Sarah in Niger

2006-09-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

This is not a good picture, but this is the inside of the hut that we live in.
People sometimes ask me if I use my music degree. Yes I use it when I pound millet. You got to ha rhythm to do it.
Me and Jessica in Sign of God village (our first village)

Mm...This is chewtam. It is better fresh, but sometimes it is 3 days old, and can be rather tart.

Nothing wets your whistle on a hot day, like chewtam.

2006-09-25T06:25:00.000-07:00

Gettin water from the well.
Praise the Lord we have a truck-because I don't know what I am doing on the moto
This is me and my team-mate Daniel in Konni-She knows what she is doing on the motorcycle
Me turning 23 in Togo woohoo.

2006-09-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

Okay so long time, for real, since I have blogged. It is just now I have dial-up, and it takes forever to do anything, but enough with excuses. Oh and one more thing, if you read this please comment and let me know, because sometimes when I do this, I wonder if I am not wasting my time, because no one is reading. Well God has been doing some amazing things. Let me just tell where God has brought us. Right now there are about 15 believers in the town of Mayahi, and we have been discipling those believers. We have one more lesson and that lesson will be church, and after that is completed they will more or less be a church. It is kind of surreal, and only something that God could do. We are so excited. We don't just one church to be planted, we want God to plant many churches, so right now we are having what we are calling the Harvest Challenge. We are ask all of you to pray and fast during the rest of this month and October for God to ignite a church planting movement among the Fulani. You can go to prayforfulani.blogspot.com for more info and prayer requests reguarding the challenge. How can we expect God to start a church planting movement if we do not ask him? Everyday the believers are growing more and more confident when sharing their faith. Please pray that God would show them that he has given them authority to tell others about him through his holy spirit

2006-07-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

We have all heard the phrase TGIF. You know thank God its Friday. Well here Fridays are particularly challenging. It is on Fridays that Jessica and I travel to Maiyi. Transportation is always our biggest obstacle and we usually dread it. Well this Friday I really was dreading it. We had to be back in Tessua by a certain time, and if we took a bush taxi, there would be no telling when we would be back. So, we hired men to take us there on motorcycles. Now let me just express to you that I was not looking forward to this. Before coming here my mother who is a nurse had enstilled in me a great fear of motorcycles. Now God had dealt with me about this fear, so I was no longer afraid, but the thought of riding 40k on the back of motorcycle, was not something I was looking forward to. Needless to say we made it to Maiyi safely, and the Fulani men were there waiting to here us teach them from God's word. This time I was going to teach, and man was I nervous. I kept thinking about what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2, "When I came to you brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. Let's just say I was extremely nervous, but was so thankful for God's provision, for despite my lack of language, they understand a little of it. They said that they had heard some of God's word in Hausa, but that they were glad that we had come so that they could hear God's word in their own language-Fulfulde. Fridays will continue to be challenging for Jessica and I, mainly because of the journey, but I can say Thank God It's Friday, because he grants us traveling mercies, and has put a hunger in the Fulani's heart there to hear his word. Please pray for the Fulani in Maiyi that we go and visit on Friday's. Pray that despite our poor language, they would understand his word. Pray that they would understand who he is and want to come to know him. Pray for their salvation. And pray for us. Continue to pray for our safety and health. Pray that we would have good attitudes, and that nothing would be able to steal our joy, even if it be riding a motorcycle.

