Out of Africa

Prologue
When traveling from a wet and cold Oregon winter to a dry and hot Nigerian “winter;” when leaving the luxuries of our modern, western, American homes to live for a few weeks in one of the most impoverished countries in the world; when temporarily abandoning family and friends to travel for 30+ hours by plane in order to go and minister to “strangers”; when taking oneself out of the situational comfort zones within which we daily live to be stretched outside of them by the introduction of new personalities, styles, customs, languages, cultures, foods, colors, creatures, and risks, you can expect the results to be anything but normal. It has taken some adjusting for me and, though I haven’t had the chance to check in with my teammates since our return to the states, I have a feeling they too sense the disruption from normalcy that such a trip causes.

12 days was too short to experience such richness. Likewise, this article will be too brief to adequately convey all that we did experience. But I will begin with this: God is mighty. He can and will bear good fruit according to His great purposes long after we have all come out of Africa.

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There to minister to missionaries serving in Niger, the trip initially felt a little lopsided. Due to plane schedules we as a team arrived in Niamey nearly 5 days before the Spiritual Life Conference began. Of course, with the extra time we did what any self-respecting group of Americans would do: we went on mini-safaris and sought out markets to barter and buy souvenirs (I am joking – that’s not all we did. Keep checking back for more details on what those days held for us, as we will likely continue to fill in some of the details left out for time’s sake).

Wednesday came and brought with it missionaries traveling into the capital city from all over Niger: Galmi, Makolondi, Maradi, and countless other regions and villages that to my discredit I can’t remember. Amidst busy check-ins and introductions to those with whom we would spend the next few days, we kept hearing one thing over and over again: this conference is always the highlight of the year for these faithful few. That was a nice thing for them to say about the conference.

A couple Shaun and I had met in Makolondi (a rugged bush village one hour’s drive southwest from Niamey) told us a story of a missionary vacationing in his village. “If you vacation in Makolondi,” he joked with the visitor, “that must be some village you live in.” Throughout the weekend I found myself putting on the metaphorical shoes of the men and women I met. I was entirely shaken as I imagined what the good-byes would be like, leaving my family in Oregon, my church family at Southwest. I was torn as I considered all the implications of this imagined decision: what that would mean for my future children, growing up without the close relationship to Grandpa and Grandma and cousins that I had experienced in childhood. (These thoughts called up all kinds of memories and emotions, like the uncontrollable excitement I felt when loading up the van for our annual road trip to Southern California.) How difficult it would be to make a decision that would take my husband and me and our children away from those rich experiences. I wasn’t alone in sensing the pain that must come with that kind of a sacrifice; I remember praying with Rose one night in our room over the burden she felt for a grieved mother she had spoken with earlier. I was humbled as I privately projected onto these new acquaintances my experiences and memories and fears and questions about the life of a foreign missionary.

Before I knew it Sunday had arrived and the Spiritual Life Conference was coming to a close. I had been with the Jr. High and High School students throughout the weekend and the five of us working with them – Mike, Shaun, Rose, Pat, and I – had our own time of teaching and fellowship separate from the adults. But today we were all going to church together. Gary gave his final message for the weekend and broke from his series on the Psalms to look at Hebrews 10. He spoke about our great High Priest, Jesus, because of whom and by whom we have constant and continual and unhindered and unconditional access to the righteous and holy God we serve. Well, one condition: that we are bought by the blood of Christ; that we belong to Jesus. He gave a vivid and compelling illustration of what access to God looked like before Jesus entered our race. I listened so intently and with such joy. That sermon moved me. And I could tell that the others gathered with me were just a compelled as I was to marvel at and enjoy what I can only describe as an immeasurably wonderful truth: access. Access to God. Because of Jesus. The passage concludes with the exhortation, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together…” As Gary closed, he explained that there is only one other place where this phrase “gathering together” or “meet together” is used: 1 Thessalonians 4:17. He said something to this effect: “This group will never again meet together like this here on earth. But we will meet together like this again; we will meet together like this when we are caught up together with Jesus in the clouds.” Following the sermon we took communion together. Mr. Walton took us right back to the book of Hebrews to consider the body and blood Christ. The time was so clearly God-orchestrated and in tandem the passages focused my heart on my High Priest who entered once for all, finishing the work of the salvation and bringing access to God by His perfect sacrifice. There was a tangible unity – not only in the Scriptures selected and in the exhortations given, but a tangible unity in the people present; a unity that doesn’t come simply through adequate planning and organization. God was moving.

