River's Rising Again...

"Renewed flooding of the Niger river threatens Niger's capital Niamey and parts of the west of the country, local and regional authorities warned Thursday.

Previous floods in August and September claimed almost 70 lives across the impoverished west African country and made tens of thousands homeless.

"We will be inundated" as of December 5, Niamey governor Aichatou Kane Boulama told a press briefing. She stressed that the consequences would include the flooding of 400 hectares (988 acres), 40 of them in residential areas.

Water has already begun to swamp some low-lying parts of Niamey, Kane Boulama added, saying that "the most urgent thing is to rehouse families".

The floods will be exceptional because of heavy rain late in the year, the Niamey-based Niger Basin Authority, which groups nine countries, warned on its website.

The third-longest river in Africa, the Niger has a basin of more than two million square kilometres (772,000 square miles), which is home to more than 100 million people, from Nigeria to Guinea."

From Radio Netherlands World Wide Africa,"Renewed Flooding Threatens Niger Capital," published on Nov. 29th.

A Common Mark of Imperfection

My young friend Zeinabou died this past week. 

She would have turned 8 this December... 

That's Jonathan's age,  almost exactly. Sometime during her second year of life, she became deathly ill with a combination of cerebral malaria and meningitis. She survived, with long-reaching, serious consequences.

Damage to her brain resulted in hydrocephalus. I'll never forget the night her mama came to the door to ask for help, little Zeinabou sick with malaria again and in so much pain due to fluid trapped in her skull and compressing her brain. When we took her to the doctor, they told us there was nothing they could do... the family was too poor to pay for the surgery necessary... she would experience increasing pain until she finally slipped into a coma and died.

We started praying, and God provided. 

He brought the funds in for her surgery and the one neurosurgeon in all of Niger is a brother in Christ. Surgery went well, and despite her significant handicaps, her family seemed to enjoy her continual joyfulness. I hardly ever saw that girl, except that she was smiling or laughing.

Each little step forward or progress she'd make, her mama would tell me... after she learned to say "Nya," (mama), then once she began taking her hand to her mouth to communicate hunger, even calling me into her concession to hear Zeina say "har har," (her attempt to say water), and finally, right before our 2009/10 furlough, she began waving hello and goodbye. Her eyes were always alert, always watching events occurring around her.

We came back to Niger, this time living in a different neighborhood and I no longer had the opportunity to see her almost every day. But I'd try to swing by once a month or so and see how she was getting along, and greet her mama.

Her daddy stopped Tim on the road the other day to say she had gone.

I know it is so much better for Zeinabou now. Like a friend wrote to remind me: "Aren’t you glad that we know that heaven is a real place?  Zeinabou is happy and perfect today…no longer suffering in her body." I do know that.

But I'll miss her smile when I go to visit.

I'm sure her mama will, too.

Some might say that Zeinabou's life didn't amount to much - one of many children in her family, a desperately poor, severely handicapped child who could at best barely communicate in one of the most difficult, least developed places in the world barely surviving until she finally succumbed to a vicious health menace. I can't agree... if I did, I'd be saying the same thing about myself because until Jesus chose me... and I chose Him back, I was in the exact same boat.

These words help me to remember Zeina, to celebrate the precious life she was given and to thank God for the gift He gave me when she became my friend:

"Our family praises God for the disability in our midst. God is perfectly sovereign over disability. God is perfectly good in disability. God in Christ is perfectly gracious and merciful in His working in and through the imperfect vessels that we all are. One day He will mercifully and joyfully give us perfect resurrection bodies. I long for that for myself. I long for that for the disabled. The hope of this full restoration only comes through Spirit-wrought faith in Christ as we respond to the Gospel (I Cor. 15:1-4). 

We bare the common mark of imperfection whether disabled, diseased, or 'normal.' That common mark is a sin-stain that needs Jesus’ saving and sanctifying blood-washing. Not a person alive or who has ever lived is outside of this birthmark, save Jesus alone. That is the most astounding statistic, 100% of people are marked by sin and the Gospel conquers 100% of its final effect. Jesus conquered death that we might live, being made perfect in eternity with Him (Rev. 21)." (Click here to read the rest of this article by Justin Reimer)

These photos aren't Zeinabou. It is another little gal.

I must have taken all my photos of her home when we last furloughed. Her sweet, contagious smile does, however, remind me of Zeina.

A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 3} ~ Walk with Him Wednesday ~ "Aw Dad! Stop ruining my life!"

Ummm.... yeah....

