Blowing Bubbles

Last week at the center the t boys were having so much fun blowing bubbles. Jim's sister had brought out containers of bubbles, so we let them have them for use at the center. Can you imagine 15 year old boys in the States enjoying blowing bubbles? Well they do here because it gives them something fun to do that they have never experienced before.

It is such a joy to watch them just relax and have fun for a while before they have to return to begging.

Please pray for a little one who had marks on his back. He very softly told our worker that his teacher had hit him.

Aunt Ramona

Window Shopping

One of the advantages of being in a huge traffic jam here is being able to shop from your car window! Of course, sometimes the sellers tend to get very pushy and keep knocking on your window. We just have to ignore them and keep our car doors locked.

Unfortunately, the times that we usually get into a traffic jam are on our way out of the city for a weekend away, so it is hard to relax until we are past all the sellers. Over the last couple of months while sitting in traffic I put together a list of things you can buy from your car window. Here you go:

A - air fresheners, axes (during Tabaski) & American flags

B - bananas, baguettes, baseball caps, bassinet mosquito nets, bathtub cleaner, batteries, beach balls, birds (live - they believe that if you release them it sends the bad spirits away), blankets, blenders, books, boxers & bracelets

C - candy bars, cashews, CD's, cell phone chargers, chinese paper lanterns, clocks, clothespins, coffee makers, coffee mugs, cookies & cream cheese

D - dates & dishcloths

E - eggs

F - flip flops & flower garlands (fake)

G - glass cleaner

H - hats

I - ice, frozen in liter bottles & inflatable toys

J - joysticks

K - keyboards, key chains & kiwis

L - luggage

M - magazines, mandarin oranges, marabu pictures, matches, meat grinders, mints & mint leaves (used for tea here)

N - necklaces & newspapers

O - oil (cooking & car)

P - peanuts, pears, perfume, phone cards & purses

Q - Q-tips

R - radios & rugs

S - Scrabble, Senegalese flags, shirts, shoes, sling shots, soccer balls, star cards, steering wheel covers & sunglasses

T - tea, tissues, toilet bowl cleaner, tools, toothpicks, towels & T-shirts

U - underwear

V - valves for gas bombs (gas bottles) & vegetables

W - wallets, watches, water (in bags) & window visors

X - xylophones (wood for souvenirs)

Y - yo- yos & yogurt

Z - zucchini & zwieback crackers

Hope you enjoy this video of window shopping!

Aunt Ramona

Hi all--

Just picture 35 t boys, 24 under 7 years old, all at the zoo for the first time in their lives! This is what we were able to do a couple of weeks ago because of a generous gift by a loving partner. The three women and myself that came to supervise the boys were really impressed with their self control. They were experiencing such excitement at this first time adventure, but were able to follow our rules and even be quiet when told to.

On the way into the park we purchased some little bags of peanuts so the boys could throw them to the monkeys. Toward the end of the time there we noticed that there were some peanuts left over and the boys were eating them! I guess they needed a little snack too.

We were even able to teach them not to litter (a huge problem here) in the park on the way out as they munched on M&M's and learned how to say it in English.

The next week a second trip to the zoo for the remaining 28 boys was taken with the older boys and a few younger ones. The younger boys were quite scared of the larger monkeys. Upon entering the zoo some of the boys became very nervous as the guard told them they weren't allowed in the park until he saw that they had supervision and then they were allowed in. It is common thinking that t boys are trouble makers which results in very few privileges such as entering a "public" park. These visits may allow them to go without supervision as until now they have been banned from entering the zoo even if they can pay the entrance fee.

The t boys live such a hard life that it was neat to watch the boys' reactions to the different animals at the zoo and to see them having so much fun!

Living in Africa

One of our day to day tasks here are purchasing fruits and vegetables at the market. The first thing we have to do when we get them home is to soak them in a bleach/water solution for 20 minutes. This must be done to kill any germs or diseases that might be on them. Then we rinse them with filtered water and put them in the refrigerator. We also do this same process when purchasing eggs. If you don’t, when you crack the eggs, germs could get in whatever you are doing with your eggs.

Another thing we must do is when we buy flour, we have to put it in the freezer for a few days. This is so that any bugs that are in the flour will be killed.

