Multitude Monday - 1000 Gifts ~ "Irikoy ma saabu tonton!"

I learned a new Zarma phrase these past few weeks... and the older ladies, particularly the ones in our literacy class, really like it when I use it... at least I think so: they laugh and holler back "Amin, Amin!" (or "Amen! Amen!")

That phrase is "Irikoy ma saabu tonton!"

..."May God cause your thankfulness to grow!"

(or something like that.)

(Well, at least I'm pretty sure that is what it means. Zarma speaking readers - I know there are at least a few of you - please correct me if I'm wrong!)

I've been thinking about what a blessing it is to live in a world, in a place, where a phrase like that is part of the standard greetings;

where giraffes roam just a bit down the road, the sun beats ferocious and the sand blows wild dusty wild;

where both food and water can be scarce- and if not scarce, certainly difficult to afford;

where malaria or dysentery steals so many children too soon in life and a good education is a luxury...

Yet people, in general,  are so willing to recognize that all comes from God, that His blessings abound even in the midst of hardship and suffering, that there is so much more worthy of smiles and laughter than tears and complaints.

These people who don't know the saving grace and power of Jesus, but who understand, often better than I who can let my day be ruined by a power outage and the lack of fans for a few hours, that (to quote a song), while "life is hard, ...God is good."

I was thinking about that as I gazed through these pictures of the baby giraffe and the contortions it had to "accomplish" simply to graze... but then kicked up his heels to chase after and play with his companion.

And I remembered this oft quoted prayer that still hangs on the wall at my Nana and Pop-pop's house: "Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, change the things I can and the wisdom to know the diference."

this week's gratitude list:

(#s 2013 - 2036)

being able to regularly say "Irikoy ma saabu tonton!" and to pray its truth in my life and the lives of those I love each time I do

watching the m&m feed spaghetti noodles to Cadeau, the parrot... and the smile on her face

little man heading off for a slumber party with his friends - he's growing up

no serious injuries in a little-bit-scary accident I had Sunday morning

still cool mornings - especially as the daytime temps are beginning to sore, I'm thankful for this daily reprieve

eating breakfast on the terrace with Tim

listening to him laugh as he reads a book I just finished and loved, a book that takes me back to my growing up years as an Okie and the place I once called home

big girl laughing after swimming in the river with her friends

big boys trying to plan a W African adventure-voyage

middler girls performing girlish choreographies to Selah sung spirituals

hijacked Bible study discussions

resulting change in Bible study direction-- I'd better get really studying this new material myself, then, eh?

re-realizing how madly in love I still am each time I think about this wonderful guy I married

daddy-fried burgers and fries while I was busy finishing my work... everything was DELICIOUS!

looking forward to a long-awaited hair cut

5 days and counting... and VACATION!!

seeing one of my students almost start to enjoy (instead of fear) algebra

saturday morning coffee and conversation - the company really couldn't be beat

unexpected early morning fb chat with a friend from home

dreaming about a possible ministry opportunity

more awesome teachable moments, "grâce à Dr. Quinn!"

laughter over little girl declaring that she potties outside in the garden like the Sasha the cat: "I do because I can!" 

wearing my favorite jeans and realizing I really can't wear them anymore without a belt

tired arms after swimming laps

(giraffe photos by my sister, Julie Shangraw...
unless it was when I was actually borrowing her camera; then I took the photos. :-)

Letting go...

I love two year olds...

Especially that defiant, just discovering that they have a choice time many call the terrible twos... I think they are a terrifically triumphant time.

Little people suddenly realizing they are independent and have minds of their own - and being brave enough to act on that, even if their actions are often impulsive and wrongly motivated.

I'm overwhelmed by the potential I see emerging... sometimes literally exploding... in that age group.

And one of the best strategies I learned for coping with the hard days of living with a two year old ('cause honesty demands that I admit -there are some of those... depending on the child, there can be lots of those... and I've shed my fair share of tears over an unruly, defiant, strong-willed toddler - I mean, seriously, is there anything other than a strong-willed toddler, just manifested according to individual personalities?) is the strategy of letting go...