2006-07-18T16:10:00.000-07:00

Week 2
In only our second week here I think we have covered every form of public transportation that Africa has to offer. On Friday we traveled with our day guard by bush taxi to Mayi. It is about 40k away. It took us about two hours to get there and we were thankful when we arrived. I was not excited by any means at the next form of transportation that we would be taking. We were going to visit some Hausa believers there and to meet with some Fulani who had requested that someone would come and teach them about Jesus. Well the village was 12k in the bush and we were going to get there by riding on the back of motorcycles. Now I consider myself somewhat of a thrill seeker. I mean I love roller coaster rides, but I was scared to death on the back of this motorcycle. The whole trip was deep sand so it was quite fast and quite shaky. I began the trip by singing my life song "It is well with my soul". I quickly went from that to praying out loud that God would keep me safe. Halfway through the trip I realised how selfish this was and began praying for the man that was driving the motorcycle, realizing that he did not know Jesus, and that if I died I would be with Jesus, but if he died he would be in Hell. The rest of our trip I prayed for his salvation, and for our safety. Well we made it safely, only to find out that all of the believers were not there, because they did not know we were coming so we left a message telling them that we would return again the next Friday.
This meant we would have to get back on the motorcycles to head back to town. On this ride I really thought I was going to have a heart attack and pass out. I was way to tense, so I prayed that God would give me a peace, and help me to relax, and he did. The rest of the ride I was unafraid. We rode another bush taxi on the way back to Tessua, but this time it was one where you stood in the back of like a big dump truck.
We also returned to our village to share another story. This time about 30 men gathered, and even more were coming. Jessica told the story of Adam and Eve, and we told them about how Jesus is the ransom for all sin, and that he was the sun of God. I praise God for the openess that we have found in this village. I mean in all of our training they told us not to tell Muslims that Jesus was the son of God. When Jessica told them it, I was praying for openess in their hearts, and also that they would not stone us. There was not one single scoff. They wanted to hear more. She shared the whole gospel with them and they said, "you mean that's it, that's the whole story." And we said, Yes. I was amazed at how simple our Lord has made it for us. All we have to do is believe.
Since coming to Tessua God has given us so many oppurtunities to witness to people here, even though we do not have a hold on the language. The other night we watched the Jesus film with our night guard, and our Fulani neighbors. I don't know what this means, but our night guard said, that the film gave his heart chills. Pray for our night guard, and the people in our village. Pray that God would give them a longing for the truth. Pray that he would give them faith to believe in something that they don't fully understand. Pray that God would reveal himself in a way that the God of Muhammad could never reveal himself to them. Right now is harvest time here and rainy season. Pray that as the Lord of the harvest causes the seeds of their millet to grow, that he would rain down his spirit upon them and grow the seeds of the word that are being sown in their hearts.

2006-07-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

Week 1
Well our first week in our new home has been quite exciting and full of adventure. Thankyou all so much for your prayers. When we got here we were really thankful, because the first time we saw the house the floors were covered in cock roaches. There was not one cock roach on the floor. It is the little things here that can really make your day. Our house was set up by the next day, and we were able to hire our night guard and day guard without any problems. The first few days we spent without indoor plumbing, but the Lord saw us through all that as well. Bucket baths are okay but we were really thankful when we were finally able to take our first showers. The Lord has been aswering so many prayers. Thankyou for your faithfulness to pray. Our day guard is a Christian and we have a small group that meets here for worship on Sundays. It is mainly his family, and a few other believers. He even invited a Fulani man, who wanted to know what time our program was next week. Jessica and I smiled and said, "We have a program?" I can not wait for next Sunday. We had it in Hausa, and English, and it really answered to my spiritual needs.
Monday was our first trip to the bush, and well Jessica and I thought it might be fun to walk. We thought that the village was only 6k, but it was actually 12k. Needless to say we were exhausted when we got to the village. When we arrived they welcomed us, and asked if we had come to teach them. The thing is we did not expect them to be ready for us to teach on the first visit, but they were. We visited and rested there, and then began our return back. I must confess that I was not excited at the prospect of walking 12k back, actually I was down right discouraged. Every dessert movie I had ever seen began to flash before my eyes, so we stopped and prayed. Jessica prayed that God would send us a vehicle, and when we started walking again, he did. A bush taxi came by completely full of people, but they made room for Jessica and I. Jessica rode on top and I squeezed inside, praying the whole way that Jessica would not fall off the top. It was way better than walking through the dessert. Half-way back home, a man gave up his seat inside so that Jessica could get off the top. Well needless to say by the time we got home we were exhausted, but completely amazed by God's provision.
We returned to the village again Wenesday, this time prepared to share a story. After our last walk we decided to never walk again and to ride the mooto. Well Jessica and I did not see the point in taking two mootos when we were going to the same place. It was a long bumpy ride, but we made it there until we turned down the road to the village. We turned right into some sand and well fell over. Jessica got a few scratches and I was all right, but the whole village saw it. We had quite a laugh about the whole situation. Then we went to the cheifs compound, and waited while someone went to get the other men. The first time we came we had only seen four men, well when all the men got there, there were 20 men who had come to here God's word. Jessica told the story of the good shepherd, and they were amazed by it. They kept asking questions, and we ended at that Jesus is the only way to everlasting life. We are going back again next Saturday. We left amazed at what God had done. We never expected to tell a story to 20 men, and even with our little language we were able to do so. Please pray that the holy spirit will begin to work in their hearts. Jessica and I have discovered that thus far we have not had any opposition to us coming to share the gospel, but something always seems to happen on the way home. Well we hit a patch of sand again, and fell over. I got burned a little by the mooto, and Jessica got more scratches, but we were fine. The mooto on the other hand had some problems. When we fell the foot stand got stuck so that we could not change gears. A man came and tried to help us, and then a car came by and stopped. Get this, the same man that had given up his seat for Jessica was in the car. He fixed our mooto, and we were on our way again. God is so good, and I have really seen the part of where the Great Commission says, "and I am with you always to the very end of the age," come to life here. He has been and will continure to be with us always.

