You might be wondering what in the world I mean by my blog title...well, I am pleased to say that that is the literal translation of the word "bellybutton" (or, "fumay-ize") in the Zarma language!! :) (Also!! Fingers--kambe-izey--are translated as "children of the arm" and toes--ce-izey--are "children of the leg"!!)
You can probably guess that we've started our language training. :) Today was our first day and man, I feel like my brain might explode already!!! We went over the alphabet (which is pretty much the same as the English alphabet, just with 2 extra letters), syllables, long vowels, double vowels, double consonants, greetings, prepositions, colors, and the human body--as well as SEVERAL random words which we just happened to learn in the course of BB giving us examples and exercises. (BB is our teacher, or "cawundiko!" She was also our translator in Boubon, so it's really helpful that we already know her.)
We have 6 hours of studying per day with BB. Our first session is from 9am-12pm, and the second is from 2pm-5pm. Of course, that doesn't include the HUGE amount of studying and memorization that me and Em are attempting! Basically, we will be eating, breathing, and sleeping Zarma for the next week as prep for our move to Boubon!
~Please pray that me and Em will pick up on this language QUICKLY!!!! It is a necessity that we get the basics down before our move so that we can do simple things in Boubon like know the time, get around the village, and buy food at the market.
Speaking of the market, we had our first experience preparing market vegetables for our sandwiches today!! I'm happy to report that we didn't keel over and die. :)
I'm learning A TON of new things here in Africa and one of them that is essential to us "anasadas" is how to correctly prepare our food (especially if we buy it from a street vendor!) Today I learned that you have to soak your veggies in bleach water for a good 10-15 minutes. Then you have to rinse them really good in filtered water.
Parker also showed me how to work a gas stove for the first time! It seems easy but I'm really hoping I don't get over-confident in my stove-lighting-abilities and blow up the guesthouse!! ;) (Y'all might want to consider that a prayer request...haha!!)
Before I sign off, I thought it would be fun to share some new words and phrases that I learned today! :)
~Yesu go ay bine ra! = Jesus is in my heart!
~Yesu kuro kande faaba! = Jesus' blood brings salvation!
~Ay ga ba how hum. = I like cow meat. (This is the closest translation I can have to I like steak. They don't really have a word for steak here. Sad day.)
~Coca ga kaanu ay se gumo! = Coke is my favorite! (This was what I repeated SEVERAL times when Parker brought us some surprise goodies! I had my first Diet Coke in WEEKS today and man was it tasty!!!! The treats and drinks also gave me and Em a HUGE sugar high...poor BB! Haha! But we were SO THANKFUL to Parker!!!)
~Bico go sako cire. - The pen is under the purse. (This was my first sentence that I correctly created/translated today!!!!)
Ok, well that's all I have time for...we're about to go make spaghetti for dinner! YUM! Gotta take as much advantage of the stove and refrigerator while we still have access to it! :)
Kala ton ton!!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Home-Sick
Well, I'm not homesick (I mean, I miss all of you, but not to the point where I'm sick about it!) BUT! I am home, sick. I've been confined to the guesthouse today because when I woke up this morning I was feeling "off" (haha, they call it "off"...I call it "I feel like I just did a P90X and Insanity workout all at once!) Mark said I should stay home just to be safe. So even though I don't technically feel "sick," I definitely feel worn down.
I'm bummed that I couldn't go to Boubon today. :( I'll miss getting to see all the women and kiddos. But hey, at least this gives me time to catch y'all up on life here! :)
Today is going to be the LHBC team's last day in Boubon. They'll be leaving late tomorrow night. I'm really going to miss having them around. It was just really good to be able to have more people around the guesthouse and we've just gotten so used to having them with us!
Beforehand, since I wasn't able to go to ANY of the team prep meetings (due to my work schedule) I didn't really feel like we were a "team." I felt like it was Me and Em, and then "those other guys." But now I really feel like we've been able to become a REAL team. They've all looked out for me this week (especially Will and Travis with my water bottle! Who am I going to have constantly harassing me about not drinking enough water once they leave??? Haha!) and hopefully I've been able to encourage them or help them out in some way while they've been here.
At the same time though, I'm excited for them to go home! It means that they'll get to tell their stories to people back in the States and get more people to pray for the Songhai and for us and the Phillips and Saleeby's while we're still here.