Not worrying about what the other mothers (and fathers) might think...

Parenting for my child's best, not my comfort or my "image..."

Agreeing and admitting that I make lots of mommy mistakes - and then pursuing pardon...

Looking for reasons to laugh at my little person's antics, while teaching him or her to laugh with me at my own silly antics - because there really are a lot...

Applying this strategy to my 16 year old becoming young man... and my nearly 15 year old becoming young woman... seems a good idea, too.

But it is harder.

If you'd told me that back when I just had a 2 year old, I would have nodded my head... but I wouldn't have believed you.

Now, some of their choices and many of their antics have farther reaching consequences - impacting others and determining their futures.

Their exploring and ranging and growing and becoming takes them far out of my reach, out of my sight and into situations and places where I feel I am helpless... where I rebel and have my own heart tantrum that I have to depend on God to care for them instead of myself.

Much of the work in raising them, in teaching them, in training them as they should go - certainly the foundation, at least - has already been laid.

Thankfully, I have the example of other godly mommies and daddies, both steps and kilometers further down the road than I... their examples and their stories give me hope and courage.

I do know the right "church" and "bible" answers... I just don't often like them as they feel like exasperating, perturbing platitudes... and I still have to let my heart flip flop and my stomach leap up into my throat as I (forgive me for borrowing the cliché) let them stretch their wings and fly... or crash to the ground.

These days, I'm still working on letting go and then:

...dusting them off and encouraging them to try again when they fail,

...answering questions, seeking answers and living authentically before and with them,

... applauding their triumphs,

... and trusting them to the Heavenly Father who loves them more than I do.

Yes... I love two year olds.

I'm discovering I really like teens, too!

5 Minute Friday - Brave

Brave

Brash... Resourceful... Audacious... Valient... Enterprising

Bold... Resolute... Adventurous...Valourous... Enduring

Brassy... Reckless... Assertive... Vivid... Expectant

We've been watching episodes of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman over the past few months (a DVD of the entire series was Anna's birthday present back in December). The episode we watched tonight was one of the sadder, harder ones to watch as Dr. Mike makes a difficult decision to intubate, a new and controversial medical procedure, her sister who is sick with diptheria. She recovers from the diptheria only to die a few days later. The cause of her death? Pneumonia... a complication resulting directly from the intubation.

Dr. Mike and her mom struggle over who is to blame for the sister's death - yet at the end of the 2-part episode, as they reconcile over their differences regarding Dr. Mike's choices, her mom says:

"Making decisions is an important part of [any] job. Having the courage to choose a course of action... and to take it. There's a big difference between taking the blame and taking responsibility."

Those words have been playing over and over in my mind today, and are, I think, words divinely ordained for me to hear, on which I need to reflect. A Jesus follower, whether I'm wearing my hat as wife, mom, missionary, teacher, friend - daily I make decisions. I have to choose a course of action, follow through, and then accept responsibility for that decision and its consequences.

Refusing to decide... refusing to act - even that is a choice and, in a sense, an action that will have consequences, by default. This path leaves me feeling like a victim.

It is something we all have to do, like it or not.

It is a part of life that forces each one of us to be brave... sometime...

I pray to be able to see and encourage this bravery each day in the lives of those around me. 

I'm thankful for friends who choose to see and in so doing, help make me brave, too.

(added after the 5 minutes... just because I love it and I think it fits...)

"How could we forget those ancient myths that are at the beginning of all peoples,

tmyths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses?

Perhaps all the dragons of lives are princesses

only waiting to see us,

once, beautiful and brave.

Perhaps everything terrible is,

in its deepest being,

something helpless that wants help from us.

So you must not be frightened…

if a sadness rises before you,

larger than any you have ever known;

if a restiveness,

like light and cloud-shadows,

passes over your hands and over all you do.

You must think that something is happening with you,

that life has not forgotten you,

that it holds you in its hand;

it will not let you fall.”

~Ranier Maria Rilke (Letters to a Young Poet)

A Not Uncommon Theme

I stumbled across a blog post about stressed out missionaries... and based on the list below, it seems to be a not uncommon theme in these lives we lead.

