (he is being very courageous, which is like him, but I’m sure he’d appreciate your prayers); b. for a safe and complication-free surgery; c. for quick recovery with as little pain as possible; d. and finally, that this surgery would have its intended result, which is to clear up once and for all his sinus discomfort with its constant drainage. 2) We just received a letter from our supervisor within WorldVenture, informing us that we are NOT yet being given clearance to return to Senegal due to our support level. We have been “stuck” at just over 90%, and he would like us to be at 100%, or at least much closer to it, before our return for four years. His reason is out of concern for us, since support levels invariably go down over time, and four years is a long time to be away from our support base when starting out under-supported. Since we are now only 11 weeks away from our intended departure date for Senegal, there is little time to rectify this shortfall. So we want to make the following points clear, as well as to ask for your prayers in a few specific ways. a. First, a few pertinent comments: i. Several of you have already increased your support commitments, some radically, and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We have been humbled, and compelled to praise our Father, for these generous outpourings of loving support for us. So know that we are exceedingly grateful, and we are certainly not asking you to give yet more. Ditto for some of you who would love to be able to help more, but are in a situation where you simply cannot. We know this, and we are so very grateful for your ongoing faithfulness in spite of financial difficulties. ii. We want also to thank so many of you who have been faithful supporters for years. We cannot express how encouraging your consistency and faithfulness is to us. iii. Allow us to make very clear that what we want is only for each and every one to do whatever the Lord puts on your heart to do. For some, this may even mean lowering your support commitment to us, or dropping out altogether. If that is how the Lord leads, please be faithful to him and do that; he will provide for us by some other means. b. Now, for the prayer requests: i. Pray that God would bring in what is necessary. We learned during our last Home Assignment that there is really nothing we can do to MAKE this happen. It is in his hands, and he enjoys surprising us at the last minute. But we also need to know of any support increase in order to make a timely departure (our kids need to be in school in Senegal by August 12, and it would be nice to arrive a week or so before that). ii. Pray that God would move in the hearts of those he specifically desires to either join our support team, or to increase their support commitment to our ministry. Again, this is in his hands; only he knows who should and who should not make—or increase—commitments. We hesitate even to ask for such things, because he is the one who calls people and/or churches to this stewardship. So we merely ask you to pray for his clear direction, and for faith-filled responses on the part of his people. c. And finally, a couple of suggestions to consider: i. As we mention above, the mission calculates that we currently have a need of 7% in order to reach 100% support. Would you consider a 10% raise in our support? Here is our reasoning: ii. Even though we need only 7%, we already know that some will not be able to raise at all. Also, some already have (which is how we got from 89% last August to 93% now), and so should not consider additional increase. But if a significant percentage of you were able to make this small increase, all of our support need would be met. iii. While in raw dollars per month, the number is daunting, 10% is not a huge increase for most individual supporters; for many it will be manageable. If you are giving $10/month, it means increasing to $11; if $25, then $27.50; if $50, then $55, etc. We realize that any increase may be a challenge in this economy, but God will show the way if that is his desire for you. We only want you to follow his leading in regards to this suggestion. iv. Whether or not God leads you to increase your financial support, please commit to praying that this increase would come in over the next few weeks, soon enough that we will know of it in time to receive clearance to leave for Senegal on time, with our full support. v. If you do decide to increase your financial support, please notify WorldVenture of this right away. It only “counts” towards our support calculation if they aware of the change in the support commitment. A phone call is all that should be necessary (800-487-4224; or 720-283-2000). Our missionary number is 575; please reference this number so that your commitment goes where you intend (there are other Penney families in the organization)! vi. And as always, please accept our most sincere THANKS, whether you give more, give less, or “just pray” (we always smile whenever someone tells us that praying for us is “all they can do,” because we know that is the most important way you can support us; if people are praying, God will arrange whatever is needed). So thank you for whatever it is you do in response to God’s leading. He will take care of us, and He usually uses His People to do that. With our deep gratitude, Dan & Esther Penney
Field Leader - Senegal
Tue May 4 14:30:38 2010
See their May Newsletter.
Mon Apr 5 15:05:28 2010
See their April Newsletter.
Fri Mar 5 13:26:58 2010
See their monthly newsletter.
Fri Feb 5 15:59:55 2010
See their February newsletter.
Tue Jan 5 13:41:36 2010
See their January newsletter.
Thu Dec 3 16:18:23 2009
See their December Newsletter.
Thu Nov 5 15:11:03 2009
See their November Newsletter.
Wed Oct 7 14:59:56 2009
See their October Newsletter.
Fri Sep 4 16:00:29 2009
See their September Newsletter.
Fri Jul 31 15:50:55 2009
See their August Newsletter.
Mon Jul 6 01:13:42 2009
See their July Newsletter.
Tue May 5 16:49:49 2009
See their May Newsletter.
Mon Apr 6 19:04:47 2009
See their April Newsletter.
Tue Mar 3 16:59:16 2009
See their March Newsletter.
Mon Feb 2 19:32:28 2009
See their February Newsletter.
Mon Jan 5 14:42:03 2009
Dear WCCC members, Thank you for your generous gift of $200. We thoroughly enjoyed reading the letter written by the mission’s committee about the church goings on. It was well written. We are looking forward to hearing what impact focusing on worship is having on you the congregation and in your community. We’ll be in the area again in the fall of 2010. Thank you again for your gift.
Sincerely,
Dan, Esther, Joel, Luke, Caleb and Zach Penney
Sat Jan 3 01:20:34 2009
See their January Newsletter.
Tue Dec 2 02:44:34 2008
See their December newsletter.
Fri Nov 28 18:29:03 2008
See their November 2008 Newsletter.
Thu Sep 4 19:05:35 2008
See their September 2008 Newsletter.
Thu Aug 7 23:00:23 2008
See their August Newsletter.
Wed Jul 2 17:09:49 2008
See their July Newsletter.
Tue Jun 3 17:00:35 2008
See the Penney's June Newsletter.
Sun May 11 18:50:58 2008
See the May Newsletter.
Wed Apr 9 23:49:20 2008
Hi everyone,
I wanted to let everyone know the latest on my accident (last Wed, April 2).
First of all, we received the most responses to those couple emails than to anything we've ever sent out. So a big THANK YOU to all of you for praying, and for passing it on to others to pray. We had literally hundreds of folks praying around the world (maybe thousands, since many told their churches or prayer groups, etc.). Unfortunately, we received so many replies that we just couldn't respond to them all individually. I wish we could have. In fact, so often I was tempted to reply individually to so many of the kind and encouraging notes we received. But if I'd started to do that, I'd still be typing emails some time next month! So please accept our sincere apologies for not responding personally to your messages. But thank you for writing. And I will take the time here to respond to the various questions some of you had.
1) Many of you asked if there has been any follow-up contact with that man I hit. No, so far there has not been. We left the very next day after the accident for our field's spiritual retreat, which lasted four days, and since then have not had opportunity to seek out any further information or contact.
My Senegales pastor colleague who went into the man's hospital room with me to see him that day tried to learn the man's name. But at that particular moment, the man was not lucid enough to respond (or else chose not to), so we were not able to get his name or any contact information about him. This pastor said he would go by the hospital some time this week to see if he could see the man again. I do not know at this time if he has been able to do that.
2) However, we did receive some additional information since the last email I sent out. The physician's assistant who helped care for the man when he arrived at the hospital called me later that same day (at around 7:30pm) to let me know that "the man is fine." He went on to report that the hospital released the man that same day---the day of the accident!---from the hospital, and that he had walked out under his own power! That can only be the miraculous power of God on display. None of the four of us who were in the vehicle and witnessed the accident would ever have believed that---without the supernatural intervention of God---that man would be up and walking later in the day, let alone released from the hospital and declared "fine" by his doctors!
3) Many of you expressed concern about me. I, too, have had a miraculous recovery. Yes, it was a traumatic experience. Nonetheless, I have not dreamed about the accident. I have had no mental replays of it, or any other classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress. I have not even been afraid to drive or nervous about driving. So the Lord not only spared the man, he spared me from any kind of "injury."
4) Finally, many have asked about the possibility of the man being saved spiritually as well as physically. That is certainly our hope, and we continue to pray for that. However, as explained under #1 above, it is possible that we will not even have the opportunity to have any further contact with this man. If that is the case, we can only pray that the Holy Spirit will follow up with him in some way so as to bring him to a saving knowledge of our Lord. If we are able to have further contact with him, we will certainly try to present to him the gospel and the love of the Father who miraculously spared his physical life. Thanks for praying for us. Your prayers and your replies so encouraged and uplifted us. Your fellow servants,
Dan & Esther Penney
Thu Apr 3 00:13:49 2008
Hi everyone, First, thank you all so much for your fervent prayers on my behalf, and for the man who was injured. I just read Esther's email broadcast to everyone. As she told you, during a trip inland this morning, a man ran across the highway in front of my vehicle, at the very last moment and without looking, and despite my best efforts I was unable to avoid hitting him. He was thrown several feet, to the side of the road, and lay there motionless for many minutes. Here now is the rest of the story.
We have so much to be thankful for. Let me list a few...
I am back home! It is standard practice in Senegal to put the driver of a fatal pedestrian accident in jail for at least 48 hours to protect him from retaliation by the victim's relatives. So even though this man was not dead (yet---for almost an hour, I wondered if he might die), I was very uncertain as to where I might spend the night tonight!
As it turned out, the man I hit was not seriously injured. He had no broken bones, and the doctors who examined him determined that all he needed was a few medications and a followup visit in two days to see how he is doing!
No one else was hurt in any way.
Pastor Adama Diouf---our Senegalese colleague---was able to join me at the hospital in time to help in dealing with the injured man, as well as to help me deal with the police right after that, as they completed the accident report. His presence for that was definitely significant, because the policeman in charge of the accident report (there were two who showed up to investigate the accident) was trying to say that I had been driving too fast, and that as a result I should have my license suspended. It was clear to both Adama and myself that he was simply hoping for a bribe, but Adama helped make it clear that, as pastors, we would not be offering anything, and that to suspend my license would be a miscarriage of justice (Adama asked the policeman how he "knew" that I was driving too fast, since he had not been there to witness the accident). So in the end, the officer wrote up the police report in such a way as to make it clear that I was not at fault, and no fines or suspension of license would be pursued.
The end result of all this is that they did keep my license, but gave me a voucher for it that allows me to continue to drive. Apparently it is standard practice here to keep one's drivers license until the official accident report is typed up, in about two weeks. At that point, I will need to go downtown to the proper office to retrieve both my driver's license and my copy of the accident report. But theoretically, that should be a formality. Both the doctors who examined the man, and the other policeman who came to investigate the accident assured me that this was over, I had nothing to be concerned about. Praise God; he is good. Thank you all so much for your prayers. They were tremendously effective. All four of us who were in the vehicle (I had three people from one of our supporting churches with me) are in agreement that something miraculous occurred. Either the man was miraculously protected from serious injury, or else during the half-hour that he was lying motionless on the side of the road waiting for the ambulance, he was miraculously healed of whatever serious injury had occurred. Given what happened, and the nature of the accident, there is just no way he could have entirely avoided some kind of broken bone or internal injury. So your prayers were answered with a miracle. We just won't know until heaven exactly what that miracle consisted of.
So let me say again, thank you each and every one for your emotional support and for your fervent and effective prayers.
Do continue to pray for the man whom I hit, both for his speedy recovery and his salvation. If and when I have more contact with him, I will let you know about that.
Tired but rejoicing,
Dan Penney
Wed Apr 2 19:06:31 2008
Dear Prayer Partners,
This morning Dan was on his way to another city to visit some of the ministeries there with the pastoral team that has come from the US to teach on spiritual warfare at our spiritual retreat starting tomorrow. About halfway there, a man ran out on the highway without looking and Dan ran into him with the truck. Dan called to ask me to pray and others as well. He is on his way to the hospital with the police. Our Senegalese colleague, Adama Diouf, who he was supposed to meet, is on his way to join him at the hospital and help with discussions with the police. The police were harassing Dan about his poor driving.
Praise:
• that Dan and the others in the vehicle with him were unhurt
• that Adama is available to help him today
• for many people praying
Pray:
• God's glory in this
• protection for all involved
• healing and salvation for the man hit (he did not get up off the road until he was helped to go to the hospital)
• police work of integrity
I know very few details at this point.
Thank you for praying,
Esther
P.S. Adama Diouf just called from the hospital as I was about to send this out to you. The man was not badly hurt and will be able to walk away from this without significant injury. The police are therefore going to release Dan today after issuing the police report. Dan is still at the hospital buying the medicines the man will need.
Tue Apr 1 19:03:15 2008
See their April Newsletter.
Mon Mar 3 22:41:15 2008
See their March Newsletter.
Sat Feb 9 17:24:09 2008
See their February Newsletter.
Wed Jan 2 20:23:09 2008
See the January Newsletter.
Thu Dec 6 17:06:55 2007
See the December 2007 newsletter.
Fri Nov 2 18:48:34 2007
See their November 2007 Newsletter.
Thu Oct 4 19:58:40 2007
See the October Newsletter.
Mon Sep 3 19:08:46 2007
See their September Newsletter.
