The Brinkley Buzz

Sunset at the Dunes

2009-03-01T02:43:00.000-08:00

In January, Karen's parents came for a 3 week visit. We had a great time and it was so good to see them. One evening we went out with our other relatives here in Niger to some nearby sand dunes. The kids had great fun sliding down the sides and buried Annika up to her neck in the sand. We stayed long enough to watch the sun go down and have a campfire under the stars. It is a memory of Africa we will never forget.

Wodaabe Wedding Dance

2008-12-19T04:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday some Woodabe friends of ours invited us to watch them do a traditional Wodaabe wedding dance. In this dance, it is the men who get all dressed up, decorate their faces and do the singing and dancing. It was an amazing experience to watch. We all sat on mats on the sand, watching as the men did their elaborate preparations and then danced. The women sat and worked on their hand sewing. We were made so welcome and enjoyed it very much!

Christmas Party!

2008-12-17T22:42:00.000-08:00

This week we had the opportunity to share Christ and His love to the children at the orphanage we regularly visit. Together with the Sahel Academy student team, we planned a fun afternoon of games, crafts, snack, gifts and a telling of the Christmas story. For these children, it is the only Christmas party they will attend. Since 99% of Niger is muslim, Chistmas is not celebrated here very much. In anticipation of coming to Niger and working in the orphanage, Annika had chosen last year on her 9th birthday to make little gift bags for the children. Annika and Levi were able to hand those out at the Christmas party and the children were so thankful. All the students brought cookies and juice for the party, which is a real treat that the kids at the orphanage hardly ever get. Pray for these children, that they will know God's love for them and how special they are.

Niger Wins!

2008-11-24T11:40:00.000-08:00

Annika, Chris, and Dr. Matt.

The Stadt (stadium) and Levi with friend Rene.

Watching a soccer match can be a representation of life. Watching a soccer match requires patience, sometimes long suffering, and joy regardless of the outcome. Soccer, like life involves people and relationships. On a recent Saturday, patience and joy were practiced while watching Niger defeat Ivory Coast 1-0. Levi invited a French speaking African to come with us. I invited a fellow missionary doctor. Two additional friends came with us. Through the courtesy of our friend's camera lense, the soccer match was documented. Please enjoy the images and experiences with us.

Niger wins!

Trip to Three Sisters Mountains

2008-11-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

On a recent Saturday, Chris and a few students went hiking to the three sisters. The three sisters are three mountains that are begging to be climbed. So climb them they did. Caves were explored, mountain peaks conquered, and panoramic views were photographed. Please enjoy our visual experiences of the students, the sahel background, and of the mountains.

Science Class

2008-11-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

Chris' 10th grade science class has been studying the Respiratory System and spent time this week dissecting sheep lungs and hearts. These parts were obtained right from the local market, where they are considered a delicacy. The kids took advantage of the time to really ham it up and hopefully learn something at the same time.

Field Trip

2008-11-14T03:45:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks, Levi's class at Sahel has been studying transportation. Their first field trip on this subject was out to the road near the school to count the modes of transportation they saw going by. They saw people walking, camels with huge loads, donkey carts, moto's with anywhere from 3-4 people riding on it, packed bush taxis and more bicycles than they could count. Their second field trip was to SIM Air's airplane hangar. SIM Air exists to help take missionaries out to their remote stations, thereby saving them days of travel time. They also help to transport needed supplies for the missionaries, such as medical supplies, food, and other items. SIM Air also helps with medical evacuations for missionaries so they can get the medical help they need that is not available out in the bush.

Levi and his class had a great time sitting in the cockpit of the 2 SIM Air planes, trying on the headphones and talking to a real missionary pilot. I know this is a memory that Levi will never forget as he grows up. Pray for the missionary pilots, for their safety and for the missionaries that they serve.

Sahel Academy Work Day

2008-10-18T00:55:00.000-07:00

Recently at Sahel Academy we had a work day to clean up and beautify the campus. Students, staff and parents worked hard together pulling weeds, filling in holes in the drive, planting new flowers, and fixing the softball field. It was a hot day, but the community really pulled together to get a lot done.

Sahel Academy

2008-09-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos around Sahel Academy, including Karen in the library where she works 4 days a week, Levi in front of the Sahel "See Us Shine" mural, Chris teaching a class, the new library building and Annika eating lunch in the cafeteria.

Bug Collections

2008-09-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks, my 7th/8th grade science class has been working on a insect collection project. I've never seem so many different and interesting bugs, although I hope no live ones ever show up in our beds!

2008-09-22T03:19:00.000-07:00

Niger has been great for seeing new and different animals for us. This week, Annika caught a chameleon outside our house. We had fun letting it crawl on us and watch us with its 2 eyes going in two directions at the same time. It changed colors a few times too! After a few hours we let it go and have seen it since then nearby.

2008-09-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Annika's class has been studying ancient Greece, this is their Greek day.

The other pictures were taken last weekend when we visited the giraffe reserve near Niamey. We saw over 30 wild giraffes. The kids enjoyed riding on top of the car looking for giraffes.

2008-09-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

On a Sunday morning recently we attended an amzaing worship service. People from over 10 People Groups attend this church and worship toegether in unity, celebrating their uniqueness. Church "started" at 9:00, but it wasn't until about 10:00 that things really got going. Each group had a turn to go up front and sing/dance in their own heart language, whatever song they choose. It was amazing to see the differences in dress, jewelry, body markings, dance style and hear all the different languages. Some of these languages were Fulbe, Beri Beri, Hausa, Zerma, French, Songhai.

Even us "Americanos" got up front and took a turn. After that was all done, we all sang "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" in our own languages all at the same time. The pastor told us this is what heaven will be like, when every tribe, nation and language will worship God together in unity. Praise God for this little taste of heaven right here in Niger!

Our kids are starting to make friends, and have had some over to play.

Boy's Work

2008-08-23T02:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

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.

One week in Africa!

2008-07-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

We've now been in Niger for one week! What an adventure it has been. So many new things to experience and adjust to. This afternoon, our neighbors welcomed back a friend from out of town by slaughtering a goat behind our house. Tonight we go to sleep to the sounds of African drums and singing. We are trying to learn some French, which can be fun but also very challenging. God has provided for all of our needs here and we are so thankful. Chris is beginning to get his classroom ready for the first day of school, which is only about 1 and a half weeks away!

Spagettti lunch a huge success!

2008-05-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came, ate, brought desserts for the auction, and bid on the desserts! We had a great time and it really touched our hearts. Almost $3000 was raised for our start up costs! God is good! Also a big Shout-Out to all the AWANA kids who participated in the coin drive for our mission. Again, God accomplished more than we could've asked or imagined.

Sahel Academy

2008-04-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

Sahel Academy is an MK (missionary kid) school located in niamey, niger. It serves approximately 80 students from a variety of countries and backgrounds. Chris will be teaching a variety of 7/8th grade classes and Karen will be working in the school library.

Spagetti Dinner and Dessert Auction

2008-04-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

You are invited this Sunday, April 13 at 11:45 to a fabulous Spaegtti Lunch and Dessert Auction at Graham Emmanuel Baptist Church. All proceeds wil go towards our support needs. Thank you to everyone who has helped to put on this awesome event!