The Gambia

The Gambia MENU

* This item with asterisk is not a page under this one but found originally on another page of this website or an outside link but definitely is information about The Gambia.

The header sunset photo above was made in 2009 in Barrokunda, The Gambia when I took a representative of another church in Nashville to consider beginning work in The Gambia.

Gambia Introduction

I lived for 3 years in this tiny West African country called “The Gambia” (good Wikipedia article!)  (and yes, “The” is officially part of the country name).  It changed my life. I’ve since said that “Every American should live for 3 years somewhere in West Africa.” It might help reduce the narrow-minded, racist, white supremacist, money-first attitudes of the United States. At times, in some villages, it was like living a thousand years ago. It is still considered “Third World” but development is coming fast, mostly from China, India, and the Arab countries with some from England, Germany and Canada. The U.S. will someday regret having ignored Africa.

Soccer Game in Barrokunda, November 11, 2009 – – Same time other sunset photo above was made.

Even though the United States has an embassy there and a space shuttle emergency landing strip (The Banjul International Airport), it otherwise has shown little interest in the little country other than by Peace Corp workers and a few missionaries off and on in the 90% muslim country with most Christian missionaries from Europe. Southern Baptists closed their work there after I left, much to my great disappointment. The new conservative “bottom line” thinking Baptist leaders say Gambia is not “cost effective” comparing number of conversions and new churches to the dollars spent. So now most Baptist mission work there comes from Nigeria or Ghana which is maybe better.

I Considered Retirement In The Gambia

My last year in The Gambia I seriously considered retiring there because I loved the tropical wildernesses and friendly people so much. But it was the very corrupt and inefficient government and almost non-existent healthcare that caused me to decide it was not prudent. Then 12 years later I moved to Costa Rica in a similar tropical climate with even more birds and better preserved wilderness plus good government and healthcare. Now I have the best of both worlds! But a little part of my heart will always be in The Gambia.

Location & Road Maps

Location of Gambia in West Africa inside Senegal.
Gambia Road Map – Click twice to enlarge – note that it is surrounded by Senegal and is basically the banks of the River Gambia. The British controlled the river and the French the land in the 1800’s. The joke is that the French let the Brits have the land as far as their boat cannons would shoot.  🙂

Gambia Google Map link where you can zoom in on details.

In 2020 I produce a new “Africa Portfolio” titled: Magical AFRICA. It is a 100 page 7X7inches photo book available in both softcover and hardcover of my favorite images from 4 countries in Africa. Click cover or title above for free preview.

Articles from Newspapers & Magazines

“If I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa.”

~John Hemingway