not if, but when

Long before arriving in Niger, we were warned that malaria is a way of life here for both nationals and missionaries. We were told that it's not a matter of "if you'll get it" but "WHEN you'll get it." Well, that "WHEN" finally arrived for Mark. We had headed home last Wednesday after our Songhai Retreat and turned around 17 hours later to come back to the capital because Mark was not feeling so well. Turns out, not only did he have malaria but a bacterial infection and aggressive amoebas as well. When he gets it, he gets it good! Fortunately, all is well and we are heading home doused in bug spray!

songhai retreat

Recently, an outstanding group from Friendswood, TX came all the way to Niger to conduct a retreat for the Songhai Team. Six IMB missionaries and 9 Brazilian missionaries make up the Songhai Team and it was the first time EVER that we had all been together.

Each night the Songhai team took a turn hosting a "fun event." Mark & I got to teach line dancing! Well I don't know if "teach" is the right word but we had a lot of fun even if I can't keep a beat!

What do you do when the electricity shuts off and you're waiting on lunch? You bust out into Songhai songs & dancing, of course!

Mary Womble and I about to enjoy a fun night of Bunko! The Texas team brought gifts from the States & the Songhai team brought gifts from Niger. Mark and I won some cute house decor!

Mark and Moe showing off their Bunko scores. Mark won most Bunkos so he got to pick a gift first. What a wonderful husband I have that he passed up American goodies to get me a large metal cross to hang in our house!

The entire Songhai Team! THANK YOU FBC Friendswood for making this retreat possible!!

thanks jeremy

Meet Jeremy. Jeremy came to Ayorou last November with a team from Nashville. Jeremy met Mark and Parker. Jeremy saw that the pickin's are sparse in Niger. So ...

Jeremy and his wife, Sarah, hooked Mark and Parker up with some yummy treats! Mark and Parker ate half of them in one week. Thanks Jeremy and Sarah!

how much does it cost to save a life?

Well, for Sakina here, we found out that to save a life it costs 50 francs (that's 10 cents). The time in Niger right now is a mixed blessing. The rains are coming which are a relief from the heat and will supply the farmers (in this 5 month period) the needed water to grow millet. However, with the rainy season comes mosquitoes and with mosquitoes come malaria. Now is the time for malaria and it will claim countless lives this season just as it has for years.

When, Parker and I came home from our team meeting last Saturday, some kids came up to Parker and said ,"Sakina sinda banni," which means Sakina is sick. While we don't like to play favorites with the kids, Sakina has stolen our hearts. So Parker raced over to check on her. Parker felt her head and came running back to the house saying, "She's burning up!" She grabbed our thermometer and raced back. She began to take her temperature and took the thermometer out (while it was still going up) at 105.6 degrees. We asked her parents permission to take her to the Clinic. They diagnosed her as having malaria and gave her a shot and some medicines to take. The charge: 50 francs (10 cents). You have to understand, that's not a lot of money, even here. So why didn't her parents take her before we got there? Why were we the ones that had to take her to the doctor? That's the question Parker and I have been pondering.

The best we can figure is that kids have two things going against them. First of all, malaria is just a way of life here. There is no urgency and many adults simply try to tough it out and, we guess, expect their kids to do the same. Secondly, infant mortality is sadly also a way of life. It's just not that unusual for kids to die before the age of 5. So when a child gets malaria, the mindset is: they'll get over it and if they die, well that's just a way of life.

We took about 7 people to the clinic last week (mostly kids) because we can't just stand by idly and watch this "way of life" happen to them. We love the children that live around us and are doing everything we can to check up on their health. While we'd like to take every child in Ayorou to the doctor, we know that's not a possibility. The grim reality is that there are thousands of children we don't know and who don't know us and worst of all don't know Christ. Many of these will not make it to next rainy season and spend an eternity apart from Christ.

Please pray for the health of the children of Ayorou. Please also pray for the salvation of Ayorou. Please pray that God would raise up people (maybe you) to come here and share the good news of Christ before it's too late.

green acres is the place to be

When rainy season comes, many of the men of Ayorou disappear during the day to work their farms. The main crop is millet. What they grow in this short window of time will have to feed their family until next season. I've been going out to Bouba's farm to help him. Just thought I'd show you what farming looks like here.

This is Bouba. Many of you have been praying for him and know he is the guy who brings our water. Your prayers are working. Our time on the way to the farm and while we are farming has been amazing. We spend most of the time talking about religious matters. It's so great to have him one on one for so much time. Pray that he can find work in Ayorou. Otherwise, he is planning on moving to Senegal or Mali after the harvest to find work. I believe God is drawing him towards salvation. Pray for work for him.


Here's millet that is just about ready.


This is the field before we do anything to it. The main work is to weed the field using a kumbu.

Here's Bouba showing this white boy how it's done! Many (okay all) people here don't believe white people can work (at least REAL work). I'm quite the point of conversation as we take the hour walk to the farm each morning. When we're coming back everyone asks me to show them my hands.

Here's the field when we're done.

This is me, Bouba, his uncle, and his dad plowing up a field to prepare for rice to be planted. Rice is the other main crop here in Ayorou.

Here's Bouba's dad spreading the rice seed.

This is Leciri. It is one of about a billion things they make with millet. It is our snack for our break each day. It looks and feels like cement but it actually tastes pretty good unlike the other 999,999,999 things they make with millet.

... farm living is the life for me.