Learning new things.



A couple of years ago, as we sat in a group of missionaries in Ecuador, we were discussing things that people didn't know about us. My friend stated that when he looks around he sees/hears music. Everything he looks at is reflected by the music that he hears. I think some people had no idea what he was talking about but I have reflected on this a bit this year. I realised that in my world everything is colour and texture. I love, and I mean love, to touch fabric as I walk through clothes shops. I love to look at different colours, how they play together, how they enhance the form of something, how they just glow. I see colour everywhere. It is always the colour that is the clearest when I am lookng at something and then it is it's texture. I just adore it all!

I think that inside of me there has always been a frustrated artist wanting to escape. She has so much to express but really no idea how to do it. Ever since I was in high school I have wanted to create but never had the opportunity. I have dabbled in different craft things over the years but often felt that there was more that I needed to "say". So this year I have taken the plunge!!!! I now attend night school classes in painting with oils and acrylics. There are just 8 of us in the class, all with varying degrees of skill in this whole painting area. I think I have already decided that my painting will be abstract in nature. I'm not into fluffy details or leaves and mountains. I'd much rather create a colourful, textured painting. I'm hoping that through this whole learning process I might find my niche. I'd love to be able to express my relationship with God and the world through art.

Who knows how it will all turn out but I'm having fun in the meantime.

"Twinkle, twinkle...."



This past weekend we have finally managed to score a couple of days off. YAY! It has been a long 3 weeks where we have worked every single day. We have been hanging out for this weekend for ages.

On Friday Nige and I went to the movies. I love movies :-) I had been trying to get there for weeks so it was nice to be able to enjoy it with my hubby. We saw "The Bucket List" which was a wonderful film. It stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two men who become unlikely friends when they are both diagnosed with terminal cancer. The bucket list is a list of all the things they want to do before they "kick the bucket". Needless to say there was a lot to giggle about and also a few tears.

One of the lines that I loved the best was when a woman that Morgan Freeman was talking to said that the stars are like "little holes in the floor of heaven". I thought that was very cool. Imagine, lots of little holes in the floor boards of heaven which allow the glory of God to sneak through and shine down upon us. How cool is that? His glory must be soooooooo bright that it shines bright this far away. I just loved the thought of it.

So how about it? Next time you look up and see the stars just think about God's glory and how amazing He truely is.

The West Coast of New Zealand has a rugged coastline but it is quite stunning. Some of you may remember the film "The Piano" which was filmed near Auckland at Karekare beach. Just beautiful! This past weekend we had a camp for people who are preparing to head off overseas and those who are currently home. We stayed at a campsite here at Piha Beach, the one next door to Karekare.

This was the first camp of this sort that we have had in a long time, in fact since we began in the office over a year ago. There were about 60 people in total, including kids. The weather played ball and even though it rained at times it was only during session times.

To be honest we wondered how this weekend was going to go. We had had a couple of extremely busy weeks leading up to it and at times we felt quite unprepared. We have been dealing with many a difficult situation including working with a long time missio who has been recently diagnosed with cancer and has weeks to live. It has been emotionally draining to say the least! We were very tired, even more so after the weekend but it was all worth it.

This morning my team debriefed from the camp. We were able to identify many a good thing that happened. God moved in the lives of those who participated and we had some really good feedback. One long time missio told us that it was the first time he had felt such a freedom to share and talk about the struggles of ministry. That was fabulous for us to hear. People really connected on a deep level and many email addresses were swapped for further contact.

The theme was "jars of clay". In one session there was a quote from Carl Jung. It challenged me. It was about recognising that Jesus calls us to "love the least of these" but what if the person that needed our love and care was ourselves? It spoke to me about how I often put others way ahead of myself and am not very good at looking after me. I learnt that it's ok to have time off, it's ok to rest, it's ok to say no. Guess it's time to practise it. I'm so not good at this stuff but I am committed to trying.

So, I began today. I left work on time, even though my list of things to do seemed to be getting bigger and not smaller. For me it was a major step to actually walk away. It will take me a while to work out what caring for me actually looks like but I have high hopes that I will eventually get it.

