Fruit of the Spirit

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law."  -Galatians 5:22-23

Now, if only we can start living all of these out in our home...still so proud of my baby girl. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

We have never been big on this particular holiday, and since I didn't get in until after 10 from a trip to Brooklyn last night, it really wasn't on my mind. But for my sweet children, I'm glad others were thinking. Grandma and Grandpa sent some pretty cute outfits, Daddy brought sweet cards and Nonnie made sure Mary-Michael had a chance to make her own valentines last week. My energy level was lacking, so I decided we'd save sugar cookies for Easter and make pink Rice Krispie treats instead. We also enjoyed some sibling time in the bathtub and outside. 

Geoff and I celebrated us and his return from Niger with a very lovely dinner at Julep's last weekend. Now, my sweet valentine is fast asleep on the couch!

Learning God's Word

In an effort to live out Psalm 119:11, which tells us to hide God's Word in our hearts, we are memorizing some verses with Mary-Michael. How cool that she did this in just 3 days with a few minutes spent on it each day!?

“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you."  -Exodus 20:12

Coming Home

I hardly slept and am doing a little dance right now thinking about my sweet husband coming home tonight!!!!

Mission Update - 6

Dear Friends and Family,

Wednesdays aren't always this cool. We are only hours away from heading home, but how could we possibly do such a thing before seeing Africa at its finest? After breakfast, we had our team devotions outside with the entire LINK™ staff. Each of us shared our name and what we did, and this led to a lot of laughter.

Next we went WAY out in the desert to spy on some giraffes. To put it simply, they were beautiful. There was something about their meekness that made all of us stare and take pictures. They truly exist to reflect the glory of God, just by being what they are. His creation is striking.

After lunch at the LOC, we shopped for souvenirs. It was great. All the jewelry, blankets, drums, purses, figurines, and clothes screamed (with loud colors) one thing: Africa. Soon we were on our way to the Niger River to begin our evening of adventure. We hopped onto a less than modern boat and started hunting for hippos. It wasn't long before we spotted them!

We reached our destination on the bank in what looked to be a deserted area. We hiked up our skirts and pants and started our walk across the hot, sandy desert. This was truly a hard twenty minutes. Nothing about today seemed like February. Seventeen camels greeted us at the road, and boy, were we glad to see them! Some of us weren't sure what we were getting into, but anything looked more appealing than walking one more step. So, up we went, one by one. Have you ever ridden a camel before? We strongly suggest putting it on your bucket list. It was hilarious. Those things are the quirkiest creatures on the planet. We were all smiles.

Part three of the evening awaited us as our ride came to an end and we found ourselves at the bottom of a large sand dune. We were hot. We were tired. We carried on. At the top of the dune we were pleased to find a breath-taking view of Niger. As we played, took pictures, worshiped, and rested, we watched the sky do what is does best.

The Bible tells us that The Father's children, His elect, His bride, will come from EVERY nation. We have rejoiced this week as we have witnessed the church come to life in the hearts of the sweet people of Niger.

Grace and Peace,
The LiveTen24 Discovery Team

Mission Update - 5

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been very encouraging to see the influence the gospel is having on this nation. Piece by piece, God has been intricately weaving His story together here in Niger. This morning, we visited two Christian schools. At Cornerstone School, it was wonderful to hear how they have grown in size and influence in their community. The first classrooms built were simple straw structures which provided a shaded place for the children to learn but were not very weather-resistant. Now with help from Schools for Niger, Africa, they have built brand new classrooms. What a joy to see the hope in the children's eyes as we listened to them recite their Bible verses.

 

Banifandou School is one of the first schools with which The LINK™ began a partnership many years ago. It is home to 920 students from grades K-6. They are currently praying for more classrooms to be built for the students who will continue on to 7th and 8th grade. This school has a huge ministry opportunity as 98% of the students attending are Muslim. Here too, the students learn about the Bible and teachers are able to pray with their students.

In the afternoon, we headed to Good Samaritan Orphanage where the guys on the team began playing a friendly game of soccer with all of the boys. We got creamed! It's a good thing we were just playing for fun because most of us would not have wanted to know the score.

The ladies on the team spent some very precious time with the girls, painting their nails and praying for them. Some of the younger boys played the drums for us and they were really good! We joined the children in a bit of street evangelism as we handed out the Book of Hope to many boys and girls who lived in the surrounding community. We also invited them to come see the Jesus film tonight at the orphanage.

Please continue to pray with us that God will be glorified in the nation of Niger.
 

Grace and Peace,

The LiveTen24 Discovery Team

Mission Update - 4

Day three (Sunday) is coming to an end, and we are not lacking for good stories, moments, and laughter. Today was more low key but still quite amazing. We have been spoiled on this trip with good food, and this morning was no exception as we got to discover pastries from a local bakery. They were delicious! It was the perfect way to wake up and get going after a late night of game-playing and good conversation.

