Week 6 in Africa

This week, I am so thankful to have seen and gained a bit more understanding of how "the Lord is not slow in keeping His promise" (2 Peter 3:9). Although our work here in the village seems slowwwww at times, God is still working fervently on souls and our work is not in vain! We were able to play "Good News" tapes in many compounds this week for interested women, and we were privileged to have a few conversations about Christ with various villagers. After several weeks of seemingly "unfruitful" conversations with women, we are thrilled to have seen so much progress! We praise the Lord that He has guided our steps and given us visible rewards for our work, but we know He is not finished with our village yet.

Women pounding millet

Although we have played tapes and attempted to share in Zarma, we are not entirely sure how much interest the women really have in learning more about Jesus. But, in the upcoming week, our language teacher and national partner BB will be heading out to the village with us!! We are thrilled to have her along as a fluent Zarma speaker to add depth to the conversations we have already had with many women. Plus, it will just be fun to have her around! Pray that the Lord will guide us to the right women and that they would be willing & open to hearing from us and from BB. We can't wait to see what God will do through our little group this week as we finish up our time in Africa- we only have about 5 full days left in the village!

Oh, just another normal day in the village

It's amazing to me that we have almost finished our time here. Really, I wish I could have just a few weeks more because it seems that we are just now starting to break through "survival mode" in the village and are finally learning to thrive here! Africa has become a home that I will not easily part with. Although this trip has held its fair share of struggles and obstacles, I have never experienced joy in such mass quantities until I came here. "Joy unspeakable" has an entirely new meaning to me! The sweat, tears, and frustration that come from Satan's grip on this village are all strangely worth it because of the incredible amounts of joy that I receive when serving these people. One of the sweetest things is when Fadida, a little girl who follows us everywhere, starts singing "Jesus Loves All the People of the World" (to the tune of "Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World") in Zarma, her heart language. Although that precious girl may not know now what she is singing, I find joy in knowing that I could at least convey the message to her that Jesus loves her. I could not be spending my summer in a more fulfilling way!

It's rare, but we do occasionally let our hair out of the bandanas!

In these last 2 weeks, pray for us! Pray fervently for the hearts of these people and for our perseverance. We want to be able to make as large of an impact on the village as we can in our final stretch, and we know that God is not slow in keeping His promises. Pray that the Message would be conveyed clearly and thoroughly! We can't wait to see how God works!