Missing My Africans

messages from dani and myself after coming back to the States

from dani:
I miss them too... Except not Abou when she tells me to go back to the states and Rashida when she's satan's spawn... Bahaha.
I miss our chicken.
And I really miss Mamoona.
And okay I even miss that super tall man lady that ALWAYS asked me for my belongings... Without fail....
I miss Barbara.
and the boy that everyone hated but we loved because he was so sweet.
I miss Zerma, even though it caused me much stress and heart ache.
I miss downtown and gettin' pissed at the kids.
I miss Bobay... My hubby.
and his pigeons.
And I miss running in at night only in the midst of the dust storms, never before and having a sandcastle in my tent.
I miss market day.
And farimosa on Sundays under our mysterious structure/get away.
I miss walking for miles with Charifa and never really knowing where we would end up.
I miss windy windy.
I miss late night talks and weyno.
I miss "Charifa une Charifa deux Charifa uh uh uh uh uh."
I miss rice and beans and hiding in the hot back room to eat our food.
I miss it all.
And I REALLY miss you.

from myself:
well since its 9:30 right now... I miss you giving me the ok to set my bed up :-)
I also miss...singing Zaru Neeya a million times a day and doing all those hand games
awkwardness at compounds when we first entered
hearing Africa's heartbeat- (the pounding)...
our teamwork in getting water to our house
praying together every morning and your heart of joy and encouragment
Bakissa watching us like a hawk- well not really that part- but I do miss B bunches
our cow eating our dalas
the way the old lady took the goats back to where they belong
trips to the bush after dark
and early morning adventures to avoid being caught with the black bucket
having filthy feet and never feeling completely clean
laughing so hard- the day of the kuuku, the baby, and Bisara's makeup
running to Kollo and Sidinary and waking you up so early
the meat lady... however crazy she was
dinner conversations in Niamey
moments in "African paradise" with B & K
the excitement of gettting a new outfit made or even more so the fun of selecting the fabric
Arfat and his friends and the rat
sneaking videos of the old lady
the joy Bob Marly had in letting you cook
Laban! the coolest and most refreshing thing in the bush
I miss it all too!!

So I never did write many more stories from my time in Africa on here but I have been able to share my experiences and memories with many since coming back to the States :-) and that has been good for me because I enjoy sharing.

Just Dani and Myself

journal entry: Wednesday, June 10, 2009

So today, was our first day all alone in our village. It was a good day! Truly it was :-) I carried water on my head back to my house, took a bucket bath, pooped out in the bush, greeted every person I saw, and even had the opportunity to share my testimony. I am learning a lot and adjusting and getting use to the culture. I'm going to love it I know- minus the sand that is on me 24/7 and everything else. I feel so dirty all the time but its growing on me. Well good night tonight to the loud rap music on the scratchy radio, kids playing, adults talking, and all the animals(cows, sheep, goats, donkeys, and birds) makaing their noises. Nights are not quiet out here.

Our house (on the left side, the other side was a storage house for their grains):

All the children that came over the first night... they are so precious!

First Day Out and About

Journal entry: Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Crowded corners, bumping into many Africans, and trying to keep up with Zalika(the young girl with us), yet being overwelmed by all the sights and smells that entered my mind for the first time ever in my lifetime- some good, some bad, but most simply unfamiliar. Yes, this is the busy market in Niamey. Taking in so much, the people began to really stand out to me- their faces especially. The joys so many had, though the majority had nothing. The persistance of those wanting to sell me something and the urgency of the beggers. Then from across the crowded street stood out an older man with one leg as he was hobbling around on crutches. How challenging it must be to get around on the bumpy dirt streets in this intense heat. He was moving so well- must have been on them for quiet sometime. Then there was the begger with no fingers on either of her hands. The man of bones and I think blind crawling through the tiny market pathways. On his hands and knees moving so slow, not asking for a thing just seemed to have the ambition of getting some place. The market, the people, and interactions were hard to take in. I thought I had prepared myself and built up the strength, but in reality words cannot portray the reality of life here. Its like one of my teammates said earlier today "we are living out the national geographic" and its intense.

Three days later...

