Serving In Sahel

 There is such a blessing in giving to others. I knew that before coming to Niger, but giving to others here takes on a whole new meaning. Perhaps it's because the children have so little and yet are so thankful. Perhaps it's the huge smile on the parents face as they put their hands together and say "Merci beaucoup" while bowing to you. I may struggle with the language and not be able to explain the gospel to the folks I meet, but there is one thing I can do. I can be the hand of Jesus delivering bread to a homeless family on a Sunday morning. I can be the feet of Jesus and deliver a toy and snack to a child who has never had a Hot Wheels car before. I can be the smile of Jesus to the folks I meet along the way, for that is understood in any language. This is the package I received this week from the folks at Ketha Heights Baptist Church in Festus, Missouri. I can't wait to give it out! How will you be the hand, feet and smile of Jesus today...

This week Muslims around the world celebrated their second most important holiday.....Tabaski. It commemorates the time when Abraham almost offered Ishmael as a sacrifice. Yes, you read that correctly, according to the Koran, it was Ishmael that was offered not Isaac. During Tabaski, the call to prayer has been heard regularly throughout the city. Families get together for a time of celebration. The shops are all closed and the streets are quieter than usual. Since God gave a ram to replace "Ishmael", then ram is on the menu for Tabaski. A good, meaty one could cost a family over $600.....that's a lot of ram. After it is killed, it is put on a cross and roasted all day long. The guard next door was quite proud of his roasting rams when I asked if I could take his picture. These men were preparing a large community roast, there were at least four rams on crosses and several more that needed to be put on the roasting sticks. I found it interesting that the sacrifi...

Shopping in Niger can be an all-day affair. There are no Superstores, Sobeys or Walmarts here, although there are a couple of large supermarkets. There is a place for produce and a store that has the best meat and cheese.....unless you want to buy it at the market. To find almost all of your needs, you can go to the outdoor market. Here you can buy all of the grains you need.... You can get underclothes at one vendor and pants and shirts at the one right next door, My favourite store to go into is the fabric store....there is clothe of every colour here, floor to ceiling. I purchased two pieces of fabric for about $8 to give to Felicity to make a couple of more wrap-around skirts for me. Backpacks, purses, jewelry, and much more can all be found here at the market. There 's fresh lamb and beef too....if you don't mind the flies and the smell, perhaps I'll get a picture of that next time.