Tue Jul 31 23:09:44 2007
See their August Newsletter.
Fri Jul 6 00:23:31 2007
See the Penney's July 2007 Update
Sat Jun 2 20:12:01 2007
See the June 2007 update.
Tue May 1 19:19:52 2007
See the May 2007 Newsletter
Mon Apr 16 23:33:56 2007
See the Penney's April Update.
Sat Mar 3 00:20:48 2007
We are enjoying a visit from Mom & Dad Kendall (“Grandma & Grandpa” for the boys). As always, it is a delight to be able to have them in our home for a couple weeks. Very few missionaries have the privilege of being able to be with their parents as often as we do, so we praise the Lord for this blessing.
! Please pray for two of our sons, Luke and Caleb. Each has some kind of mild illness, which manifests itself as a daily recurring malaise (and in Caleb’s case, frequent headache and/or tummy ache). Both have been going on for a long time; Luke’s since August of last year! Two doctors now are stumped as to the cause, having run any number of lab tests on them and found nothing.
FIELD NEWS
! PRAISE THE LORD! Senegal’s presidential elections (Feb 25) were accomplished with complete calm. The
Constitutional Commission (charged with certifying the election results) declared today that the incumbent,
President W ade, was decisively reelected. Unfortunately, two of his opponents have publicly declared their opinion that the election was fraudulent, and have stated that they will legally challenge the results, so please continue to pray against any possible violence. (An independent, international election observation commission has declared the election “free and fair.”)
! Pray fervently for our colleague, Mary Anne Lattin, who has developed debilitating pain in her leg due to a pinched nerve in her back. For over a week now, the doctors have been unable to alleviate the pain, prompting consideration of evacuating her to the US for treatment. Pray for an abatement of her pain within the next 48 hours (by Sunday), and for eventual complete healing so that she can continue her critical work for WorldVenture in the Diourbel area of Senegal. She retires in two years, but has several important projects she desires to complete before that time.
! We are enjoying a visit from not one, but two, of our WorldVenture leaders. Glenn & Kathy Kendall, Africa
Director, as well as Jeff Denlinger, our Vice President of International Ministries, are both here for a few more days. W e have had good talks with them, and Jeff in particular is getting the chance to see, for the first time with his own eyes, what God is doing through WorldVenture in Senegal. Pray that this visit will enable him to better lead the International Ministries division of WorldVenture.
! Pray for the West Africa Field Leaders conference (Mar 5-7). Dan will be traveling to Bamako, Mali for it.
Glenn & Kathy, and Jeff Denlinger are also participating. Please pray for Esther, too, as she remains at home with the boys for those three days.
! Dakar Academy’s school board meetings (Feb 5 & 6) went well. Thank you for praying for wisdom.
MINISTRY
! Pray that we would be able to find the funding sources the Lord has in mind for ITES*. W e will need approximately $250,000 for the construction of the school’s main building on our new land just outside the city of Thies (the 2nd largest city in Senegal).
! Pray also for Adama Diouf, ITES’ director. He leaves on March 7 for a 3-week trip to the US. We’re hoping that God will use this trip to capture the hearts of key partners, both for him personally as well as for ITES.
Pray that God will spread the vision of this critical player in the establishment of Christ’s kingdom in Senegal and beyond.
! Just yesterday, the day guard for one of our neighbors expressed interest in becoming a Christian! He is a Muslim, but now wants to read for himself what Jesus said. We will be giving him a New Testament, hopefully today. Pray for him!
Fri Feb 2 13:21:31 2007
Dan & Esther Penney’s “Rejoice & Request” update – February 2007 PERSONAL & FAMILY ! Praise the Lord for a restful week at Ngaparou (our field’s beach campsite, about an hour and a half from Dakar). We enjoyed sand, sun, surf, and family time, and even some New Year’s. ! Pray that we will know God’s wisdom for setting priorities for allocating our time and energy. Already there seems to be more to do than time to do it, and it will soon get busier, with board meetings, a couple trips, and a visit from our Africa Director along with his boss (WorldVenture’s International Ministries Director). ! We’re thankful that Zack has finally decided to sleep through the night! We are finally getting uninterrupted sleep, and feeling much more rested. FIELD NEWS ! Thank you, THANK YOU, for praying for our field’s Strategic Planning meetings. They went extremely well. We were clearly guided by the Spirit through our times of prayer together. The whole team left the meetings excited about what the Lord is telling us He will do in Senegal in the near future. ! Pray that we as a team would continue to be sensitive to the Spirit's leading about how He desires to penetrate this land with his truth and salvation. ! Pray for the Dakar Academy school board meetings, Feb 5 & 6 (Dan is on the school board). ! Please also pray for the peace and stability of Senegal. We are due for presidential elections on Feb 25 (an event which occurs only once every 7 years here). Senegal has always had peaceful transitions of government. However, many feel that the current president has made some unwise moves recently, jailing opposition leaders on suspicions, sending the police out to forcibly break up peaceful protest marches, and postponing parliamentary elections so as to maintain his party’s majority there. So, we are somewhat concerned about what might happen if elections don't go the way he wants, or if he is re-elected and that makes others extremely unhappy. There have been minor incidents at election time in the past, like rock-throwing or small-scale riots. Hopefully, even that will not happen, but there is always the potential for much worse, especially in Africa. (A bit of trivia: Senegal is the only West African nation---and possibly the only African nation---that has never had a coup or a violent turnover in government. May the Lord grant that this stability continues.) MINISTRY ! A huge THANKS to all of you who provided the incredible prayer support for Dan’s meeting with the Imam Mbotch. We feel that a good beginning of dialog was established. Pray that he will read the Arabic book Dan gave him, and that its contents will disturb him until he acknowledges Jesus as God’s divine Son. ! Continue to pray for the mosque across the street from our house. God has given us the vision to pray that it will soon be used for the worship of Jesus Christ, and so become a church! ! Continue to pray for ITES*. The national director, Adama Diouf, is scheduled for a trip to the US in March.
Hopefully, as folks hear his heart and catch his vision for leadership training in Senegal, the Lord will use it to call some to provide the necessary funds for the construction of the main classroom building on our new land in Thies (pronounced “tee-ess”). Thank you for your prayers. Your financial support allows us to be here, but it is your prayers allow us to be fruitful.
Fri Jan 19 21:09:43 2007
Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for all your prayers. We felt so supported by prayer. I think more of you responded to our prayer request than did to Zack's birth announcement! We were so encouraged. Now let me tell you how it went...
Our imam friend came right at six o'clock, surprising us a bit by being on time (such is not customary here). We shared our family supper with him, which he politely ate, although I doubt it tasted good to him (we had warned him it would be a very American meal). Afterwards, I sat in our living room with him while Esther nursed Zack upstairs and then put all the boys to bed.
We made small talk for quite a while, but he finally got around to asking his questions. I had thought that either he would be somewhat attacking and beligerant, or that he would show a spiritual interest. As it turned out, neither was really the case. He had several simple questions about the contents of the cassette tape. He was just looking to understand some details that puzzled him. For example, his first question was about Mary's husband. Apparently, Muslim teaching makes no mention of Mary being married after giving birth to Jesus. So he wanted to clarify that Mary did indeed get married. Then he was puzzled about the husband, Joseph, pointing out that the Koran said that Joseph was in Egypt during the time before Moses, and became as powerful as the pharaoh. I explained that these were two different Josephs, Mary's husband being named after the Joseph of Egypt, thousands of years later. After several such questions, he seemed to be satisfied. At one point, he expressed some surprise that the cassette had stated that Jesus had ascended into heaven alive. He said he thought we Christians believed that Jesus had died (Muslims do NOT believe that Jesus died, but that God surruptitiously put a look-alike in his place, and that person died on the cross while Jesus ascended immediately to heaven). I explained that, yes, the Bible says that Jesus died on the cross, but that three days later he arose from the dead, and after that ascended into heaven. This was the only point of disagreement during the evening, and it was not at all argumentative.
All in all, we are encouraged by this interaction. It demonstrates an interest in what really happened around Jesus' birth, and hopefully God will stir this interest into a parched search for Truth.
It may be that the most exciting part of the evening was toward the end. I had noticed that he had scribbled notes to himself about his questions, and that these notes were in Arabic. I was mildly surprised, not only that he'd written himself notes, but that his written language of choice would be Arabic, not Wolof or French. So I asked him which language he read better, French or Arabic. He responded that he read both, but that he read more in Arabic. (The previous day, I had discovered on my bookshelves a book in Arabic, written specifically for Muslims, that I had forgotten I even owned). So I told him that I had a book in Arabic; did he want it? When he responded positively, I went and got it and gave it to him. He perused it, reading me subtitles and remarking that many of the prophets' names listed in it were also in the Koran. He promised to read it, and I expressed my openness to discuss with him anything in the book. (The book is entitled All That The Prophets Have Spoken, and it demonstrates that all the prophets that the Muslims claim to follow---excluding Mohammed, of course---all pointed to Jesus, and then it details what they had to say about him.)
Praise the Lord that he set up the opportunity for this man to receive, not only the Good News, but in a form he most trusts (Arabic, the language of God according to Muslims), and in a presentation specifically designed to help Muslims overcome their barriers of misunderstanding of God's Word.
Please continue to pray for Mbaye Mbotch:
1) That he will, indeed, read the book.
2) That he will be enabled to understand God's Word, and the Truth will penetrate his heart.
3) That the eyes of his heart will be opened, and he will accept his Savior.
Thank you for your prayer support. We do not believe God would have acted so dramatically in this situation were it not for so many of you offering prayers of faith to God for him.
Tue Jan 16 22:38:34 2007
Dear prayer partners,
We suddenly find ourselves faced with an unusual opportunity, and one we want backed with as much prayer as possible.
As I think we mentioned in our last regular update, we tried to include our neighbors in our Christmas celebration (as they do with us on their holidays) by giving each household a plate of Christmas cookies and a cassette tape with four 5-minute Christmas-related messages in Wolof. Several have expressed their appreciation for this small gift, but one particularly surprised us...
Our local imam (the Muslim equivalent of a pastor), whose name is Mbaye Mbotch (we've mentioned him before), came by the other day---just as we were pulling out of the driveway to go on our week's vacation---to tell us that he had listened to the cassette tape through twice (!), and that he wanted to discuss it with us. Since we could not do so just then, we told him that we would be in contact with him as soon as we returned from our trip, to set a time to talk with him. This afternoon, I (Dan) was able to stop by his home, and we agreed to get together on Thursday evening. Please pray that the Truth of God's Word will penetrate this man's heart, that the eyes of his heart will be opened for him to understand it, and that the Holy Spirit will specifically guide each word we say to him, so that this conversation will have maximum kingdom impact. It may be that all he wants to do is refute some of the "objectionable" things said on the cassette. But even if that is all this is, it is still exciting that he feels it necessary to do that. And praise God if it is actually genuine interest on his part to seek and know the truth. May it be so, and may he find the eternal Truth in the Person of God's Son. Thanks for your prayers. We feel woefully inadequate for this task, but we know by faith that God can work through us despite our inadequacy. Your fellow servants,
Dan & Esther Penney
Thu Jan 4 16:37:00 2007
Dan & Esther Penney’s “Rejoice & Request” update – January 2007 Happy New Year! PERSONAL & FAMILY ! Thanks for your prayers regarding Dan’s computer. He was able to secure a new hard drive from the US, and has reinstalled all his software and data onto it. While it did require several days’ time to do all the reloading and reconfiguring, he is back up and running, and lost almost nothing. Praise the Lord. This fancier version of our “R&R” is testimony to his newly working computer. ! We both enjoyed watching the three older boys in their Christmas program at Dakar Academy. Zack seems to enjoy the music.
FIELD NEW S
! Please continue to pray for our field’s Strategic Planning days. They will be Jan 4-6. We will commit the entire first day to prayer, in part asking God to direct the following two days of planning. Pray that his Spirit will be present, and that He will truly guide us to his own perfect plan for ministry here in Senegal.
! Pray for the transition to new personnel in some critical roles for the team. Our Field Treasurer is leaving for Home Assignment soon, and we have hired a Business Agent. Until now much our field business was performed by the same person who served as our Field Treasurer. But this is getting to be too much for one person, so we have hired a Senegalese believer to be our “business agent,” to perform many business tasks that would otherwise take up ministry time. This person will begin February 1, so pray that this arrangement will be highly beneficial to all involved. MINISTRY ! The organization of the library at ITES* is coming along. It has required a bit more work than anticipated, but all are pleased with the results of the school’s installation in our new Dakar facilities .
The librarian from Bourkina Faso was a huge help, but some of the work still needs to be done. ! Continue to pray for God’s guidance regarding the land ITES purchased in Thiès (about 50 miles inland). The school will need significant funds in order to take advantage of this great opportunity to build permanent, tailor-made facilities for leadership training into the future. ! Pray for the mosque being built across the street from our house. God has given us the vision to pray that it will someday soon be used for the worship of Jesus Christ, and so become a church! Pray also for the imam for this mosque. His name is Mbotch, he is a neighbor of ours, and we are beginning to have brief interactions with him. He is one of several with whom we shared tapes in Wolof about Christmas (along with Christmas cookies). May he come to know our Savior! *ITES stands for Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal (which means,"Evangelical Theology Institute of Senegal"), and was formerly known as IED (Institut Evangelique de Dakar). It is Senegal's premier church leadership training school. WorldVenture is one of the school's co-founders. Thank you for your prayers. Your financial support allows us to be here, but it is your prayers allow us to be fruitful.
