Hillsdale Niger 2009

From sand to snow

2009-02-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

We're back in Regina. Our plane was pretty much on time coming in to Regina on Wednesday, and our family and friends were there to greet us. The return trip was uneventful and a little long. It was almost 28 hours of being either in an airport or on a plane.

Everyone is glad to be home, though some certainly miss the heat of Niger as it was about -20C when we arrived and has been colder since.

Although our trip has come to an end, we aren't quite done as a team yet. This Sunday, March 1st, our church will be hosting a special potluck supper during which we will share about our experience. We invite you to come and join us, starting at 6pm. We ask that each family bring a main dish as well as a salad, hot vegetable or a dessert. The address is 101 Munroe Place, Regina. We hope to see you there.

Coming Home

2009-02-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

Please note that the Niger team is scheduled to arrive in Regina at 6:29 pm Wednesday on AC 1133 from Toronto.

Pictures from Sunday

2009-02-24T06:29:00.000-08:00

On Sunday the Niger team Skyped into our service for an update on the project. The following are the pictures they sent that we showed while we talked with them. The pictures show the completed project, the women's ward at Danja hospital, and the discipleship seminar.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's back to Niamey we go..

2009-02-23T12:10:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

I just want to put up a quick post to let you all know that we are now back in Niamey after a slightly shorter drive; we had less stops this time around. It was also much less cramped than the trip out to Maradi, since Vicki, Lynette, Annie and Tommy rode with the Evans'. So 11 of us got into the same bus as last time, with much less luggage as well.

The amount of dust in the air was significantly less this time, and so we were treated both to beautiful African vistas and some very hot temperatures. Which was especially hard on the few members of our team who were suffering from a stomach bug since the night before. Nevertheless, we all made it safely to Niamey and are enjoying a bit of shopping tonite and tomorrow before our flight shortly after midnight.

Jon

PS: A few events that took place on the weekend haven't been blogged about yet and we'll hopefully have those to you tomorrow before we leave. If not, come ask us on Sunday at church and we'll be happy to tell you.

Sowing the Seeds of Change in the Sahel

2009-02-21T06:02:00.001-08:00

Sowing seeds of change is just one of the catch phrases SIMaid uses in their brochures, and for good reason. Over the past history traditional farming practices used by the farmers caused desertification, deforestation and wind erosion, resulting in frequent drought and famines. This makes me think of the drought that we had during the 1930’s. We North Americans have had our own problems with poor farming practices. .i.e. fence rows filled with dirt, and severe drought with wind erosion and loss of top-soil during the late 1980’s.

Peter Cunningham is an Agronomist with SIMaid and is head of the “Farmer Managed Agro Forestry Farming system (FMAFS)” which works to develop a sustainable dryland farming system for the Sahel. Peter and his crew go into the rural area and work with some of the farmers such as Issa who has a 2-ha plot planted with the new multi-purpose Australian Acacia trees.

The Acacia trees are native to a part of Australia known to have the same climatic conditions of the Sahelian zone of Niger, these trees are a nitrogen fixing plant that can pull nitrogen out of the air which can improve the intercropping of millet and sorghum. Also the tree has many species that have different growing characteristics such as seed pod size and shape. The seeds are ground and used in a 25% mix with normal grain flour that can increase protein levels by 50 %.

In drought conditions, the farmer can sell wood from the Acacia tree as a fuel. The farmers are taught to selectively prune the trees, so that the tree can robustly revive itself and continue production.

Gary, Tom, Brad, Jack, Jonathan, Kory and myself went with Peter Cunningham (SIMaid agronomist) went out to the experimental tree farm to see Issa the landowner who is working with Peter. Issa was very proud of the success of this project; the neighbouring farmers are watching and learning from this success.

Yours sincerely,
Jim Etter

A day in the life of a Hausa Village…

2009-02-21T05:51:00.000-08:00

Today, our team went in two directions. Some of us stayed at the worksite and finished up some things like putting in fans and lights. The rest of us went on a trip out to the bush. There is a missionary couple here who work a lot with local villages and farmers showing them how to improve soil and growing conditions, and the nutritional value in their diets. This is done mainly through what is now called “Sowing Seeds of Change for the Sahel.”