That evening as we closed the conference, Mark and the team led out in worship and I could just taste the joy that filled the room as we all sang together. It filled up the tiny meeting hall and spilled out onto the campus where we met. Tears filled my eyes as I considered this the last time for some time that I would worship with the Lau family – possibly the last time ever in Africa. And certainly the last time ever with this group of believers. But before sorrow sunk deep I was struck by a fresh and affirming realization: this is a family. This is what they meant when they told us that SLC was the highlight of their year. Just like those road trips to California, this was their opportunity to see and play games with, to laugh, cry, eat, and have coffee with; to be challenged and encouraged by their family. And though it does not and will not likely lesson the difficulty of leaving the one, realizing that, witnessing that reality brought a wave of joy to my soul. The family of God is so amazing – not because people in and of themselves are amazing, but because God is amazing, and He accomplishes amazing things in and of His people.

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Epilogue
It was not until I returned home to my normal schedule and my normal job and my normal place in my normal read-through of God’s word that I came to this passage – a passage that, as I read it, brought a fresh picture to mind of that little gathering hall surrounded by the joyful sounds of the family of God singing praises to His name:

“While He was still speaking to the people, behold, His mother and His brothers stood outside, asking to speak with Him. But He replied to the man who told Him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’”

Where the Streets Have No Name

During our stay in Galmi, Kendrick took us to the Bush village of Doguerawa. We met Pastor Nomaou who gave us a tour of the village. Pastor Nomaou had been in the town 14 years, faithfully preaching every Sunday and sharing in the village. His family are the only people from the village who come to church on Sunday. He has seen two conversions over his 14 years of ministry.

A brick maker in the village. Their were hundreds of these

bricks drying in the sun. A very ancient art form that was

fun to watch. It seemed like we were in a time warp until

the man paused to answer his cell phone.

Rose trys her hand at Daka, the fine art of grinding millet.

As you can tell by the look on her face, the sticks are

really heavy.

Daka: How it is really done. It is not only necessary, but it

is really an art form. The women of the home can spend

hours of their day grinding millet.

Pastor Nomoau was our host on the village tour.

Pastor Nomoau's wife makes Fura, which is a millet gruwl.

During tougher times it is fairly common to find people

eating/drinking this for three meals a day.

As we left the village and prayed for Pastor Nomaou and his family, he expressed how thankful he was that we had visited and how much it meant to him that we were able to tour the village and meet many of the people that he works with. He told us why our visit meant so much to him. The villagers often write him off because he is one minority voice. Our visit showed that he is not alone and that their our others who believe what he preaches.

*UPDATED* Muslims, Chickens and Trucks

The Mosque call to pray is at 4:30 am, the chickens and roosters start at 5:00 am and the trucks start moving at 6. That was our early morning introduction to life in Galmi. We spent 2 1/2 days with the Laus', getting a hands on experience of their day to day life. We toured the hospital, toured a bush village, Gary spoke at an evening church service and addressed the Galmi Hospital staff twice, enjoyed time with the Laus' in their home and went fossil hunting on the hillside overlooking the entire city of Galmi. We flew back to Niamey on Wed. afternoon on a Piper Saratoga 6 seater, then flew out early Thursday morning to Casablanca. We will be spending a couple of nights in Rabat with the Jones' before we head back home on Sunday morning.

