MONDAY
God is good! We continue to sing praises to our Lord for the blessings our team has witnessed and for His blessing over our safety and our mission. Today our group headed out to paint and restore a church on the outskirts of Niamey which had been destroyed by arson.
The pastor of this small church lived in an apartment adjoining the chapel which was also damaged.
All around the very simple, clay, block-laid structure were partially burned pages of children's Bibles among church documents.
After we divided into two teams, we went straight to work tackling the cleaning and painting together. We worked all morning and into the afternoon with Pastor Malik, a couple of older and younger men, and even small children who came from surrounding communities to lend a helping hand in our work.
Everyone really pulled together and 'got it done' with an unshakeable determination exemplified by these children as they painted without taking breaks and successfully carried full wheelbarrows of sand.
A small group of little girls were so willing to pitch in that they transformed their shirts into carrying pouches to move sand into the chapel to create a level sand floor.
After lunch (brought to us by the LOC staff), more and more children came running to our side to help and be a part of our project. Loads of them, many in old, worn out clothes. who once they get over their initial shyness, became eager to play with us. And who is consistently the great 'playmate'? Philip Beethoven, with his brawn and size, spent 45 minutes tossing the small 4-13 year olds high in the air, and, along with Matt, Josh, and Tex, would have them dive off the top of the sand pile into their waiting arms.
It was really something to watch the love flow so easily and openly both ways. Matt, Kameron, Dave, and Josh walked uphill from the church as Matt was determined to ride one of the three donkeys he saw up that way. The kids followed and helped him with his wish. Those kids, they didn't want to let us leave. Wonder if they know how much they gave us in return for the attention we gave them. We were overly impressed by the courage, strength, and resiliency of the church's leaders as they continued to live out their vision of restoring and reviving this once inhabitable place. They were truly grateful for our work there. Pastor Malik even invited a friend and church planner, Apollos, to return to our work-site to see "Jesus at work"; truly something incredibly special. The newly white-painted walls represented a cleansing and renewal of this church body as well as a reminder that the enemy may try, but God's glory will still prevail.
Upon completion, the team returned to the LOC for some rest and a dinner that was highlighted by celebration and praise for God's work. Prayers were answered and now the Lightys are cleared to bring their newly adopted daughter, Emma, home to Virginia with our team when they depart later this week! They have been waiting here in Niger for 11 weeks for the proper documentation to go through to finalize this arduous process. Their daughter Emma ran upstairs waiving her passport with a visa inside and immediately the team and the LOC staff rejoiced in this special moment.
After dinner, the team gathered for yet another time of praise and worship upon the roof where we reflected the goodness and grace of our Lord as many prayers for healing and miracles have been answered. The team has formed a brotherhood that continues to strengthen by the minute as we worship, pray, work, and laugh together. Our band of brothers formed here in Niger cannot believe the time has passed so quickly, however, we acknowledge that our mission is not complete. God's grace and blessing continues to surround us and work through us. How great is our God!
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