BOYS!

Having two boys (three if you count dear hubby) means that there is never a dull moment to be had. I have learnt over the years that boys need to play rough and tumble, need to be noisy and then need lots of food. I think I am a pretty good "boy" mum and am learning to watch them do things I would never dream of. Of late, this new found "boy" mum strength and resolve has been put to the test!

The oldest son, Caleb, has taken up BMX riding. He tootles off down the road to the local BMX track where he does unimaginable things on two wheels. I have to remind myself that this is considered an extreme sport, which I think just makes it all the more appealing to a pre teen.

The first hint of trouble came when he bailed on his bike on the downhill ride. Pretty spectacular and conveniently captured on film by dad. Here 'tis:



What follows is his face afterwards!



I am thankful he a) wasn't wearing his glasses and b) didn't knock any of his beautiful teeth out. We had a good laugh, did the appropriate amount of "You're so cool!" and told him to be careful.

5 days later he was back out on his bike, fell off, was carried home by a kind stranger and we went off to the medical clinic for an xray. All this resulting in several days on crutches and a bandaged foot for 2 weeks. He was gutted that a sprain meant mum wouldn't allow him back on the track until he was healed.

Last Friday was his first day back on the track in 2 weeks. Just 2 days later this is what happened:



After a fall from his bike, a huge gash in his leg and the calling of an ambulance, this is how he got down off the mountain. Then it was into the ambulance for a trip to hospital!



Finally, after several hours, xrays, pain relief, laughing gas, tears and broken fingers (mine that was....he squeezed them to death!) we ended up with 9 stithes in his leg......and at least another 2-3 weeks off his bike!



This morning he awoke to find the full face helmet and goggles that he had bought, on the front step. He can't wait to get back onto his bike. My "boy" mum resolve is waining but I can't wrap him in cotton wool. Guess I'll just take another deep breath and scrape up the pieces in the event of another accident :-)

Happy Valentines Day!

I'm such a softy! I love romance, pressies and days where you can just be nice to each other. It should happen everyday but the reality is that there are days when we just get grumpy with each other and forget to say how much we love and appreciate someone.Valentines is one chance in a year where we can love on each other which I think is great! This year, for me, it is more than just about me and Nige but also about showing appreciation and love to my boys and my staff. I took in a big box of chockies which we all enjoyed together and as a family we ate yummy food and special treats. It was a nice day. My darling not only bought me a rose (so sweet) but he also transferred our wedding video from VHS to DVD. How cute! He made it the day before and kept ringing me to tell me what he was watching. So sweet!

Marriage is a funny thing. There is all that hot, romantic love that happens before you get married and then as the years roll on that love matures into something beyond description. There is not a day that goes by that I would want to spend without my darling. I am grateful for his love and commitment to me and for always thinking I am beautiful, even on my ugly days :-)

Te Amo mi amor, hoy y para siempre!!

A brief holiday in Taupo.

So it's the new year and we have been at work for just 2 1/2 weeks and then took another 2 weeks off to spend time with the boys and have a bit of a break. We've spent many lovely summer days at home and then decided to go to Taupo to visit Nigel's sister and hubby and baby girl, Saskia. It was a lovely couple of days.

To keep the boys entertained we found an adventure activity called "Rock 'n Ropes". It is a high wire, climbing/confidence course. You could choose from several different activities so we paid for the boys to choose one. We could have saved money and allowed them to choose 3 different ones to do but secretly we believed that they would freak out too much and not actually do it at all. Man, did they surprise us!

Here's Caleb:



This one was called the Trapeze. He had to climb this pole, stand on top with nothing to hold and then leap to catch onto the trapeze to the left. It's a frightening thing! The woman who was holding onto him with his safety rope was amazing and instilled confidence in him. She said that he had chosen to do the most mentally challenging activity on the whole course. I watched him as he scurried up the pole then stood at the top quite confidently. He quickly counted to 3 then leapt! He missed the trapeze but floated down on his safety harness. He had another go at it and this time everything seemed to go quicker. Before I knew it he was up the top and jumping as high as he could. This time he touched it and was really pleased with himself. Man, I couldn't do it!!!