One thing that has continued to pop up in conversations with elders in the villages is how they are glad we are there because visitors mean a town is growing--that it's name is getting out in the world. They all say (but I especially hear it in Boubon) that they wish for their village and their people to become famous some day to the world. Well, that's our hope too, although maybe a little different from theirs... We want Boubon (and the other villages) to become famous to the world BECAUSE OF HOW GOD HAS WORKED THERE. When the LHBC team goes back to America, they will be spreading the name of Boubon all over the place! And with it will be the stories of how God is being glorified and how He is working in the hearts and minds of the people there.
I hope that one day THE WHOLE WORLD will know of Boubon and the strength and faith of the Christians there. What a great hope!
I'm bummed that I couldn't go to Boubon today. :( I'll miss getting to see all the women and kiddos. But hey, at least this gives me time to catch y'all up on life here! :)
Today is going to be the LHBC team's last day in Boubon. They'll be leaving late tomorrow night. I'm really going to miss having them around. It was just really good to be able to have more people around the guesthouse and we've just gotten so used to having them with us!
Beforehand, since I wasn't able to go to ANY of the team prep meetings (due to my work schedule) I didn't really feel like we were a "team." I felt like it was Me and Em, and then "those other guys." But now I really feel like we've been able to become a REAL team. They've all looked out for me this week (especially Will and Travis with my water bottle! Who am I going to have constantly harassing me about not drinking enough water once they leave??? Haha!) and hopefully I've been able to encourage them or help them out in some way while they've been here.
At the same time though, I'm excited for them to go home! It means that they'll get to tell their stories to people back in the States and get more people to pray for the Songhai and for us and the Phillips and Saleeby's while we're still here.
One thing that has continued to pop up in conversations with elders in the villages is how they are glad we are there because visitors mean a town is growing--that it's name is getting out in the world. They all say (but I especially hear it in Boubon) that they wish for their village and their people to become famous some day to the world. Well, that's our hope too, although maybe a little different from theirs... We want Boubon (and the other villages) to become famous to the world BECAUSE OF HOW GOD HAS WORKED THERE. When the LHBC team goes back to America, they will be spreading the name of Boubon all over the place! And with it will be the stories of how God is being glorified and how He is working in the hearts and minds of the people there.
I hope that one day THE WHOLE WORLD will know of Boubon and the strength and faith of the Christians there. What a great hope!
Hungry, Hungry, Hippo!
So on Tuesday we went on a Hippo Hunt! Since I'm not going to load many more pictures until we're just about to leave for Boubon permanently, I thought it would be fun for y'all to see a couple of these at least! So, enjoy! :)
Ayorou and Karma
This week we've been able to visit some of the other villages in the area around Niamey--specifically, villages that our home church "adopted." Any of you who go to LHBC know these villages by now...Boubon (our "home" village), Tagaboty, and Karma. These villages are all part of a program called "The Road to Karma." The plan is to send missionaries to these villages and for our church to be praying CONSISTENTLY for these villages back in the States. Us being here is already proof that LHBC is serious about reaching out to these people, which just makes me even more excited for the future of "The Road to Karma." There is also the village of Ayorou (much further down the road than any of the other villages! It's almost 3 hours away from Niamey!) where Mark and Parker lived and worked for 3 1/2 years. There is a firm body of believers there and though they are few in number, they are mighty in spirit.
For the past 2 days (Tuesday and Wednesday) we were able to visit 2 of these villages, Ayorou and Karma. We were not able to visit Tagaboty as planned because we ran out of water in Karma.
Karma has one believer and a national partner (a believer-missionary originally from Niger.) The national partner has been kicked out of 2 homes so far for being a Christian and has faced much persecution for his faith. However, he was able to find a place with a man that we called "the father." He is a very old man, the uncle of the chief, and a true man of peace. Though he is not a Christian himself, he has defended the national partner against the elders of the village (which is a BIG deal!) and while he has also faced ridicule for letting the national partner stay in his home, "the father" continues to defend him.
~Pray for the national partner and the believer. Pray that they will be able to continue to be strong and courageous while they live out their faith. Pray for their protection. Thank God with us that they have continued to be provided for, despite all the persecution.
~Pray for Karma. It is a dark place and desperately needs Jesus' light. Pray for a strong church to arise.