This really is the three year old gal who said that to her daddy just the other day...

...when he reminded her to obey her babysitting big sister while he ran a quick errand.
She also begs for us to let her drive ~ like EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!!

How often do I say essentially the same thing to God?

"AW, Heavenly Father!"

"Stop ruining MY life!"

<------------------------------------->

Especially when it comes to my comfort and convenience.
Especially when it comes to what I want.

Especially when it comes to this topic of suffering.

OUCH!

I am not my own... I have been bought with a price...
He gives... and takes away... Blessed be the name of the Lord!

But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2.10)

Take my life and let it be

consecrated Lord to thee. 

Take my silver and my gold. 

Not mite would I withhold

not a mite would I withhold.

I've spent over 40 years singing that song at church.
I wonder if I've ever really meant it.

And I could write more, but the kettle is whistling and I really NEED that cup of coffee this morning.

Other than drinking coffee, 
what's your best strategy for graciously accepting suffering... 
those times when God, because of His great love, 
says it is better 
to have that which we love taken away...
or to give that which we don't want?

Do you think that 
accepting suffering, 
as another gift from the hand of God,
is an important aspect of gentle and quiet spirit?

Also joining up with Ann for Walk with Him Wednesday, writing what God's teaching about the practice of suffering.

Entering a 31 Day Grand Prix {day 1}
A 31 Day Grand Prix {day 2} - the wordless book, a flute and a song

Walk with Him Wednesday ~ Why do we forget... or not expect... it?

Suffering, I mean.

Stop and think of all the verses that remind us we will experience suffering - and yet we seem so surprised and offended when it happens.

For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake... Phil 1:29

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

...strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. Acts 14:22

But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 1 Peter 3.14-18

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4.12-19

Yesterday was one of those days where if someone would have given me a plane ticket, I so would have been out of here, and without a backward glance. 

It had been hot and sticky most of the day... I was sweaty, stinky and wanting to get everything done so I could take a cool shower. Up before 5, I'd been going all day and I still had some emails I needed to write, dinner to prepare and then a kitchen to clean up, homework to supervise, Anna's work to grade and her lessons to get ready for the next day. A crazy, itchy rash I've had for a month or so on my ankle was driving me crazy. Then there was the headache from several bouncy trips over our nice pot-holey roads and washouts. We'd gotten some sad-bad news at school and after that, another warning about the security situation in the country. To top everything off the internet crashed and the power went out for a bit and Tim was working late in the studio... and the water company turned the water off, completely, with no warning.

It doesn't sound like suffering... not the real stuff. Like I said last week, I don't even pretend to claim that I grasp what it means to suffer or significantly sacrifice as a result of my faith or because I'm so compelled by God's great love. I certainly didn't receive a flogging; I wasn't thrown into prison or forbidden to do the very thing God had asked me to do.

Last night, though? In the middle of my self-pity party? It sure felt like it. 

Suffering, even piddly and annoying stuff like all of the irritating ick described above makes it hard to live contentment, gratefulness, thankfulness... a life of praise bringing glory to God. It felt much better to close my door (probably more forcefully than necessary), mutter at the Lord, scowl and pick at my kids and fume inside at my husband because he was sitting in the air-con in the studio while the house felt like it was falling apart. 

And then I remember what I've been studying this week.

Acts 5

They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life...” 

Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! 

They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

As I've read this passage several times this week, the Holy Spirit keeps drawing my heart back to some key points:

1. The apostles' suffering was a direct consequence of their obedience to God.
2. The apostles suffered because they did not meet men's expectations.
3. The apostles saw their suffering as being counted as worthy by God.
4. This suffering helped and empower the apostles as they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news.

Maybe someday, the Lord will grow me enough so that I can adopt the attitude of those mighty men... where the experience of suffering doesn't discourage but rather reminds me of the One for Whom I suffer... and suffering then emboldens and vests me with spiritual armor to keep on pressing on... joyfully following Him... regardless...

Walk with Him Wednesday

Ann has asked if, for the next 3 weeks, Walk with Him Wednesday participators would share about The Practice of Suffering…. 

• What does it mean to pick up a cross? 
• How do we walk through hard times? 
• How do we participate in the sufferings of Christ?  

Like her, I'm very much looking forward to the different Scripture studies, stories, and encouragement I know I will read as a result!

Frankly, suffering is not something with which I can claim great familiarity. My idea of suffering is eating rice 5 days a week and meat only twice. My idea of suffering is trying to sleep in 100+ degree weather when the power is off and I can't flip on an AC. My idea of suffering is not being around when family and dear friends get married, have babies or are very sick. My idea of suffering is watching my little one sleep, hooked to an IV because she is sick with malaria and who knows what else... again. 

