Lots to be excited about...

I have had a surprising number of questions about my solar cooker blog so I thought that I should follow up by saying that I am still using it but with the days getting shorter and the harmattan winds starting to blow the dust in from the desert there has been less opportunity to do so. This is the before and after of one of my recent endeavours chill and baked potatoes.

We are truly blessed to be able to spend this Christmas with family and as the boys (and our parents) get older we realize how precious it is to be able to celebrate special days together. I hope that you are able to take advantage of the holidays to spend time with family and if not that you will be surrogate family for others that need that as well.

We are excited to hear about more groups interested in joining us to work on the Ministry Centre in various ways. Please pray that the right people would be able to come at the right time and that God would be at work in all of the details. The photos are of a recent inspection we made and I am hoping to be able to post the new roof sometime next week! Please pray for the guys that are working on the ministry centre that God would be at work in their lives drawing them to himself. 

Finally a few other items for prayer. There is a young man in our church that has been very active in some of the villages outside of the capital sharing the good news with those who care to listen. Please pray for his protection and safety. Pray that the Holy Spirit would lead him to those He is already working with and God would use his efforts to build His church. Pray that we would be able to encourage and direct him in his efforts. Pray also for myself and the boys as we enter into exams next week.

Death Sentence

What are you thankful to God for this week?

This is a question that comes every Sunday in our church and I am grateful for the regular reminder that God is living and active in our lives whether we acknowledge Him or not. There are usually lots of responses to this call in our church but this week there was one that really made me think. One of the refugees in our church got up and told us that he was thankful for today because it was the anniversary of his death sentence. He had been imprisoned in his home country and sentenced to the die because of his ethnic background. What would it be like to have a death sentence placed upon you and then to live past it while you saw others receiving for theirs? I can't imagine what it would be like to survive twelve years in jail never mind knowing that you were supposed to die there and that they could give you a new date at any time. What a beautiful thing it was to be free and celebrating eighteen years after your death sentence!

When I think about it I realize that we aren't all that different. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden we received a death sentence. It is only because Christ paid the price for us by his death on the cross that we can be free of that penalty, we just have to accept that gift. So I hope you are free and celebrating the number of years since your death sentence too.

The school's field day is coming and I would appreciate your prayers for that. Please pray for safety for all who are involved. Pray for my boys that they would learn to be a source of encouragement to those around them and be able to celebrate with those who succeed regardless of their own personal standing.

Please also pray for Sahel as the semester ends in a few short weeks, that exams would go well that the students would be able to perform to the best of their ability and finish the term well. Pray also for  a youth pastor for the coming semester as the young woman (a former student at Sahel) who was leading that team returns home at the end of the term. Pray also for her that she would sense God's leading and direction for what she is to do next.

Solar cooking

"You aren't going to put meat in there, are you?"
"It will cook rice?"

These are some of the questions that I have faced this week as I introduced a friend to my solar cooker. I had demonstrated it once before but they were still skeptical. We were told this weekend that we would be without power for the next four days that coupled with the fact that the rains had ended and the harmattan dust hadn't quite arrived yet made me think that this was the perfect time to put my solar cooker to the test. Last night it was cashew chicken and rice (the first time that I did two pots at the same time), this morning it is pumpkin (that I hope to puree for muffins and other things) and I think I might try baking buns this afternoon. If I succeed it will be my first time cooking twice in one day.

I have been thinking about the choices that we make and how environmentally responsible they are. It is one of those things that we face daily as we drive by garbage piled in the streets or walk by plastic bags hanging from the trees.

As we have been working on the ministry centre we have been trying to consider the ways that we can maximize passive cooling to counter the heat here and hopefully reduce our dependency on electric cooling methods. In reading about some of these things I have been reminded how important trees and plants are to the environment and the effect they produce in cooling their immediate environment. As I have been walking our neighbourhood I have noticed lately that there is a big difference between the shade coming from a wall and the shade coming from a wall covered in vines and hedges. It made me sad to think of how many trees here get over "harvested" for the sake of firewood to cook which brought me back to thinking about my solar cooker. I am just starting to realize how versatile it can be and I know that it has its limitations but it would be great if they were a more accessible alternative here in the land of sun. I know that it is possible for them to be produced here (mine was made in a neighbouring country with local resources), but I haven't heard of them being made here (but I might not be in the right circles for that). Please pray that we will be good stewards in the way that we live both in our spiritual lives and in the practical aspects of our day to day living.