Ayorou makes my heart hopeful. :) I pray that what has happened in Ayorou will happen in Boubon (and the rest of the villages) while we're here this summer. Though Ayorou does not have MANY believers, they have a grounded church. These men and women have persevered through so much and honestly, I was almost brought to tears by some of their testimonies. These people have TRULY heard the calling of God in their hearts and have responded SO FAITHFULLY!! They amaze me and I thank God for them. My favorite part of visiting Ayorou though was FINALLY meeting H and M (the two women I've been praying for for over a year and a 1/2 now!!) I was given pictures of them at a church function and was asked to pray for them and at the time I NEVER thought I'd get to meet them in person...but now I have!!! H and M are both so sweet and even though I didn't get to talk with them except for a quick minute, it was the best minute of the day for me!!! I gave them the pictures I had of them and had Mark translate that I had been praying for them and that I would continue to do so. I was also able to get some NEW pictures...only of me WITH them this time!! :)
~Pray for the church in Ayorou. They are facing WAY more than we in America could even imagine. They are exiled from their friends and families and the village has made it hard for them to even go to the market and buy food. They are facing sickness and death, and yet in the midst of it all they still praise Jesus and declare His Name. Pray that God will uphold them and strengthen them, that their hearts will be encouraged daily, and that they will be BLESSED beyond comprehension!!
~Pray for the rest of Ayorou. Pray that they will understand the Gospel message and that their hearts will be softened towards it and that they will come to love Jesus as much as the believers in their village do!!
For the past 2 days (Tuesday and Wednesday) we were able to visit 2 of these villages, Ayorou and Karma. We were not able to visit Tagaboty as planned because we ran out of water in Karma.
Karma has one believer and a national partner (a believer-missionary originally from Niger.) The national partner has been kicked out of 2 homes so far for being a Christian and has faced much persecution for his faith. However, he was able to find a place with a man that we called "the father." He is a very old man, the uncle of the chief, and a true man of peace. Though he is not a Christian himself, he has defended the national partner against the elders of the village (which is a BIG deal!) and while he has also faced ridicule for letting the national partner stay in his home, "the father" continues to defend him.
~Pray for the national partner and the believer. Pray that they will be able to continue to be strong and courageous while they live out their faith. Pray for their protection. Thank God with us that they have continued to be provided for, despite all the persecution.
~Pray for Karma. It is a dark place and desperately needs Jesus' light. Pray for a strong church to arise.
Ayorou makes my heart hopeful. :) I pray that what has happened in Ayorou will happen in Boubon (and the rest of the villages) while we're here this summer. Though Ayorou does not have MANY believers, they have a grounded church. These men and women have persevered through so much and honestly, I was almost brought to tears by some of their testimonies. These people have TRULY heard the calling of God in their hearts and have responded SO FAITHFULLY!! They amaze me and I thank God for them. My favorite part of visiting Ayorou though was FINALLY meeting H and M (the two women I've been praying for for over a year and a 1/2 now!!) I was given pictures of them at a church function and was asked to pray for them and at the time I NEVER thought I'd get to meet them in person...but now I have!!! H and M are both so sweet and even though I didn't get to talk with them except for a quick minute, it was the best minute of the day for me!!! I gave them the pictures I had of them and had Mark translate that I had been praying for them and that I would continue to do so. I was also able to get some NEW pictures...only of me WITH them this time!! :)
~Pray for the church in Ayorou. They are facing WAY more than we in America could even imagine. They are exiled from their friends and families and the village has made it hard for them to even go to the market and buy food. They are facing sickness and death, and yet in the midst of it all they still praise Jesus and declare His Name. Pray that God will uphold them and strengthen them, that their hearts will be encouraged daily, and that they will be BLESSED beyond comprehension!!
~Pray for the rest of Ayorou. Pray that they will understand the Gospel message and that their hearts will be softened towards it and that they will come to love Jesus as much as the believers in their village do!!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Boubon
Oh my goodness, where to begin??
Ok, well, today was our second day in Boubon (the village that Em and I will be calling home soon!) I'm still getting used to it, but hopefully by the time we move into our house I'll be well adjusted! I'm liking the town more and more thanks to the people--they're hard not to love. :) Even when all you hear from the kids is "Caado! Caado!" (gift!) or "Anasada!" (white person!) you still can't help but just love 'em to pieces.
