The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full – John 10:10.

I first saw him in a dream. Tucked behind the steering wheel of a nineteenth-century automobile, he could barely see beyond the dashboard. A deep and hungry valley ahead had opened to swallow its tiny victim, as the car slowly moved towards the precipice. Sensing the danger, I ran and somehow managed to get into the car in time to stop it from tipping over.

The next time I saw my little friend was in the streets of Dakar. Shivering in the cold of the morning rush hour, he was with a group of child beggars. His group’s signature red tomato can was tugged in his armpit and he was working cars and pedestrians for money. His nose dripped. Scabies covered his head, and his dusty feet begged for sandals.  His Koranic teacher had dressed him and the others in filthy, smelly clothes on purpose to induce sympathy for giving. My heart sank. I could not imagine how any loving parent could condemn their child to such deplorable conditions under the guise of Koranic education. Unfortunately, that is the reality of the religious landscape in Senegal.

They call them Talibes, disciples of the Koranic teachers. At the Lord’s direction, our church has adopted my little friend and others like him. Despite all efforts to get him and his friends off the streets of Dakar, the system continues. The children busily work the streets to make their quotas for each day. The weather cannot obstruct their routine, for they cannot fail their master. But every time I look in their eyes, I see children loved by God and blessed with the possibility of living full lives in Christ.

 At the International Baptist Church of Dakar (IBC), we have given them a home to refresh and enjoy a hot meal every day before going back to their master. This has been made possible by the gracious offer of the home from Dave and Denise MacCarthy, a World Venture Missionaries couple to Senegal, who started their ministry to the Talibes in the same year we started ours. Their gracious handover of the Xaley Borrom Bi Center (XBBC) to IBC when they had to return to the USA due to a family emergency two years ago, has grounded our ministry away from the church.

We have started a literacy program for the boys with the goal of broadening their worldview. Those who have shown an aptitude for formal education have been enrolled in a Catholic night school. Given this opportunity, we hope that my little friend can hope for a future at University Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar. Take this opportunity from them, and their only hope will be to become a driver’s mate or an illiterate apprentice in obscurity. What tragedy that would be!

So, we take this responsibility to help reconstruct the future of my little friend and his mates along the path God purposes for their lives, very seriously. As Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (Jn. 10:10).

Today, you can help save my little friend from tipping over the precipice. Please, join the Xaley Boroom Bi effort and give a Talibe, hope for the future.

[For further information, contact the church office at 33-824-0750]