Here's Isaac:



Isaac spied this activity and convinced himself to do it. It was the most physically challenging event and there is absolutely no way I could do it. It was a series of swinging poles, ropes and tyres to climb up, through and on until you reach the top and sit on the final tyre. It was interesting to watch him work through it all. He scurried up the pole and then had a wee freak out at the height he was reaching and the movement of the poles. He was quite upset but he wasn't going to let it stop him. He pushed through his panic and carried on. As he reached the first tyre he again had a panic attack and again he took control of himself and his emotions and carried on. You could see the battle that he was having with himself and the real temptation to give into it but he wouldn't let himself give up. Near the top he had quite a severe panic attack with hyperventilating and many tears. I was sure he would jump off and float to the ground on his harness but he surprised me and moved onwards and upwards. As he climbed into the final tyre and sat on the top he had the biggest grin I have ever seen. He knew that he had pushed himself to his physical and emotional limit and not given into the fear that he has lived with for much of his life. I couldn't have been prouder!

My boys are pretty cool kids when I think about it. They are indeed a blessing from God, even in the hard days :-) They teach me new things every day and I am very proud of them.

Farewell Sir Edmund Hillary! A true kiwi.



Today the whole of New Zealand will stop to remember a truely great man. Sir Edmund Hillary died at the age of 88 on the 11th January 2008 and this morning will be his state funeral here in Auckland. It is a massive event. State funerals are held for governing Prime Ministers and Governors general but this is such a great man that it is only fitting for him to be farewelled as a nation. His family have been gracious enough to allow a whole country to mourn his passing and celebrate his life.




He is most famous for his historic climb of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world in 1953. He and Tenzing Norgay were the first people to reach the summit. It was a massive undertaking for a humble New Zealand bee keeper. He has then spent his life helping improve the educational and medical opportunites of the Sherpa people in Nepal. This is how he wants to be remembered. He was just a kiwi bloke. extremely humble, very loving and very gentle.



He is forever immortalised on our $5 note, the only living person to ever feature on our bank notes. It is our most used note and millions of New Zeaand people now hold that very dearly. There has been talk of renaming our tallest mountain to recognise him, or to have national holiday in honour of him. However we decide to celebrate his life and achievements he will not be quickly forgotten.

We are proud to be New Zealanders today. This is an historic day that will live on in my memory and my children's memories for many, many years.

Ka kite ano Sir Ed!

He Reigns!

When I think about why I am involved in missions I always come back to this video and song from the Newsboys. "He Reigns" would have to be my heartbeat for missions. Every time I hear it I get goose bumps and a little tear in my eye. So here it is for you to share and enjoy.



Can't you see it? Every nation, tribe and tongue singing praises to God, all at the same time. What a thrill!!!! I so want to be a part of that moment in time when all fall on their knees and worship Him. Can't wait!!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2008!

It's hard to believe that 2007 has finished although if I have to be honest I'm not sad to see the back of it. It was a pretty sucky year.....crappy could be a better word. My hopes for 2008 are that it will be a more settled year for everyone in my family and that we will continue to learn how to live in NZ and what it means to be a "kiwi". Hopefully that whole learning and growing process will be less painful than last year's one :-) I feel so much more positive about all that this year holds. I'm sure it is going to be full of challenges and surprises but that sounds like fun!

Christmas and New Year were great. It was nice to be able to spend it with family and be able to host them in our own home. I cooked a wonderful turkey (if I do say so myself) and ate far too much, but that's to be expected I guess. We closed the office down from the 22nd December until the 7th Jan so we have had a good break and managed to have lots of fun with the boys who are on their summer break. We're only back in the office for a couple of weeks and then we are having our official holiday which I am looking forward to. It will be so nice to hang out with the boys and do some more fun things. We have it all planned including boat trips to islands to climb, beach visits, junk food and of course some shopping thrown in for the lady of the house!