I guess I should start with Day 1. Me, Em, and the Living Hope team ventured out to Boubon early in the morning. The group split into men and women. The men went to meet with the one believer in the village to disciple him and encourage him in whatever way they could. We women began to prayer-walk and meet other women and the children. We started in the chief's compound (that's home for us for the next 2 months!) and just walked from there. We met A TON of people and while we got to share our faith a lot, the kids were more interested in gifts and the women wanted the same (they were just a little more sneaky about asking.) I'm not gonna lie, it kind of saddened my heart a bit. By the end of the day I thought "Is this how it's going to be all summer?? No one wanting to get to know us for anything but gifts??" Oh me of little faith. :)
That brings us to Day 2. Coming into Boubon today we had the same plan for the morning. I was expecting the same responses that we had gotten the day before (just because we were still so new to the town) but apparently word had already gotten around about all the "Jesus people" (yes, they seriously called us that, haha!!) So while we still met new women and their families, they already had an idea of why we were there. Because of this some were gracious and interested from the start, and others said they would listen to us talk but only if we would give them a gift (again with the caados!!) But there was a COMPLETELY different response from the kiddos today which REALLY surprised me. Instead of begging, they allowed us to teach them some songs and tell them a Bible story. We also taught them how to say "Sup?" (complete with the gangsta head nod!), how to high five (which they LOVED!) and a few of them picked up on the thumbs up sign and when to give that. And it made my heart soooo happy when they would see me and Emily and say, "Fati! Mariama!" (Mariama being my African name and Fati being Emily's.) :)
If I could tell more, I would. But let's be honest, if I were to tell every detail I'd never be able to stop writing! The important things you need to know are how you should pray for us and the precious Songhai people:
1. I'm getting my malaria meds switched!!!! PTL!!!! For all of you were praying about my side effects, thank you, but please keep it up! I won't be able to switch till Wednesday so I still have a little time. God has been so gracious to me though and the intense panic and paranoia I've felt has definitely not been as bad since I last wrote the other day. Please pray that it stays that way!!
2. Pray for continued health for the team here. One of the women (Tiffany) hasn't been able to go to Boubon with us yet because it's taken her so long to adjust to the climate and time difference. She's going to go out with us all tomorrow, but we'll be at a different village (that's 2 1/2 hours away!) So please pray that she'll be ok, as well as the rest of the team!
3. Pray for the Songhai mindset. Apparently several years ago some missionaries came through Boubon and just started handing out things. They even bought some goats for a man so that he would listen to them preach! I don't know who these people were, but to say it in the nicest way possible, they kind of messed things up for all the missionaries to come after them. This is why the people in Boubon see us and EXPECT to get gifts! I can't say whether or not the previous missionaries heart's were in the right place or not (that's not for me to judge) but I don't believe the Gospel should ever be used as a bargaining chip. Now when we talk to people about Jesus and they ask for a gift we tell them "Jesus is your gift." Please pray that they will come to understand this...that their minds will not be so wrapped up in material possessions that they will miss the meaning behind the message. And pray for this also so that when Em and I live there we will not constantly be harrassed to give people things. We want to become their friends and live and work among them for the time we are here. Our purpose is to build relationships and if people refuse a relationship just because we have nothing to give them, then that just makes it harder on us to reach out to people.
4. Pray for the chief of the village. We got to meet him yesterday and he seems like a very great and honorable man. He assured us that we would be under his protection the entire time we were there, which I am SO thankful for!! (And I know our families are thankful too!) He seems very open-minded which I'm hoping will lead to him hearing about the Gospel and accepting Christ. If the chief and his family were to become Christians, it would calm the people's fear of being rejected...which leads me to my final prayer request for tonight...
5. The people are interested. We know that much. But no one is WILLING to make the choice because of cultural taboos. Because there is only 1 believer in all of Boubon, it's easy to say that 99.9% of Boubon is Muslim. When people talk of Christianity, others who oppose it say, "If you convert we will not bury you" which is a HUGE deal in the Islamic faith!! One of the believers in another village experienced this recently when his wife passed away. The village elders said they would not bury her, but PTL because the sweet, small group of Christians rallied around this man and buried his wife themselves. In Boubon it's a bit of a different story since there's only 1 believer. There's not even a FEW others that would be able to reassure and encourage each other when it comes to situations like this. So please pray that people would see that following Jesus IS WORTH IT. None of us make an easy choice when we choose to follow God, but it's the best decision we've ever made and I hope that these people will come to see that.