We were able to visit with Dr. Hal Vick who was in Galmi

covering for Kendrick while the conference was going on.

Dr. Vick delivered all three of our kids and one of the

Stubblefield kids (in the states not in Galmi).

Rose was able to spend sometime with Dr. Vick in the

hospital and had this to say: "I got to accompany Dr. Vick

on his rounds. Dr. Vick initiated having me hold a cute little

newborn baby. So small. He sees things here that he's only

seen in the States 1x in his 33 years of practicing:

Preeclamptic seizure on a 15-year old who had a c-section."

*UPDATE* Here is an older article about Dr. Vick in Niger from one of his previous trips. Thanks Jill!:

http://www.medicalteams.org/sf/about_us/media_center/articles/08-07-07/Obstetrician_Delivers_Babies_and_Hope_in_Niger.aspx

On the Road...to Galmi

The remaining team packed up with the Lau's and headed for Galmi where we will spend a few days getting to spend time in their home and see Galmi Hospital in action. We will have a chance to speak to the church staff and at a local church service.

Rose had the privilege of riding with the Lau's in their vehicle. That left me and Gary and Mark to take a bush taxi. The drive was about 6 hours long and we stopped twice for gas and supplies. We arrived safely and enjoyed seeing the changing scenery and communities as we moved further and further east from the capital of Niamey.

We felt secure in the back seat of the taxi. Or at least the

driver felt safe from us. We actually were riding in style

compared to the other bush taxis. We only had 6 people in

our minivan when 12 is a common occurrence.

One of our two stops for gas and supplies. We all took the

opportunity to stretch our legs.

Saying Goodbye...to Some of the Team

Amy, Shaun and Pat all flew out of Niamey Monday morning at 2:30 AM. They are headed home exhausted, a little more tan, a little more dusty and full of stories of how God used them during the conference. I can honestly say that things would not have gone this well without them.

Pat’s willingness to drum for the main sessions and giving all his other time to the Middle School guys made him indispensable. (Bringing them Nerf Footballs didn’t hurt his cause.)

Amy’s energy and youthful exuberance made her a hit with the high school girls. (Bringing them Urban Outfitters lotion didn’t hurt HER cause!)

Shaun provided what has become expected from him: Amazing games, fun activities and the best Synchronized-Swimming-on-Dry-Land Event that Niamey has ever seen.

Have a safe trip home!

Saying Goodbye… to the Conference

Phase 1 of our trip has officially wrapped. Our goal as a team was to go and sacrificially serve these Missionary families. We taught the Word, led in music, played lots of games, led many small groups and generally emptied ourselves over the course of the conference. We have received so many thank yous that it would be difficult to summarize other than we feel that our goal was accomplished.

The attendees were pleasantly surprised on the first night with the gift bags that we brought form our church family. It was fun on the last night to pass out Hershey chocolate bars on behalf of our church family. Many of them were REALLY excited about the Dark Chocolate. Many of these families go all year without fellowship or good Bible teaching, making this conference a highlight for them.

The teens didn’t want to leave (a good sign). With the Bible teaching, small groups, fun games and mixers and special treats from their group leaders, it was a great week.

Gary receives a thank you from the Conference Director

Mike Schmidt. We all received tamajeq crosses from the

local tribes of Niger.

Mark receives his cross and handshake.

The whole youth team receives their thank yous.

Gary's Sunday Morning Conference Message

GeoTagged, [N45.53079, E122.86748]

We all got to enjoy a Sunday Morning Communion Service together. Gary spoke on Hebrews 10 and the confidence we have to approach God. The youth were dissapointed that we weren't going to meet again. We took this as a good sign. Lunch together today and then the closing program. A final dinner and then conference goodbyes.

Conference Worship

Mark has done a great job leading worship for the main conference sessions. He met the musicians 2 days before the conference started, began practicing, began learning the French songs and didn't get a piano player until right before the first session. They did an amazing job combining differing talent levels, different instruments (lead trumpet anyone?) and different opinions to produce wonderful times of worship during the conference.