Mon Jan 1 14:51:17 2007
Dear Members of Windy City Community Church, Thank you for your $150 Christmas gift. Joel and Luke had to get their first pair of glasses on Saturday. We used your gift to help pay for them. Thank you for helping provide. Also, we appreciate the way you as a church feature us and other missionaries and continue to pray for us. Thank you again, Love in Christ,
Esther and Dan, Joel Luke Caleb, Zack A Christmas Gift with Eternal Impact (like the very first one!) According to our most recent information, Senegal has 180 cell groups or churches. That’s great news in this land of 95% Muslims. However, 80 of those churches or groups have no trained pastoral leadership! That’s not to say they have no pastor. Rather, what leadership they have has had no training beyond a primary school level—not theological, not pastoral, not even any leadership or management training. In fact, most Senegalese pastors have less biblical training than the person reading this page (that’s right—you!). That’s because most likely you’ve sat in Sunday school since you were a kid. That gives you more Bible background than many of these pastors! There’s an excellent chance that, in terms of training at least, you’re better qualified to be a pastor than the majority of those who are doing the job in this country! Now you know the depth of the need. But most of the time, a need also represents an opportunity. And in this case, there’s a vehicle already in place that could meet this need. It’s called ITES (for Evangelical Theology Institute of Senegal). ITES, originally called IED, was founded in 1994 by three Senegalese churches and three western missions (including WorldVenture), all of whom saw this need on the horizon. This year—its twelfth—ITES is serving 38 students through 22 part-time professors and staff. But we need to do much more. And for years we’ve been praying to be able to do more. Three months ago the Institute was able to purchase an acre of land for the construction of permanent facilities, something the school has never had. This is a huge answer to prayer. However, of the $16,000 that has been donated specifically for permanent facilities for the Institute, $11,000 was consumed by the cost of the land and the legal fees and taxes on the purchase. That leaves $5,000 for construction. Our conservative estimate for the cost of the facilities we need for the near future is $250,000. In faith we are proceeding with the $5,000 remaining in the fund. We believe God is going to multiply it like he did the widow’s oil and the five loaves and two fish. But we would ask you to join us in praying fervently that the Lord would quickly provide the remaining finances we need to build these facilities. This is a window of opportunity. The government has given us two years to begin “developing” the land (which means building on it). A yeare-end gift to the ITES construction project would continue to have an impact, not just for years to come in Senegal, as better-trained pastors grow their churches and reach their communities. Such a gift would literally reach into eternity! Some of these untrained men are already leading their congregations to plant other churches. But how many more sister and daughter churches might be planted in this Muslim country if we can better train the church leaders? How many more souls will be won to Christ as that training trickles down to the believers of these small congregations through pastoral teaching and mentoring, and as the believers rub shoulders with their Muslim friends, neighbors, and family members? We will never know. But I can promise you that it will make a difference. Penneys for your thoughts and Prayers
Sat Dec 2 11:49:48 2006
Dan & Esther Penney's "Rejoice & Request" Update -- December 2006
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
How many backup systems do you have? We find that we need more backup systems here. For instance, we have a backup water supply in the form of two large tanks on our roof, which we use almost daily. As of two months ago we have backup electricity in the form of a generator, which we use once or twice a week. And this month, we are writing you from our "backup" computer, which normally serves as Esther's---and sometimes the boys'---computer when Dan's is working properly (see the story of his hard drive crash below). ("Rejoices" are in blue---and also italicized for you black-and-white-only folks; the "Requests" are in red, and bolded).
PERSONAL & FAMILY
Esther's itchy skin is much better. Thank you for praying. She still gets tingles now and then, especially when it is particularly humid, but with the arrival of the cooler, dryer weather, she is much better, and her sleep is not as affected.
Despite a sudden hard drive failure, we lost very little of our critical data, and are still able to communicate with you all (our prayer support team). Dan was able to get the important files and email from a backup he had done only ten days before the hard drive crash. He loaded these onto Esther's computer, and that is functioning as our main computer until Dan receives a replacement hard drive ordered from the US. Praise the Lord for his grace in what could have been a much bigger disaster. Please pray, however, that Dan's new hard drive arrives in good working order, and that he will be able to get his computer all reconfigured with a minimum of time and effort.
FIELD NEWS
Thank you for praying for our Annual Field Conference (Nov 14-16). It went exceptionally well. We did end up with some difficult issues to work through. But we all sensed the Spirit of God in our midst. Individuals were willing to sacrifice in order to alleviate the problems or concerns of teammates, and so all the "sticky" issues were resolved with grace. We ended the three days of meetings with a sense of gratitude to our colleagues and a sense of awe at God's work in our team (it was actually one day of prayer and two days of "business").
Now please begin praying for our next set of meetings, Jan 4-6 (seems like all we do is have meetings, but these two we've just mentioned are pretty important). January 4-6 is for the purpose of Strategic Planning, which we revisit annually. We want to determine how God can most effectively use the WorldVenture-Senegal team to reach Senegal and the Muslim world for Jesus Christ. He has given us a huge vision (see our website, listed below, if you want to know exactly what it is). We desperately need his guidance as to how he plans to fulfill that vision through us.
MINISTRY
Adama Diouf's (our ITES director) trip to Uganda went very well. ITES' accreditation as a French-language theological institution is on track for a June approval. He was also able to secure accreditation for a partner institution of their masters track in leadership and management. This gives ITES the ability to train on both the theological/pastoral level as well as on the leadership/management level, a big need here.
Dan has the opportunity to attend a global WorldVenture conference on theological education in Jordan. However, God will have to supply the funds for this conference, including round trip airfare to Amman.
Please pray for the organization and development of ITES' library. A Christian woman from Bourkina Faso who has a masters in library science has come to help us organize our library. However, ITES' library is also the one key to our accreditation that may not be "up to snuff." We need more reference and theological books, which of course are costly.
Pray especially for the search for funds for the construction of permanent facilities on ITES' new land. In order for the government to honor our ownership of the property, we need to begin developing it (building on it) within two years. However, after the land purchase we have only $5,000 left in our ITES Facilities Construction fund. Our estimate on the construction costs is around $250,000. Pray that God will motivate donors to provide for this exceptional opportunity.
*ITES stands for Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal (which means, "Evangelical Theology Institute of Senegal"), and was formerly known as IED (Institut Evangelique de Dakar). It is Senegal's premier church leadership training school. WorldVenture is one of the school's co-founders.
Thank you for your prayers. Your financial support allows us to be here, but it is your prayers allow us to be fruitful.
(You have our permission to distribute or reproduce this information as you feel appropriate.)
Sat Nov 4 12:48:36 2006
How did it get to be November 4th already? We apologize for our tardiness in getting this month's update out. Dan had meetings every day this week, which left Esther to hold the home front on her own. So... as usual we've relied on your prayers for strength and wisdom, and we thank you for your faithfulness. ("Rejoices" are in blue---and also italicized for you black-and-white-only folks; the "Requests" are in red, and bolded).
Housekeeping note: We are considering changing the format of this monthly update, sending you an attached PDF (Adobe Acrobat) file instead of simple email text. This would allow us to include color pictures and other, more interesting features. Please let us know if this would be desirable to you. Especially let us know if a PDF attachment would create difficulties for you in accessing or reading the update. Thanks.
PERSONAL & FAMILY
„h Thanks so much for praying for our family's illness. All of us are healthy now. Joel & Luke still have some lingering fatigue in the mornings, but at least they have not missed any school in the last couple weeks. Praise the Lord.
„h We thoroughly enjoyed a brief visit from Esther's parents. Glenn, who is also our WorldVenture supervisor, was very helpful in some administrative "business" areas, and Kathy, Esther's Mom, helped out immensely around the house. Esther and I even took one evening out together by ourselves while they watched all four boys, a rare treat these days.
„h Please pray about a skin itchiness that Esther has had ever since a couple weeks after Zack's birth. The doctor has diagnosed it as an allergy to water! (We thought he was crazy, but lab tests have since confirmed this.) Although it represents no serious health implications, the itchiness can be so irritating at times that it keeps her from sleeping, which itself is a serious issue when her nights are already so disrupted. Pray for good rest.
„h We finally purchased a generator. Dan was able to find a very good quality one at a reasonable price. Another plus: he found one big enough that he could hook it into the house wiring so that we can just fire it up, flip a switch, and use whatever lights and appliances we need. Praise the Lord for this helpful resource.
„h Sidebar: We've added an up-to-date family photo to our personal website (one that includes Zack). You can check it out at www.penneys.us
FIELD NEWS
„h Dan's trip to Mali for Field Leadership meetings went well (Oct 11-12). There was good interaction on certain issues facing those who are responsible for the smooth administration of WorldVenture's West Africa fields.
„h Dan just completed this quarter's regular school board meetings (Nov 2-3). They went very well. Dakar Academy is in excellent shape, both financially and academically. The board extended the meetings to an unusual third day, not because of difficulties, but because of the far-reaching nature of some important decisions that could not be rushed nor put off (we are in the midst of a long-range building plan development, among other things).
„h Please pray for our upcoming Annual Field Conference (Nov 14-16). There are many decisions to be made in those two and a half days, and many critical responsibilities that need to be assumed by various personnel. Pray for Dan as he uses the rare opportunity of having the whole field team together to reinforce some of the field's vision and team values.
MINISTRY
„h At ITES* the new academic year is off and running smoothly. The professors and other administrative staff are very pleased to have the new facilities at United World Mission's conference compound on the outskirts of Dakar. Praise the Lord for this resource, and that the arrangement seems to be working well.
„h ITES' library is finally on the shelves of its new library room! This is an answer to long prayers, since during the two years that we had no permanent facilities, all our library books were sitting in a storeroom packed in cardboard boxes (not much use to anyone!). We praise the Lord also for office space in which to set up our computers, not only for staff use, but also for the students (for internet research, etc.).
„h Pray for Adama Diouf, ITES' national director, who is on a trip to Uganda this weekend, representing ITES at a conference of all the French-language theological institutions in Africa. He is also delivering our application for accreditation to the those responsible for giving final approval of that to ITES.
„h We have had a couple good interactions with our neighbors recently. Dan was finally able to deliver the "ngente" photos to Mbotch, the local imam. And Esther had a good talk with Amy & Mohammadou.
„h There has been much administrative work these past several weeks. We have often had the feeling of being "swamped." But God has been good, giving just enough energy and time to do what He wants done. Please pray, however, that we would know His priorities. We do not want good activities to squeeze out the most important ones, and only He knows for certain which ones have the most eternal significance.
*ITES stands for Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal (which means, "Evangelical Theology Institute of Senegal"), and was formerly known as IED (Institut Evangelique de Dakar). It is Senegal's premier church leadership training school. WorldVenture is one of the school's co-founders.
Thank you for your prayers. Your financial support allows to BE in Senegal, but your prayers allow us to have an eternal impact.
Thu Oct 19 14:40:30 2006
October 10-12, 2006
Dan travels to Bamako, Mali for a West Africa Field Leaders conference with WorldVenture.
Pray for Esther during those three days, as it will be her first stretch at home alone with the four boys.
Mon Oct 2 22:14:55 2006
As we've said before, each month seems to have its own theme. September's theme was illness, along with some sleeplessness, and many power failures. We're not complaining, nor are we discouraged (at least not at the moment!). But we have had to rely on the Lord's grace a bit more than usual this month. And we've relied on your prayers too, so thank you for your faithfulness. ("Rejoices" are in blue---and also italicized for you black-and-white-only folks; the "Requests" are in red, and bolded). PERSONAL & FAMILY As mentioned, the whole family has struggled with illness this month (we're normally amazingly healthy). Joel and Luke's battle began at the beginning of August, and although they improved somewhat after a couple weeks, they've not been 100% for the last eight weeks. Meanwhile, Caleb caught something that kept him out of school for a week, and has passed it on to Esther (fortunately, Caleb's better now). So far, Dan and Zack have been the healthiest (although Dan caught a brief cold). Pray for full health for all of us, and especially a speedy recovery for Esther. (It is partly just this time of year here, but it has also been an especially bad season for nasty viruses. Caleb's class at school had an 80% absentee rate for several days last week!)
We are rejoicing in a two-week visit from Esther's Mom. One of God's graces this month was that, with all the sickness going around, Esther did not get sick until after her Mom arrived, which has greatly helped the household continue to run smoothly even though Esther isn't feeling well.
Sidebar: We finally have our personal web site up and running. There's not too much there yet, but you can see a couple really cute pictures of Zack, as well as some family photos. Check it out at www.penneys.us
FIELD NEWS
We said a tearful goodbye to one of our colleagues this month. Mary Yuill retired after 40 years of service in Africa with WorldVenture / CBInternational / CBFMS. Twenty-two of those years were here in Senegal, so there were many folks whose lives have been touched by her faithfulness in ministry. While it is very sad for us to see her go, we rejoiced at being able to celebrate her example of a life devoted to the service of the Master.
