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Participants of the Senegal Missionary Women’s Retreat

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Wayne Allen

Common Staff Writer

Deb McGlone, Angie Clark and Angee Commeans of Deb’s Guys and Gals of Minford recently returned from Senegal, Africa where they cut hair for the participants of the Senegal Missionary Women’s Retreat. The trio said they went there to be a blessing to others and was blessed in the process.

The stylists were invited to Africa by Shawn and Jenn DeAtley of Portsmouth who are currently serving as missionaries in Senegal, Africa.

DeAtley sent the stylists a letter inviting them to travel to Senegal, Africa Nov. 9th through the 11th.

“Every November, there’s a missionary women’s retreat here in Senegal, at a resort just outside of Dakar and one of the things missionary women most look forward to about this weekend, aside from spiritual refreshment and singing in English is hair care. The women that come to do hair are volunteers, and this year, they don’t have any volunteers lined up. The retreat committee heard that Shawn cuts my hair, and they wanted me to ask if you ladies would be interested in serving missionary women in this way,” DeAtley wrote in her letter.

In returning from the experience each of the stylists wrote letters of their experience, “getting the chance to experience what life was like in Africa was one of the most awe inspiring, humbling experience I have ever had,” Clark said. “So then, it goes back to ‘why’ we were there? And it was simply because we felt called to give our hands in a service to help the missionaries by cutting their hair, in which in many cases had not been cut for a year, as well as to wax their eyebrows, just to help make them feel better and to give back for all that they do. And my goodness you cannot even imagine how grateful they were. It was a wonderful experience for them, but in the end it would make us feel so special and blessed to be able to help.

Some people may wonder why we went to Africa to do this; at times we didn’t know either and thought ‘what are we doing?’ But, in the end, after the trip has come and gone, I know we all realize why we were there, they needed us and we needed them, a beautiful gift that God has given to all of us, and an experience we will never forget.”

McGlone said, “Africa. What can I say? First thanks to all of you that helped get us there so we could make the weekend for 120 missionary women that had not had their hair done or eyebrows waxed in a year. It was a wonderful feeling to help them. But they were a blessing to us also. In the mist of what I would call chaos they were happy and joyful to worship the lord together.”

McGlone said the biggest they have been asked since they got back is, would you do it again. McGlone said she would do it again.

Commeans said, “I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to travel so far to use my experience and talents to help the missionaries in Senegal, Africa. These women give up so much in order to help others, from their families back home to the small material things we take for granted everyday.”

If you would like more information visit Shawn And Jenn DeAtley’s website at

www.shawnandjenn.com

For more information about Debs Guys & Gals visit www.debsguysandgals.net or call 740-820-3534.

Wayne Allen may be reached at 740-353-1151, or wallen@communitycommon.com.