Boy's Work

June through August are the rainy months here in Niger and there are temporary patches of green around the landscape. Hardy shoots of grass spring up where before there was only sand. On the grounds of Sahel Academy patches of grass grow. In this country where nothing is wasted, even this grass is used for good. Boys around the age of 9-10 come to Sahel each day and laboriously cut the grass by hand, load it up into large gunny sacks, and carry it into town carefully balanced on their heads to sell by the side of the road. This is hard work, especially under the hot African sun. Rather than swimming at the YMCA, playing in a summer sports league, or just hanging out with friends as boys in the USA may spend their summers, these boys work hard to earn much needed money for their families. Pray for these hard working boys and their families.

On a personal note, we have finished 2 weeks of school now! Annika has 7 kids in her 5/6th class and Levi has 12 in his 1/2nd class. I (Karen) am working in the library 4 mornings a week. It is a brand new library just completed this summer and I feel very blessed to work in such a great atmosphere. Lots of kids come in throughout the day and I'm slowly learning their names and getting to know them a little. Chris is busy teaching a variety of 7th, 8th and 10th grade classes. The biggest challenge for him is teaching 2 secondary science classes-something he's never taught before. He's learning all about cells, diffusion and osmosis right along with the kids. Our theme this year at school is "Building Community" so we look forward to seeing that develop. We are adjusting to getting up early to be at school by 7:20. Although that's awfully early, its nice to get started in the morning before it gets too hot. School is then out at 2:30 for elementary and 3:00 for secondary.

Sunday afternoon visit

Today we spent all afternoon at a home of a Fulani family. We enjoyed it so much! They were very welcoming and prepared a meal for us, sharing from what little they have. We ate from a common plate, some of us with our hands (right hand only!) and some shared a spoon. Only the father ate with us as women and children do not eat with the men. They spoke only a few words of English, but we had another friend with us who could translate. The father of the house and his second wife have 11 kids together so Annika and Levi were able to do some playing while we talked. They even gave us African names! Chris-Illeeasoo , Karen-Ammina, Annika-Layla, and Levi's will be given at our next visit. They proudly showed us their new 2 room house they built as they were recently told they had to leave the land they had been living on. After our meal, they prepared the traditional "3 cups of tea" for us over a charcoal brasier. The first cup( one cup is shared by everyone) is strong and bitter to represent the hard times in life. By the 3rd cup, the tea is sweet and represents the blessings in life. After our tea, he took us on a tour of his millet and bean fields. The rains have been good this year, and if it continues this way, perhaps there will not be a famine this year.

We thank God for this opportunity to meet this wonderful family and hope to return to their home more times in the future. Pray for this Muslim family.