I arrived in Niger on a Friday and spent a few days in the home of a Nigerien friend. On Saturday, I decided to be social and go to the missionary-school campus to play softball with a mixed group up of Africans and white people. As the game was winding down, a sandstorm descended upon Niamey. Niger is known for its sandstorms. Believe it or not, sandstorms are very welcome here because sandstorms usually indicate the coming of rain. The sand came, the darkness came, the rain came, and I, being on foot, was stuck. The new dorm parents at the school noticed my plight and invited me to eat with them and their children while the storm passed. After dinner, I didn’t want to disturb my hosts’ prescheduled family movie night so I endeavored to walk and taxi my way home. It was about dusk, but I thought I would be able to find a taxi. However, we are in the middle of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. For Ramadan, the people fast during the day but feast after sundown. Therefore, most people are very grumpy during the day because they are tired and hungry. As the sun descends, everyone flees what they are doing to run home and eat. I had forgotten about Ramadan and stood at the base of the Niger River Bridge lonely and taxiless. There were no taxis and few pedestrians. I walked across the bridge with hopes of finding a taxi in a better location… no taxi. I walked to the street that passes in front of the nicest hotel in the country… no taxi. I stood and hoped for a taxi… no taxi. So, I continued to walk, knowing that my destination lay on the other side of town. Maybe the rain would not return. I soon noticed that I had picked up a fellow wanderer. He was about 5’2’’, weighed probably 100 pounds, and had a piece of plastic wrapped around his head. In a few moments, he closed the gap between us and tugged at my ball glove. Petty theft here is a big problem. I turned and said, “What are you doing?” He demanded that I give him my glove and used his hand to send an African curse in my direction. I quickly determined that he did not have a knife and tried to ignore him. After 4 or 5 minutes, guards stationed at a nearby government building chased away my diminutive thief friend, and I continued my stroll. I arrived at about the half-way point of the journey when I came upon a large puddle. The roads in Niger, dirt or paved, are not built for rain or runoff, and small street-lakes are common occurrences after a strong storm. This particular location was a bit more populated, and I was very happy when a nice man in a car pulled over to offer me ride through the river. He drove me to a busier road with multiple taxis and dropped me off. I quickly found a taxi and finished my voyage back to my friend’s house.
I apologize for the lateness of this update. The internet in Niger is slow and unreliable. The internet providers here often drop service for long periods of time. But, a few years ago, there was no internet service in Niger at all. So, I suppose, it’s better than nothing.
I flew out of OKC on a Friday and arrived in Niger on the following Friday. I spent that week visiting friends in South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Morocco. The visits were very pleasant, and it was nice to see old friends again. In Wisconsin, I spent a few days with the Potratz family. Noah was bigger than when I taught him in middle school 4 years ago; time does funny things. In South Carolina, I spent a few days with the Sauers family. Luke and Sara took me to an amusement park complete with roller coasters and water slides. I hadn’t been to a waterpark in a long time. I then winged my way to Rabat, Morocco where I spent a few days with a former student, Eliot. He didn’t feed me much, but he did take me to see a number of ancient historical sights.
My time in Niger so far has been at once challenging and exciting. The tasks of finding a vehicle and a place to live have been very slow. I was able to acquire a vehicle, a Honda CRV, at a reasonable price. The instability of Niger’s neighbors (Mali, Libya, and Nigeria) has caused some economic rumblings here. As a result, the prices of vehicles, certain food items, and rent have increased dramatically. Time will tell if my vehicle will prove dependable; I don’t have a good track record with cars, you know. I am still in the process of finding a house to rent. A friend here is the field director for a US non-profit called The LINK. I have volunteered to help him with his short term teams and with certain other tasks.
The rains this year have come strong and frequent. When it rains, it pours. It seems that this has been the best rainy season in 10 years. The only problem with good rain is that our infrastructure, the little of it that we have, is not built for heavy rain. Therefore, we have had some problems with flooding. Also, most of the homes in Niger are made of mud brick. Nevertheless, the bountiful rainy season has caused a general attitude of positivity among the people. This abundance of water should lead to strong harvest. Thank God for rain!
I am still endeavoring to put my life together here in Africa, feeling out opportunities, and searching for the best ways to invest my time. My two main objectives are to assist in the discipleship of new African Christians and to cultivate relationships with missionary kids. I have had a few discussions with a local pastor, and we are looking at implementing a discipleship strategy in October. I have also reestablished relationships with a few missionary kids. I have adjusted well to the change in my diet. I would say that I am adjusting to the climate, but the recent weather in Texas and Oklahoma has been much hotter than here. That’s strange. Overall, life is moving, but it is moving at an African rate.
My funds have been doing well. When I wrote my budget, I knew that it would be tight- allotting specific amounts for specific items. I have arrived at the point where monthly support is essential. I have used my standing cash account for initial expenses like plane tickets, a vehicle, health insurance, etc. Your monthly support in prayer and donations is vital.
Thanks for all you do.
Jeremy
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