Fortunately, we have other folks on the way to serve with us here in Senegal. You can pray for the following four families, as they seek support partners in preparation to join the WorldVenture-Senegal team: David & Denise McCarthy, Matt & Niki Paschall, Bo & Michele Columbine, and Gerald & Alice Harkins.
Please pray for Dan's trip to Mali this month. He will be gone for three days (Oct 10-12), attending WorldVenture's semi-annual West Africa Field Leaders conference. Pray not only for him, but for Esther during those three days he will be gone. It will be the first time since Zack's birth that she will be "on her own".
MINISTRY ITES* first annual stakeholders meeting went well. There is still much to be done, but we are now better positioned to move forward in an official way with regard to the Senegalese government.
Pray for the start of the academic year for ITES on October 9. This is somewhat of a critical year for the Institute. The administration decided to accept no new students this fall, because the school's staff is nearly overwhelmed focusing on the many ways in which we are "re-building" this year: the re-establishment and re-organization of the library now that we have space for one again; the re-deployment of the school at a new location; the development of long-term plans for our newly acquired land near Thies; and the implementation of several new initiatives, such as the Women's Department, and a re-vamped academic program). We believe that this institution will play a key role in the development of a mature church in West Africa, so please pray for ITES.
Continue to pray for opportunities to speak Truth into our neighbors' lives. Although Dan has tried a couple times, he has not been able to connect with Mbotch (the local imam) since a week after our "ngente." Hopefully the photos we took, which we are gradually passing out to the folks who came, will still be an excuse to get together with him again.
Pray with us for the so-called mosque going up across the street from us (construction progress has re-started this week). We say "so-called" because despite the purposes of those who are building it, by faith we consider it a church already, and are praying for the transformation in the lives of those who will worship there so that by the time it is completed, it will indeed function as a church to the worship of Jesus Christ.
Pray especially for our Muslim friends this month. Their holy month of fasting, Ramadan, began on September 24, and will most likely end on October 23 (no one knows for sure ahead of time, as it depends on when the holy men declare that they've seen the new moon). Devout Muslims not only fast during this month (during the day), but many are truly more sensitive to spiritual things, seeking God with a degree of sincerity that they might not do the rest of the year (somewhat like nominal Christians might do during our Christmas season). Pray that Christ would reveal himself to them during this time of increased spiritual awareness, and that they would come to Him. And pray that we would know how to facilitate that in any way that we can.
*ITES stands for Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal (which means, "Evangelical Theology Institute of Senegal"), and was formerly known as IED (Institut Evangelique de Dakar). It is Senegal's premier church leadership training school. WorldVenture is one of the school's co-founders.
Thu Sep 7 13:06:27 2006
Dan & Esther Penney's "Rejoice & Request" Update -- September 2006
August heralded the arrival of two long-awaited things, and several firsts. By now you know that Zack's arrival (our fourth son) was THE big long-awaited event. But another was the publication (finally) of our Senegal field's own website. That was also one of the firsts, as was our first ever "ngente", a traditional Senegalese baby-naming ceremony (and one reason why this month's R&R is somewhat late). Details on all these and more below. (For those of you reading this in black-and-white, the blue "Rejoices" are also italicized, and the red "Requests" are bolded).
PERSONAL & FAMILY
• We praise God for a very smooth delivery and aftermath. Esther's labor was short, there were no complications. Zack has been a very healthy, happy baby so far. The irony is that during this hot season when it is difficult to sleep without fans, the constant power outages are creating more sleeplessness than our newborn! (At night, Zack sleeps 4-6 hours at a time already, which means that Esther gets up only once a night with him--another praise!)
• (A parenthesis here on Zack... The whole family has fallen in love with this little guy. For those of you who desperately want to see photos, ask Tom Thomas for website information. If you don't want to wade through all 140+ photos---in two "albums"---just check out the "Your favorites" album).
• Thanks, too, for praying for a smooth transition. It has been remarkably so. Zack has so far been a pleasant baby. Esther has healed quickly and feels better than anticipated at this point in time. And the other three boys are enjoying their very little brother. Please continue to pray about this, however, because...
• All three of the older boys are mildly sick at the moment. Joel and Luke missed almost two of the first three weeks of school. They are feeling much better, and so are going to school most days now. But they are not yet back to normal, and now Caleb is beginning to display the same symptoms (lack of energy, lack of appetite, general malaise, and occasional low-grade fever). We do not yet know what this might be, although we've eliminated many things. It seems as if it must be a virus, but it has hung on for a full month now. Pray for healing for them, and that Zack will not get it, as it could be much more serious for him.
• Pray that Senegal will be able to restore consistent electricity. We had thought this issue was resolved back in April, but apparently the government is once again way behind in paying their electric bill, so we are all suffering with long, regular power cuts (usually about 8 hours off for each 8 hours on!). This makes it difficult to get work done, to keep food from spoiling, or to sleep at night in the heat. Pray again about wisdom as to whether to spend the money for a large generator (Dan has not been able to get the small donated one working).
FIELD NEWS
• Thank you for praying for our field's Spiritual Retreat. It was not quite what Dan had hoped, partly because many of our personnel ended up having to back out at the last minute due to unforeseen responsibilities or other issues. But for those who were able to make it, it was a good time together.
• It has been a good start of the school year at Dakar Academy. Dan's August school board meetings went well, and needed upgrades to the facilities are in progress. Several of the staff vacancies have been filled since the start of school.
• As mentioned in the opening paragraph, we proudly announce the availability of our new Senegal field website. Please check it out, at (ask Tom Thomas for the web address). Feel free to give us suggestions as to how to make it better. After all, this site is meant as a tool to communicate with you, and for you and your churches to use, so please tell us what we might do to make it more useful to you.
• Pray that we might find a national to serve as our field's "business agent." We need someone who is capable and honest enough to pay bills, deal with the bank, renew car registrations, and do a myriad of other business activities for us so as to free up our personnel who are currently spending lots of time this way rather than in ministry. Also, this will give us the opportunity to provide employment for a Senegalese Christian in need of income, or else to establish a working relationship with one who is not a believer and hopefully will come to believe as a result.
MINISTRY
• ITES* will have its first annual stakeholders meeting this month. This is both a praise and a prayer request. The meeting is sort of the equivalent of "going public" for a company. It marks a change in the structure of the administration of this school, which until now has been run exclusively by a small, self-appointed board of directors. On September 27, a new board of directors will be formally elected at this annual stakeholders meeting, and the board will be accountable to them from now on. Little will change in the actual practice of running the school, but this is a significant step in preparing the Institute for future growth, as well as for eventual formal recognition by the Senegalese government as a legitimate institution of higher education for the Senegalese. Pray that it will go well, and that we will follow the Spirit's wisdom.
• Thank you all for praying for our "ngente." It did indeed go well. While we did not have as big a crowd as we expected, those who came were effusive in their appreciation. It was a good blend of non-believing acquaintances, Senegalese Christian friends, and a few western missionaries. All went well. Esther's good friend and neighbor, Amy Faye, supervised all the logistics (food preparation, chair rental, etc.). Pastor Adama Diouf spoke about the various Zechariahs in the Bible, their character and influence, and the heritage that Zack is thus being born into by virtue of his namesakes. We discovered that Zechariah (which "Zachary" means in French) is one of the Muslims' recognized prophets (mentioned in the Koran), and so they know the name and identify with the character! Maybe more important, we reinforced some relationships within the community around our house. In particular, the imam of our local mosque came and was given opportunity to speak briefly (which is customary). We hope this is another step toward building a significant relationship with him.
• Pray now for our followup with our neighbors and friends who came to the ngente. We want to use the opportunities presented by this connection. Pray that we will know how to do so effectively.
*ITES stands for Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal (which means, "Evangelical Theology Institute of Senegal"), and was formerly known as IED (Institut Evangelique de Dakar). It is Senegal's premier church leadership training school. WorldVenture is one of the school's co-founders.
Thu Aug 31 17:27:54 2006
Dear Prayer Team,
Normally we would send out our monthly "R&R" update tomorrow. However, given all that's happening in our home this week, I (Dan) am not sure I'm going to get the R&R out before Saturday (the 2nd), and we wanted you to know about an event planned for this Saturday morning, so that you can pray about it with us. Besides, this way you can hear about how it went right away, instead of waiting until next month.
As we mentioned last month, we've decided to do a traditional Senegalese baby-naming ceremony (called an "ngente"). This will happen on Saturday morning, from 8-10am (GMT). Please pray over this event with us. We have asked a Senegalese pastor to host this ceremony. He recently did one for his own new son, born this past May. Being Senegalese, he knows exactly which pieces of this ceremony can be done in the traditional way, and which must be modified in order to bring glory to Christ rather than "participate with demons", as the apostle Paul put it. We are hoping that this event, which is almost never done by western families, will serve two purposes: 1) that it will be one more bridge to our neighbors and our Muslim friends, as they see us trying to reach out to them in culturally relevant ways; and 2) that the ceremony itself, modified as it will be to incorporate praise to Jesus rather than the sacrifice of a sheep to protect the new child, will be a witness of Christ's love and truth to all who come.
We are a bit uncertain even as to our own parts in this drama. Esther has attended only one "ngente" herself. I (Dan) have never been to one. And we certainly have never put on one ourselves. Fortunately, a couple of our Senegalese neighbors are assisting us in preparing the food, and arranging for the other necessary elements.
Pray not only that it goes well, so that our neighbors feel welcome, but that it is the witness for Jesus that we hope it will be. Thank you so much for your prayers. Sincerely,
Dan Penney (for us 6) P.S. We will broadcast our normal "R&R" within the next several days, hopefully including an update on how this event went.
Thu Aug 24 23:27:37 2006
Hi everyone,
This is to announce the arrival of Zachary James Penney, born at 2:18 local time (GMT) on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006. Mommy and baby are both doing great. Zack (as he is known to his closest acquaintances) was 8 lbs, 6 oz, 21 inches long, and quite healthy.
God is good! Our sincere thanks for all your prayers. Dan, for us 6 Penneys
Fri Aug 4 11:57:46 2006
Dan & Esther Penney's "Rejoice & Request" Update -- August 2006
With the passing of July, our summer is basically over. (How did that happen so fast?) Two days from now, we have our field's annual Spiritual Retreat, very shortly after which we fully expect the arrival of our fourth child. Before we've recovered from that (on August 14), Joel, Luke, & Caleb will start back to school. So although it is technically still summer, in some ways this feels like our first "fall" update. (For those of you reading this in black-and-white, the blue "Rejoices" are also italicized, and the red "Requests" are bolded). PERSONAL & FAMILY As of tomorrow, Esther is at 38 weeks and counting, so medically speaking, the baby can now arrive at any moment and have every likelihood of no complications or difficulties. We praise God for bringing us this far, and for his promise "to take care of it" from start to finish. (Yes, we will announce the birth to all of you via email as soon as conveniently possible after the event.)
Please pray for a smooth transition to life with a newborn in the family. And not only for us as new parents once again, but for our other three boys. They are very excited about the arrival of their new little brother, but we know there will also be adjustments that they are not anticipating (despite our attempts to prepare them).
Also, please pray for the three older boys as they begin school again on August 14, especially as that event will coincide with the other big family event of this year (see previous request). Pray for good rapport with their new teachers.
FIELD NEWS
Pray for an excellent Spiritual Retreat for the whole field team, August 6-8. With the new changes in our field structure, our annual Spiritual Retreat is now one of only four times per year that the whole field is together. Pray for unity, good interaction, and God's direction through our guest speaker (a fellow missionary with another mission here in Senegal).
Continue to pray for a smooth transition to the new field structure. As of this month, the Senegal field is now divided into three sub-teams based on ministry function. Pray for Dan as the one who has to oversee all this change, as well as the smooth functioning of all the teams into the future.
Pray for the start of the new school year at Dakar Academy, where Dan is on the school board. We begin this year with a new director, as well as many other new staff. In fact, there are several unfilled staff needs even at this late date. Pray for God to supply the right personnel to meet these important needs (Bible, English, Special Ed, Computers).
Pray for several rural communities where we have churches, which are still suffering from an infestation of locusts that began over a year ago. In most communities the locusts have left or died off, but in a few (Kouta and Kaffrine, to name two) locusts are still eating the leaves off the trees, and they will destroy the people's food and seed-grain for the second year in a row if they are still around when the crops begin to grow in the fields.
MINISTRY WOW! God has done some remarkable answering of prayers for ITES* this month. Here's a list of the most exciting ones:
The director was able to purchase the land in Thies (45 miles from Dakar) at an excellent price for a future site for the school. This property is reasonably large (larger than we could have afforded in Dakar), and is perfectly situated near major highways so as to be a hub for providing training for pastors in the interior as well as a center to coordinate training in the two major urban centers (Thies and Dakar). For the first time in its history, ITES owns land on which to develop permanent facilites! Now we're praying for God to provide funds for construction.
Construction modifications are nearing completion at the Beacon of Hope (UWM's conference compound on the outskirts of Dakar), where ITES recently partnered so as to have temporary facilities. This facility will be ready for the start of the next school year in October. The UWM-ITES partnership will provide us with classroom space, an office, and a good-sized library room for at least the next two years (hopefully time enough in which to develop the property in Thies).
