Going to The Gambia

Written by Dylan & Eryn Wells

International missions has been a core part of Waypoint Church’s DNA since we were planted eleven years ago. Around 2016, just a few years after being planted, God laid it on the hearts of Waypoint’s pastors to form partnerships to reach two international locations and people groups. The first is a global city in Southeast Asia and the second is a small country in West Africa, The Gambia, and in particular an unreached and largely unengaged people group. Since then, two Waypoint families have been sent out to SE Asia and members of Waypoint Church have gone on 10 short-term trips to the Gambia, sharing the Gospel and forming partnerships with local believers.

We as a family have always felt that God was calling us to international missions, but here is a very brief overview of how we landed on this time and this place. In 2016 we had the opportunity to either join a Waypoint trip to Gambia or Kuala Lumpur. We chose Kuala Lumpur because we felt it aligned with our skills and giftings. We enjoyed this trip but did not feel a specific pull to this country or region. A few years later in 2018, Dylan joined a Waypoint team on a trip to the Gambia. Through this trip and another in 2022 Dylan felt a direct calling to this place and the ministry being done there. In 2024, God confirmed that he was calling us to The Gambia after a vision trip that we took together. We plan to attend a 7 week missional training in January and depart for Africa in March of 2026.

There are a variety of ways we hope to engage people with the good news of the Gospel. Eryn is a Physician Assistant and hopes to serve at a clinic. We will continue the work of rural village evangelism that Waypoint has been focused on over the past 9 years. We pray this will turn into church planting among the unreached. There are also opportunities with agriculture, public health, business creation, and supporting the local church where we will live. At this point there are more ways to engage than we have time for so we will be reliant on the Lord to direct us. The focus for the first couple of years will be language learning, cultural adjustment, serving where possible, and finding a family and homeschooling rhythm with our three children under 6. 

There are several ways you can partner with us:

• Prayer. We will be putting together a prayer group with weekly prayer requests and updates on our life and ministry.

• Financial. We are going with the IMB as team associates, which means we are not funded by the IMB and will be raising our own support. 

• Serve with us! There are opportunities to serve in education, agriculture, healthcare, encouragement, and many other ways. We would welcome short-term and long-term people to partner and labor alongside us.

God has been actively leading and guiding our steps over the past 12 years in really tangible and beautiful ways. We’d love to share more about our story and the ways God has been an ever faithful provider in making this a possibility. Please come to our missions lunch on September 28 to hear more about us as a family, how God is moving in our lives, and how Waypoint can partner with us.

If you are unable to come and would like to stay connected please reach out to Dylan at dylanwellsnc@gmail.com or Eryn at erynwells8@gmail.com.