Testing

The last full week of classes before the regular exams had a few unexpected surprises that came with it. There were two days when the school closed down because of university student protests that got out of hand. You would think that this would be a good thing for us (the time off not the rioting!) because we would be saved the one hour round trip to school; that we could sleep in and take life at a slower pace. But, no... it just so happened that Cole was writing IGCSE exams on both of those afternoons so even though school was closed he had to get in there to write his exams, thankfully God took care of us and although we saw signs of the commotion all around town and a number of burning tires we didn't run into any problems on the road. Instead of being able to use my day off teaching to mark and do some work around the house, I had three extra bodies to manoeuvre around and meals that needed to be timed so that the commute across town could be done. I must admit that I did appreciate the opportunity to sleep in, even if my body doesn't know what to do with that and gets up anyway. We are truly grateful for the number of people that prayed for our safety at the time and to God for answering those prayers.

This week Ben has started his final exams and Cole will have his 13th and final exam next week. They would appreciate your prayers.

We were told this week that there might be some complications for the remainder of the team coming in August. I am hoping and praying that they would be able to come, it would really mean a lot to us (even just to see faces from home) but I am afraid that God might be closing that door for some reason. Please pray that God's will would be done in these circumstances and that the building project would move ahead whether this team comes to help or not.

Too much for one weekend

This was another really crazy weekend in the Wright house. The craziness started a little earlier than I was prepared for. Friday morning when I arrived at school, I was shocked to hear that one of the French teacher's sisters died in the night. She was 23 with three small children: a three-year-old daughter and twins that are three weeks. It came as a shock to everyone because there were no real signs of her being ill until the night before. This tragedy had a ripple affect because that French teacher is set to marry the school secretary in a few week's time, putting a serious damper on what should be a joyous time for them. It also caused a few others on staff to be reminded once again of their recent loss of family members.

Please pray for this situation, for the family dealing with such a tragic loss. For the husband left without a wife. for these children left without a mother, that God would work in a mighty way in their lives and fill in this gap. For the staff at Sahel that we would be able to support this couple in their grief and help them celebrate and find joy as they start a new family together. And for those that are still grieving their own losses that have happened over the year.

Part of the craziness of this weekend was something I had been looking forward to for a long time: General Conference for the FMCIC. I had been praying for the event for awhile and even though I was disappointed that I couldn't be there in person, I had hoped to reconnect to the church at home as I tuned into the live stream broadcast and catch glimpses of friends and family. I got up super early on Saturday morning and tried to log on to the website to see what had happened on Friday night, but the internet didn't seem to want to cooperate. Later in the morning the page would come up but it would cut in and out as the internet/computer tried to handle the download and by early afternoon when the next session started we had to give up. The website wouldn't load because there were too many video connections on it for the internet to download. (Or at least that is what we think happened.) I was really frustrated that I couldn't even be a part of things from afar. I pray that it was a blessing to all who attended and I look forward to being there in person in 2017!

In addition to the funeral on Saturday and trying to catch part of conference, Dave had to help with the church board meeting on Sunday after the morning service. (He has been helping the leadership to develop their vision for the ministry of the church and to understand their roles on the board.) Then in the evening he spoke (probably the first time in a year because he likes to let others in the missions' community have the opportunity and only fills in when there is a great need) and lead communion in the English worship service. It was probably too much for one weekend and I am afraid that I am still trying to recover from it all.

We also received news from home that Dave's uncle and our renter are both receiving radiation treatments this week and that Dave's sister-in-law's mom is in the hospital with water around her heart. Please pray for these situations and for us as we try to love and support from a distance.

Reminder of how blessed we are

There are times that I have to remind myself of how blessed we are (and there are other times when that comes easier). This past week was one of those times when God shakes you up a bit, so you can get your perspective back. I had had a particularly challenging week that came to a climax on Saturday when our water was cut for most of the day (8:30 am-10 pm). I wanted to grumble and complain but then I realized that:

a) the water had lasted long enough to have my morning coffee :)

b) I still had some water in the barrels that we keep in our bathrooms (because it isn’t really that unusual for us to have brief water cuts) and

c) that in reality I am living on the edge of the Sahara—I should be grateful for the amount of water that the Niger River provides us in the capital!

I have had friends from home ask about if we have to ration water and things of that sort but other than occasionally having a problem with the water towers not being able to provide water pressure (because of electricity cuts) and the odd shut down to work on the lines, we have been truly blessed!

I also discovered this week that our newsletter was feeding responses to an email account that I don’t normally use and that I had year old email waiting for me. If one of those emails belonged to you, please forgive my lack of response and know that you are very important to us and our ministry here in Niger. I will do my best to sift through it all this coming week.

Thanks to all of you that have been praying for Cole (and my class) as he (they) writes his (their) exams. Cole finishes his 6^th and 7^th (of 12) exams this afternoon and I know that your prayers have made a great difference in this very stressful time.  My class seemed pretty happy with the exam they took yesterday and will be writing one more next week.

We are very sad that we couldn’t be part of the FMCIC General Conference this coming weekend. We especially miss the opportunity to reconnect with so many of our supporting churches (& you!), but know that we will be checking in to follow on-line when we can and that you are in our prayers.

Life Under The Sun

I think the sun and the stress of life under its intense heat has sent us all a bit loopy this week, but loopy is much better than the alternative which is usually miserable. At least that is my explanation of the latest attempt at a family photo.

We have also faced the disappointment of hearing that half of the team that we were expecting in August will be unable to make it. Please pray for the rest of the work team that this setback would not be too discouraging and that all the details will come into place for them to come. Pray also for clear communication with those involved, for some reason that I can't explain some of the emails that are being sent aren't getting through to me.
 Cole would also appreciate your prayers for him as he is in the process of writing his IGCSE exams (these are special exams that come out of Cambridge University for international students).

Please also pray that we can keep our eyes fixed on Jesus so that life under the sun is really Life under the SON.
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