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! :)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
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! :)
Monday, June 13, 2011
A Couple of "Firsts"
When I was little, I loved watching storms on the porch with my Dad. Now, I am 21 years old and I'm still getting excited about storms...only this time, they're made of dust, not rain...
I've experienced a couple of "firsts" over the past few days in Boubon: My first African dust storm, my first African rain, and my first African sunburn.
The dust storm was by far one of my favorite experiences I've had here. (What can I say? I'm easily entertained.) It was literally this WALL of dust stretching so far up into the sky and so far across the ground...Me and Emily saw it coming and rushed into our house and immediately got out our headlamps and cameras (yes, we took pictures!!) The whole world turned ORANGE! Yes, orange! It was phenomenal.
After the dust came the rain. And with rain comes cooler weather. (Hallelujah!) Today it was 90 degrees outside, but we could've sworn it was in the 70's. THAT was a good feeling. :)
However, just because cooler weather came, that does NOT mean that the sun went away. I'm proud to say that I made it almost ONE FULL MONTH IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA before getting sunburned. Kudos to me. :) Now for those of you who are going to freak out momentarily, it's really not that bad. No blisters, I promise. I've doused my arms in aloe and the redness is practically non-existent now.
At the moment, I'm wondering how many of you actually care about this information, so I guess I should write about something substantial for a moment.
I would really like you all to pray about something for me (along with everything else as well, of course!) Most of you are aware that we're living in the same compound as the chief's family. Folks, his kids are probably the most precious kids EVER and I love 'em to pieces, and his wife has been so kind and patient with us (which I am SO grateful for!) Needless to say, this family has found a very special place in my heart. I really would love for you all to pray for them specifically. Pray that they will come to know and love Jesus and follow Him. Pray that God will bless them abundantly for the kindness they have shown us. And pray that we will be able to continue to grow in our relationship with this family as a whole.
Thanks (as always) for the prayers and happy thoughts you're sending our way! And thanks again to everyone who is taking the time to read this--it means a lot that you care enough to keep up with us! :)
I've experienced a couple of "firsts" over the past few days in Boubon: My first African dust storm, my first African rain, and my first African sunburn.
The dust storm was by far one of my favorite experiences I've had here. (What can I say? I'm easily entertained.) It was literally this WALL of dust stretching so far up into the sky and so far across the ground...Me and Emily saw it coming and rushed into our house and immediately got out our headlamps and cameras (yes, we took pictures!!) The whole world turned ORANGE! Yes, orange! It was phenomenal.
After the dust came the rain. And with rain comes cooler weather. (Hallelujah!) Today it was 90 degrees outside, but we could've sworn it was in the 70's. THAT was a good feeling. :)
However, just because cooler weather came, that does NOT mean that the sun went away. I'm proud to say that I made it almost ONE FULL MONTH IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA before getting sunburned. Kudos to me. :) Now for those of you who are going to freak out momentarily, it's really not that bad. No blisters, I promise. I've doused my arms in aloe and the redness is practically non-existent now.
At the moment, I'm wondering how many of you actually care about this information, so I guess I should write about something substantial for a moment.
I would really like you all to pray about something for me (along with everything else as well, of course!) Most of you are aware that we're living in the same compound as the chief's family. Folks, his kids are probably the most precious kids EVER and I love 'em to pieces, and his wife has been so kind and patient with us (which I am SO grateful for!) Needless to say, this family has found a very special place in my heart. I really would love for you all to pray for them specifically. Pray that they will come to know and love Jesus and follow Him. Pray that God will bless them abundantly for the kindness they have shown us. And pray that we will be able to continue to grow in our relationship with this family as a whole.
Thanks (as always) for the prayers and happy thoughts you're sending our way! And thanks again to everyone who is taking the time to read this--it means a lot that you care enough to keep up with us! :)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Thoughts While Taking R&R in Niamey...
I have been spoiled today. :) I'm not gonna lie, I have taken advantage of ALL of the wonderful amenities that Niamey has to offer (such as American style bathrooms--complete with REAL showers!, beef fajitas at the American embassy for lunch, A/C at the Phillips house, and indulging in some movie watching and card game playing!)
