Let's Dance!

"First position, round those arms, pinch the penny!"  My voice echoed off the walls of Hope Hall this summer every Tuesday and Thursday morning this past month.  Though I've never taught a dance class before, I had the pleasure of sharing my love for dancing with about a dozen  4-10 year old girls.

We had a blast exploring different elements of dance, i.e. quick, slow, sharp, smooth, high, low, big, small.  We explored how to dance with streamers and hula hoops!  We learned about the importance of stretching and even did a bit of line dancing!  And of course, we learned ballet!  The girls were ecstatic to learn and practice their positions and ballet technique.  Using the backs of chairs for our "bar" and clearing a few rows for circle exercises, we managed quite well.

Though the age range was challenging, I was happy to see progress in each student.  At the end of each class, we held hands in a circle to pray and thank God for giving us the gift of dance.  We always discussed that one of the main reasons we dance is to bring glory to our Heavenly Father.  I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to bring dance to some of the girls at Sahel Academy and within the community.  Bringing joy to these little dancers has definitely been a summer highlight!

"Let them praise His name with the dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp."  Psalm 149:3

Calling all Prayer Warriors

As a missionary in a country that is over 97% M*sl*m, I am surrounded by the constant reminder of the lost world we live in.  Call to prayer five times a day, mosques on every street corner, and the cultural influences such as food and dress.  For example, it wasn't until I took a short trip to Burkina Faso that I realized of all the animals I see in Niger, I never see any pigs!  And I rarely see any women without a head covering.  These are just a few of the religious influences I notice daily.

This month marks a special holiday in the lunar calendar for M*sl*ms.  June begins the month of R*mad*n.  Beginning June 18 and ending July 17, M*sl*ms use this time to especially seek the favor of god.  They fast during the day from all foods and liquids (including one's own saliva, hence large amounts of spitting throughout the city), and they feast after sundown.

During this time, we have a huge opportunity to engage in a battle between light and darkness.  Please join me and many others on the mission field in prayer for this nation.  Take a look at this helpful SIM Niger Prayer Guide.  In it you will find four parts:
1.  A Scripture focus
2.  Requests from the 30 Days of Prayer for the M*sl*m World
3.  Focus on a city or village in Niger
4.  A Request from the Vision Psalm 72:9 prayer guide for the desert tribes of Niger

I ask that you also pray for Christians in Niger.  Just this past Sunday morning in church, a woman shared her hardship as the only Christian in her family.  When she refused to get up in the mornings and pray with them, they refused to let her eat.  May God's goodness and grace shine even brighter during this time.  Pray that our M*sl*m neighbors find freedom in Jesus Christ.

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."  Psalm 91:1

School is Out!

The school year is officially over and I have completed my first year of teaching!  The year has gone by quickly in so many ways and I am eager to reflect on this past year.  But first, I would like to fill you in on things that have been happening since the last time I posted...which is a lot!

The last couple weeks of school were exciting and full of activity as I brought units to a close and worked on finishing the school year well.  We had many moments of celebrating the end of Second Grade (and my first year of teaching!) with Water Fun Day, Elementary Pool Day, and a Pizza Party!

WATER FUN DAY
One of the things I love most about Sahel Academy, is the ability that we have as a K-12 school to combine the Secondary and Elementary activities.  The High School and Middle School students make great role models for the little ones, who absolutely adore the older kids.  For example, every Thursday is "Buddy Day," in which secondary students are partnered with elementary kids for lunch time and activities.  It is so neat to see the mentoring process and precious interactions among the different age groups.

The Secondary students on Student Council put together a wonderful afternoon of wet fun for K-5 with Water Fun Day!  This included water guns, slip and slides, sprinklers, water balloons, sponge wars, wet t-shirt races, and lots of wet games.  Of course, I could not get away without being kindly attacked with wet hugs from my students!  To finish the fun, there were frozen treats for everyone.

ELEMENTARY POOL DAY
Every year, Coach Winsor takes the Elementary students swimming to celebrate the end of the year.  K-5 spends the morning cooling off at the pool.  With a kiddie pool, diving board, and high dive, the students had a wonderful time!  I enjoyed being in a different setting with my students, able to watching those who did not know how to swim brave the water.  And I was surprised to see the number of students who lined up for the high dive!  Of course, my class wanted to see me jump, so I stood in line, knees shaking.  Getting to the top was easy, but standing roughly 25 feet above the water and actually jumping was another feat.  But don't worry, the entire Elementary cheered me on, "Miss Knox!  Miss Knox!" as I prepared to jump!  And of course, Coach mesmerized the crowd with his back flips and fancy dives off of the high dive!