We have had a very warm reception by OCI (Overseas Council International), an organization that partners with theological institutions in developing countries to provide badly needed funding for developing their training programs (through tuition sponsorship, construction grants, professorial training funds, etc.). They have told us to expect approval of our OCI membership within about a year (normally, this requires two years, sometimes more). Pray that this may be one way God uses to provide ITES with needed funding to train more desperately needed Christian leaders for French-speaking West Africa.
With the help of Dr Abel Ndierareou, president of BEST (Bangui Evangelical School of Theology -- the only fully accredited, French-language seminary in Africa), ITES has been approved by BEST to be accredited through their program. This is the first time ITES has had accreditation, and it will be valid until such time as we can secure independent accreditation from the Senegalese government. As part of this accreditation assistance, BEST has also offerred to send up to two of their own professors per year to teach courses for ITES (all of BEST's fulltime professors have earned doctorates, of which ITES has extremely few)!
Praise the Lord for a good afternoon spent with our Muslim friends (and neighbors), Amy and Mohammadou Tangi-gora (whom we've mentioned several times). We invited them for lunch, and as is almost always the case in this culture that values relationship, they stayed into the afternoon for several hours of good conversation. No good opportunities came up for direct spiritual discussion, but at this point it is just good to be developing the relationship. As a plus, they were able to give us much good advice in the planning of our baby-naming ceremony (see next item below).
We have decided to have an "ngente"--- a Senegalese baby-naming ceremony that is typically done on the eighth day after birth. This is a very Senegalese custom, and when we bounced the idea off several neighbors, they unanimously responded that our doing one would be very well received. We have asked Adama Diouf, our Senegalese colleague, to perform the ceremony. It invariably includes religious elements (usually a goat is sacrificed the moment the name is announced), but as an evangelical pastor, Adama will give the ceremony a Christian---even evangelistic---perspective and help us avoid any elements that would communicate the wrong spiritual message. We believe this is a real opportunity to reach out to our friends and neighbors in this community. Please pray that God will guide us in the preparations for it, and that he will use it for his great glory in the lives of our Muslim acquaintances.
Pray for rain for Senegal. In Dakar, we finally experienced only our second rain of the season yesterday, and while areas of the interior of the country have had a bit more than that, things do not look good at this point. Our guard's family has already had to dig up a large portion of their crop and replant, because it had died for lack of water. Pray for adequate rain for the nation's crops, and that the Senegalese will recognize the rain as an answer to prayers in the name of Jesus.
*ITES stands for Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal (which means, "Evangelical Theology Institute of Senegal"), and was formerly known as IED (Institut Evangelique de Dakar). It is Senegal's premier church leadership training school. WorldVenture is one of the school's co-founders.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!
Wed Jul 5 21:59:04 2006
Dan & Esther Penney's "Rejoice & Request" Update -- July 2006
We returned home from our two-week vacation to the first rain of the season, and to skies dotted with dark clouds almost every day. The rains seem to have begun. For people who survive---or not!---based on how good the rainy season is, that is good news indeed! We feel so blessed that we personally do not need to worry how much or little it rains, but we certainly enjoy the rain. In a land where it does not rain at all for nine months at a time, rain is reason for rejoicing even if you don't need it to survive. (For those of you reading this in black-and-white, the blue "Rejoices" are also italicized, and the red "Requests" are bolded). PERSONAL & FAMILY We all thoroughly enjoyed a two-week vacation at our mission team's beach camp site. The weather was perfect the whole time, with lots of sun, warm water, cool breezes, and good waves. This place, Ngaparou, is the boys' favorite place to be. We made lots of family memories, had a lot of fun, and thoroughly rested.
Esther's pregnancy continues to go without a hitch. The other three boys enjoy watching Mommy's tummy move now as little limbs poke up here and there. They are, if anything, more excited than we are. Our fourth little boy is due August 18, but we think he'll arrive a few days before that, since Esther has always delivered a week or two early. Pray for perfect timing of the delivery.
FIELD NEWS
Thank you for praying for our June 10 team meeting. Not only did the discussion on restructuring go well, the team went ahead and decided to implement it, nailed down the specifics of how, and set a date of August for making the changes effective! Praise the Lord for his wisdom and help for this significant change. We went beyond even my high hopes.
Pray for the smooth implementation of the field restructuring mentioned above. Starting August, we will split the field into three sub-teams based on ministry function. There will doubtless be speed-bumps as we get used to these changes, but we hope that it will position us for even more effective ministry for Christ in Senegal.
Please continue to pray for our field's annual spiritual retreat, which will be August 6-8. The Stateside church that had intended to come out to help us do this retreat has had to cancel their trip. That means we're on our own for all the logistics of the retreat. However, as God always does, he is providing. We already have a substitute speaker arranged, and preparations for the food, lodging, and childcare are also very much under way. God is good, and we feel that because he totally changed our plans for this retreat, he must have something special in mind for it. But we ask that you would pray for it, so that His plans come to fruition in our lives through all this.
Pray for several rural communities where we have churches, which are still suffering from an infestation of locusts that began over a year ago. In most communities the locusts have left or died off, but in a few (Kouta and Kaffrine, to name two) locusts are still eating the leaves off the trees, and they will destroy the people's food and seed-grain for the second year in a row if they are still around when the crops begin to grow in the fields.
Forgive us for bragging on our MK school... At Dakar Academy's year-end awards assembly, it was pointed out that over 50% of the entire student body made the Honor Roll. This is even more startling when you realize that while it is a K-12 school, only grades 7-12 are eligible for the honor roll. Praise the Lord for such a quality school for our children to attend here in Africa!
MINISTRY During June, ITES* hosted a one-day conference on "AIDS and the Church." This conference was exceptionally well done, and exceptionally well received. It demonstrated the impact that ITES can have even beyond the specific students we are training for leadership. Church and ministry leaders from all around Senegal attended (over 150 by my rough estimate). We were all informed about AIDS in Senegal, and sensitized to the need for the local churches to respond to this need in ways that society cannot. May this be a catalyst to spur the Senegalese church on to showing the grace and glory of our Lord in their communities in even greater ways.
The possible property in Dakar that we were looking at for ITES has fallen through. However, we believe this was of the Lord, since instead, He has provided the possibility of purchasing a much larger piece of property in the city of Thies, just 45 miles away. Pray for wisdom in these decisions, as the board must now decide whether to pursue this new possibility.
Pray for our guard, Thiao. His oldest son has just taken the exam for continuation into secondary school. This is a rare opportunity in this land where most drop out of school after the first few years. But only 10-15% pass this exam and are accepted into high school. This is so important that Thiao actually asked us to pray that his son would pass the exam. We will not know the results until August, but we have been fervently praying that not only will his son pass, but that Thiao will recognize it as the direct result of prayer in the name of Jesus. May this be a big step in his journey to saving faith in Christ. Wouldn't it be great if another of our guards came to trust Jesus!
*ITES stands for Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal (which means, "Evangelical Theology Institute of Senegal"), and was formerly known as IED (Institut Evangelique de Dakar). It is Senegal's premier church leadership training school. WorldVenture is one of the school's co-founders.
FINANCES
We have had several new partners join our support team over the last few months, keeping us fully supported. Praise the Lord, and thank you to you who keep us supplied on the front lines.
Continue to pray for our Ministries Account, which funds some of our ministry acitivites, especially Dan's field leader related travel.
Fri Jun 2 20:12:36 2006
May was the month for technical difficulties. Dan got his computer back repaired (yeah!), but spent three days getting all the software up and running properly again. Then we had two days of very interesting power variations. Read on... (For those of you reading this in black-and-white, the blue "Rejoices" are also italicized, and the red "Requests" are bolded).
PERSONAL & FAMILY
„h To our surprise (oh we of little faith), Esther's back not only hasn't gotten worse as her belly gets heavier, but has much improved! Thanks for your prayers. As always, God is taking care of us.
„h Dan is very thankful to have his computer back, and working fine. Considering it had to be couriered to the US for repair, and then couriered back, the turn-around time was very fast (less than three weeks!). He did end up puttting significant time into restoring Windows XP and all the software he uses, but at the end of the day---well, three days---no data was lost, and all is now working as it should. Praise God for a DSL connection that allows us to download all necessary software updates quickly.
„h Praise the Lord for protecting our expensive appliances during some bizarre power fluctuations. Off and on for two days, our electricity fluctuated between 135 and 295 volts!!! (It is supposed to be a constant 220v.) God must have had his angels protecting us, because we only burned out two minor items---a lamp and a small AC adapter. On their second attempt, the power company's technicians found the problem (a loose connection several houses away) and restored normal operations.
„h We've enjoyed several visitors this month. Esther's parents (Glenn & Kathy Kendall) were here for a few days in the middle of the month. Then Jack & Theo Robinson have been with us for the past two weeks. Jack taught a two-week intensive course for ITES*, and we've enjoyed hosting them in our home (Robinsons are long-time WorldVenture missionaries who are now retired but still using their gifts and skills to help expand the kingdom).
FIELD NEWS
„h Our team meeting on May 13 went very well. Plans were put in place to extend our Strategic Plan to include the many new personnel we now have on the field.
„h Pray for the next team meeting (June 10), where we will be discussing the administrative restructuring necessary to accommodate the recent growth of the team.
„h Thank you for praying for the school board meetings for Dakar Academy. They went well. DA is on a good track for the coming school year and beyond.
„h Dan had the privilege of participating in a church dedication. One of our thirteen (and counting!) village churches in the Diourbel area completed its building several months ago and held a dedication service. This was an exciting event not only for the obvious reason (that another church has been firmly established in Senegal). We were also able to see some of our team's strategic planning in action in two different ways: 1) government officials, both local and regional, had been invited, and participated in the dedication (the highest ranking government official in attendance---the regional prefect---publicly endorsed the church's presence on the basis of Senegal's separation of church and state---this in a country with a 95% Muslim population!); and 2) architectural features of the building that identified it as an evangelical church were clearly in evidence (this serves to raise the profile of the evangelical community in Senegal).
„h Please pray for our field's spiritual retreat, coming up in August. One of our supporting churches was planning to send out a team to help us do this annual retreat, but that plan is suddenly very much up in the air. Airline fares to Senegal have skyrocketed since they began their plans to come, and unless a small miracle happens within the next week, they will be forced to cancel their trip.
MINISTRY
„h Dan's ITES* board meeting was very encouraging. The board approved a partnership with another evangelical mission that owns facilities that it desires to use for the training of nationals. For a very nominal rent (about $60/mo), ITES will be provided with an office, a good-sized room for our library, and classroom space. Basic utilities, cleaning, and maintenance of all the facilities is included in this minimal rent! This is an extremely generous offer, and a miraculous answer to three years of prayer.
„h ITES also still has the possibility of another location in Dakar (potentially more permanent land with 3 small buildings on it), but there are still several questions regarding just how that arrangement might work out. These unresolved issues are the main reason the board chose to accept the two-year renewable partnership mentioned immediately above. Continue to pray with us for permanent facilities for this vital school.
*ITES stands for Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal (which means, "Evangelical Theology Institute of Senegal"), and was formerly known as IED (Institut Evangelique de Dakar). It is Senegal's premier church leadership training school. WorldVenture is one of the school's six co-founders.
FINANCES
„h We are still fully supported despite a 5% drop in the dollar versus other currencies! Pray for a rise in our Ministries Account (especially to fund Dan's administrative travel).
Sun May 7 11:45:17 2006
I can testify to NPBC/WCCC's place in our lives, and even how the merge has directly impacted us. Way back in 1966-67, my family spent a furlough year in the missionary house that NPBC maintained at that time. We as a family have many memories from that year. That was my own introduction to NPBC (I don't know if the church supported my parents before that time or not; probably so). Then, as Esther and I began heading into missions with WorldVenture (CBFMS at that time) ourselves, we contacted NPBC to see if they wanted to continue the heritage of missions’ partnership with the next generation of Penneys. You all responded positively, in part because the arrangement with WCCC allowed the combined church to use some (all?) of the payment for the building to both continue and expand your financial commitment to missions. So, not only do we have a multi-generational connection with NPBC/WCCC, it was the merging of the two churches which partially allowed that heritage of partnership to continue between us and the church. So, we celebrate with you, and also say a big THANK YOU for your continued partnership with us. God is doing interesting things here in Senegal, and we have every reason to believe he will continue to do so, thanks in part to your support, both financial and prayer.
Fri May 5 22:09:35 2006
Dan & Esther Penney's "Rejoice & Request" Update -- May 2006
Every month has a theme, it seems. This month's theme was managing comings and goings. Dan flew to Mali and back. A colleague had to return very suddenly to the US for a month, so Dan spent some time shutting down the apartment that she had already partly moved out of. Dan's brother and his wife came through for a brief but enjoyable visit. We ourselves took a advantage of a 3-day weekend for a trip to the beach. And for the last half of the month we hosted a short-term team from one of our supporting churches (Dan put over 500 miles on our car the second week!)---more on that below. (For those of you reading this in black-and-white, the blue "Rejoices" are also italicized, and the red "Requests" are bolded). PERSONAL & FAMILY It may get monotonous to read each month, but we don't get tired of praising God for this: Esther's pregnancy continues to go well. This month's ultrasound determined that... IT'S A BOY! A girl would have been an interesting change of pace for us, but by now we "know how to do" boys, so we thank the Lord.