Sometimes when I want to buy meat, I go down to the local meat shop pictured. You have to hope that the piece of meat you are buying hasn’t had too many flies on it! The meat hanging here is sheep that someone just brought into the shop to sell. They had it loaded in the back of an old station wagon and got it out and hung it up. I guess you would call that special delivery!

Just day to day food preparation takes a lot of time here. Everything must be made from scratch. Any convenience foods that might be available here are usually too expensive to consider buying.

We also need to filter all of our water. Even when brushing our teeth, we must use filtered water. A bucket water filter system like this one is the most common ways to filter water. However, this year the home we live in has 3 built-in water filters, so that is a real luxury.

Even though we must do a lot to just live day by day, we have a lot more than most Senegalese people have. We have so much to be thankful for; we have water that doesn’t have to be hauled, electricity, a stove and oven to cook on and so much more.

So, next time you get a glass of water to drink, or bake or cook something, just be thankful for the many small blessings you have, I know I am!

Hi Everyone--

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything on my blog, so I thought I should get busy and put something on.

I left on December 9 to go to the States to spend Christmas with two of our kids and spouses and two of our grandchildren. Matt and Courtney live in Longmont with their two dogs. Sarah and her husband Jerome and two boys, Brandon and Dylan recently moved from Pennsylvania and are living in our home in Littleton. Brandon is in kindergarten this year and attends the same elementary school where our kids all attended. Dylan is attending pre-school at our home church where all of our kids also went. It was a lot of fun for me to walk Brandon to school a couple of days; it really brought back a lot of good memories of when our kids went there. (Matt & Courtney with Brandon & Dylan)

Because the cheapest fare I could get on a ticket was to fly before December 10, Jim couldn't go as he was still teaching school. I got back home to Africa two days after Christmas but it was still hard to be apart on Christmas Day. However, Jim was well taken care of by our missionary collegues who invited him to spend Christmas Day with their family.

When I left Africa it was 80 degrees and when I landed in Denver it was minus 10 degrees. Talk about a rude awakening! Needless to say, our son Matt met me at the airport with my coat so I wouldn't freeze.

Even though I was only in the US for 2.5 weeks, I did a lot and spent time with family and many friends and supporters. I flew to Phoenix to see my mom, Rita for a couple of days. My sister Rachel from Washington State was also visiting at the same time so we had a good time together.

(Rachel, Ramona & Mom)

After I got back to Africa, Jim and I went with a large group of friends for two days to a spit of land just off the coast and almost into Mauritania. After driving for about 5 hours, we took a boat over to this land that has a river on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other side. We stayed in a resort camp, ate our meals together and slept in a Mauritanian-type tent which was nice. We spent time just relaxing, getting to know people better and taking long walks on the beach. It was fun.

Now Jim is back teaching and I am busy again with all my ministry and work activities. I wish you all the best and God's blessings as you start the new year.