2006-06-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well this will be my last blog update for awhile. Our date to move to Tesua has been pushed back a couple of days. We are going to be leaving this Wenesday. I am really excited. Language class is finally over and we have finished our final preparations for moving out. Please pray that God will give us open doors and bring us people of peace when we get out there. When you move into a new house here you never know what you might find, so pray for us as well as we set our house up. I will be coming back the 18th of July with many stories I hope and news of all that God has done out in Tesua. Pray for our health and just that we will be able to flexible.

2006-05-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Okay so our road trip went really well. I got to see what will be my new house and we also were able to find some Fulani villages. The chief in one of the villages gave the okay for us to come to the village to teach about Jesus and another village seems open, but the chief was not there for us to ask. The villages we found are about 15k off the main road so we will be able to make it on our motos. It was so exciting to finally see where we will be, and I will have pictures coming. Thank you all so much for praying. We spent the rest of our trip in Koni doing language school and it went well. One praise that I do have, is it has finally rained here and it has cooled things down immensely. May is supposed to be the hottest month and it is almost over, so we have made it through the worst as far as the weather goes.

2006-05-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

This is me and my partner Jessica!
This is what it looks like inside a Fulani hut
This is called a wowru, and they pound millet in it
Aren't they cuties
Looks like I'm in front of a big lake don't it?
Nope dry as a bone.

2006-05-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

Important prayer Request!!! I am leaving today for a 10 day road trip. We will be traveling first to Konni for a day then to Guidan Ruji, then to Miradi, and then to Tesua, and then back to Miradi and then back to Konni. All this will happen between now and Saturday and when we get back to Konni we will spend the week there for language. Please pray for safe travels. This is a very important trip. We will be going to Tesua to see my house, which is a praise, but we will also be going to find Fulani villages and talk to some Fulani kings and cheifs about sharing the gospel in their villages. Pray for open doors, people of peace, and God's direction and divine appointments to take place. Pray for Kris as he talks with the cheifs. I will have a lot to share about what has done when I get back.

2006-04-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

Fulani church

Real-estate is booming here!
My first African Outfit
View from the car!

