Senegal

Prayer Support

• Personal prayer for yourself and the host site.
• 5-7 Prayer supporters (those who will support you and the team in prayer).
• Providing updates as needed.

Relational Support

• 2-4 Relational supporters (those who will support you by asking questions about how you are doing and listening to your answers).
• Providing updates as needed.

Financial Support

• 60-75 financial supporters contributing $4,100 (those who will support you by contributing financially toward the team’s ministry).
• Providing updates as needed.

Leadership

Students will engage in leadership roles throughout the trip. Opportunities include leading devotions and/or prayer times, preaching/teaching, and graciously stepping into roles the host site provides students.  In some cases, the host site might offer students the opportunity to plan and/or lead activities.

• Students will have the opportunity to pray for neighborhoods, schools, and individuals through prayer walks. The presence of Islam mixed with mysticism/spiritualism creates a very spiritually dark environment.
• There may be an opportunity to pray for the sick and vulnerable. Healthcare is expensive and often ineffective. People look to their marabout (Muslim leaders) and also local healers (witch doctors) for help. People are often very open to receiving prayer in the name of Jesus.
• Students may have the opportunity to encourage and pray for local Believers through listening to and sharing stories. Providing Scriptural encouragement or a personal story is highly valued.
  Students will engage in whatever ministries are ongoing. These may be helping in a medical clinic, playing soccer with youth, building relationships in the community, working in a garden/field, or valuing the poor/vulnerable.

Global Evangelization

Perspectives in World Mission course seeks “to mobilize by educating the Body of Christ in the USA to strategic engagement in God’s global purpose”. By exploring the biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic dimensions of global missions, students gain the knowledge and insight needed to serve effectively on an international LEAD mission trip.  Students will recognize some of the challenges of advancing the gospel in their host country and the realities of living cross-culturally for the sake of the Gospel.

• Students will gain a better understanding of Islam outside of the Middle East and the influence that traditional spiritualism/animism has on the culture.
• Students will experience the hospitality of the people and the open dialogue that can take place about the Gospel, but the resistance to belief and following Jesus.

Support

The International Trip experience requires that students raise prayer and relational and financial support. Support raising is a part of all gospel ministry, so all LEAD students will raise support for their international trip.

Students will complete all LEAD support-raising assignments which include having four face-to-face conversations.  Students will invite others into intentional prayer, relationship, and financial partnership. All LEAD Missions support raising is done with a TEAM approach morally, ethically, and compliantly.

Alliance Connections

By the end of the trip, LEAD students will have meaningful connections to international workers and ministry. The trip will include a long-term plan to stay connected to the international gospel movement and each student should make a plan to keep in contact with some of the international workers they interacted with.

Students will ideally interact with multiple Alliance structures (aXcess, CAMA, Envision, Marketplace) during their trip. If this is not possible, intentional discussions should be had about how the four Alliance Missions structures interact around the globe and how individuals and local churches support these branches.

• Many/most of the ministries in Senegal focus on building relationships. A true, deep relationship is the foundation of trust and understanding for the Senegalese, so the enduring, faithful relationships of many IWs to the Senegalese has been the catalyst for people coming to faith.
• Students will primarily engage with Envision site workers but have the opportunity to see the ministries of other structures. Some of these ministries include: aXcess IWs engage in relationship-building, church planting, discipleship, and vocational school training. CAMA IWs are working in clinics, informal settlements in garbage dumps or in fishing villages, sustainable farming, and vocational schools. Marketplace Ministries is involved in ethical business practices and holistic business education.
• Connection to Global Alliance work – Dutch, Canadian, Ecuadorian

Rigor

Students will be stretched throughout their mission trip both by the nature of international travel and ministry and by intentional activities/interactions that the student will encounter.

Throughout the LEAD journey, students have discussed keeping their Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, and Mental buckets full. These buckets will be depleted during this trip in some of the following ways:

Mental – Students will learn about their host culture and the challenges of reaching this people for Christ. The goal is to understand the history of the Alliance in the host culture and global evangelization as a whole. On most LEAD mission trips, students engage in a language-learning activity that will stretch their mental abilities. Students will be challenged as they even listen to others speak a language they do not know. Students will be challenged to be “okay” with not knowing all the details of the trip and how things get done.

Spiritual – Students will face what “spiritual darkness” looks like (or how it manifests) in the host culture. They will discern how “spiritual darkness” looks the same in their home culture compared to the host culture. They will also ask and answer questions about how “spiritual darkness” manifests differently in their home culture.

Emotional – Culture shock, time away from family, unexpected events, the need to be flexible, visible armed police/security, traffic congestion, and living and ministering with the team will tax a student’s emotional energy.

Physical – LEAD trips are physically demanding. These physical demands can include lots of walking, uncomfortable sleeping conditions, and unfamiliar weather. Team members will be exposed to local foods and cultural norms that may make them uncomfortable. There are many long days, “alone time” isn’t always available, and travel about the country is sometimes laborious.

Cultural Team Experience:
We try to build a day for culture and/or fun into each LEAD trip. This is an opportunity for international workers and students to enjoy a laidback day, connect, and experience different aspects of the culture. In Senegal, this might be visiting a historical location, spending time at the beach, riding camels, or going to a game reserve. There will also be a chance to see a market and find a souvenir. These are certainly not the trip’s goals, but this memorable day/experience positively impacts the students and the host site. It often gives everyone time to process and interact with each other.

Vaccinations:
The Senegal Envision site manual will be updated, but in the meantime, the yellow fever vaccination is recommended but not required. Each student should talk with his/her doctor about what vaccinations he/she should have before traveling. Remember that certain diseases eradicated in the U.S. are still present in Senegal, so being up-to-date on routine vaccinations is recommended. There is also a risk of malaria (which is carried by mosquitoes), so students should consider with their doctor taking a Malaria prophylaxis. Mosquito nets will be provided for sleeping. Students can be reimbursed (through their fundraising) for Yellow Fever and/or Typhoid vaccine, as well as Malaria prophylaxis. These are not typically covered by insurance.