I love beans!

This past week was a busy week, both exciting and exhausting! It began on Monday with a woman from a Hausa village appearing in the doorway of our hut and thrusting her baby girl into our arms. None of us speak Hausa but we could tell just be looking at the child that she was completely malnourished. She refused to eat or drink anything we gave her. She looked about 6 months old but later we found out she was 14 months!!! With Melissa and the Chief translating for us we were pretty sure that the baby has some kind of intestinal worms but there are symptoms of other sickness as well. She is currently being treated at the Guidan Roumdji health clinic, where she can be tested for malaria. Please keep her in your prayers!!!

Also, this week, the chief “acquired” another child. That makes an even dozen!! His name is Sahabe and he appeared out of nowhere this week. He is actually the second oldest son of the chief’s first wife, Jimma. For the past 3 months we never even knew that he existed- neither did our supervisor. He has been out herding cattle throughout Niger all this time and he finally returned. The Fulani originally were a very nomadic tribe, taking great pride in their cows and traveling throughout the year to give them the best land to feed off of. These days, however, the tribes have become much more stationary. Though they still send out family members during parts of the year to herd their cows and goats in better grazing lands. Sahabe had been given that responsibility and has just returned. What a surprise it was for him as well to see three white American females living among his family J

I spent hours in the fields this week picking beans with the wives and children. It is surprisingly meticulous work, bending and searching through all the dead underbrush. The women do all their work while carrying their littlest babies upon their backs. I do admire them so! We got to enjoy a little bit of the fruits of our labor by the end of the week and those beans tasted wonderful. The Fulani enjoy beans and rice mixed together with a little oil, salt and tonka (red pepper)!

We gave the chief a bible that had been translated into Hausa, the only language he can read. He was excited and started reading some of the gospel of Luke this week.

Hippos and the U.S. Marines

This past weekend I attended the United States Marine Ball in Niamey. There were six marines in attendance as well as the U.S. ambassador to Niger, the honored guest of the evening. I got to eat STEAK!!! And, although perhaps we were the only sober people in the place, we missionaries went crazy on the dancefloor! Brittany and I danced all night :)!

I also got a chance to tour the Niger river in search of one of the world's most deadliest creatures: the hippopotamous!!!! We rode in a 60-foot covered canoe with three men and a little boy who only only spoke french and zarma. But we all had a common interest in finding a hippo. We saw a mother and her baby, however the pictures we took look like black specks in the water so i wont even attempt to post them.