2006-04-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

Wow thankyou all so much for your prayers. This week was jammed packed with action. For starters on Monday we began Fulfullde with our teacher Hamani, and I also took my first trip to Gawoy. Gawoy is across the river, and I was trying to find some Fulani. Well the first day I kind of got dropped off in the middle of nowhere. All of the Africans found it quite humorous that I did not know where I wanted to go in Gawoy. Well when I got out I just began prayer walking and asked the Lord to guide me to some Fulani, or the main road so I could catch a taxi. About four miles later, I came to an intersection with a big mosque. I stood at the mosque for a while and prayed that God would unveil the eyes of all the people that came to the mosques. I prayed that they would realize who the one true God was, and except Jesus as their saviour. Shortly after that I found my way back to the main road and headed home.
The next day I made another trip out to Gawoy, and the Africans in my cab were just as puzzled that I did not know where I wanted to go in Gawoy. Luckily that day one of my team-mates taught a pullo non? which is where are the Fulani, so I said that. Well one of the men in my taxi spoke English and I told him who I was trying to find. Then they drove around and found this security guard. This is where it gets really exciting. The security guard spoke English and said that he would help me find fulani. He spoke great English and he took me to his village to introduce me to his family and I was able to practice my fulfulde. He said, the first thing he asked me when I met him was if I was going to start a church in his village? I said I sure hope so. Well he also said that when he found out I was a missionary he had to helped me, because when he was young missionaries helped him. Guess where the Fulani village was? The day before when I had stopped to pray over the mosque at the intersection, I went to left to get to the main road, well the Fulani village was on the right. Well I have returned one time and plan to go back.
Another exciting thing that happened this week is we had our first team meeting and I finally know what town me and Jessica my partner are going to be moving to. We are going to Tesua which is about 10 hours outside of Niamey. I am really excited. I also had my first driving lesson. I am learning to drive a stick and get this the first time I started I did not stall. Yes! Thankyou drum-set for giving coordination of all four of my limbs. I did however get stuck in the sand. Driving in Africa is quite exhilarating. Non only did I have to worry about when to change gears and how to do the clutch, but I also had to worry about hitting people, sheeps, goats, sand, and some outrageous bumps.
Well that's all for now. Please pray for me as I continue with language school. Thus fulfulde has not been a very easy language. Pray that God would make my mind quickly understand all of this new information. Also pray for my team-mates. Two of them are taking their first trip out to the bush. I will be going next week, and also pray for the Fulani, and all the people of Niger. As we know Easter is tomorrow, and almost all of the people here have no concept about the miracle that took place on Easter. I hope you all have a happy Easter, as we remember the awesomeness of our Lord who rose from the grave.

2006-03-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

2006-03-29T11:38:00.000-08:00

Okay so I have not tried it yet, but I have full intentions of cracking an egg on the pavement outside, and seeing if it will fry, because it is very hot here. At first it was not so bad but the temperature goes up more and more every day. So far it still does not compare to Georgia in August with the humidity, but the people here tell me it is coming. The other day it was at least 120 in the shade. We don't know what the exact temperature was, because the thermometer only goes up to 120. Things have been going well though.
I am into my second week of French, and already I can sort of share my testimony, and we have discussed evangelism strategies with my teacher Ibro. Please continue to pray for him. We have had many oppurtunities to better get to know him, and I am thankful for that. We have all been able to share our testimonies with him, and what God has done in our lives, and I am thankful for that as well. Continue to pray that he will continue to be encouraged, and drawn closer to the Lord. One funny thing about French for me is, whenever I learn a second language, the presence of my very southern Georgia accent comes to life. Yesterday was Monday so we were all kind of out of it and I was trying to say Peut etre, which means maybe and should sound like poo tet, but instead it came out Pooter, and Ibro and my whole class got a huge laugh out of it, I also without thinking about it, because I was so excited that I knew how to say it in French, said that one of my team mates had a hot rear. Allow me to explain. When my team mate was getting in the car she said jokingly, "Oh my heiny is toaste, because the car is always super hot when we get in the car. Well of course we all began to laugh, and Ibro said repeatez si vous plez( repeat please), and without even thinking I said, "Elle parlez sa deriare ill fe sho, which is "she said her rear is hot", and he laughed. It did not hit me until we were half-way home that I had told my french teacher that my team mate had a hot rear. Oh the joys of learning a new language.
Another high-light of this week was going to see the giraffes. When you go to see the giraffes in Niger, it means you drive about 45 minutes outside of Niamey and you come up to a little kiosk on the side of the road, which is where you pay. Then a guide jumps in the car with you and tells you to turn left or right. Let me just mention that all of this takes place off road so you are constantly dodging trees. It made for a fun day though. We got to see about 20 giraffes and got to get really close to take pictures. It's kind of amazing to look at a giraffe in Africa, and see what a unique animal God has created. The funny thing was, there was a group of kids that were on a feild trip, who stopped to look at some of the same giraffes that we looked at, and their teacher took pictures of us. They were more excited about seeing anasara(white people) than the giraffes.
Please continue to pray for us as we go through language school, and pray that we will come across Fulani here in Niamey who are from the east. The Fulani from the east have a different dialect of Fulfulde than the Fulani who are from here. Also pray that God would give us oppurtunities to share him with others even as we learn the language, and continue to pray for my team. Kris and Drew are still trying to figure out what village we should go to, so pray that God would give them wisdom,and guidance in that, and this tomorrow Drew and his family will be going to the bush. They have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Here at the guest house we at least have ceiling fans and they will be sleeping outside under a mosquito net, so pray for them as they go to the bush.