So while I can lay claim to living through inconveniences and scary moments, I really have no clue what suffering... persecution... heartbreaking but chosen sacrifice... really is.

Yet I live in a country where I am surrounded by suffering. Just this week there are  thousands who've lost everything due to flooding, there are regional cholera epidemics, harvests will once again be poor in several areas - not due to drought this year but due to the overabundance of rain, malnutrition and starving will continue until the harvest, locusts are threatening areas where the harvest could be abundant, malaria is having a heyday this year, tensions and political situations in most of the neighboring countries abound, there are hundreds of thousands refugees, and those who've chosen to follow Jesus do so at great personal and community cost.

As I said, I know very little about suffering. My friends here are experts.

Last weekend we received the following in a letter:

As in much of the Muslim world this past week, there have been some demonstrations in Niger over the YouTube trailer, The Innocence of Muslims. Most of these protests have been in Zinder, far in the eastern part of Niger. Several churches have been attacked. Local authorities and a Muslim leader were quick to respond and disperse the crowds and put out fires, so damage and looting have not been too extensive. Threatened pastors were able to escape.

[A prominent Nigerien church association] met and decided to urge Christians not to let these events push them toward hatred. 

"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood." 

Instead of living in fear or making useless comparisons between Christianity and Islam, it was decided the churches should continue to proclaim the gospel and look to the example of the persecuted apostles in Acts 5....

Please continue to pray for the Muslim world, for people to understand the difference between independent film makers, Western governments and Christians, and for safety and wisdom of Christians and missionaries in Niger [and elsewhere in the world]. Pray that in all things, God would be glorified and that His gospel would continue to be proclaimed through loving witness.

Just this year, in our corner of the world, religious violence continues in northern Nigeria. Christians fled their homes and towns and are now living as refugees when fundamental Islamists took control of the northern Mali. One of our friends who works with Tim in the studio reading portions of the Scripture so that they can be recorded and distributed talks about how precarious his boutique location in the market really is... that a wrong word to the wrong person could result in a loss of livelihood and his ability to care for his family. A dear friend's husband sent her away after she was baptized, stopped providing for her and refused to even speak to her or of her with their children. Nigerien colleagues who've lost everything in the recent flood waters are now needing to leave the schools where they've sheltered, but have nowhere else to do. Local news reports reveal how international aid sent in to help those victims has been squandered and pilfered away by officials who should know better.

I live surrounded by people who suffer in very necessary for life, basic ways... those who I call my brothers and sisters in the Lord have often lost the very community that might be able to ease that suffering in the tiniest bit.

What, then, does Acts 5 have to say about suffering?

Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”

At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.

Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

This passage clearly has much to teach on what it means to practice suffering, for Christ. It looks like it is a timely place for me to spend some time over these next few weeks. I could start sharing about how it is speaking to me, right now, in this moment, because it is; instead, I'm going to let those thoughts mull for a bit and leave you with the bold-faced words so that Holy Spirit can give you His commentary without my yattering interfering at all.

They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life...” 

They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

Is it wrong to doubt?

Job is one of my favorite books of the Bible. Ruth and Colossians are my other two favorites. 

Does that seem strange to you? 

Anyways, I love to see what other people are writing and learning from these passages of Scripture and when I came across an article referencing Job with the following title: 

Steve Jobs, Back to School, and Why Doubt Belongs in Your Youth Group Curriculum

I was more than a little curious, especially thinking about the two men Steve Jobs and the biblical Job. At first glance, in all honesty, it was the play off their names that grabbed my attention.

Here's a little excerpt below:

God can handle our doubts. In fact, God wants us to bring our doubts to him. While Job wondered why God would allow him to be tormented, Job’s friends shared platitudes about God and sin. In the final chapter of Job, God pronounces his judgment on Job’s friends: “I am angry with you . . . because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:7). God praises Job for his authenticity in plunging into the deep end of his doubt instead of splashing around in the shallow waters of superficiality. 

There’s a lot we don’t know.  ....Job did not personally observe the dialogue between God and Satan in Job chapters 1 and 2. Job doesn’t know there’s a purpose behind what he’s experiencing.... After all, Job could never have dreamt of the explanation of what happened to him. I cannot imagine the story that makes it okay for God to have made [someone suffer]. But I can imagine that there is such a story.

