Tonight I finally started going through my journal from Africa. My plan was to make a list of the lessons I had learned over the summer in order to write that "concluding post" I had talked about earlier. However, I got to the end of May and realized that my list was quickly filling up already! I was pleased to bits to see how often God had spoken to me over the summer, but I could only wonder "How am I going to write about ALL of this in one post??"
So this is my plan. This blog is going to continue for awhile longer. That wasn't the original plan--it was only supposed to record my journey while IN Africa. But there are things that I feel like I NEED to share with everyone! And what better way to do that then to go through, day by day, lesson by lesson, and write about them on my blog?
I'm really excited about this because it means that I'll get to spend even more time reflecting on the lessons God has been teaching me. I hope that by being in constant review of them they'll become sweet to my soul once more and help me grow deeper in my faith.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
A Reposting
I just saw this post on the "Seeking the Songhai" blog that I follow! I thought you all might like to read it--I know I enjoyed it! If you'd like to keep up with the missionaries me and Emily stayed with this summer, you can read their blog too! It's... http://seekingthesonghai.blogspot.com/
Ok, read on! :)
----------------------------------------
"God's Sheep Hear His Voice"
If you've sat through our on-field orientation then you are familiar with the title of this blog. Our ministry philosophy is summed up in two presuppositions:
1) God's sheep hear His voice
2) Wide sowing equals wide reaping.
Practically this simply means that we speak the name of Jesus boldly and often in places it's never been spoken and to people who've never heard it.
These came about from years of ministry among the Songhai and seeing the same words being received differently. As we shared Christ in a group, there would be 2 who got up and left, 2 who ignored us, and 2 who were acting as if they were hearing the voice of their Father! We shouldn't be surprised by this. In fact, these presuppositions are nothing new and are based on Jesus' parable of the sower. The point is that our job is to share the name of Jesus and trust God for the fruit.
I am writing this after seeing it displayed on two separate occasions in two different villages.
*Sam in Boubon:
We had the first believer in Boubon accept Christ a few weeks before the May Living Hope team came. One of our national partners had led him to Christ and our LH team spent the week discipling him. We were all amazed at how fast he was growing. He is almost 60 years old and he can read. These are two things that separate him from 90% of our other believers. After the team left we got the whole story about Sam.
He told us that around 20 years ago he had some interaction with a Nigerian Christian in Niamey. This man didn't really share his faith with Sam but he did give him a New Testament. So for 20 years Sam has been reading this New Testament but not really understanding it. Then we sent 2 national partners to Boubon to live for 3 months.
As one of them was walking by Sam's house, Sam called out to him and said, "Why are you here?' Our partner was a little worried he'd run across an iman or maribou who wanted to pick a fight. But our partner answered boldly "I've come to tell people about Jesus, the Messiah." Sam's heart leapt as he said, "Please come tell me about him, I've been waiting for 20 years to understand who Jesus is." Sam became a new creation that day.
David in Kouli Kwaara:
We've spent the past week in KK painting a clinic but also sharing in the village. There have been some obvious attacks on our group and our time. Yesterday, our two translators were not able to go out in the village and story so my initial thought was, "Let's just hit the clinic really hard and finish the painting." However, I asked if some of the group wanted to story and they said, "Yes," so off we went. I had seen a group of women and children (since most the men were out farming) and was heading to talk to them. But a man came to us out of his compound and was greeting us.
We went through the typical greetings and I was still planning on going to the women's group when he said, "Wa kokari," which means something like "take courage" or maybe more appropriately "you're really doing something good here." He said, "You need to change the children [this generation] with your message, they need to hear it." I responded that he was right but that he too needed this message.
His eyes sort of lit up and he scurried into his house to produce a mat for us to sit on. He called all his children onto the mat to listen to our story. You could just see each of the words sinking into his heart. When we got towards the end he exclaimed, "I believe, I want Jesus!" This 56 year old man became a new creation yesterday. He said that he would now lead his whole family to find salvation in Jesus as well. He said he'd been waiting for 3 years for someone to explain the story of Jesus to him after receiving a cassette that many years ago.
So why do Sam and David respond to the Gospel when so many others don't? I don't know.
Why did God use the same dream 4 nights in a row to call Ibrahim but not Alassan? I don't know.
I don't know how God's sovereignty and human responsibility work together but that's sort of the way mysteries work: they're mysterious.
But one thing I've learned in 5 years of ministry among the Songhai is that God's sheep hear His voice. The only problem is that there aren't enough people looking for those sheep. How many more have waited 3 years or 20 years for someone to come and tell them about Jesus. Will you be one of the ones to carry the name of Jesus to those who've never heard?
