Senegal

Senegal is home to more than 50 ethno-linguistic groups. Roughly 90% of the population remains Islamic. With Senegal gaining its independence from France in 1960 and declaring itself a secular state with freedom of religion, it holds a key role to reaching all of West Africa. United World Mission sees this potential and has been steadily building a reputation among national denominations, believers and government agencies as a trusted friend.

While we are implementing the vision as church planter trainers in Senegal, UWM is also developing a regional training team based in Dakar with a focus toward all of French speaking West Africa. UWM founded a nationally led missionary sending agency Mission Inter Senegal (MIS), with which we continue to partner, to plant churches in several unreached villages and among multiple people groups. These efforts use a holistic approach to ministry taking into consideration the cultural issues of Senegal. In addition, UWM is a partner in a K-12 missionary school (Dakar Academy). Most recently UWM has acquired a piece of property, which can host a cross-cultural training program for Senegalese church planting missionaries.

United World Mission is actively working to field additional personal into this country (and region) as well as developing needed partnerships to complete field projects.

Rodney & Kathy

Kids: Caleb & Jessica

We have served in Senegal for 14 years with United World Mission. I (Rodney), raised in Lancaster, NY did my university studies at Wheaton College where God expanded my worldview exponentially. Kathy, a missionary kid born in Vietnam, traveled with her family to three more countries before attending Wheaton College. We met and quickly realized that we shared a common vision and passion for missions. Taking a short-term assignment to Senegal with UWM in the summer of 1986, my degree in Christian Education and Kathy's degree in Elementary Education us in our work in Senegal. That summer we worked with outreach efforts; helped with a youth group at a new church and organized a youth camp.

After our immersion into missions, we were convinced that this was the direction the Lord was leading us. We returned for our final year at Wheaton, were married after graduation and made plans to return to Dakar for only two years. Through a series of circumstances, God made it clear that we should become career missionaries. God provided our support team quickly and many of our supporters participate in our ministry to this day.

In our first term we worked in evangelism, discipleship and helped in church leadership. By our second term, it was clear that our service in the Ouakam church needed to end. In their our term, starting in Jan of 1998, I took on the role of Senegal Team leader as well as Area Director for Africa. The Senegal team has articulated their vision this way: "We exist to facilitate the equipping of God's people in the areas of Church planting, contextual discipleship and theology such that lives are transformed by Christ and culturally relevant churches are established." We lead the Senegal team to see this vision realized. As Regional Director, I seek to keep the teams across the continent focused on the vision of establishing reproducing churches according to the context where each team is located.

Tad & Jane

Kids: Anna, Allison & Jonathan

Personal Website

Tad is originally from central Pennsylvania and Jane from south of Indianapolis . They met and married at Purdue University . After 8 years in Canton , they joined UWM in 1990.

They trained in Union Mills NC that year and later studied French in Quebec before they arrived in Senegal in August, 1993. Jane currently ministers to the talibes of five Koranic schools, giving breakfast daily to the boys of one, and medical and dental care to all. Tad keeps the team books, helps in the office with team projects and teaches and preaches occasionally. The Hamptons also participate in the Ouakam congregation.

Jose & France-Lise

Kids: Nabrissa, Ianis & Dorina

We met as students in the Bible Institute of Lamorlaye, north of Paris in France . Jose was born in the Cape Verde Islands and France-Lise in the West Indies on the French speaking island of Guadeloupe. Jose is one of the fruit of UWM ministry in Senegal . He came to the Lord through the ministry of Will and Nancy Chandler who sent him to Lamorlaye in preparation to serve as pastor of the Eglise Evangelique.

Jose served in the pastoral ministry for 6 years. The following year he went for a year at the training center of UWM in North Carolina . Upon returning to Dakar , he served for several years as leader of the UWM church planting team. For the 4 past years Jose and France-Lise have been involved in church planting, sending national believers as missionaries to their own people with a holistic approach (health care, micro finances, micro projects, literacy, etc.). Their passion is to plant self supporting churches in the interior of Senegal that are relevant to the culture and able to reproduce themselves. France-Lise is also involved in women's ministry in the city and in the villages.