2006-03-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

Well I made it to Africa. Sorry for the long delay in an update. I have definately taken a huge dive into a new culture. We have been here a little more than a week, and so far we have experienced many things that are only characteristics of living in Niger. For one thing it is very, very hot, very, very dusty, and very, very, dry. It took my body a little while to adjust to how dry it was. I drink a lot of water here. This past week we got oriented to Niamey, which meant driving around Niamey. Unfortunately, I can not drive a stick, but my teammates Jessica and Melissa have taken the plunge. So far we have had two flat tires, got stuck in the sand, and a woman hit us the other day. Luckily the Lord has given me a big sense of humor, because every time something like that happens I laugh. I think it is great. It the states, all those things happening in less than a week, would make for a pretty bad week, but here it actually makes for fun times in Niger. There needless to say is not a whole lot to do in Niger. Yesterday me and my teammates went on our first adventure through Niamey on our own. It was a lot of fun and very successful. Praise God we did not hit any people, animals(sheep, camels, goats, or donkeys), or motos. Driving in Niamey definately is defensive driving. Well there is no such thing here as a one stop shopping place, so it took us a few hours to get all of the groceries that we needed, but it filled our whole day which was very nice. Another thing about Niger that is very different than any place I have been is hearing "the call to prayer." This is the first time I have ever lived in a Muslum country. Most of the Muslims we come across know little about there religion. They only stop to prayer because someone told them they were supposed to. It really puts into perspective the vast amount of lostness here.
Well tomorrow I begin my French study, which I am very excited about. Please pray for our teacher, Ibro, who is a believer, but has been turning away. He used to be a pastor. Please pray that God would give us oppurtunities to minister to him and love on him. Also pray for all of us as we adjust to this new place. Pray for our team as my team leader is still trying to figure out what villages to place us in. Also pray for my family. My Aunt(my mom's sister), died very unexpectedly this past week. Pray for my family to be strengthened and drawn closer into God's presence during this difficult time.

2006-03-09T01:47:00.000-08:00

Well this is my last blog on this continent. The next time I write there will be plenty of sand and plenty of sun. All of the packing is done I think, and in about 10 minutes my family will be waking up to go to the airport. I have a very long day ahead of me. How long will my journey be? About 26 hrs, if we have no delays. Please pray that God would give me travel mercies. Thank you all for praying for me to get better. My sinus infection is clearing up. Crying as I have found out, this being my last night at home, is really good for clearing the nasal passage. Pray for my family as they face the realness of not seeing me for two years, and pray for me. I am going to a whole new world(a very hot dry world). Pray that God will guide all of my steps, and that I would trust in him, and lean not on my own understanding. Lots of love for all of you.

2006-02-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

Only three more days left at orientation!!!I can't believe it is almost here. We leave for Africa next Thursday. I am so thankful to God for his faithfulness. God called me to be a missionary four years ago, and the journey has not always been easy, but I praise God for walking with me every step of the way. These past couple of weeks have been jam packed with tons of information. All of which will help us immensly and in ways I don't yet realize when we get to the field.
The high-light of this past week were two things. Now I know that when you fast you are not supposed to share it with others, but this was my first experience with fasting, and I just wanted to share what the Lord taught me from it. My teammates and I started Monday by committing that day to fast and pray for the Fulani. Mondays are tough days anyways right? How much worse could it be without eating?(these are thoughts that crossed my mind) I had never felt hunger pains before that day. I think it was something God wanted me to feel. Many of the Fulani live out day to day wondering if and when they will have their next meal. God also taught me about how much I love routine. I wasn't necessarily very hungry until that evening, but all throughout the day, it felt strange not being in the cafeteria. The greatest thing was being able to spend that time with my Lord, and with my teammates. I think that time really helped to unite us in spirit as we interceded in prayer for the Fulani.
The other high-light was the next day when we went to D.C. God taught about how if you pray you had better be prepared for God to answer some prayers. As soon as they dropped us off in Union Station I began prayer-walking. When we got on the Metro, there was a lady, and I started getting to know her. It turned out that she was a Christian, but that she had struggled with a drug addiction all of her life, so I asked if I could pray for her, so I did. I praise God for that encounter, but God taught me something even bigger after that. We were sitting on a bench in the Metro waiting for a train, and I started praying again. I was praying for the people there, and I prayed that God would give me another oppurtunity and bring the people right to us that we were supposed to share with. Immediately after I prayed an older man sat down next to me, and I thought wow God, that was quick, but I wasn't ready. I didn't even open my mouth. The thoughts that ran through my mind were I know you want me to share with him, but he looks scary, and he probably wouldn't even be interested in what I have to say. Our train came and I will never know what could have come out of the conversation had I only opened my mouth.
It was unfortunately another reminder of how Satan can decieve us into thinking that what we have to say is unimportant. I did not expect God to answer my prayer so quickly. That night I had to confess my sins to God and ask him to forgive me for my lack of faith. I find it ironic that my memory verse for the week had been Romans 1:16-17. "I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes;first for the Jew and then for the Gentile. For in the gospel there is a righteousness from God that is revealed. Its is a righteousness by faith from first to last. Just as it is written:the righteous will live by faith. I don't know why in the midst of that moment in the Metro God did not bring it to my mind, but it shows that what we have to say is very important, because it is the word of God no matter what Satan tries to make us believe. The Gospel is the power of God, and not me.
Please pray that my teammates and I would be unashamed of the gospel. Pray that we would have faith, and believe in the power of the gospel. Pray that God would reveal himself to the Fulani.

