mission trip highlight: Central african republic (CAR) + senegal

My name is Marie Martine Shannon. From April 5th, 2024, to April 15th, 2024, I had the profound privilege of participating in a mission trip to the Central African Republic (CAR) and Senegal. This mission, orchestrated by our church, aimed to plant a new church in Bangui, CAR, and organize workshops in Dakar, Senegal. 

In Bangui, our primary goal was to plant the River of Life Christian Church. My principal duty was to serve as a translator, facilitating communication between English and French speakers and ensuring that all clearly understood the message of God's love. Additionally, I had the blessed opportunity to pray with the team, fervently claiming the city of Bangui for God. 

The journey was not without its challenges. The weather in Bangui was particularly oppressive, with a heat and humidity that felt akin to being in a pressure cooker. Furthermore, we faced frequent power outages, which added to the difficulty of our mission. Yet, we witnessed God's mighty hand at work through these trials. 

One of the most remarkable miracles occurred two days after we arrived in Bangui. God provided us with the opportunity to baptize a Chinese man. That man had always wanted to be baptized, but it was impossible in China. This event was a divine encounter and reminded us of the universal reach of God's love. Despite a significant storm and a power outage, many people attended the first official celebration of the River of Life Christian Church in Bangui. This turnout was a testament to God's power and the hunger for His word among the people. 

In Dakar, Senegal, we organized workshops to equip local believers and church leaders with the tools and knowledge to further God's kingdom. Here, too, I served as a translator, ensuring that everyone could fully engage with the teachings and discussions. 

On our way back to the USA, we took advantage of a long layover in Madrid, Spain, to discover the city. I had always wanted to visit the Spanish capital, so this layover felt like a gift from God. However, this gift came with a significant challenge. A couple of hours before our flight's departure, Xichang realized he had forgotten his phone in an Uber. We were anxious about how to retrieve it and worried that a passenger might find and keep it. We wondered if God would hear our prayers and miraculously return the device.  

Despite all the miracles we had witnessed on the trip, this situation felt more personal. After all, what is a cell phone compared to the other miracles we have seen? People lose their phones every day and replace them. As the clock ticked and airport customs became a point of no return, we waited until the last minute. Just as we were about to give up, we received a call from the Uber driver. They had found the phone and were at the airport! Unbelievably, Xichang got his phone back just in time. This miracle reminded me of God's goodness and care. We serve a kind God who cares about us and whom we can trust with big and small things. Nothing is impossible for Him. 

I returned from the mission with a heart full of gratitude and joy. This experience transformed me, and I have used my testimony several times to encourage people, showing them living proof of God's grace, mercy, and love.

See a recap video of Marie and her team's trip here!

我叫瑪麗·馬丁·香農。從2024年4月5日到2024年4月15日，我有幸參與了前往中非共和國（CAR）和塞內加爾的宣教之旅。此次宣教由我們教會計畫，目的是在中非班吉植分堂，並在塞內加爾達喀爾舉辦工作坊。

在班吉，我們的主要目標是植立生命河靈糧堂分堂。我主要負責擔任翻譯，促進英語和法語使用者之間的溝通，確保每個人都能清楚地領會到神的愛。此外，我也有幸與團隊一同禱告，熱切地為班吉這座城市向神祈求。

這趟旅程並非一帆風順。班吉的天氣格外悶熱潮濕，感覺彷彿身處高壓鍋中。此外，我們也常常面臨停電的困擾，這增加了我們任務的難度。然而，儘管面臨這些考驗，我們親眼目睹了神大能的作為。

其中一個最奇妙的見證發生在我們抵達班吉兩天後。神為我們提供了一個機會，為一位中國男子施洗。這個男子一直想要受洗，但在中國卻無法實現。這次事件是神的特別安排，也提醒我們神的愛是普世的。儘管當時遇到了一場大風暴並且停電，許多人依然參加了生命河靈糧堂在班吉的首次正式聚會，這充分證明了神的能力，以及當地人對神話語的渴慕。

在塞內加爾的達喀爾，我們組織了一個工作坊，幫助當地的信徒和教會領袖裝備他們更好地擴展神的國度。我同樣在這裡擔任翻譯，確保每個人都能完全投入教學和討論。

在返回美國的路上，我們利用了馬德里長時間的轉機機會參觀了這座城市。我一直想去西班牙首都，所以這次轉機對我來說是神的禮物。然而，這個禮物也伴隨著一個重大挑戰。在我們航班起飛前幾個小時，Xichang意識到他把手機忘在Uber車上了。我們為如何找回手機感到焦慮，也擔心手機可能會被其他乘客拿走。我們甚至懷疑神是否會聽到我們的禱告，奇蹟般地讓手機失而復得。

儘管我們在這趟旅程中見證了許多奇蹟，但這件事顯得更加私人。畢竟，手機與我們所見證的其他奇蹟相比算什麼呢？人們每天都會丟失手機並重新購買。隨著時間的流逝，機場安檢的「最後關頭」也越來越近。就在我們即將放棄時，我們接到了Uber司機的電話。他們找到了手機，並且已經到達機場！令人難以置信的是，Xichang及時拿回了他的手機。這奇蹟再次提醒我神的慈愛與關懷。我們所事奉的是一位仁慈的神，祂關心我們，無論大事小事，我們都可以信靠祂。對神來說，沒有什麼是不可能的。

這次宣教讓我滿懷感恩與喜悅歸來。這次經歷改變了我，我多次用我的見證來鼓勵他人，向他們展示了神的恩典、憐憫與愛。