To all our dear friends and partners in the ministry,

God’s Hand Extended

We’d like to share a story of a former student of ours at EMC (Emmanuel Mission Center) whom we will call Kathy for her protection. She had to transfer to another school because we were not yet approved for Upper Basic education. In the last three years since she graduated from EMC, she has visited us, sharing her life story and heartbreaks with us. We’ve been able to guide and comfort her, and pray for her. She was supposed to be in grade 9 this year but when she stopped by last week, she sadly informed us that she had to drop out of school. Her father married a second wife who is not much older than Kathy, her mother lives in Senegal and the grandma she lives with moved into a small village some distance away, and it’s now very far for her to make it to St. Peter School where she was attending. Also, when St. Peter School introduced computers this year, they included the cost of this equipment in the student’s school fees, making the fees very expensive and unaffordable. We offered to take Kathy back into EMC in grade 8 and we’ll cover all her expenses so that she can go to school for at least 2 more years. We are still struggling with how far she lives from school, so we are praying for a solution, perhaps there is someone who lives closer who would be willing to take her in Monday-Friday, so she can walk to school. Please pray with us that God will make a way for her to be able to stay closer to school during the week.

One thing that warmed our hearts about Kathy was when she shared with us that while she was attending St. Peter’s School, the students were each asked whether they wanted to attend Islamic Studies or Christian Religion Studies based on their background. Kathy (not her real name) told us how she had to change her name to Mary in order to be able to attend the Christian class, because she didn’t like the Islamic class and she enjoys learning from the Bible. The teacher suspected something and asked her to say a Christian prayer and sing a Christian song as a way to find out whether she was a Christian. Kathy had three songs and a beautiful prayer, and that’s how she was able to continue to attend the Christian religion class. We are so encouraged that the seeds of the Gospel that have been planted in the children’s hearts are growing and their lives are being impacted even when they are not at our school anymore. What a testimony of how God is working in their lives.

Next Steps

Since 2011, Sol and I have known in our hearts that after 9 grades had been established at EMC, the next expansion would be a trade school/community outreach center. This school/center will be used to teach a variety of trades to our students and will also be used as an outreach center to the community. During our time in Gambia, we will be looking at property for this new phase. Without going into a lot of detail, we see a need for sewing classes, classes for bricklayers, woodworkers, welders, computers and auto mechanics. This would simply be another way to reach out to the needs of the people, building relationships and sharing Jesus with them.

With this vision in mind, during our last trip home to the states, we were amazed at some of the doors God seemed to be opening toward this new center. We met with the founder of the Little Davey Project who supplies computers and training to non-profits in Latin America, and discovered he would like to come to Africa with “pieces” of computers and folks who were not only willing to put the computers together but also to provide training to use them. They would train us how to use computers to teach adults and children and also how to use them as an evangelistic tool. The cost, say for 60 computers, would be $10,000. Another man we met, Pastor Grant from Milwaukie Foursquare Church, set up a website where anyone can donate towards computers at EMC by going into the Shared Blessings website and clicking on the FUNDLY link in the header of the www.sharedblessings.org web page. These computers would be used at the school and at the trade school. The internet would not be available on the majority of the computers; they would only be used for training and outreach. We have also been given commercial sewing machines and material to use to teach sewing as soon as we are set up.

Ebola Precautions

Because of the Ebola virus that has been affecting a few countries in West Africa, it was a little harder to make the decision to come to Gambia this year. But once on the ground, we realized that we made the right decision to be where God has called us to be and to continue in the ministry of sharing the Gospel. We took special precautions during our travel and continue to do so. Upon our arrival at the airport in Gambia, we walked to a station that was set up to check all traveler’s body temperatures before we could proceed to the Customs area. We also saw posters at the airport and several other locations encouraging people NOT to shake hands in order to prevent the spread of Ebola. That is very significant in a culture where shaking hands is the only way to greet someone; it shows that people are taking it serious.

We look forward to a wonderful Christmas season and celebration of the birth of Christ.

We pray that as Christ was born into the world more than 2000 years ago, that

His birth would be ever so evident to the people of Gambia and that

He would be born anew into their desperate and longing hearts!

We wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Blessed New Year!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Sol and Manuela Bah