Ok, read on! :)
----------------------------------------
"God's Sheep Hear His Voice"
If you've sat through our on-field orientation then you are familiar with the title of this blog. Our ministry philosophy is summed up in two presuppositions:
1) God's sheep hear His voice
2) Wide sowing equals wide reaping.
Practically this simply means that we speak the name of Jesus boldly and often in places it's never been spoken and to people who've never heard it.
These came about from years of ministry among the Songhai and seeing the same words being received differently. As we shared Christ in a group, there would be 2 who got up and left, 2 who ignored us, and 2 who were acting as if they were hearing the voice of their Father! We shouldn't be surprised by this. In fact, these presuppositions are nothing new and are based on Jesus' parable of the sower. The point is that our job is to share the name of Jesus and trust God for the fruit.
I am writing this after seeing it displayed on two separate occasions in two different villages.
*Sam in Boubon:
We had the first believer in Boubon accept Christ a few weeks before the May Living Hope team came. One of our national partners had led him to Christ and our LH team spent the week discipling him. We were all amazed at how fast he was growing. He is almost 60 years old and he can read. These are two things that separate him from 90% of our other believers. After the team left we got the whole story about Sam.
He told us that around 20 years ago he had some interaction with a Nigerian Christian in Niamey. This man didn't really share his faith with Sam but he did give him a New Testament. So for 20 years Sam has been reading this New Testament but not really understanding it. Then we sent 2 national partners to Boubon to live for 3 months.
As one of them was walking by Sam's house, Sam called out to him and said, "Why are you here?' Our partner was a little worried he'd run across an iman or maribou who wanted to pick a fight. But our partner answered boldly "I've come to tell people about Jesus, the Messiah." Sam's heart leapt as he said, "Please come tell me about him, I've been waiting for 20 years to understand who Jesus is." Sam became a new creation that day.
David in Kouli Kwaara:
We've spent the past week in KK painting a clinic but also sharing in the village. There have been some obvious attacks on our group and our time. Yesterday, our two translators were not able to go out in the village and story so my initial thought was, "Let's just hit the clinic really hard and finish the painting." However, I asked if some of the group wanted to story and they said, "Yes," so off we went. I had seen a group of women and children (since most the men were out farming) and was heading to talk to them. But a man came to us out of his compound and was greeting us.
We went through the typical greetings and I was still planning on going to the women's group when he said, "Wa kokari," which means something like "take courage" or maybe more appropriately "you're really doing something good here." He said, "You need to change the children [this generation] with your message, they need to hear it." I responded that he was right but that he too needed this message.
His eyes sort of lit up and he scurried into his house to produce a mat for us to sit on. He called all his children onto the mat to listen to our story. You could just see each of the words sinking into his heart. When we got towards the end he exclaimed, "I believe, I want Jesus!" This 56 year old man became a new creation yesterday. He said that he would now lead his whole family to find salvation in Jesus as well. He said he'd been waiting for 3 years for someone to explain the story of Jesus to him after receiving a cassette that many years ago.
So why do Sam and David respond to the Gospel when so many others don't? I don't know.
Why did God use the same dream 4 nights in a row to call Ibrahim but not Alassan? I don't know.
I don't know how God's sovereignty and human responsibility work together but that's sort of the way mysteries work: they're mysterious.
But one thing I've learned in 5 years of ministry among the Songhai is that God's sheep hear His voice. The only problem is that there aren't enough people looking for those sheep. How many more have waited 3 years or 20 years for someone to come and tell them about Jesus. Will you be one of the ones to carry the name of Jesus to those who've never heard?
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Sweet Home Kentucky!
I'M BAAAAACK! :)
I've been back in the States for a little over a week now and it's been incredibly bittersweet.
It was so wonderful to arrive at the Louisville Airport Sunday night and be surprised by so many friends that were all anxious to welcome us back with lots of hugs and CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES!! :) And I've so enjoyed getting to spend time with some of my very best friends, catching up on life and eating all the American food I can get my hands on! I loved getting to talk to my Aunt ON THE PHONE--not just over email! And I'm also keeping busy with moving into my new apartment with two of my best friends! Needless to say, I'm really excited about this new change! :)
But I've missed Africa so much. I miss the people mostly... I've already cried my eyes out in my first breakdown, struggled with jet lag, and dealt with many weird experiences and emotions. For instance, I freaked out (in a good way!) the first time I realized I could put dishes in a dishwasher (as opposed to filling up two buckets with soapy water and bleach and scrubbing and drying everything by hand.) I'm not usually so attached to my dishwasher, I promise! Or, there have been many times when people will say things in English to me and I won't comprehend it for a second--it takes a moment to process that I actually understand what they're saying. And of course, thanks to my henna "tattoos", five guys with ear gauges have hit on me since yesterday. Little do they know that I have about ten guys in Africa are expecting me to come back and marry them. The ear gauge men will be sorely disappointed I'm sure. ;)
America is strange. And all these emotions are strange.