I hope that your 2008 looks like a good one and that you will know God's richest blessings in it.

Meri Kirihimete! Feliz Navidad! Merry Christmas!



I love this time of year. Not only is it busy and therefore totally exhilarating for an extrovert like me, but it's when we get to hang out with family and friends and enjoy each others company. This year is the first time that I get to cook Christmas dinner for my family. What fun! I've been planning menus and shopping for months so all that is to happen this weekend is to clean the house, buy the strawberries and cream and have fun while everyone is caught up in the last minute panic. We are closing the office until the 7th January so we are in for a great break.....and hopefully some lovely, summer weather.

The flower above is from the Pohutukawa tree, New Zealand's Christmas tree. The large, full tree blooms over Christmas and often lines the streets and beaches. It is just gorgeous! We planted a little one outside our house and it should bloom soon. It is a definate reminder that we are back in NZ.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy your time with family and friends, remembering together that the Son of God came as a baby to grow and learn like us and then die for us so that we might be with God. How cool is that!

With love and blessings to you all

Richelle

House Renovations





October was a frantic month for me, mainly by my own doing. I decided that I wanted to do up our wee house and make it more our own. That meant painting 2 bedrooms and creating a new garden. Dear hubby would roll his eyes as I outlined my plan but he lovingly helped look after the children while I created a unique space for each of us.

First to be hit was Isaac. His favourite colour is orange, and it has been ever since he was very little so it was only natural that his room would include it. I had taken the boys to choose their own colours which they really enjoyed although mummy was on hand to give some creative direction. In just a weekend I had completely changed his room and by the end of it it was even tidy! (No mean feat in a boys room!) He was thrilled. The next weekend was the rose garden. Ever since I can remember I have always dreamed of a rose and lavender garden but having always rented homes we were never able to complete one. It was a BIG job digging up grass, turning the soil and planting the plants but the outcome was just gorgeous. I have been enjoying the roses since. Then the following weekend it was our room's turn to be made over.....in red! Now I have to admit that there were many people who have questioned my colour choices but not a one of them has a bad word to say about the final outcome. And if I was truly honest I would have to say that there were times (after I had bought the paint) that I wondered what it would look like in the end but I'm pleased to say it looks fab!!!!

I love to be creative and I love colour....bright, bold colours. My family would expect nothing less of me then to speak loudly when colours come into play. Definitely no pastels for me! I miss being creative and have found art and music a hard thing to find time for in my busy life. One day I dream of learning how to dance with my hubby, of creating works of art that inspire and encourage, of wistful days full of colour and fun. Those days will come in time and I'm going to make the most of them when they do. Until then I will take pleasure in the simple things and enjoy the amazing colours that God has put into place throughout creation.

Riding the waves of change.....again!

My darling is home again after travelling in Asia for the last 2 1/2 weeks. It's nice to have him home again but with it comes still more change.

The boys and I find that when he goes away it always takes us a litle while to settle ourselves into our new routines and expectations. We kind of get ourselves settled and then he comes home again. That always requires another change in routine.

We are always really excited as we count down to his arrival. This week I have spent many hours tidying the house and organising things so I could spend time with him when he got home. I didn't sleep well last night as I ran through our reunion and all the things I wanted to finish before he arrrived and then I was up super early this morning to arrange all the last minute things. The boys and I skipped school and work and went out for lunch on our way to the airport which was nice. We were all really excited to see him. He was through customs and immigration really quickly and soon we were on our way home. And then it happened....an arguement! All over a misunderstanding but it was all about re-adjustng ourselves to each other again. Silly how that happens. Most of the trip home was in silence with just the boys chattering about what pressies their dad had brought them.

Don't get me wrong. I do love having him home again, I just hate having to ride those waves of change yet again. Things will be better tomorrow. I think I've spent 5 minutes alone with him since he arrived and now he is snoring away soundly in the bedroom. The boys have had some nice time with him which is good. I'll get a couple of hours tomorrow between work and when the kids arrive home from school. It's not enough by far but we are taking Friday off to celebrate our wedding anniverary so I will hang out till then. We'll have to plan something nice to do together.