Please pray for Esther's back. Ever since she injured it in high school, it has given her occasional difficulty, and this pregnancy is putting strain on it. We are thanking God that her pain has not degenerated any further over the past few weeks, but she has the three heaviest months of pregnancy still ahead, so please uphold her in prayer.
Thank you for praying about our electricity problems. The power outages have improved greatly (meaning they are much less frequent, and not as long when they happen). And to top it off, Dan's brother gave us a small generator for free! (It may not be big enough for our eventual needs if the power outages get worse again, but we can at least run the computer and printer off it if necessary).
Thank you, too, for praying for Dan's computer problems. God had a perfect solution in mind even before Dan's laptop screen died! We are writing and sending this month's update from a new computer that the short-term team brought out for us. We had asked for it in order to replace Esther's 5-year-old computer, which is slowly dying. But instead Dan is using it as his work computer for a month, allowing the short-term team to take his back to the US for repair. Jack & Theo Robinson, who will be coming to Senegal on May 20 will bring the repaired computer back with them. Isn't God great?!
FIELD NEWS
Thank you for praying with us for a director for Dakar Academy. This past month, the school board voted unanimously to appoint one of DA's current staff as our new director. She has much experience in school administration, and even some experience at other international MK schools, so we feel blessed with God's provision for DA.
Dan's trip to Mali for the West Africa Field Leaders meetings went well. There was good rapport, and we worked through several significant issues.
This month (May 13) and next month (June 10), we have two important field meetings. This month we will be deciding how much to, and how to, revise our field's Strategic Plan. This could be a significant amount of work, but whatever is done, it will help set the tone for our ministries for the years to come. Please pray for wisdom, and for team buy-in.
Pray for DA's upcoming board meetings, May 10-11 (Dan is on the school board). We always desperately need God's wisdom to adequately guide this important school into the future.
MINISTRY Continue to pray for ITES (Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal; formerly known as IED). We still have the same two opportunities for short-term facilities. For several good reasons, the decision of which to pursue was postponed until the end of May.
Thank you for praying for ITES' board meeting. We made progress on several significant fronts. It is so good to see this vital school developing into greater maturity in its sense of vision and in the gradual accomplishment of that vision. Please pray for the next board meeting, set for May 23. Pray for Dan as board chairman, and also for ITES' director, Adama Diouf, who balances so many important roles and activities. He and his wife, Sylvie, are expecting their third child this month (a boy; they have two girls already).
We had the privilege of hosting a short-term team from one of our supporting churches. It was a very successful visit. They encouraged us, helped us, and got a first-hand experience of both Africa and WorldVenture's exciting work here in Senegal. It seemed that God worked in their hearts, and he certainly worked through them while here. (And they didn't complain about spending so much time in the Penney "sardine can"---9 people in our car.) Thank you, New Hope Community Church, you were great.
Continue to pray for some interaction with Mbotch, the imam of our local mosque. We think we may have come up with a way to get him to listen to Scripture in the Wolof language (he is Wolof), so pray for God's timing for this gift (a "MegaVoice" player---something like a solar-powered MP3 player!), and for receptivity to God's own Word. (NOTE: the mosque is still under construction. We are boldly praying that it will be turned into a church before it is even completed, maybe partly as a result of Mbotch's conversion!)
FINANCES
As we've enjoyed saying for several months now, our monthly support is at 100%. However, our Ministries Account is at an all-time low. So pray for a positive balance in our "MA", the account from which we get funds for our ministry expenses (such as ministry travel, photocopies, teaching materials, ministry-related equipment, etc.).
Fri Mar 31 22:33:53 2006
Dan & Esther Penney's "Rejoice & Request" Update -- April 2006
The big event of this last month was our two-week trip to Johannesburg, South Africa. A colleague to participated in the WorldVenture Leadership Conference there pointed out to us that it is farther from Dakar to Johannesburg than from Dakar to New York! Africa is such a HUGE continent! It was interesting for us to see such a mixture of western/modern and African in South Africa. (For those of you reading this in black-and-white, the blue "Rejoices" are also italicized, and the red "Requests" are bolded).
PERSONAL & FAMILY
„h Esther's pregnancy continues to go well. Praise the Lord that she is beginning to feel much better, with significantly more energy and only occasional nausea.
„h We praise God for the good family vacation in South Africa during the week following the conference (see below for more on the conference). Since not only we as a whole family, but also Esther's parents and her brother with his family, were all together at the conference, we decided to all stay on for another week and have a truly family vacation together. It was fun to spend the time together, to rest, play games, take walks, and especially to enjoy the wonderful wild life in South Africa. Dan got literally hundreds of great digital photos of lions, giraffes, antelope, zebra, etc. One of the biggest highlights was petting some lion cubs with our boys---a once in a lifetime experience! (We, and the game keepers, made sure these frisky "little" cats---who play like kittens but have bigger jaws and sharper claws!---didn't get too rough with the boys.)
„h Pray for wisdom in dealing with our current electricity shortage. One of the city's four main generators burned up a couple weeks ago, and so we are now enduring daily power outages of 8-12 hours. As you can imagine, this makes it challenging to get work done (especially since much of Dan's work is on the computer), not to mention keeping refrigerated food good. Because the government has announced that this situation will continue for at least another two months, we are considering purchasing a generator for basic electrical needs when the power is out. But that would be a significant expense, and we do not want to waste the financial resources God has provided. So pray for wisdom to know how God would have us respond to this need.
„h Since it has happened somewhat gradually, we have forgotten to tell you that our oven has finally settled down. We slowly figured out that we cannot use it in the same way we would an oven in the US. It is a bit more sensitive and temperamental than that. But we are gradually figuring out how to get it to maintain its set temperature. So we thank you all who were praying for our oven. With slight modifications to her cooking habits, Esther has made peace with it, and so it is now working as we need it to.
„h Please pray for Dan's computer. As we were working on this update, our laptop's LCD display began to black out periodically. We do not yet know if this is a serious problem that will require sending it back to the US for repair, or something intermittent that will go away. So pray that God will keep our equipment working well, especially our computer equipment, upon which we rely so heavily to do our work here, and to stay in contact with our prayer support base (you!).
FIELD NEWS
„h WorldVenture's Leadership Conference in South Africa went very well. It was good to be with colleagues from all over the world, to be encouraged from the Word about our leadership roles (lessons from Moses' life), and to hear ways others are dealing with the leadership challenges we all face.
„h Continue to pray with us for a new director for Dakar Academy. This MK school serves over 250 children from all over West Africa, and has unique needs, both as an American school in a non-American environment, and as a combination boarding school and day school for missionary children. Dan is on the school board, which is conducting the search for a new director for 2006/2007. We will need him/her in place by this summer!
„h Pray for Dan's trip to Bamako, Mali for the West Africa regional field leaders' meeting. This will be April 25-27.
„h Our national Christian leaders report that Senegal is gradually developing more antagonism toward Christianity. The latest development is that the current administration gave all of this year's private school subsidies---a fair portion of which is supposed to go to private Christian schools---to the private Islamic schools. As a result, many Roman Catholic private schools have gone on strike in protest. More significant to us is what this action indicates in terms of governmental willingness to publicly snub Christian institutions. Pray that Senegal's political openness will continue.
MINISTRY
„h Continue to pray for ITES (Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal; formerly known as IED). We continue to have significant needs, but God has provided in two wonderful ways, as the following two points indicate...
„h The director's team has found an 8.5 acre plot of land that looks very workable. This is even bigger than we'd dared hope for, and the owner (nearby village) seems ready to sell at a good price. Pray for the smooth finalization of this transaction that could have a far-reaching, positive impact on the future of church leadership training in West Africa.
„h The board of directors for ITES has yet to meet with the two parties who are offering potential short-term solutions for our facilities needs in Dakar. We hope these meetings will take place this coming month. Pray for wisdom to know the Lord's mind in these opportunities.
„h Pray for the next ITES board meeting, set for April 5.
„h We have a short-term team coming this month from one of our supporting churches. They will be here for 12 days, doing maintenance work on missionary homes, seeing and praying for our WorldVenture-Senegal ministries, and getting a first-hand view of missions. Pray for safety, and especially for the Lord's will to be accomplished in their lives as well as ours during their visit. We'll admit that short-term teams are a lot of work for the hosting missionaries, but they can also have a major impact for the cause of missions, both in the host country as well as in the lives of the short-term team members themselves. Pray that both will be true for this team.
FINANCES
„h After a brief dip below 100% last month, we are again fully supported! God is good.
Fri Mar 3 14:11:06 2006
How can two or three "missing" days make the month feel so much shorter? February flew by. Of course, a few "extra-curricular" activities didn't help. Between Esther's pregnancy and a couple other matters, we fit six medical visits into the month (some were merely lab tests, but they take up just as much time). But we are well, and praising the Lord for his goodness. (For those of you reading this in black-and-white, the blue "Rejoices" are also italicized, and the red "Requests" are bolded). PERSONAL & FAMILY
As far as medical science can determine, Esther's pregnancy is going smoothly. We are grateful for that, and for your prayers supporting us in it. Esther says she is starting to feel movement, and this one is just as active as his/her siblings! Continue to pray for Esther. By this point in her other two pregnancies she had begun to feel much better, but she continues to struggle with both nausea and fatigue. We will be among those participating in WorldVenture's worldwide Leadership Conference in South Africa this month. Since whole families were invited (there will be a kids' program during the conference days), we will take advantage of the trip for a week's vacation in Johannesburg as well, after the conference. Joining us, both at the conference and in the vacation, will be Esther's parents as well as her brother and his family. We will be gone from March 12 to 26, so if we're slow to respond to email those two weeks, you'll know why. We praise God for the provision of utilities. One is made more aware of the benefits of such resources when they are taken away now and again. This month our electricity has gone off every day or two, for periods of anywhere from 15 minutes to 8 hours at a time. And just this week, we lost our city water for four days straight. After the third day, we had run through our two large reservoirs on the roof, and were begging jerry cans of water from colleagues in another part of town who still had water. But as He always does, God provided as much as we needed, and we praised Him for that. And today (this very morning) we're praising Him that we have both water and electricity (including two full reservoirs once again!). Many in this country have neither running water nor electricity, at any time. FIELD NEWS
Continue to pray for Adama Diouf's financial support. (Account #6470 922 "IPM-Adama Diouf," in case you want to give to this or know someone who might.) On the plus side for Adama, we believe we have found enough money to purchase a vehicle for him. Praise the Lord for this needed provision. Continue to pray with us for a new director for Dakar Academy. This MK school serves over 250 children from all over West Africa, and has unique needs, both as an American school in a non-American environment and as a combination of a boarding school and a day school for missionary children. Dan is on the school board, which is conducting the search for a new director for 2006/2007. We will need him/her in place by this summer! Praise the Lord that the Senegalese have not reacted violently over the caricatures of Mohammed in the European press. In fact, no one has even mentioned them to us, and the single demonstration about it in the capital was peaceful. God continues to watch over us here in Senegal. Pray for WorldVenture's global Leadership Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa this month. There will be seven adults (plus six kids) attending just from our Senegal field team. Pray for safety in travel, good fellowship, and development of leadership potential within the organization. MINISTRY
Continue to pray for ITES (Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal; formerly known as IED). We continue to have significant needs, but God has provided in two wonderful ways this month, as the following two points indicate... With $16,000 now in-hand for land/construction, the board approved the directorial team's plan to spend up to $5,000 on a moderately large plot of land (3-5 acres) outside of Dakar now while land in that area is still relatively cheap. That land will await future needs for a residential school in 8-10 years as the evangelical church in Senegal grows. Praise the Lord for guiding the board and the director in this foresightful decision. In a separate development, two different workable options have come to light for a short-term solution to school's immediate need for facilities within Dakar. Please pray for the board and the director as they evaluate how best to proceed on these opportunities, and that at least one of them will prove to be financially feasible. The neighborhood mosque across the street from our house continues to go up (they have completed the foundation). Continue to pray with us that this structure will soon be dedicated to the worship of God's one and only Son, Jesus Christ. FINANCES
God meets all our needs! How have you seen him meet yours lately?
Thank you for your prayers. Your financial support allows us to BE in Senegal, but your prayers are what allow us to have an impact for Christ
Mon Feb 13 21:04:56 2006
GOING POSTAL!!!
