From S.C.’s Camp LaVida to the Edge of the Sahara

Richard Kelly serves as an International Mission Board (IMB) Mandinka team leader in the country of Senegal — a position he never dreamed of when he began his work as a maintenance manager at Camp LaVida, just outside of Winnsboro.

“South Carolina is very special to me. God worked through the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) and South Carolina Baptist Convention and saved me from myself,” he said.

Growing up with a father in the Air Force, Kelly was used to moving around. His job with a contracting company brought him to rural South Carolina in 1982 to help build the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) camp. Through the relationships he formed during the construction process, Kelly was hired to serve on the WMU staff. He met and married his wife, Fran, had three sons, and was a member of First Baptist Church, Winnsboro, during the years he worked at Camp LaVida.

Kelly met many camp missionaries over the years and went on his first mission trip in 1996 through the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s mission partnership with Kenya.

“We spent a day in a marketplace where hundreds of natives were. It was hot and busy. We ended up giving out all the tracts we had, so I bent down and began drawing images in the sand to tell the gospel story. In that moment I heard God calling me to missions, and I knew that was what I was supposed to do,” he said.

He confirmed the call while attending the Southern Baptist Convention later that same year. Kelly spoke to a Foreign Mission Board staff member at an exhibit and began the missionary application process. He was uncertain of how God would orchestrate the next steps toward the mission field but said Camp LaVida continued to play an important role.

“A missionary I’d met through camp approached the mission board about an associate position in the country where they served and that began our journey,” he said. “When you are obedient to God, He makes things happen.”

In June 1999, Richard, Fran, and their young sons — Alex, Daniel and Patrick — boarded a plane bound for southern Africa. They spent the next two years learning the Mandinka language in The Gambia, a former British colony where some English is still spoken. “We needed to learn the language in order to reach their hearts,” Kelly said.

The family eventually moved to a remote area in the southern half of the country that borders the Sahara Desert to be closer to the Mandinka people. They focused on language skills and building relationships so that they could share the gospel. Kelly said his family stands out among the natives because they are physically different and have earned a good reputation of showing God’s love through their actions. The Mandinka villagers have very little, so meeting basic needs is one way that the Kellys can reach out to them.

“The Mandinka people think Americans are wealthy and that we can help with anything. It matters that we are willing to help the people, including those who are sick and hungry,” he said.

Their three boys are now grown and live back in the United States, so Richard and Fran are “empty nest” missionaries. “In the mornings, Fran and I study the stories we are going to use. Then after lunch, when people are resting, we go into villages and share stories from the Bible with them,” he said.

A new missionary couple has joined them in their work in Senegal, and the team has a goal to help Mandinka believers reach their own people one day. Kelly said they hope to build an African church that will ultimately be led by a Mandinka pastor that has recently moved into the area.

How can South Carolina Baptists partner with the Kellys?

“Prayer is so important,” Kelly said. “It’s necessary in order for the Mandinka people to come to Christ in mass. Prayers from South Carolina are great, but consider coming to Senegal, too.” Individuals and churches can commit to praying for the mission work in Senegal or plan a prayerwalking mission trip there. Interested individuals can sign up for the team’s prayer update by emailing the Kellys at rikelly@iname.com.

The team also welcomes long-term mission partners. A church from Alabama partnered with the Kellys to provide assistance with medical and eye clinics in Senegal. Kelly encourages churches to consider partnering together with financial support and short term mission trips.

“Partnering does take commitment, but if churches work together, it’s doable,” he said.

The Book of Acts tells of 5,000 Jews who came to Christ after Peter presented the gospel to them in Jerusalem. After meditating on that Scripture recently, Kelly said he sensed God asking, “What would happen if 5,000 Mandinkas came to Christ in Senegal?”

“I think God is telling us to be prepared to do this, and partnering with churches is essential. There is no way for one or two individuals to handle something like that — but [through] partnering with several churches, it can be done,” Kelly said.

With that, the former camp staff member hopes to link more South Carolina Baptists and churches to Senegal through sharing the gospel.