Mark and the team with Pat on drums. Pat did an amazing

job considering he was working with a pretty rough drum

kit. Anyone heading to Niamey, Niger soon could drop a

new kit off. I know they would appreciate it. Might work as

carry on. (Due to Gary's arm surgery, he has become a bit

of a one armed charismatic in the front.)

Mark and the team again. The older couple in the back

provided the French support and lead singing.

The Conference Youth Program

THE SPIRITUAL LIFE CONFERENCE YOUTH PROGRAM

We had a blast working with this group of Middle School and High School kids. They were really receptive of the talks (they even got my jokes!), they were great in the small group times and they were all in when it came ot Shaun's crazy games. They REALLY appreciated us being with them and made sure that we knew it. The team did a phenomenal job working through sickness and tiredness and hot weather. We are looking forward to an afternoon of fun games and a skit night that apparently features quite a bit of roasting of the visiting team (Oh, boy). Thanks to all those who continue to pray for us.

Amy leads her team in the Synchronized Swimming On Dry Land

competition. Her grace wasn't quite enough to overcome the

talent and intensity of Rose' group.

Shaun started off the course with a blindfolded maze with no end.

Eash student had to come to the point of surrender and ask for

help out in order to be shown that there was no way out on their

own. Three kids are still in the maze. Oh, well. Life lessons.

-Mike for the Youth Team

DRIVING IN NIAMEY

Every country has a little different take on driving rules and etiquette. Niamey is no different. In place of the mini-van for family transportation, they have the motorcycle. It is all the rage among the soccer moms of this country. Room for up to four. It is also quite obvious that children learn to hold on at a very early age.

We waited at this intersection for the local fence delivery man to make his way across.

Brief More Recent Updates From Rose

January 5
Internet was down yesterday. In the afternoon, I worked up a sweat getting the missionary gift packages together. The Lau kids were enlisted to help. They did a great job.

In the evening, we bought some food at a local stand. We were a little shocked at the conditions, but ate it anyway... after reheating it back at the ranch. I have been blessed with good energy, but went to bed early last night.

Today we worked all morning on the conference, prepping on site at Sahel Academy. We planned tomorrow's schedule. We made labels for each kids' water cups. We rearranged the classroom for our main meeting room. We split up our supplies. It went well. The Sahel campus was inspiring. Then we had a late lunch. We did our big souvenir shopping trip {Carl adds--Nobody get their hopes up.}. Then we went out to dinner at a hotel restaurant for our team's one eating-out experience.

3 mosquito bites so far despite the bug spray. They are biting me through two layers of clothes.

January 7
Yesterday was just plain full, so I didn't post. The morning started with Bible starting at 4AM (lots of time in the Word) and kitchen prep stuff. Even cutting vegetables is different. We are being cautious. For instance, the lettuce is bleached and then rinsed in filtered water.

Kendrick took us shopping. For some of us on the team it was the last chance. Kendrick is expert at haggling. Then the conference started. We handed out the gifts at registration. The missionaries were excited to receive them! Yesterday was big group time. I helped chop up veggies in the kitchen.

I got into two in-depth conversations with missionaries after dinner. Then I came home and had a good talk with Kendrick and Alicia.

This morning was hard. I had misunderstood Shaun about wake-up time and missed the opportunity to see my younger 3 kids via Skype. It was a great disappointment and triggered sorrow in empathizing with missionaries last night about how hard it was to send their kids to boarding school.

Mike Arzie has done a great job with the talks. Shaun has done a great time with the games and activities. I feel our small group times with my 8 girls has gone well. I love these kids. They are great. I think the kids are having a great time.

Mark Sherman has got a challenge with the worship. With playing new songs. And many are in French. I am truly enjoying the refresher in French.

The food has been great.

Everyone has been a joy to talk to and many seem to have so much to say. We watched I AM DAVID tonight, but dispersed pretty quickly afterward to go home.

