Introducing "Les Commandos du Sahel" Part 1

The "Project Dakar" had been talked about, prayed for, discussed, recruited for, prepared for and anticipated for more than eight months.  

There was no lack of obstacles, but God in his faithfulness and love and sovereignty made it possible for 22 students and 7 staff members to make the trip. It was a "commando" voyage, taking us from Niamey, across Burkina Faso, across Mali and across Senegal.  Traveling non-stop, cruising along day and night, it took 57 hours to arrive and 55 hours for the return trip.  The majority of students had NEVER been out of Niger so the thought of crossing Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal to arrive at the ocean was HUGE! 

Google Maps says the estimated time for the trip is 38 hours.  I'm convinced the folks at Google Maps have never taken a 2700-kilometer bus trip across West Africa!

Nor do I think that they take into account the numerous security checkpoints, innumerable stops by customs agents (day and night!), border crossings, bad roads, uncountable numbers of chickens, donkeys, goats, sheep and cattle crossing highways, waiting for the arrival of armed escorts, etc. 

The name on our t-shirts, "Commando du Sahel", was chosen by the Crusade student leaders and let me tell you, they were worn with pride!  

Tuesday morning's departure time was 3:30 am.  Amazingly, everyone arrived at the meeting place on time.  At 4:15 we were off!    

We loaded an ice chest with pint-size bags of ice-cold drinking water, hoping it would stay cool for at least part of the trip.  The challenge was to keep everyone well-hydrated without evoking too many bathroom breaks.  

They are handy little things--bite off one corner and squeeze/drink the water out.  

 Some of the guys were concerned about needing to shower sometime during the long trip because there were, after all, girls on the bus they might want to impress!  The air-conditioning eased those worries!

We didn't pass one single McDonald's!  Students brought a few snacks, but mostly they purchased things to eat from vendors from inside the bus through the window.  

The bus was equipped with two chauffeurs and one "runner," a kind of apprentice.  The two drivers took turns during the 57-hour trip sometimes driving for 18 hours at a time.  Very loud music piped through the bus in their native tongue (Malian Bambara) kept them awake (so they said!), which was good, but annoyed us passengers. 

 How does one pass time on a 57-hour bus ride?  Listen to music, visit with friends, sleep and take pictures! 

We stopped for breakfast in Bamako, Mali (a 2-hour break).  It was served to us by dear staff friends, Abel and Christine, and included bread and butter, hot tea, coffee and milk, and hard-boiled eggs. It was a welcome respite after 26 hours of traveling. 

I am so incredibly proud of our students!  They truly were "commandos" in the long trip across the Sahel. 

Next:  The Week in Dakar.  Stay-tuned.