where the paved road ends: November 2006

romans 10 in west africa

Parker and I have an almost daily conversation that goes something like this...
She will say (and you can see from the picture) "mark, your feet look awful!" and I will then reply back (in my most pastorly voice) "they're beautiful."
Now don't get me wrong, I don't like feet, they actually creep me out quite a bit, but as I read the authors of Isaiah and Romans, I don't think these were men who particularly enjoyed feet either. It's not as if Paul or Isaiah were fascinated by feet. In fact, feet in their times were even more gross than we can imagine. Parker and I get just a taste of the humility of Jesus in John 13 to wash his disicples feet as we see truly nasty feet: feet that have known no shoes their whole lives and feet that have walked through garbage and human and animal waste. It was these types of feet Jesus took in his hands and it was these types of feet that Paul and Isaiah knew as well.

It's funny how we have messed up what is truly beautiful isn't it? That someone could spend literally hours cleaning and pampering and painting their feet thinking that it somehow made them more attractive only to find that the King of Kings is interested in worn, calloused, dirty, and bloody feet.

You don't have to go to West Africa to get beautiful feet, you just have to go. You just have to show others the "mystery of the gospel, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (col. 1:27). Beautiful feet don't come from sitting in comfy rooms but from walking and taking the gospel to the lost! For "how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'" (Rom. 10:14-15).

fun times in ayorou

Just wanted to give you guys some pics to show you some of our friends in Ayorou and give you a taste of what we've been doing...

This is from the birthday party we threw for Cephas. We invited some of the contacts we have made in Ayorou. There was Sadu (a Songhai man who is very close to accepting Christ) and his brother Abduli. The Brazilian boys came as well as Samula (an electrician) and Abdul Salaam. There were also several kids who showed up. Parker made some great snacks and Cephas and I both read from various portions of Scripture. The night ended with some great tea (made by Hassane) and crazy eights card games late into the night.

This is a picture of our soccer team. I was reading my Bible outside one morning last week when I heard, "Mark, Mark," at the gate. I found Yacouba and Chiddey (two local boys we've befriended) and they wanted to kick the soccer ball around. We did and I told them we'd play more that afternoon. Well, that afternoon came and so did 13 kids. We played a game of soccer and I told them i wanted to play each week with them and then have a Bible story. They were very excited about both opportunties.

Here is one of the many hippos we saw on our hunt. This is as close as we want to get to them!

Ahhh, my favorite part of the day. I grab my Taylor, put the tailgate down on the truck and sing towards the setting sun.

Meet Chiddey. He has completely stolen Parker's heart and she is searching Ayorou for adoption papers. It is so amazing that while we have so much trouble communicating right now, we are able to speak so much (with children in particular) with our actions. Yacouba and I made up a card game the other night even though neither of us can speak the other's language. Parker and Chiddey swapped drawings on the back of a cardboard box.

Parx and I at sunset in Ayorou. Note Parker's fashionable head wrap. Isn't she beautiful? I keep telling her with that head wrap and those sunglasses she looks dead up like Jackie O.

Hope you enjoy the pics and they can give you some things to be praying for. Please continue to pray for Abdul Salaam and Hassane. Also, please be in prayer for our soccer Bible group.

thanksgiving in africa

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. As is with any holiday, one is filled with emotions. And as is with any holiday celebrated away from family, one is filled with more emotions. And with holidays celebrated in a new country, there are even more emotions.

Our usual Thanksgiving is celebrated in South Dakota eating some of my dad's famous smoked meats (pork loin, beef brisket, turkey, chicken), chowing down on all the fixin's (sweet potato casserole, brown rice, mashed potatoes, fried okra, rolls, pumpkin pie, and chocolate pecan pie), playing card games to the wee hours of the night, geocaching in the snow, and catching up on ESPN and the Food Network!!

This year Thanksgiving is different in more ways than one. Besides not having the traditional meal (good luck on finding a turkey in Africa), not being with family and being the only ones celebrating this joyous occasion, we are finding ourselves being thankful for a whole new array of things. So here's our list of What We are Thankful for in Africa ...

1. Each other (awwww...) - This journey, although wonderful, can be hard but it's been a whole lot easier having each other as we ride over the speed bumps.
2. Our language teacher, Cephas
3. Idrissa's - the closest thing to Chinese food
4. Chiddey - a little boy who has no father and whose mother lives in another village. Seeing his smiling face makes me realize that maybe my days aren't so bad after all.
5. The 13 children that have made up Mark's soccer team. They have no agenda and nothing to give but their time. They are lost and desperate to hear the Good News.
6. The drive from Ayorou to Niamey - the splendor of our God's creation is unfathomable
7. The electricity coming on at 4 pm everyday!!
8. Seeing palm trees!
9. Fan Milk - also known as frozen chocolate milk
10. Coke in bottles - especially when there are little chunks of ice in them
11. The mandatory rest time (1-3 pm every day)
12. Getting mail from halfway around the world
13. Seeing giraffes, camels, hippos and hump backed cows - where else in the world can you do that?
14. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and bread!!
15. The sky - sunsets at dusk and the stars at night

who is this Jesus?

Sorry for the rapid fire blogs but we have so much to share with you guys. Our main responsibilities this past week in Ayorou were to begin French lessons, map out the city, and see what is available to buy. We would go to different vendors and greet them and see what all they had and how much it cost. I would tell them I was a Christian and that I would like to pray for them if they would allow me. Some do, some politely refuse.