What makes a vacation for you?

We had the pleasure this past week of getting away from the regular routine. A single missionary friend had won a ticket to Ouagadougou and wanted to use it but didn't want to go alone so our family agreed to drive over ahead of her and meet her there. (She had become surrogate family when she lived with us during the flood last year). It was good to have an excuse to use some of our vacation time and to get away.

But it has lead me to think about what makes a vacation. When you live overseas for any length of time what constitutes a vacation becomes something different (at least if you are living on a budget). For my friend it is having ice cream everyday (preferably in the form of a sundae with whip cream and chocolate sauce). For me it is the little things, the opportunity to visit different stores and discover that they actually carry some of the treats from home that you missed (I know it sounds crazy that grocery shopping can make a holiday) or to be able to wear pants or shorts without offending someone or to be able to enjoy different restaurants. Just being away so that there is no one to make those extra demands on your time, so that you can actually read that good book that you have been wanting to.  For some of you getting a tan on the beach is all you need and I confess that being able to hear the waves on the shore is one of the most refreshing treats I can think of especially because I live on the edge of the desert (you know endless beach but not a whole lot of water!). Whatever constitutes a holiday for you doesn't really matter what matters is that you remember to take one. When God created us he built rest into the schedule. We weren't made to work non-stop and collapse into exhausted guilt ridden sleep at night but God made us to work and to rest. When we take the time to get away and rejuvenate we are better able to do the work that God has given us. When we fill every waking hour with activity and we listen to the doubts about whether we can afford the time or the money or whatever to get away, we aren't doing ourselves (or God for that matter) any favours.

Second Floor Rising

It has been exciting to see progress being made this week on the building. The second floor walls are going up and we are hoping that the roof will be started sometime later this week or early next week. Thanks to all of you that have been praying for the building progress.

Thank you also for praying for my (Jenn's) health. Since I last posted I went from bad to worse (having a serious case of diarrhea that lasted for 3-4 days) on top of my other problems, but I am feeling much better now.

Next week is a school holiday and so we are planning on taking a bit of a break and hope to get caught up on some much needed rest.

Please pray for the individuals and groups that are considering coming to help with the finishing of the building. Pray that God will provide for all of the details that go with that.

Playing in Traffic

The last time we were in Canada we had the opportunity to go to a church planting conference to learn more about the process. One of the pieces of wisdom that the seminar leader presented was, "inviting someone to help church plant is like inviting someone to play in traffic". The implication is that there are spiritual realities at work in our world. When someone attempts to do something for God the enemy isn't pleased and that person (and those closest to them) tend to come under attack. I guess this week I feel like I have spent a little too long "playing in traffic".

Dave has been preaching a series at church as a follow up to the church planting conference we had last month. Last week he spoke about the Person of Peace and used an audio version of the scriptures (as a model that there are ways to share the scriptures even if you are illiterate). He also provided some mp3s of scriptures in local languages to a guy in our church who has been the most active in this area. This week he is either preaching on spiritual warfare or prayer walking (I am not sure that it is set in stone yet or not and I may be surprised with what happens).

I guess I have been receiving some of the brunt of the spiritual warfare. I have been struggling physically with sleeplessness, headaches, and dizziness that the doctor is still trying to figure out. (You can pray that my test results would bring us closer to answers this week). On the technical front, it was almost comical the other day when I was trying to print out a test for someone to cover my class and I had four different major problems that went wrong, culminating in a test that was printed upside down and backwards! (Ok, I admit by then I laughed so hard the counter in the office was the only thing that was keeping me up, but I was also pretty dizzy...) What should have taken 10 minutes took over an hour with 4 other people helping me. During this time Dave was listening to the radio in our car, unfortunately he fell asleep waiting and drained the battery on the car so we needed a boost. I wish I could say that that was our only technical problem for the week and that there weren't other problems that we encountered but alas...