2006-02-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

I want to start out by sharing some praises and some answered prayers. First of all this past Friday was my last set of shots, so I want to praise the Lord for that. When I first got here and they told me I was getting 11 shots I was not looking forward to the prospect of being a pin cushion, but I give God all the glory for getting me through all 11 shots. An answered prayer is that my teammates and I all got our Visa's. Thankyou all for praying for that.
Well we have one more full week here at FPO, and one half week. I can't believe it is almost over, and we are only 3 weeks from finally going to Niger. This past week was however a fun week. We spent time with our regional people, and were able to go to their house for some real African food. As you know I am a very picky eater, but I really enjoyed the food. I had two helpings of it. We had rice, chicken, and a pea-nut sauce. We also had this strange gooey stuff, that did not really taste like anything. I just mixed it up with my rice. It reminded me a lot of Toe Foo(I don't know how to spell that) in that it took on the taste of whatever you put it in. We also went to the International Mission Board in Richmond and got to see a life size replica of Lottie Moon. She was a very tiny lady.
Another high-light of this week was some Biblical truths that God revealed to me. We talked about Philippians 5:2-11 in our regional time. I will let you look it up, but it just talks about how our attitude is supposed to be like Christ's. I am so thankful that Jesus was willing to come and humble himself, make himself a servant, and obey even unto death on a cross. My prayer is that I would be able to have that same attitude.
This week ended with more snow which got me to thinking about how quickly God can change a landscape. One minute everything is green and brown and the next minute it is white as snow. Pray that God would change the landscape of the Fulani in Niger. Pray that the dessert parched land would have streams of living water. Pray for us as the weeks dwindle down, that we would have boldness to share, and that we would always walk in obedience to what God is calling us to.

2006-02-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday, and we woke up to about six inches of snow on the ground. I got to sled down this huge hill. My back side is still a little sore from hitting the road at the bottom. Last night was rather exciting. On top of playing Phase 10 again, our toilet was abundantly overflowing-Not a good thing. It turned out to be a pretty funny and hilarious experience. As we were bailing the toilet water into the mop bucket, the thought crossed my mind that this is one thing that I would never have to worry about in Africa.
This was a long week with long days. We usually go non-stop until 3, but this week we went until five. Not only were the days long, but the content was quite heavy. The first part of the week we had some "special training", and the second part was Bible Storying. We learned about oral cultures, and how they learn.
I think the highlight of this week was today. As part of our assignments, we were asked to have a worship time by ourselves(since we will have no church where we are going). I read the first chapter of John Piper's Let the Nations be Glad, and it ushered me right into worship. It brought to my mind a song by Matt Redman. The first line is Let worship be the fuel for Mission's flame. How can we expect others to recognize the greatness of God when do not even give him the credit that he is due? Our God is so Good, Great, and Vast. I don't think I am blown away by that, nearly as much as I should be.
In these past weeks, I have seen God moving in mighty ways. Three children here have accepted Christ, and God has answered many prayers. Please continue to pray for our Visa's, and pray that God would show our supervisor what village we should be placed in. Also pray for my teammates-Melissa, Jessica, and Rachel. Pray for our families, as the day draws nearer for when we will say goodbye.

