Other than putting on a roof,
the students did everything else to complete the building: they
plastered both the interior and exterior walls with cement, they
made the adobe bricks for an interior wall and then laid the brick,
they have put a coat of whitewash and another final coat of paint
on the exterior and are now in the process of painting the interior.
In addition, we will soon pour the cement floor for the building.
They painted the windows and doors an attractive turquoise-green,
but they aren’t visible in the photo as they had been removed
and were in the process of being painted.
The paint alone changes the “look” of the school
by adding a much-needed contrast to the pervasive sandy brown
in Niger and it is already attracting attention from passer-bys.
Indeed, the project is bringing hope and encouragement to everyone
involved. Not only are the school residents able to eat regularly,
but they are also discovering they are capable of participating
in making the changes. Granted, they need outside financial help
to buy the materials and often they need someone to teach them
the necessary skills (though two students who had worked as masons,
none of the students had painted before). Since these are men
and women who will be in the ministry and probably will have their
own churches, it is important that they believe in grassroots
activities, where local people get the job done, rather than bringing
in outsiders to do the work that church members are capable of
doing themselves. As the Bible school’s campus improves,
so do people’s attitudes and enthusiasm. It is very positive
to be a part of this dynamic.
Now, though, Aïchatou and I are preparing for our visit
to the United States. Together we’ll spend 40 days in the
U.S. (our longest time together!) before Aïchatou must return
to Niger to do her rural medical posting in mid-August. I’ll
stay until September 27. This is officially a “work trip”
and not a vacation. In fact, we really have little time to ourselves,
as you can see from our itinerary (below) since we’ll be
speaking to churches and missions committee in several states.
However, we really hope we can see as many of you as possible.
If we will be visiting near you, please let us know or try to
see us. We do want to invite everyone to come to our U.S. wedding
reception on Saturday, July 5 from 2-5 p.m. at the Ebenezer Reformed
Church in Leighton, Iowa. If you can get to Leighton (between
Oskaloosa and Pella) you can find the church. There are only two
churches in the town and this is the one by the park. We do not
want any gifts, but would accept contributions to the Reformed
Church in America for the purpose of expanding our house (now
one bedroom) at the Dogon Gao Bible School.
Prayer requests
- Pray for good and regular rains in Niger. This is a critical
season for Nigeriens as the amount of rain shapes the household’s
future.
- Pray for our travel to and from the United States and while
in the States. We’ll certainly be racking up lots of miles
both on the plane and in a car. Pray for our safety and that
we make all our connections.
- Pray for the EERN (Evangelical Church of Niger) and its leaders.
There are so many ministry opportunities, but there often seems
to be a lack of human and financial resources to take advantage
of them. There is a scarcity mentality here in Niger and it
affects every area of life, including the life of the Church.
Yet our God is a god of abundant blessings. He will supply all
that we need, especially for His work.
- Pray for our trip to the United States. We have so many things
to do and so many people to meet. Aïchatou will meet my
family for the first time and she will also interview for a
missionary position. We hope to meet many of you and speak about
the work in Niger. Pray that God will be our guide and allow
us to accomplish all that is important.
Itinerary of Tom and Aïchatou
July 2 Leave Niger on Air Maroc, spending
one night in Casablanca before connecting to New York
July 3 Arrive in U.S.
July 5 Reception at Ebenezer Reformed Church,
Leighton, Iowa, from 2-5 p.m.
July 6 Ebenezer in Leighton in a.m., Trinity
in Pella in p.m.
July 7-11 Unscheduled
July 12 Drive to NW Iowa
July 13 Speak at First Reformed, Sioux Center,
Iowa in a.m.
July 14 Return to Oskaloosa, Iowa
July 15-18 Unscheduled
July 19 Drive to Michigan
July 20 Speak to Bethany Reformed, Kalamazoo
in a.m., Corinth Reformed at Byron Center in p.m.
July 21-22 Travel to Quebec, Canada
July 23 Meet with St. Marc’s Reformed
Church, Ste. Foy, Quebec
July 24-25 Sightseeing/vacation
July 26 Travel to New Hampshire
July 27 Speak to Windham Presbyterian in New
Hampshire
July 27-28 Fly to Chicago for interview with
RCA/PCUSA African mission coordinators
July 29 Meet with Lincoln Park, New Jersey,
Missions committee
July 30 Drive to Grand Rapids, Michigan
July 31 Interview for Aïchatou in Grand
Rapids with RCA World Missions
August 1-2 Free time in Michigan
August 3 Speak to Beverly Reformed in Wyoming,
Michigan, in a.m.
August 4 Drive to Iowa
August 5–8 Unscheduled.
August 9 Aïchatou’s birthday
August 10 Speak to First Presbyterian in a.m.
and Central Reformed in p.m. at Oskaloosa, Iowa
August 11 Aïchatou leaves for her rural
medical rotation in Niger
August 17 Tom speaks to New Life Reformed,
Oradell, New Jersey
September 27 Tom leaves for Niger
Thomas R. Johnson
The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.35
P.S. While we are in the States, we would be glad to collect
any used laptop computers that people want to donate to the Church
in Niger. First of all we need them for various church administration
needs, but once we have enough, others will be given to EERN schools.
Used computers should be less than 5 years, no 486s (Pentium processor
is the minimum). Also, they need to be 110v/240v ,as Niger uses
240 v.
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