On Youth Group Happenings

“Godiya ga Allah

Godiya ga Yesu

Godiya ga Ruhu Mai Tsarki

Na gode Allahna!”

I am now an official member of the matasa EERN Galmi! For those of you not familiar with any of these terms, “Matasa” means “youth” in Hausa and EERN (Église Évangelique de la République du Niger) is the largest group of evangelical churches in Niger. I originally began to attend this youth group with two of my Swiss friends in January.

Now this is not anything like your typical American youth group by any means. Apparently “youth” seems to be anyone who isn’t married, and even a couple who are. Ages range anywhere between 15 and 35! Also, this youth group meets 2-3 times a week instead of just once, and the main activities are singing and dancing! It is really a youth choir that sings in front of the church every Sunday. We sing songs primarily in Hausa, but also in French and English.

At first my friends and I were a bit too shy to sing up in front of the congregation, but as time went by we gained courage and began to move in time to the beats. After about a month of inconsistent attendance, one of my Swiss friends returned to Switzerland. My other friend was still eager to attend, so we continued on!

At the end of March, this friend and I decided to be wild and signed up for a “minicamp” with the youth group that was four days long. What an adventure! About 20 of us crammed into a van and took a hot hour and a half drive to a larger town called “Kony.” The teachings were all in Hausa, of course, and the sun beating down made it even more difficult to focus. Different people took turns doing private translations into French for my friend and I. It was still quite a bit difficult for me, because my French is not as good as I would like it to be, but never mind that…

We soaked in the sun (and sunscreen), ate with our hands, got to know a couple of the girls a little bit better than before, used what they call a shower (a multipurpose hole in the ground for both a toilet and a shower drain), danced, sang, and drank more water during those 4 days than I think our Hausa friends knew was possible. Though it was different than I expected, I know that it was a growing experience for me even in my frustrations.

Soon after the minicamp, my Swiss friend returned home and I was no longer allowed to attend youth group because I am not allowed to walk alone in town, especially at night. Since then, many people who attend the youth group have asked me when I intend to start coming again. Someone was volunteered to walk me to and from the church, now three times a week, and I have been attending since last week. It’s very different being the ONLY white girl there, but I think everyone’s finally getting used to it. We have all bought fabric for our matching matasa uniforms and on Wednesday we were all required to sign a paper saying that we would consistently attend youth meetings, or else pay a fine to the youth treasury… they might bank on me.

Although it seems like quite the commitment to attend youth meetings 3 times a week in addition to going to church on Sundays, God has brought me joy through this communion. I may not understand much of what is said, but I’m happy to be there whether as a source of encouragement or just of plain laughter.