Gambia 2008 team updates:

March 2008

Dear all: Hello from a hot and sunny Gambia!!

Thank you all so much for your continued prayer and support. It
has been so encouraging to know that so many of you back home have been
praying for us. Your prayers are certainly being answered in a multitude of
ways. We are all having a fun, exciting and challenging time. As a team, we
couldn't be getting on better. Everyone has been kept safe and -
remarkably - very well.

God has been especially good to us over the past few weeks, keeping us going
after Connie had to return home ill, leaving a big hole. Please pray for
her - we are certainly missing her - and her doctors, as they try to form an
exact diagnosis. Last week saw Katie return, however, which was very
exciting. Its been such fun having her back with us. Its particularly good
for the girls, as it makes it all slightly fairer at 7 boys to 4 girls,
rather than 7-3. She also brought back a sack-full of goodies: cheese,
clothes, letters, books, oven gloves (a day too late for one of the team),
newspapers and magazines, (girly)films, marmite and - of course - lots of
chocolate!

Last week was also the last week of term, and so we are now on
holiday! This term has been successful and challenging for all of us. Many
good relationships have been made and nurtured, and CUs have been going
really well at Bakau Upper Basic (run particularly by Theo, Katie, and
Connie) and Agape (run particularly by Simon, Kate, Henry and Amelia). Last
week, Sarah, Jonny and Tom also began a CU at Glory Baptist Junior: 150
turned up!!

Even though it is the holiday, we are busier than ever. We are
preparing to run the children's work at the ECG (Evangelical Church of The
Gambia) Easter Conference. There may be 25 children there - or there may be
75! In the morning we will be doing stories from the Bible, based around the
theme of God Saving.In the afternoons we will be doing games - perhaps just
for the children,perhaps for the 200 adults too!! As such, today has been a
truly bizarre day: Henry has been painting rainbows, Kate and Amelia have
been gluing newspaper and cotton wool to balloons, Jonny has been making
lion masks, Sarah has been drawing pictures of monkeys and chickens, Tom and
Theo have been cutting down a tree (though no-one is quite sure why), Sam
has been making huge cardboard crosses, and the local shopkeepers have been
collecting bottle-tops for us; all while Katie and Tonks look on with a
mixture of approval and bemusement.

When the conference (Thurs - Sun) is over, we continue
up-country (hotter, muggier,no breeze) to visit two German friends we have
made whilst here, and then on to stay at a small lodge on a mangrove swamp,
with walkways between our huts and the restaurant. Should be a lot of fun!

Following that, Dave Reid will be visiting in early April. It
will be good to have an very old, wise head around.


Things to thank God for:

- Katie's return.
- Agape and Bakau UB CUs continue to be very successful. A third
meeting has begun at Glory Baptist Junior.
- Continued good health.
- Excellent seminars and Bible overview sessions from Katie and
Simon, which have been very instructive and relevant.
- Hearing two good sermon series:the first from Rico Tice on
evangelism, the second from Tony Jones on eschatology.
- Harmony within the team.
- Mariatu's amazing cooking,washing and general good
humour/singing/dancing/laughing! (She has spent the majority of this week
singing about her one weakness: chocolate!)


Things to ask God for:

- Connie's recovery back in England.For her doctors, and for her,
being away from the team.
- Achieving what we hope to at the ECG conference. Particularly that
we will be clear, make it fun, and won't overload the children with too many
ideas and stories.
- Restful and memorable holidays.
- That we'll stand the increasing heat!
- Now over half-way through, that we will learn from the lessons of
the past two months, and really make the most of our remaining time.
- That we can properly equip the Sunday Schools at Omega and Bundung
churches, so that they may carry on after we have gone.
- For more opportunities in schools, and that more CUs may be
started.
- For guys who we are reading the Bible with, especially the
caretaker at Greater Banjul Upper Basic, who Sam is now reading with.
- That we will have the courage to preach the gospel, that we will do
it with grace and clarity, and that God will open hearts to the word.
- For continued health.
- That we will apply what we are learning in the seminars, bible
studies, sermons and bible overview sessions.


Finally,please also pray specifically for the mental state of
one member of the team: Tom Bodeker. He has begun quoting lines from the
film 'High School Musical'. We are extremely worried.


Yours, with love and prayers,

Tonks, Katie, Amelia, Henry, Kate, Johnny, Jonny, Sam, Sarah, Theo and Tom

February 2008

Hello to everyone, here's our third prayer e-mail from The Gambia.

We're all having a really good time. The weather is as ever wonderful. We've got to know quite a few Gambians which has been great and a really good opportunity to talk about Jesus.