Tim and I were having a late night talk (it was sometime after 1 a.m. - he surprised me because he usually won't stay up that late to talk ...at least not since we stopped just dating and got married! I should be thankful my smart man values sleep!), and one of his comments was that everyday things here don't necessarily make life harder - they just take longer and you never actually know if you'll be able to get them done.

For example, today, I'm making a potato casserole for dinner - cooking the potatoes first in the crock pot and then tonight will combine with other yummies, top with cheese and bake in the oven before we actually eat it. As I leave the house to head out, I'll be hoping the electricity stays on, or when I get home this afternoon, I'll find well-soaked but still uncooked potatoes. Just that little unknown, or need for flexibility, or... whatever you wants to call it, adds (depending on my mood) adventure or frustration to life.

The other day I drove the kiddos to school. Tim wasn't feeling well, so I threw the little peanut M&M into the car with us, dropped the kids off, got back across the bridge without waiting in traffic too long and started back the main road to home, only to have all traffic stop because the president was traveling in town. Again, that is a very normal occurrence as I usually end up sitting and waiting or the police or the army to open up the roads again 3 or 4 times a week, at least - adding another half hour or 45 minutes to the already fairly full schedule. This time was a little different, however. The army guy who stopped traffic our direction must have been new because my landcruiser, the car right behind me, a couple of motorcyclists and a couple of bicyclists ended up caught in between where traffic was stopped and a military escort (about 15 vehicles) that pulled up behind us... to escort the traveling dignitary. The army guy standing in front was obviously nervous... and there we sat there waiting for 20 minutes, with soldier standing about 20 feet in front of us, his finger on the trigger of his automatic weapon and his gun pointed in the general vicinity of the headlights on the landcruiser. The Nigerien businessman with suit and briefcase sitting/standing on the moto next to me was looking mighty uncomfortable... I couldn't blame him. I was busy trying to keep Mary's head down... just in case, ya know?

I didn't realize how tense I was during that small chunk of time - I was more preoccuppied with chatting with and keeping the little impatient one in the car with me happy. Then the soldier who looked so very on edge walked to the side of the road and finally, waved us on. I relaxed. And felt more than a bit jello-y... kind of like I'd just swam a mile after not having been training for several months. And all of that happened before 8 in the morning.

So, back to that blog post... here's the link (take the time to read this... she doesn't mince words). I've read several other fascinating things about this expat life our family leads as I've traipsed around the internet (internet permitting, of course), thinking about this topic - and here are a few of them:

1. "Love and Survival, in Life, in Missions"
2. "Just How Stressed are Missionaries..."
3. "Missionary Stress and 95' Living Rooms"
4. "Missionary Stress? You Bet!"
5. "The Ultra-spiritual Missionary and her Dog"

I read all of this... I know what I feel as I live this life every day... and today, I'm overwhelmed by one thought -

God is amazing!

That He'll take me and limit Himself by working through me, that He'll allow me to represent His name and His reputation to this world? Why? Because He is Who He is. And it isn't because He needs me... but because I need Him.

This life is a stressful life and it goes far above and beyond that with which I can cope on my own. That, in and of itself is a daily reality. So that means so much of what I do, I'm realizing, is Him. So very little of it is me... I'm too busy just trying to survive and He works all in, around and through that, most often in spite of me.

And that makes me thankful... and encourages me to keep on trying to follow step by step, moment by moment, as He leads... and maybe drops stress levels, at least a couple dozen points...

...as long as I keep remembering and clinging to that!

Wordless Wednesday ~ What's sweeter than homemade French crullers?

That concrete slide at the zoo - I don't know why... It IS impossible to "slide" down concrete.

They say these photos are lots of fun to click through really fast... I don't know if you get the same effect scrolling down the blog page really fast. Just consider it our own version of stop motion cinematography, I guess? I makes me laugh, though, seeing how he has to scootch himself down the slide... and knowing that he still thinks it great fun!

Thanks to my sis for posting these photos on fb. They were taken while she was out visiting last summer.

Multitude Monday - 1000 Gifts: "Guarded Hearts"

That's a phrase that, really, could have two connotations.

