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.
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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 tweak the wording or intonation. I do this in the States, and I do it here in Niger. I do it English, and I do it French. One Sunday evening after church, I was sitting at a stoplight and waxing eloquent about Herod. The empty seats in my Honda were very impressed. Suddenly, just as I was expounding upon Herod’s ethnicity, a light flashed into my eyes. Two stern-faced police officers were glaring at me, so I rolled down my window, and they asked to see my papers. “Is there a problem?” I querried. I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong; I was sitting at a stop light. One of the officers surveyed the interior of my car with his flashlight. “Are you alone?” he demanded.
Here’s where you need to know something. A few months ago, Niger passed a law that anyone caught driving while talking on the phone would receive an instant fine of 10,000 CFA, about $20. That doesn’t sound like much to Americans, but $20 is a hefty fine in Niger’s economy. And, since most people don’t obey traffic laws, the new fine represents a potential steady source of income for the city.
“I am alone,” I responded. The officers never saw a phone in my hand and were very puzzled. They petitioned in a quizzical tone, “What were you doing?” I began chuckling to myself and was quite happy to respond with the truth. “Well, I was talking to myself…” Both officers burst into laughter, the light turned green, and they ordered me to leave.
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In Niger, we have several laws with regard to documentation concerning vehicles. Some drivers fulfill all of these requirements while other drivers do not. When I first bought my car, I determined to fulfill every piece of registration so as to lessen the possibility of potential problems in the future. Part of this process required that I visit the national treasury. I haven’t yet figured out exactly why someone would need to visit the treasury to register a vehicle, but no one asked me my opinion when they made the law.
So, I arrived at the treasury to pay whatever it was that I was paying. I paid and needed change. The friendly man looked at the money that I had handed him, smiled sheepishly, and then sort of stared at me. I have encountered this stare many times before. No business in Niger likes to give change. I don’t understand how a business or government office can survive without giving change, but that’s just the way it is. However, I had thought, apparently foolishly, that of all places, the treasury would be able to give me change. I didn’t have smaller bills so I stood there and waited.
The man vanished for a few long minutes but finally returned with change. That also happens frequently. A merchant will be unable to make change, disappear for several moments, and then magically reappear with the correct monetary units. I’m beginning to wonder if there is some mythical money fairy that everyone must consult before giving the appropriate refund.
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I feel like I have been a bit vague as to what it is exactly that I am doing here in Niger. I have been vague not because I was intending to be ambiguous but because I truly wasn’t certain about my activities myself. Even now, I do not have a crystal-clear picture about my purpose. Does anyone ever become totally aware of their position in God’s plan? Anyway, as time has passed, my schedule is becoming a bit more structured. I’d like to share with you my two purposes. Not porpoises, those are like dolphins, and I don’t have any.
My first and more official purpose in Niger is to work with new Christians. Niger is a Muslim country, but churches see a relatively large number of conversions. However, the vast majority of these Christians abandon their new faith within the first few years. I work directly with a local pastor as we try to construct a better way of discipling new believers. In this vein, I have also assembled a small group of Christian men who are young in their faith. I meet with them individually as well as in groups. As an outgrowth of my desire to work with new Christians, I also teach regularly at a Bible school in an effort to train new pastors who will then go out and work with new Christians. I try to impress upon these students the importance of investing time into individual discipleship.
My second purpose is less official. Though my family left missions when I was 8 years-old, I have always identified myself as a missionary kid (MK). As I have plunked my way through various church situations, I have come into contact with many missionaries both active and retired. I have been rather surprised at the number of these missionaries who have adult children who are either no longer professing Christians or who have spent many years as self-proclaimed non-Christians. Niamey has a rather large community of missionary families and therefore a large number of MKs. I try to spend leisure time with these MK’s and occasionally take them to lunch or for a coke. This coming semester I will be leading a Wednesday Bible study in connection with the local missionary high school.
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I also have some ideas for the upcoming years. I’d like to become more involved in humanitarian work, and I have a few leads for the future. Well, I hope you have used this past holiday season to reconnect with friends and family. It’s back to the routine of normal life, I suppose. However, I would urge you not get so rutted that you forget to invest in the lives of others. So, if you don’t yet have a New Year’s resolution, resolve to find a new Christian or a non-Christian and make a disciple.
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