Serving In Sahel

Just a little over a year ago, the Niger River invaded the campus of Sahel Academy. The brown mark on the outside of the secondary building shows just how high the waters were. Buildings had to be evacuated. Books and furnishings moved as the school was relocated to two different locations. The river is rising again....... So now the reinforcing of the wall begins. The dorm students are adding an extra pile of dirt to help strengthen the wall should the waters reach it.  The water flooded the gate last year, so this year they have piled the dirt high. It's quite the speed bump. The builder of the wall supervised extra reinforcing to secure it's strengthen. Many truck loads of dirt have been shoveled into place. I am reminded of the verses in Isaiah 43: 2&4 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.... For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. Please pray that ...

This is the street upon which I live. All of the houses have locked gates that need to be opened for entering. Some of the homes have daytime guards and all of them have night time guards. We have a night watchman. He speaks a little English and I speak a little French, so we can exchange pleasantries. The first time we met he jokingly told me his name was Smart, I think he was just being smart. He sweeps my walkway and step and does some gardening for all the homes on the compound. There is a house in front and another apartment beside mine, all of which house missionaries. There are shops of all kinds at the end of the street. Every day on the way to and from school, we cross over the Niger River. It is rainy season now which lasts until the first of October, and then the rains stop. It seems that after each rainfall the water in the river has risen. Islands that were quite large in the middle of the river when I first came, have become smaller. With the disaster of la...

As we finish our first short week of school here. I thought I should show your around the campus. So... These are the elementary classrooms. There are two buildings, both with 3 classrooms. The staff room is in one of those buildings too. This is our library. What a great selection of book and DVDs they have! I was pleasantly surprised. It provides a wonderful opportunity for the kids to enjoy reading. Welcome to the secondary school building. It houses classrooms, the science lab and art room. There are also 4 classrooms upstairs. Assemblies are held in here. It also serves as a lunch room for the elementary during rainy season. This is the entrance to the school. The administration offices are located here and it connects to the secondary building. This year there are 85 students in the elementary, 75 students in the secondary and 25 staff members. Our theme for this year is "We Shine On".....may we shine the light of Jesus on a country that needs to see...

Preparing meals in Niger is......challenging. The produce, that has been bought at the local market, needs to be soaked in a solution of bleach and water for 20 minutes. Then rinsed with filtered water, lettuce needs to be rinsed especially well.....lesson learned just recently. There is no microwave in the kitchen....so planning meals ahead of time is a must. Rice is aplenty here. Before cooking the rice, it needs to be rinsed several times to dispose of the weevils that might be abiding in the bag. Freezing the bag after purchasing, it kills the larvae, so we just need to get rid of the adult black bugs. Flour is frozen and then sifted before use to avoid and critters in the baking. Pork is now available here, surprising for a mostly Muslim country. You can buy your chicken frozen at the grocery store or alive at the local market. I prefer the frozen kind, no defeathering required. I have a gas stove for the first time. I'm trying to improve my record of 4 matches to light ...

    Welcome to my new home!   Come on in and sit for awhile. It is a cozy apartment with 2 bedrooms so if anyone would like to come and visit I have a room ready and waiting.   Here's my room. There is a nice big closet and shelf just outside the picture. Yup......indoor plumbing is a wonderful thing. Toilet handle is on top of the toilet. Shower is there behind the shower curtain. The next post will show pictures of the kitchen.....

Once upon a time there were 3 suitcases.....doesn't that sound like the beginning of a great story. These 3 suitcases hold all the supplies I will need for the next 2 years.....well, chances are I will need some more as time goes on. After all the planning and packing, the time has finally arrived for the "see ya laters". Those are much easier to say than good-byes. So here I sit at the airport with a long layover, a few hours to reflect at what the Lord has done and anticipate what He will do in the next 2 years in Niger. There is something about Africa that captures your heart, perhaps it is the happiness of the people. Happiness not based on possessions or wealth. There is a joy in the people that comes from a much deeper Source. So as I begin this journey, I will do my best to bring you along with me. Through weekly blogs and pictures, prayer letters and facebook the distance will not seem so great between us at all.