A very overdue March-July Update :)

 

Hey family and friends!

 

Wow, I realize it’s been a very long time since I’ve sent out an update—sorry y’all! A lot has happened since my last update, all of which I’ll summarize in a few points below!

 

Departed Senegal :’(

Yes, it’s true! Hawken and I can hardly believe we are no longer in BeerSheba--that beautifully golden acacia forest where we made so many dear friends and memories. It really is surreal being gone, and it kind of hurts having it all feel like a dream. I don’t know how many of y’all have had that weird experience of eating breakfast on one side of the world, and then, less than 24 hours later, eating dinner with friends on the other side of the world…It’s weird. (Having that first meal back stateside be Chipotle with one of my best friends made it quite an enjoyable meal, but weird nonetheless.) It just feels like a whole other life we were living is so quickly over! And it’s been tricky finding the balance between lingering in the memories of Senegal and missing people there, and trying to shift gears and do life over here again. For a moment I’ll decide to linger and let ya’ll in on some of the highlights of my last few months in Senegal.

 

Trip to Casamance

Hawken and I went on a 6-day trip to southern Senegal! We spent some time in two different places—Ziguinchor and Cap Skirring. It was amazing to bike through some beauitfuuuuul forests with massive trees, kayak through some mangrove forests, and spend time on some very empty beaches (besides the cows, of course. Yup, cows. There were literally more cows on the beach than people. I know. Weird.)

One of the highlights of that trip was definitely getting to pray for our local guide, Demba, who had been having some serious diarrhea on both our biking and kayaking trip. Yeah, rough, right?

It was on one of the few “emergency” stops we made on the river while kayaking that Hawken and I asked him about his religious background before offering to pray for him. After he told us he was Muslim, we asked if he would be OK if we prayed in the name of Jesus for him to be healed. He eagerly welcomed it (as I’m sure anyone would after a few rough go’s in the bushes)! So we prayed for Jesus to take away his diarrhea and God totally showed up. From that point on, we made no more poop stops! And we were blessed to hear him declare, “Jesus is here,” after asking him how he was feeling.

 And that wasn’t the only time in the day God brought healing to him! After eating lunch, his stomach started hurting again. So we prayed again, in the name of Jesus. Minutes later, he said he was feeling better. Yoooo, God is so good! When saying goodbye, Hawken was able to share with Demba that God wants to do even more in his life and that the more he welcomes Jesus, the more life and joy and wholeness he will find. We praise God for opportunities to join Him in his exciting work of planting seeds and introducing the power and healing that Jesus brings to the sick and the lost. So next time you or a friend has a bad case of diarrhea, be on the lookout for God to be up to something…You never know how God might want to use it to reveal just a little bit more of his heart of love in the situation.

 

Aloise!

For the last 3 months in the nursery, I was super blessed to not be working solo! The Lord brought me an awesome friend named Aloise. He is a 30-year-old Senegalese man who is SO full of joy, song, diligence, and passion for Jesus. I was very spoiled to have him as a co-worker! He came to BeerSheba primarily to reignite evangelization efforts within the three villages around us. He even left a well-paying job that his college degree had gotten him in order to pursue ministry full-time. While that decision seems insane to his entire family, Aloise doesn’t quite see it as throwing away anything. He counts it all joy to obey the leading of the Spirit and spend the majority of his time telling others of how Jesus changed his life. And you can just see it! Such peace and joy radiates from Aloise because He is doing what his King Jesus has called him to do in this season of life, not what others expect him to do. “When I see so much pain and darkness around me, how can I not spend my time telling people about Jesus?” he said to me on several different occasions. Amen!

The man himself--Aloise. And me being... strange! We had so. much. fun together. I miss that smile. 

We spent the last three months nailing down a weekly and monthly schedule for the nursery work, collecting seeds, reorganizing the nursery, troubleshooting irrigation issues, learning Wolof songs, eating many jujube, having good conversations, and evangelizing in the villages with Mama Cathy and others. Dang, I miss his cheery smile and positive attitude. I’m glad he is such a reliable presence in the nursery and that I can trust he is keeping plants alive!