However of even greater concern then our woes is the Pastor that we are working with. His struggle this week has been with his business school and paperwork with the government regarding it. Please pray for him that the people responsible would change their minds about this and that he would be able to get all the paperwork that he needs in order to move ahead (his school is supposed to start classes next week!).

Opportunities & Updates

I am praising God that this week I was finally able to complete and send out the newsletter that I started in early August. I had great intentions but God and the electric company/internet company had other ideas, so I am praying that this is God's timing and that it found you at the right moment. If you didn't receive one in your e-mail it means that I either don't have your address or I have a problem with it, so either send me an e-mail or write a comment on this blog (I don't publish comments that have personal information such as e-mail addresses on them).

Notice the road at the back right has become a river!

I was reminded by someone this week that I haven't mentioned the flood since the boys had a "flood day" off from school. The good news is that the water level rose to within a centimetre of where it had flooded the school grounds last year but stopped there and the preventative measures that Sahel Academy (the mission school that Jenn teaches at and the boys attend) and ESPriT (the bible school that Dave teaches at) had put in place held back the waters that did come. The bad news is that the river did flood the dyke in other areas and a number of Nigeriens suffered as a result of the flooding. A number of the gardens along the river were wiped out and that will affect the availability and prices of fresh vegetables for a second year running. Pray for all those affected but especially for those that can least afford it. Pray also that there will not be problems later in the season when the river reaches its peak.

You are officially invited to partner with us in finishing a room in the ministry centre. The exterior work on the building is progressing and hopefully will be completed in the next few months. The next step is to complete the interior so that we can start to use it for leadership training, hopefully establish a new church with neighbours and so that our rent can go towards the costs of the building. But, in order to do that we need people to help finance the work and individuals or teams to come to help see it happen. So if you are interested in laying tiles, installing doors & windows, constructing closets & cupboards, plumbing (or simply installing toilets & sinks), electrical work (or simply installing wall switches & outlets or hanging ceiling fans) or just painting we can find a job for you. This is a ministry project of the FM church in Canada so you can give through the giving streams program of your local church (write the cheque to your church but mark the envelope or comment line "Niger Ministries"). If you are interested in coming, consult your local pastor or church board (maybe there is a group that would like to come together and you will want people praying for you while you are here) and contact us we would love to hear from you! Even more importantly we need your prayers that this process will be safe, timely, glorifying to God and a blessing to His church & the Nigerien people.

A Visitor

We received a visitor from our past yesterday. Mohammed had been our night guard throughout our previous four-year term. Unfortunately the relationship ended badly, largely due to my failure to understand the rules regarding severance pay. Most of the problems could have been resolved if I had written out his monthly payslip differently and given him a written letter informing him that his job would be ending at the end of our term. However Mohammed is illiterate and the lack of a written letter given well in advance meant I should have given him an extra month pay for his severance package. In the end I was called before the Work Inspector and made to pay an extra $600 because I failed to specify on his payslip that he was getting a $1 daily food allowance as a night guard. As Jesus said, settle your accounts quickly or the judge will make you pay every last penny.

Since our return we have not heard any rumour of him until this weekend. Apparently he had come to Niamey for a wedding to which our house worker, Gazoul, was also invited. Over the weekend he and Gazoul sat down with a couple of other people to chat. During the conversation he asked Gazoul if he thought he should visit me or not because he felt embarrassed about what had happened. Someone else asked, “Well what did you do?” At first he was too embarrassed to say but finally explained how he’d complained to the Work Inspector. “Oh, that was bad,” one of the others commented. “You shouldn’t go back—he’ll be mad at you.” Disappointed but still hopeful he gave Gazoul a phone number, saying, “If they’re willing to see me give me a call.”