PIZZA PARTY!
On the last Monday of school, students and their parents brought pizzas for a party!  Staff provided cookies and school paid for drinks.  It was a lovely way to end the year.  The next day was a Teacher Work Day so that we could finish getting grades in (you'd think I would learn by now to have grades in a bit sooner...) and Wednesday was the Closing Assembly.  Many awards were given out during the assembly and we worshiped together as an entire school (I loved that part :)).  We also said goodbye and prayed for the many teachers that were leaving.  This community generally dreads the month of June, as it marks many farewells for staff and students alike.

GRADUATION!
What an honor and privilege to be apart of the senior class's celebrations at the end of this year.  On Tuesday, June 2nd, staff, families, juniors, and seniors attended the Senior banquet.  Parents had a chance to share something about their child and the juniors put together a comical presentation about each senior graduating.  On Thursday, a ceremony was held outside in the courtyard.  Each senior put together a small speech and afterwards we had cupcakes and punch!

MORE WORK
After school officially ended, the work was not yet done for teachers.  We kept busy closing up our classrooms, cleaning and organizing.  Everyone pitched in to help empty lockers and move furniture.  One of the adventures of teaching at Sahel is working with the space that we have.  Due to lack of staff for next year, a couple rooms had to be switched.  The first grade teacher graciously agreed to teach first and second grade next year so that I can cover for the fourth grade teacher who is leaving for home assignment.  The classroom that I was in this past year as a 2nd grade teacher is now the Kindergarten room and all of the 2nd grade things had to be moved to the 1st grade room.  So there was a lot of shuffling, but many hands makes the work light.  I am looking forward to the teaching the students that I will have for 4th grade next year.  And of course, I am eager to learn and become a better teacher.

MOVING
Another adventurous part of my life lately has been my living situation.  The house I lived in this past year belonged to the previous director of Sahel and his family.  They left quickly last year and returned at the end of this school year to sell their things.  So I moved out June 6th into another small house on campus.  I lived out of boxes for about a week until I was able to move into my new house on a neighboring campus!  I have now lived there for about a week and it is beginning to feel like home already.  My new housemate and friend recently moved in and before school starts we will welcome our third housemate.  The campus that I now live on is just a 5 minute walk from the school, which is both convenient and nice to be able to separate work and play.  I have already made friends with the guards at the gate as I walk between the two properties, greeting each other in both French and Zarma.  Of course, that's about all I know, but I hope to learn more soon!

GETTING MY HAIR DID
Before my friend Abby left, she wanted to get her hair braided with extensions.  So of course, I did it with her!  We arranged it with a couple girls I met at church and through SIM Education.  We had been warned beforehand of what an incredibly time-consuming undertaking this was, so we set aside an entire afternoon and evening.  And it's a good thing we did!  All together, the braiding took 7 hours!  But what fun we had as we sat, fingers pinching hair, pulling scalp.  Extra hair danced on the ground around us as the fans cooled the room.  In my broken French and their broken English we managed to have conversation (Abby honestly did a lot of translating!).  Our friend Miriam came over to hang out and take pictures.  Sitting for that long was kind of tiring, but it also felt nice to have an excuse to not do anything.  The end of the school year was very busy and getting our hair done was the perfect excuse to relax.  We celebrated with hugs and cheers when the last braids were done!  You are probably wondering...what is it like to have such long extensions?  Great question.  It's heavy, itchy, and kind of like having a dead animal on your head.  The first night was the hardest because falling asleep on a bunch of rope-like braids was pretty uncomfortable.  But since then, I have discovered more convenient ways of doing my hair, making it much easier to manage.  Unfortunately, all of this fake hair holds moisture quite well, making swimming and showering a bit cumbersome.  But I don't regret it one bit and I'm so grateful for the experience!

Well, there is always more updating to do.  But that's enough for now.  Thank you for your continued prayers as I stay here this summer.  I am looking forward to welcoming my parents in August.  Please pray for them as they continue to prepare for departure!  Praising God for His faithfulness!!

