4.28.2008
4.27.2008
Niger: Day Three
On our second night in Niger, Ryan and I discussed what my role would look like while we were in the village. Specifically, whether or not I should evangelize in the village. We just didn't know what it would look like if there were men in the audience. It wasn't a concern whether it would be acceptable biblically (since I would just be taking a part of sharing the gospel with the other men on the team, including my husband--not teaching), but more what would be best culturally speaking. Because Niger is an Islamic culture, we know that men there are not accustomed to listening to women.
Our method of evangelism was storying, which entails going through the biblical storyline from Creation to New Creation.
Part one covered the Old Testament, part two covered Christ's birth to crucifixion, which was the section that we were to share, and part three covered Christ's resurrection and application. We decided that Ryan should be prepared to tell our entire section, and we would look for an opportunity for me to share.
Everything on the morning of Day Three went just like the morning events of Day Two minus the flat tire. We were also missing Jared, who had gotten sick. We left the guesthouse at 6:30 that morning and picked up our translators, Cephas, Issa and Bilo on our way out of town. We made it to the ferry, where we saw the same beautiful girl selling cola nuts. I asked her what her name was ("Matu nu maha?"), and she told me "Fati."
When we arrived at the village, we were warmly greeted by the Brazilian missionaries as well as by the Songhai believers who were already gathering. We prayed, worshipped and prayed again. The groups who were evangelizing in the village then headed out. The translator for our group the rest of the week was Isa. We walked through the village looking for people gathered together. Isa would ask them if it was OK if we told them a story, and if they said yes, then we would start. During our first time, we storied to a group of women and children. Eric did the first part, Ryan did the second part and Bob did the last part. The women were somewhat distracted and just kept pounding their millet (a grain they must pound out before eating it).
After we finished and were walking to find another group of people, Ryan mentioned to Isa that the women weren't paying much attention to the stories. Isa said it was probably because women in this culture are not supposed to listen to men (other than their husband). Ryan suggested that I do his part, and Isa thought that was exactly what we needed to do. So from there on out, I did Ryan's part unless there were men present. It was kind of neat because each time, you could tell the women were surprised to hear me speak. They often would stop what they were doing to listen. God definitely affirmed me through this, especially since I wasn't sure how I would be able to contribute on the trip.
The Songhai people are very hospitable. Often when we storied, they brought out chairs and mats for us to sit on. They were also concerned with making sure we were able to sit in the shade. (The temperature, by the way, was about 110 degrees each day.) Brad said it's also common for them to offer their best food. Keep in mind that these people live on $250/year (for a family of ten), and yet they desired to share their best with us. It's so convicting to think about how often I withhold my best (time, money, gifts) from God, who has given me everything.
We shared the gospel four times that day before heading back to Niamey. On the ferry ride back, Cephas helped me talk to Fati, and I learned she was 12 years old. She even asked if we would be back the next day. I kept trying to take her picture, but she was so shy (unlike the majority of the kids there) and would rarely look at the camera and smile at the same time.
While waiting for the ferry, we also met a kid named Wahab (pictured at right). He was really nice and was eager to learn our names as well. The children didn't have much difficulty saying "Kelli," but they all kept saying "Bryan" instead of "Ryan." We would say "Rrrrrrr" and they would repeat. We would say "Rrrrrrr......yan" and they would repeat. We would then say "Ryan," and they would say "Bryan." It was really funny.
The rest of the night we just played Bo Bo and ate dinner with the Hurst team at the Wombles' house.
Here are a few pictures I took of the Brazilians' home.
The outside of their home
A close-up of the mud bricks they use to build the walls around their property
The inside of their home. You'll notice a bunch of fuzzy white dots. I initially thought it was dirt on my camera lens but then realized that it's actually all the dirt in the air.
Their roof from the inside
Our method of evangelism was storying, which entails going through the biblical storyline from Creation to New Creation.
Part one covered the Old Testament, part two covered Christ's birth to crucifixion, which was the section that we were to share, and part three covered Christ's resurrection and application. We decided that Ryan should be prepared to tell our entire section, and we would look for an opportunity for me to share.