We went along today to witness a food presentation in the village of Botsi. This was quite an involved process and our part in it was just to watch and see what it was all about. Really, though, our purpose for going was to again to be exposed to another aspect of Hausa culture and way of life. Even Peter, the missionary who heads up this program, mentioned that this trip would be an experience in seeing Africa ‘outside of the bubble’ of the Maradi guesthouse (where we are staying) to the construction site, and back again.

Well it certainly was. We headed out this morning, packed into two vehicles, down the main highway here in Niger. It is like the Trans-Canada in that it spans the southern border of the country. After a many kilometres, we turned onto a sand road, stopped the vehicles, and locked the wheel hubs into 4WD. And off we went into the African plain with only two tread marks, from previous travellers, to guide us. Our first stop was a quick one at a village to pick up a couple more people including a Christian farmer, Issa who is helping Peter on this project. We had a chance to step into one of the mud brick houses and were taken back at how little room there was inside. Two rooms, eighty square feet total, bed squeezed into the hallway between the rooms.

We continued on to Botsi through the scorching plain. The winds were blowing sand and produced a haze over the horizon. There were a number of trees scattered over the landscape.

As we entered Botsi we were greeted by people, goats, donkeys, cattle and chickens. The people the village brought out benches for us to sit with the rest on the villagers in their central meeting place. One of the SIM people with us was a local radio personality named Jaho who hosts a radio show. Some of the people recognized his voice from hearing him on their portable radios. Jaho helps out with the Sowing Seeds of Change food demonstration presentations.

As our lunch was being prepared, Issa took us back out to his Acacia tree farm near the village. As the team from last year learned, the seeds from the Acacia tree can be pounded into flour and used as a supplement to increase the protein level of regular millet flour that the Hausa people use every day.

We returned back to the village for lunch where we were treated to fire roasted chicken and rice. The food was served in large bowls with no spoons. So we dug in scooping out a handful of rice at a time and ate it directly out of our hands along with the broken up pieces of chicken. It was delicious!

The afternoon was a real treat watching Miriama (a local Housa lady who does work for SIM and has been doing some of the cooking for us) give the food demonstration to the village women. She demonstrated adding Acacia flour to the regular food dishes that the village women prepare.

Once all the food dishes were complete, they were served to the entire village and us to try this new combination of food. The dishes included, Tuno da Miya, a cooked flour/corn mixture with a texture similar to dumplings covered in a sauce made from beans, tomatoes and chillies. Damba, a couscous type dish with maringa leaves (type of tree – highly nutritious. The real treat was the Fanka and Kosai; deep fried balls of the flour mixture which we called Hausa Timbits.

The response to this new high protein fortified food was well received by all and it looks promising for the for Acacia flour to be accepted as a food supplement more and more in the village.

Throughout the afternoon, we were able to mingle with the villagers and experience the Hausa culture first hand. The kids really got a kick out of us taking pictures and videos of them and playing them back to them. Later in the afternoon we presented the village chief a soccer ball and pump and we were taken back by the villagers’ response. They were so appreciative of the gift and cheered for a long time. The boys of the village quickly took the ball and had a quick game of soccer.

We departed the village with everyone thanking us and waving goodbye - a humbling experience.

Please pray for the Hausa people in Botsi that through the missionaries and Issa they see God’s compassion and accept the new enriched food from the Acacia tree to feed their families.

Kory and Tom

Humble Beginnings

2009-02-20T14:06:00.000-08:00

This morning, Thursday Feb 19, five members of our team drove out to one of the small villages outside Maradi to visit a pastor/evangelist. His name is Pastor Abdu; he and his wife is Sahia have two small children. He is working at planting a church in the village. He met us, greeted us, and ushered us into his mud walled yard. He has a small, two room mud house with a straw roof. Right next to it was a corn stalk chicken coop. A couple of the little baby chicks were scurrying about outside the coop. In the middle of the yard, a steer was tethered. It was creating a compost/manure pile to be used for fertilizer.