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  Matthew 6:33

In Three Years

It's hard to imagine that 10 months ago, I was preparing to leave for Niger, West Africa.  The dream seemed so big and yet God proved faithful once again to bring me to a place of humble awe and  trust.  To say that I am grateful for the experiences of this past year would be an understatement.  Thank you for sharing this incredible journey with me.  It has had its fair share of tears, laughter, good friends, and hard moments.  The tough times make the good times sweeter and I can confidently say that I am not quite who I was when I left the States.

"God always ignores your present level of completeness 

in favor of your ultimate future completeness."  

-My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

God has taught me so much this past year at Sahel, through my students, other missionaries, Bible Studies, the people of Niger, friends, and strangers.  I think one of the lessons that applies most to my work as a teacher is "try, try again."  How tempting it can be when it's hot and the classroom's AC doesn't work and you bombed a lesson the day before to simply give up.  I struggle to keep fading students' attention, sweat soaks my shirt and my brow, talkers interrupt me (again), I repeat myself for what feels like the thousandth time, routine is interrupted by charts and band aids and tattles, and learning feels slow.

Sure, teaching changes lives and I was told that I can make a difference and that change is possible.  But all of that doesn't mean that getting there isn't difficult.  Man, it's just tough.  No matter which way you slice it, teaching is hard.  Even something I am passionate about tries my patience.  Even something God has clearly called me to leaves me feeling unmotivated and empty.

After graduating from college - 4 years of training, studying and experience in the classroom - I thought surely I am ready for my own class...bring it on.  But what they don't tell you is that teaching can be boring.  What they don't teach you is how to trudge through the hard days.  I was too busy pouring hours into a 45 minute lesson, using as many manipulatives and modes of intake as I could.  But when you teach 7 subjects day in and day out, the sparkle and fancy lessons just aren't always there.  Sometimes teaching is just hard.

"The proof that our relationship is right with God is that 

we do our best whether we feel inspired or not."  - Oswald Chambers

Partway through the year, I thought to myself, "I can't do this!  I can't do this today, let alone for the rest of my life!"  I was overwhelmed at the mere thought of retiring as a teacher, 35 long years under my belt.  The same thing for 35 years?!  How do people do this?!

And God whispered, "My child."  I was stressed about the years ahead, when the Lord said "Look to me today."

"The moment you allow yourself to think, 'What about this?' you show that 

you have not surrendered and that you do not really trust God."  - Oswald Chambers

I do not know where I will be in 3 years, let alone the rest of my life.  And you know what?  That's ok!  Today, I know that God has called me to be a teacher.  And I will push through the tough days and embrace the "successful" days the same.  May I always be prepared to serve God wholeheartedly in whatever he asks me to do.  Even if that means teaching 8 year olds at Sahel Academy in the desert of Niger.

When I left Pennsylvania last August, I never imagined Sahel becoming a new home for me.  But what I've learned during the tough days of teaching, as well as the people I have come to know and love, has given me reason to call Niamey home.  After much prayer, I have decided to stay in Niamey this summer.  God has been good to plant a desire in me to serve the people here.  I am looking forward to having time in which I will not need to plan lessons, but can focus on language learning, processing my year here and the year to come, and possibly teaching beginning dance classes to elementary girls.  This summer will be rainy season and I am happy to see the weather change finally!

While there is much to anticipate about staying in Niamey this summer, I know it will be difficult to be away from friends and family in the States.  Please pray for connections to remain sweet.  The longer I live here, the more distant friends seem to feel.  Please pray against loneliness for this summer, since many families and missionaries leave during the summer months.  Pray that God will give me wisdom in how to use my time and that I will truly find myself refreshed this summer.

"The spiritual life is the life of a child.  We are not uncertain of God, 

just uncertain of what he is going to do next."  - Oswald Chambers

My (first) dust storm

It hasn't rained since October. I mean, really rained.  We had a small drizzle one morning in February.  They call it "mango rain."  But the dust and the dry heat is very real here in Niger.

The constant "my-face-feels-like-it's-too-close-to-an-open-oven" heat of hot season apparently comes with 2 perks:  mangoes and dust storms.  Sunday night after NEWS, a couple friends and I ran through the sprinklers.  How could we resist?  Sweat was dripping down my neck and my hair was damp.  We kicked off our shoes and let our toes meet the grass.  I skipped to let the cool mist from the sprinklers shower cool head and heart.  (Never mind that the three 20 year olds were joining the elementary students.)

As we danced in the sprinklers, dragging each other by the hand, we noticed a brown cloud close to the horizon.  It was getting bigger, but it wasn't until one of the dorm students ran out into the field did I realize what was happening.  Dust storm!