You’ve probably heard it said: “he went postal.” The expression comes from a few unfortunate episodes of postal employees going berserk over some perceived mistreatment. However, in Senegal, it could just as well refer to postal customers responding to the frustration of dealing with local postal regulations. We assure you, the following facts are true, and in no way exaggerated. Of course, mail is not delivered here. You must go to the post office to retrieve your mail from your mailbox (a privilege for which you pay an annual fee). This is reasonably simple, even if not as convenient as having one’s mail delivered as in the United States. But getting your hands on a package is a bit more challenging. First of all, one must pay a fee to secure the release of each and every package (this is true even through the postage was already paid in full by the sender, and the post office does not deliver it; I’ve not yet figured out what this fee is supposed to pay for). But that is by far the simplest—and least aggravating—part of package retrieval. One must begin by noting that there are three different post offices for packages, depending on the size and the means of mailing (air versus boat, etc.). And each different post office has its own set of involved procedures one must follow. At one post office branch, for instance, there are no fewer than eight different steps—each involving a visit to a different postal official in a separate office, and often involving some payment of a fee or a form to fill out—before the package is handed over to you. Believe it or not, this is an improvement; it used to be twelve steps! Often, you must open the package in front of a customs official so that he can verify the nature and value of its contents. And if the contents are considered particularly valuable, you will be required to pay a significant duty charge (as in 100% of the contents’ value as estimated by the customs official). As you can imagine, picking up a package at the post office can be an all morning—not to mention wallet-thinning—affair. Then there are the interesting postal regulations. Only the person indicated as the addressee may pick up the package. This rule is rigidly held to despite the fact that one must have a key to the mailbox in order to retrieve the pack slip in the first place. But it becomes more than an inconvenience when applied in it’s extreme from. For instance, several times I have been prevented from picking up a package addressed to “Esther Penney.” I have tried explaining that she is my wife. I have even offered to bring in her Senegalese ID card along with my own to prove this fact. No good. Esther must present herself in person to retrieve the package. And then there was today… Since one of our colleagues was unable (naturally) to pick up a package addressed to “Dan & Esther Penney.” I made a special trip to the post office to get it. However, when I handed over my pack slip, the following conversation ensued… Package clerk: “Who is ‘Esther’?”
Me: “That is my wife.”
Package clerk: “She must present herself for you to pick up this package.”
Me: “But I am ‘Dan.’ The package is addressed to me.”
Package clerk: “No, it is addressed to ‘Dan and Esther.’ She must be with you.”
Me (somewhat incredulously): “You mean she and I must come in together to receive this package?”
Package clerk: “Yes.”
Me: “But we are married. It is customary to address mail to a married couple as ‘Mr & Mrs So-and-so.’”
Package clerk: “Yes.”
Me: “It is addressed to ‘Dan and Esther’; therefore you must both be present to pick it up. If it said ‘Dan or Esther,’ I could give it to you. As it is, the postal regulation requires that you both be present in order to pick up this package.”
Me: “But my wife must stay home to care for the children. It is extremely inconvenient for both of us to come to the post office at the same time. Besides, all over Europe and America, people address mail to ‘Mr & Mrs So-and-so.’”
Package clerk: “I’m sorry. It is not my rule. It is a postal regulation.”
Me: “Then may I speak to the person in charge of this post office branch?”
Package clerk: “Knock on that door over there and wait.” So wait I do. Eventually, Mr. Chief-of-This-Branch gets off the phone. After the polite greetings, I explain my problem in the most gracious cultural terms I know, and ask if he can help me. Branch manager: “It is post office rules. You should address your packages ‘Dan or Esther.’ Then either of you could pick it up.”
Me: “But I am no the one who addresses my packages. It is people in the United States and Europe. And in those countries, one always addresses mail to ‘Mr & Mrs…’”
Branch manager: “You must inform them to use ‘or’.”
Me: “I will do that, but most will not change. It is their custom.”
Branch manager: “They must learn to be flexible.”
Me: “Why cannot the Senegalese postal service be somewhat flexible?”
Branch manager: “I’m sorry. Postal regulations.” Feeling not a little frustrated, Esther and I made yet another trip to the post office…together. We tell you this story, not to complain, but to give you a feel for the frustrations of life in another culture where one does not always understand why things are the way they are. Please pray for us, that as we encounter such frustrations, we will respond to them—and especially to the people who present them—with Jesus’ love. And to help us out a little bit, please try to follow these simple (albeit bizarre) guidelines if you ever send us a package:
1. Where possible, use Dan’s name as the only addressee. Especially try to avoid using “Dan and Esther” or “Mr & Mrs.” If multiple names are necessary, please connect them with “or” rather than “and”.
2. If you want to send something to a particular member of the family (other than Dan), please include after the name(s): “c/o Dan Penney”. This will allow Dan to retrieve the package without bringing that member—or all those members!—of the family along.
3. It might be best in all cases to add the following after any names: “c/o Mission Baptiste du Senegal”. This makes it much more likely that anyone, even a colleague, will be able to pick up packages for us. We know this sounds crazy, but it’s part of life here. So we thank you for helping us leap through the hoops of postal bureaucracy, and next time you get frustrated with life in America, say a quick prayer for us!
Mon Feb 6 13:01:11 2006
Dear members of Windy City Community Church, Thank you for your generous gift of $185 for Christmas. We’ve used it to help finish paying for our replacement stove/oven. Thank you for being part of God’s provision for us. Love in Christ,
Ester & Dan
Thu Feb 2 22:11:33 2006
The thing we most enjoy telling you about is the expansion of God's family here in Senegal. This month we do have big news, but it has to do with a slightly different type of family expansion! See the "Personal & Family" section. PERSONAL & FAMILY We learned last month that we are expecting another child in August! While this is exciting news, it is quite unexpected and we are having to adjust our thinking and some of our plans. (Dan's Mom is hoping for a sister for our three boys.) Pray with us for a safe delivery and a healthy baby. Pray also for wisdom for us as we anticipate the changes this event will bring into our lives and our ministry. Esther has already had her first OB visit. When the doctor heard our story about having surprise twins, she willingly did an ultrasound immediately. So we know that we will be having one child (as opposed to two or three!!!). It was fun, even at only 9 weeks, to hear a clear, strong little heartbeat, and see tiny arms waving around! Pray for strength and stamina for Esther. The pregnancy has brought with it a lot of fatigue and almost constant morning sickness. We believe both are gradually diminishing, but we would appreciate your prayers for her. We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday house guests (Esther's family). For almost three weeks we went from our usual five people to ten in the house (six adults and four kids), and so it reverberated with even more of a joyful noise than usual. FIELD NEWS Thank you for praying for the many meetings at the start of the year. These went particularly well. Our field team is doing well. Relationships are healthy, team dynamics are working well, and WorldVenture's Senegal missionaries are forging ahead in their ministries. Praise the Lord that a bit more money came into Adama Diouf's accounts. But continue to pray with us for this. He still does not have enough for the purchase of a reliable vehicle. He is managing to travel to his many commitments and do his ministry, but he is doing so with a borrowed jalopy that is very old and rickety, and which in our estimation really should no longer be on the road. We are concerned for his safety. (Account #6470 922 "IPM-Adama Diouf," in case you want to give to this.) Dan just finished two days of board meetings for the Dakar Academy school board (our international MK school, where Joel, Luke, and Caleb attend). Praise the Lord that these went well. Dakar Academy is doing very well, but you can pray for a new director. Our current director is being transferred by his mission this summer. MINISTRY January 10th was "Tabaski", probably the biggest holiday of the year for Muslims. We purposely stayed away from the ceremonies of slaughtering a ram, but in the afternoon we visited several of our neighbors to wish them a good holiday. We were very warmly received. They seemed genuinely pleased that we had come. We were particularly encouraged by the reception we received at the home of Mbotch, the local imam for our neighborhood mosque. We hope this relationship will lead to opportunities to speak with him about Jesus, his prophet, but our Savior. Your prayers could bring it about. Continue to pray for ITES (Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal; formerly known as IED). This month, allow me to quote from the newsletter of a colleague and fellow professor at the school. She expresses the needs and the opportunities so well:
"I, along with my colleagues at the Institute, are feeling the need for a place for our library especially, but also for some classroom space. Please pray with us for a solution to this pressing problem. We are renting a place for classes for now, but our books are still in storage. It is exciting to have the problem that we have, not enough room! Praise report: ITES hosted a seminar both in Dakar and in Thies the first week of January on the role of elders in the church. It was open to the public and required for our ITES students. It was well attended and received. People encouraged us to continue planning these seminars for the churches. We have one scheduled for April with an African couple coming to put on a seminar on Christian marriage. Another seminar is scheduled for July on the subject of AIDS, a very big problem in Africa." Pray for the upcoming meeting of the board of directors for ITES, which will be Feb. 15. Dan, as interim board chair, will lead the meeting. There are several significant decisions on the agenda, for which the board will need wisdom. FINANCES God is so good! Due to the anticipated new addition to our family, our support had to be adjusted slightly. Yet despite this, we are still fully supported!
Mon Jan 2 13:58:47 2006
Dan & Esther Penney's "Rejoice & Request" Update -- January 2006
Happy New Year! On this December 31, we look back over a year of blessing. It has not been an easy year, but it has been a good year, a year of growth, a year of knowing God's goodness and freedom at new levels. We look forward to even more to come, and especially to seeing God grace the Senegalese people with these same blessings: faith in his Son, knowledge of his goodness, and release from the bondage of darkness. (For those of you reading this in black-and-white, the blue "Rejoices" are also italicized, and the red "Requests" are bolded). PERSONAL & FAMILY We are even now enjoying a visit from Esther's parents (Glenn & Kathy Kendall), and her brother's family (Nathan & Becky, with son Philip). Glenn & Kathy are in the middle of 6-7 months of Africa trekking as part of their Africa Ministries Director job for WorldVenture.
We had a pleasant week at Ngaparou, our field's beach camp site. Thank you for praying for safe travel and a refreshing time there. A new experience this time was one day of extremely clear water, allowing us to view many different colorful fish with our swimming goggles.
FIELD NEWS
Thank you for your prayers for December's team meeting. We heard from a mature African Christian counselor. She had some very valuable insights for us about ministering in this African context. Her comments were so helpful that we intend to schedule another time to hear from her.
Pray for Dan this coming week as he meets with each couple or single on our team (Esther will participate in many of these as well). While our Africa Director (Glenn Kendall) is with us, we will be conducting half-day interviews with each missionary "unit". This is a routine annual thing, for the combined purposes of evaluation, informal counseling, and encouragement. Pray for stamina through so many meetings, as well as for wisdom in helping these 14 units do their kingdom work as effectively as possible.
Please continue your prayers for the finances to cover the cost of a vehicle for Adama Diouf. $5,000 has been committed for this purpose, but we will need at least another $5,000 to get a reliable car (vehicles are much more expensive here than in the US, in part because of a 55% customs tax).
MINISTRY Continue to pray for ITES (Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal; formerly known as IED), the leadership training school, which is desperately in need of facilities. Pray especially for the board of directors (of which Dan is president) as they try to decide where to focus the search for facilities (Dakar is the more strategic location, but outside Dakar is MUCH less expensive).
Continue to pray for our various contacts in our neighborhood... For Mohammadou and Amy, our devout Muslim friends with whom we recently had an in-depth conversation about the acceptable way to fear God. For Maymuna, who is enjoying reading the Bible; she recently commented to Esther that she likes the stories about Jesus! For Mr Mbotch, the imam of our local mosque, whom we recently met and had lunch with. For the Diops, a well-to-do couple just down the street from our house; we're looking for the chance to get together with them and get to know them better.
FINANCES
Our latest monthly support calculation from WorldVenture has us listed as fully supported! Our sincere thanks for all your prayers about this, and also to those of you who are supporting us financially. As our Muslim friends say---but they don't know how true it is---God is great!
Fri Dec 2 22:21:52 2005
Merry Christmas! Hard to believe it's that time of year again already. As we approach this Advent season, please pray with us that we will be able to communicate to our Muslim friends and neighbors that Jesus came to free them from sin, from the "need" to earn their way to paradise, and to guarantee them eternal life. (For those of you reading this in black-and-white, the blue "Rejoices" are also italicized, and the red "Requests" are bolded). PERSONAL & FAMILY Dan's Mom was wed with proper pomp and celebration. All reports were of great joy, and the couple's delight. We even received photos via the web within a few hours. Isn't technology great?
Esther's parents (Glenn & Kathy Kendall) and her brother's family (Nathan & Becky, with son Philip) will be joining us for the Holidays. What joy to have family with us at this time of year. Pray for travel safety for all (they'll be coming from Guinea; Glenn & Kathy are in the middle of 6-7 months of Africa trekking as part of their Africa Ministries Director job for WorldVenture).
You can continue to pray for our oven. Despite being brand new, and having the attention of the store's repairman several times already, it still occasionally shoots its temperature sky high at unpredictable moments. It is useable, but one must keep a keen eye on the oven thermometer in defense against the fact that any moment it might suddenly go full blast and burn whatever is cooking. Maybe it's just one of those "grace-builders", as one of our colleagues puts it.
We (all 10 of us) will be able to enjoy the final week of the year at Ngaparou, our mission team's beach camp site. This is a location that the whole family really enjoys---grandparents and uncle & aunt included---so we're excited for our beach vacation. (Don't expect to hear from us between Dec 23-30.)
FIELD NEWS
Thank you for your prayers for our Spiritual Retreat. It was a time of bringing all (veterans and "new" arrivals) together under the same vision for ministry here in Senegal. We also began a journey of discovery into what God wants to do spiritually in and through us, which is continuing. One highlight of the weekend was the all-team keep away game in the swimming pool on Sunday afternoon. It got pretty aggressive, but one and all had a blast, and it really served to solidify a team spirit!
