Let me back up a bit and tell
you how Aichatou and I have spent the last five weeks. Her rural
practicum came to an end at the Danja Center for Health and Leprosy,
which is operated by the Christian mission, Serving in Mission
(SIM), on December 19. She really enjoyed her time there and saw
a lot of illnesses—particularly skin diseases—that
she had only read about, but had never seen as a doctor. And she
enjoyed working with a Christian medical staff. Because we were
only three hours from her parents in Zinder, we went there for
our Christmas and had a very nice time. I had some interesting
conversations with Aichatou's father, who was once a national
church leader and he shared his thoughts on the church's history
in Niger. Their house has a small hot water heater (a real rarity
in Niger) that you find in tropical bathrooms (it is not needed
other than in the bath) and my first hot shower in months almost
resulted in my getting burned as a hose fitting suddenly came
loose, with near-boiling water just missing me by inches. I certainly
felt like Someone was watching out for me after that near-disaster.
After Christmas we moved out of the SIM Danja compound and back
to our rented home in Niamey.
Back in Niamey, Aichatou came back to her classes and to her
exams. The university strike, which was responsible for her sixth-year
medical class leaving for their rural practicum earlier than normal,
was settled in November and so all of the other medical students
returned to their classes and finished their academic year in
December. Aichatou's classmates arrived back at school in early
January and discovered they had five weeks to try to finish out
their classes and "catch up," since the medical school
now has two "sixth-year" classes on the campus and they
would like to promote her class and move them on and out! She's
been very busy taking tests and hasn't had time for anything else.
We do have some much-needed extra help in our home. Aichatou had
a cousin from Zinder who has moved in with us and is helping out
with the house and will also help when the baby comes. Taking
in relatives is pretty common in Niger, and it reminds me of an
earlier time in America when young, unmarried women were sent
to stay with family members to get an education, to learn a skill,
or to earn a little money before their marriage. Her presence
has certainly made our household calmer and more efficient and
she is greatly appreciated.
The two weeks before the Vonks came were difficult for me. I
didn't have my computer and I really don't have any "office"
to work at in Niamey. I was pretty frustrated in that I felt there
were lots of things I should be doing, but I just couldn't do
anything without the right equipment or talking to the right people,
who because my computer was down, I couldn't communicate with.
This all changed the minute that Ted and Eleanor Vonk arrived
and my responsibilities for their visit became clear (and they
also brought a used laptop for me to use). These retired educators
are in the country to help the EERN (our partner church) to launch
Christian schools in Niger. The public school system in Niger
is in chaos and the church realizes that now is a tremendous opportunity
to open schools. Parents are desperate to find quality education
and they will willingly send their (Muslim) children to Christian
schools if their children will receive good academic and moral
instruction. The government, too, is supportive of private education
because it relieves pressures on its overstretched budgets. Any
church can receive land for free if it promises to build and operate
a school there. While the Vonks are volunteering to hold some
conversational English classes and agreed to present an in-service
training for the teachers at the EERN's only existing primary
school, this trip to Niger is primarily for them to learn more
about Niger, its educational system, and the church. They are
quickly finding out that there is a great openness for the church
to engage in Christian education in Niger, but also great challenges
that need to be overcome. Such is the case for almost everything
here!
I need to sign off now. Tomorrow, our RCA supervisor, Debbie
Braaksma, arrives for a week in Niger. The days will be full!
Praises and prayers
- Please give praise for God's watching hand over us as we (particularly
me) have put more than 5000 kilometers (3000 miles) on Niger's
roads in the last 30 days, often going from Niamey to Maradi
to Zinder.
- Please pray for our visitors, the Vonks and Debbie Braaksma,
during their time in Niger. Please pray that God will show them
how they can contribute to the building of His church through
their special gifts and expertise. Give thanks for the six used
laptops that the Vonks were able to donate to the EERN from
their son's business. They will dramatically help the church
carry out its work here.
- Give praise that almost all of the money for our house at
the Dogon Gao Bible School has been raised. I believe we only
need the last $1,000 before the three-bedroom home will be totally
finished.
- Pray that I will be able to work to my capabilities by having
a computer that meets my needs and working space that is separate
from our living space (especially when a baby is coming!)
- Pray for Aichatou's last examinations (particularly in public
health) and that she and the baby will continue to do well during
the last three months of pregnancy.
In Christ,
Tom and Aichatou
The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
44 |