Our team was invited to attend a local church for Sunday worship. The service began with singing, clapping...... and a lot of dancing! It seems the Nigerien people often end up moving their feet and forming a circle when there is an opportunity to praise the Lord. It only seemed right to join them (when in Niger....). One of our team members, Erica, embraced her inner dancer before any of us. She not only joined the people of this church, but also started a second circle at the end of the service, bringing the rest of us out of our comfort zone. The beauty of it was it was quite the opposite of uncomfortable, it was freeing. It was also sweet, as we felt that we were one, unified because of Christ, seeing that He made a way for us to communicate even though we speak different languages. He was faithful to bring us together.

Believe it or not, the rest of the service was just as precious. Pastor Dwayne preached a truly encouraging message from Exodus. The pastors of the church invited Bryan and Laci to the front and laid hands on them to pray for their upcoming marriage.

Experiencing this, as they prayed in French, was just a reminder of our common bond in Christ. They also set aside some time for a few of their church members to share what the Lord has done in their lives. One man thanked Him because his sons came to church with him and it gave him so much joy. Another simply reminded us that regardless of sickness or persecution, material things, and temporary highs, nothing satisfies like Christ does. "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

The rest of our Sunday was relaxed and the team got to spend some quality time together. We prayed for our friends, Rodrigo and Juanita, as Juanita is having a difficult time with her pregnancy. We laughed a LOT at dinner. We ended the evening with a sweet time of prayer and praise on the roof, a tradition here in Niger with all LINK™ teams. What a great day!

Grace and Peace,

The LiveTen24 Discovery Team

Mission Update - 3

Greetings from Niger!

Day two (Saturday) was packed with KIDS. This morning, we met a couple from Brazil, who came to Niger ten years ago to open a daycare ministry. They graced us with their story of how God had called them to not only start a daycare, but to open their home and adopt 13 (and counting) African boys as well. Meeting them was truly a joy. It is obvious that the boys are being raised in a home where God's love is taught and evident. They all serve in different ways in the daycare ministry, which now has seven locations. Recently funds were running low and they almost had to cut the third meal of the day from their program. Praise God, LiveTen24 was able to come alongside this ministry and provide the means necessary to keep serving three meals a day for the children at the daycare. The family asked for prayers of protection and provision as they have dealt with some persecution from their surrounding community.

After our amazing lunch at the LOC, (LINK™ Outreach Center) we headed out to visit two different orphanages. The first place was CSEN where approximately 20 children live (including three sets of twins and one set of triplets). Let us stop here and introduce you (if you don't already know him) to TC, one of our lively team members. We aren't sure if the kids found him or if he found the kids, but either way, they were meant to be! He was truly an inspiration to all of us, especially at the second orphanage, Remar, where he not only got to interact with the children, but also his own daughter who moved to Niamey several months ago to work with missionaries. It was truly a sweet moment as we got to witness a father's love for his daughter in a country where there are many fatherless children. Please pray that The Lord uses that moment to show these children a glimpse of His love for them as their heavenly Father. His love for us is, after all, perfect.

It's dinner time here at the LOC! We miss all of you dearly, and we'll be writing again soon.

Grace and Peace,
The LiveTen24 Discovery Team

Mission Update - 2

Dear Family and Friends,

We have officially spent our first full day in Niger and what an incredible day it was. At a medical center for women and children, we heard a heartbreaking story of a woman from a nearby village who came to the clinic to give birth. This was her ninth pregnancy and her first eight children had died shortly after being born. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts to care for the baby, this child also died. The director of the clinic told us the woman thanked them all before she left. They asked her why she would thank them when they were unable to save her baby. She said she was thanking them for showing love and compassion to her because the people in her village believe she is cursed since her babies keep dying. The need is so great here. We saw 150 people waiting in line to be seen by one doctor. Fifty of them would have to go home without receiving medical attention that day. The director thanked LiveTen24 for providing blankets, mosquito nets, child-sized IVs, and financial support for their full time nurse.

Our team attended the opening of the first new well funded by Joyce Meyer Ministries through LiveTen24. Directly across the road from the well, someone had been selling water to the people of the village but now there is free water available to all the people living there. The Pastor, who oversees the well, expressed his gratitude while we watched children from his church pump water. Our team sang the song "Let it Rain" and prayed for the Pastor. May God use this well for His glory.

We visited a school built with funding from Schools for Niger Africa. Last year, this school only had two classrooms. Now they have two full stories with six classrooms on each floor. It is so encouraging to see just a part of the work God is doing here in Niger to advance His kingdom.

Our last stop of the day was a Christian radio station where LiveTen24 and Joyce Meyer Ministries (JMM) partner to broadcast a well-received program on nutrition and healthy living followed by a JMM program in French. The broadcast has become so popular it now airs twice a week.

We are all enjoying our stay here at the beautiful LOC (LINK™ Outreach Center). The food is delicious and the atmosphere is incredible. Now we are on our way up to the roof to end our day with a time of prayer and worship. We believe God has uniquely woven this team together and we are excited to see all that He has in store for us here.

Please pray for continued safety and health, as well as opportunities to share the gospel.

The 2013 LINK™ LiveTen24 Discovery Mission

(I talked with Geoff on the phone last night, and he sounded great. We are missing him!)