Coming home became an unwanted adventure within itself; therefore, after many miles, much waiting, feeling miserable, running off a couple hours of sleep in 48 hours, and spending the night in both Paris and Dallas, three nights later I was able to make it back to Alabama. For those who did not here the story, Thursday night those wonderful african dust storms delayed us two hours and caused us to miss our connecting flights. I now know my way all around the Paris airport since we spent about 24 hours there trying get a way back to the States. Saturday morning we were able to fly to Germany and soon after board the plane that would fly 10 hours to Dallas where each of our families would be waiting for us! We spent the night in Dallas that first night and hit the road Sunday morning for our 9 hour drive home. I was simply give out from getting little rest and having both malaria and stomach problems. Yet now I am in the comfort of my home and with my family and feeling much much better!


Since I was unable to post pictures and tell details of God's work in Niger these past two months, I have decided to update and leave a few stories on my blog over the next couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Blessed Be Your Name

YESU ALAMASIFU! (Jesus!) The other day as I was spending time with God, He showed me my verse for my time here in Africa. Matthew 12:21 simplfies the ministry I have been doing here in the beset of words:
"In His name the nations will put their hope!"
My task has been to spread the name of Jesus throughout my village. This verse just captured my heart that morning I read as I sat in awe looking back at the past weeks at how much of Alkwara (my village) knew that Dani and I were Christians and were here to tell them about Jesus. God has been guiding us each step of the way and been giving me wisdom- the two things Dani and I have prayed for everyday we have been in the bush. Jesus is the only hope for these people whom I have come to love and cherish and "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!" (Joel 2:32) There is so much power in just the name of Jesus!

I now only have seven more days left in the bush. I will most likely be going back to the bush tonight by myself. Dani is very sick and will be staying in Niamey to get rest. So please keep her in your prayers that God will heal her and she can spend as much time as she can with our village. Also pray for me as it will be myself and the Africans. I'm kind of excited about it though :-)

I don't have time to list specfic prayer requests this time, but just continue to pray!!!! God knows what I need and when I need it. He also knows the hearts of these people and those whom are searching. My time here is coming to an end and it really hurts to think about the future (the next two weeks). Good-byes will be hard because part of my heart will be left here just as it was in Serbia and its not so easy coming back home.

I love you all and I'm doing wonderful!

El Shaddai--- God Almighty

"Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." ~Habakkuk 1:5

My heart breaks for these people I live with and the triumph that evil has now and has held for years among these people. I am in Niamey again for a couple of days, but truly I would rather be in the bush with my family. Its really hard to leave the place I call home now, especially when I look back and see how fast the weeks have passed. I absolutely love life out in the middle of nowhere and God has been working in some incredible ways. Once again like always I appreciate the continual support from all of you back home. Your prayers are a huge blessing to me and keep me going each and every day. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I wanted to let y'all know of some of the ways God has been at work over here. I can't tell it all or every detail but I did want to posts some exciting work of God.
- My Zerma is coming along much better! It's still broken and far from perfect, but its becoming less of a challenge. I am now able to pray for the people in Zerma, their own heart language, which means alot. I always ask God to intercede and speak to the people I pray for himself, so that they too can hear directly from God.
- Speaking of praying... the other day while we were prayer walking I group of devout Muslim men stopped us. They were sitting on their mats under the tree relaxing and greeted us. Once they found out we were Christians they asked us to pray for them. Oh my goodness how amazing, because these men are those really strict Muslim followers. It was a God thing. I was actually kind of nervous being put on the sot like that to pray for these men, but God was totally with me and spoke through me.
- Every afternoon we hang out with our family. Dani and I love our family and hate being away from them. We consider our family the two families who live in our compound and the family right beside us. They love us and we love them and have wonderful afternoon together. The other day I got to hold a baby goat. It was so cute. I always love when Ridwand or Abu have fish and are cleaning them. It reminds me of home. They older boys had a pigeon killing the other day and massacared like thirty of them. We took pictures and they thought it was great. And I have also held chickens and baby pigeons. Oh the good times in our compound. You can really see how our family misses when we go to Niamey and most importantly its the presence of God they miss yet maybe they don't realize that for sure right now. They know we are Christians and we have played the tapes for them. We sing many songs with the children and just take the light of Jesus with each day.
- Dani and myself have got ourselves in a mess a couple of times with our water. We usually get two buckets a day and it is enough for baths, washing dishes and such. However when our clothes are washed we use a lot more. Also the other predicament is when it rains the pump is closed and during the hottest part of the day. So to say the least, we have ran on about five gallons of water some days. Even when it seems we are going to run out God always provides and somehow in our storage container in the back of our house there has always been just enough water to meet our needs even at its lowest point.
- I am feeling much better now! My cold is gone and have all my energy back. The heat isn't so bad anymore, maybe just because I'm getting use to it :-) Yet the flies will drive you crazy! I still have not been sick from the food at all, so praise God!

