Skirts, skirts and more skirts......

Packing to live in a third world country can be challenging. Although through emails from missionaries living here, I had somewhat of an idea what to bring with me. I highly underestimated how many skirts I would need. Ladies in Muslim countries wear skirts everywhere.  The length of the skirt must be long....the back of  the knee should not be shown. The Nigerien women here are my heroes. I see them walking on the street with a baby on their back and all the goods from the market balanced on their head. I am amazed how they can do it. Life is hard work here...from getting and  preparing food  to raising their young.
I recently meet a young woman who because she was barren was abused and then forsaken by her husband. Throughout it all, she maintained her love for him and for the One who has all thing under control. After her belongings were burned, she moved out of the city to a neighbouring village where she began her own business...a seamstress. The skirts and tops in the picture above were made by her, she did an amazing job. Fabric can be purchased here fairly inexpensively, so I am thrilled to be able to help this young woman in anyway I can.

 The river has been going down.....praise the Lord! The island that was present in the middle of the river when I first arrived in Niamey is there once again. The Nile perch that the fishermen catch in the river is very tasty.
The rain has stopped and a mini-hot season is upon us, The temp has been high 30's to 40's. The cooler weather will come in November.