We do know what we do know. The corollary is that while there’s much we don’t know about our life and hardship, there’s much we do know about God. That’s why Job can eventually get to the place of admitting to God, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

If your curiosity is piqued, head on over to Her.meneutics to read the rest of this post... but I'd also add one more thought: 

There is a seductive quality in writings like this -- as in, a doubter trying to seduce others into doubting. 

I say that because I am by nature a doubter and go through seasons where I struggle greatly with truly believing what I say I believe. I am, in fact, wading through one of those muddy seasons right now.

Yes, God loves the seeking and the searching and revealing and finding that genuine doubt can inspire. He promises that in genuine questing to find Him, He will be found. But, when we begin to honor and revere and worship the doubting more than His revelation of truth and Himself, we say, "I know better than God..." which is only a hop, skip and a jump from saying, "I am just like God..." or "I am God..."

August 2012 Prayer Update

Edited (Sat. evening, our time) to add: This prayer letter went out last week and with the craziness of this last week, I'm just now posting on our blog. Since this was written, the Niger River Basin Authority has told school administration that Sahel Academy is now considered part of the Niger River. Until the waters recede (March/April 2013), we will not be able to use the campus. Lots of work is happening to preserve school supplies and materials and to resume the school year in an alternate location. If you've already read this... still scroll to the bottom for some pictures of recovery operations going on @ Sahel Academy.

"There's fullness in every hunger and hunger in every fullness."

Kazakh proverb

Sometimes, life in a place like Niger breaks your heart. People, including Jesus-followers, do literally starve to death; they go without many basic needs our family easily takes for granted. And then we read verses like:

• O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing. (Psalm 34.9-11)
• …for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.... But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God…. my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (selected verses from Philippians 4.11-19)
• The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1)

How do you reconcile the truth of Scripture with the glaring reality of life evident everywhere we look?

Pastor Tim Challies recently wrote an article, “Can a Christian Starve to Death?” addressing those questions in the context of verses like the ones above, particularly Psalm 23. He concludes:

…The shepherd is leading his sheep through the dark valley because the sheep need to get to some place better than the place they have been. There’s no reason to go through a dark valley unless there is something better on the other side of it. You don’t leave green fields and go through a dark and dangerous valley so your sheep can pick over dried up tufts of grass and waste and wither away. You lead through the valley to take them to something beautiful beyond. It’s not the valley we need to look at, but the destination beyond it. That destination may be death, or that destination may be greater holiness. But whatever it is, that destination is not nothing, it is not meaningless. What this tells me is that any suffering we experience in this life is in some way under the sovereignty of God, in some way under the banner of “I shall not want…”

That idea challenges. Can we look at our apparent lack and recognize that we need exactly such lack? How do we support our believing brothers and sisters (and others) whose lack is immediate, life-threatening and overwhelming? Do we keep on trusting God to provide when we can’t humanly comprehend how another’s situation falls under that “I shall not want” banner? Philosophical belief that “not enough” opens hearts to God’s message while sufficiency stifles portending a greater danger is different than embracing those real and daily wants.



PICTURE CREDIT: www.actuniger.com



Photo by dorm parents, Andy and Nikki Gray:  the road & remains of a house right on the other side of the wall from the dorm.



The needs, physical and spiritual, in Niger are great. We are gearing up for a second grain distribution just as we mentioned in our last prayer letter, this year’s food insecurity a result of drought last year. This year, we are having an overabundance of rain, so much so that the dikes have burst, the low neighborhoods along the river have flooded, homes are crumbling, people who’ve escaped are seeking refuge in school buildings, unfinished constructions, even some mosques. As of Saturday (8/18) morning, local news agencies were reporting 94,000 people affected by flooding, 12,000 homes destroyed and at least 20 deaths as a result. And the rains are forecasted to continue, both locally and upstream. Please join with us in praying for this land and these people we’ve come to love and appreciate. We don’t understand how this magnitude of suffering can fall under the banner of “I shall not want…” but we cling to trust and pray that He uses us to minister grace and help encourage those suffering and losing so much… all around us.

