Tag Archive for: Senegal

Laying the groundwork for mission work in Senegal

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From Feb. 15–21, 2026, WELS Director of Missions Operations Stefan Felgenhauer traveled to Dakar, Senegal, to help prepare for the placement of WELS missionaries in this new mission field—including confirming details for the language and culture immersion program that will be the first step for incoming missionaries. While there, he also explored key logistics for long-term service, including immigration guidance, housing research, and practical cost of living and medical considerations.

Simone (L), Stefan Felgenhauer (center), and Rouba (R)

Missionary Dan and Karen Kroll have accepted the call to serve in Senegal, where their initial focus will be learning the Wolof language and adjusting to daily life as they prepare for longer term gospel outreach among the Wolof people, a group that has had very limited exposure to Christianity.

A central part of Stefan’s week was spent at Africa Consultants International’s Baobab Center, where he learned more about the immersion experience and confirmed how it would work in practice. At the center, he met with Simone, the language coordinator, and Rouba, the homestay coordinator. Together, they walked through what daily life will look like during immersion. Rather than living independently, missionaries will stay with a Senegalese host family, sharing three meals each day and using Wolof as the primary language in the home. Weekdays will also include s

Africa Consultants International’s Baobab Center

tructured language learning, with four hours each morning spent working one on one with a Wolof tutor at the center.

Stefan also observed how immersion students gather at the center’s Jokkoo Kafé—Wolof for “to come together”—a space where students can debrief, build relationships, and process cultural experiences together. While there, he spoke with current students from the United States and Canada, who shared their experiences learning the language and navigating daily life in Senegal.

To better understand living conditions, Stefan visited several potential host homes and met the families who have welcomed immersion students for many years. With the help of translators, they described how students often become part of the family and how those relationships sometimes continue long after the immersion experience ends.

Along the way, Stefan experienced everyday Senegalese hospitality, including a traditional meal of Yassa Poulet, hibiscus juice, and attaya, a sweet mint tea commonly shared in social settings.

Please keep Stefan’s ongoing work in your prayers, and ask the Lord to bless Dan and Karen Kroll as they prepare for this next chapter of service in Senegal.

View additional photos from Senegal.




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Pioneering the gospel in unreached areas

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Dear Christian Friend,

As we approach Christmas—a season when we celebrate the birth of our Savior and the hope he brings to the world—we’re reminded that more than 6.5 billion souls, over two-thirds of humanity, live in places where the name of Jesus is scarcely known. These are not just numbers; they are individuals, families, and communities waiting to experience the life-changing hope found in the gospel. This Christmas, as we rejoice in the gift of Christ, we remember our calling as his ambassadors, sent to proclaim the saving message of Jesus to every nation under heaven. Through us, Christ reaches the nations.

For 175 years, God has blessed WELS with opportunities to bring the gospel to new lands. Yet the mission remains unfinished. Millions are born and die each year without access to the truth we hold so dear. With renewed urgency and prayerful confidence, we look to the future, asking God to use us to reach lost souls with his Word of salvation. This is “Christ through us”—a mission that knows no borders, limits, or barriers too great for God’s grace.

As part of WELS’ long-range strategic plan, we’ve set a goal to “Pioneer missions in high-risk and unreached areas.” This is a bold commitment to go where the gospel is least known and access is most restricted. We trust God to open doors and prepare hearts.

God has opened two remarkable new mission fields. In Senegal, One Africa Team Missionary Dan Kroll has accepted a relocation to begin outreach among the Wolof people—a tribe where 99 percent identify as Muslim. The work will begin with learning language and culture, building relationships, and seeking every opportunity to share the gospel. Plans are underway to add a second missionary to the Senegal team, joining Kroll in immersion and outreach. Together, these missionaries will plant seeds of faith, train local leaders, and gather believers who will share Christ in their own communities.

Senegal is just one example of the vast need in the “10/40 window”—a region stretching from West Africa to East Asia between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude, home to the greatest concentration of unreached people groups on earth. In this window, billions live without access to the gospel. The spiritual darkness is profound, and the need for new workers, resources, and prayer is greater than ever. The opportunity before us is urgent: to bring the light of Christ to those who have never heard his name, to offer hope where there is none, and to answer the call to reach the lost.

Will you help us pioneer these new world mission fields? Your gift to the New World Mission Fields Fund will support outreach to the Wolof tribe in Senegal and other high-risk, unreached areas. This Christmas, as you reflect on God’s greatest gift to us, consider sharing that gift with those who have yet to hear the good news. Together, we can answer Christ’s call to go, to send, and to pray—trusting that his promise will not fail.

