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Between our Christmas Eve engagement and the end of February,
we had seen each other three or four times and had never had a
chance for any in-depth conversation. My, did we have some catching
up to do! Especially on planning the wedding! We spent every day
together that week and about half of our time was spent making
decisions about the wedding and how we would try to organize our
lives in two different cities after the marriage. They were encouraging
but challenging discussions, and it just emphasized how much work
goes into making a relationship work and how important communication
is.
Yes, April 19 is the special day and it is coming up fast! From
the best I can tell, everything is falling into place. Although
I won't have any family members here (April is a difficult month
for my farming family to come and it is about the worst month
for first-time North American visitors to experience hot Niger),
there will be a large presence from the missionary community and
of course, Aïchatou's family will fill the church. We'll
certainly try to organize something back in the States for the
many people who want to share our joy.
In talking with my mission supervisors, it has become apparent
that returning to the United States this summer will be a very
useful thing to do. Becoming married adds quite a few additional
costs to supporting an international missionary, so I need to
do some more fundraising. Also, Aïchatou needs to interview
with the mission and start exploring how she can participate in
the work, once she finishes her medical studies. Finally, we need
to visit many family and friends, which we were planning on doing
anyway, as part of our 2003 vacation. The details are still being
worked out, but it is likely that we will be back in July, August,
and September, although Aïchatou will probably need to return
to her medical studies after six or eight weeks. I'll share more
details as we figure them out.
So, the last three weeks has been a time of catch-up. I've been
reading emails, cards, and letters that came during the volunteers'
stays, which I never had a chance to look at. I've been doing
a lot of letter-writing, report-writing, and writing thank-yous,
as well. I've also started organizing a "Food-for-Work"
program for the Dogon Gao Bible School students. Unfortunately,
too few of them came with adequate resources for their families
and unless they received some type of help, most of them would
be forced to drop their classes and return to their family homes
to find something to eat. The Reformed Church World Services is
giving us some money to buy grain and most of our funds for materials
are coming from our recent volunteers and their churches. The
good thing is that we have a great opportunity for the students
to work on several projects that will improve the facilities and
living conditions at the Bible School.
Prayer requests for this month
- Give praise for all of the wonderful volunteers who were here
and for all the great things they accomplished. We are also
thankful for the relationships that developed between Americans
and Nigeriens and which seem likely to continue in the future.
- Give praise that Aïchatou and I were able to spend a
fair amount of time together and that we are using our four-month
engagement period (apart) to grow closer together.
- Pray that God will guide our summer planning as we make arrangements
to go to the United States. Pray that Aïchatou will be
able to find adequate time from her studies and get the necessary
approval to postpone her rural health rotation (scheduled for
the summer) to another time.
- Pray for the safety and security of Christians and missionaries
in the Muslim world during a likely war. There is certainly
some anti-American sentiment here, but there doesn't seem to
be much pro-Saddam support. A few are trying to frame the war
as Muslim vs. Christian, but please pray that those who are
trying to push this idea are not viewed as credible.
- Pray that we will be able to find an affordable apartment
for Aïchatou (and me) in Niamey. She has been living in
her uncle's house in Niamey and that isn't a real option for
us as a married couple. We haven't had much luck in finding
anything thus far.
Thomas R. Johnson
Community Development Missionary
Reformed Church in America/Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Serving l'Église Évangélique de la République
du Niger
Thoughts from volunteers:
Hi! My name is Sharon, and I am from the Maurice Reformed Church.
Along with 6 other people mostly from Northwest Iowa, I spent
a little over two weeks in Niger. I was awed and humbled at the
ways I saw God working there: in the testimonies of the people,
the joy I saw in the Christians there, in the way our paths were
smoothed before us (especially at the start of our trip when it
looked like we may have to spend 3 extra days in Paris when we
arrived late for our connecting flight!), and all of the things
that came together to make our trip memorable and more meaningful.
Selfishly, I feel that I took home far more than I left there.
It was an experience I wish everyone could have!
We're Wilbur and Madelyn Vander Heul, members of the First Reformed
Church in Rock Valley, Iowa are crop farmers and Madelyn is a
retired elementary school teacher. Our time spent in Niger was
very rewarding in that it helped make the universality of the
family of God so much more experientially real. It also helped
us realize in a more "real"and concrete way how very
greatly we are blessed and how to be content, as those in Niger
are, with the little they have. They have taught us much.
I'm Sharon Abrams from Prairie Ridge Church in Ankeny, Iowa.
I work for a moving company in the Loss Prevention and Claims
Dept. Three from our group painted window screen frames at the
Tibiri School. On my first work day, I was feeling rather overwhelmed-like
what I was doing just wasn't enough, not enough to make a difference.
At that moment, God spoke to me and said "This is enough,
this is good!" What I learned was I can make a difference
in God's Kingdom! I am special in His eyes! The most important
thing was not the amount of work I got done, but just being there
to meet and briefly touch the lives of those beautiful, kind,
gentle and humble people. I will never forget the time I spent
in Niger! God truly used this experience to change my heart! Isn't
He a marvelous God?
I'm Sandy Stewart, from Prairie Ridge Church, Ankeny, Iowa.While
in Niger God daily showed me His faithfulness and the blessings
that He will give you on a daily bases when you trust and walk
with Him. As we served the people we were receiving back many
blessings. I got even more of a sense on how big and awesome God
is. I continued the English classes started by the other groups
and enjoyed the excitement of their enthusism to learn. The sharing
and boldness of their Faith Walk has been incrediable to me. Their
treasures are truely where their Heart is and that is with Jesus
Christ. They are rich in joy, happiness, and peace with God. I
have received more of that since my return home. God is faithful
and His Mercies are new everyday. That is what I experienced while
in Niger and since my return home.
As I reflect on what happened between January 23 and February
8, I can think of many faces of people that became friends in
a short amount of time. I think of the different greetings that
were used, and the somber looks that turned into big smiles when
they heard more than just good morning, but how was your sleep
and how is your family. The many children and young adults who
waved their arms with enthusiasm when they saw the land cruiser
packed with white faces made me think that we must either be missing
something in the U.S., or we have too many things that cause us
to miss some of the finer things in life-like a smile and a wave.
In the "Experiencing God" book, one statement that comes
back to me often is "We as Christians should find a place
where God is already working, and then join them." I feel
that this is what the Reformed Church in America is trying to
do in the mission fields. The EERN (Evangelical Church of Niger)
is already working in Niger, and they have great vision and goals,
but they are a very poor nation and many of those goals cannot
be reached if they try it alone. The RCA and Tom Johnson have
come alongside the EERN and with Tom's skills of community development,
plus some money from the RCA, some of the goals of better education
opportunities and better health care will open doors for them
to share the love of Jesus and to share the salvation that He
offers. I know God had a purpose in allowing me to make this trip
to Niger, and it feels like part of it is to inform the people
back home of what is going on and what new and exciting things
are waiting to be started. All of this has one goal, which is
to further the name of Jesus and to Increase His Kingdom. The
opportunity is there, so How will We respond. Thanks, Brad Vermeer
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