January 8
This morning cut up some papaya (?) for breakfast, made coffee, and had time in the Word. Then we were off for the conference to start at 8:30AM. Mike's talk was on journaling. It was powerpoint.

Small group time. Game of synchronized swimming. Was a success. Lunch. Siesta time. Took a nap. Worship. Talk on glorifying God. Small group time. Decided to teach on the Fact, Faith, Feeling train with extra time. They seemed to be tracking with me well. Then we left for our campfire time which was about a 45 min. drive away. Got smore fixings ready. Had a picnic dinner out there. It was nice. Kids had a blast. We've got an amazing group of kids here.

Saturday will be our last full day. Sun will probably start with a morning session, then we'll all disperse.

{Note from Carl: I told Rose I thought her updates were blog worthy (am I biased?) and asked her to consider posting some. She said, "I don't know how to blog." so I took the liberty to compile some for her. Anything good here she gets credit for...bad is all me.}

Stranded in Macalondi -- Part 1

It's been a little while since we last updated the blog! So I'm going to try and sum up what's happened in the last couple days here and probably in a part 2 that will come soon!

Amy and I headed out to see a missionary couple in the town of Macalondi, which is about an hour south of Niamey and about 20 km from the border of Burkina Faso. We drove down with the team here from Washington -- from Lake City Church in Tacoma -- and with a lady here named Beth, who has lived most of her life here in Niger. Traveling here in Niger is interesting in way -- everything looks exactly the same -- dusty, dry, and full of spotty bushes and trees until a town breaks it up with crowds of people and donkey carts and motorcycles.

We made it to Macalondi without a hitch and met the Gary and Joy, who have lived in Niger since 1988. We really enjoyed their little house in the middle of the village, and had a good time talking with them both and hearing about their ministry and all the amazing things that God has been doing there in the town. It was really encouraging to listen to this couple who had so much wisdom in the Lord and faith in Him.

Gary took me and the other two guys from LCC out to see the Meat Market, while the girls went with Joy to scout out the boutiques. It was market day in Macalondi, and people come from all over to buy practical goods and fabric and food from the market. They have it every Monday, and it was crazy -- winding through the people, ducking under tarps and seeing the myriads of goods for sale. We finally made it to the meat market, and I will spare you the gory details of what we saw there... it was quite gruesome to say the least, and if you'd like to find out more about what happened, ask me when I get back to the States!

We then wound our way back through, and as we went, people kept stopping Gary and greeting him. He was almost like a mini-celebrity in the town -- it seemed like everybody knew who he was. One funny thing that happened in the market is that every time this people group greet each other, they go through a long list of things to ask about. They ask, "How are you? How is your family? How is your wife? How is your livestock? How was your sleep? How was...?" And on and on and on. And every time, we would have to say back to them, "Lafia" -- which means "Fine." So we would saw, "Lafia, lafia, lafia, lafia" over and over.

We saw a couple more things in the town and then we had to head home since the LCC team was meeting our driver Allen's wife for dinner. We piled back into the van and then headed back out on our way home. Jacques, a man from Macalondi, who was actually a leader in the church there, came with us since he needed a ride into Niamey.

We had gotten about twenty minutes out when all of a sudden, the van started smoking. Something bubbled inside the engine, and the whole van suddenly lost power. Allen steered it to the side of the road, and we landed right next to a tiny village. About thirty of the village boys came out and stood around the van watching us, as we stood there unsure of what to do.

And just like I tell the Bible Club kids, you'll have to come back tomorrow to find out what happens!

-- Shaun Stevenson, AfricaTeam2010

A little more reality and a little less tourism... just a little though.

Today was hot. I don't know how hot, but we Oregonians find it a bit peculiar that everyone keeps referring to this time of year as "the cold season." It's spring here and come April the temperature can get up to 120 degrees. Angela (a new friend - attends Sahel Academy) says that April is ok because it's dry heat. But when the humidity comes in May and it is still that hot, that's when it gets really difficult. The way I see it, we've got it great right now. What Oregonian doesn't need a little sun in January?