Ok, well that's all for now. I'm going to go try and upload some pictures for y'all to look at! Kala tonton! :)
Ok, well, today was our second day in Boubon (the village that Em and I will be calling home soon!) I'm still getting used to it, but hopefully by the time we move into our house I'll be well adjusted! I'm liking the town more and more thanks to the people--they're hard not to love. :) Even when all you hear from the kids is "Caado! Caado!" (gift!) or "Anasada!" (white person!) you still can't help but just love 'em to pieces.
I guess I should start with Day 1. Me, Em, and the Living Hope team ventured out to Boubon early in the morning. The group split into men and women. The men went to meet with the one believer in the village to disciple him and encourage him in whatever way they could. We women began to prayer-walk and meet other women and the children. We started in the chief's compound (that's home for us for the next 2 months!) and just walked from there. We met A TON of people and while we got to share our faith a lot, the kids were more interested in gifts and the women wanted the same (they were just a little more sneaky about asking.) I'm not gonna lie, it kind of saddened my heart a bit. By the end of the day I thought "Is this how it's going to be all summer?? No one wanting to get to know us for anything but gifts??" Oh me of little faith. :)
That brings us to Day 2. Coming into Boubon today we had the same plan for the morning. I was expecting the same responses that we had gotten the day before (just because we were still so new to the town) but apparently word had already gotten around about all the "Jesus people" (yes, they seriously called us that, haha!!) So while we still met new women and their families, they already had an idea of why we were there. Because of this some were gracious and interested from the start, and others said they would listen to us talk but only if we would give them a gift (again with the caados!!) But there was a COMPLETELY different response from the kiddos today which REALLY surprised me. Instead of begging, they allowed us to teach them some songs and tell them a Bible story. We also taught them how to say "Sup?" (complete with the gangsta head nod!), how to high five (which they LOVED!) and a few of them picked up on the thumbs up sign and when to give that. And it made my heart soooo happy when they would see me and Emily and say, "Fati! Mariama!" (Mariama being my African name and Fati being Emily's.) :)
If I could tell more, I would. But let's be honest, if I were to tell every detail I'd never be able to stop writing! The important things you need to know are how you should pray for us and the precious Songhai people:
1. I'm getting my malaria meds switched!!!! PTL!!!! For all of you were praying about my side effects, thank you, but please keep it up! I won't be able to switch till Wednesday so I still have a little time. God has been so gracious to me though and the intense panic and paranoia I've felt has definitely not been as bad since I last wrote the other day. Please pray that it stays that way!!
2. Pray for continued health for the team here. One of the women (Tiffany) hasn't been able to go to Boubon with us yet because it's taken her so long to adjust to the climate and time difference. She's going to go out with us all tomorrow, but we'll be at a different village (that's 2 1/2 hours away!) So please pray that she'll be ok, as well as the rest of the team!
3. Pray for the Songhai mindset. Apparently several years ago some missionaries came through Boubon and just started handing out things. They even bought some goats for a man so that he would listen to them preach! I don't know who these people were, but to say it in the nicest way possible, they kind of messed things up for all the missionaries to come after them. This is why the people in Boubon see us and EXPECT to get gifts! I can't say whether or not the previous missionaries heart's were in the right place or not (that's not for me to judge) but I don't believe the Gospel should ever be used as a bargaining chip. Now when we talk to people about Jesus and they ask for a gift we tell them "Jesus is your gift." Please pray that they will come to understand this...that their minds will not be so wrapped up in material possessions that they will miss the meaning behind the message. And pray for this also so that when Em and I live there we will not constantly be harrassed to give people things. We want to become their friends and live and work among them for the time we are here. Our purpose is to build relationships and if people refuse a relationship just because we have nothing to give them, then that just makes it harder on us to reach out to people.
4. Pray for the chief of the village. We got to meet him yesterday and he seems like a very great and honorable man. He assured us that we would be under his protection the entire time we were there, which I am SO thankful for!! (And I know our families are thankful too!) He seems very open-minded which I'm hoping will lead to him hearing about the Gospel and accepting Christ. If the chief and his family were to become Christians, it would calm the people's fear of being rejected...which leads me to my final prayer request for tonight...