Thankfully there are no more trips planned until at least February and before then we will have a couple of weeks holidays together as a family. That will be nice. We're not very good at taking a break so we're all looking forward to that time. We're hoping to improve next year and have already marked out holidays and weekends fo breaks away from work. I just hope we're good enough to stick to the plan. We'll see :-)

I'm struggling with Church.

It's not that I don't believe in it it's just that I don't like what it has become. To be honest we haven't really been much this past school term. In fact I could probably count the number of times I've attended since August on just one hand. I haven't been going to my women's bible study either mainly due to work pressures and family stuff.

We have been attending the same church all year. The boys love it and I guess I realised on Sunday that we need to keep going for them. The friends that they have made and the good influence of their leaders are what they need in their wee lives. But what's in it for me? I looked aound on Sunday and thought about the sturcture of the service. Why do a bunch of people, who don't really know each other, stand and sing together? The whole singing thing just seems wierd. The performing aspect of worship leaders and musicians drives me nuts. I feel like I'm in school when someone stands at the front and lectures me. I've sat through many a sermon in my life and many a service and they just all seem to be missing the mark. Not that it's about me! I know that but I'm feeing isolated and foreign in my worship.

People who I have been talking to regularly this year or I have prayed with don't remember me the next week. No one has called me to say "where have you been? How are things going?" Do they assume I'm ok because I'm a missionary? They shouldn't, 'cos I'm not.

I fully believe in the community of God's people. I guess, for me, that's my work community. We have devotions every moning, sing together (at least here it makes sense), and pray for one another. We have shared communion, tears and joys and it's far more meaningful to me than the big church thing. I don't know what we are going to do next year. Unfortunately Nigel feels much the same so that doesn't help things. I guess we'll think and pray about it over the Christmas break and see where the Lord is leading us. It's a tough one.

Another Gold Star for me and another 5 kilos down. That's a total of over 10 kilos (22lbs) lost!!!! Yippee!!!! My aim is to reach my 10% body weight loss by Christmas which is easily achievable (or so I think today).

With any milestone being reached we are asked to share with the others in the group our pearls of wisdom. For me it was something that the leader had said the previous week. It was just a 2 word phrase but it rang true in my head....."Expect success". That was it. "Expect success". I wrote it down on every page of my journal and saw it every day as I tracked what I was eating or even as I was just sitting watching TV. It rang true in my head and heart and obviously changed my perspective on a few things. I realised that I have always been happy to accept whatever came my way. I never really put high expectations on myself and certainly never gave myself any weight loss goals to achieve except to be fit and healthy by the time I turn 40. I guess with a change in attitude and thinking to always "expect success" I will achieve that goal and with a more determined path to it.

This morning as I left the house the thought struck me that perhaps my life has always been marked by my lack of successful expectation. I am the kind of person who can generally wing her way through things and achieve a successful outcome but perhaps I need to be a bit more determined in hunting down that success rather than happening on it by chance.

My leader will be so pleased with me! It's amazing how two little words can make a big difference in how we view the world.

School work has changed a lot since my day! Makes me sound old but the coolest thing I got to do in a days work was use three colours of felt tip pens to decorate my headings!! I was the hipist thing around :-)

Caleb has been working through various modules at school including cooking, woodwork and music. These past six weeks he has been working on a computer animation which he proudly showed us yesterday. I think he's pretty clever. What do you reckon?

It's been a while since I blogged. Sorry about that guys. I've managed to steal the computer off the kids tonight and shoo them all out of the room so for a few minutes at least I have a little space. It's nice to sit quietly. I don't seem to have too much of that time at the moment.

Work has been hectic as we brought 2 new staff members into our personnel team and I have been the one helping them, orientating them and answering all their questions. I feel like I am literally running around the office then racing home to the boys and hooning round the city dropping kids off at their various actvities. It has been a really busy few weeks and I don't see it getting much quieter any time soon. Although I do have to admit to also pushing myself at home to get things done which is another post in itself. God has been teaching me things about myself which will make it here when I can find another spare moment.

