March 2007

Vol. 6. No. 10

Hello Everyone,

It has been quite busy for our family since I last wrote. January, February, and early March are usually reserved for volunteer teams, as that is the best period to work in Niger, before it gets too hot. This year we welcomed a three men from Sioux Center, Iowa, and a six-person team from Hopewell Junction, New York. I gave much of my time to these groups these past few weeks, split between Maradi-Danja and Niamey.

In my February newsletter, I wrote that the Sioux Center team of Jerry VM, Brian R, and Verlyn R was installing solar panels and a wind turbine to power a multi-voltage water pump that would constantly fill the Dogon Gao Bible School’s reservoirs. Not only would this allow for a constant supply of drinking water, but it would permit the school to operate a goat project and irrigated gardens, since neither water nor operating cost would be a limiting factor. Well, the team successfully installed the turbine and the solar panels, but they discovered that the pump was faulty. So, sadly, the group left Niger without finishing their project. There’s still a generator that’s near the well, so they are pumping water with another pump every two days to fill up the reservoirs. We’ll need to figure out a way to get another pump to Niger, since the original was still under its guarantee, but since the pump is light enough to travel as checked-in luggage, there are some possibilities. The group was able to lodge at the Leprosy Hospital compound (next to us) and they ate their evening meals at our home. Other than a Sunday afternoon at the swimming pool in Maradi, these three guys were constantly at work. On their last day in Danja, they chose to build a swing set for our daughters and the Bible School and install clothesline poles at our new home rather than relax or go sightseeing. We’re very grateful for their hard work and sacrifices for the ministry.

After the Sioux Center team finished their work in Danja, we drove back to Niamey so they could catch their flight back home. That gave me four days to catch my breath before welcoming our New York volunteers at 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 7. This group of four men and two women were a mix of experienced “mission trip-takers” with some debutants. Our objective was to build a playground at Niamey’s Boukoki Church, which is planning to host a pre-school or kindergarten soon. God blessed us by sending an engineer who enthusiastically started designing a swing-set, a slide, and a platform that would hold three sets of hand rings. He was a bit shocked to learn that our materials were greatly limited and that almost all special pieces would have to be created by us using a welder or a local blacksmith if we couldn’t find them in the hardware market or scrap yard. Several of the volunteers came to Niger because they wanted to interact with poor children, so we arranged for them to visit a Christian orphanage. They also got a chance to be with the local neighborhood kids who came to our work site, even giving them small jobs to help with the project. All in all, we built the three playground items, plus two rocking horses (using old truck springs), a balance bar, and a simple tree-swing. Other than the swing seats and the hand rings, all items were built by our crew, with the help of Usman and a local welder. None of us believed how much we actually accomplished, and the local church was astonished to see a playground emerge from an unused section of their property in exactly one week! The young couples group at the church (who requested the playground) sent us off with a wonderful meal of appreciation that featured some of Niger’s best dishes.

Meanwhile, back at Danja, Aïchatou was home with the kids. I had arranged for her sister Rahilia to come to give a short course on teaching trainers of literacy to the Dogon Gao students. It worked out well that she was able to conduct the course during the same two weeks that I was in Niamey with the second group of volunteers. Except for three days, Aïchatou had her sister with her during my absence. That helped her out, as the girls’ “auntie” loved to play with Marie-Florence and Laurey. They cried a great deal when it was time for Rahilia to return to Zinder.

While the New York team commented on how hot it was, they didn’t realize what good luck they had to enjoy the last “mild” days prior to the hot season beginning in earnest. Today the temperature should reach 110 F in Niamey (only 104 F here). Nights are starting to get uncomfortable without turning the fans on high. So, until the rains come in June, we’ll be increasingly miserable and less productive due to the heat!

The presence of visitors has slowed down the work on the house. We’re currently in the process of re-doing the bathroom plumbing and septic system and have most of the boundary fence put up. Electricity from the power grid arrived yesterday! Next, we’ll paint all the rooms and put a tiled floor in most or all of the rooms on our side of the house. At that point we’ll move in—ideally in two weeks or so. We’ll still need to find funds to finish the second apartment (where our girls’ teachers and other volunteers will stay). It also looks like we’ll need to extend part of the roof, as it is too short and allows rain to flow on the walls of the girls’ bedrooms and weakens those cement blocks. Thanks for all those who have so generously contributed!

We’re planning to spend September to December this year in the United States on home assignment (formerly called “furlough”) and personal vacation and will again make our home at my parents’ home in Oskaloosa, Iowa. If you would like us (more than likely just me, if air travel is required) to speak at your church, please contact your RCA Synod Mission Stewardship Coordinator. PC(USA) churches should call Bruce Whearty in Louisville at (888) 728-7228 ext 5826. We hope to see as many of you as possible, but our priority will be in meeting with new church supporters and those whom we were unable to see in 2005.

Prayers and praise

• Give thanks for our volunteers that were here and for all of those in their home churches who helped contribute to the mission trips. We are so thankful that there are people who are willing to leave their homes and communities to serve the Lord and us in Niger in this fashion.
• Give thanks for the infrastructure that the volunteers left behind: solar and windpower systems for pumping water and a playground to be used for small children. Pray that the defective pump will be replaced without hassle and soon arrive in Niger and that having constant water will help the school become more self-sufficient. Pray that the new playground will be actively used for ministry and will attract children and their families to the church and to knowledge of Jesus Christ.
• Give thanks for the fact that Dogon Gao now has running water and electricity! Pray for wisdom on some issues that are now sure to come up in managing these resources. Bills will have to be paid and new sources of revenue must be identified, while existing sources of revenue must be better managed.
• Pray that the remaining work on our home will be quickly accomplished. Give thanks for the funds that have come in to help finish the critical needs. Pray for good workmanship on the projects that remain and that the house will be a blessing to our family.

In Christ,

Tom, Aïchatou, Marie-Florence and Laurey

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 319