With hope, humility, and boldness, we entrust our efforts to the Lord of the harvest, confident that he will accomplish far more than we could ever ask or imagine. This is Christ through us.

In Christ’s service,
Rev. Larry Schlomer
Administrator, WELS World Missions

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Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the resolve of WELS World Missions and our synod to “pioneer missions in high-risk and unreached areas.” Guide, protect, and bless Missionary Dan Kroll as he begins work in Senegal, Africa, among the Wolof tribe, which is 99 percent Muslim. We ask you to also go with Rev. John Hildebrant, who has accepted the call to serve on the Asia-Oceania Team, focusing on outreach to the Hindi, one of the largest unreached populations in the world. He will begin his ministry with a one-year immersion experience in India. According to your will, Lord, work through us to reach the ends of the earth with the good news of your redemption. Amen.

Join the global gospel movement this Christmas

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Dear Christian Friend,

This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we’re reminded that more than 6.5 billion people live where the name of Jesus is scarcely known. The “Commission” priority of WELS’ long-range strategic plan calls us to extend our confessional Lutheran witness beyond familiar borders, forging partnerships and equipping a global missionary force to share Christ’s love with a world in need.

Now is the time to unite in prayer, generosity, and action, supporting efforts that spark the movement of the gospel across continents. Watch this short video to see how the “Commission” priority is shaping our mission.

Will you join us in this global movement?

God has provided a new mission opportunity in Senegal. Missionary Dan Kroll will soon begin outreach among the Wolof people, a tribe where 99 percent identify as Muslim. The work starts with learning language and culture, building relationships, and sharing the hope of Christ. You’ll soon receive a mailing with more details.

Will you help us bring the light of Christ to those who have never heard his name? Your gift to the New World Mission Fields Fund will directly support outreach in Senegal.

Thank you for your faithful support. Your prayers and gifts make it possible to bring the gospel to places where Christ’s name is barely known. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior this
Christmas, may the light of his love fill your heart.

In Christ’s service,
Rev. Larry Schlomer
Administrator, WELS World Missions

P.S. Read a special Forward in Christ article that shares inspiring stories of pioneering missions—including Dan Kroll’s work in Senegal and other efforts to reach the unreached.

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Missionaries called to explore new world mission fields

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The Board for World Missions, working alongside the various World Missions One Teams, has identified new world mission fields and is taking steps to deploy missionaries into three new areas. “Spreading God’s Word in any and every place is our high calling,” says Rev. Larry Schlomer, World Missions administrator. “We ask the Lord of the harvest to use us to bring many into his kingdom through our work.”

Missionaries asked to relocate to Australia

Two missionaries from the Asia One Team, currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, have been asked to consider relocating to begin outreach based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Schlomer shares, “People in Australia have asked us for help. WELS members who have moved to Australia, brothers and sisters who have had to move from Hong Kong, and long-time partners in churches in the Brisbane area, have reached out. It is a joy to be able to meet these needs with WELS missionaries.” Both missionaries would remain on the Asia One Team as they continue their work with contacts throughout Asia.

Calls issued for Muslim outreach in Senegal

Two calls have been issued to explore new outreach in the West African country of Senegal. The goal would be for new missionaries to spend up to six months living with a Muslim family from the Wolof tribe, immersing themselves in the culture and language of the people they are trying to reach with the gospel. Once they have a better understanding of the culture and Muslim influence, they would develop more specific plans for outreach. The Board for World Missions is committed to supporting this new mission field for a minimum of two years in order to give the missionaries ample time to work within the culture. Learn more about this opportunity at wels.net/mission-work-approved-in-senegal.

New Native American outreach in Four Corners region

The Board for World Missions has approved a new missionary position to coordinate outreach to the Native American tribes in the Four Corners area of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. This new missionary would be tasked with developing a new model for Native American outreach, working closely with native Apache members who want to reach out to friends and family members from other tribes with the pure gospel message. He will work closely with Missionary John Holtz, who leads the discipleship arm of the Native Christians Network and is training Apache WELS members for service and outreach through the Apache Christian Training School (ACTS) program. This missionary also will coordinate with Christ the Rock, Farmington, N.M., to develop existing outreach to Native Americans in the area and work to expand digital outreach efforts.

“These new fields will allow us to bring the gospel to places where the announcement of pure grace is scarce or even nonexistent,” says Schlomer. “May God use these missionaries to bring joy in sadness and hope where darkness has hidden God’s face.”

Learn more about additional world mission fields that are being explored at wels.net/newworldmissionfields.

 

 

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