Anyway this is a lighter post. I have managed to catch up on some friends blogs and have seen a couple of cute videos which might cheer you up. The first is a fun look at language learning and thr sometimes inane things we actually learn.



This next one is all about mother's and the many words we use in a day. I have to admit to finding bits funny because they reflect my own language use. You'll see what I mean.



Hope these have brightened your day a little. Blessings!

Meet Saskia Lily Connors born Sunday 30 September 2007 and cute as a button!!!!!

This past week has been full of excitement for us as a family as we welcomed wee Saskia into our extended family. She is the first born daughter of Nigel's youngest sister and her husband. We have prayed for her for many years and have trusted the Lord to bring her into the world after Jill and her husband suffered 4 miscarriages in just 3 years. It has been heart breaking for us all but especially for them. Saskia is the product of much prayer and pleading with God. She is a very special baby indeed.

As soon as she was born we raced down to Rotorua and Taupo to meet her and have plenty of cuddles. She is so little, just 7lb 11oz (my boys were never that small!) and man, what a placid baby she is! They tell me she has a good set of lungs on her but from what I saw I don't believe them. My boys were so proud to be able to hold her and kiss her. They know how special she is and just delighted in her.

I love babies! I'm very glad not to have to do the whole sleepless nights and dirty nappies again. It's cool being an aunty. you get to hug them, spoil them then hand them back. What fun!

I'm Home and feeling great!

I know that might not sound like much but after all my world travels recently it is nice to be home and hanging out with my boys. Needless to say they were thrilled to see me which was nice. They literally hung off me for my first week home, always pouncing on me and hanging off me whenever there was a spare leg or arm to go around. They loved their gifts that we had bought (always a bonus).

Nige came home last week and brough with him more goodies. Even some for me which I love! I have to admit though that it has taken a little adjusting for us all to be back together again. Just a matter of realigning ourselves with each others annoying little habits! Not that I have any mind! We are all back at work this week although it is school holidays again so I am trying to get as much done while looking after the boys full time and organising a big list of things to do.

My big hooray though was when I went to Weight Watchers upon my arrival. I was thrilled to only have put on 400g in the whole time I was away. That was amazing!!!! Last time I went away to a conference I put on 1.5kg in a week so this feat in just 4 weeks was awesome. It has been hard to get back into counting points again and even sticking to what I am allowed but I will just have to pull my brain back into line and get on top of it again.

One of the good things about being away is coming home and this time it felt like I was coming "home". A really nice feeling to be settled and enjoying life again in the place the Lord has me.

The trip back to Niamey was supposed to be a cruisy flight of just 2 hours but again plans changed. The plane was not able to get to us in Maradi due to the weather so after waiting 4 hours for a final decision to be made we realised we had to go by road. I was prepared for anything but a plane ride would have been nicer!!!!

We are so thankful for the Nicholson family (kiwis) who were travelling to Niamey that day. We hitched a ride with them and set off. The first part of the trip was to Galmi where we rested the night in the guest house run by still more kiwis. That meant 3 hours had been done and we slept well that evening. Unfortunately the morning came round too soon and at 5 AM we piled into the cars again and began the marathon drive to the capital. Many had spoken of how bad the roads were but I'm not sure I believed them until we got onto them:-)

We had divided ourselves on gender lines....the boys in the HiLux and the girls in the Toyota sedan. Many a time we were lured into a false sense of security as we whizzed along tar sealed roads only to find huge pot holes in the middle of the roads. And when I say huge I mean HUMUNGOUS!!!! There were times when I was sure our wee car would be swallowed whole by the gaping caverns. The boys just flew over them all but Frouke took her time and took great care of the car. Many a time the tar seal disappeared and we were left to drive through thick, red, slushy sand also with huge holes. We liked it when the boys were ahead of us as we could see the holes and work our way around them but often they would hoon off and forget us girls. We travelled on detours of detours as roads were wiped out due to flooding. We sat, trapped by two big trucks as they tried to fight each other for the little passing space that there was. We drove through ditches that had been filled with tree branches to stop you getting totally stuck and then we met up with a huge traffic jam where trucks had spun off the road and caused a back up that would last for hours. All the time I was fearful that we wouldn't make it in time to catch our flight this morning but God was good and kept us and our vehicles safe. We snuck onto a new road that had been closed off by trees and bulldozers but that wasn't going to stop ingenious kiwis from going where they needed to. We just drove off road, round them all!