I say that today we got a little more reality and a little less tourism because our first "outing" today was to a Nigerian church. I'm constantly struggling to find the right adjectives to describe what I am seeing each day... cool, neat, interesting, exciting; they just don't work. They're all wrong. I still haven't figured it out so, for lack of a better word, it was just amazing... no... incredible to visit this church. We mostly observed as they sang loudly in Hausa and some in French. I wasn't expecting to hear the familiar tunes (Amazing Grace, Rock of Ages, etc); I was expecting/hoping to hear more of their music and less of ours. I was also suprised at the many similarities between this church gathering and a western church gathering (the order of service, the communion, the singing, etc) and I found myself wondering what it would be like if the influences weren't so strong. Though, I praise God for those who faithfully and courageously brought the gospel here. It's wonderful (again, not the right word, but it'll do) to see the national believers in this setting. They were incredibly warm in their welcome to us; the pastor extended his welcome to us in English and once the service was finished everyone came up to extend their hand in welcoming gesture.

So far I've photographed a lot of animals, not a lot of people. But it's the people who are really grabbing my attention. I find myself staring. I don't intend to, but it's the only way I am able to absorb it all. I so want to spend enough time here to really get to know them. It's fun having the Laus here now, and over dinner Alicia helped us to understand just a few of the greater cultural differences between us.

Well, after our 3+ hour "traditional" Nigerian church gathering, brave Cindy (new to Niger as of August - teacher at Sahel Academy) took us to the zoo (aka museum national). She and Angela warned us of the conditions, but said that her friend Rose was working there and would give us the grand tour. Rose was wonderful! She is in the Peace Corps and came to the Niger zoo after spending a few months in the bush. She has a visible passion for exotic animals. When she came to the zoo she inherited a mass of malnurished, under-cared-for animals. From all that she showed and told us today, I get the sense that her work has made a significant change in the quality of life for these creatures. It was so much fun to meet her; she struck me as incredibly adventurous - very energetic and very friendly. We got to see her and Nicole (another zoo worker) later on at church in the evening (English service at the academy).



To keep this as brief as possible, I guess I should sign off now. There is so much more to say; we're learning and experiencing so many new things every moment it seems. Tomorrow Shaun and I get to visit a family in the bush. This is what I have really been looking forward to. I want to get out of the city and see Africa the way its people see it. And I want to get to know those people. 11 days is so short. I'm already hoping for a return trip.

amy mccormick

P.S. I apologize for any spelling errors. The browser thinks we should be writing in French and is theresfore underlining everything as a spelling error. It's 11:30 pm here and I am ready for bed.

We've already had a great time with the Laus. They got in late this afternoon and we attended church and then shared a meal together. Hello to everyone back home in the states from Niger!

Disney's Jungle Cruise

Day in the Life of Africa.

2:00 AM.
Today has been one of the most jam-packed days of my life -- but in a really good way. We arrived here in Niamey early in the morning -- right around 2:00 AM. Immediately the smell of Africa hit my nose as I stepped down onto the tarmac and walked the short distance to the bus that would transport everyone from the flight over to the main terminal. We packed into the terminal and literally had to push our way through customs. Everyone jostled in towards the two lines that exited out into the baggage claim area. We made it through, found our bags and then had to push our way through another crowd to the x-ray machine line. I made it through, handed my passport and boarding pass to the guard. He glanced at it for just a moment and ushered me past a plastic wall dividing the baggage area from the exit entry of the airport. Everything went dead silent as soon as I passed through -- almost like it was a dream and everyone was still talking but I couldn't hear anyone speak.

We stepped outside and into Africa. The warm night air breezed past us all as we met our contact through SIM, Jon. He drove us through the sleepy streets of Niamey, past long concrete walls topped with barbed wire and fluorescent lights, and to the SIM guest house just over the river.