Everything on the morning of Day Three went just like the morning events of Day Two minus the flat tire. We were also missing Jared, who had gotten sick. We left the guesthouse at 6:30 that morning and picked up our translators, Cephas, Issa and Bilo on our way out of town. We made it to the ferry, where we saw the same beautiful girl selling cola nuts. I asked her what her name was ("Matu nu maha?"), and she told me "Fati."
When we arrived at the village, we were warmly greeted by the Brazilian missionaries as well as by the Songhai believers who were already gathering. We prayed, worshipped and prayed again. The groups who were evangelizing in the village then headed out. The translator for our group the rest of the week was Isa. We walked through the village looking for people gathered together. Isa would ask them if it was OK if we told them a story, and if they said yes, then we would start. During our first time, we storied to a group of women and children. Eric did the first part, Ryan did the second part and Bob did the last part. The women were somewhat distracted and just kept pounding their millet (a grain they must pound out before eating it).
After we finished and were walking to find another group of people, Ryan mentioned to Isa that the women weren't paying much attention to the stories. Isa said it was probably because women in this culture are not supposed to listen to men (other than their husband). Ryan suggested that I do his part, and Isa thought that was exactly what we needed to do. So from there on out, I did Ryan's part unless there were men present. It was kind of neat because each time, you could tell the women were surprised to hear me speak. They often would stop what they were doing to listen. God definitely affirmed me through this, especially since I wasn't sure how I would be able to contribute on the trip.
The Songhai people are very hospitable. Often when we storied, they brought out chairs and mats for us to sit on. They were also concerned with making sure we were able to sit in the shade. (The temperature, by the way, was about 110 degrees each day.) Brad said it's also common for them to offer their best food. Keep in mind that these people live on $250/year (for a family of ten), and yet they desired to share their best with us. It's so convicting to think about how often I withhold my best (time, money, gifts) from God, who has given me everything.
We shared the gospel four times that day before heading back to Niamey. On the ferry ride back, Cephas helped me talk to Fati, and I learned she was 12 years old. She even asked if we would be back the next day. I kept trying to take her picture, but she was so shy (unlike the majority of the kids there) and would rarely look at the camera and smile at the same time.
While waiting for the ferry, we also met a kid named Wahab (pictured at right). He was really nice and was eager to learn our names as well. The children didn't have much difficulty saying "Kelli," but they all kept saying "Bryan" instead of "Ryan." We would say "Rrrrrrr" and they would repeat. We would say "Rrrrrrr......yan" and they would repeat. We would then say "Ryan," and they would say "Bryan." It was really funny.The rest of the night we just played Bo Bo and ate dinner with the Hurst team at the Wombles' house.
Here are a few pictures I took of the Brazilians' home.
The outside of their home
A close-up of the mud bricks they use to build the walls around their property
The inside of their home. You'll notice a bunch of fuzzy white dots. I initially thought it was dirt on my camera lens but then realized that it's actually all the dirt in the air. 
Their roof from the inside
4.20.2008
Niger: Day Two
*Please bear with me in the length of this post. I think they'll get much shorter as I go, but there's so much to describe in the beginning.
Ryan didn't get much sleep the night before (only about two hours) because he was up revising the lessons he was to teach. This audience of new Songhai believers was so different from any Ryan had taught before. First, everything would be done through a translator, meaning Ryan would say a couple sentences and then stop while they were translated into Zerma. He was warned that it may be difficult not to lose his place in the lesson while waiting. Second, many of them were illiterate. Third, these people all had a background in the Muslim faith. Given the history of so many baptized believers turning back to Islam, it was so important to teach them to persevere in the faith.
I'm getting ahead of myself, so I'll start from the beginning. I'll begin by saying that this day was our sixth anniversary. I would never have thought we would spend an anniversary in Niger, but there was absolutely no other place we would have rather been.
Anyway, we all piled into this small bus at 6:30 in the morning and headed out to one of the villages. Before leaving Niamey, we picked up our translators, and then headed out of town. The plan was to drive for about an hour before arriving at the ferry, which we would ride to cross the Niger River. It was important to try and be at the ferry by 8 because it only ran every hour on the hour. On the way to the ferry, however, we got a flat tire. It didn't take too long to fix it, and we made it to the ferry in time.
