Galmi visit May 2019

Sharing some pictures from our May 2019 visit to Galmi.  During our visit we were able to visit Samuel's class.  The AD Church has built a wonderful Christian school in Galmi.  Sara is very impressed with the teacher.

First of all, in the picture below - is this a question of Samuel being small or mamma having a rather large purse?

At the school.  Caleb likes holding hands.

Caleb is a funny fellow simply because he is so thoughtful and so serious all the time.  Always amazed that he can spot our car anywhere and want to go for a ride.
Here, mamma is trying to get Caleb to laugh.

Here is a picture of Samuel's class.  27 students in total.  Samuel is determined to be the number 1 student.  He works very hard at his homework.

A couple of images of the school yard.  They are still building extra classrooms.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Blessings to all

Orest

Fishing Season

I remember when May would come around and I would start getting excited about the start of fishing season.  That’s what the May long weekend was about for me.  I remember pulling out all of my fishing gear and making sure all the tackle was good and all the lines were ready for the season. 

I loved sitting in a boat, or on shore, casting my line.  Waiting for that tug on the other end and the joy of battle with the monster fish I would typically catch.

Sitting in a boat, there were many times when Grace and I would have wonderfully, peaceful times of solitude and we would talk about life and share our dreams and goals for the future.  They were amazing times to grow closer to God and to each other.

This picture is typical of life when fishing with Grace.

Now when May comes around, we are looking at temperatures over 40 degrees every day. No lakes or streams to go fishing in our area, just lots of sand and dust.  In Niger, in May, the excitement is in the increased availability of mangoes.  While this is a wonderful treat it is not the same as fishing season in Manitoba.

As I contemplated these things, and our ministry, I thought of this verse:

Matthew 4:18-20 (NIV)

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.

So, now here we are, on the edge of the Sahara Desert.  There is no boat and there is no cool water with spring fresh fish voraciously biting our fishing lures.  Now we are fishing in a stifling hot land, trying to set our hooks into a new adventure.  There have been lots of nibbles and we are certain that the Holy Spirit has landed a few.

With your prayer support we will continue to be fishers in the hope that those who continue to nibble at the truth will indeed allow the Holy Spirit to work in their lives.

I love the above passage from Matthew 4, and I love following Jesus.  As much as I love fishing, I love following Jesus even more.

Blessings to all

Orest

For the Love of Mangoes

We have many mango trees on our property.  They provide shade and fruit.  The other day we had a couple of our students help harvest mangoes.  Amazing to see them climb up to the heights of the trees and send the mangoes down.  We shared the mangoes with these two students and the family that lives on our compound.  We still have about 15 buckets left over.  This is over and above the time when family was over and our son, Sani, brought down around 6 buckets of mangoes.  Grace is busy making Mango juice.

We have also found that the trees are great shade.  Here is a photo of our latest Kids Club meeting.  Here the students are gathering to get some mangoes as they leave after class.  32 students were in attendance and they all got mangoes.  Same as last week.

Last weekend we had the family over.  Samuel loves playing with the tether ball.  Here you can see him trying to set it up to the perfect height for himself.  I gave him bungie cord to attach, which added a whole new dimension of joy for my grandson.

Proverbs 11:30 NIV)

³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
    and the one who is wise saves lives.

Genesis 1:11 (NIV)

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 

Our mango trees are bearing good fruit, of which, many have benefitted.  We can also say that our mango trees also bear fruit for God's kingdom as they not only provide physical fruit, but their shade aids in the spreading of spiritual fruit.

Matthew 12:33 (NIV)

³³ “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

Blessings to all

Orest