Our Annual Conference also went well. It was deeply encouraging to see this "combined team" working together, discussing some tough issues with harmony and obvious respect for one another. God is doing his work.
Please pray for our next monthly team meeting. This one will be a bit unique, as we have an African woman with a degree in counseling coming to speak to us specifically about spiritual warfare in an African context. This is very much in keeping with what began at our Spiritual Retreat, and the timing is of the Lord. But pray for her, and us, as this is just the kind of thing our Enemy would like to torpedo.
The Lord continues to provide for Adama Diouf's financial support. Keep praying that God will provide the one-time cost of a vehicle for his frequent but necessary travels. $5,000 has been committed for that purpose, but we will need at least another $5,000 to get a reliable car (vehicles are much more expensive here than in the US, in part because of a 55% customs tax).
One commitment we made as a team during our recent Spiritual Retreat was to cover each day of the week with fasting for Senegal. Each day of the week, at least one person on our team is fasting for Senegal. This indefinite fast is to ask the Lord to open the eyes of the Senegalese to the Light of His Son. Would anyone care to fast with us? Pick a day---or even just a meal---each week to fast on behalf of the Muslims of Senegal. It is unlikely that the Muslim world will be broken open to the Gospel without significant prayer and fasting on the part of God's people.
MINISTRY God clearly spoke through Esther at the Women's Retreat. Many women came up to her afterwards, and the consistent comment was, "Thank you for sharing that. Now I need to do some business with God." That is what we were praying for!
Continue to pray for ITES (Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal; formerly IED), the leadership training school, which is desperately in need of facilities. Pray especially for the board of directors (of which Dan is a member) as they try to decide where to focus the search for facilities (Dakar is the more strategic location, but outside Dakar is MUCH less expensive).
This past Sunday we spent the afternoon in the home of our friends, Amy & Mohammadou Tanji-gora. They are "Ibadou", one of the most devout Muslim sects here in Senegal. But believe it or not, this works to our advantage in sharing Jesus with them, because the more devout a Muslim is, the more sincere they tend to be in their search for God and for truth. The afternoon included a significant discussion on what it means to fear God, and how to do so in the manner in which God demands to be feared. And this issue was raised by Mohammadou himself! Praise the Lord for such a wonderful opportunity, and pray fervently that something that was said will draw him closer to faith in Jesus (the only way to fear God in the way He has said He must be feared). As icing on the cake of that exciting afternoon, the imam (Muslim religious leader) of our local mosque happened to be there when we arrived for lunch. Since he was still there when his hosts other invitees (us) arrived, it was only polite to invite him to stay for the meal as well, so we were able to interact with him, something we have been wanting to do. God is doing something among these Muslims in our neighborhood! Continue to pray!
Sat Nov 12 13:20:45 2005
Dan & Esther Penney's "Rejoice & Request" Update -- November 2005 One of this month's themes was boards. No, we're not bored---far from it! Our boys enjoy playing with the plywood boards from our shipment crates. But seriously, Dan got "elected" to the Dakar Academy school board, and so he spent two full days this past month in school board meetings. He also ended up becoming interim (he hopes!) chairman of the board for ITES, the national leadership training school. Finally, he has responsability for assembling a small oversight board for Adama Diouf, WorldVenture's national partner in mission here. Now we hope you're not bored. Read on, the rest is more interesting, especially the part about the mosque dedication. (For those of you reading this in black-and-white, the blue "Rejoices" are also italicized, and the red "Requests" are bolded). PERSONAL & FAMILY
„h Dan's Mom sounds like she is greatly enjoying the anticipation of her wedding this month. Pray for her and for Warren as they embark on life together on Nov 26. Dan is very sad to be missing such a joyous event, but November will be our fullest month, and the $3,000+ plane ticket just didn't seem like wise stewardship.
„h Some of you have asked about our oven... The details are too long and involved to fully tell here. Suffice it to say that we greatly appreciated your prayers. We spent two weeks trying to get the "old" one fixed. When it began to appear that it was not to be, we purchased a new one. When that one didn't work either, we were delighted that the store allowed us to exchange it (not an assumed right of the customer here). This third one (second new one) is what we are "working with." It works, but (despite multiple visits by the store's "repairman") does not always reliably hold its temperature, which as you might guess, makes cooking a challenge! God is teaching us patience and other valuable lessons, and it appears as if maybe this oven is settling down into reliability. Continue to pray that God will accomplish his will in our lives, even with something as down to earth as an oven! FIELD NEWS
„h Pray for our field team's annual Spiritual Retreat this weekend (Nov 4-6). We are expecting good things of God, but for the Holy Spirit to truly work in and through us, we need substantial prayer coverage, so thank you in advance for thinking of us this coming weekend.
„h Pray also for our Annual Conference (the business side of our annual meetings, on Nov 15 & 16). There is much to discuss and decide, not the least of which is to pick up our vision and strategic plans made over a year ago and expand on the details of how the Lord would have us implement them from this point foward.
„h It seems as if the Lord has provided a house for the Powells. Thank you for your prayers. Some minor details of the contract are still pending, but there is at least verbal agreement on the major issues (especially the rent).
„h The Lord continues to provide for Adama Diouf's financial support. Keep praying that God will provide the one-time cost of a vehicle for his frequent but necessary travels. $5,000 has been committed for that purpose, but we will need at least another $5,000 to get a reliable car (vehicles are much more expensive here than in the US, in part because of a 55% customs tax). PERSONAL MINISTRY
„h We had a fascinating new experience last Sunday. We were invited to, and so attended, the ground-breaking for our neighborhood mosque (this is the one to be situated right across the street from our house, which we believe will some day be a church). We can only titillate your interest here (we hope to write a prayer letter about the experience), but here are the highlights... Several neighbors (including Mohammadou and Amy) profusely expressed their delight at our presence there. The big imam (Muslim leader) formally welcomed us as part of the proceedings, acknowledging that we came in the name of Jesus, and yet a few sentences later, gave us an open, public invitation to come use the mosque once it is built!!! Now that should fuel your praises for a few days!
„h Pray for Esther as she prepares to speak at the annual Women's Retreat here in Dakar (Nov 11-13; usually about 150-200 women attend). Normally, she prefers to be prepared way in advance for such things, and she has been diligently setting aside time to do that, but God has been "doing a Gideon" with her time. She is resting in God that he will provide whatever time is necessary, but pray nonetheless that God would prepare her as He sees fit, and that the Holy Spirit would be the one who speaks through her to His glory.
„h Continue to pray for ITES (Institut de Theologie Evangelique du Senegal; formerly IED), the leadership training school. There is no new information on the possible donor for a building for the school, and we are desperately in need of facilities. Attendance is down this semester, in part because our classes are spread all over the city in borrowed classroom space from several different sources.
„h The ITES course Dan was to teach has been canceled for this semester. This is both good news and bad. It does free up some of Dan's time, which was needed for other responsibilities. But the reason for the cancellation is that by the start of school only one student was enrolled for the new "Level 1" program, and so the director decided to delay the start that program until next semester to try to generate greater interest in the entry-level courses (ITES began a two-level academic program this fall).
„h Despite some significant hurdles (too few students for the Level 1 program, and no building in which to offer classes), ITES got off to a good start on October 17. One course had a record 16 students enrolled! And Adama Diouf, the new director as of Oct 1, is doing a fantastic job, not only in resolving the afore-mentioned difficulties, but in setting vision and helping the Institute plan for the future. God is good.
„h Maymuna---our neighbor who had been reading the stories of Bible women but gave the Bible back to us---told us she would be happy to have a Bible again. Apparently, she only returned it to us because she didn't want to keep our Bible too long. We were very happy to make a "permanent loan" of the Bible to her. (We did not want to give it to her outright, as that can communicate that something has no value; so we said she could keep the "loaner" for as long as she was reading it.) Pray for her, that her interest in God's Word would only increase, and that God's truth would penetrate her heart and soul.
Thu Jul 7 14:30:15 2005
Dan & Esther Penney's "Rejoice & Request" Update -- June 2005 Wow! WOW! WOW!!! God has answered your prayers this month! Read on to hear some amazing stories of how He has answered requests from last month. This is our last monthly update from the US. As most of you know, we'll be boarding the plane for Africa on June 14. We'll greet you next month from our post in Senegal.
PERSONAL & FAMILY-- Our shipment is on its way! This past Saturday, with much help from family and friends, we disgorged 194 boxes and other numbered items from our basement into a rental truck. Then three of us delivered it to a freight depot about 20 miles away, and packed it all onto 5 shipping pallets. It is on its way to an organization in Missouri that helps missionaries secure and ship their things. Praise the Lord, we were able to share a small shipping container with another missionary family who is also shipping their stuff to Dakar at the same time. That arrangement allowed us to get the best shipping "bang" for our buck. God is gracious. Our van is sold! Dan had the "for sale" signs on it for less than a week. A couple who supports us came to visit one evening and saw the "for sale" signs. They'd been considering a second, larger vehicle, and our van was even the color they'd been dreaming of! They accepted our asking price, and agreed to let us keep using it until we leave. They will pick it up at Dan's sister's house the day after we fly out, which even allows us to use it to get to the airport (saving us the cost of a large limo!). God is gracious! Our boys have the opportunity to go spend a long weekend with Grandma & Grandpa in Colorado one last time before we leave the US. They are terribly excited, anticipating canoe trips, bonfires, bike rides, hikes in the mountains, swimming at the community's pool, and many other things little boys love (not to mention that they love Grandma & Grandpa). We will need to hire a new maid upon our return to Senegal. This is always a critical and usually a difficult decision. Praise the Lord that we already have a couple possibilities, but will need to make a decision soon after our arrival.
FIELD NEWS-- The family we had hoped would join the work in Diourbel is definitely headed to Mali instead. While this seems like "bad" news from an earthly perspective, we know that it is ultimately good news, both for us and for the family. We rejoice with Tom & Lisa Seward that they have found a ministry calling in Mali. And we know that God has better plans for his people in the Diourbel churches as well. Continue to pray earnestly for at least one---preferably two---couples to come continue that vital work in the Diourbel area. Pray for the two families that are soon to arrive in Senegal to begin work there. Bill & Nancy McComb and their four boys will be boys' dorm parents at Dakar Academy; they plan to arrive in about ten weeks. Darl & Jill Powell will be doing maintenance at DA as well as neighborhood evangelism in Dakar. There are already things in Senegal awaiting Dan's attention as field leader upon his return. Pray for much wisdom as to just how to proceed so that the whole team can be as effective as we can be at building Christ's kingdom in West Africa. There are many new folks to integrate into the team, and to bring up to speed on the team's vision.
PERSONAL MINISTRY-- We have completed our Home Assignment trips and visits. We praise God for all the encouragement he gave us through all of you. And we also thank him for all the safe and pleasant travel he allowed during this past year. Pray for a smooth transition to life in Senegal. Pray for our boys in this regard also. There will be so much change, and so much setting up and settling back in to be done in the next couple months. Part of that transition involves settling back into a church for us personally. We don't necessarily feel the Lord leading us back to the English-speaking African church we attended last term. Pray for wisdom in finding a Senegalese church family where we can both contribute and grow ourselves. Finally, we need great wisdom in knowing what specific ministry roles to take on ourselves upon our return this time (beyond field leadership, which we do not yet know how much time and energy it will require in itself).
FINANCES-- Now you ready for some great news? Here's part of the "WOW" from up above: We are officially at 93%! God raised our support level from 85% to 93% in less than three weeks! And we expect that to go even higher, because there are several verbal commitments that we know about the have not yet been registered with CBI. We unofficially calculate our support at over 97% right now. So we will probably go "over the top." Incredible! God has answered your and our prayers about getting us to 100%. We confess that we had small faith for that, even though we were certain he would allow us to leave on time. PRAISE OUR GREAT AND AWESOME GOD! And our sincere thanks to so many of you who made sacrificial commitments to make it possible.
Biography
Sat Sep 23 12:43:21 2006
Dan & Esther Penney
Leadership training and evangelism in Senegal Fast Facts Birthdays Dan (3/31), Esther (7/12)
Anniversary (12/17)
Family Joel (1/31), Luke (1/31), Caleb (12/8)
Education Dan: B.S. in mathematics, 1985, Wheaton College, Illinois; M.Div., 1994, Denver Seminary, Colorado. Esther: B.A. in liberal arts/nursing, 1996, Wheaton College; B.S. in nursing, 1997, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Ilinois
Appointed January 1998
Home Church First Baptist Church of Wheaton, Illinois Ministry-at-a-Glance Primary Ministry Focus Leadership training, church planting assistance, team administration and member care.
The People The Senegalese people are open and friendly. They freely talk about religion, sometimes asking Westerners why they are not Muslims. But in this Muslim society, it is a long road from curiosity to faith in Jesus Christ.
Major Challenges Balancing the responsibilities of leadership training, church planting, and team administration. Also, finding ways to present the gospel that are able to penetrate the culture.
Prayer Focus That God would reveal himself to the Senegalese; and that the growing Senegalese church would catch the vision to reach the rest of the Muslim world.
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