The nursery before.. on August 21, 2020.

The nursery on May 4, 2021. So fun to see the growth! Well, in the nursery, that is. Yes, everything else died in the dry season. 

Retail before... 

...and retail after! (from the other direction) All those plants are for sale!

One of my favorite memories with Aloise was actually made while attending a Senegalese wedding of a fellow BeerSheba friend. He volunteered himself to be somewhat of a cultural translator for Hawken and I for the entire event (which started at about 9 PM on Thursday night and didn’t end until Friday at 4 PM). This included pushing us out onto the dance floor in front of the entire village to give a go at some Serer dancing…at 1 AM… I don’t even want to know how many smart phones in rural Senegal have some very scarring videos on their smart phones of two toubabs (white people) attempting to dance their native dance… too many, I’m sure. But hey, they all cheered and laughed and clapped, so if we simply brought some more smiles and laughs to the wedding festivities, I’ll take it as a positive experience haha. It truly was a blast, however uncomfortable it was. Shout-out to my incredible husband who gives me such confidence to do crazy things like that! He definitely makes me more brave!

The threesome at the wedding! Yup, all matchy-matchy! Thankfully that's not a cringy in Africa. It's the way to go. Also, thankfully I never have to wear that dress again because... I couldn't breathe 😂

Ah! There’s honestly so much I could talk about, but I figure I’m quickly losing ya’ll’s attention, so I’ll try to move on from reminiscing about Senegal and share a little about where we will be starting our next season together!

 

12 Seasons

Hawken and I accepted a year-long contract as laborers on an organic vegetable production farm just 15 minutes away from ECHO in North Fort Myers called 12 Seasons. Yes, this is a job, and not another training program, as I’ve had many people ask me over the past few weeks (although, we will still definitely be learning loads and loads). Hooray! We praise the Lord for providing us such a great set-up for our first season of life together in the states as a married couple—a familiar community, familiar place, and familiar work that we love—farming! Why would we want to commit to sweating away for another year in Florida, you may ask? Well, other than the fact that we love the heat, love farming, and don’t mind sweating buckets, we want to gain valuable experience working on a for-profit farm to gain first-hand experience of what it takes to actually make a profit through farming. If we hope to be walking alongside more farmers in the future that also want to be making money off of the produce they grow, we want to experience what that is like for ourselves. Some awesome benefits of this new job is…

 

-I’ll be working another year with one of my besties and past intern buddy at ECHO, Emma Buchanan.

-We will be learning from an incredible, humble, hard-working farmer named Danny Blank

-Hawken and I will be eating all the organic veggies we can imagine, making up for our lack of them in Senegal. I’m PUMPED.

-We will be surrounded by incredible people and families who we hope to bless and learn from as newly weds!

 

I’m so happy to be back in Florida for this next year, working and growing together with my husband!

Our little trailer. Our home! It's... rustic. And cute! I won't even go into what the bathroom situation is. Let's just say... sustainable. DM me if you're that interested. 😂

 

IF you’re curious what we’ve been up to the last few months in the states... we’ve been road-tripping! Before starting work at the farm we went up to PA to see my grandma, back through Maryland (Baltimore, Ocean City) North Carolina (Durham, Aberdeen, Charlotte), Tennessee (Chattanooga, Whitwell, Cleveland), Atlanta, GA, and back to Florida! It’s been a wild whirlwind full of family, friends, and sweet potatoes.

A stop in Ocean City, Maryland to see my cousin, Gavin. We got Blue Maryland crabs, of course! So fun to connect with family.  

 

Not great quality, but a fun pic from Chattanooga! We got some dinner with Tyler, Lea, Chris, and Sarah Beth. It was fun to be in Chatt for a bit.  

Then in late June and early July we took a flight up to Cleveland, Ohio (where Hawken is from) to see his family and celebrate his birthday. We held a little, very chill celebration of our wedding at his uncle’s farm on the 4th for those who didn’t get to attend our wedding in Kenya. We also hit up an incredible amusement park called Cedar Point. That was a blast! Lots of quality time with his siblings in the long lines before getting on the rollercoasters.  I love his family! They have welcomed me so well. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of them better.