Near the fence was a cornstalk room with an opening, but no door and a sand floor. Pastor Abdu put down some mats and two chairs. He invited us to sit. We exchanged greetings and then he told us about his work; Judy Evans translated for us. Some neighbours came by and joined in the visiting. There are no other believers in the village, so this was a witnessing opportunity as well. After a while, a small pail of water, dishes and spoons, and two bowls of macaroni with meat (and intestines) were placed before us. We ate, talked and drank our own water; I was thankful for my water bottle.

We were able to bless Pastor Abdu and Sahia with a small money gift to help them in their ministry. What a joy to fellowship with this young couple. We pray that God would remove barriers and evil strongholds that are hindering the advance of the Gospel. We prayed that God would open eyes and hearts to say yes to Jesus.

Pastor Mogens.

Maradi in pictures

2009-02-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

Ina Wuni.

These few pictures were taken earlier today when Gary, Denis, Kory and I (Jon) decided to walk home for lunch instead of taking the truck with everyone else. These are just a few of the sights we have been driving past every day this week.

Gary wanted to get his picture taken with a couple of neighbourhood kids; innocent enough, right? Sure, until 50 other kids come rushing in and crowding around the camera!

One of many local "gas stations". Yes, those are 40's full of gasoline (probably smuggled in from Nigeria). You'll also notice the woman carrying the large sacks on her head. It is the most common way to carry something around here. Men and women carry things this way, from huge loads like hers to the lady we saw yesterday with one tomato perched on high. By the way, the woman above looked to be about 6 months pregnant.

One of the local guys came running up to Kory and started speaking to him in Hausa and gesturing. He was obviously trying to suggest something. I walked up and he started talking to me in french (even though Kory speaks good french, he only really talked to me in it), and explained that he wanted to wrestle Kory and have Gary take their picture. So here you have it, Kory being taken down by some Nigerien... I only wish we would have though of getting his name.

The local tomato market. Placed right on the side of the road, sitting just above the dirt lays produce, nuts, clothing, etc.

Sort of like an itinerant salesman, these men and women walk around with loads of various produce on their heads selling to whoever is interested.

Semi trucks here are typically loaded with 50-80% more goods than they should be carrying.

One of the many varied forms of transportation here in Niger.

I typically save the best for last... sorry, not this time. They actually have quite a few dumpsters around town, and they do get emptied every so often; but there aren't nearly enough for all the trash produced. That combined with poor practices on the part of the general population, such as dumping garbage next to the half-empty bin, creates some pretty gross conditions on the ground, and a rancid smell that pictures could never convey.

On that note, I bid you farewell. Good night.

Et c'est fini!

2009-02-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

We brought nearly 13000 screws with us on our trip out here. Over two thirds of them are securely anchored in the Maza Tsaye roof, which is now complete. Praise God!

The work went extremely well. Other than a few minor nicks and bruises there were no injuries. Gordon Evans and his son Jeff had really prepared well for this work project. Having numerous drills, proper scaffolds and ladders, and lots of strong burly men really helped to get everything done in just 5 days of work.

The two pictures below show the project from the rear following the first day of work and then again today.

Now that the main task has been completed, the team is more free to take part in outings in the area. Tomorrow, several of us will be going out with Peter Cunningham who works with the Sowing Seeds for Change in the Sahel. I'll let Jim tell you all about after our trip. For those that are sticking around, there will be some electrical work to do in the classroom building at Maza Tsaye.

Cats on a hot tin roof

2009-02-17T12:20:00.000-08:00

Maza Tsaye, Niger
The roofing work is going great! After 3 and a half days of being on the roof we have put on about 3/4 of the sheeting. The remaining work is some straight sections and finishing the valleys and ridge caps which are more time consuming.

The work schedule is to get out there by 7:30 (about a 1/2 hour after sunrise) and work until noon or 1, then take a 3 hr break and return at 3:30 to 6:30, then stop and pack up before sunset. The afternoon temperatures get up above 35c so we try to avoid working too much in the heat - plus the metal roofing gets so hot you can't touch it without gloves.