Catching up with Mohammed yesterday we discovered that shortly after our departure he had returned to his native Mali with his family, just north of Timbuktu. They had been alright herding goats and planting rice until the rebellion a year ago. As a light skinned Touareg he and his family were the object of prejudice since the terrorists of northern Mali initially took the guise of Touareg freedom fighters before the movement became radicalized into a religious terror movement.  Mohammed was fortunate that a friend realized what was coming and gathered as many Touaregs as possible and headed south to Burkina Faso where they have been received as refugees. Those left behind in his community have not been heard from since. What he does know is that people were being thrown into sacks and dropped into wells while still alive. His immediate family is safe in the refugee camp in Burkina Faso but he has lost other family and friends in the violence.

Mohammed ended our conversation by asking my forgiveness for what happened with the work inspector. I responded by saying that I also had been wrong in the whole affair and needed his forgiveness as well. Gazoul, who was present for our conversation, seemed to be fighting back tears as we confessed our errors. We sent Mohammed away with some clothes as gifts for his children, letting him know he was welcome to visit again the next time he came to Niamey.

Reconciliation grounds the gospel in reality as we receive those who have been estranged from us, just as Christ welcomes us back to himself. Pray for Mohammed and his family that the love of Christ will find a place in his heart also. Pray also for Gazoul that our actions and the testimony of the Holy Spirit will bring about a change in his life.

A God Day

Dave describes a "God Day" as one of those days when everything goes crazy but still seems to work out because you are walking with God and He is organizing and planning the day even though it makes no sense to you. We have been having a few of these lately.

A week ago Saturday was one of them, we went to go shopping but instead ended up taking a sick old man to the clinic. However, just before we arrived there the clutch in the truck died (completely, I mean there was nothing there!). But it just so happened that we were around the corner on a quiet side street, and we were able to make it to the clinic without having to stop. So the truck died in the parking lot. God arranged for our mechanic to send one of his guys to come and get it (even though the garage was closed that day) and the mechanic's assistant was able to get the sick man and his family home. We were also taken care of because the doctor is a neighbour of ours and not only was she at the clinic with a vehicle (even though it was her day off) but her husband was there too with a second vehicle, so there was plenty of room to get home.

Today was another one our neighbour who we thought we were taking to the clinic for a sore mouth and arm, turned out to be anemic and severely malnourished. The doctor was really surprised by her test results because she was still walking around and seeming to function when her condition was such that she needed to be hospitalized for a blood transfusion. So, instead of doing what I had thought I would be doing (school work and preparation for our church retreat this weekend) I ended up waiting in lines at the National hospital. Even with the abrupt change in plans I can still look back on the day and say that I got somethings accomplished, maybe not what I had in mind but probably better than most. That has to be a God thing!

Please pray for Dave as he finishes his preparations for speaking at the church retreat this weekend (I am not sure he can afford too many more interruptions--but I am sure that God can take care of that). Pray for all those that are involved that they may be able to learn and apply the skills and concepts that Dave is hoping to teach. Pray for the boys that they will be able to communicate and help with the kids program. Pray for me that I don't get stretched too thin wearing too many hats. Also please pray for health and protection, the mosquitos seem to be really bad this year and with that is an increased risk of malaria.

PS We just got a call from the school that there will be no school tomorrow because of the threat of the river flooding. Please pray that the measures that have been put into place would be sufficient to protect the school campus this year.

Back to School

Today marks the first day of school for Jennifer and the boys. The boys have been making the most of the last few weeks of vacation. Ben’s been doing odd jobs around the house to earn a little bit of extra cash and Cole’s been trying to work through a correspondence course for Chemistry. Jennifer has been working to get not only her class but also the school ready for today. Most of the renovations from last years flood have been completed but there are still a few handymen (and women) putting together the science lab and the cafeteria.

August, however, is still holiday season for most students in Niger—school doesn’t begin until late September. The church youth are participating in weeklong youth retreat at which Dave shared Tuesday afternoon. This youth retreat is being done in conjunction with several churches in town. Dave has been working on putting together a leadership retreat for the church at the end of this month that will focus on church planting. Please pray that not only the details would come together but that this would be a time when God would speak to people and be a catalyst for further ministry.