5. The people are interested. We know that much. But no one is WILLING to make the choice because of cultural taboos. Because there is only 1 believer in all of Boubon, it's easy to say that 99.9% of Boubon is Muslim. When people talk of Christianity, others who oppose it say, "If you convert we will not bury you" which is a HUGE deal in the Islamic faith!! One of the believers in another village experienced this recently when his wife passed away. The village elders said they would not bury her, but PTL because the sweet, small group of Christians rallied around this man and buried his wife themselves. In Boubon it's a bit of a different story since there's only 1 believer. There's not even a FEW others that would be able to reassure and encourage each other when it comes to situations like this. So please pray that people would see that following Jesus IS WORTH IT. None of us make an easy choice when we choose to follow God, but it's the best decision we've ever made and I hope that these people will come to see that.
Ok, well that's all for now. I'm going to go try and upload some pictures for y'all to look at! Kala tonton! :)
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Hello from Africa!!!!
Well, here we are!! :) Hello from Africa (finally!!)
Me and Emily arrived on Tuesday and have been trying to make Niger our "home sweet home" for the next couple of months. It hasn't gone exactly as I imagined it would, but then again, does anything EVER?? (haha, we all know God loves to change my plans and perspective on just about everything in my life...)
Some things you could pray for would be first of all for my health. Ever since we got here I've been struggling off and on with nausea (probably due to the extreme heat and lack of good rest.) I haven't been able to sleep soundly since Monday night at Emily's house... (I've never been able to sleep on airplanes and then of course if you throw jet lag into the mix my system's just all over the place.) Something else that's really effecting my sleep right now is my paranoia (one of the side effects of my malaria meds.) I haven't had crazy dreams or hallucinations (praise the Lord!!!) but my anxiety and paranoia levels have been through the roof with certain things. It's gotten to the point where I'm debating about not even taking my malaria meds anymore (since we found out when we got here that the malaria strain has built up a resistance to the particular brand I'm on anyway.) So honestly, if there's a chance that I'm going to get malaria either way, I'd rather not be going out of my mind while I have it. ;)
Besides that, also please be in prayer for the Songhai people. We haven't even gotten out into our village yet and already the need for Jesus is just so obvious. I don't even know how to go into detail on this one...just pray for their hearts to be open to the calling of Jesus. We keep getting told something here that I've never really taken to heart before this--When the Shepherd calls, His sheep hear His voice and listen. I believe that God is going to lead us to the people whose hearts He has already softened towards the Gospel, but we still need lots of prayers that the Songhai will actually RESPOND when they hear their Shepherd. And pray specifically for the village of Boubon and the people there. This is the village that Emily and I will be living at for the next 2 months. We get to visit for our first time tomorrow with the other team from Living Hope (sooo exciting!!!) After the team leaves, we'll go into a week of intense language training, and then it'll be move-in day!!! :)
That's about all the main prayer requests I can think of for the moment, so in closing I'll leave you with some fun tid-bits from our trip so far (that way you might get a smile out of this instead of just a headache from all the straight up info...)
1. IT'S SO STINKIN HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I could eat or drink anything I'd like all day, every day, because I would just sweat off all the calories. Seriously, I have NEVER sweat this much in my entire life. For instance, I took an ice cold shower yesterday (best shower of my LIFE!) and within 15 minutes of getting dressed I was sweating again. (What's the point of even showering if you're just going to get sweaty right away?!?! Blaaaah hygiene.)
2. I was given my African name yesterday!!! :D It's MARIAMA. A sweet lady named Biba gave it to me. I pretty much love it. It doesn't mean anything fancy, it's just the Zarma way of saying Mary. So whatever Mary means, that's what Mariama means I guess! :)
3. I can successfully say a few things in both French and Zarma now!!! The French mostly came from having to navigate the Moroccan hotel and airport and the Zarma has come from, well, being in Niamey of course!
4. I can also successfully transfer American dollars into cfa's!! Yay!!
5. The Phillips (Mark, Parker, Izzie, and Luke) are super wonderful and I've just enjoyed being around them so much! We've also gotten to meet Randy and Susan Saleeby (or Grandy and Grusan as little Izzie likes to say!), another missionary couple here in Niamey. I'm so thankful that we'll be working with these people and getting to learn from them this summer!
