Prison minstry

Joanne, Tony, Ndeye Fatou and Awa at the
boy's prison

The main event Tuesday was conversation with the head of the mission’s prison ministry, Ndeye Fatou Diouf.  Carol and I have known her since our first visit here in 2005 and we have great respect for her work.  She and her team work to protect the rights of prisoners to an orderly trial process and to prepare the prisoner for life after release.    That preparation includes instruction in marketable skills such as embroidery and sewing for women, reconciliation with family members, and literacy in French.  Awa, her assistant, has also begun beading classes.  The team also advocates for better conditions in the prisons.  The Tuesday conversation was followed by a trip to the boys (ages 12-18) prison.  We were not able to see conditions in the prison, but did visit with 60-70 boys in a group setting.

Tuesday evening we went to a “prayer meeting” at the church – a regular Tuesday event.  The two-hour meeting included group and individual prayer along with high-energy singing (1/2 hour) and exhortation (1 hour) on Paul’s description of spiritual gifts and what stands in our way of using them.

Beach view

 We also spent some time walking in Dakar.  From our accommodations, we walked to the beach and then along the beach to Bill and Gwen Gibson’s apartment.  Along the way, we saw a beachfront mosque with a large open area for outdoor events.  As we have seen in the past, the beach was dominated by men training for soccer and wrestling.  There were a couple of surfers, too.  The Gibsons have a nice view of the ocean today, but buildings are under construction that could block their view.  It was clear that a building boom is underway in this portion of Dakar – so somewhere (perhaps in Europe) there are people with money who are buying and building.

View from the Gibson's apartment