I live in one of the poorest countries in the world. All around me people are struggling for food, health and their very survival. This is the country you can stereotype as "typical Africa" with its poverty and pain so very evident all around. People living on $1 a day. Women walking miles to the nearest well. Children dying of diarrhea. One in every 7 women die a childbirth related death. Starvation is always waiting in the next dry season.
Niger is beginning to plan for a hunger crisis to hit in about March. Here's a great link to explain the situation. This was not a drought year, it was just a year when it rained on the harvest before it was in from the field. Please be in prayer for Niger. This food crises could affect over 7 million people. That is a lot of people!
Click here for an article about the food crisis.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Pefect Authority
Thursday, January 18, 2010. My day off. I was loafing around campus having spent the morning of my day off in meetings. I ate and chatted with the teachers then wandered over to the dorm. I decided it was in my best interest to check my email...again...and began considering going out on the town for a bit of shopping or friend visiting.
About 1:00, my musings were rudely interrupted by...what is that? Gunfire? Odd. The city seemed calm. There had been a student demonstration only 8 days before, but that is a scheduled demonstration (something about some university students being killed in...well...a few years ago on that date). What now? It sounded like it was right outside the compound.
Then the school siren sounded. Hmmmm. No lock-down drills scheduled for today. OK.
Wandering out into the kitchen I watched as Hadiza called her son and it was determined that a coup d'etat was taking place. Information leaked in and we learned that the Presidential Palace was being attacked. Well, that's quite a ways away...across the river and several kilometers down. For awhile, I sat and listened to tanks and machine gun fire, followed by some kind of whistling sound and what I assume to be teargas. Explosions rattled the building and my windows shook. But a girl can only take so much!
Naturally, I did the safe and mature thing and left the dorm to wander outside and see what everyone else was doing. About 1 hour had passed since the kids were put into lock-down. They were all sitting in the hallway or in classrooms that faced away from the gate. A large group of students were sitting in the middle of the corridor singing praise songs. Another group huddled around a computer watching a movie. There was a room for games. One for homework. And the art room was being used appropriately. The students remained very calm while they waited for updates. Some of them were obviously afraid for their parents, but teachers were calling parents to tell them that kids were alright, then would wander down the hall to tell the student they had talked to their parents. Elementary kids happily watched movies in their rooms. Some of the little ones were entirely oblivious to origin of all the din outside.
The shooting calmed down and by 5:00pm parents were called to come and get their kids. School was canceled on Friday. I guess in South Dakota we got snow days off, here in Niger, we have coup d-etat days...of course.
Niamey has calmed down quite a bit since that time. There is an obvious military presence, but stores and traffic are continuing as normal. A few quirky things have changed, but we adjust and continue as we are. Rumors fly around the city about the exact events that happened on that day, but we have peace at this point. Now we pray that God will guide the leaders of this country as they establish...well...something. Most of all, we pray that the Gospel will not only be allowed, but also encouraged to spread under this new authority.
When the day ended and all the students were home, each staff member sighed in relief. God was completely aware of everything that happened and was going to happen. He has called every one of us to this place at this time. There is a place for us in His awesome plan to spread his Gospel to every nation, tribe, and tongue. Sahel Academy was completely safe the whole time just because we are members of a greater Kingdom. A Kingdom that is never in jeopardy of a coup d'etat because it has a strong Authority who knows, loves, and protects. Always
About 1:00, my musings were rudely interrupted by...what is that? Gunfire? Odd. The city seemed calm. There had been a student demonstration only 8 days before, but that is a scheduled demonstration (something about some university students being killed in...well...a few years ago on that date). What now? It sounded like it was right outside the compound.
Then the school siren sounded. Hmmmm. No lock-down drills scheduled for today. OK.
Wandering out into the kitchen I watched as Hadiza called her son and it was determined that a coup d'etat was taking place. Information leaked in and we learned that the Presidential Palace was being attacked. Well, that's quite a ways away...across the river and several kilometers down. For awhile, I sat and listened to tanks and machine gun fire, followed by some kind of whistling sound and what I assume to be teargas. Explosions rattled the building and my windows shook. But a girl can only take so much!
