The Year 2011

A year ago, on January 1^st, 2011, we wondered what the year would hold for us never dreaming that we would end up in Niamey, Niger, West Africa. 

Being that it is now December 31, 2011 we are looking back over our year and we find that it has been one of the richest years in our lives, yet a hard one too. Hard in the fact that many of our friends have found it to be a very challenging year; hard to be feeling the effects of growing older; and hard in that we would find ourselves so far away from family and friends.

So as we reflect back on 2011, we do so with truly mixed emotions, yet grateful for a year that deepened our relationship with God, family, friends, and each other.

2011 started when we returned from a family ski vacation. We had had a wonderful family time – a rich time of relationship and activity. We were feeling very blessed. So that was a very good way to begin 2011.

We had lots of snow and we stayed in Minnesota for most of it. But toward the end of February we packed our van and headed south for several weeks of van camping in State Parks – mostly in Florida. 

That was a great time for us as a couple. We used that time to plan for the year ahead. Actually we talked about it in one of our first blogs – 2012 would be the year of 50 years of marriage. How did we want to mark that special date? So an email comes about a mission opportunity in Niamey (we think from God) and here we are – some of it in 2011 and some in 2012, but for us, this is the celebration of our 50 years of marriage.

The summer of 2011 found us preparing for this “adventure”. Preparing is a rich experience in and of itself; there is always something very exciting when we are planning for something.

Our family wasn’t especially thrilled with our decision to be so far away and to be gone for so long. But good came out of that. We think the summer time at the cabin was very special in that we used that time to celebrate being a family. We used it as a time to express our appreciation for each other.

Our Cousin Camp – which we had decided upon on our van trip, before we knew we were coming to Niger – was on Egypt and King Tut. We wanted to take advantage of the King Tut exhibit – and we did and the kids really got into it. It was a good time for us with our grandchildren.

Time with friends in Bayfield was especially nice and relaxing. Memories and shared experiences with friends are so valuable and we have been so blessed to have so many of them. We marvel at the ease in which old friendships can be renewed so quickly. 

And then September arrived and we packed up and moved across the world for 6 months, just the two of us on the trip, along with well wishes from our family and friends. We feel good about this decision because we think, for reasons we don’t understand, this is where God wants us. He has made our life far more exciting than we could ever do on our own. We feel very blessed and grateful. 

So as 2012 begins we are wondering what God has in store for us. We pray that we can stay alert to His calling. That we stay tuned into God so that we will not be afraid if that calling takes us to places we would rather not go.

Our wish for you 2012 is that you would be filled with God surprises that enrich your life and bring you closer to Him. 

The Niger Open

We were invited to join two families who were headed north of the city yesterday toward Mali.  The red zone is somewhere up there and we were not far from it.  The reason for going was to see the Niger River from a bluff or plateau.  Also, the families wanted to use the flat land to teach their kids to drive.   It was nice to get beyond Niamey and felt safe being a group.  The kids had fun practicing their driving and easy on parents - no traffic or people or much of anything!!

The fertile banks of the Niger River as seen from the bluff.

Busy river traffic.  Notice the lush verdant river foliage

The barren land of the plateau.

Not far from the bluff was the Golf Club Rio Bravo, home of the Niger Open.
Thought you might enjoy the pictures.

Rio Bravo, home of the Niger Open and the only golf course in Niger.
Membership here gives you reciprocity at courses throughout the world.
Membership cost $750/year, no waiting list.

Driving Range

Practice green

1st Tee Sign

1st Tee

Fairway.  They give you a rug to put your ball on for the next shot.

Bunker and sand trap

The 1st hole green

 Sally and I are going to try to get in 18 holes next week.

Enjoy Braemar

‘Twas the day after Christmas

‘Twas the day after Christmas

‘Twas the day after Christmas and all through the barn,

All the creatures were stirring, though they feared no harm.

The cows were all lowing, as they stood there just dazed

While the donkeys stood around just simply amazed.

We had stopped at the inn for a night of needed rest,

For we had traveled far, far from the west.

To pay our taxes, to do what was right

Though most of it went to make Herod’s might.

When out of my window I saw something bright

 It was caused by a star that broke through the night.

I got up to see this wonderful thing

And I swear I could hear the angels sing.

Down in the stable where the animals are kept

I saw such a sight I almost wept

For there in the manger a baby was born

Yes down there, where the sheep are shorn

This was a special baby, this I could see

A special baby for you and for me.

A special baby for this wondrous event

That would give the world a whole new bent

For God came into the world today

To give us a gift that would show a new way

Wonder of wonders, He came, He came.

Calling this baby with many a name.

Anointed, beloved, worthy, and king

Names that just make your heart want to sing

Creator, counselor, and God is with us,

Emmanuel, messiah, and the name, Jesus.

Savior, redeemer, Lord God most high

Our Passover, our prince, are names he goes by.

For God came into the world today

To give us a gift that would show a new way.

The star was still shining with the sky all a glow

As we stood in awe, those of us here down below

Was this real?  Could it truly be?