Usually we have 3 teams working - one doing the valleys and the other 2 working on the straight sections. We have discovered who does not mind working the high spot and Kory seems the most immune to walking on the trusses and steel without worrying about how far down the floor is. The 13,000 screws we brought are disappearing!

The tools and supplies we took for the project have been put to good use and the impact drivers we brought no longer look new!

The coffee break is a great time to mix with the local Nigeriens who work at the station so there can be up to 25 people talking, singing and listening to a testimony. Also it is a welcome break to being on the roof!

We have been having a great time of working together! Everyone so far is in good health and no construction accidents beyond the usual scrapes and bumps!

Al

Yet we recieved so much

2009-02-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, five of us went to the Catholic Christian School in Maradi. We had thought that we would just be going to drop by the school and deliver a few lap top computers. They were used, but only a couple years old and in very good condition. When we arrived, the whole school was waiting for us in an assembly, and they had an entire hour long program complete with regional dignitaries. We felt like we had been sent as a delegation from the Prime Minister of Canada, rather than a small church group.

The children sang for us, performed a skit, and a little boy even said a poem in English. The skit demonstrated how the people here can not afford computers: it would take a laborer 10 years to be able to buy it. There were speeches by the teacher and the dignitaries. All this time, the children were relatively quiet, but obviously excited.

Then, we finally handed over the computers, and the whole school erupted. They cheered for at least five minutes before the teachers were able to calm them down. One teacher pulled a lap top out of it's bag and held it over his head so the children could see it, and they cheered more. Then a little 4 year old girl broke out in a tribal dance, and someone pulled a drum out and started to play!

We presented some school supplies as well, which nearly brought one of the teachers to tears. It was amazing to see how they were so excited about receiving so little. I was fighting back tears the whole time, seeing these children so excited about education, so hopeful in the midst of poverty.

We visited the kindergarten and pre-school rooms. My sister has as many toys for the two babies in her home daycare as they have in both classrooms, with about 50 children. We are so rich. Even the poor in Canada are rich compared to these people. And this is the top school in the area, not just a community school. Everybody wants to send their child there.

At this school, there is 100%pass rate, I'm assuming on government exams. In the government schools, there is only a 12% pass rate. I'm so glad that we were able to support this school.

Vicki.

Better to give than to receive

2009-02-16T13:08:00.000-08:00

Today we visited a catholic French school nearby Maza Tsaye. We went there to deliver three laptops and some school supplies – notebooks, pencils, etc. As drove up and walked in, we were expecting only to meet the principal, shake hands, deliver the gifts, take some pictures, and be on our way. Low profile sorta stuff. This was not the case; however.

We met the principal at the gate and she walked us through the compound/schoolground, and to our surprise, the whole school had assembled and were waiting for our arrival. Over 260 students! They planned a two-hour assembly to receive us, and had us sit in chairs right up at the front, along with the Vicar for the diocese, the president of the parents’ association, the principal herself, and the Mother Superior. We felt like some kind of delegation for the Prime Minister, not just ordinary people. The program began with the whole school singing the Nigerien national anthem and was followed by several performances by selected students. A choir of about twenty kids sang the song “A Hundred Miles” in French; a little guy, no more than six, recited a poem in English – even though he does not yet speak English; a group of ten students performed a drama about the difficulty and expense of acquiring a computer – they were really good!; and then the program carried on with some speeches of many thanks and gratitude. We were also scheduled to deliver a speech, much to our surprise as we read about it on the program sheet. So we did and thanked them very much for all the effort and work they had put in to welcome us, and encouraged them in their pursuit of better education. Then we delivered the laptops, two of which were generously donated by SaskTel Pioneers, and the school supplies to the teachers. A great cheer erupted from the crowd of students and their excitement turned into a song and then a traditional African dance that a little girl of about five put on, surrounded by the cheers and chants of those crowded around. When things settled down again, the school presented us with gifts to show their deep appreciation. That was the end of the assembly and the kids went back to their classrooms as we went to the computer room to set up the new laptops.