While many church goers attempted to get home quickly, a group of youth joined together on the softball field, filled with anticipation.  The winds picked up and the dust began to invade eyes, nose, ears and mouth.  Grit filled my mouth as I talked and we leaned into the wind.  The sun, which had been brightly shining, quickly disappeared.

Since being in Niger, I have truly missed the change in weather that Pittsburgh brings.  And while yes, we were getting extremely dirty and covered in sand, the change in weather was too exciting to miss!  We sat and chatted, smelling grass and dust.  What others might have considered irritating, inconvenient, and maybe even dangerous, brought us together.  We forgot our troubles and laughed in the late afternoon haze.

Isn't it funny how storms bring us together?

Thank God for dust storms.

Contrary to popular belief...

I do not live in a grass hut.  I do not draw my water from the well.  And no, I do not use a hole in the ground to relieve myself.

After having lived in Niger for almost an entire school year, I would like to clear up a few misconceptions.

Perhaps when you think of living in Africa, a grass hut and squatty potty in the backyard come to mind.  And let me tell you, that after having been around Niger a bit, this is quite an accurate picture...for MOST of Niger.

No, I do not cook dinner over a fire.  You might be surprised that my missionary experience, though drastically different from living in the States in many ways, has been quite comfortable.

First of all I live on campus, the same compound on which the school is located.  I am so grateful to be in one of the nicest houses on campus.  I have my own room and bathroom.  I sleep in an extremely comfortable queen-sized bed.  I have an AC unit in my bedroom (which is SO nice in hot season).

When the rest of the city has lost power, Sahel's campus runs a generator, meaning that I go without electricity for less than 2 minutes at a time.  And sure, the water goes off, too.  But I can count on one hand how many times that has happened on campus, while my friends experience this weekly, if not daily.

I have a stove that lights on its own, while many use a match.  I have a washing machine and tiled floors.  All of the buildings on campus have both 110V and 220V outlets, so I don't have to worry about adapters.  While the rest of Niger takes cold showers, mine are hot.

And the blessings of living in such amazing conditions are even more evident in such a poor country.  The contrast between my life and "theirs" haunts me.  I'm living in American luxury, while the squatters outside the gate sleep on dirt floors with no electricity.  Visiting Maradi was eye-opening as well.  Even there, huge mansions (what Americans might consider a large middle-class home) towered over the small huts beside them.

I've wrestled with the emotions of guilt, confusion, and even anger.  Why should I have so much more?  Why can't I live like the people?  This isn't fair and I didn't choose this!

As I talked with a friend about this, I realized that in order to be effective as missionaries, we must take care of ourselves.  While this might look like living as the people in the bush for some, it might mean making things a bit more comfortable for others.  Perhaps one of the main reasons that missionaries leave the field so quickly is because their conditions are not "livable."

Conclusion:  I don't know the answers.  I'm not sure what to do besides what the Bible commands...that the rich should give generously.  I know I do not need to feel guilty for being blessed.  But I also know that I can choose to live simply and generously.

1 Timothy 6:6  "But godliness with contentment is great gain."

And so, whatever I have, wherever I am, whomever I am with, I will live in complete abandonment to the One from whom all blessings flow.  Praise God!

Reflecting

I casually sat down and reached for something to read from the coffee table.  I was looking through a National Geographic magazine, photos vibrant, grand moments in time captured for me to see.  As I slowly leafed through the pages, I saw a section dedicated to Nigeria.  Photos of African women dressed in typical African fashion.  And as I observed the picture, I realized I wasn't looking at it the way I might have before.  I saw things beautiful, with a new understanding.

The women in the picture were casually standing around a car, perhaps a taxi.  They were matching, bright blue, tight-fitting outfits.  I understood that matching is a familial custom, especially for occasions like weddings.  They wore vibrant head scarves to match their dresses, a very normal and expected custom in M*sl*m culture.  And their shoes!  High stilettos, completely impractical for walking around in the desert.  And yet, I know the importance of shoes here.  They must be just as fancy as the outfit (in which case, my comfortable Birkenstocks are shameful).

I was happy to identify with the picture.  I have grown to accept and love many parts of Western Africa.  The colors are vibrant, just like the people.  My deeper yet still quite immature, understanding of African culture has fueled an appreciation and affection for the culture I've experienced here in Niger.