Hawken and his wonderful Momma, Sue. We had an awesomeee Ethiopian meal at a restaurant just 2 miles from his house in Cleveland. Yum.  

The meal was completed with a "coffee ceremony" of freshly roasted Ethiopian coffee beans and sandalwood incense. Delectable. Oh, and popcorn!

 

Hawken and I at a Lake Erie sunset. This pic was taken by a stranger! It was pretty rad she wanted to share it with us. 

Then we shot over to Chicago-land to see many, many of Hawken’s college friends. It was such a blast putting many faces to names that I’ve heard in countless stories. Hawken has some solid friends and I feel very blessed to be married into a new circle of incredible people. While I’m still getting over the caffeine high of too many cups of coffee in multiple living rooms of new faces, it was a blast of a trip up north!

Hawken took me to Wheaton! It was fun to see it through his eyes :) 

Hawken and a delicious Blackberry cinnamon bun--a Wheaton classic study spot. Gosh, he's handsome

 

Now we’re back in Florida, back to farming.

A mutated pickling cucumber I harvested today. Yes that's a cucumber growing out of a cucumber. 😂

Hawken and a farm-fresh salad (besides the tuna). We are LOVING the vegetablessssss

Sorry, had to post a close-up. Look at that color. The tomatoes taste like CANDY. If y'all haven't bought from a local farmer lately, go try it! Nothing beats fresh, local, and organic! Good for the body, the land, and the community. Woohoo!

How can you be praying for us?

 

-Open minds and hearts to how God wants to use this next year of farming and where He wants to take us next

-Growing intimacy, friendship, oneness, and delight within our marriage

-transition back to farming! It can be hard on the body! so prayers for taking care of ourselves, resting, and being an encouraging and hard-working presence on the farm.

-wisdom for where and how to engage with the local body of believers in Fort Myers

-opportunities to disciple and be discipled.

 

Thanks for reading and hanging in there. It’s a joy to update you all on my life! Until next time,

 

Emily Sawyer

 

 

Hawken March and April Update

ATM selfie! Hello from Hawk and Em

He is risen! 

Emily and I have been soaking in the resurrection of Jesus during this season. The resurrection of our Lord puts the skip in our step and spreads our smiles to our eyes. Despite the suffering all around us: the pain, isolation and rejection that we see etched on people's faces, the sadness Em and I have of soon saying goodbye to people here in Senegal, and despite our diseased and dying tomatoes, Jesus is alive. The pain that we see, while real and often times suffocating does not and will not have the final say. 

A few weeks ago, Em and I had the chance to go evangelizing at a village near BeerSheba. We spoke with two large households in the outdoor common yard. In the first compound lived the biggest and baddest witch doctor in the area. It was powerful to hear our pastor talk about the darkness and oppression that comes with fetishes and witchcraft. How it can never totally heal, but will only lead to further enslavement. With the old witch doctor within earshot, BeerSheba's pastor boldly spoke out about the light of Christ and the true freedom that he is bringing to those who trust in him. His courage and zeal for the gospel blessed me. The next house that we visited contained several muslim families. Shortly after the pastor began sharing the story of the gospel, his cousin (who lived in this compound) walked up (quite agitated) and asked him to stop speaking immediately. He said that the children were in danger of believing this dangerous message, that this talk was not scheduled, and that they didn't appreciate what we were doing. The pastor stopped sharing immediately, and made sure to greet everyone in the house before we left (in rather friendly terms). Two things stand out to me from this story: 

1. The pastor was quick to say that his cousin was being used by the enemy to stop the sharing of the gospel. His demeanor was completely different 5 minutes after the pastor stopped sharing, and he greeted us as friends. I was challenged as a westerner to look more intently for Satan's work and to be willing to call it out. Obviously not everything that doesn't go our way is due to demonic activity; but the Bible is very clear that Satan roams about the earth, and that our battle as Christians is against the dark spiritual forces at work in the world. To add to this, Em and I have seen multiple 'demonic manifestations' at BeerSheba church, which has further challenged me to look for and engage in the spiritual battles that are taking place. If you have questions about what on earth that looks like or means - reach out to me. I'd love to talk more about this with y'all - and learn from your experiences. Have you had any experience casting out demons or seen it happen? 

