The LINK™ 2014 LiveTen24 Men's Service Mission Update Four

TUESDAY

Our morning began with breakfast followed by a devotional with the LOC staff led by Paul, a LINK™ Niger staff member, and our own Josh Harper. Josh's message was on the story of the paralytic man's friends lowering him through an opening they had made in the roof of a building where Jesus was teaching so they could bring him before Jesus to be healed. The effort friends will make on behalf of friends led us to focus on the fact that we have all truly become friends (The LINK™ Niger Staff and our mission team). After devotions, we headed out by van and cruiser to the new National Christian Church.

 

The church, about the size of a small town American church, is set within gated walls. Under construction are the offices next door in the traditional mortar and block motif. Unfortunately, the sand needed for laying block and pouring supports was not there and so the crew and architect went on to another job, leaving us with the 'what do we do next' syndrome. However, the President and Vice President of the church came to meet with us and after prayers were said, we continued on moving piles of rock and rip-rap, being used as filler before the floors were poured.

 

Hot and dusty, we wheelbarrowed load after load up makeshift rickety ramps and loaded, dumped, and spread the stuff all morning. Geoff and Pastor Paul attempted to hire a piece of heavy equipment but that didn't work out. Fortunately, some local men were hired which gave us a lunch break.

 

After lunch, we headed out and over just a mile or so to the Good Samaritan Orphanage. We pulled into a very large courtyard and proceeded to be entertained and hugged by nearly every child there. Like all young children, the kids are so open to sharing their love and affection with you that it makes one think - hey why can't I be more like that more often?  So what do they love besides us? The cell phones with all their picture and video making, soccer in the hard dirt courtyard, and sleeping in your lap.

 

We were able to spend three hours with them and observed them in the classroom when school came back into its 3:30-5 PM session--there are 3 separate classrooms. We saw where the boys live and opposite from them, where the girls live. The new director has already made a lot of improvements including new plantings, re-roofing an abandoned building and making an apprentice shop for future tailors, complete with two sewing machines.

After our visit to the orphanage, we returned to the LOC for dinner, followed by prayer and worship. Impromptu fellowship followed on the roof as it has become a meeting ground for us guys where we can reflect on our lives, on one another, and our different walks with God. Our mission is close to concluding, but our team is eager to make the most of the rest of our time here. We are sincerely grateful for the continued prayers of our friends and family back home. Thanks be to be God.