But I've missed home. :)
When I talked to my Aunt, she encouraged me to write a follow up of sorts to conclude this blog. I'd really love to share with you all the lessons that I came to learn this summer and just write a little bit about what God has changed in my life.
At the moment, I'm not near my journal (which is key to helping me phrase this last blog post) but I figured I could let you all know that you can be on the lookout for the final post!
Thank you for reading this blog. I hope you realize that by reading this account, you were able to share in one of the most important milestones of my life. (That's a big deal to me!) I love you all and it means the world to me that you cared enough to keep up with my life this summer. I pray that God took my words and made them truly mean something to you...I hope they'll stay in your hearts for a very long time. :)
I've been back in the States for a little over a week now and it's been incredibly bittersweet.
It was so wonderful to arrive at the Louisville Airport Sunday night and be surprised by so many friends that were all anxious to welcome us back with lots of hugs and CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES!! :) And I've so enjoyed getting to spend time with some of my very best friends, catching up on life and eating all the American food I can get my hands on! I loved getting to talk to my Aunt ON THE PHONE--not just over email! And I'm also keeping busy with moving into my new apartment with two of my best friends! Needless to say, I'm really excited about this new change! :)
But I've missed Africa so much. I miss the people mostly... I've already cried my eyes out in my first breakdown, struggled with jet lag, and dealt with many weird experiences and emotions. For instance, I freaked out (in a good way!) the first time I realized I could put dishes in a dishwasher (as opposed to filling up two buckets with soapy water and bleach and scrubbing and drying everything by hand.) I'm not usually so attached to my dishwasher, I promise! Or, there have been many times when people will say things in English to me and I won't comprehend it for a second--it takes a moment to process that I actually understand what they're saying. And of course, thanks to my henna "tattoos", five guys with ear gauges have hit on me since yesterday. Little do they know that I have about ten guys in Africa are expecting me to come back and marry them. The ear gauge men will be sorely disappointed I'm sure. ;)
America is strange. And all these emotions are strange.
But I've missed home. :)
When I talked to my Aunt, she encouraged me to write a follow up of sorts to conclude this blog. I'd really love to share with you all the lessons that I came to learn this summer and just write a little bit about what God has changed in my life.
At the moment, I'm not near my journal (which is key to helping me phrase this last blog post) but I figured I could let you all know that you can be on the lookout for the final post!
Thank you for reading this blog. I hope you realize that by reading this account, you were able to share in one of the most important milestones of my life. (That's a big deal to me!) I love you all and it means the world to me that you cared enough to keep up with my life this summer. I pray that God took my words and made them truly mean something to you...I hope they'll stay in your hearts for a very long time. :)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
No TIme To Waste!
I don't have much time to write, but I thought I should send a quick update from the other side of the world!
God has blessed us in so many ways over the past week or so, concerning sharing the Gospel with the Songhai. Since we don't have the language capabilities yet, Emily and I have been playing recorded cassettes with the Gospel message in Zarma for groups of women. Some of them seem interested, so please pray that as we finish our time here we are able to communicate clearly with these particular women and find out exactly what their thoughts are! Thankfully, we'll be having our translator back with us for a couple of days, so she'll be a HUGE help in communicating with them! We're SO excited for the opportunity to have more in-depth conversations about Jesus!!!
I'm struggling with mixed feelings about our time here coming to an end. I wish with all my heart that I could stay, but the responsibilities waiting for me back in the States are constantly in the back of my mind. Please pray for me, that I will use the rest of my time here wisely, and that I will be able to begin to adjust to the idea of coming back to a life in the U.S.
Before I go, here are a couple more names of some women that you can be in prayer for:
~Mariama 1, Alima, and Alima's Mom (neighbors of the Foxes)
~Mariama 2, her sister, their Mom, Baby Luke, Fati, and the rest of their compound (neighbors of the believer)
~Mariama 3, her children, and her compound (more neighbors of the Foxes)
(Yeah, I know, everyone here is named Mariama...I'M even named Mariama!! Haha!)