Lightening Strikes --Roll With It

Yesterday morning we awoke to an incredibly loud clap of thunder that sounded almost simultaneously with a brilliant flash of lightening. I wasn't sure whether it had struck our house, a nearby power line or the power plant that is only a few buildings away from where we live, but I was certain that it must have done some damage just by the sheer force of the impact. This was quickly confirmed when all our ceiling fans went from full speed to barely moving and we checked the regulator on the fridge that should read 220V and it was fluctuating between 80 -100V. Which is really not good for anything that was trying to run!

We reported to the electric company and where told that we would be put on there list but where a bit concerned that they wouldn't get to us that day and we knew that nothing would happen the next day because of the Ramadan holiday. I asked some teachers at the boys' school if they would pray because I knew that they were meeting to pray for various school concerns. When we checked in with some of our neighbours we discover that the problem extended into much of the neighbourhood.

Thankful we were only without power for twelve hours and things are running normally now but it really interfered with my plans to get computer work done. Dave just kept reminding me that this was life in Niger and not to expect too much, but to "roll with it". I confess that there are times when it is easier to "roll with it" than others and this was just one more complication added to a long list of them over the last few weeks as I have been trying to get ready for school (that starts next week) as well as keep on top of my church/ministry/mission work. Please pray for me that I would continue to be able to "roll with it" and not get pulled under by the set backs. Pray that we would be able to maintain our spiritual, emotional and physical energy even in the face of difficulties. And please pray for the boys' school that everyone would be ready to go next week when classes are scheduled to begin and that this would be a really good school year, despite some staffing gaps.

PS Sorry the last post was just a family picture there was other comments that I wanted to make but ran into technical difficulties :)

New Look

How can we pray for you?

Our church in Niger has decided on a month of prayer during the summer break. So every night from 9-10 they are meeting to pray. For anyone who knows me well this is a real stretch for me because I am not an evening person (and more or less shut down around that time). The first night I wasn't able to make it because Ben had a stomach bug, so I got to stay home to clean up after him. But yesterday he was feeling better and I was able to participate. It was good to meet with God as a body in prayer. It is my prayer that God will use this time to awaken the spiritual gifts that He has given to His people, so that the church will be more effective in their ministry and that He will give guidance and wisdom to the church as they seek a deeper relationship with Him. One of the themes for this season of prayer is church planting; the pastor feels that it is time the church become active in reproducing and planting another congregation. During part of the prayer time the people also pray for the various needs that individuals from the congregation bring, are there things that we can pray for you?
Please know that you are a valued part of our ministry here in Niger. We are grateful for the many ways that you partner in our ministry and we are praying for you.

Workers and the Long Run

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into his harvest field. Go I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse of bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.” Luke 10:1-4

I have been reading Luke in my personal devotional time recently and came to this passage this week when we have been focusing on short and long term goals. In one of our discussions we were talking about friends that where having some positive results in their ministry and realized that theirs is in the “third generation” of missionaries. There were (at least) two other rounds of missionaries that had come and gone that had laid the groundwork for the response that they were presently having. Dave’s response to this was a series of questions: Who will work with us? (My thought was, --are there others crazy enough to be "lambs among wolves"?) Who will follow us? What will happen to the church if no one follows us? God is capable of sustaining and building far beyond what we can think or imagine and His ways are far beyond ours, but He has also told us to ask for workers to join in the harvest. Will you pray with us that God will send others? That we would be working along side the Holy Spirit to bring in His harvest.

Please continue to pray for the building process as things have slowed down because of Ramadan and other delays.

Catching Up

The last month and a half has been somewhat chaotic. In late May, Dave travelled home to accept his diploma. He arrived home to crazy power outages that led to us losing every thing in our freezer and a power surge that killed our modem and took us offline. During one of the blackouts, Pastor Soter was driving home and passed a gendarme training camp when suddenly they started shooting! I've heard no real reports on what happened but various rumours suggested that some anxious trainees got frightened in the dark. We drove to Lome in Togo to escape the power outages and the  heat. Lome is on the coast and so we were able to visit the beach. We travelled with some fellow Canadians from Saskatoon. On Sunday we visited the local Free Methodist Church. They had a baby dedication that morning and our friend Nathan was called out to come and pray for the baby.