2. God is working in that compound! When we see such clear and strong opposition, this is often a hint that the Lord is about to do something really special. I know two people who live in this compound (they work at BeerSheba), and I have been praying for the chance to share the gospel 1 on 1 with them. I know the time is coming! It is not by chance that of all the villages and houses around BeerSheba, our group went to their house.

This evangelism outing was a bit of a wakeup call for Emily and me. BeerSheba can be such a bubble! It is a city on a hill - it brings light to the surrounding area. I know that Jesus intended for us to get off the hill and go to dark places with the gospel of truth and light. I'm reminded of Peter who wanted to make shelters when he saw Jesus transfigured in glory. I'd want to stay on that mountain too. But that was not why Jesus came, and it wasn't why he called the disciples! How can Em and I bring this urgency back with us to the States? I have spent the last 8 or so years in close Christian communities; and I thank God for those precious seasons. But I am eager to regularly get out of my Christian spaces, seek out people who are living without knowing Jesus, and sharing the gospel with them! God will do the rest. 

Now here comes a lot of pictures with some of the other things we've been up to for the last month and a half! 

Emily and I took a trip to the Casamance
(a cooler and greener region in coastal southern Senegal).
This was our favorite dinner: drinks, prawns and filet de Capitane on the beach! 
We ate so much delicious seafood during our time here. 

We stayed near the water! The beach was HUGE and very empty (mostly due to covid). 

 

Or rather not so empty...
I'm not sure these cows are practicing social distancing...

Some pretty flowers we found near our Airbnb

We ate some delicious and fresh oysters - naturally salted :) 

                                           

A biking trip through a forest in the Casamance. Our guide was suffering from some good ole diarrhea, and we had to pull off to the side frequently for him to relieve himself. Em and I had the chance to pray for him, and it stopped! Later in the day when he felt stomach pain after lunch, Em and I prayed again for him, and he said that the pain went away! To hear a Muslim guy say "Jesus is here" several times that day was such a blessing for us. We were able to share the gospel in saying 'God wants to heal more than just our bodies!' God is so good! 

Our garden is growing! Here is some of our first lettuce harvest! 
We have been so grateful to supplement our meals here with fresh greens.

Fresh beets and cilantro from our garden downstairs!

Em and I went to a Senegalese wedding. The event lasts for several days - including all-night dancing the night before the wedding. Emily and I brought our tent, and I think we were the first ones to try and get some sleep at 2am! They dance until the bride comes into the groom's family compound (where the ceremony was happening). Judging by the yells and beeping that woke us up at around 4am, we guessed she arrived around then.

A picture of Resurrection Sunday morning! Such a joyous day for us - especially after a season of praying and fasting during Lent. Some things I am reflecting on after the Lent season: 

1. What measure of God's Spirit do I want? Am I content with how I know God already? Or do I want to be revived and renewed?

2. What wounds or sins in me cause my heart to be hard, and block the Spirit's work?

3. Remember that God is near, bear witness to his activity! Testifying is so important. 

4. Our prayers to God are truly a pleasing aroma - like the smell of your favorite flower.

5. Our hearts all cry out for something and if we let him, the Spirit can answer that cry.

6. Be present to God's activity - like Ezekiel in the valley of bones, or Moses at the bush. Watch to see what he will do and be ready to participate. (like praying for a guy with diarrhea).

7. I can testify that each day Em and I were fasting - while we were praying - I was filled a supernatural strength. This often didn't last throughout the day, but it was cool to be met in this way by the Lord during our times of prayer.

8. Em and I have gained more of an urgency to participate in the harvest. How can we bring this back to the States?  

9. Lastly - how can we keep our work (no matter what it is) centered around seeking God's Kingdom first? How often do I get distracted by accomplishing tasks? As Em and I pursue agricultural training, we want to be purposeful in doing our work with a Kingdom mindset. 