I look at today and compare it with the past couple of days that we just spent in Boubon, and honestly it feels like I'm in a completely different country when I'm in Niamey! I think I have successfully adjusted to African city life, but village life?? Shoot, that's a different story!
I feel like I could talk for hours about what life in Boubon has been like over the past couple of days. It's probably been the best and worst time of my life. God has taught me SO MUCH, but my faith has been tested in ways that I never expected...which has been hard to say the least. To keep it short, my biggest blessing has been the closeness that I've felt with God from having to rely on Him for EVERY SINGLE DETAIL OF MY LIFE. My biggest hardship has been the physical, emotional, and mental toll that village life takes on my body. I have had more physical problems here in the past 5 days than I have had in the past 5 years! But it's just another thing to give over to God...that's what I constantly have to do: give it to God and trust that He's going to take care of me.
Awhile ago I made a blog post about how my mantra has been that God is so faithful. While God has continued to remain faithful in ways that I can't even begin to describe, my mantra seems to have changed to: Jesus never said following Him would be easy. I think I'm finally learning what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ, and it's a hard lesson to learn!! But I am SO CONFIDENT that it's worth it. It's worth the blazing heat that makes my skin feel like it's burning off my body; it's worth drinking the dozens of bottles of water that smell (and taste) like sulfur; it's worth the sleepless nights and waking up to donkeys and roosters and cats and who-knows-what-else; and it's worth the persecution that we've already had to face.
No matter what happens this summer...whether we see fruit from this experience or not...I know that this will not have been in vain. I think it will be easy to go through all these hardships and become discouraged if we don't see any immediate results. But God's teaching me to rely on Him and HIS time table. He's the one who's COMPLETELY in control and at the end of the day, if I'm doing work for God, I know that in the end He will be glorified. And that's really all that matters. :)
------------------------------------------------------------
(This is the blog post that the Phillips had on the Songhai blog about mine and Emily's time in Boubon so far. I thought it covered things pretty well, so I copied it and posted it below so that y'all could read it too! Enjoy!)
Please be in prayer for Emily & Erin this week. These girls are our summer interns who are doing ministry in Boubon. They have completed their week of language learning & their first 3 day stint in Boubon. They have great attitudes & have already formed relationships with women in Boubon. As our national partners have worked in this village for 3 months, their focus was to reach the men of Boubon. Emily & Erin's goal is to find women or groups of women who are interested in the Gospel & begin to minister to them.
The first few nights in Boubon were tough for the girls as it is unbearably hot. They are in a new country, speaking a new language, dealing with a difficult climate in a very unfamiliar environment. Just imagine going from "college life" to sleeping outside in 100 degree weather (at night!) while donkeys bray at 3 am, dogs bark all hours & women are chit chatting way past midnight. You wake up & have to get your own water in a bucket, use the "restroom" which is a hole in the ground, shower outside with said bucket, eat breakfast & then try & figure out what you are going to do that day with your very limited language.
You walk around & people stare at you, they say things that you don't quite understand, you feel like a child because you can't put a complete sentence together ... oh & it's 115 degrees & there is no a/c &, if you're lucky, the power may work for a few hours & you can get a nice cool breeze from your pedestal fan. And that's all before 10 a.m.!
That is what these girls signed up for this summer!! And, although they still have great spirits about their new life & passion to see the women of Boubon worshipping the one True God, the environment that surrounds them is, nevertheless, draining & difficult.
Would you please pray for them this week? Pray for them to continue to find joy in their struggles. Pray for them to excel in their language. Pray for the nights to be cooler & their bodies to adjust quicker to the heat. Pray for them to learn even quicker how to survive in Boubon so that they can begin to thrive. Pray for God to draw them to the women that He is already calling to Himself. Pray for rest & peace at night while they sleep; that they may sleep deeply & their ears to be muted to the 10,000 other sounds that would normally keep them awake. Pray for them to remain healthy & strong as the heat takes a toll on their bodies.