I wish I could tell you all more about the people and the food and the place but we're still just settling in and all of that will have to come later. Hopefully pictures will come with those stories too! :)
Love you all!
Ay sabu, kala tonton! (Thanks, see you soon!)
Me and Emily arrived on Tuesday and have been trying to make Niger our "home sweet home" for the next couple of months. It hasn't gone exactly as I imagined it would, but then again, does anything EVER?? (haha, we all know God loves to change my plans and perspective on just about everything in my life...)
Some things you could pray for would be first of all for my health. Ever since we got here I've been struggling off and on with nausea (probably due to the extreme heat and lack of good rest.) I haven't been able to sleep soundly since Monday night at Emily's house... (I've never been able to sleep on airplanes and then of course if you throw jet lag into the mix my system's just all over the place.) Something else that's really effecting my sleep right now is my paranoia (one of the side effects of my malaria meds.) I haven't had crazy dreams or hallucinations (praise the Lord!!!) but my anxiety and paranoia levels have been through the roof with certain things. It's gotten to the point where I'm debating about not even taking my malaria meds anymore (since we found out when we got here that the malaria strain has built up a resistance to the particular brand I'm on anyway.) So honestly, if there's a chance that I'm going to get malaria either way, I'd rather not be going out of my mind while I have it. ;)
Besides that, also please be in prayer for the Songhai people. We haven't even gotten out into our village yet and already the need for Jesus is just so obvious. I don't even know how to go into detail on this one...just pray for their hearts to be open to the calling of Jesus. We keep getting told something here that I've never really taken to heart before this--When the Shepherd calls, His sheep hear His voice and listen. I believe that God is going to lead us to the people whose hearts He has already softened towards the Gospel, but we still need lots of prayers that the Songhai will actually RESPOND when they hear their Shepherd. And pray specifically for the village of Boubon and the people there. This is the village that Emily and I will be living at for the next 2 months. We get to visit for our first time tomorrow with the other team from Living Hope (sooo exciting!!!) After the team leaves, we'll go into a week of intense language training, and then it'll be move-in day!!! :)
That's about all the main prayer requests I can think of for the moment, so in closing I'll leave you with some fun tid-bits from our trip so far (that way you might get a smile out of this instead of just a headache from all the straight up info...)
1. IT'S SO STINKIN HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I could eat or drink anything I'd like all day, every day, because I would just sweat off all the calories. Seriously, I have NEVER sweat this much in my entire life. For instance, I took an ice cold shower yesterday (best shower of my LIFE!) and within 15 minutes of getting dressed I was sweating again. (What's the point of even showering if you're just going to get sweaty right away?!?! Blaaaah hygiene.)
2. I was given my African name yesterday!!! :D It's MARIAMA. A sweet lady named Biba gave it to me. I pretty much love it. It doesn't mean anything fancy, it's just the Zarma way of saying Mary. So whatever Mary means, that's what Mariama means I guess! :)
3. I can successfully say a few things in both French and Zarma now!!! The French mostly came from having to navigate the Moroccan hotel and airport and the Zarma has come from, well, being in Niamey of course!
4. I can also successfully transfer American dollars into cfa's!! Yay!!
5. The Phillips (Mark, Parker, Izzie, and Luke) are super wonderful and I've just enjoyed being around them so much! We've also gotten to meet Randy and Susan Saleeby (or Grandy and Grusan as little Izzie likes to say!), another missionary couple here in Niamey. I'm so thankful that we'll be working with these people and getting to learn from them this summer!
I wish I could tell you all more about the people and the food and the place but we're still just settling in and all of that will have to come later. Hopefully pictures will come with those stories too! :)
Love you all!
Ay sabu, kala tonton! (Thanks, see you soon!)
Monday, May 16, 2011
Packing Is A Pain
I've packed things into bags for the past three days.
Me and Em are plum-tuckered-out!!
Time for a nap, more last minute packing, dinner, then SLEEP!!
I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow! It's been a long time coming. :)
Me and Em are plum-tuckered-out!!
Time for a nap, more last minute packing, dinner, then SLEEP!!
I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow! It's been a long time coming. :)
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Dear Africa...
I'm excited and nervous and anxious and curious and super-pumped and slightly bummed and estatic and fed-up and all in all...JUST READY TO BE THERE!