Naturally, I did the safe and mature thing and left the dorm to wander outside and see what everyone else was doing. About 1 hour had passed since the kids were put into lock-down. They were all sitting in the hallway or in classrooms that faced away from the gate. A large group of students were sitting in the middle of the corridor singing praise songs. Another group huddled around a computer watching a movie. There was a room for games. One for homework. And the art room was being used appropriately. The students remained very calm while they waited for updates. Some of them were obviously afraid for their parents, but teachers were calling parents to tell them that kids were alright, then would wander down the hall to tell the student they had talked to their parents. Elementary kids happily watched movies in their rooms. Some of the little ones were entirely oblivious to origin of all the din outside.
The shooting calmed down and by 5:00pm parents were called to come and get their kids. School was canceled on Friday. I guess in South Dakota we got snow days off, here in Niger, we have coup d-etat days...of course.
Niamey has calmed down quite a bit since that time. There is an obvious military presence, but stores and traffic are continuing as normal. A few quirky things have changed, but we adjust and continue as we are. Rumors fly around the city about the exact events that happened on that day, but we have peace at this point. Now we pray that God will guide the leaders of this country as they establish...well...something. Most of all, we pray that the Gospel will not only be allowed, but also encouraged to spread under this new authority.
When the day ended and all the students were home, each staff member sighed in relief. God was completely aware of everything that happened and was going to happen. He has called every one of us to this place at this time. There is a place for us in His awesome plan to spread his Gospel to every nation, tribe, and tongue. Sahel Academy was completely safe the whole time just because we are members of a greater Kingdom. A Kingdom that is never in jeopardy of a coup d'etat because it has a strong Authority who knows, loves, and protects. Always
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A Moment Incredible
I love it when another teacher encourages you. They overhear students talking and pass on the message. The quote of today is, "I heard one student say, 'Life is never the same after Aunt Cindy enters it.'"
I confess I struggle with so much of teaching. To go into detail would only be whining, and some parents might pull their kid out of my class if they only knew what a tornado they sent their kids into each day. However, this job, in this place, with these kids is turning me into a lover of the trade. It's not always perfect, but I'm learning how to deal with various parts of the imperfections. I'm learning that my gift is helping people, if I would only use it responsibly. Now to work on time management so I can be the best English teacher God has created me to be.
I confess I struggle with so much of teaching. To go into detail would only be whining, and some parents might pull their kid out of my class if they only knew what a tornado they sent their kids into each day. However, this job, in this place, with these kids is turning me into a lover of the trade. It's not always perfect, but I'm learning how to deal with various parts of the imperfections. I'm learning that my gift is helping people, if I would only use it responsibly. Now to work on time management so I can be the best English teacher God has created me to be.
We don't have carpet on the floor. We don't even have a white board! In fact, the chalkboard isn't even nice slate—it's a bumpy, chalk-eating, black one. Our class is really too big for the room, and 19 sweaty bodies at 1:30 in the afternoon when temps reach 120 outside make for a unique aromatic experience. Mr. Wyckoff habitually steals our podium so we constantly send a stealthy boy to Room 3 to snatch it back. The teacher's desk chair is broken; the arm rests keep falling off. Electricity is not dependable, and we can't run the A/C when the generator is on. We interrupted class last week to catch a wandering lizard and throw him back outside.
Niger is not an easy place. I deal with things here I never dreamed to discuss with my professors in college. But I get to read beautiful poetry cleverly disguised as glaring mistakes in research papers written by an ELL student. I sit back and smile while the boys in my class side with Mr. Darcy and attempt to convince the girls that Elizabeth Bennett is a jerk. Nineteen faces light up as they watch a half-crazed South Dakota farm girl introduce poetry with beautiful words from the acclaimed poet Paul Simon. I watch my students begin to trust each other as a poet leads us to discuss dreams, wishes and hurts.
All of us are a million miles from the homes our passports say we have, but here, in this room of fun and suffering, we find community.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Dentistry!