That God would give such a gift to you and to me?

Could a baby, so tiny and small and such

Could just a baby mean very much

Yet as I went down to see him up close

I wanted it to be real, I wanted that most

He was not very fancy this I can tell

And the stable had more than a really bad smell

The clothes he was wrapped in were dirty and old

Yet this was the messiah of whom Isaiah had told

Then shepherds came from their fields far away

To see this baby, to see where he lay

For they told stories about angels in the sky

Angels that had messages from our God up high

This baby that was born on Christmas night

Would bring peace and justice and make things right.

A new kingdom he would usher in,

A kingdom where everyone would be free from sin.

So be not afraid, do not have fear,

The new world of God is already here.

Glory to God in the highest the angels shouted.

Peace on Earth among men they also touted

Hawa

Hawa:  The Gift of Relationship

I have talked before about Hawa, the woman who cooks and cleans and washes our clothes for us.  She is originally from Benin, but has lived a lot of her adult life in Niger.  She is widowed and the mother of 7 children.  After her husband died she returned with her children to Benin but was unable to find work.  So she left 5 of her children in Benin and returned to Niamey with her 2 year old twins and a young girl who lives with her and helps her with the twins.  Having worked here before, she had contacts and was able to find several part time jobs.

She moved back to her old “concession” (neighborhood) but to a much smaller living space.  She and the twins and young girl live in a small one-room mud home made with the red sand mixed with water.  This becomes a problem during the rainy season as the structure leaks and begins to disintegrate. 

She has a sandy area outside the one door into her enclosed living space.  The sand is not typical beach sand; it is a very fine dusty sand.  She cooks in the sandy area, bathes her children in the sandy area, washes her clothes and hangs them on straw walls to dry – in the sandy area.  Really her way of living is like primitive camping – all the time.  No indoor plumbing – actually no plumbing.  Any water she uses is brought to her in containers that she purchases from the water boy – a young boy pulling a cart with large plastic containers. 

I had the privilege of going to her home on Friday.  I wanted to give her something for Christmas so had asked what would be appropriate and was told to give 25 Kilos (55 lbs) of rice.  My friend Mary took me in her truck (the choice vehicle of every ONG here) to purchase the rice and then we delivered it and Hawa to her home.

The young girl was bathing the twins – one at a time in a plastic tub in the sandy area - as we arrived.  It was a perfect photo opportunity but I had forgotten to bring my camera.

I, of course, was given the only chair – some advantages to being old and then Hawa borrowed a chair from a neighbor for Mary.  Hawa sat on a woven mat on the ground.  It was such an honor to be there.  Being white, we were quite the interest of the area.

I think there would never be a quiet moment where she lives. She is literally right next to the next family and she is also on a main walking route.  There are more children than you can imagine, people constantly walking by, music playing, making it anything but quiet and peaceful – but there is a real feeling of community. 

For example there was a water hole across the path from Hawa’s.  Every now and then someone would empty her bath, dish, or laundry water into the hole.  The hole is man-made because the family across from Hawa is making bricks to do some building on their site and asked the community for water.  Hence all disposable water is being dumped in this water hole - the community is working together.

Mary said “everyone” saw the rice being carried to Hawa’s place and she will be expected to share what she has.  Makes me wonder how long it will last.

I think Hawa is very smart.  She speaks her native Benin tongue, Zarma, Hausa, and French and understands a little English.  Yet she can’t read in any language.  She does the baking and cooking all by heart – this includes banana bread, peanut butter cookies and pie crust.

I had this idea of trying to teach her to read in French.  Get it?  I am teaching her French.  She seems thrilled to be doing this so stay tuned.  Actually the idea is that I can come up with words for her to learn but she can help me with pronunciation.  So we are helping each other.  I think maybe this is the way relationships are supposed to be.  And maybe this is why I am here!! 

So my goal for the last two months we are here is to help her feel confident enough to continue and maybe find someone who would help her – after all this is a literacy center!!  I hope to take advantage of that as well as make sure she has some good employment when we leave.  She is a treasure and a gift to me.  

Thank you God for our angel Hawa and the gift of a relationship with her.  

More Thoughts on Christmas and Christmas Time

I wrote a blog a couple of days ago about the difference between Christmas and Christmas Time.  How they are both wonderful things but really quite different.  Since I wrote this blog God has not let me stop thinking about it.  I get the feeling He has more for me to learn and remember.  There are three things I would like to share with you about this topic, one is an excerpt from someone else's blog, one is a short quote from the Pope, and another is the gist of an Old Life talk that I gave many, many years ago.  

THE BLOG EXCERPT:  

What is Christmas? It is the celebration of the Incarnation, God’s becoming flesh — human — and entering into history in the form of a vulnerable baby born to a poor, teenage mother in a dirty animal stall. Simply amazing. That Mary was homeless at the time, a member of a people oppressed by the imperial power of an occupied country whose local political leader, Herod, was so threatened by the baby’s birth that he killed countless children in a vain attempt to destroy the Christ child, all adds compelling historical and political context to the Advent season.