3 more days.
TGBTG.
3 more days.
TGBTG.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Malaria Pills
So, as many of you probably know, I tend to freak out sometimes.
I've been in a constant state of "freaking out" about my malaria pills for months. I've heard stories about crazy side effects, and just knowing that I would be starting my meds during finals week was just nerve-wracking.
But once again, THE LORD HAS PROVEN FAITHFUL!!!
Yesterday I took my first pill. AND I HAVE FELT ZERO SIDE EFFECTS!!!
It's honestly a huge relief to me. I know you might think I'm silly for worrying about these small things instead of worrying about traveling or safety or something big like that. But honestly, those things don't really bother me. I've known for awhile now that GOD WANTS US IN AFRICA so He's definitely going to get us there and keep us safe. But all the little things....how is my medicine going to react in my body? what about the bugs!?!?!?! what kind of clothes do I bring? what if the Phillips don't like me? what if the Songhai think I'm too emotional? (Yes, that is one of my legit fears...apparently crying is kind of a taboo...and I cry a lot.) That's what really gets me and keeps me awake at night. (Literally!)
But God really wanted to give me another lesson in trust as I prayed last night that I would be kept safe from any side effects. Of course, God answered (as He always does) and blessed me with a deep and peaceful sleep.
I'm SO thankful and a lot more excited for Africa to be here now that that fear has been conquered!!!
*6 days!!!!*
I've been in a constant state of "freaking out" about my malaria pills for months. I've heard stories about crazy side effects, and just knowing that I would be starting my meds during finals week was just nerve-wracking.
But once again, THE LORD HAS PROVEN FAITHFUL!!!
Yesterday I took my first pill. AND I HAVE FELT ZERO SIDE EFFECTS!!!
It's honestly a huge relief to me. I know you might think I'm silly for worrying about these small things instead of worrying about traveling or safety or something big like that. But honestly, those things don't really bother me. I've known for awhile now that GOD WANTS US IN AFRICA so He's definitely going to get us there and keep us safe. But all the little things....how is my medicine going to react in my body? what about the bugs!?!?!?! what kind of clothes do I bring? what if the Phillips don't like me? what if the Songhai think I'm too emotional? (Yes, that is one of my legit fears...apparently crying is kind of a taboo...and I cry a lot.) That's what really gets me and keeps me awake at night. (Literally!)
But God really wanted to give me another lesson in trust as I prayed last night that I would be kept safe from any side effects. Of course, God answered (as He always does) and blessed me with a deep and peaceful sleep.
I'm SO thankful and a lot more excited for Africa to be here now that that fear has been conquered!!!
*6 days!!!!*
Friday, May 6, 2011
11 Days!!
I don't feel ready!! With finals and work and just everything else that's wrapping up, I really feel so unprepared for this trip! I want more time--just one more week!--so that I can feel more prepared for this!!
But I know that even if I were given another week, I would still feel like I needed one MORE week after that...
I've never done anything like this before...I'm giving up everything I've ever known for a WHOLE SUMMER. I'll be so far away from my friends and family and really ANYTHING familiar...
But if I don't go NOW, when will I go? I need to trust that the Lord is working this all in HIS timing, not mine, and THAT is what is going to make this trip incredible--NOT another week of preparation.
To any of you reading this, please just pray for me. Pray that my nerves will be calmed and that God's peace will wash over me. Pray for both me and Emily as we finish up our finals and that God will bless us according to our work. And please pray that God will continue to prepare our hearts for this adventure--He is going to do so many great and mighty things... :)
http://youtu.be/He3sRNPXBsI
But I know that even if I were given another week, I would still feel like I needed one MORE week after that...
I've never done anything like this before...I'm giving up everything I've ever known for a WHOLE SUMMER. I'll be so far away from my friends and family and really ANYTHING familiar...
But if I don't go NOW, when will I go? I need to trust that the Lord is working this all in HIS timing, not mine, and THAT is what is going to make this trip incredible--NOT another week of preparation.
To any of you reading this, please just pray for me. Pray that my nerves will be calmed and that God's peace will wash over me. Pray for both me and Emily as we finish up our finals and that God will bless us according to our work. And please pray that God will continue to prepare our hearts for this adventure--He is going to do so many great and mighty things... :)
http://youtu.be/He3sRNPXBsI
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