Our first ferry ride was a little nerve-wracking just because there was Niger military standing guard with machine guns. We didn't know how they would react to us being there. On the ferry, we got out of the bus and saw this girl selling cola nuts (they're pure caffeine and apparently taste horrible). There were lots of children, but this girl stood out simply because she was so beautiful and her face looked so much older than her body seemed. We also got to watch some women coming to fetch water from the river.
Once we crossed the river, we continued our trek. Along the way, we picked up a man, who is the only believer in his village, so that he could sit in on the worship and teaching. Let me also mention that this was the bumpiest road I'd ever been on. They're in the process of paving the road and are hoping to complete it before the rainy season hits.
Just a sidenote--I'm leaving out the name of the village we went to as well as the names of people to protect the believers.
Some missionaries from Brazil live in the village we went to. Each day, we would meet at their home, which consisted of a large open area, two homes and a wall around the perimeter. Both the homes and the wall were made of these mud bricks.
There were seven Songhai believers who were there to be discipled through the teaching of each of the Southern guys. We all introduced ourselves and then gathered on some benches under the trees for worship. Worship each day consisted of someone playing the guitar and a couple of people playing jimbays (drums). The first song we sang was "This is the Day that the Lord Hath Made". We've sung that song many times before, but it never sounded as beautiful as it did in this West African village. The song was being sung in four languages (English, Zerma, French and Portuguese).
The next song we sang was all in Zerma, so we had no clue what was being said, but we mimicked all the movements that were being done. Watch the video to get a glimpse of what it's like to worship in Niger and to see what we were doing. After we finished, Cephas, one of the translators, told us what they were singing.
There is no one that is like Jesus
There is no one that is like Jesus
There is no one that is like Jesus
There is no one that is like Him
I walked and walked, but no one, no one
I searched and searched, but no one, no one
I turned around, but no one, no one
There is no one that is like Him
There was something that was really touching about seeing everyone act out the song and then learning afterward what it all meant. Anyway, worship was wonderful and was one of my favorite parts of each day.
After that, Ryan, Cephas and I stayed behind with the Songhai believers while the others from our team went out into the village to evangelize. Ryan taught two lessons--one on God's Holy Word and the other on the Assurance of Salvation. He was the first one of the group to teach, so he didn't quite know what to expect. He began by learning everyone's names, which was helpful in asking a question to a specific person. It was really neat to see Ryan teach in this environment. I imagine it wasn't too different from what it was like when Jesus or the apostles taught the early church. What I mean by that is that I can picture them sitting under some trees, dirty and hot, but being cleansed by the Holy Spirit as they were washed through the teaching of God's word.
Ryan did an exceptional job teaching, and we were both very impressed with the maturity that God has already granted these new believers. One of my favorite things Ryan said had to do with how Satan spoke through the serpent in the garden. He then said something like, "And Satan still speaks today...he speaks through Mohammed." I was so excited but couldn't believe he had just said that to all of these people who just turned from Muslim backgrounds. It was crucial to point out, though, seeing as how so many turn back to Islam.
We later found out that it was an answer to prayer that these believers would even worship and be together. Apparently the Brazilians have really been working with these new believers to break down walls of prejudice that exist between people of different villages, as well as between gender. The fact that the men allowed a Songhai woman to worship with them was huge. This was a huge step toward loving one another as Christ loves us.
Here's a picture of Ryan and Cephas.
Everyone came back from evangelizing, and we all then loaded onto the bus to head back to Niamey. The drive was good, and on the way back, we saw that same beautiful girl on the ferry. We stopped at a couple of markets on the way back as well. At the first one, we were immediately swarmed by kids as soon as we stepped off the bus. There were so many of them, and for that reason, it was often difficult to even move. At one point, Ryan and I kind of got trapped (not in a scary way--just the kids were so excited). Dr. Martin managed to slip away somehow because he wanted to get a picture of us being swarmed. He was able to get a few pictures, but then the kids all ran to him because they were excited about his camera. He didn't intend for it, but it was a great diversion so we were able to walk again.
