So many needs... trusting such a great God

Sahel Academy is an important part of our ministry here.

I spend several hours a week at the school, teaching 7th grade math and working in the school's Center for Academic Progress.

Our kids go to school at Sahel - all of them, now. After the dissolution of our former organization, it made more sense and, simply, was easier to have everyone in one place... one place to pay all of the bills... until the dust settled some (we are still waiting for that!)... and God had given us a clearer picture of what our future here might look like.

The "face" of Sahel is changing because mission demographics worldwide are changing - students just don't come from western expat missionary families. So the student body includes mks from several African countries, from South America and from Asia as well as Europe, North America and Australia/New Zealand.  Several students come from homes that do not follow Jesus - but their parents are here, working with humanitarian organizations - and Sahel is their schooling option of choice. Sahel has given our family an avenue of ministry of which we neither expected nor dreamed. And while we do not believe that ministry at Sahel is the primary reason why God has brought our family to Niger, we do recognize that it has been the Lord Who has opened those doors and we are thankful for the opportunities to serve and to glorify His name that He has given us through the school.

Don't just take my word for it, though... check out what our friend Jessica has to say about this amazing little school... and then see how many of our crew you can spot in the following photo (she has this same photo accompanying her blog post). 

Every year, we wonder who and when... how is God going to provide staffing for the school the next year. Positions are not salaried - they are mostly filled by short term missionaries who raise support and sacrifice time from their lives, their jobs, their schooling to come and share a bit of their lives with a bunch of kids growing up on the backside of the desert.

This year, our list of needs seems bigger than normal - and so I'd like to share it with you:

Admin and support staffAssistant Principal
Business Manager
Youth Pastor
Administrative Assistant
Receptionist (English and French preferred, but at least English)
Recruitment Coordinator
Curriculum Manager
Guidance Counselor
Food Services Manager
Nurse
Maintenance
Building/Construction Supervisor

TeachersSpecial Education Teacher
Art (K-12)
Physical Education (K-12)
Music (K-12)
Bible (K-6)
French (K-12)
Spanish (grades 9-12)
Kindergarten
Grade 2
Grade 5
Grade 6
Middle Grades English (grades 7-8)
High School English (grades 9-12)
Earth Science (grade 8)
Physical Science (grade 9)
Upper level Chemistry (grades 11-12)
Bible (grades 7-12)
History and Geography (grades 7-8)
Sociology (grades 9-10)
World History, US History (grades 11-12)

Please join with us in confidently praying and then watching as God provides for the school this coming year.

And if God is nudging you that you might be or become a part of His provision, meeting the needs of an amazing group (that's an unprejudiced opinion, folks) of kids, contact me right away!