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.
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