Following that, we were ushered into another room where there were many refreshments waiting for us, and here we had the chance to talk with some of the staff and other invited guests. When it was time for us to leave, the principal walked us back to the gate and continued to thank us again, a genuine and recurring theme. For those of us who were there, it will be an experience that we will not forget.

Kory and Denis

Worship in Two Cultures

2009-02-16T05:33:00.000-08:00

Monday 16 2009
Maradi, Niger
Yesterday we experienced worship in two cultures. In the morning our team worshipped in a Hausa church. The building was simple with a cement floor and wooden benches. The women sat on one side, the men on the other and the children and some women sat in the middle.

The youth band played and sang traditional engish music translated into Hausa. The women have a unique way of singing accompanied by drums which we all thoroughly enjoyed. Kory Hunter joined the youth band with his guitar for 2 songs that he had taught them in french at the woship seminar on Saturday. Our whole team was introduced and greetings were brought from Hillsdale Baptist Church. The worship was lively and joyful; the faces of the believers shone with the joy of Christ.

I was able to preach through a young Hausa believer by the name of Apollos; after the Apollos in the book of Acts. We were quite amazed that 3 offerings were taken; one for the regular church budget, one for the building fund and one a thanks offering for expressing thankfullness to the Lord for his protection of a believer/evangelist the week before when people tried to attack his house. The last two offerings were taken in african style; a basket was placed at the front of the sanctuary and first the men went forward to place their offerings in, followed by the women and then the youth.

In the evening we worshipped together with the missionaries who work in the Maradi area here at the SIM guesthouse. For the team Sunday was an amazing day. we were able to minister personally to many lives. As a team we expressed great joy in serving our Lord Jesus.

Pastor Mogens

L'école du dimanche

2009-02-15T13:19:00.000-08:00

Maradi, Niger
Today was a day spent enjoying the fellowship of other brothers and sisters in Christ; the morning was amongst Nigeriens (pronouced Knee-jair-ian, as opposed to the Nigerians from Nigeria just south of here), and this evening with many missionaries from around the area. Although much could be said, and will be, of our day I'll focus this post on a part of this morning - Sunday school. I'll leave it up to Pastor Mogens to talk about the rest of the services in a later post.

Originally it wasn't planned for me to be involved in teaching l'école du dimanche at church this morning - which is the church Gord & Judy attend. It wasn't until late afternoon yesturday that we found out there wouldn't be an english-hausa translator in our class, only french-hausa. Lynette then recruited me to help out, which meant leading the class. It was a bit of a stretch for me since I'm not terribly inclined to teach little kids - though I love throwing them around. However, as Dale Eiswerth knows, I have learnt to not say "No" - especially when it's God speaking. So I swallowed the lump in my throat and launched myself into it.

I had a blast. Those kids were so fun to be with. We helped them make bracelets with black, red, white, yellow and green beads on them. It's a common lesson used to teach the essence of the Good news; that we are sinful, that Jesus died, that through our confession and his death we are made clean, that we have the hope of eternal life, and that we must continue to grow in our relationship with God. The kids seemed to soak up the teaching and they loved memorizing the verses we taught along with each color - eagerly volunteering to try repeating it to their teacher.

There were perhaps 30-35 kids in that room, and I really wish one of us had brought our camera in there to give you a sense of their energy and eagerness, but sadly none of us thought of it at the time. Nevertheless, we do ask that you would pray for these young ones and the faith which is present around them, that they would cling to it and learn to love and serve God with all their heart, with all their mind, and with all their soul.

Good night from Africa.
Jonathan

Sunday Morning at Hillsdale

2009-02-14T21:04:00.000-08:00

This is just a short note to let you know we hope to talk with the Niger team in our services tomorrow morning.
- Pastor Dwayne

Worship around the world.