Thanks once again for all your prayers and support! We love you all! Kala Tonton!
God has blessed us in so many ways over the past week or so, concerning sharing the Gospel with the Songhai. Since we don't have the language capabilities yet, Emily and I have been playing recorded cassettes with the Gospel message in Zarma for groups of women. Some of them seem interested, so please pray that as we finish our time here we are able to communicate clearly with these particular women and find out exactly what their thoughts are! Thankfully, we'll be having our translator back with us for a couple of days, so she'll be a HUGE help in communicating with them! We're SO excited for the opportunity to have more in-depth conversations about Jesus!!!
I'm struggling with mixed feelings about our time here coming to an end. I wish with all my heart that I could stay, but the responsibilities waiting for me back in the States are constantly in the back of my mind. Please pray for me, that I will use the rest of my time here wisely, and that I will be able to begin to adjust to the idea of coming back to a life in the U.S.
Before I go, here are a couple more names of some women that you can be in prayer for:
~Mariama 1, Alima, and Alima's Mom (neighbors of the Foxes)
~Mariama 2, her sister, their Mom, Baby Luke, Fati, and the rest of their compound (neighbors of the believer)
~Mariama 3, her children, and her compound (more neighbors of the Foxes)
(Yeah, I know, everyone here is named Mariama...I'M even named Mariama!! Haha!)
Thanks once again for all your prayers and support! We love you all! Kala Tonton!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
A Little Prayer Goes A Long Way!
Well, tonight I don't have the time or the energy to be writing a ton, so I just planned on giving you all a list of people that you could pray for! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE continue to be in prayer!! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!! No matter what you might think, your prayers ARE working!
Before I write my list, I'd like to give you a quick short example of how your prayers are making a difference in the ministry being done in Boubon:
Boubon is a BIG town. It seems like we discover a new compound every other day! One precious little neighbor girl--Fadida--has decided it is now her job to be our "guide" around the town and take us to new places. We don't know where she got this idea--she just took us by the hand one day and we followed her! The amazing thing about this is that EVERY place she has taken us to has opened up new opportunities for us. I call her our little angel because it seems she has been sent by God to lead us to the places where we are needed! It's been awesome to experience and I KNOW that you all are praying for us to be led to the right people and for doors to be opened--rest assured your prayers are being answered!! :)
Ok, time for my list, then I'm hittin' the sack!
Please pray for:
1. Our "family"--the Chief, his wife, and their four children.
2. Fadida (our little angel!)
3. Busara (one of the kids in our compound)
4. Leilah (neighbor kid) and her mom (neighbor)
5. Bilaley (neighbor kid)
6. Samsia (neighbor kid)
7. The believer in Boubon and his family (who remain unbelievers).
8. Hawa, Hamsa, and Baby Mariama.
9. "Granny"
10. Hama (the Chief's brother)
11. Rukaya (a teen girl we've gotten really close to!) and her family
12. Baby Boubakar (a very sick baby who doesn't look like he has much time to live! Please pray for his health to be restored so that he can grow up and hear about Jesus!)
13. Nafisa (neighbor kid)
14. Nafisa (a girl about our age who is trying to learn English) and the other women in her compound.
15. The compound next to the Foxes' house...they're new neighbors!
16. Ishmael (someone who claims to be interested in Jesus, but is more like rocky soil than fertile soil...)
And that's all I can think of off the top of my head. (I had written a list earlier in the week, but I cannot find it, for the life of me!) But this is a good start--plenty of people who need prayer! Also, PLEASE continue to pray for the Phillips, the Saleebys, and myself and Emily. There is also a team of fourteen high schoolers here this week to work in Tagiboty, so be in prayer for them as well! :)
Before I write my list, I'd like to give you a quick short example of how your prayers are making a difference in the ministry being done in Boubon:
Boubon is a BIG town. It seems like we discover a new compound every other day! One precious little neighbor girl--Fadida--has decided it is now her job to be our "guide" around the town and take us to new places. We don't know where she got this idea--she just took us by the hand one day and we followed her! The amazing thing about this is that EVERY place she has taken us to has opened up new opportunities for us. I call her our little angel because it seems she has been sent by God to lead us to the places where we are needed! It's been awesome to experience and I KNOW that you all are praying for us to be led to the right people and for doors to be opened--rest assured your prayers are being answered!! :)
Ok, time for my list, then I'm hittin' the sack!