What does this mean for the work that God has given you? Shoot me an email if you'd like to reflect on this!

We got to visit our friend Wally. He was at BeerSheba for 5 months, and in that time we became good friends with him. He left BeerSheba about 2 months ago, and is having a rough time transitioning back to life in Dakar. We got to visit his families land near the beach. That's where this picture was taken.

A video of the doves at Wally's  families land. Such a peaceful place! 

Me and Wally! 

Some work at the stables! Here is an ameliorated hay feeder. We are trying to reduce the amount of hay that daily falls on the ground. 

Feeding the cows moringa! Such an important plant for these nutrient-hungry animals.

The two Sombels: We got a new goat! A dairy breed male. He was named 'Sombel' (which is my Senegalese name). I know I've officially made it at BeerSheba when I get an animal named after me :)

The Casamance is known for its huge and ancient trees. A friend prayed/prophesied over Emily and I last month saying "God has prepared a place for you to root and bear fruit here on the earth. And you'll know when you get there." Those encouraging words make me think of this massive tree.

The goodbyes are beginning :( Emily and I leave Senegal in just 3 short weeks. 

Here are some prayer requests and praises:

Pray that we can remain present for our last weeks here, and that God's grace would abound as we leave.

Pray that the Lord would help us transition back to the States.

Pray that Resurrection truth and light would go forth in Senegal.

Praise that the staph that I was fighting for a month has not come back since I finished my last antibioic! 

Praise that the goat and sheep herd has been doing excellently well! There has been no sickness or death now for longer than I've yet experienced during my stay in Senegal. God hears! 

Praise that the Lord has led us to our next steps after leaving Senegal. 

Life update!! - and then I'm done I promise - Emily and I have accepted a position working at a farm around 15 minutes away from Echo. We will be there for a year, learning more about farming for-profit (like farmers all around the world do every day). We are excited to re-enter a community that is very dear to both of us. May God use this year for his glory! 

Love you guys so much. We rely on your prayers. 

Hawken 

Hawken's March Update - Praying for God to Revive us!

Hello Everyone! 

These last 6 weeks have made clear the fact that we have a place here at BeerSheba. The thought of saying goodbye to our friends in just two months is about as sad as eating plain oatmeal. Despite this, Em and I are trying to give 100% of ourselves to doing God's Kingdom work here in Senegal. 

Here are some of the ways that the Lord has showed Emily and I his favor these last weeks: (as a reminder, Em and I felt like God laid this word on our hearts for this year)

• Spending two weekends with our friend Wally at his parents' house in Dakar (for the story on this dear friend of ours, check out Emily's most recent update)

• Watching our garden grow each day

• Hearing from people how much better the animals look than they did 6 months ago

• Meditating more on God's desire for our spirits to be daily revived and filled with his Spirit

• Surfing fun

• Welding practice

• Learning to ride/drive the horsecart

• Welcoming our good friends - who left to get married the same time we did - back to Senegal

• Seeing the Lord heal people at Beersheba (check out Emily's March update to hear the story about that) and lead others to repentance

• Enjoying the incredible generosity from those who have given towards our wedding (we LOVE you guys)

• Healing me of a staph infection (mostly - see prayer requests)

• Giving Em and I the chance to go out and visit with the local pastor and his family, and to pray for a sick elder in the village nearby. It is so, so good to be able to get to know the community around Beersheba

The Beersheba team has been meditating on the word revival lately. We have spoken at length of our desperate need to be revived ourselves before we talk/think about a community of people being revived. We have asked ourselves 'what does revival even mean?' Water keeps on bubbling up to the surface of our conversations. The clay soil here is almost as hard as cement when dry - you can spend all your energy hacking away at the soil if you want to dig a hole. As soon as you add water and allow it to soak in, real changes can be made. 