2009-02-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

How great is our God!! The sound of the youth choir resonated in our ears as Judy, Brad, Lynette, Michele, Gary and I walked into the church. Up at the front of the large room were thirty or so people singing some of the most wonderful music I have ever heard. We showed up during the youth choir’s practice for tomorrow’s church service and we were booked to come in and spend part of Saturday afternoon teaching a bit about worship, and sharing some things that we do back in Canada with regard to worship. One of my guiding principles as we prepared was to not bring ‘our western culture’ and tell them that “this is how you do it.” I figured, and turned out to be even more right than I thought, that this African youth choir might well have a thing or two to teach us – from a musical standpoint.

We sat down in some good wooden pews spread out over the concrete floor in a ‘U’ shape and enjoyed the next couple songs that they were practicing; all in Hausa – the local language here in Maradi. Judy then introduced me in French – many people here speak French or some French – and I in turn introduced the others who were about to be singing with me. We each shared a little bit about ourselves and how we are involved in our own church, and after that I encouraged and taught from a couple passages in the Bible which spoke to the heart of worship – all in French; my French Bible came in pretty handy.

After that, we pulled out a couple songs that we sing back at Hillsdale, translated into French, and taught them to the youth. They picked them up right away, and I must say, the songs sound pretty good when sung by a full choir of Nigerien youth, along with a four-piece band accompanying them. I have to add that ‘youth’ means, in this case, a group ranging from fifteen to twenty-six years of age. We practiced these a couple times and tomorrow, we will be singing them at church – both our little music team and the youth team all together as one. What a blessing to be able to bless the LORD and worship him with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ half-way around the world! My face could do nothing else but smile the whole time were together.

I pray that the youth and the church will be blessed as they serve and worship God; they have already been a big blessing to those of us from Hillsdale who were there. May we continue to worship the LORD in spirit and in truth together – as a local body, and as the entire family of God around the world!

Kory

And the crowd went wild!

2009-02-13T23:01:00.000-08:00

Maradi, Niger

We've experienced our first power outage in Maradi; and so there we sat, in the relative darkness, broken only by a few candles on the table. Near the end of our meal our ears tuned in to a loud comotion in the city. A loud cheer was rising...

And then the lights came on.

It seems that power returned to the rest of the city a few moments before it kicked in on the compound, and turned out to be quite the joyous occasion for everyone. I'm told that outages around here don't happen very often, but it sure is an event when it does. Speaking of them not happening often, a second just occured.

Enough about the power though, lets take a look at the team's first full day in Maradi. We started with a delicious breakfast prepared by Vicki and Michelle, our wonderful cooks. This was followed by a trip to the Maza Tsaye center where we will be working. Jim got his first experience driving in Niger and fared quite well, having quickly mastered the use of the horn.

Upon arrival, Gord & Judy were waiting there with one of the members of the steering committee, Pastor Abou. We spent about 3 hours talking and praying about their plans, vision, and hopes; as well as a number of obstacles that have, or could soon, come their way. Please keep them in your prayers.

Following our orientation, returned to the SIM compound where we enjoyed a light lunch and a siesta. In case you are concerned about having sent a team all the way to Africa just so that they can sleep the day away, I'll have to inform you that it's hot. The high 30's / low 40's isn't very conducive to putting metal sheeting on a roof under a blazing sun.After our rest we all loaded up into the SUV and headed out to the work site for about 3 hours. It was really good to have started the work. I've really enjoyed the trip up until now, even the lengthy drive yesturday, but it's great to finally be up on the roof.

As the men were working on the roof, Gord took the women to the market to show them around. They came back with their arms laden with goods for our table. I'm sure they will enjoy the many chances to shop and barter on their own in the coming days.

Supper was made by a Nigerian lady named Miriama (not the same Miriama as last year though). It was a fantastic meal of chicken stew on couscous, and enjoyed with a good dose of candlelight.

And thus we ended the day in darkness, a good reason to hit the sack early for some. For others though, a good conversation under the stars hit the spot.

A road well travelled.

2009-02-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

Maradi, Niger - Thursday Feb 12th

Hello everyone! We're back online from Niger. On thursday, we made the long trip from Niamey to Maradi; I'll let Gary & Michelle give you their perspective of the trip.