Aunt Ramona

Hi all--

I want to tell you about the talibe boys here in Senegal. Some of you have already had the talibe system explained to you so this is just a reminder or this could be new information to some of you.
Translated, talibe means student. We are more familiar with the word Taliban which also uses the same root word. The talibe boys are common throughout West Africa, but especially in Senegal.
Dakar is considered the begging capital of the world; giving alms is one of the five pillars of Islam. As a result, marabouts and talibe boys have been moving to Dakar from all over West Africa. They squat in vacant, unfinished buildings, or construct shacks on vacant land. Most of the “homes” have no running water or sanitation facilities. In contrast, the marabout may live in a nicer home with his family.
The boys are between the ages of five and fifteen. Families give their young boys to a marabout, an Islamic religious leader and teacher. This is impossible for us to comprehend, except for the fact that many of the families are too poor to care for, let alone provide an education for the boys. The marabout is supposed to raise and train the boys in koranic education, providing a free education for them. In reality the boys become child slaves. They must beg for him and are often beaten and mistreated if they do not bring in enough money each day. I should point out that not all of the marabouts mistreat the boys, but many do, and the system itself is open to many abuses.
You see talibe boys everywhere in Dakar. They are there when you step out of the terminal at the airport and they are seemingly walking every street begging. They go out early in the morning and often stay on the streets until late at night. They carry empty tomato cans where passersby place their alms. They are barefoot and dressed in rags. Many are sick with malaria or other diseases, and nearly all are underfed. The younger, smaller boys are often bullied by the older, bigger boys who steal the money they have collected.
A marabout may have as many as 40 talibe boys. Some of the marabouts do not feed the boys, so they must get their food by begging. In general, the boys are required to give the marabout a certain amount of money each day. If they earn more, some marabouts allow them to send the extra to their families.
Even the noble gesture of giving the boys food is problematic. If you give them food, they will often sell it to meet their quota. It is possible to give them something like a peeled banana that cannot be sold and must be eaten.
I have been working at a center in a very poor area of Dakar which is run by a WorldVenture colleague of mine that provides food and care to these boys. The boys come mornings Monday through Friday and receive food, showers, French lessons, first aid care, clean clothes, flip-flops, water to drink, etc. The center started out with about 16 boys coming and now we average from 45 to 50 boys daily.
This last week the center, Xaley Boroom Bi (Children of the Lord Center), celebrated being open for one year. When we were home this last summer one of our donors gave us some money and asked us to buy ice cream for the boys. So at our party, we had cake, ice cream, games, and a program by a Christian singer who is well known here in Senegal. The boys were so excited to have a party and we are praising God for the blessings that have been mine to work with these boys this last year and show them God’s love.
A sad note regarding one of the boys. One of the regular talibe boys may have run away from his daara (the marabout’s home where they live) two weeks ago and has not been seen since. He was asking how to get to his village and how much it would cost him, so they are assuming he was trying to get back home. We are concerned for his safety as it is not safe here especially at night. There is also the possibility that he could have been kidnapped as that has been happening here recently. He is only 8 years old at the most and a very sweet, softhearted boy. His name is Ousman(oos-mon). Ousman has been with us at the center from the beginning so he has probably been gone from his family for 3 or more years. The last day he was with us at the center he saw the Jesus film in Wolof. Please pray for his safety.

If you are interested in giving to help the talibe boys, our mission has a special project that was set up to help with the daily costs of running the center and buying food and clothing for them. You can send a check to the address below with an attached written note indicating - for Talibe Street Kids – SP#6403-931. See the address below.

Some have been asking us about little girls here in Senegal; what happens to them and if they have to beg, etc. Basically, the girls aren’t affected by this as they stay in the villages to help their mothers with the cooking and farming.

Thanks again for your prayer and financial support of our ministry here in Senegal.

Change the world, one life at a time,


Jim and Ramona Adams
Serving in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa
with WorldVenture

E-mail: Jim: n0vpm@msn.com (the 0 is a zero)
Ramona: ramonajoy@msn.com
Skype: Jim: jim_adams_n0vpm
Ramona: ramonajoy

Internet Phone: (303)586-1757 – This is a Denver telephone number. (Remember that we are 7 hours ahead of Denver )

If you feel called to financially partner with us, you may send checks payable to WorldVenture, writing our name and the account number on an attached note – not on the check memo line. (i.e. Adams / #6154-963) Mail to WorldVenture, 1501 W. Mineral Ave., Littleton, CO 80120. You can also give donations or commitments online at www.WorldVenture.com. For donations click on GIVE. All gifts are tax deductible.

I thought I would just give you a little glimpse of what it takes to "just live" in Africa. Some of the tasks for "just living" takes much more time and energy than it does in the States.

The mundane, like doing the laundry, is an example of what takes much of our time these days. It's great to have a washing machine but when the electricity goes off, a load can take a long time! Once it's washed and hung out to dry, the rains often come and it has to be taken in. On the low wall in the house or possibly on stair railings, we lay our clothes out, but in the humidity of this rainy season, it can take 12 hours to dry. Are we in the second day yet? Finally, most things need to be ironed to kill any mango worms in the clothes. Will the electricity stay on for the ironing? Will the load be finished the third day?

Please know that it is easy to get discouraged when these mundane tasks take a lot of time, but when I look at others here who don't even have a washing machine, or something as simple as a clothesline, it doesn't seem as important anymore!

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers that our focus would be for the ministries that God has called us to here in Senegal!

Aunt Ramona