The ordination exams are being conducted in this building at the Presbyterian Church of Gambia's training center.
I arrived in Dakar, Senegal very early Monday morning. It was an unforgettable experience stepping off the plane in the darkness of night with a misty rain falling. I crammed into a shuttle bus with many others so we could be transported into the airport. What followed were 10 very long hours of me waiting for my scheduled flight to Gambia!
The pastors in the ordination process are staying in dorm rooms in this building at the Presbyterian Church of Gambia's training center.
After 10 hours of waiting and a 35 minute flight to Gambia, I was greeted at the airport in Banjul by my good friend Jim Weaver and a missionary who serves with our denomination. We were brought to a ministry center in Banjul where I am staying with Jim, three missionaries, and the pesident of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Senegal. My first night in West Africa was a hot one! Between tossing and turning and sweating I'm not sure how much sleep I actually got.
First thing this morning we made the one hour trip to the training center owned by the Presbyterian Church of Gambia. There are 10 young men going through the ordination process this week with the hope of becoming the first ordained pastors of this brand new denomination. These men are an amazing brotherhood. They are like family to one another and God is using them in remarkable ways to make disciples of Jesus in Gambia. I had the privilege to begin our day by teaching them from the Book of Titus. I encouraged them to lean into the truth of God's Story before they spent three hours taking their Book of Church Order and church history exams.
Each candidate is required to preach a sermon this week from Psalm 1. We heard and evaluated the first two sermons today. We eventually arrived back at the ministry center late this afternoon, where we spent a couple hours before dinner grading the Book of Church Order and church history exams.
My first impressions of Gambia: I am struck by the poverty but also the simplicity of life. My faith is stirred by these pastors who risk so much to proclaim the gospel and make disciples. Pray for them. Pray for good health and strength for myself and the others on the team.