Gary
The day started early at 5:15. A quick breafast of kitchen remnants, bread and water as well as some fruit gave us the energy to pack the van. We picked up the rest of the group so our load was more than 40 pieces of luggage weighing more than 2000 lbs + 18 people:

10 team members
5 in Farquhar family
Fritz (A Swiss who couldn't make it to Maradi by airplane because of the dust)
The driver and his helper

The van was a 19 passenger - in theory. In reality we were packed in with just enough room to breathe.

The 12 1/2 hour trip included a stop at a Christian school and a stop at the SIM hospital in Galmi. We saw lots of villages along the way and we were often swarmed when we stopped for gas. Everyone wants to sell us something; from food to phone cards.

Between villages I thought that it was interesting to see one person out in the field by themselves in the middle of nowhere. Even when the landscape looked very desolate there always seemed to be a person with a few goats around.

Dusty and tired, we arrived at Maradi to be greeted warmly by Gord and Judy Evans. A good meal with good conversation is a great start to our time here in Maradi.

Michelle
What a full and exhausting day. 18 of us travelled in a 19 (at most!) passenger van, 4 people to a row - luggage on the roof. The trip from Niamey to Maradi was 12 full hours with short stops for gas.

This country is so full of contrasts - some areas were irrigated, and crops like barley , corn, onions and watermelon were quite lush, and then a few miles later, the land was absolutely littered with plastic bags.

We stopped in Milo, where last year the group visited a Christian school being built. It has been completed, but it is temporarily shut-down as the government decides whether or not it should be allowed to operate. The pastor of this community and his wife extended greetings to us in their home, amid chikens sneaking through!

Jim also made friends with their son who just came up to him and held his hand.We are right now safe, well-fed, tired and quite dusty.

Technical Difficulties

2009-02-13T07:24:00.000-08:00

Hi. This is Pastor Dwayne. Due to technical difficulties, the team has not been able to post blogs for the last two days. We just talked to the team via Skype this morning and they are doing well. It was great to see their faces and hear their voices. They are in Maradi and on the job. The weather is extremely hot so they are needing to take a break during the heat of the day. I will post updates as they send them to me so keep checking back.

2009-02-11T19:29:00.000-08:00

Niamey, Niger

Today, we had our first full day in Niger (Niamey). We had our orientation at the SIM headquarters and money changed to CFA’s (Communaute Financiaire Africaine) Franc - $1 US = 495CFA. We visited Sahel Academy which is a SIM run K to 12 school. We saw the completed library which the 2008 team saw in its early stages. We also shopped for shirts for a couple of the guys and a dress for Michele. While we were waiting for the dress, Pastor Mogens was approached by a Touareg (nomadic group from northern Niger) for many potential purchases, ranging from a head dress, a long sword and a man-purse make of camel skin with braided strap, embroidery and beadwork (Dale E. you would really like it). It seemed as if every item cost 10,000 CFAs ($20). We are calling it the 10,000 CFA store.

It is hot and dry here with a unique smell. It often smelled like burned garbage during the day and more like wood smoke from the many cooking fires at night. It is amazing how poor the people seem to be. There are many boys and men on the streets selling everything from phone cards to Kleenex. Traffic is chaotic with camels, motorbikes, men pushing carts, trucks. People are crossing the street everywhere. There was a whole family, mom and kids crossing in a traffic circle.

We found a great little pastry shop and just had to sample the wares even though it was just about supper time. We had supper at a fancy restaurant called the Tabakady (which means taste and see) with an all French menu. We did our ordering through our French translators (Brad, Kory, Jonathan).

Thursday we (18 souls) traveled to Maradi … a 12 hour trip over rough roads. The van we used is not much bigger than a 7 passenger van. It’s going to be real cozy and hot; a good team bonding event. All our luggage, 1000 plus pounds was strapped to the roof. More on our next blog.

Pastor Mogens, Tom, Dennis & Gary

And there was dust. . .

2009-02-11T15:44:00.000-08:00

Niamey, Niger
As we flew into Niger yesterday evening, we were greeted by a cloud of dust. Covering the entire landscape, it rose several thousand feet above the ground. The sight was oddly beautiful, with the sunset behind it causing an orange haze. However, the dust also speaks of hardship and lack of water. This translates into limited resources for the country, and poverty as a result.

