During prayer requests at school today, one of the kids suggested that we pray for the marriage seminar that starts this evening for all of the missionary couples. "Why do our parents have to go on a marriage retreat anyway?" M asked. J responded, "We can't understand, 'cause we're not married. Let's get married and then we'll understand." I love these kids!

I don't know if any of you remember the flooding that happened in Niamey when I first arrived here, but if you are interested in clean-up updates from Sahel Academy, here's their blog:

http://niameyflood.blogspot.co.uk/

I realized how little you all know of my day-to-day life here in Galmi. I also decided that it would e worth the time to share some of the little joys that make Sharilyn (whom I work with) and I laugh daily. In case you didn't know, I'm working full-time (8am-3:30pm) as a teacher's assistant with 10 wonderful MKs. We come home with new stories everyday, so I will try my best to become more consistent about sharing them.

Today for example, when we turned on the school air-conditioner (a real luxury in 100ºF+ weather) some fluff shot out of it and E exclaimed, "It's mouse feathers!!" We had also experienced a very bad stench coming from the air-conditioner on Friday and concluded that something had died inside. Later on today, while the kids were in their Lit-circles, a mouse jumped out of the air-conditioner onto a stack of books. It caused quite a bit of excitement and J managed to get the half-dead creature swept into a dustpan and disposed of it outdoors. Class resumed as usual, though we're all hoping for no more mice anytime soon. J is the same one who asked us not to turn in a viper to the guards to be killed, because it "wasn't going to hurt anyone." These are just a few occurrences within the past week. Enjoy!

A Compact Summary of the Past 2 Months

All of the STA's at the beginning of January

Many things have happened since my last post... 

God is good

People have come and gone

God is good

Christmas and the New Year have both passed (with much joy and celebration)

God is good

More people have come and gone

Spiritual Life Conference 

God is good

Second semester at the Day School started

God is good

Kids are growing up

God is good

New student came

God is good

Time is flying by!!

Today I have been in Niger for exactly 6 months. Five months from now, I will be in Paris. 

God has been so faithful in my time here, and I'm so thankful to be right in the palm of His hands.

Holding a baby in the hospital on Christmas Eve

November Update!

The Christmas season is coming around again, and the festivities on Galmi compound are just beginning! I’ve decorated my house and will begin to bake more frequently than I already do. The weather is getting cooler in the mornings and sometimes at night I actually have to sleep with a blanket! We’ve begun singing carols and the kids at the day school have been rehearsing for their Christmas play.

We celebrated US Thanksgiving last weekend, which was the first holiday I’d spent away from my parents. It will be a very different Christmas from any I’ve ever celebrated before because I will remain separated from my family in Peru. However, I’m surrounded by my Christian family from all over the world.

As always, the population on the compound continues to change as STAs (short-term associates) come and go. All of the STAs are great too, and we’ve enjoyed many adventures together. It’s great to have such a wide range of friends so close by. One of the greatest additions to compound life has been my next-door neighbor, Elise. She’s lots of fun and a goof-ball just like me, and though she is younger than me, every once in a while I tell her to be my mom… she tries and fails to boss me around, but she’s been great at daily encouragements, which at home, I would receive from my mom everyday.

Elise and I drinking hot chocolate while decorating for Christmas!

At the end of September I began taking Hausa lessons every week-day after school, and though the lessons have been good, I’m sorry to say that I am one of my teacher’s worst students (Sorry, Malam Markus!). The classes come to an end next week, which will be both sad and relieving.

My two absolute favorite things that I’ve enjoyed about my job at the school so far have been witnessing the day-by-day progress of our two kindergarteners and one first-grader, and teaching Christmas carols during music class. It makes my face light up when any one of the little boys picks out and reads words, letters, or sounds that they did not know at the beginning of the year! I love choosing Christmas carols for the kids to sing, and most recently we have been working on harmonization! This has been both challenging and a great joy to me. The kids were very excited when I told them that I would be splitting them into Soprano and Alto groups, and the majority of the time their harmonizing sounds beautiful!

Some of the STAs and I on a trip to Niamey

This time of year is when we concentrate on celebrating the birth of Jesus, our Savior, but I still tend to get caught up in all of the silliness of the traditions that we have tacked onto it. One carol’s words that continue to come to mind are those of O Holy Night:

“O Holy Night!


The stars are brightly shining,


Music Class!

It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth

Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 


'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth. 


A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, 


For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on your knees,


Oh, hear the angels voices!


O night divine,

On a walk with some friends

O night when Christ was born!”

It reminds me that hope really did become reality when Christ was born, and that before He came to earth as a baby, we were utterly miserable. When we truly see Him, we know in our hearts that He is the only one that can redeem us. The world is weary and tired of sin, but if we allow Him, Christ raises us up and gives us a second chance. He gives us a new and glorious morn! 