Our journey home was relatively uneventful but the morning after arriving I awoke to find that the one of the front tires was flat and beyond repair. This week the priming pump went altogether on our truck, leaving it immobile. Needless to say, we are glad these issues waited until we arrived home to happen.

Since coming home I've been looking at some "next steps" that we need to take in working with the church here and moving towards church planting. Ramadan has started so many of our friends are now fasting daily. Please pray that we will have wisdom in charting our course forward and relating to friends and neighbours.

Recent Challenges

I lay down and slept

I awoke for the Lord sustains me.

I will not be afraid of then thousands of people

Who have set themselves around me.

 Ps 3:5-6

Last night I received an anxious call from the pastor of our church here in Niamey. The church meets on his property at the edge of town, not far from the local training base for the gendarmes (kind of like the Canadian RCMP). He said he had just been on the way home for the night and as he passed the front gate for the gendarmes camp there was an exchange of gunfire. He said he watched as shop keepers across the street ran for cover as he quickly made for home. I’m still waiting for the details on who attacked but most likely it was the same group that attacked a military base in a northern town and the local prison in the last couple of weeks. The Islamist rebels in Northern Mali have vowed revenge on Niger for assisting the French and the government forces in overthrowing the rebellion. Everyone seems to be fine today though no official details have come out regarding the attack yet.

Please pray for the peace  in Niger and also that the Pastor Soter would have wisdom as he leads the congregation and relates to his community.

PS Dave wrote this four days ago and since then we have had four hours of power (all occurring in one evening). Please pray that the electric company finds a way to resolve their issues.

 

Signs of Progress

I wanted to show you the progress that was being made on the building. This big piles of dirt at the gate will soon be transformed into bricks for the second floor. Above you will see a wooden scaffolding in front of the building. That is how they get cement from one floor to another in the building process. It is amazing to watch as it all moves up a shovel full of cement at a time (or brick by brick). Thanks to all of you that have contributed to the project. Please pray that we will have the funds to see it through to completion.

Please pray for my little friends and their families. Pray that we would have good relations with our neighbours, that they would see Christ in us and come to know Him and that God would be at work in our community.

The school year is ending here soon. This was the final project for Ben's music class a musical that involved the 4-8 grade classes. Please pray that we would end well. Pray that our staffing needs would be filled and that I wouldn't take on too much for next year (It is so easy to do when there are so many needs).

Have a great week!

Good News and Disguised Gifts

This week we had the pleasure of going to a graduation ceremony for Pastor Soter and his wife Penine who both successfully completed their bible diploma through modular and evening courses. This was no simple task. The courses are designed to be the equivalent of a four year program but for many reasons it took them closer to ten years to complete. Soter completed two different diplomas during that time and was honoured for having the top marks in his class 96%. We are blessed to be able to work with them and pray that God will continue to bless them and their ministry.

The other piece of good news I received this week was that my washing machine is being replaced. My "semi-automatic" machine that had been through the flood needed some help and what seemed like an increasing amount of Fonzie style banging to make it through a cycle. So I was relieved when an email of sale items was sent to me by some missionaries that were leaving and included on the list was a washing machine. I will try not to complain about how long it takes to do a load again especially now that I don't have to listen and wait for it to stop so that I can restart it. Thanks to all of you that saw the flood pictures and prayed or sent gifts to help replace it.

I was also able to get a newsletter out this week. If you thought you were on my e-mail list and didn't get it or want to be on our mailing list drop me a note so that I can fix the problem. I am still trying to working out some of the kinks of the new program.

This week also held some gifts that on the outside looked like struggles. I had a really bad stomach bug that wiped me out for the first half of the week. Although I really wouldn't recommend getting sick to anyone, it did forced me to slow down, take lots of naps and the immobility allowed me extra time to focus on spiritual things and computer work. Thanks to all of you that have been praying for my health. I am starting to feel better and actually made it to school today. I am just hoping that I didn't end up taking too much pepto-bismol! Please pray that I don't pass my illness on to anyone else at this crazy time of year when exams are quickly approaching.