2006-02-05T19:23:00.000-08:00

Well it has been another exciting week here at MLC. Well I must say I kind of hit what we refer to as "the wall" this week. My brain sort of put up a barrier to all of the information they were giving us, but I got through it okay. It was amazing to see all the things the Lord did to give me strength, and to just help me take a deep breath and rest in him. Some highlights from the week were the medical sessions about malaria and worms, an excursion to McDonald's, and the trail by the river. I really enjoyed the trail by the river. We also stumbled upon a fulfulde(the language I need to learn) tape which was really exciting. We are learning to say things like "How is your tiredness?", which is our equivalent to "How are You?" This week concluded not with a clinic day(shots), but with a much needed spiritual retreat. It was nice to have lots of time to spend with the Lord. We also had a Super Bowl Party. Yeah Steelers!!!
This week we are going to be having some "special training", which I can't really discuss, but please keep all of us here in your prayers. We are also going to be having some sessions on Bible storying, which I am really looking forward to. The Sokoto are predominately illiterate, and their main access to the Bible will be orally so this is going to be quite useful.
My supervisor in Niger just got back from an excursion to see what villages we all might be going to. Tomorrow they are having a meeting to discuss his travels. Please pray that God would give them wisdom and let them know exactly where he wants us to be in Niger. Please let me know how you guys are doing as well. I would love to pray for you.

2006-01-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

Well this past week ended with another successful immunization clinic. I must say the shots this time hurt a little more than the last time but thankfully they are over. We had a very exciting week. We learned about the worldveiws, of my people group which is animistic, anthropology, doctine, and did some very exciting exploring. Little of my team's explorations can be discussed here, but I assure you it was very exciting, and humbling at times. This past Friday we sent in our Visa's for Niger. I can't believe that we will be going in six weeks. Oh and that reminds me that is an answered prayer. We finally know when we will be leaving. Me and the three other girls on my team are going to be leaving March 9. That is way earlier than any of us expected, but at least we know when we are going. Last night me and all the West Africa girls had a great time vegging out playing a very long game of phase 10. If you haven't ever played it, it's a good layover game for the airport. That was a blast!. Well please continue to pray that God would help me be a sponge to absorb all of the information he has here for me, that I would not take my eyes off of him, and that he would work out all the details of getting our Visa's approved. Thanks for your prayers.

2006-01-22T19:22:00.000-08:00

Well praise the Lord my shots went okay. I only ended up getting 3 this week and they were not really painful at all. My arms were a little sore that evening, but not too bad. Well this weekend was very inciteful. We had a seminar on the persecuted church which was filled with stories of immense faith and hope. It also gave me great incite into the persecution that my people group might face if they come to the faith. One thing that really stuck out from the sessions was when the speaker spoke about dying for Jesus. This was an insight that I had never thought about. It can be difficult to come to the place where you are willing to die for Jesus, but it is another thing when you are willing to let someone you love die for Jesus. He was mainly referring to taking his children to the mission field, knowing that he was putting their lives in danger. I was mainly thinking of my family who has to sacrifice, by being willing to let me possibly die for Jesus. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son..." God did not even spare his own son for his glory. So I just want to say thanks to Mommy, Daddy, Katie, Lil Sax, and the rest of my family for letting me go, and accepting the burden of letting me not only live for Jesus, but possibly die to him. More and more God is revealing to me that I need to have a desperation for him. My prayer for myself and for all of us is that we can all die to ourselves, and become living sacrifices who are holy and pleasing to God. Please be in prayer about a few things. Pray that the details of when we might be leaving would be worked out, and pray for all of us on the Niger team and our families as we get ready to say goodbye.

2006-01-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

Okay shots are tomorrow!!!!!!!!!Yikes! Please pray, that it goes okay. They call it clinic day, I much rather think it should be called D-Day. Day of Doom! Tomorrow I get to recieve 4 shots right in my deltoid. Well I know it won't be as bad as I think. There is one girl who has really put this into perspective for me. When she was younger she had to get shots in her eyes, so getting shots in my deltoids is small in comparison to the eye. I will get to praise him tomorrow for getting me through it, and I can praise him now that he will be with me through every mean needle. Thanks for your prayers.