Our passage through the airport was uneventful and culture shock all in one. After having our boarding passes checked several times, our passports stamped and yellow fever card accepted, we headed over to the baggage claim.

A porter trusted by SIM greeted us there, and after we found all but one of our bags, he whisked us through customs with nothing more than a glance at our passports. Once outside we were met with a barage of overly helpful young boys, who wanted to push our carts or sell us gum for a few CFA's. Brad Farquhar was there to meet us, and he guided us through. After many repetitions of "Non, merci. No." ("No thank you. No." ) we were on our way 'home' for the evening!

Thank you so much for your prayers during our trip over! Please pray for the cycle of poverty in Niger. The desert is spreading, in part due to poor farming practices that cause erosion and loss of moisture. Pray that the farmers would be open to new practices, such as valueing trees, that will perserve the soil and moisture. Pray that our team will quickly adjust to the new time zone and culter, so that we can minister effectively for Christ.

Vicki.

Paris, France

2009-02-10T03:45:00.001-08:00

Here we are in Paris waiting! We will be connecting with our Air France flight to Niamey in about one hour. After spending about 12 hours in the Toronto Airport we finally boarded our flight to Paris. We were 4 ½ hours late. There were high winds in Paris that caused the delay. It felt so much like last year. We spent a lot of time in prayer and trusting God in Toronto. We made it. God’s our provider. We are His servants and desire to serve Him and honour His name.

Pastor Mogens.

Delayed in Toronto

2009-02-09T10:07:00.001-08:00

Our departure from Regina was uneventful, we left on time and enjoyed a few zzzz's on the way to Toronto. Kory was even able to enjoy the flight with Natalie and Abigail who then continued on to Florida.

Upon arriving in Toronto, we relaxed a bit in Terminal 1 before some of us began to crave some Swiss Chalet. And so, led by the fearless Al Ramsey, we took off for Terminal 3 in search of the elusive Swiss. Upon arriving in T3, we were greeted with the following:

If your french is rusty, "En Retard" translates as "Delayed"... until 9:25. A 4.5 hours delay! We're not sure why the delay, but we have been told by the powers that be at Air France that we should get in to Paris at 10:30am; our flight to Niamey leaves at 11:05. There goes any hope for a quick tour of Paris. Oh well, at least they serve sunday chicken on Mondays in this town.

Departing

2009-02-09T04:12:00.000-08:00

The taxi's here. It's 4:15am and we're heading to the Regina airport, destination Niger. I'll make it short and sweet. Please pray. Please remember. Please talk about what we're doing; with your family, your friends, your coworkers.

I hope you all realize that you are a part of this trip too. As someone told Vicki and I at church on morning, she'll be living vicariously through us. Many of you would have loved to be a part of this trip, and many of you have given much to make it possible. Thank you. May God bless you abundantly. He is faithful in all things.

It's time to go!

Packing it up.

2009-02-08T22:02:00.000-08:00

Half a ton. Literally one half ton of luggage between the ten of us. You'd think it would take a long time to pack it all up, yet in just under 3 hours it was packed and loaded onto the truck, ready for the trip to the airport.

Our packing party went by with only one hitch; once we had finished packing every bag and weighing them so they came in at, or just under 50lbs, we realized that we had 21 pieces instead of our limit of 20! In the end we had to leave some paper, duck tape and KD behind. However, we have an impressive list of contents:

180lbs of screws for the building project.
A welder with leads and rods.
11 laptops.
6lbs of marshmallows.
3 Impact drivers.
One tin of Tim Hortons coffee.
1000+ feet of network cable.
Much, much more.

After all the planning that has happened for this trip, and the surreal feeling it has had as some future endeavor, this packing party sure brought a good dose of reality for me (Jon). It's great to finally be going, to know the bags are packed and everything is prepared. As we all should be before the Lord each day.

We desire your prayers and look forward to the great and mighty things that God is about to accomplish through our team.

2008-11-14T07:56:00.001-08:00

Click on image to enlarge

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