French is the national language of Senegal. There are over 30 tribal languages spoken in Senegal but within the capitol city of Dakar, most people are Francophonic. Speaking French will help me to communicate with local people and officials in the capitol city when I arrive. Then, if I need to learn a tribal language I will most likely use the common language of French to get started with a language helper. The most important reason I can think of to learn as much French as possible is so that I can have fellowship with the national believers in Dakar. I will be living with a Christian Senegalese family when I arrive in Senegal and I will be attending one of the few churches in Dakar as I get oriented to the national culture. Living with and learning from these beautiful brothers and sisters will be a real blessing. What is even more exciting is that I may end up working in partnership with national believers to help get the gospel to unreached tribal people who live in the bush. If I have the privilege of working with national believers, our working language will be French. Can you imagine the level of fluency it takes to discuss strategy, spirituality, and deep cultural information in French?
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