Tuesday nights I am on duty alone since the dorm parents have the day off. Generally the evening goes off hitch-free and I have all children safely in bed by 10:30. This Tuesday was to bring new adventures. As I walked into the little boy's room at 9:00 to send them to bed, I found Nat's hand on the door handle, tying string to it. On the other end of the string Zeb and Joshua are attempting to tie a string to Zeb's latest loose tooth. John is patiently sitting on the bed with a camera awaiting the action.
Now, as a responsible adult it is my job to find the happy balance in this situation. Is it best to stop the madness before something is damaged? (in this case, Zeb's face) or should I let boys be boys and have a fantastic memory for the rest of their lives. I, being the conservative, cautious, careful assistant, made this decision as I sat on my bed and asked John if the camera was set to video...it was.
They nearly had the string tied when Dorm Mom Janice entered and exclaimed at the stupidity of this situation and proclaimed that a tooth that is still bleeding is not ready to come out! I think Zeb's fortitude began to weaken at this point. I naturally shifted sides in the battle, since the boss was there, and retrieved a scissors. The next five minutes were spent with me attempting to snip the string out of Zeb's face and return the situation to normal. All were in bed by 9:30 and all teeth were present and accounted for. Adventure denied!
This kid is going to kill me. Good thing his dad is a doctor.
Now, as a responsible adult it is my job to find the happy balance in this situation. Is it best to stop the madness before something is damaged? (in this case, Zeb's face) or should I let boys be boys and have a fantastic memory for the rest of their lives. I, being the conservative, cautious, careful assistant, made this decision as I sat on my bed and asked John if the camera was set to video...it was.
They nearly had the string tied when Dorm Mom Janice entered and exclaimed at the stupidity of this situation and proclaimed that a tooth that is still bleeding is not ready to come out! I think Zeb's fortitude began to weaken at this point. I naturally shifted sides in the battle, since the boss was there, and retrieved a scissors. The next five minutes were spent with me attempting to snip the string out of Zeb's face and return the situation to normal. All were in bed by 9:30 and all teeth were present and accounted for. Adventure denied!
This kid is going to kill me. Good thing his dad is a doctor.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Since I've Been in Africa
Since moving to Africa, I have
-received communion served from an old desk drawer.
-stood next to a wall on a street so that a camel with a load of hay can take up the entire road and pass by.
-avoided human poo as I went for a scenic nature walk on the river dike.
-turned down too many marriage proposals to count.
-received a Zarma name.
-walked home from church with a herd of cattle.
-watched people jet ski/water ski on the nastiest river I've ever seen.
-eaten roasted grasshoppers.
-caught a hedgehog.
-checked my bathroom for snakes...often.
-heard some amazing poetry escape the lips of English language learners.
-realized I need to work harder at my relationship with Christ!
-fallen asleep listening to rats and lizard scurry through the attic.
-avoided donkey carts while driving.
-watched myself start to think like a mom...which kinda weirds me out!
-made a wonderful African friend.
-walked within 15 ft of a giraffe.
-been trusted with a glimpse into the hearts and minds of 19 MK's who journal for me in every class.
-wanted to adopt every kid who lives in the local orphanage.
-played softball while a tortoise walks across home-plate.
-most importantly, I've learned to learn to pray.
-received communion served from an old desk drawer.
-stood next to a wall on a street so that a camel with a load of hay can take up the entire road and pass by.
-avoided human poo as I went for a scenic nature walk on the river dike.
-turned down too many marriage proposals to count.
-received a Zarma name.
-walked home from church with a herd of cattle.
-watched people jet ski/water ski on the nastiest river I've ever seen.
-eaten roasted grasshoppers.
-caught a hedgehog.
-checked my bathroom for snakes...often.
-heard some amazing poetry escape the lips of English language learners.
-realized I need to work harder at my relationship with Christ!
-fallen asleep listening to rats and lizard scurry through the attic.
-avoided donkey carts while driving.
-watched myself start to think like a mom...which kinda weirds me out!
-made a wonderful African friend.
-walked within 15 ft of a giraffe.
-been trusted with a glimpse into the hearts and minds of 19 MK's who journal for me in every class.
-wanted to adopt every kid who lives in the local orphanage.
-played softball while a tortoise walks across home-plate.
-most importantly, I've learned to learn to pray.
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