I look at today and compare it with the past couple of days that we just spent in Boubon, and honestly it feels like I'm in a completely different country when I'm in Niamey! I think I have successfully adjusted to African city life, but village life?? Shoot, that's a different story!
I feel like I could talk for hours about what life in Boubon has been like over the past couple of days. It's probably been the best and worst time of my life. God has taught me SO MUCH, but my faith has been tested in ways that I never expected...which has been hard to say the least. To keep it short, my biggest blessing has been the closeness that I've felt with God from having to rely on Him for EVERY SINGLE DETAIL OF MY LIFE. My biggest hardship has been the physical, emotional, and mental toll that village life takes on my body. I have had more physical problems here in the past 5 days than I have had in the past 5 years! But it's just another thing to give over to God...that's what I constantly have to do: give it to God and trust that He's going to take care of me.
Awhile ago I made a blog post about how my mantra has been that God is so faithful. While God has continued to remain faithful in ways that I can't even begin to describe, my mantra seems to have changed to: Jesus never said following Him would be easy. I think I'm finally learning what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ, and it's a hard lesson to learn!! But I am SO CONFIDENT that it's worth it. It's worth the blazing heat that makes my skin feel like it's burning off my body; it's worth drinking the dozens of bottles of water that smell (and taste) like sulfur; it's worth the sleepless nights and waking up to donkeys and roosters and cats and who-knows-what-else; and it's worth the persecution that we've already had to face.
No matter what happens this summer...whether we see fruit from this experience or not...I know that this will not have been in vain. I think it will be easy to go through all these hardships and become discouraged if we don't see any immediate results. But God's teaching me to rely on Him and HIS time table. He's the one who's COMPLETELY in control and at the end of the day, if I'm doing work for God, I know that in the end He will be glorified. And that's really all that matters. :)
------------------------------------------------------------
(This is the blog post that the Phillips had on the Songhai blog about mine and Emily's time in Boubon so far. I thought it covered things pretty well, so I copied it and posted it below so that y'all could read it too! Enjoy!)
Please be in prayer for Emily & Erin this week. These girls are our summer interns who are doing ministry in Boubon. They have completed their week of language learning & their first 3 day stint in Boubon. They have great attitudes & have already formed relationships with women in Boubon. As our national partners have worked in this village for 3 months, their focus was to reach the men of Boubon. Emily & Erin's goal is to find women or groups of women who are interested in the Gospel & begin to minister to them.
The first few nights in Boubon were tough for the girls as it is unbearably hot. They are in a new country, speaking a new language, dealing with a difficult climate in a very unfamiliar environment. Just imagine going from "college life" to sleeping outside in 100 degree weather (at night!) while donkeys bray at 3 am, dogs bark all hours & women are chit chatting way past midnight. You wake up & have to get your own water in a bucket, use the "restroom" which is a hole in the ground, shower outside with said bucket, eat breakfast & then try & figure out what you are going to do that day with your very limited language.
You walk around & people stare at you, they say things that you don't quite understand, you feel like a child because you can't put a complete sentence together ... oh & it's 115 degrees & there is no a/c &, if you're lucky, the power may work for a few hours & you can get a nice cool breeze from your pedestal fan. And that's all before 10 a.m.!
That is what these girls signed up for this summer!! And, although they still have great spirits about their new life & passion to see the women of Boubon worshipping the one True God, the environment that surrounds them is, nevertheless, draining & difficult.
Would you please pray for them this week? Pray for them to continue to find joy in their struggles. Pray for them to excel in their language. Pray for the nights to be cooler & their bodies to adjust quicker to the heat. Pray for them to learn even quicker how to survive in Boubon so that they can begin to thrive. Pray for God to draw them to the women that He is already calling to Himself. Pray for rest & peace at night while they sleep; that they may sleep deeply & their ears to be muted to the 10,000 other sounds that would normally keep them awake. Pray for them to remain healthy & strong as the heat takes a toll on their bodies.
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