I went into my room, feeling that strange place between exhaustion and excitement. Poles stuck up from the sides of the bed, and I set to work on the mosquito net. It reminded me of setting up tent forts in my bedroom as a kid. We got to sleep pretty easily that night -- and had to be up early in the morning. I drifted off to sleep dreaming of being stuck in large crowds, pushing and pulling and...

8:28 AM
I woke up and started buzzing around to get ready for the day. Jon said that we would be heading out to see the last wild giraffes in West Africa, just a bit north of Niamey. Another SIM guy, Tim, and his son David and daughter Beth, came with us along with Jon's son Collin and daughter Mariah. We all loaded up in two Land Rovers with a team here from Tacoma, WA, and drove out. It was great to be able to see the city in the daytime and really see what life here in Niamey is like.

The further north we went, the more and more sparse things became. Soon the city dropped out of sight behind us and on all sides we could see flat land spotted with trees and shrubs. Every now and then round huts would be clustered together, topped with thatched cone-shapes. People drove donkey carts up the sides of the streets and we passed numerous motorcycles and vans and trucks loaded down with travelers.

A station loomed ahead of us, and we stopped in front of a rope across the road as a guard walked out toward the Land Rover. Jon paid the road tax -- a tax based on how far we go along the road -- and then we drove up to a large open hut a ways out in the middle of the desert. Men stood outside the hut, and we walked inside to see various wares they had for sale: small carved giraffes, camels, and hippos, and various kinds of beaded bracelets. The site was a head station of sorts where they are trying to conserve the last remaining giraffes in West Africa.

We picked up a guide -- Komba -- and headed back up the road a ways. We turned off the main highway and onto dirt roads leading far out into the "bush." Jon stopped the Land Rover and let some of us get on top to ride. Patrick, Collin, Mariah, Beth, David, and I got up on top and rode along the ruts and bumps, dodging spiky trees along the way as we drove farther and farther out. One tree came too fast and even though we tried to duck aside, it scraped my finger and drew blood.

Finally, up ahead we saw them: four giraffes roaming around in the wild, chewing on leaves and blinking as they watched us approach. A friend of mine had visited Uganda during the summer, and she was amazed at the sight of the giraffes. She kept trying to find a word to describe them there, and she came up with "graceful." I couldn't help but agree as I watched them seem to glide along as they walked, moving gently through the trees and reaching up to grab more.

We got back into the Land Rovers and drove out some more and found ten giraffes all together -- some males (who have a third horn on their face) and some females with the younger giraffes. Mark chased one of them -- and we watched as the giraffe loped across the sandy dirt. Another giraffe had a long grey scar down his neck, and Komba told us that he probably got it from fighting another male giraffe. Sometimes giraffes fight to the death to be the dominant male in the "herd."

12:07 PM
Lunch was coming at 1:00 PM to our guest house, and so we had to leave the giraffes behind and load back into the Land Rovers to make it back in time. Along the way, children crowded around the edges of the dirt road waving at us, saying hello, and asking for gifts. We waved at them and yelled out hello, and then after racing along the dirt roads, dust kicking up into the windshield, we made it back to the highway.

Thankfully, lunch was still at the guest house when we arrived. We ate rice topped with peanut sauce and a salad with bread. After lunch, we had our next adventure lined up: we would be heading out to ride camels and canoe out to hippos in the Niger River.

A funeral procession through town slowed down the drive, but finally we made it out to the dirt roads that would lead us to the plot of land owned by some local missionaries. We drove past the Niamey golf course -- which is a big dry and dusty area with brown "greens." Mitchell, the son of a guy here named Mike, told me during the drive that they give golfers a small piece of sod to carry around and hit off. It sounded really funny. Patrick took some pictures as we slowed to drive past.

Bougainvillas and an open gate greeted us as we drove in to the plot, right on the edge of the river. Tall trees shaded over the bank and right under the branches were two wood canoes with small canopies built over the top. I felt like I had walked straight onto the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland. Even the trees nearby looked like ones I had seen holding up the Swiss Family Robinson tree house.