2006-01-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

Well I have had an exciting first week here at ILC. There are still many unknowns like when will we actually be leaving? When do we apply for our visa? Where are we going to live?, but one thing remains true in all of this, and that is that God is with us.
This past Friday we had a personal spiritual retreat, and it was great to know that God was personally speaking to all 205 of us at the same time. When the retreat began I grabbed my guitar to go off to find a quiet place where I could sing, shout, or pray without distracting anyone. I proceeded to walk down a hill in which I found one tree standing just on the edge of the woods. I sat down and began singing "Search me Oh God and Know My Heart". It was at that time that I heard a rustle in the woods. Three deer had jumped into the clearing, and we were just staring at one another. I immediately began to ask God why he was allowing me to see these deer, and he brought to mind Psalm 42 As the dear pants for the water so my soul longs after thee.
At the start of this week, Jerry Rankin began a series on spiritual warfare, and that scripture is still ever present in my mind. The only way that we can guard ourselves from Satan is to have an incredible desperation for God. I want to thirst after God. My prayer has been that my appetite for him would never be quenched.
On top of being closer drawn to the lord, he has also been drawing me closer to my West Africa family. There are six of us West Africa girls living in my quad and this weekend we all had to cook everything from scratch. We got to sit down and share every meal with one another. On top of discovering that we all love to eat, we also all discovered something new about each other. Here at ILC, there is no "western church". We are all attending house church with our region(West Africa). It was great to worship God corporately in a new way.
ILC is definately a learning environment. There are so many things to learn! So many books to read! Please pray that God would make me a sponge to absorb all of the knowledge he wants me to gain while here, and that I would have an increasing desperation for God.

2006-01-11T07:23:00.000-08:00

Well I am here at MLC for orientation or FPO. I had a really good flight and it has been so great to see everyone from conference. Today was mainly just spent getting acclimated with the campus. Oh and I know I will have no problem losing a few pounds here because my quad is way far from everything. There are a lot of little MK's running around too, so that makes it lots of fun. I also saw the Getty's up here for all you FBP people out there. It was a fun little reunion and they gave me some well needed laundry detergent.
We have not really done that much here yet. We got another huge folder to read. We also had our medical interviews. I have to have 11 shots! I also signed up for ministry team which is the prayer team. I really thought I would be a part of the worship team, but since before conference I have really felt like I need to be spending more time in prayer. So I will be able to not only spend more time in prayer, but also help my MLC family with prayer.
I am just now beginning to get to know the other three girls who are going to Niger with me. They are Jessica, Melissa, and Rachel so you can be praying for them as well. If you would please pray that God would give all of us a sharp mind so that I would be able to take in all the information they have. Well that's all for now. Love all of you.

I'm going to Niger for 2 years!!!

2005-12-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

Okay so this is my first "blog" experience, which will be the first of many new experiences. I am currently in the process of getting ready to go to Niger, which is in West Africa. Some countries that border Niger are Chad, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso, and it is very close to the Sahara dessert.
I am going with the International Mission Board, and will be gone for 2 years. My orientation starts January 10 and I am really excited. I know I am going to learn a lot about many customs in Niger and ways in which to best share Christ with the the people there. One thing that I am really looking forward to, is learning how to kill and skin a chicken. We also will get to learn how to cook from scratch. Yes...finally I can expand my cooking skills to more than just Kraft mac and cheese.
When I get to Niger my job title is a relational evangelist, so that means I will be evangelising through the relationships I build with the people in my village. I will be working with a people group known as the Sokoto Fulani. There are 450,000 Sokoto Fulani and only about 50 known believers. The Sokoto are herdsmen so that means that they move around a lot. I will be alternating between living in the bush(no utilities), and living in town(utilities). The Sokoto are predominantly Muslim, so I will mainly be ministering to the women in my village.
This will be my first trip to Africa, so I know I will get to experience many new things and make many adjustments. I am looking forward to see how the lord will use me and my teamates when we get there. Please pray for me as I make my final preparations to go to orientation. Also pray for my family as we get ready to say our goodbyes. Finally be in prayer for the Sokoto. Pray that God will draw his people to himself, and that he would prepare their hearts to hear the good news.