The Songhai children are so precious. They were so excited to shake our hands, to feel our skin, to have their pictures taken and to see their own faces afterward on the digital screen. Many of them were begging for food or money, which was heartbreaking. We weren't supposed to give them anything for two reasons: it could literally start a riot or lots of fighting and also because we wanted them to know we were offering something better--eternal life.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing, playing Bo Bo and feasting on another wonderful dinner at the Wombles. What an incredible way to spend our anniversary!
Ryan didn't get much sleep the night before (only about two hours) because he was up revising the lessons he was to teach. This audience of new Songhai believers was so different from any Ryan had taught before. First, everything would be done through a translator, meaning Ryan would say a couple sentences and then stop while they were translated into Zerma. He was warned that it may be difficult not to lose his place in the lesson while waiting. Second, many of them were illiterate. Third, these people all had a background in the Muslim faith. Given the history of so many baptized believers turning back to Islam, it was so important to teach them to persevere in the faith.
I'm getting ahead of myself, so I'll start from the beginning. I'll begin by saying that this day was our sixth anniversary. I would never have thought we would spend an anniversary in Niger, but there was absolutely no other place we would have rather been.Anyway, we all piled into this small bus at 6:30 in the morning and headed out to one of the villages. Before leaving Niamey, we picked up our translators, and then headed out of town. The plan was to drive for about an hour before arriving at the ferry, which we would ride to cross the Niger River. It was important to try and be at the ferry by 8 because it only ran every hour on the hour. On the way to the ferry, however, we got a flat tire. It didn't take too long to fix it, and we made it to the ferry in time.
Our first ferry ride was a little nerve-wracking just because there was Niger military standing guard with machine guns. We didn't know how they would react to us being there. On the ferry, we got out of the bus and saw this girl selling cola nuts (they're pure caffeine and apparently taste horrible). There were lots of children, but this girl stood out simply because she was so beautiful and her face looked so much older than her body seemed. We also got to watch some women coming to fetch water from the river.
Once we crossed the river, we continued our trek. Along the way, we picked up a man, who is the only believer in his village, so that he could sit in on the worship and teaching. Let me also mention that this was the bumpiest road I'd ever been on. They're in the process of paving the road and are hoping to complete it before the rainy season hits.
Just a sidenote--I'm leaving out the name of the village we went to as well as the names of people to protect the believers.
Some missionaries from Brazil live in the village we went to. Each day, we would meet at their home, which consisted of a large open area, two homes and a wall around the perimeter. Both the homes and the wall were made of these mud bricks.
There were seven Songhai believers who were there to be discipled through the teaching of each of the Southern guys. We all introduced ourselves and then gathered on some benches under the trees for worship. Worship each day consisted of someone playing the guitar and a couple of people playing jimbays (drums). The first song we sang was "This is the Day that the Lord Hath Made". We've sung that song many times before, but it never sounded as beautiful as it did in this West African village. The song was being sung in four languages (English, Zerma, French and Portuguese).
The next song we sang was all in Zerma, so we had no clue what was being said, but we mimicked all the movements that were being done. Watch the video to get a glimpse of what it's like to worship in Niger and to see what we were doing. After we finished, Cephas, one of the translators, told us what they were singing.
There is no one that is like Jesus
There is no one that is like Jesus
There is no one that is like Jesus
There is no one that is like Him
I walked and walked, but no one, no one
I searched and searched, but no one, no one
I turned around, but no one, no one
There is no one that is like Him
There was something that was really touching about seeing everyone act out the song and then learning afterward what it all meant. Anyway, worship was wonderful and was one of my favorite parts of each day.
After that, Ryan, Cephas and I stayed behind with the Songhai believers while the others from our team went out into the village to evangelize. Ryan taught two lessons--one on God's Holy Word and the other on the Assurance of Salvation. He was the first one of the group to teach, so he didn't quite know what to expect. He began by learning everyone's names, which was helpful in asking a question to a specific person. It was really neat to see Ryan teach in this environment. I imagine it wasn't too different from what it was like when Jesus or the apostles taught the early church. What I mean by that is that I can picture them sitting under some trees, dirty and hot, but being cleansed by the Holy Spirit as they were washed through the teaching of God's word.