One could be, at least in today's current culture pushing for authenticity and transparency, quite negative. In that sense, a guarded heart evokes the image of a heart - feelings, emotions, soul or mind - blocked up behind walls... unable, unwilling or afraid to even tentatively reach out and risk bona fide relationship because of selfishness, fear or pride.

Yet biblical expression, "guard your heart," is a beautiful, powerful and important one. We are memorizing the following passage (Proverbs 4.23-27):

Garde ton coeur plus que toute autre chose,

Car de lui viennent les sources de la vie.

Ecarte de ta bouche la fausseté,

Eloigne de tes lèvres les détours.

Que tes yeux reardent en face,

Et que tes paupières se dirigent devant toi.

Considère le chemin par où tu passes,

Et que toutes tes voies soient bien réglées;

Ne te détourne ni à droite ni à gauche,

Et écarte ton pied du mal.

(Yes, we are memorizing it in French... and then Zarma, hopefully)

These verses, along with the theme of spiritual health, are going to be very key this year in the local church where we serve and worship.

But back to the dichotomy concerning this single phrase - a guarded heart... yesterday, at the two very different church services we regularly attend, godly servant leaders spoke to us concerning our hearts - preaching on principles to remember and apply that will prevent troubled hearts. That's a more-than-relevant topic these days; the troubled heart temptation can be a mighty challenge in often overwhelming darkness and heaviness so prevalent in this present age.

In the first service, we were exhorted to protect our hearts from all wickedness and envy... for when we allow our hearts to traipse down either or both of those two paths, our actions will not be long in following. The speaker particularly emphasized the importance of knowing God (not just about Him, but being in an active, growing relationship with Him) and discernement - just because something is culturally acceptatble does not disqualify the possibility that is evil or that it might result in an envious spirit.

In the evening (English language) service, we looked at John 14, where the Lord clearly teaches that we are the ones who "let" our hearts be troubled - or in other words, a troubled heart is avoidable. Sunday night, we were encouraged that 1) an eternal perspective, 2) knowing Christ (again!) because if we know Jesus, then we know the Father... in a much less traumatic way, and 3) remembering and relying on the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit are all absolutely essential to an untroubled heart. That phrase, "do not let your heart..." is found twice in this chapter, and is how the Lord counseled His disciples in those last moments before His arrest. Seems like pretty key information for me to practice, before my heart is seized by trouble or fear...

If only it were that easy...

Instead, I find myself often feeling like the disciples... They were described by the speaker Sunday night as clueless and self-centered... at least in these chapters... Ouch!

One thing clearly stands out to me, though. I'm struck, once again, by how balance is so key... my moderation is to be known by all men - and that includes this arena of a guarded heart. I must guard my heart, seeking to protect it from wickedness, envy, cultural deception, letting it be troubled (and many other things). Yet at the same time, I can't stop experiencing and feeling and interacting with people or situations who make me uncomfortable. I can't guard my heart from authentic, deep and possibly hurtful or painful times and relationships. I guard my heart to keep me from sin; if I guard my heart with the single goal of staying safe... that, in and of itself, may actually be sin... at least those are the thoughts spinning around my head tonight. As CS Lewis writes (of Aslan) in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, God "...is not safe... but He is good."

This somewhat introverted, slightly worn-out misso finds that thought a scary one, even on the good days. It is terrifyingly traumatic on the hard, bad ones. And that's even more my reality when think of teaching it  and watching it play out in the lives of the ones I love, particular these 8 young becoming ones the Lord has so graciously shared with us.

this week's gratitude list:

(#s 1992 - 2012)

not really sure what my ramblings today particularly have to do with gratitude, but thankful that God continues to teach and challenge me... and somewhat amazed how once again, He orchestrated both sermons from two very different services to dovetail together so well and to be just exactly what I was needing to hear 

sunburnt shoulders after Sunday afternoon swimming and lunch at the pool

coming up on 18 years this year, and knowing without a doubt, I'd still do it all over again and I'm thankful he says he would, too...

knowing I've got a friend who's "got my back" - I doubt I'll every find that less than amazing!