Dan & Patty

Kids: Ryan & Mark

Originally from Westminster, Colorado our family decided to transition from the Rocky Mountains to the semi-arid climate of the Senegal desert. After a short term mission trip with Colorado Ridge Church (Broomfield, CO) in April 2004, the Mulay's decided to return to Senegal as missionary teachers at Dakar Academy.

Prior to serving in Senegal, we attended Colorado Ridge Church in Broomfield, CO . While at Colorado Ridge, the couple was involved in several ministries including the children's, sports, hospitality and greeting ministries. In June, 2004, we received an appointment from United World Mission to serve in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa.

Dan and Patty are currently serving on staff at Dakar Academy, a private K-12, Christian school serving the children of missionaries throughout West Africa . Dan is serving as the Assistant Director and softball coach. Patty is serving as the Kindergarten teacher. Ryan and Mark are both attending Dakar Academy . Our ministry exists to provide support to the children of missionaries who are serving in the field as well as support the church planting efforts of United World Mission.

Alex & Natalya

I was born and raised in Southern California in a suburb approximately 45 miles east of San Francisco. My daughter, Natalya and I are members of Golden Hills Community Church in Brentwood, California. I began attending Golden Hills in September of 1995 and gave my life to Christ in November of 1995, when Natalya was 4 ½ years old. Natalya gave her life to Christ shortly afterwards. Immediately I felt called to serve God in some capacity, and began taking Bible classes. Nearly five years ago it was made clear to Natalya and I that we should serve God cross culturally. This occurred on a couple of short-term trips to Mexico where we watched God use us. Now God has brought us to United World Mission to partner in establishing and mobilizing reproducing churches in Senegal.

Aaron & Sara

Children: Isabella and Simon

The coolest thing happened to us recently.....WE BECAME MISSIONARIES.  After years of praying and looking at our lives, we decided that we wanted to spend them following Christ's mandate to go and proclaim His glory to the nations..... so we're going!

A training center is being developed in Senegal, West Africa. This facility will be used to train national pastors and local believers to share the gospel with their own people, in their own culture, in their own way.

We will be working at that center doing training, discipling, construction/ maintenance, and computer graphics. This is what we will be "doing", but our prayer is that God will be glorified through us, and that He will use us to touch the lives of these people for His glory.

Danielle

I am serving as an English (literature) teacher at Dakar Academy in Dakar, Senegal with Expedition 237 (and UWM). I just graduated from Houghton College in New York with degrees in Education and English. Perhaps I am somewhat unusual as I am not only a UWM MK (my parents have worked in Kayes, Mali for 23 years) but I am also a Dakar Academy graduate. Since deciding to become a teacher, I knew I wanted to return to Dakar Academy to serve and to work in missionary education. I am excited about returning to my African home and letting God use me and stretch me in new and amazing ways.

Perhaps it seems obvious that my experiences as a missionary kid have prepared me for the mission field, but I cannot separate one from the other. I had the blessing of growing up in a loving family, passionate about God and about reaching the lost. Not only do I have an incredible example in my family, but also in the teachers who surrounded me during my years in boarding school at Dakar Academy. From dorm parents who helped to parent me, teachers who mentored me and missionary “aunts” and “uncles” who came along side me when life was tough, I learned about the beauty and necessity of community and the need for excellent teachers on the mission field who are passionate about third culture kids. A third experience that prepared me for the mission field was my student teaching semester which I spend half of at Morrison Academy in Taiwan. This gave me a taste of being a teacher in an international school. Through this time, God gave me a stronger vision for teaching at Dakar Academy and a deeper commitment to working with third culture kids. My twenty-two years of life have been full of blessed relationships and experiences that have supported and influenced my calling to the mission field, and prepared me to be missionary teacher.