February 2010

Welcome to the February 2010 Installment of the Elisabeth Chronicles. Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday I arrived in Senegal for the first time, ready to start this new adventure in my life. Only I look at the calendar and realize that it has, in fact, been 6 ½ months since that Thursday morning in July.

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What is love? I asked my third graders this question during our class Valentine’s party. Here are just some of the responses I received…

1. Love is when your brother lets you have the last cookie.
2. Love is when your mom makes lemonade because she knows you like it.
3. Love is when your mom and dad cheer for you even when you do bad in basketball.
4. Love is when a mom and dad send their kids to boarding school because they know it’s good for them.
5. Love is when God sent his son to die on the cross, even though it made him sad.
6. Love is when God lets us ask for forgiveness even when we probably don’t deserve it.

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January and February have been busy months here. Along with normal day-to-day teaching duties, Dakar Academy held its annual Spiritual Emphasis Week, Olympics Days, and participated in WAIST – West Africa Invitational Softball Tournament.

I also got the opportunity to travel with 3 other A/G missionary ladies to Tambacounda, where we led a Children’s and a Women’s Service at the Assemblies of God church there. We were blessed with the whole 8 hour drive going and coming being safe and uneventful (always a plus here). We were able to share the gospel with approximately 25 children and approximately 20 women. It was my first experience speaking with a translator, so I was a bit nervous, but you know…I came away from this weekend feeling so refreshed and blessed by the Lord.


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Prayer Requests for February:

• I still need to raise the rest of my AGWM budget. As of today, February 16th, I need to raise $347 more in monthly pledges and $7572 in cash donations to meet my budget requirements. I am not allowed to come back on the field as a Missionary Associate (MA) until my budget is completely raised, so please pray that this happens soon.

• I am in the process of contacting pastors, family members, and friends to raise support and/or schedule services to speak at while I’m back in the States during the summer. Please pray that everything falls into place with this.

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For those of you that already support me each month financially, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you do not, and would like to, please contact me at enichols85@gmail.com or call my parents at 205-225-0255 and we can tell you how to do so. Any donations you make would be tax-deductible.

Happy Valentine's Day from Senegal,

Elisabeth Nichols
enichols85@gmail.com