When we arrived in Oklahoma during the middle of the summer, the results for our COVID test took about five days. With that in mind and in order to receive results within the correct timeframe for acceptability by authorities in Niger, Mikey and I were tested six days before our scheduled departure. That was a Wednesday, and in a cruel, ironic application of Mr. Murphy’s commandments, our results were ready on Thursday, too early to be viable. So, we got tested again on a Saturday and flew out on a Tuesday. Our results posted while we were in the airport in Chicago. I took screenshots, and the nurses in the airport in Niamey let us into the country.
When we arrived, we promised that we would spend a two-week quarantine in our house. It felt like we hurried and scurried and then were abruptly halted. So, we quarantined, and cleaned, and watched videos, and washed laundry by hand, and cleaned, and cooked, and read books, and cleaned, and tried to get caught up on various projects. In case you missed it (and you probably wouldn’t know it now), we cleaned the house… several times. Then we began to rev our engines to get ready for the school year.
Two days before we were set to be released from quarantine, the wall around the campus of the international Christian school broke, and the flooded Niger River rushed into the compound. So, we waited. Mikey had been enrolled to start his freshman year there, and I had been scheduled to teach a few classes. The following few weeks were filled with flood-recovery efforts, and COVID seemed to fall well into the backs of our minds.
In order to carry on with the academic year, the school rented one building for elementary and one building for secondary. Mikey started school on September 30. This was his first day in a physical school since around December of 2018. So far, he has thoroughly enjoyed it, and is doing well. He is quite relieved that he no longer has Mr. Wyckoff. I am teaching General High School English, World Literature, and Creative Writing.
I am also re-establishing my relationships with my discipleship contacts. In these discipleship efforts, there are three basic categories: those who are interested in Jesus, those who are new Christians, and those who are established Christians but still young in their faith. Solomon, a man whom I have known for several years and who seems to have an on-going but distant interest in Jesus, recently contracted Typhoid Fever. I was able to help with medical costs, and he is feeling much better. Harriet, a woman with a chronic wound on her leg, is struggling with her health and struggling with what to do with the gospel message that has been graciously presented to her through discussions and medical aid. Faith, a woman who was presented the message of Christ about a year ago, seems to have a growing hunger for spiritual truth. Many of my efforts in one-on-one evangelism are greatly helped by my friend Pascal.
There will be no pastoral students at the Bible school this year because of lack of trainees. However, I am scheduled to teach evening classes at the Bible school for general audiences who wish to couple their faith with knowledge. Several days ago, I attended the pastoral graduation of the Bible school which had been postponed due to COVID. I enjoy these gatherings because it gives me the opportunity to see previous students, some of whom I taught as long ago as 2007.
A few weeks ago, Mikey and I also attended a baptismal Saturday celebration for new believers in the church that we attend on Sunday mornings. That church is a local congregation, and the services are held in French. Recently, an English-speaking Sunday-evening church service resumed its meetings. Many of Mikey’s friends and their families attend that service.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support. At the moment, all of my financial donors, except one, are individuals. I am aware of the sacrifice that these people make and am truly grateful. If you would like to donate, you can click on the “Support Jeremy” button in the top righthand corner of the website. This feature is powered by PayPal, but you do need to have your own PayPal account in order to give. Blessings.
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