clean floors that I didn't have to sweep or mop

amazingly cool days for March in the Sahel

good dialogue, even when perspectives differ

miraculous God sized fingerprints of safety for friends who rolled their truck (several times) while traveling, way out on the other end of this country

opportunity to pray for another friend and colleague who has also been in a horrendous accident, and the family of the little girl who died

seeing evidence that God is up to something: as a friend just reminded me - with all these "attacks" it makes one wonder exactly where He is advancing... and it is always exciting and sometimes terrifying to watch Him work

ideas

dreaming dreams

mental wandering and wondering about the future

warts removed

girlies who've discovered jumping rope... again

friends and teachers willing to help probe about and discover why one of those girlies seems discouraged and stressed

pulling out the boy size 7s and 8s (they've been packed up for a long time) and moving down, passing along the size 5s and 6s

passing the #2000 signpost... and realizing I've just barely dipped my big toe into practicing this thing called gratitude

saying a next-to-impossibly-hard "No"

looking forward to talking with my parents - and even when it didn't happen, the antipation throughout the day was delightful and will make it that much more fun next time we can connect

2 days without anyone throwing up

5 Minute Friday ~ Empty

I drive past their house... the curtains are pulled, no air conditioner hums, all windows are darkened and tightly closed... that never-ending always annoying dust on the terrace is undisturbed.

All this is evidence of a reality that hurts. Their home lies empty. Once full, comforting and inviting, always enticing me to just pop in for a visit, it is now nothing more than an empty shell - and now, like the dust, I'm settling... settling for treasured memories instead of life moments.

My heart feels a little bit empty, too.

And that is a part of this missionary life... life as an expat.

Sometimes the very things you love the most are also the very things that hurt the most; the things that fill your cup and cause it to bubble over can drain most completely.

Hellos are fun - and as I meet and am privileged to call so many, from so many different worlds, friend, I look forward even more to delighting in the next hello opportunity. Choosing and learning to love another, one who is different, who has different priorities and perspectives and can share a whole new store of life experiences grows my heart, stretching me into a better lover of people.

But those goodbyes hurt - oh, do they hurt. Especially when you know that goodbye might be for a very long time... that it might, in fact, be for forever... That place in your heart carved by another person echoes hollow because they are no longer a regular part of your life. Sometimes that empty feels like a longing for a Wendy's Frosty and is filled with the anticipation of some "next time" somewhere in the future; other times it intensifies, becoming an enormous vacuum threatening the collapse of everything around, all that touches it.

Driving past, once again, leaves me wanting...

another shared cup of coffee... or bowl of ice cream,

another laugh over silly kid stories,

another occasion to unite hearts in prayer,

another opportunity to just be we.

...the gift of just a little bit more time, together...

Feeling empty - yet I'm thankful.

It reminds me of the fulfilling presence of precious people I love...

...and all those memories that take the edge off those pangs.

Wordless Wednesday (that finally posts on Thursday) ~I've got several favorites... and these two are certainly two of them!

Humbly bowing low...

Several weeks ago, on Sunday night, at the evening worship service (a gathering of expats where we worship in a bit more western -and natural for me- style), the speaker asked if anyone actually knew what it was like to stand before real royalty... you know, like they show in the movies... where you immediately bow or kneel or do something to lower and humble yourself and your position simply because you are in the presence of one who is undeniably recognized as awesome and powerful and above you?

I don't.

I mean, I can imagine what it might be like, but I've never been in the presence of one so powerful, one so fear-inspiring, one whose being is so terrifyingly magnificent that I'm compelled to bow or to prostrate myself before him or her, hesitating to lift my gaze, literally afraid of of the overwhelming sight my eyes would see. At least, I've never been around another human that inspired that sort of reaction.

I wonder how many of us have ever really, in real life...?

Part of it might be cultural - most of us have never been in a situation where we felt that someone had all and absolute power over us... that our continued existence depended on that one's continued benevolence. There are parts of the world where leaders are given or assume that sort of absolute power. And those lesser fall to their face in the presence of one with such power.

I know, theoretically, that is how it is supposed to be with God and there have certainly been times I've felt overwhelmed in His Presence... but not in that way, in that sense.

