Vol. 2, No. 9

Luckily, I have found a few minutes to stop and write my monthly newsletter. Since I wrote my last newsletter in mid-January, I have hosted 15 volunteers from the United States, plus my RCA (Reformed Church of America) missions supervisor, Debbie Braaksma, as well as my fiancée, Aïchatou, who made her first visit to Maradi since we met. I'm almost anxious for the hot season to return, so that life can slow down!

In my last email, I told you about Wilbur and Madelyn from Rock Valley, Iowa, and Ron from Grand Rapids, who spent five weeks and two weeks, respectively, working on volunteer projects here in Maradi with me. They stayed in Niger until January 25, when they left on Air France for the United States via Paris. While Madelyn taught three classes of English, Ron and Wilbur worked at the Tibiri Primary School, where they put screens on the dormitories and braced up the cracked cement block wall of the principal's house with a huge buttress. We were pleased that we got all their work done before they left and they each got to experience a lot of Niger.

Before we knew it, it was time for Debbie to return to Niamey to catch her next flight. Fortunately, the SIMAir plane was able to fly them back and the pilot allowed Aïchatou to take the co-pilot's seat and even let her handle the controls for close to 30 minutes! I think all of us got a better idea of how Aïchatou can be an important part of the ministry here.

Well, three days after Debbie and Aïchatou left, it was time to return the first volunteers to Niamey and at the same time collect the next group! So, at the same moment that Wilbur, Madelyn, and Ron were checking in their baggage at the Air France counter, seven people from the Sioux Center-Orange City, Iowa, community arrived on the incoming Air France plane. However, none of their luggage came! They had barely made their connection at the Paris airport and, as a result, their luggage was delayed. I had warned them of this possibility, so they were largely prepared to live out of their carry-ons for a few days. We could only hope that their bags would be coming soon and four days later all but two suitcases appeared (they came a week later). Because there is about an eight-hour difference between when the Air France flight arrives and then leaves again, it was possible for the first group of volunteers to eat supper with the second group, which was nice for everyone to compare notes and ask questions.

We had some concerns about how we could transport seven volunteers around Niger, since there is not an abundance of solid vehicles in the church that can hold that many people. We decided that my Land Cruiser would take the three women and the luggage, while the four men, plus an EERN church leader, would take the public bus (motor coach) between Niamey and Maradi. In Niger, they have installed five seats (three on one side of the aisle and two on the other) in each row of the motor coach, instead of the four that you would find in America. That works fine if you are a slim, short, Fulani cattle-herder. It doesn't work well for a big, tall, American! They survived the trip though, and we arrived in Maradi in time to attend the Sunday evening Bible study. After that, we ate supper and just as everyone was preparing to clean up and go to bed, the neighborhood's transformer exploded, shooting out flames and sparks and throwing our area into complete darkness! Welcome to Maradi! Sixteen hours later, it was, thankfully, repaired and we had lights for the rest of their stay.

So, what do you do with seven volunteers? Well, we did many things. The three women, Rebecca, Tanya, and Sharon, decided they would continue teaching two of Madelyn's English classes in Maradi-a class for beginners and an advanced conversational class. Greg, a physiotherapist from the Twin Cities (but who grew up in northwest Iowa), volunteered at the leprosy hospital and did therapy both on patients and several missionaries and hospital staff who were suffering from all sorts of minor ailments. Brad, Mark, Andy, and then Husseini (a church leader and architect) and Usman (our missionary assistant) started working on constructing a shelter at the Dogon Gao Bible School. Although they didn't finish that job (there wasn't enough time), they also installed a water line to a church library and classroom, pouring cement gateposts and overhauling a church-owned motorcycle that Usman uses.

While it is wonderful to have these volunteers to help with projects, getting work done is not the only reason for coming to a mission site. Just as important (really!) is to experience the culture, meet the people, learn how missions are done, and to discover what are some of the issues and needs in the ministry. So, our last two volunteer groups worked in the mornings, but in the afternoon, we did other activities, such as listen to presentations on Hausa culture, Islam, tour a local soap factory, visit EERN schools, churches and facilities, see the giraffes and on one day, we visited Zinder (and saw Aïchatou's family). We also had a round-table where six Nigerien Christians described how they came to know Christ and the difficulties this caused in their Muslim families. The last group of five women from Ankeny, Iowa, was even able to meet the King of the Gobirs (a Hausa sub-ethnic group) and witness some of the local activities at the court during the Muslim holiday of Tabaski (February 12-13).

Yes, I am now hosting five women from the Prairie Ridge Church (RCA). I'll write more about them next month, but on February 7, we had seven people leaving the airport and five arriving at the same time! Their bags all came, so it was easy to get them settled. Sandy and Janelle are teaching English and Haley, Alicia, and Sharon are painting the wooden screen frames that Wilbur, Ron and Usman built at the Tibiri Elementary School.

Whew, I'm exhausted! Here are the prayers and praises for this next month:

• Big praises for the health and protection that God has given all of the volunteers. So far, we have had no major health problems (just some occasional stomach problems and colds) or other issues to deal with. Everyone has been wonderful to work with and very cooperative and understanding.
• Pray that God will use their Nigerien experiences to speak to the hearts of each of the volunteers who came about His work here.
• Give praise for all the resources (financial, emotional, and physical) that the volunteers have provided. Not only have they come with some needed funds and expertise, but also their very presence is very encouraging to the Nigerien Christians, who often feel isolated and forgotten in this land.
• Pray that God will direct Aïchatou and me as we continue making our marriage plans (date is April 19) and other plans for the future. Pray that we will be able to find several opportunities to be together during the next two months.
• Pray for the RCA's future involvement in Niger. There are certainly some opportunities for the RCA to expand their presence here. For example, bringing Aïchatou on board will allow some type of health ministry to start, although we need guidance as to what kind. An increased presence will require additional funds for her ministry and although she still must finish her medical studies this year, it is not to early for us to get commitments for her work.

Thomas R. Johnson