Integration

Every member of our team except the lovely Lavin's have returned safely to the United States.  The task before each of us now is to integrate into our lives the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, words, friendships, and events that were woven together by God during our time in Niger.  So often it's difficult to put into words all that took place much less the impact it has made on us.  But, we know that we have been changed as our perspective of the Lord and the people He has created in His image has grown and deepened.  I trust each of us on the team can say that we know a little more about what our Lord is like and who He created us to be.

If you want to hear more stories about our mission, please ask one of us, or send me an email.  We'd be happy to share. 

Thank you for following our blog and for your prayers and support!

On behalf of the Team,
Brian

tuesday

Bonjour from Niger, it’s Tuesday night here in Niger and more than half the team will be leaving here shortly to head home.  Monday was a fantastic day for the people here in Niamey, the opening of the CURE pediatric hospital.  We were all so lucky to be able to be part of the grand opening of the hospital and see all the good work that the hospital will do for the children and families here in Niamey.

After the hospital opening we were off to do some tourist activities.  Shopping in the street markets was like no other experience.   Vendors are eager for you to patronize in their shop, they offer beautiful authentic items and a little bargaining is always good for your wallet and expected. Then we were off to ride camels.  WOW it was so cool.    Those animals are so amazing.  We rode them along the Niger River, only to end our time with a canoe ride down the river in canoes.  It was so breathtaking!

Today was our last day here for most.  We spent the whole day over at Peniel School with the children.  Mostly finishing work at the clinic as well as taking their pictures.  Team members also visited the kids in their classrooms and taught them all good teeth care and gave them all toothbrushes and toothpaste to take home.  It is so joyful to spend time with the children and see all their happiness in such small things.  We ended our day with the kids as a whole school assembly where the children sang to us and shared gifts.  All of us on the team are so lucky to have been able to share time with the kids.

Here we are, Tuesday night.  We all debriefed tonight on how much we are going to miss this place and how lucky we are to be able to have had this experience.  God has truly blessed all of us and we hope that we have helped the people here in Niger.  They truly have touched each and every one of us and will carry them in our hearts as we return to the states. 

We are here!!!  What a Nigerian welcome we got when we got off the plane here in Niamey, and can I say that it is hot here :)  Accomodations are at Bible School here in the  city, it has on and off working AC, and indoor plumbing, what else can you ask for?

Friday

Our first morning in Africa!! Did I mention it's hot here :)  We were off early to the Peniel School.  There, as a team, we we were able to set up a clinic, play with the children, and get all the school kids offically enrolled with pictures.  The welcome from the children and staff was amazing. Every child there was so polite and greeting each and every one of us.  To see all the happy faces we knew our work here was going to be great.  You learn that the language barrier is not so great when you have common denominators such as song,  games, and just a warm smile. 

The clinic was setup up so that every student was able to be seen by a doctor, adminstered drugs and all around assessed for good health.  We will be back at school on Tuesday to continue the work. The gracious people at the school gave us a true feast for lunch with so many traditional Nigerian foods.  What a feeing that we had at the end of the day, no matter how hot or tired we are, it's worth it when you see the faces of those little children.


Saturday:
Off to the viliage of Oukoufanou.   We have been very lucky to have our own cook inside the Bible School where we are staying. Breakfast and dinner have been great. 
Our day started with a 2 hour drive outside of Niamey to a small village named Oukoufanou.  The drive started on the highway only to end with a 20 minute drive into the woods, off roading some would say.  There we came upon the villiage, which until a year ago had no source of water within a 5 mile radius. The tribe is part Christian part Animism, those who worship false idols.  The time at the villiage began with a hour long church service outside, then off to work we went.   There the language barrier was little more difficult, only that most of the tribal members only speak thier native tongue and not french.  Thankfully we had great people there with us who were able to translate.  We setup clinic and saw as many  people that we could in the 4 short hours we had.  It breaks your heart to see a 3 year old that weighs no more than what a 8 month would weigh.  We did our best to give them the best care that we could.

Sunday:
Praise time:  Sunday morning began with church, not just any church, 2 1/2 hour church service.  Other than being toasty, the atmophsere in the church is so joyful and happy that you never would know how long you were there :)  Church was mostly in French, however no matter what language God's message is in it still is powerful..  Lunch was at a Chinese restaurant, yes thats right, there is a Chinese restaurant in Africa.  The afternoon was back to work at the clinic that we set up in the city here.  We were able to treat sick women, babies and chideren, as well as sing praise hyms and just have a great time with the local Nigerian people.

Alright off to bed, there is so much more that I could write, but time is short.  See you next time :)

Arrival and new numbers

God has already done a great work!  We all arrived safe and sound...all 19 of us and every single one of our bags!  The internet has been sporadic so we were unable to send an update out yesterday. 

Today was a great day at The Peniel School ministering to the children.  We were all drawn to their smiling faces.  More to come later...

We had to change our emergency contact information.  So, if you need to reach us for an emergency please call either:
Brian- 227.91.48.97.29
Marcia- 227.91.38.59.74

Thanks for following our blog.  We'll try to send a more lengthy update soon.

Soon, very soon!

In just a few days, our team will be journeying to the amazing land of Niger.  Friends, new and old, await us as we seek to serve them and to serve with them.

So many different pieces of this mission have come together wonderfully and we are so eager to see how God continues to work.  We invite you to join us in this journey of faith, love, service, wonder, and adventure.  We will update this blog as often as we can.  Check back regularly or get set up to receive the updates automatically.

And a huge "THANK YOU" to all of our families and friends who are making this mission possible!