We're looking forward to Greg Cushing coming out to visit us for a week in the beginning of February. We've met so many Gambians who all talk about Greg and have his number.

Johnny Monro is back in England at the moment because he's retaking an exam and coming back later this week.

We've met an American lady who runs the Gambian Youth for Christ which has been great and we're going to help with it

Things to thank God for:

- Friendships with Gambians and opportunities to talk about Christ with them
- Great Weather
- Everyone's healthy (only one person has been ill so far which is amazing)
- Being given the opportunity to set up a Sunday school at a church, which three members of the team are doing.
- Meeting Julianna (the Youth for Christ lady)
- The work of last years team in forming relationships with people out here
- Opportunities to play sport out here (Tom, Theo and Henry are playing for a local football team and Tom, Theo and Sam are going to play for the Gambian national cricket team and Henry competed in a school sports day at the national stadium.)
- Really good Bible studies, seminars and Bible overview sessions

Things to ask God for:

- The girls dancing group at Youth for Christ and all the work with YFC
- Devotions at Agape school where Henry, Kate and Amelia are teaching
- Christian Meeting at Bakau Upper Basic School where Theo, Connie and Katie are teaching, starting this week.
- All members of the team to be able to be useful in their schools, so that we can serve the schools as much as possible.
- That some form of Christian teaching (either CRE lessons or a Christian meeting) would be able to take place and Greater Banjul Upper Basic School which is a very Islamic school, where Tonks and Sam are teaching.
- That Johnny is having a fruitful time in England and will return safely.


Thank you very much for all your prayers. We would also be very pleased to receive prayer requests from people back home.

The Smile Team

Here is a second update from the Gambia. Lots has been going on since our last email so here is a quick general update - last Sunday we went to Omega church for the first time (lots of singing!) and Monday was our first day teaching in our various schools. Generally we've been having an awesome time - chilling on the beach in 30 C heat, checking out markets, and even smithy's hair has been cut! 

We have a lot to be thankful for (more than I can list!):

-General safety and happiness,
-The guys have had many opportunities to make good friends with the Gambians and to start to evangelise - Smithy has been doing some great work in French with a Senegalese guy, 
-Johnny Monro has returned safely to England to take his exams,
-and last but not least the weather is amazing!

Please do pray for:

-General safety - African taxis are fairly terrifying at times! 
-Our own spiritual growth,
-For our wonderful leaders Katie and Tonks,
-Johnny Monro's revision/exams over the next 2 weeks and a safe return to the Gambia,
-Usefulness at Omega and a chance to encourage the Christians out here - we haven't seen much of the church so far but hope that there are many ways we can get involved, 
-Unity within the group and with the Christians in Gambia
-Friends for the girls - because of the culture the girls are getting much less of a chance to get chatting and make friends and therefore to evangelise - we are searching out a volleyball team and are trying to make friends with the teachers at schools but please pray for opportunities to do so!, 
-Opportunities with in the schools to evangelise and set up christian meetings etc,
-To be recognised as different from the teachers within our schools,
-After a couple of run ins with "bumsters", for a discernment between good and bad motives from Gambians. So many people are out to cheat white people, but it is also very easy to offend those who are just being friendly! 


Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers,
Love the Smile Team at the Smiling Coast!

Dear Friends of the Smile Team,

'On Him we have set our hope that He will contiune to deliver us, as
you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf
for the gracious favour granted us in answer to the prayers of many.'
2 Cor 1.10,11

Apologies that it's taken us so long to send this first letter, but as
so many of you have been so faithful in praying for us, it seems right
that many should be able to give thanks with us for the gracious
favour granted in response to your prayers.

The SMILE team 2008 are all safely in Gambia, in our very comfortable
house (a bit cozy with 12 of us, but very comfortable nonetheless!).
We've moved house; found our way to the schools we're going to be
teaching in, met the amazing Mariattou (our cook/advisor/surrogate
mother); made it down to the beach (quite a lot), registered at the
embassy, and have generally been enjoying the new smells, dust, heat,
colour, accents, etc. As the bumsters on the beach have been telling
us 'we are all Gambian now'.

For those who don't know the details: Katie Goodhart and I are leading
the team, with Jonny Elfer, Theo Bossom, Amelia De Souza, Henry
Farrar-Bell, Connie Wilson, Sarah Kemlo, Sam Smith, Johnny Monroe,
Kate Mullins and Tom Bodeker
We flew out on Tuesday and are here until May 16th.

With much love from us all,

The Smile Team