I could write for hours and hours but at some point I must share my computer time with my other teammates :-) These are just a few of the things God is doing and I give him the glory for all that is good over here and the many ways he is at work. Praise God for being our God the one who reigns over all the earth!! He is God Almighty- El Shaddai!

A Day in Our Bush

There is not much of a schedule here; time is a concept Africans pay no attention to. However, I've kind of developed some consistency in my life here simply by routine. Below is a typical description of day in my village:
4:00am~ the mosque's call to prayer announced on speakers so all can hear it. It woke me up the first few nights, but now I don't even hear it that early anymore.
5:30am~ Good Morning! I wake up and atrat my day. It's still dark outside but I get my headlamp out, stay in my mosquito net and begin my day with God... talking to him, seeking His heart, and growing deeper in his word.
6:00am~ I can turn my headlamp off. The sun begin to rise and light up the sky. All the animals begin to wake up too- roosters crowing, cows mooing, goats, sheep, and donkeys all making their nosies too. The Africans also start waking. I still lay in my net spending time with my loving Father.
6:30am~ Dani gets out of bed and goes to get a bath.
7:00am~ I put our nets ad beds inside our house and Cerifa comes to sweep our house and yard.
between 7-10am~ I go to take a bath. We eat breakfast. Greet our neighbors. Study Zarma. and go to the pump to get water for the day if it is open and we carry it back on our heads :-) All th Africans come out to watch us white folks try to be like them.
between 10-12~ We go tell people about Jesus and visit compounds. After greeting the people we ask them how we can pray for them and then pray. We also tell them a Bible story and let them listen to a cassette of th story of Jesus' life before we leave. All of this is done in Zarma- the communicating, the praying, and reading! This is why it is so important for me to learn the language and at the same time it feels like an obstacle I can't overcome. I pray for God to speak through me and may his presence be among us, because without him I could do nothing! Each day and moment is a new opportunity God has given us and with that I'm encourage. If all these people ever see is the love and joy of Christ in our lives here in Africa, then I know it would be worth it all for me to have the privilege to live here for two months!!
Noon~ Dani and I have been getting out and seeing more of what is around us by prayer walking. This has also been a wonderful getaway time for ourselves.
between 1-3pm~ Fulanzam! our resting time Most Africans rest during the hottest part of the day, so we go along with the culture and try to take a nap too. however, for one thing its hard to sleep being so hot, sweaty with flies all around you. I usually doze off for a maximum of 30 minutes before being woken up by a visitor. Some of our teammates can take 2 hour naps though- wow!
3:00pm~ we spend he rest of our day in our compound with our "family" We take our mat out and just sit, talk, laugh and have a good time. We also have many visitors tha come and go throughout the afternoon. Dani and I are the first white people to ever live in this village, so they find us interesting, unique and watch us intensely.
8:00pm~ the sun goes down and it gest dark. With no electricity or city lights, its amazing how much light the moon gives off. It is really awesome and we mainly use our flaslights inside our ouse because it is so dark.
9:30pm~ I take my cot outside and set up my mosquito net. I brush my teeth and wash my face all over the small bowl in our back room. Then I fill up my water bottle and take out my fan to lie under the stars for another night in Africa! ----- nights: are good here, but loud!

