The mission outpost in Senegal

I have been studying recently about the most important of garment of all—the robe of Christ’s righteousness. What does it mean to wear this garment? How can we have it on today? “When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness. Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah.” “Sanctification is a state of holiness, without and within, being holy and without reserve the Lord’s, not in form, but in truth. Every impurity of thought, every lustful passion, separates the soul from God; for Christ can never put His robe of righteousness upon a sinner, to hide his deformity. . . . There must be a progressive work of triumph over evil, of sympathy with good, a reflection of the character of Jesus. We must walk in the light, which will increase and grow brighter unto the perfect day. This is real, substantial growth, which will finally attain to the full stature of men and women in Jesus Christ.” Christ Object Lessons, 311; Our High Calling, 214. May we be wearing that most important robe that we may not be ashamed at His return!

Deborah teaching how to give a massage

Senegal is not a country that we hear very much about today, but even if we hear little about this West African country, there are millions whom Jesus loves and for whom He died. Although not a large country, it has a population of over twelve million, with only five hundred Seventh-day Adventists in the entire country. Clearly this is a country that needs much prayer and labors to bring the good news of the gospel to millions who have never heard the message for this time. I am very thankful that the Lord has raised up workers who are seeking to share God’s message with those in need. Deborah Ndione, along with her family, has moved to Senegal to reach out to the extremely needy population there. (Her husband, although having lived many years in America, is a native of Senegal.) They have started Senegal Health Project in order to reach out to the multitudes in darkness through medical missionary work. Direct evangelism is difficult given the religious climate of the area, but through medical missionary labors, they have been able to gain access to the hearts of the villagers. They have been able to train others in massage and hydrotherapy, and simple treatments have opened the doors for sharing the Third Angel’s Message. Once someone accepts the message, there are still tremendous struggles ahead of them because many times their Islamic families will reject them and they find themselves without family, home or friends. Senegal Health Project is currently helping one such newly baptized person by giving him a place to stay and giving him odd jobs to do around the mission station. They realize how great the need is not just to reach out to those in need, but to train them in livelihood projects so that they can support themselves even if disowned by their family. There are several plans that they have, but currently they are focusing on agriculture to provide for their own food and to teach others to do so, as well. They are located in arid Sahel (the border between the Sahara desert to the north and the savannas to the south), so water can be a challenge, but they are going forward and doing what they can. Would you like to help share the last warning message to the barely entered country of Senegal? Please pray for the Ndione family as they push through tremendous difficulties to reach this difficult mission with the love of Jesus. If you would like to help them in their work, you can mark your donation “Senegal.”

Yours in the blessed hope,

Treating one of the villagers