Ryan did an exceptional job teaching, and we were both very impressed with the maturity that God has already granted these new believers. One of my favorite things Ryan said had to do with how Satan spoke through the serpent in the garden. He then said something like, "And Satan still speaks today...he speaks through Mohammed." I was so excited but couldn't believe he had just said that to all of these people who just turned from Muslim backgrounds. It was crucial to point out, though, seeing as how so many turn back to Islam.
We later found out that it was an answer to prayer that these believers would even worship and be together. Apparently the Brazilians have really been working with these new believers to break down walls of prejudice that exist between people of different villages, as well as between gender. The fact that the men allowed a Songhai woman to worship with them was huge. This was a huge step toward loving one another as Christ loves us.
Here's a picture of Ryan and Cephas.
Everyone came back from evangelizing, and we all then loaded onto the bus to head back to Niamey. The drive was good, and on the way back, we saw that same beautiful girl on the ferry. We stopped at a couple of markets on the way back as well. At the first one, we were immediately swarmed by kids as soon as we stepped off the bus. There were so many of them, and for that reason, it was often difficult to even move. At one point, Ryan and I kind of got trapped (not in a scary way--just the kids were so excited). Dr. Martin managed to slip away somehow because he wanted to get a picture of us being swarmed. He was able to get a few pictures, but then the kids all ran to him because they were excited about his camera. He didn't intend for it, but it was a great diversion so we were able to walk again.
The Songhai children are so precious. They were so excited to shake our hands, to feel our skin, to have their pictures taken and to see their own faces afterward on the digital screen. Many of them were begging for food or money, which was heartbreaking. We weren't supposed to give them anything for two reasons: it could literally start a riot or lots of fighting and also because we wanted them to know we were offering something better--eternal life.The rest of the day was spent relaxing, playing Bo Bo and feasting on another wonderful dinner at the Wombles. What an incredible way to spend our anniversary!
4.18.2008
Niger: Day One
*This slide show is of pictures taken throughout our time in Niger (not just on Day One). I'll post a few pictures pertaining to each day as I go.
We arrived in Niamey, Niger, at about 3 in the morning on Saturday, April 5. We were herded through customs, where there wasn't much organization. There weren't really any lines--it was just everyone pushing their way through. We carried everything we needed in our backpacks, but the team did check a couple of bags (mainly for toiletries). I was impressed that the bags made it to Niger when we did. We then met Brad Womble, the IMB missionary who would be helping us throughout the week.
We loaded onto a bus and headed to the guesthouse (pictured right), where we would be staying. We didn't know what the sleeping arrangements would be, so Ryan and I were so excited to find out we would have our own bedroom and bathroom. It was about 4 in the morning by the time we got ready for bed. We were exhausted (especially after getting very little sleep since we left Louisville at 10:30 on Thursday morning, April 3) and were so thankful that Brad said we would be able to sleep in. We were to meet for lunch at 12:30. Ryan and I slept really well and were eager to start our time in Niger.We went over to the Wombles' house for lunch and then had our orientation. There we learned more about Niger and the Songhai people. Here are a few things Brad and Sally told us that really stood out:
•Average life expectancy: 27 years
•3 out of 5 kids die before the age of 5
•Highest infant mortality rate in the world
•Second poorest country in the world (behind Sierra Leone)
•Average annual income for a family of 10: $250
•Literacy rate among Songhai: 15%
•The Muslim/Animistic faith accounts for 99.8% of the Songhai people
•Out of 100 people baptized to the Christian faith, 93% turn back to Islam
•Malaria kills someone every 15 minutes
We were warned to be cautious about what we touched after being with the people because at any given time, we could have Yellow Fever, Malaria, Meningitis and Leprosy on our hands.
The Wombles also told us about how "pink eye" is perceived among the Songhai, which of course interested me. They call "pink eye" "Apollo" because they believe that it is caused by moondust falling in their eyes. They believe the moondust was stirred up by the Americans walking on the moon. To treat it, they believe they must crush red peppers to form a paste and then rub it in their eyes.
Brad also mentioned an experience with a family where two of their kids looked very ill and the other two kids were healthy and eating. Brad asked what was wrong with the two sick-looking kids, and they told him that they had determined they only had enough food to feed two of their kids. They had chosen two kids to live and were letting the other two starve to death.
We concluded the orientation with a prayer session. I was already broken-hearted for these people I hadn't even met yet. We were confident that God was going to do big things in the week to come.