Though so much more happens in a day here. This is the basic layout of what I normally do, so maybe yall can get a glimpse of what life is like over here :-)

~Safia (This is my African name and what I answer to. Even Dani and I call each other by our African names. Its just by habit now.)

Your prayers and encouragment are so wonderful!!!

I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for all your prayers and love. God's presence surrounds me over here and I can honestly feel the power of your prayers! Prayer, as I will always say, is so so powerful! and much needed. So THANK YOU!!

Right now, I am here in Niamey with my entire team until in the morning for some rest and time together from the bush. Life in the bush is difficult but let me say that I do love it! My cling to verse the first few weeks here has been Isaiah 58:10-11
"Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well watered garden,
like an ever flowing spring!"

Here in Africa it is a dark place. I cannot describe in words how feels to be amongst a people who have never once heard the name of Jesus before. There is so much darkness, but in this darkness where we have come to share and tell about Jesus, the light and love of Christ from within us glows ever so brightly!

Ways to pray for me over the next few weeks:
1. language, language, language! Its been a tough challenge, but I've learned so much more in the bush. I study everyday and I know God is helping me each step of the way.
2. Papa- is a young African guy whom I was able to share my testimony with the second afternoon I was in the bush. Pray that the seed that was planted will be watered and for his heart to continue to soften to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of his life.
3. Nili- is a girl around my age who is hard to love. She has an attitude and it has been difficult to be nice too. Pray that Dani and I will have wisdom in knowing how to talk to her and to keep loving her with the love of Christ, and for us to have patience in working with her. She comes to our house almost everyday.
4. the compounds that we go to share Jesus with every morning. Please pray that Dani and I will have the wisdom to know which compounds to go to in our village and that the presence of God will just overflow from around us even though we may not be understood or understand them.

I go back to the bush (our home) in the morning. I will be back in Niamey again around the 4th of July, so until then just keep your prayers coming. I love you all and miss you bunches. I wish a had more time to write more of what has been going on here but I'm journaling when I have the time so stories and pictures will come when I get back. :-)

Life begans in the bush!

This will be my last post before I go to the bush. We will be leaving in the morning and will be there for ten days. While there I will not have internet connetion. We will be back in Niamey on the 17th thru 19th. Please keep me and the mission team here in your prayers.

My Prayer Requests are:
1. Dani: She will be my partner. She is from Louisiana, has a big heart for the Lord and has so much JOY! She has kept us all (my whole team) in good spirits since arriving here in Africa. Pray for our friendship- that we will grow closer and deeper this summer as we serve our Lord here together in Africa.
2. Penny: A college student from the states who has been here for 4 months. She has been here for 4 months. She has chosen to stay longer and will now will be the mother of 4 orphan children for who knows how long. Pray for her strength and guidance of these children and that they may see Christ shine through her loving heart.
3. Brandy and Kanesa: The journeymen women who have been serving here for almost 4 years. They are our "supervisors" and have prepared us well, I do believe, for our time in the bush. Pray for their continual wisdom and leadership.
4. For my strength-physically and spiritually. As I had to find a "new strength" in my arms the first few weeks I was on crutches, I pray now for God to physically provide strength for me to eat, deal with the extreme heat, and simply stay in good health. And spiritually that I stay grounded in the truth and let God receive the glory for all I do.
5. Adaptation to life in the African bush country

"For those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not grow faint." Isaiah 40:31

Fo-Fo! (Hello!)

I am officially in Africa!!! So i got to Niamey Tuesday afternoon. I had no problems traveling and a safe trip here. Its really hard to update because all my teammates and I are taking turns sharing Cody's computer. The internet is very slow and there are seven of us so that's why it has taken me this long to simply let you know I'm here. Therefore, its going to be hard to tell a lot of whats going on by writing on here- takes a lot of time, so many of my stories are just going to have to wait until I get back to the States. I'm going to try to keep prayer requests up though because y'all are so faithful in doing that and its really needed. Prayer is powerful! So since its already past midnight here and I start my day at 6 with incredibly long days... its going to be short and sweet with how you can really pray.
1. learning Zarma-we have intense language study for 4 hours each morning for 5 dyas... once we leave Niamey we are on our own- no translator, kind of scary thought! but it has been fun. today was our first day of learning
2. physical body adjusting to the heat- it is HOT here and it really wears on you physically!!! Please pray that I'll continue to have the strength to stay healthy, eat and minister with motivation.
3. the poverty- living conditions, the lepers, the orphans, the widows, the lame, the hungry- i've seen it all. it's all here and it has been incredibly hard for me to adjust to and accept that its they way life is here. as one of my teammates said the other day, its like we're living the national geographic and we are! ( Niger makes the list for the top 5 poorest countires in the world every year.)
4. The people in the compound and village that I will be living with and interacting with for the next 9 weeks. May their hearts be soften.
5. and finally Tuesday morning we leave early to move to the bush. I'm very excited but it will be a challenge to adapt to a new way of life completely.