Please pray for:
1. Our "family"--the Chief, his wife, and their four children.
2. Fadida (our little angel!)
3. Busara (one of the kids in our compound)
4. Leilah (neighbor kid) and her mom (neighbor)
5. Bilaley (neighbor kid)
6. Samsia (neighbor kid)
7. The believer in Boubon and his family (who remain unbelievers).
8. Hawa, Hamsa, and Baby Mariama.
9. "Granny"
10. Hama (the Chief's brother)
11. Rukaya (a teen girl we've gotten really close to!) and her family
12. Baby Boubakar (a very sick baby who doesn't look like he has much time to live! Please pray for his health to be restored so that he can grow up and hear about Jesus!)
13. Nafisa (neighbor kid)
14. Nafisa (a girl about our age who is trying to learn English) and the other women in her compound.
15. The compound next to the Foxes' house...they're new neighbors!
16. Ishmael (someone who claims to be interested in Jesus, but is more like rocky soil than fertile soil...)
And that's all I can think of off the top of my head. (I had written a list earlier in the week, but I cannot find it, for the life of me!) But this is a good start--plenty of people who need prayer! Also, PLEASE continue to pray for the Phillips, the Saleebys, and myself and Emily. There is also a team of fourteen high schoolers here this week to work in Tagiboty, so be in prayer for them as well! :)
Monday, June 20, 2011
We Are Missionaries, Not Superheroes
I've learned something in our time in Boubon.
(Wow, if that's not the understatement of the century, I don't know what is!)
I've learned that we are missionaries, not superheroes.
A big struggle for both Emily and myself is that we live in the middle of poverty and really can't do anything about it. We technically HAVE things--like medicines and extra granola bars and money--but if we were to give one thing to one person, we'd have the whole village at our front door demanding we give them something too! Everything we own would run out in a matter of hours and when there would be nothing left, the people would still demand MORE...
Something one of our translators said at the beginning of this trip is that the Songhai people live in a very moment-by-moment mentality. They just want something to keep them going to the next moment because "they know they are already dead." What a state to be constantly living in! It breaks my heart! But that's really how it is here. They ask for a gift--any gift--because it is just one more thing to have and use up before the moment is over.
Honestly, it makes me kind of depressed. How are we supposed to help people without feeding into this corrupt mindset of theirs??? How do we help them understand that the best gift we can give them is knowledge of Jesus, not just another material object???
Honestly, since it was so hard for me to draw the line on this issue, I kind of shut down and said, ok NO gifts of any kind! I just didn't know what would be wise and what would be unwise and I really didn't want to mess things up. But! I was given a glimmer of hope the other day. Something that made me realize that we CAN do a little bit more for these people...
There is a little boy that lives close by (we'll call him *Billy.) Billy comes to our compound almost every day with the same group of children that just LOVE to play with us! He is such a little sweetheart--probably not more than 2 and 1/2 years old, maybe 3. Anyways, he has this sore on his nose and Emily noticed it the other day while the kids were playing. Since there were no parents around to harass us for medicine and since the other kids really weren't paying attention, Emily was able to give him a little bit of Neosporin and a tissue to help heal it in a small way. Even though he was only a couple of years old, he knew that she was helping him and his face just SHONE with happiness! Later on, when I was sitting outside, taking a little break from playing with the kids, he came over and sat on my lap and just snuggled so close against me. He just sat there like that for a long time--so content to snuggle instead of playing with the others. There were a couple of times when I would look down at him and he would look back up at me with this big smile, and oh my goodness my heart was just OVERFLOWING!!! In the middle of all of this, I realized I WAS helping him! I was making a difference in this boy's life just by taking a little extra time to wrap him up in a hug.
We can't save the world. We can't save Boubon. But we can make these people aware about Jesus and His Saving Grace! And along the way, maybe we can add a tissue or a hug or a smile.
We're missionaries, not superheroes. And I like it that way. :)
(Wow, if that's not the understatement of the century, I don't know what is!)
I've learned that we are missionaries, not superheroes.
A big struggle for both Emily and myself is that we live in the middle of poverty and really can't do anything about it. We technically HAVE things--like medicines and extra granola bars and money--but if we were to give one thing to one person, we'd have the whole village at our front door demanding we give them something too! Everything we own would run out in a matter of hours and when there would be nothing left, the people would still demand MORE...
Something one of our translators said at the beginning of this trip is that the Songhai people live in a very moment-by-moment mentality. They just want something to keep them going to the next moment because "they know they are already dead." What a state to be constantly living in! It breaks my heart! But that's really how it is here. They ask for a gift--any gift--because it is just one more thing to have and use up before the moment is over.