That night (as we did every night while we were there) we met at the Wombles' house for dinner. A mission team from Hurst, Texas, was also there at the same time. Our two teams would do ministry in different places during the day, but we all met together at night. On their team was a girl named Heather, who is a chef at a restaurant in Fort Worth. We were blessed to have Heather cook a wonderful meal for us each night. Ryan was able to play some basketball with Brady, the Wombles' son. It was pretty cute because Ryan was showing Brady how to juggle the ball. (By juggle, I mean soccer-style--keeping the ball in the air by kicking it repeatedly.)
We concluded our night with some Bo Bo, which is a card game that Dr. Martin introduced to us while waiting at the Casablanca airport. Basically, four people can play. One starts out as King, one as Queen, one as Jack and one as Peasant. After each hand, you switch positions based on how well you did during the previous hand. Dr. Martin, of course, started out as King, but he was quickly dethroned. I think by the time we left Casablanca, he was residing in the Peasant seat. In this picture, note that Ryan is King, I am Queen (but taking the picture), Bob was Jack and poor Dr. Martin was Peasant. :) Anyway, all throughout the week, there was much smack talk about who was King.
It was a great day, and we were all very excited to head out to the village and proclaim the name of Jesus.
Strange Shaking
Last night, Ryan awoke to the sound of everything shaking. It was mainly the sound of our windows rattling. I vaguely remember Ryan asking me what was going on. In my sleep I was trying to tell him it was just a train going by (not that we live close to a train track), but apparently what came out of my mouth was something about the gutters. Anyway, the shaking only lasted about 30 seconds. It was about 5:30 in the morning, and neither of us were terribly coherent. Ryan woke this morning to find out that the shaking was caused by an earthquake. That's right, an earthquake.
There was apparently an earthquake measuring a 5.2 that occurred in Illinois, and a 4.5 aftershock reached Kentucky and even all the way down to Atlanta. The strongest earthquake on record with an epicenter in Illinois occurred in 1968 and measured a 5.3. I guess I can cross this off the list of things I thought I would never experience.
There was apparently an earthquake measuring a 5.2 that occurred in Illinois, and a 4.5 aftershock reached Kentucky and even all the way down to Atlanta. The strongest earthquake on record with an epicenter in Illinois occurred in 1968 and measured a 5.3. I guess I can cross this off the list of things I thought I would never experience.
4.17.2008
Our First Mission Trip, Part I: Casablanca
As many of you know, Ryan and I recently went on a 10-day mission trip through Southern Seminary to Niger, West Africa. This was the first mission trip that either of us had been on, and we are so thankful that we were able to experience it together.
There were 11 of us who went, and I was the only girl. (There was another girl who signed up to go, but she dropped out fairly early into the process.) I was anxious about going to the other side of the world with a bunch of guys, but everything worked out fine. While we were there, the guys discipled a handful of new believers by teaching foundational truths from the Scriptures, and the rest of the time was spent sharing the Gospel with people in the village we went to.
Niger is reportedly the poorest (or second poorest) country in the world. Physically influenced by the French, the people of the Songhai tribe, more importantly, have been enslaved to sin, blinded by Satan, and have rejected Christ. The people of Niger are dominated by Islam and animism. You can learn more about the West Africa Region, and specifically about the Songhai people.
Below are some prayer requests that Ryan sent out in an email before our trip:
•"The Lord would soften the hearts of the people with whom we will share the Gospel (that they may see Jesus and believe and repent)
•The Lord would grow the faith of the believers in Niger (that they may be found faithful, even in the face of persecution)
•The Lord would use us to encourage the missionaries on the field
•In all that we say, think, and do, Christ would be glorified
•Strengthened faith, for greater belief in the One who is Lord over all people
•(For Kelli) Confidence as the only girl on the team, that the Lord would use her in ministry
•(For Ryan) Illumination and faithfulness to teach the Word to the believers (I’m teaching on our first day in Niger, which may have the added challenge of recovering from travel. My first lesson is on God’s Holy Word, and we’ll be looking at Genesis 1-3; my second lesson is on Assurance of Salvation, and we’ll be studying the early chapters of Hebrews)
•Our marriage would rightly exalt Christ and his church (especially in a place where men have multiple wives, whom they also abuse physically)
•Trust in the Lord in response to demonic attack"
I listed all of these prayer requests because God answered every single one of them, and we are so grateful to those of you who were praying for us. We certainly felt covered in prayer.