I've been trying to imagine what it might have felt like to be one of those Roman soldiers, accompanying the Jewish leaders who arrested Jesus

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.

Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”

And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
“I told you that I am he,” Jesus answered. “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. (John 18)

It's sobering to contemplate the fact that I stand in the presence of that sort of power every day... and far too often, I choose not to see it, or to ignore it and not to respond accordingly...

How about you?

How often do you think about what it means

to live your life continually in the presence of the King?

How and when does that truth impact your everyday moments?

Multitude Monday - 1000 Gifts ~ A Truly Sacrificial Thank-you

Should it ever befall me - and it could happen today - to be a victim of the terrorism swallowing up all the foreigners here, I would like my community, my church, my family to remember that my life was given to God and to this country. That the Unique Master of all life was no stranger to this brutal departure. And that my death is the same as so many other violent ones… consigned to the apathy of oblivion. I’ve lived enough to know that I am complicit in the evil that, alas, prevails in the world and the evil that smite me blindly. I could never desire such a death. I could never feel gladdened that these people I love… be accused randomly of my murder. I know the contempt felt for the people here… indiscriminately. And I know how Islam is distorted by a certain Islamism. This country, and Islam, for me… are something different. They’re a body and a soul. My death, of course, will quickly vindicate those who called me naïve or idealistic, but they must know that I will be freed of a burning curiosity and, God-willing, will immerse my gaze in the Father’s and contemplate with Him His children of Islam as He sees them.

This thank you which encompasses my entire life includes you, of course, friends of yesterday and today and you too, friend of the last minute who knew not what you were doing. Yes, to you as well I address this thank you and this farewell which you envisaged. May we meet again happy thieves in Paradise, if it pleases God, the Father of us both. Amen. Inchallah.

~ Dom Christian ~

while Prior, Our Lady of Atlas at Tibhirine, Algeria 

We watched the movie Of Gods and Men this past weekend...

 

It isn't exactly the kind of movie you say you enjoy.

 

But I found it impossible not to be deeply moved  and challened by the story of these gentle, servant-hearted men who loved their community, who refused escape when they could, and who paid the ultimate human price - they gave their lives. Watching this account of how these men arrived at consensus, having so many reasons to live... and thus while not wishing martyrdom they were willing to live that risk because they were confident that God had called them for such a time as this, to borrow another Biblical expression. Even as the situation deteriorated and their worst fears were realized, absolutely, they clung ferociously to confident trust in God's goodness, love and sovereignty over and above all.

 

The text opening this post was written by the prior in the days before his abduction and what I find so amazing is the grace he is willing to offer the very men who capture him, hold him hostage, and ultimately take his life.

 

That is what I call choosing gratitude...

 

this week's gratitude list

(#s 1972 - 1991)

 

sobering movies that challenge me to contemplate, deeply, on what thankulness, service and sacrifice truly means

 

a friend who will choose to confront me

 

listening ears

 

having my words being taken at face value

 

kleenex for when the tears flow

 

God mandated rest... the kind that happens when your body rebels and refuses to continue on without a break

 

conversation with one that confirms I'm not imagining things

 

we've felt God pushing... now beginning to consider how God is pulling

 

alternate futures

 

sleepy five year old snuggles

 

almost 15 year old returned to us... after 4 long days in the interior

 

a "really cool dermatologist," at least that was how Tori described him, and she was the one who needed to see him

 

end of the marking period in sight

 

homemade cheeze its - that actually taste just like the real thing, believe it or not... well, except for the fact that instead of cheddar cheese, gouda spiced with cumin cheese was used instead... and quite delightful

 

the fact that Andi made the cheeze its... without any help or direction from me

 

tomato soup to eat with those crunchy cheeze its

 

watching my friend say goodbye to Mamata... and wondering of the next time they get to hang out together, it will be at the feet of Jesus, speaking a common language but still communicating heart to heart

 

the privilege and responsability of saying thank you

 

grace to do a required job I find very distasteful

 

silly husband who makes crazy plays on words that cause me to roll my eyes every time

 

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!