Niamey Diet Plan

It is amazing how fast the walls start to close in on you when you have been sick for a couple of days. This past weekend was Tabaski and I thought that I was going to make it through all of the visiting better than Dave this year because he had been having problems before the fete began. (He calls it his Niamey diet plan). But I guess my turn came the day later.
For many here Tabaski is one of the two times during the year that they will eat meat. They roast a sheep all day the first day and eat the organ meat and some of the roasted meat that day then they deep fry the remaining meat in spices so that it will keep without refrigeration. This meat is not only eaten by the family but is also supposed to be given to extended family, friends and the poor.
When my house help found out that I had been sick the last two days, he laughed and said that I must have eaten too much meat because that is what tends to happen with most people during the fete. They eat meat until they get sick. I just laughed with him and said I must be becoming Nigerien. In reality I didn't eat that much meat. I might have eaten some that wasn't cooked well enough and I did have deep fried intestine for the first time.... But, I suspect that my problem had more to do with drinking unfiltered water than the meat.
Please pray for health and strength for us, but even more importantly (I must be starting to feel better to say that!) pray that these relationships that we have built with Nigerien friends would begin to produce spiritual fruit. That God would gives answers to their spiritual questions.