ONE

In 2022, our family happened to meet Dr. Jun Xu and learned about the Africa Cries Out medical mission in Senegal, West Africa. What began as a chance encounter, fueled by a beautiful hope, became something inevitable. In March 2023, after months of careful consideration, my wife and daughter bravely set out on their journey to Senegal. After the medical mission ended, my daughter wrote an article titled “My Journey to Senegal Changed My Life.” Walking across that barren land and witnessing the people’s impoverished lives left a profound impact on her heart, which resonated through every word she wrote.

 

 

TWO

In March 2024, at New York’s Kennedy Airport, without her mother’s company, my daughter once again boarded a flight to Senegal with the Africa Cries Out team. After her second medical mission, she wrote in her article “Return to Senegal”: “In the coming years, I will return to this barren land every year.” This was not a momentary impulse of youth, but a heartfelt and sincere commitment to this land. Thus, in 2025, my daughter returned to Africa once again.

 

 

THREE

 In March 2025, on the journey to Senegal, my son’s footsteps joined as well. My son was no stranger to Africa. In the summer of 2024, he had traveled to Kenya in East Africa on a mission trip, helping elementary and middle school students at a local school. This time, he arrived in Senegal. “Dad, it’s 104 degrees here!” (40 degrees Celsius) I received his text message — from 30 degrees to 104 degrees, across the ends of the earth, spanning the extremes of the globe. “Dad, a monkey jumped on me and stole my food!” Dozens of young people had come to this distant and unfamiliar land. Every journey taken, every fleeting encounter — all will become precious treasures in their lives.

 

 

FOUR

“Dad, today I followed the surgeons in the operating room and even did some suturing on the patients,” my daughter texted me as night fell. I was filled with genuine joy at her growth and replied, “You’re amazing! Today you only observed surgeries, but in the future, you will save countless lives with your own hands, relieve pain, and bring health and hope to many. I am incredibly proud of you!”

 

FIVE

In Senegal, my daughter took the initiative to give a special lecture titled “A Grateful Heart” to the youth traveling with her. Although I couldn’t be there in person, as a father, my heart was filled with deep emotion and gratitude — thanks be to God! Including this trip, it was already her third time setting foot on the soil of Senegal in West Africa, in addition to a mission trip to Kenya in East Africa. These experiences have tempered her kindness into resilience and forged her courage into a true sense of responsibility. Through her eyes, I have walked through desolation and witnessed poverty; from behind, I watch her grow. My heart praises, and my spirit sings!

 

 

SIX

The night was still dark, and the dawn had yet to break. The medical volunteers and children, like ants moving their home, bustled in and out of the courtyard’s small gate, loading their luggage onto a long-distance bus. They set out toward the distant unknown. Today, they would journey to a place abandoned and forgotten by the world: the leprosy village of Senegal. This was a precious moment captured on video by our fellow traveler, Sister Wang Xi.

Half a world away, yellow skin sought out black skin,

Just like

A river seeking a desert,

A spring breeze finding withered wood.

Love blossomed,

And the first light of dawn tore through the night,

Etching your star-cloaked silhouette

Deep into this land unknown to the world.

 

We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

 “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

 

 

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If you are moved and willing to support our African ministry, please write a check to Africa Cries Out and send it to Jun Xu, MD, 1171 E Putnam Avenue, Riverside, CT06878, USA. You will receive a tax-free receipt recognized by the IRS.

Online Credit Card Donation: https://africacriesout.net/ (credit card company will charge a handling fee)

Zelle: Africacriesout@gmail.com

Our team solemnly declares that 100% of your donation will be used for the people of Africa, and we do not get even a penny of administrative fees.

Jun Xu WeChat: jun9174343767

Email: Africacriesout@gmail.com

Public WeChat account: LifeExploring (人生天路)

Web page: https://africacriesout.net

Translator: Yizun Wang

Editor: Doris Cruz