Yes

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are happily preparing for this year’s holiday season. I wish upon you many days of stress-free, constructive activities. Happy Thanksgiving!

Normal, stationary people think that missionaries who move back ‘home’ (the country of their passports) should have answers to every major, and even some minor, life question. In reality, we usually have almost no answers to any questions. I thought that since I am single, I would be less organized than a couple who might leave their host country after several years. However, I have been encouraged by the mass confusion of my fellow missionaries, many of whom don’t have jobs after having left Niger before I did. Apparently, it’s normal to not a have a definitive plan. Or, it also may be  that the spontaneity of missionaries that leads them to far flung locales is also a trait that manifests itself as indecision.  In any case, my answer to all the questions that get flung at me has become, “Yes.” It’s a much more positive answer than, “I have no earthly or heavenly clue”, and it leaves the residual impression that I know what I’m doing. “How do you feel about being back?” Yes. “Are you glad to be home?” Yes. “Are you sad being here?” Yes. “Are you glad to have left Niger?” Yes. “Are you sad to have left Niger?” Yes. “What are your going to do?” Yes. “Where are you going to work?” Yes. “What do you think God wants you to do?” Yes.

I left Niger on October 2 and arrived in Oklahoma on October 30. I was able to visit Turkey to walk the streets of Ephesus and spend about a week with friends in Norway and Korea. Turkey is home to many underground cities of refuge used by ancient Christians to hide from Roman authorities. In Norway, I was walking along one of many fjords and my missionary friend from Niger warned me of the slick surface; I assured him of my cautious steps and promptly fell on my back, only to be saved from the freezing water at the edge by a thin layer of traction provided by some helpful crustaceans. In Korea, I spent about a week with a very loud but wonderful friend from college, and I wondered if I were ever or if I am still so extroverted. After spending the night in the LAX airport is Los Angeles I traveled to OKC and was there for a few days. I then flew to Canada where I helped officiate the wedding of a former student. I thought that he would have picked an officiator who was a little more married than me, but he didn’t.

In my previous update, I told you about the three boys who asked to come to my house for lunch and then didn’t like my spaghetti. Well, a fourth boy trumped his other friends. This boy’s name is Nouroudin, and he is rather rotund. The only chunky kid in Niger that I know. Further, the word in French for food is ‘nouriture’. His name is very easy to remember. I knew him from the neighborhood and invited him to lunch at my house near the end of my stay. I decided that I would try my maligned spaghetti sauce one more time. When I served him his lunch, he stared blankly at the food and said, “Oh, I can’t eat that.” I sat down beside him and smiled and said, “Oh, why not?” He seemed so definitive. He said “I can’t eat that because it gives me cancer in my throat.” That was the best excuse I’ve ever heard and was sort of disappointed that I didn’t think of it when I was a kid. There was really no arguing with his excuse, so I took back the plate. “Do you want some chicken?” “No.” “Would you like some plain rice?” “No.” “Well, what do you eat?” He is round; obviously he’s eating something. He responded, “I like turkey and noodles.” That was the most random thing he could have possibly said.

As I said, I am back in Oklahoma and trying to feel out what the future might be. I will probably not stay in Oklahoma permanently but it is possible. The tentative long term plan at the moment is to stay in the country for about four to five years and then return to Niger in some capacity. I am planning on doing some kind of education, but I’m not yet certain as to what that will be. I am looking for a job and have a few leads. I am also considering buying a house but can’t do that until I track down one of those job leads. Lots of waiting and stepping, and backing up and moving sideways, and so forth and so on. I was able to find a reliable 2014 car with few miles and a reasonable price tag. I want to express my great gratitude to everyone who supported me with their prayers and finances. I would not have been able to spend the last three years in Niger without your financial assistance. If you have not done so already, you can stop giving your monthly pledge. Thank you for everything.

I wanted to include some kind of great story or funny anecdote with a moral twist. But, it seems I’m a little flat these days. Humans will always have a need to gauge success. In college, I had a great professor of missions who taught me that a discerning Christian measures success in individual disciples and the effort given to such endeavors. When I returned to Niger in 2012, I determined that I would focus my energy on individuals. So, as a report of the activities that you helped fund, I’d like to give you a short list of names with the number of years spent in consistent contact with them. Some of the names are pseudonyms.

Adamou, 3 years: I worked with him in his new faith. I doubt he is a Christian today.
Adam, 3 years: I worked with him in his new faith. He is from a rather unreached people group. I am fairly confident that he is a Christian today.
Oscar, 2 years: I worked with him in his new faith. He turned out to be a liar and a thief.
Ray, 4 years: I taught him at an international English-speaking school. He asked me to speak at his wedding.
David, 3 years: I taught him at an international English-speaking school. He has recently made some questionable decisions.
Harouna, 2 years: He is a strong Christian who asked me to help him grow in his faith. He is a nurse and is pondering becoming a pastor in addition to his job.
Lawali, 3 years: He is a Christian teenager in an orphanage. A few days before I left, he called me to ask my help with a friend of his who wanted to know more about the love of Jesus.
Jean, 3 years: He worked for me as the guard at my house. He is a Christian and wants to remain a Christian after having worked for me for 3 years.
Rafat, 2 years: He is a Christian teenage in an orphanage. I hope that I helped him understand his kind spirit is a strength and not a weakness.
Saul, 1 year: I visited him consistently in his village for about a year. He decided that he doesn’t want to be a Christian.
Amadou, 3 years: A high point during my time in Niger was the moment when Amadou’s non- Christian father called me and told me that he approved of his adult son being a Christian.
Eli, 3 years: He was an American high school student who became a Christian in Niger and then moved himself onto my list of disciples. He is not a Christian today.

Again, thank you for everything.

Blessings