Richelle and the children started back at Sahel Academy on August 8th. However, due to flooding in all of the neighborhoods surrounding the school campus, the campus has been evacuated and classes canceled this week. Flood waters have not actually entered the campus, except where they’ve leached up in the soccer field and around the walls, but continued rains, broken dikes and already saturated earth make us wonder if it is only a matter of time. We did see a catchy phrase, though: “Rain or no rain, God still reigns.” We trust in that truth and are enjoying some extra, unexpected time at home after a way-too-short summer. (Check here for the latest updates on the flooding in Niamey that is threatening the lives and homes of so many, including the Sahel campus and SIM Bible school properties, or here for UNICEF’s assessment of the food/refugee crisis playing out across the Sahel region.) Brendan is beginning his senior year! Rebekah is a sophomore; Nadia is an 8th grader while Anna has entered junior high – attending Sahel part-time and also home schooling. Tori is the “biggest of the littles,” or a 5th grader, Jonathan is delighted to be in second grade and Elsie Mae is finding the full days of school if first grade quite exhausting! Even Mary Michelle starts preschool work this year. Richelle continues with her work in Sahel’s Center for Academic Progress; everyone anticipates a great school year, so we hope school resumes soon.

Other news? Thanks once again to our "radio preachers" Rabo Godi and Pastor Soumaila Laabo! These men diligently prepare programs week after week to air in the capital city and throughout Niger. They wonderfully touch on many themes and subjects, clearly demonstrating how the Bible addresses a rich wealth of subjects. Sometimes they ask a simple question such as "What does God's Word say about unemployment? or “Does God give specific instruction regarding the family?” Other times, they present Q&A roundtable discussions. Each theme is carefully chosen, prayed over and then prepared to present the Gospel, to advance God's kingdom here in Niger, and to edify the church. Please keep them in your prayers. This past month they presented a series on fasting, and true Christianity as a relationship with Jesus Christ instead of just another religion where man is seeking to please God.

In other activities, we have been recording the Gospel of Matthew in West Niger Fulfulde. One missionary friend shared that these scriptures will be used immediately to help disciple 19 new Jesus-followers out in one of the villages. Recordings are placed on SD cards or chips and then loaded into "Proclaimer" mp3-type players. Some of these players are powered by solar energy, which is usually quite abundant here in Niger. We also have been recording the book of Psalms in the Zarma language.

We have a number of film audio tracks in the works for this autumn. Please pray for a project to record a French language track for a film addressing the use of child soldiers (according to recent news reports, personal stories such as this one as well as this UNICEF publication, a now growing problem in our part of the world)…



Photo: H.Caux/UNHCR

Since January, the fighting has displaced some 95,000 people within Mali and has forced more than 100,000 to flee.

…as well as the testimony of how one young man came to make a commitment to Christ. Investigation and research (into the recording of a Tamajeq version of the film The Godman as well as a Tamajeq version of the More than Dreams short story on the life an Egyptian man named Khalil who came to know the Lord as a result of his study of the Bible) also continue. Thank you for your faithful prayers for wisdom, direction and God’s will to be done through this ministry and in this land.

All because of Jesus,

Tim, Richelle,

Brendan, Rebekah Joy, Nadia, Anna, Victoria, Jonathan, Elsie Mae and Mary Michelle Wright

Edited (Sat. evening, our time) to add: This prayer letter went out last week and I'm just today posting on our blog. Since this was written, the Niger River Basin Authority has told school administration that Sahel Academy is now considered part of the Niger River. Until the waters recede (March/April 2013), we will not be able to use the campus. Lots of work is happening to preserve school supplies and materials and to resume the school year in an alternate location. Below are a few pictures of those recovery efforts:



Photo - Lisa Rohrick
Only very large construction/military trucks can drive into the campus.



Photo - Lisa Rohrick

Computer equipment was one of the first "rescued" loads.
Photo - Nancy Devalve

Not many get to "canoe" down the halls of their high school.
Photo - Lisa Rohrick

Photo - Lisa Rohrick
"Ichabod" was rescued from the science lab. Last photo I saw of him, he was missing his lower jaw and his knee cap was cracked... but still mostly intact.

 

How many of you have ever moved a piano by canoe?
Photo - Lisa Rohrick



Photo - Nancy Devalve
Lunch break?



Photo - Lisa Rohrick
Since "rescued" materials are coming to our mission compound for either long or short-term storage, we can't be @ Sahel, helping there. When I hear there are lots of snakes swimming around (among unimaginable floaties), I'm thankful that our part is here, but I also pray nonstop for those who are sacrificing to be there. 



Photo - Lisa Rohrick
Wonder when the water will start obeying the traffic signs...???

Join with us in praying that the Lord give wisdom, health and stamina
as well as protection during these recovery efforts.

To see some "Before and After" photos, as well as a slide show with many pictures of Sahel Academy students (You can see if you can spot any Wrightlings!) doing what they do, click on over to my friend's blog, The Bee in Beth's Bonnet.