Twice we had toilet stops. I hate public loos but couldn't hold on any longer. The first was my first ever squat pit loo complete with horrible smells that made me gag and millions of mosquitoes buzzing in the nether regions. The second was a millet farm where I squatted behind a tall plant hoping no one could see me from the road. Little did I know but a Nigerien was riding behind me on his horse and got a full view of my little white behind! You've just gotta laugh!!!!

Nine hours later we arrived into Niamey totally exhausted but thankful for the Lord's protection and mercy. My African experience was complete. With 3 more days travel ahead of me I am tired but really excited to be heading home to NZ and my boys. I have missed them terribly so am looking forward to lots of snuggles and kisses. This afternoon we fly into London and then I will hit the sack again before my marathon 26 hour flight back to Auckland tomorrow. Nige leaves me and heads for the USA but he will be home again in just 10 days. I'm really looking forward to hanging out as a family again.

I have so much to tell the boys of my adventures. More than I could possibly write. It has been a thrill to see how the Lord has been using kiwis just like me in Niger.I do miss being on the field, at the core of missions work but then again it was such a joy to see kiwis thriving in difficult places. I'm glad I can go back and send some more.



PS...I was told to look out for giraffes as we travelled yesterday but despite 9 hours of looking I never saw one. How disappointing. Nevertheless I found this one so thought I'd pop him in here :-)

Niger!


What a trip! Just a few minutes ago we arrived back in Casablanca, Morocco after spending 10 days in Niger. We have had a whirlwind visit but a great time all in all. The weather was gorgeous....quite like Guayaquil in the hot season and then again in the cooler season when the rains began. It was nice to sweat again after freezing our butts off in NZ this past winter. As can be expected in Africa things did not always go according to plan but we were flexible o see where the Lord was leading us.

After arriving in the capital, Niamey, early Wednesday morning we visited Sahel Academy which is a missio school established by SIM. It was exciting to see people really enthusiastic about ministering to kids. Great stuff. The next morning we jumped on the SIM Air plane (a little Saratoga Piper, 4 seater) and flew to Galmi. It was a beautiful day to fly and we saw so much of Niger from the air. It was fun to land on the dry, red sand airstrip with all the village kids and young mums running out to see us. Thankfully they had scared off the cows!!!

Galmi is a mission hospital established by SIM many years ago. I'm not very good in hospitals as the smells and sights of sick people make me quite squiffy (nauseous). I did do very well though and even got to goo over newborn twins. So cute!!!

My African experience was almost complete the next day when I got dreadfully sick. The old vomiting and diarrhoea with high, high fever. Not nice at all. Thankfully I was in the right place as I had doctors fussing over me and people visiting my room to take blood samples. No malaria was present so I was even more grateful for that. After 24 hours of feeling like total crap I perked up and was able to travel the next day to Maradi where we currently have 2 kiwi families living. It was great to be able to see them in their context and get a feel for their struggles and joys. All the families we saw are doing so well. I was so proud of them!

Maradi is a biggish town and we enjoyed poking in the markets and seeing the many ministries that are going on there. We visited a tree planting project, a Bible translation project and even another hospital (this time I nearly did puke!) I faithfully wore my skirt and head covering every day which was driving me nuts by the end of it. I'm so glad I could wear what was comfortable in Ecuador. Yesterday I rebelled and wore my capri pants but regretted that decision when I had to pee behind millet plants in the middle of nowhere!!!!! But that's another story.