Thanks for being faithful in prayer. I miss you all and love you dearly!!!

"Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
declare his glory among the nations
his marvelous deeds among all people."
Psalm 96

Letting go--- so, so difficult

As I mentioned in my previous post, saying good-byes are hard... but let me say that letting go is so, so difficult. It hurts. The word "sacrifice" keeps coming to mind. The dicitonary defines sacrifice as "forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim." If Jesus Christ is truly Lord of my life, the center and core of my very being, then I must let go of my selfishness, dreams, and heart's desires. I must place these all in the hands of my heavenly Father, so that God alone can be brought glory through my actions and that the life of which I live may pleasing to Him.

Good-Byes

In two days I will be waking up as I did today, but instead of going to sit on the swing outside I will probably be running around trying to get all my stuff together to head to the airport and later on that day I will begin a journey through which God has prepared me for and will guide me through- that is my trip to Africa.

This week has been filled with:
The laughter of my family.
The time spent with dear friends.
The tears of letting go.
The joys of seeing one last smile.
The last embrace of one who cherished me so much.
Car rides with friends who would do anything for me- the weeks on crutches proved it.
Lunch with sweet coworkers- whom have been a true blessing from God.
Cookouts with dad's family and friends- so many smiles, joy and love.
Witt's graduation and seeing Mama-Rue and Papa-Cha one more time.
Encouragement from phone calls, letters, and cards.
Prayers for a safe journey, stepping out in faith, and the Zerma people of West Africa.
Time in Sylacauga with my family and of course on the farm with my horses.
Time in Birmingham working, going to therapy and hanging out with my incredible friends.

This past week I've had to say good-bye to many friends and family. God has blessed me with the opportunties to hang out with so many of them one last time before I leave. There has been much encouragement and joy, but then too to be completely honest there has been sorrow and pain. It's hard saying good-bye to those I care so much about and love.

My Heart's Desire

As a young girl it was always my dream to be a missionary in Africa. I still remember those pictures in my colorful imagination of what life would be like without a roof over my head, electricity, running water, or grass in the yard... of how cool it would be to have friends who didn't have the same color skin as me or speak my language... and the thought that one day possibly I too could be able to experience all of this.
Two years ago as applied for summer missions, assignments in Africa were my first two choices; however, they were filled by the time for interviews and I was then chosen to serve in the country of my last choice- Serbia. Now, part of my heart will always be with the Serbs and I will always have a part of them with me. God showed me a lot about learning to keep my faith in the smallest of things and how I will not be able "to see the whole scope of His work from beginning to end" (Ecc. 3:11). To look back at stories of God's work and pictures of my time in Serbia you go to my first blog: to http://toriwilder.blogspot.com/.

As for this year... why Africa and not Serbia? (especially after the Serbs captured part of my heart two years ago and I anxiously await the time for God to send me back there.) Well as I was finishing up my application for summer missions, I had my heart set on going back to Serbia. It was where I left part of my heart, felt comfortable, and have many loving friends. Yet as I talked to God about it and looked back through project list, a two month project for Niger was listed that I hadn't seen previously. Immediately, those dreams of living in Africa came back to me! This had been the place for so many years where I desired to do missions. I really sought out the Lord about this decision. I felt God leading me to place Niger as my first choice and so I did, and with God's assurance I knew that one day He would call me back to Serbia. About two months later, I was accepted to serve in Niger.