I confess that in these talks of revival - I feel a sense of spiritual haughtiness and pride in asking 'do I even need to be revived?' "My walk with Jesus looks pretty good lately." YIKES. Those kind of thoughts are the exact opposite of what Jesus was talking about when he said to be "poor in spirit." They remind me a lot of the Pharisee who was praying to God about how happy he was that he wasn't like that sinful tax collector nearby. 

I confess also that during these talks of revival, I have been tempted to strive to somehow 'attain' a new level of spirituality on my own. 

I confess that I have been stressed about the mystery and newness that come with diving deeper into the Holy Spirit's work in my life, and the changes He might bring. Maybe He would ask me to do things that are uncomfortable/difficult for me! 

SO, after some good discussion and prayer...

- We've been led to meditate on the ways in which we see God at work among us. He is not far; in fact he is very close, and he is always working to lead us to himself. 

- At the same time we want to look inward to see if there are any 'rocks' in our lives that could quench the Spirit, or impede his work in us. 

-We will continue to practice cultivating a daily thirst of being filled with God's Spirit

I'm curious to know what you think about revival? Shoot me an email with some thoughts if you'd like. 

What's your exposure to/experience with revival? 

What is revival? 

Is it important for us to seek revival? 

Let me know what you think! 

Prayer requests:

• Pray that we would be filled with the Spirit, and that our THIRST for God's presence would increase daily. Pray that everyone who lives and works at Beersheba would experience Spirit-led revival.
• Even that the surrounding villages would be blessed and led to the Lord through Beersheba. I got to talk to a man named Michelle who lives just about 7 miles away. He couldn't stop talking about how blessed he was to finally come and witness the forest here. "It's a miracle" he kept saying, and "God has blessed this place." He left Beersheba with some free moringa capsules and a big smile on his face. 
• Pray that the Lord would lead Emily and I about our next steps after our time in Senegal ends in May. 
• Pray that the animals here at Beersheba thrive and are a blessing for the surrounding community. 
• Pray specifically against diseases that lead to death as we are still experiencing this. 
• Pray that God totally heals me from Staph - there are a few small spots on the back of my leg. 

Here are lots of pics. Many of them include the work-related things that I've been doing. Enjoy! 

All the newlyweds together back at BeerSheba! It has been such a blessing to go through the same life change as two other couples - Christian and Barbara (on our left; they're from Cameroon), and Dogo and Brigit (on our right; they're from Togo).

Three newly married dudes! We left Beersheba around Nov 2020, and now the Lord has brought us all back together and we are enjoying marriage!

Em and I with our good friend Robert. The other day, the Lord led me to sit with Robert for about an hour and a half one morning. We shared an encouraging time together seeking the Lord. For me, this is one example of how God is already answering our prayers for revival. 

These are papaya seeds! This picture excites me because they were all collected by the shepherd in charge of the goats and sheep. We are slowly making progress toward more natural parasite solutions - this is always a prayer request :) We grind the dried seeds and feed them to the animals.

Our garden is growing every day! We have asked God to bless what grows, and we are excited to see how he will answer that prayer. 

This is a little 'house' for the minerals that we give the goats and sheep! It is the first welding project I got to do on my own 

Em and I learned how to weld last month! This is our welding teacher Latyr. Here we are trying to make a goat grain feeder that will stay poop free (young goats like to jump inside). 

I learned how to drive the horse cart! Here we were collecting forage for the animals. Driving isn't too hard because the horse does most of the skilled labor... A bit different than the golf carts we drove around in Florida!

An awesome restaurant we got to visit with our good friend Wally. We had a great conversation here about how our hearts can only find rest in Jesus. Nothing else will lead our bodies and souls into a place of lasting peace.

Surfing trip! The water was FREEZING but the overly tight wetsuits do their job well

So much fun...

...for so few seconds :)

I'm on the right trying to stand up

at least it doesn't hurt to fall! 

Thanks for reading! Here are a few videos of some things that are cool - like the #1 surfer in Senegal riding a wave, or the animals that I get to work with. I'm not sure if they'll play - but it's worth a try! 

Love you guys! Your prayers are powerful and effective! 

Hawken