Honestly, it makes me kind of depressed. How are we supposed to help people without feeding into this corrupt mindset of theirs??? How do we help them understand that the best gift we can give them is knowledge of Jesus, not just another material object???
Honestly, since it was so hard for me to draw the line on this issue, I kind of shut down and said, ok NO gifts of any kind! I just didn't know what would be wise and what would be unwise and I really didn't want to mess things up. But! I was given a glimmer of hope the other day. Something that made me realize that we CAN do a little bit more for these people...
There is a little boy that lives close by (we'll call him *Billy.) Billy comes to our compound almost every day with the same group of children that just LOVE to play with us! He is such a little sweetheart--probably not more than 2 and 1/2 years old, maybe 3. Anyways, he has this sore on his nose and Emily noticed it the other day while the kids were playing. Since there were no parents around to harass us for medicine and since the other kids really weren't paying attention, Emily was able to give him a little bit of Neosporin and a tissue to help heal it in a small way. Even though he was only a couple of years old, he knew that she was helping him and his face just SHONE with happiness! Later on, when I was sitting outside, taking a little break from playing with the kids, he came over and sat on my lap and just snuggled so close against me. He just sat there like that for a long time--so content to snuggle instead of playing with the others. There were a couple of times when I would look down at him and he would look back up at me with this big smile, and oh my goodness my heart was just OVERFLOWING!!! In the middle of all of this, I realized I WAS helping him! I was making a difference in this boy's life just by taking a little extra time to wrap him up in a hug.
We can't save the world. We can't save Boubon. But we can make these people aware about Jesus and His Saving Grace! And along the way, maybe we can add a tissue or a hug or a smile.
We're missionaries, not superheroes. And I like it that way. :)
Home Sweet Home
It's finally happened...I'm in the capital and I MISS BOUBON!!
Granted, I am so thankful for our time here because it's usually the only time we get nutritious food and a full night of rest. But if I could just take the food and the rest with me, I don't know if I'd ever leave the village! (Provided that the Phillips and Saleeby's would constantly visit us--lol!) :)
This week I got to the point where I finally loved and appreciated a bucket bath and our filtered water. Some of you might remember how at first I said the filtered water tasted like sulfur...Now, I don't even need a flavor packet to chug a bottle! (Will Burnham, I hope you're reading this because I am drinking several bottles of water a day now without any complaints! Be proud!)
The language is still a huge struggle for me, but I'm catching on to more words and phrases. I can now tell when I'm about to be married off to the nearest young man and I can successfully say in Zarma "I did not come to look for a fiance in Niger." ("Ay mana kaa arwasu ceeciyan Nizer laabu.")
I'm finding that there's more and more people to love every day. Just the other day we met a "new" group of women (I say "new" because we had met them once before when the LHBC team was here, but we hadn't seen them since and didn't remember most of them...) and already, there were some precious people that I'm excited to go back and visit!
You know, this place has a habit of throwing you for a loop, turning your world upside down and inside out, and just when you feel like you can't stand it anymore, you discover that it's buried itself deep down inside your heart--and you wouldn't have it any other way! :)
Granted, I am so thankful for our time here because it's usually the only time we get nutritious food and a full night of rest. But if I could just take the food and the rest with me, I don't know if I'd ever leave the village! (Provided that the Phillips and Saleeby's would constantly visit us--lol!) :)
This week I got to the point where I finally loved and appreciated a bucket bath and our filtered water. Some of you might remember how at first I said the filtered water tasted like sulfur...Now, I don't even need a flavor packet to chug a bottle! (Will Burnham, I hope you're reading this because I am drinking several bottles of water a day now without any complaints! Be proud!)
The language is still a huge struggle for me, but I'm catching on to more words and phrases. I can now tell when I'm about to be married off to the nearest young man and I can successfully say in Zarma "I did not come to look for a fiance in Niger." ("Ay mana kaa arwasu ceeciyan Nizer laabu.")
I'm finding that there's more and more people to love every day. Just the other day we met a "new" group of women (I say "new" because we had met them once before when the LHBC team was here, but we hadn't seen them since and didn't remember most of them...) and already, there were some precious people that I'm excited to go back and visit!
You know, this place has a habit of throwing you for a loop, turning your world upside down and inside out, and just when you feel like you can't stand it anymore, you discover that it's buried itself deep down inside your heart--and you wouldn't have it any other way! :)
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