On Sunday last week, we went to the store of Abdul-Salem. When I asked to pray for him, he showed me a French New Testament. However, on closer examination, it was simply a cover, there were no pages in it. I asked him if I could come back later and talk about the Bible. He agreed and the following day Cephas and I returned with a French "Steps to Peace with God" tract I had picked up in Richmond. I gave it to him and asked if he would read it and talk about it the next day. He said he would. Cephas and I returned the following night and I was able, through Cephas, to present the gospel to him clearly.

At one point, he asked me "who is this Jesus?" Now, he knew what his faith had taught him about Jesus, but this Jesus I talked about was brand new. Abdul did not accept Christ that night and he gave pretty typical Muslim responses. But he did listen, he did say he'd talk more with me about this, and he did make tea for me (a show of friendship).

So many of you have been praying for a man of peace, and Parker and I feel confident that God has answered your prayers in Abdul-Salem. Cephas said that his name (Salem) literally means "peace."

Parker and I just wanted you to know that God is already answering your prayers and let you know how you can be praying for us and the Songhai the next few weeks.
* Pray for Abdul-Salem and his brother Tchimba. Pray that God would open their eyes to the truth of the gospel. We will be giving them cassette tapes this week that begin with the Koran and move to the New Testament in talking about Jesus. Many (if not most) of the Muslims here do not know what the Koran even says, they simply trust their Iman (local head of mosque).
* A team from Lifeway is coming to Ayorou to story with anyone who will listen. Pray that they will plant seeds in the hearts of many in Ayorou. It is so different for us to be in a place that Satan has had a stronghold for literally centuries. You can see it in people's faces, they are in so many ways hopeless. Pray that they will hear and respond to the Hope of Glory, which is Christ!
* Pray for Hassane (our guard). He has allowed me to pray for him and our friendship is growing. He also made tea for me the other night. Pray that Parker and I will witness with our lifestyle and with our mouth to Hassane. I asked him if he would discuss the Bible with me sometime. He said "not yet, I'm a Muslim, but I will tell you when I'm ready."

Thank you for your prayers for Parker and I personally. We are adjusting to the heat and are moving from simply surviving in Africa to living in Africa. Neither of us have gotten sick yet and everyone we've met has been peaceful to us. God answers prayers. Thank you for praying for us and the Songhai. We will be in the bush for the next 10 days but cannot wait to give another report of God's faithfulness.

fun times in niger

On our picnic with Brad & Sally, we got the chance to ride camels! It was a very peaceful experience for being 8 feet up in the air.

ok, so maybe just Parker rode the camels ... Mark (& the camel) on the other hand did not have such a peaceful experience.

We were able to attend the American Embassy Marines Ball with Brad & Sally. It was a great time of food, dancing and getting to meet the Ambassador. Mark got to show off his moves ... the Ambassador asked us to never come back.

rounding the corner on the road to Niamey at 120 km/hr, one might encounter this type of road block

our Ayorou friends: Tiago, Hassane, Philipe, & Cephas
Tiago & Philipe are Brazilian missionaries on the Songhai team, Hassane is our night guard & Cephas is our wonderful language teacher

just chillin with giraffes ... a normal day in Niger

a week in the bush

One of my favorite Rich Mullin's songs has the line "we are not as strong as we think we are." Parker and I found that to be true on our first full week in the bush (aka Ayorou). Life without electricity for 2/3rds of the day is harder than we ever thought. At 4:00pm (when the power comes on) is a joyous time at the Phillips' home. A broken generator on the first day, a water filter that didn't filter, and Parker overheating made the first few days pretty tough. However, we are learning to trust in God's provision like never before and He is so faithful.

Our ideas of what a successful day looks like are really changing. I always wanted, at the end of the day, to look back on my to-do list and see most, if not all, of the tasks checked off. I would come home to Parker and tell her about the productive day I'd had. In Ayorou, a productive day is: we had enough food and filtered water today, everything has been bleached and cleaned, I didn't run over any goats with my truck, and we slept through the night. It's so strange how things we never thought about before in the States takes constant attention here.

We have to keep a constant check on our water, which has to be brought to us on a donkey cart in a 50 gallon barrel, poured into a stationary barrel on the ground, then hand pumped from that barrel up to our tank, which stands about 20 feet off the ground and then finish it off with a few capfuls of bleach. And that's just to have water flowing in the house. In order to have water to drink or brush our teeth, the water flows through a filter that is attached to a wall in our kitchen. Unfortunately, because we don't have heavy water pressure, filling a cup to drink takes about 15 minutes and is room temperature (and the room is usually 95 degrees). We have to keep enough water in stock in case the donkey doesn't show up one morning or we have guests or if we become especially thirsty, so we usually try to have at least 6-7 liters of filtered water chilled at a time.

Although basic chores eat up a lot of our day, our nights are filled with restless sleep, we feel inadequate to communicate, etc, etc ... at the end of the day, we are blessed. We are blessed because we do have a water supply and the ability to filter. We are blessed because we have a bed to sleep on and an air conditioner to run for 8 hours a day. We are blessed because we have a fellow brother in Christ who is not only our translator but a friend and encourager in the faith. We are blessed because we have people like you praying that we will have enough water, sleep well, endure the heat and mostly, share the love of Christ with the Songhai.

The Water Process