It's crazy how fast time seems to fly! This week went by very quickly, and as of Wednesday, I've been in Galmi for an entire month! It has been a blessed time so far, and I can't wait to see what God does in the rest of my ten and a half months here. It's been a learning experience helping to teach at the day school and all of the kids are wonderful and quirky in their own ways. It's been great getting to know each of their personalities and it will be great to see their progress over this year.

My favorite class that I have the privilege of teaching is music. Every Tuesday and Thursday I haul my guitar down to the school and we sing and play games. The kids absolutely love to sing and learn new songs, and we actually performed a worship song at last week's Sunday evening service. It's so great to hear their voices as they sing and praise the Lord! They also love to be silly, so I taught them one of my childhood silly songs, and they taught us one of their own! It's been really great, though there have been some minor struggles, and I'm so thankful that God has placed me in this position.

Last Saturday I had the privilege of going to the OB in the hospital and socializing with the ladies who work there. I had been introduced to them previously by my friend, Sara, who is now back in Switzerland, and they received me very warmly. We shared cookie bars that I had made, and I was able to try a new spicy Nigerien dish... I love trying new food! It was good to be able to hang out with them, and I was even invited to visit them any time.

It's also been great to spend time with the STA's and we will be receiving more new-comers this week. Please continue to pray for the flooding in Niamey. There is a lot of damage done, and many people are still homeless. Please be praying as the local churches are helping to feed and minister to the flood victims. Also, pray for the missionaries who don't have homes because of the flooding. May lives be touched for God's glory through this situation!
Thank you very much for you prayers and support!

Sahel Academy, the Christian school in Niamey

So much has happened in the past 3 weeks! It seems like it's been longer since I left my family and friends in Perú, but I have been so blessed by my new friends here in Niger. As in Lima, the international missionary community is amazing! 

I arrived in Niamey (Niger's capital) on August 8th and was welcomed by Crystal, who I stayed with for my four days in the city. I was able to tour Niamey a little bit with her as well as to get the necessities before heading to Galmi: cheese and chocolate. I flew into Galmi in a little airplane and landed to find almost all of the Galmi MKs (missionary kids) as well as my coworker, Sharilyn, and others waiting for the plane to land.

By my second and third days in Galmi, I felt thoroughly accepted into the group of STAs (short-term associates). As I said before, the international community is amazing... and the younger folks are just as awesome. It’s easy to get to know people well since it’s just a small group and we’ve really bonded well. We have hiked together, eaten together, lived together and stayed up late numerous nights playing Settlers of Catan, worshipping, watching movies, etc. As summer in the States and Europe is coming to a close, I’m having to say goodbye again to another wonderful group of people. It has been a great time of fellowship and I know that God has used these people to help me during my transitioning time and that He will continue to provide friends throughout the year. He is so good to me!

Three days after I arrived in Galmi, school started and I assumed the role of “teacher’s assistant” and started helping Janet and Sharilyn teach the K-6^th grade MKs. It’s been really different having a full-time job and living on a compound, but so far it’s been great. All of the kids love being at school and are eager to learn!

Last week one of my friends, who is studying to be a midwife and works in the OB department of Galmi Hospital asked if I wanted to “help” her with the babies. While I was there, I was able to witness a C-section for the first time and even carry the delivered baby from the operating room into the baby room! For a few more days that week, I continued to go to the OB to see what went on there and to experience new things. I still don’t know where God is leading my career path other than as a missionary, but who knows? I could eventually end up being a nurse (or something else)! It has been an amazing experience!

As time goes by, I’m hoping that I’ll get to spend more time with the Hausa people in and outside of the hospital compound. God is doing great things through the hospital, but things are definitely not perfect here. The people who work in the hospital face death everyday; I’ve even witnessed some of it first-hand. It’s an amazing mission field though and so many people are in need.

God has blessed me so greatly by sending me here and I’m looking forward to how He can use me, along with all of the stretching and growth He will do in my personal life this year. It has been an adventure in God’s plans so far, and I can’t wait for it to continue.

Kids from a village an hour hike away from Galmi.

Some of the STA's with our wonderful guide.

Camel riding with Josh and Sharilyn

Niger is in need of prayer just like any other country in the world, but specifically right now there has been a cholera outbreak in Galmi, destruction from too much rain, and some major flooding in Niamey. I would like to thank all of my prayer and financial supporters for sending these requests and others to God. I know He loves it when we are in community with one another, and we can do this by praying. At our women’s Bible study tonight, one of the things we talked about was how nothing is possible without prayer. Where would we be if we could never speak with God? We would be utterly hopeless and confused! That is just to say that prayer should be the most important time in our day. We should not skip our time with God no matter how busy we are, but know that we can talk to God anytime and anywhere. He is always listening.