The year 2014 is already almost two months old. I feel like maybe planet earth has slipped into one of those Star Trek subspace anomalies, and time is being accelerated every year until… boom… until, of course, Kirk and company save the day. I’d like to give you an update on my activities here in Niger. I have found myself…read more →
Merry Christmas, Temperatures here have dropped to a frigid 60° F. Everyone is dressed up like Eskimos (no, seriously, everyone is dressed up like Eskimos). Dust is glistening in the streets. Donkeys and oxen, long-lost relatives of the beasts that carried Mary and Jesus, smile faintly as they slowly weave between overloaded taxis. Minivans, piled high with chickens, pots, and……read more →
Greetings, I hope that everyone spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. As Thanksgiving is now in the rear view mirror and Christmas is just around corner, I’ve been reflecting. It has always been a mystery to me why the best pies and juiciest meats only make an appearance on the holidays. When was the last time you roasted…read more →
While many aspects of life in Niger are different, the basics often remain the same. Food must be cooked, and certain details must be remembered. Here is a story. I wanted boiled eggs. I wanted the boiled eggs to be cold before I ate them. So, I decided to boil them in the morning, set them in the fridge all…read more →
The vast majority of Niger’s population do not live in the city. The village is a tidy complex of mud buildings, thatched roofs, dirt roads, and stone pathways. The sky is clear, blue, and habitually hot. The horizon is flat and clean and only interrupted by an occasional arid plateau. Doctors are few, and minor sicknesses frequently turn fatal. Life…read more →
I walked down the halls of Atlanta Hartsfield Airport listening to the thunder and staring at the rain. “No problem,” I thought, “my flight into New York lands 4 hours ahead of my next flight… I can give a few hours.” Missionaries do things as cheaply as possible. I had constructed my voyage using two separate tickets. My flights to…read more →
Well, I had every intention of including current photos in this blog post, but I left my camera in the hotel in Istanbul during my travel to return to Oklahoma. My previous camera was stolen in Tunisia. I feel like I’m populating the world with cameras. You thought that I was perfectly organized… surprise! Fortunately, neither camera was expensive, and neither…read more →
Hello Again, I hope the first several weeks of 2013 have gone well for you. If you are like most people, you have settled back into the normal routine of life. Life in Niger seems to actively avoid being normal. If you follow world news, perhaps you read that there was a war in Mali a few weeks ago. Islamist…read more →
Happy New Year Everyone! Well, like it or not, 2013 has begun. I trust that the young year has been good to you so far. *** I have this habit. When I am alone in my car (or maybe not always alone) I like to practice a sermon or lesson out loud so that I can hear certain phrases and…read more →
Welcome back. It’s been a while since my last blog. I hope you enjoy. -A Long Day- It is a common occurrence for the employees of certain trades to go on strike. This, apparently, is a worldwide phenomenon. Last month, taxi drivers went on strike. Since taxis make up the vast majority of public transportation, such a strike was quite…read more →
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