On the way to Niger, we had a 12 hour layover in Casablanca. By the time we arrived in Casablanca, we had already been traveling for almost 24 hours (1.5 hour drive to Cincinnati, flight to New York and then flight to Casablanca), so we were pretty exhausted.
Because our layover was so long, the airline put us up in a hotel so that we could shower, rest and eat. After doing all of the above, we headed out on a tour of the city. We were all excited about the opportunity to see Casablanca, but it wasn't quite what we had expected. The coast was pretty, though there wasn't really any beach where we were, and there were some really beautiful houses. Much of the city, though, was dirty (as in lots of trash everywhere) and very low income. It was strange to me to see opulent houses right next to run-down subsidized housing projects.
Mohammed, the guy driving us around, claimed that this was the hotel was where Churchill, Eisenhower and some other big names gathered to plan D-Day. It was known as the Casablanca Conference. (Some of you history buffs may be able to verify that.)
It was nice to see another part of the world, but we had all had our fill of Casablanca by the time it was ready to leave. We were all eager to finally arrive in Niger.
There were 11 of us who went, and I was the only girl. (There was another girl who signed up to go, but she dropped out fairly early into the process.) I was anxious about going to the other side of the world with a bunch of guys, but everything worked out fine. While we were there, the guys discipled a handful of new believers by teaching foundational truths from the Scriptures, and the rest of the time was spent sharing the Gospel with people in the village we went to.
Niger is reportedly the poorest (or second poorest) country in the world. Physically influenced by the French, the people of the Songhai tribe, more importantly, have been enslaved to sin, blinded by Satan, and have rejected Christ. The people of Niger are dominated by Islam and animism. You can learn more about the West Africa Region, and specifically about the Songhai people.
Below are some prayer requests that Ryan sent out in an email before our trip:
•"The Lord would soften the hearts of the people with whom we will share the Gospel (that they may see Jesus and believe and repent)
•The Lord would grow the faith of the believers in Niger (that they may be found faithful, even in the face of persecution)
•The Lord would use us to encourage the missionaries on the field
•In all that we say, think, and do, Christ would be glorified
•Strengthened faith, for greater belief in the One who is Lord over all people
•(For Kelli) Confidence as the only girl on the team, that the Lord would use her in ministry
•(For Ryan) Illumination and faithfulness to teach the Word to the believers (I’m teaching on our first day in Niger, which may have the added challenge of recovering from travel. My first lesson is on God’s Holy Word, and we’ll be looking at Genesis 1-3; my second lesson is on Assurance of Salvation, and we’ll be studying the early chapters of Hebrews)
•Our marriage would rightly exalt Christ and his church (especially in a place where men have multiple wives, whom they also abuse physically)
•Trust in the Lord in response to demonic attack"
I listed all of these prayer requests because God answered every single one of them, and we are so grateful to those of you who were praying for us. We certainly felt covered in prayer.
On the way to Niger, we had a 12 hour layover in Casablanca. By the time we arrived in Casablanca, we had already been traveling for almost 24 hours (1.5 hour drive to Cincinnati, flight to New York and then flight to Casablanca), so we were pretty exhausted.
Because our layover was so long, the airline put us up in a hotel so that we could shower, rest and eat. After doing all of the above, we headed out on a tour of the city. We were all excited about the opportunity to see Casablanca, but it wasn't quite what we had expected. The coast was pretty, though there wasn't really any beach where we were, and there were some really beautiful houses. Much of the city, though, was dirty (as in lots of trash everywhere) and very low income. It was strange to me to see opulent houses right next to run-down subsidized housing projects. 
Mohammed, the guy driving us around, claimed that this was the hotel was where Churchill, Eisenhower and some other big names gathered to plan D-Day. It was known as the Casablanca Conference. (Some of you history buffs may be able to verify that.)It was nice to see another part of the world, but we had all had our fill of Casablanca by the time it was ready to leave. We were all eager to finally arrive in Niger.
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