The theological claim that sets Christianity apart from any other faith tradition is the Incarnation. God has come into the world to save us. God became like us to bring us back to God and show us what it means to be truly human.

That is the meaning of the Incarnation. That is the reason for the season.

In Jesus Christ, God hits the streets.

It is theologically and spiritually significant that the Incarnation came to our poorest streets. That Jesus was born poor, later announces his mission at Nazareth as “bringing good news to the poor,” and finally tells us that how we treat “the least of these” is his measure of how we treat him and how he will judge us as the Son of God, radically defines the social context and meaning of the Incarnation of God in Christ. And it clearly reveals the real meaning of Christmas.

The other explicit message of the Incarnation is that Jesus the Christ’s arrival will mean “peace on earth, good will toward men.” He is “the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.” Jesus later calls on his disciples to turn the other cheek, practice humility, walk the extra mile, put away their swords, love their neighbors — and even their enemies — and says that in his kingdom, it is the peacemakers who will be called the children of God. Christ will end our warring ways, bringing reconciliation to God and to one another.

A QUOTE FROM THE POPE:

In his homily, Pope Benedict lamented that Christmas has become an increasingly commercial celebration that obscures the simplicity of the message of Christ's birth.

"Let us ask the Lord to help us see through the superficial glitter of this season, and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem, so as to find true joy and true light," he said

AN OLD, OLD LIFE TALK

Someone made a terrible mistake when they created two national holidays;  Thanksgiving and Christmas.  They got the words all mixed up.  I propose we make some small changes to our two holidays.

First off, and most important, we need a time to give thanks for the coming of Christ.  Scholars are not real sure when that exact date really was so let's not get hung up about time and take the late November days to do what should be done first and that is to thank God for bringing Christ into our world.  For simplicity's sake, we could take the Thanks from Thanksgiving and the Christ from Christmas and call this the "Thanks Christ" holiday season.  Our slogan could be, "Don't put Christ back into Christmas, put him into Thanksgiving."

That leaves the idea of "giving" left over from Thanksgiving and the idea of "mas" left over from Christmas.  Actually, I've learned that in the Hausa language of Niger "mas" means "must" so if we combine the two we get a perfect name for the December holiday time, the "Must Give" season.  Now does that ring true or what?  By separating the two holidays we put the emphasis on one idea at a time instead of trying to do all things all together.  

Write your congressman and see if we can't correct this mistake.  If not, maybe you can make the change in your own heart 'cause that's where it counts most anyway.

Our Christmas Card

Our Christmas card is a little dusty this year,

From the Manhards

The Glow of Christmas

The Glow of Christmas

Our kids have been sending us pictures that remind us that Christmas time in Minnesota is upon you.  There may not be much snow but there is still the Christmas glow.  We can picture the lighted houses, the trees in the windows, sitting around the fire or the table with friends and relatives, and the good cheer that abounds during the pre-Christmas time.  And we can’t forget the season of giving. Presents under the tree, Santa and his sleigh, and the anticipation of watching the grandkids open their gifts.  We know there are the Black Fridays and busy days that make you question it all but let’s face it, Christmas time in Minnesota is the best.

To not be there for all of this warmth and love is hard for us.  It is a favorite time of year.  Why of all times did we pick Christmas time to be gone from Minnesota?  As we have asked a thousand times before what are we doing here, and why are we here now?  God, what are you up to?

There is no “glow” in Niger.  No snow, no lighted houses, no trees in the windows, no fires, few friends, no relatives, good cheer but I can’t say it abounds.  No Santa, not much in the way of gifts, and what really hurts, no grandkids to watch.  God, you’ve taken all the trappings of Christmas away.

But then God says: “What Christmas do you want to remember?  The Christmas of last year or the Christmas of 2000 years ago.  Look what I’ve given you!!!!”

“When I came to earth there were no lights on houses, trees inside, and gifts galore.  When I became flesh. There was no glow, no parties, no candle light dinners.   I’ve brought you to a desert with sand, heat, and dust, and goats, and sheep, and donkeys, and camels to look at.  I’ve given you shepherds, and beggars, and poor people all around you.  These are the things of my birth.”

“Do you want to remember “Christmas Time?”  Or do you want to remember “Christmas?”  Don’t confuse the two.  Christmas Time is a wonderful time indeed but it is not Christmas, it is just Christmas Time.  I want to give you the gift of seeing Christmas, without the Christmas Time.  I want you to see Christmas like it was; a lot less Currier & Ives and a lot more Niger.”

“I’ve brought you here so that you would see, for the first time, that I am not just a Minnesota God.  I am a world God, a God for all people and all places.   I’ve brought you here so that you would have a picture of me that is more than just American, more than just Minnesota, and more than just a glow.  Christmas is all around you.”

So while we miss Christmas Time, we are grateful that, this year, God is nudging us a little closer to Christmas.  Thank you God.

Merry Christmas,

Sally and Elgin