4:15 PM
But before I could get onto the canoes, I had to ride a camel. There were four of them all loaded down in faded rugs and packs. Men stood around them, heads wrapped in turbans or under small caps. I swung my leg over the side of the camel along with Mike Arzie and Carl and Mary from the Tacoma group. My camel wavered forward and then back as he stood up on his bony legs. We started off -- a small caravan walked between dusty trees and over rocks below. I swayed as it walked forward, led by one of the guides.

I got to ride the camel twice since a group that had headed out on the canoes wasn't back yet. I enjoyed getting back up on the same camel and smiling as I thought of the kids in Jr. church that I had promised I would tell them about riding a camel when we came home. (And Gilly will be excited as well.)

The canoes returned a bit later, and Mike, Carl, Mary, and I loaded up into one of those Jungle Cruise canoes and rode out onto the river with a guide pushing us through the lilies out into the main waterway. We gently rocked over the river, and swooped up and around to spot two hippos popping up out of the water a distance away. The sun was going down, and a breeze wafted over the canoe as we floated back toward the plot of land. I closed my eyes for a moment and couldn't help but feel drowsy with the warm orange sun hanging on the horizon, and the sounds of Niger surrounding me.

6:36 PM
We ate a dinner of burgers cooked right over a little campfire and had some of the best chocolate chip cookies ever before night really descended and the stars poked out in the sky. The team was definitely starting to feel the jet lag as we climbed back into the vans to begin the drive back to the guest house to try and get some sleep before the next day began.

9:37 PM
And now here we are -- typing away at our laptops -- sending messages back home to loved ones and enjoying the fact that God has blessed us with such an amazing glimpse into the world that He has created. Gary said it well when he mentioned how great His creation really is. And today, I got to see some parts of that I wouldn't normally have the chance to see -- wild giraffes and hippos, dirt roads and spiky trees, and whooping birds and camels. And of course -- the people -- the dirty, the well-dressed, the beggars, the children -- all loved and created by Him.

And tomorrow will definitely hold new adventures and experiences. Until then, we will hopefully sleep and thank God for what He has already shown us here.

--Shaun Stevenson, AfricaTeam2010

Casablanca

We've made it to Africa. And now we're outside the city of Casablanca here in Morocco. The first couple of flights went very well - we made it through security and all the modern hassles of airflight travel, and now we're awaiting our final flight to Niger in just a couple of hours. We had a layover here in Casablanca for a few hours, so they put us up in a hotel -- the Atlas Hotel -- right outside Casablanca.

We met our friends Donn and Elizabeth and their kids at the Casablanca airport, and it was great to be able to chat with their kids, Elliott, Ilsa, and Abel. They all seemed pretty excited even though we were in our half-groggy, jet-lagged flight mode. We had breakfast here with them at the Hotel -- and I must say -- the orange juice here was some of the most amazing stuff I've ever had. I finished off three glasses before breakfast was over.

In some ways it was nice to actually leave behind the stiff airport look and see some of the surrounding countryside -- some of real Africa. As we drove past palm trees and tall, wavering trees, we could see piles of rubble, half-finished buildings with workers scrambling over them. We reached the Atlas moments later and found our rooms past the star-shaped fountain in the lobby.

I had a couple of interesting conversations on the airflight here -- one with a man who saw my t-shirt with "The Dunes Bible Camp, Est. 1957" written on it and he started asking me about it. I explained a bit about the camp and then he went on to tell me what he believed. It was definitely an eye-opening moment to listen to this man who seemed on the one hand entirely confused about spiritual things, but on the other hand, so entirely convinced that what he believed was "truth."

Time is running short -- we need to run to our next flight at the airport. Lord-willing, our next post will come from Niamey, Niger!

-- Shaun Stevenson, AfricaTeam2010