Author name: Bob Gillespie

Merry Christmas 2007

Even in our far-away corner of the earth, we experience some of the busyness of Christmas season with its attendant round of gift-giving, parties and Christmas programs. Sahel Academy celebrated this season with an elementary school musical visit from Hark, the Herald Angel, while each of the classes at Mission Ecole Goudel (EBM’s French school for national children) once again ‘recited’ the reason for the season. We’re thankful for each one of these presentations. Many people listen to the messages proclaimed by children who would not otherwise hear this good news.

Boubacar (our weekend guard for whom many of you have been praying) has gone to church with me a few times in the past month.  (He used to be quite resistant to going for fear that someone he knows might see him.)  He likes the music and he listens to the preaching of the word. The message this past week was about how God gave His Son to be the sacrifice for the sin of the world.  As Boubacar and I were walking out, there was a small herd of rams being led down the road.  He told me that the rams for Tabaski this year are very expensive. His father will have to spend over a month’s salary in order to buy one.

You may know that Tabaski commemorates God’s providing Abraham with a ram to be sacrificed instead of Ishmael. Those celebrating Tabaski this week believe that Ishmael was the son of promise, and millions of rams will be sacrificed on that day in commemoration. At this Christmas time of year many people emphasize decorations and presents, in essence nullifying the meaning of the day; here in Niamey we have rams all over the city in another attempt to nullify the importance of the true sacrifice. Christmas and Tabaski stand in stark contrast between two major belief systems in the world.  The Jewish line branches off from Abraham with Isaac while the Arab line are the descendants of Ishmael. Ultimate truth either rests in a descendant of Ishmael or a descendant of Isaac.  The very existence of the Jews today and Christianity itself stands as a testimony against a worldview of millions of people around the world.  Once again, I explained to Boubacar that the true ram is Jesus who was sacrificed for us and lives today to bring us to the Father and give us eternal life. Please continue to pray for him as he wrestles with this truth.

At Sahel Academy, we’re still very much in need of a math teacher starting in January. Another one of our staff members has a very ill father and may need to go home unexpectedly. We know that God knows what the solution to these teacher situations will be, but we are ‘anxious’ for Him to share it with us soon. If you could be part of His solution, please contact us at info@sahelacademy.com and let us know of your interest. For more information, you can visit the school website at www.sahelacademy.com.

Thank you so much for being part of our support family this past year.
From hot Niamey, we send you our warmest Christmas greetings
And wish you joy in the New Year.

 

Weekend Ministry

Weekdays are pretty full for Lois and I working at Sahel Academy; however, sometimes the weekends are also full with rich and rewarding ministry. For example, last update we wrote about a village that had been devastated by the recent flooding. Two hundred families were rendered homeless and without food. With some relief funds that were donated to our mission we were able to show the love of Christ by supplying each needy family with an arm load of food.

Recently I went along to help on one of the Sahel Academy outreaches over a weekend. We took the students out to a village to assist missionaries with a project. Some friends of ours are helping Christian families who live in outlying villages and have no opportunity to educate their children.  We took 10 Sahel students out there to paint the dorm just before school started. The days were filled with painting and a soccer game with the local children. They also had a game night with the Christian youth group who had never played games like Twister. On Sunday we went out and sang at the Baneira church that is close by. It is great for these kids to rub shoulders with people who may be very poor but are rich in faith.

The next weekend I went out to the Baneira church to help with a baptism. This is the church we have spoken of before that was started by an African believer from one of our local mission churches. He was concerned for his village and rode his bike out each weekend. Today over 90% of the village of Baneira professes Christ. They are also reaching out to nearby villages and planting churches there. This work is not done by missionaries; they don?t even have pastors, just believers who are doing what the Bible says. One of their church plants is growing very fast. We believe that it is due to the fact that they have prayer meeting four evenings a week. Our mission helps out when we can, but they are doing so well that we don?t want to spoil it. We did recently help to build a church building in Baneira that is now overflowing each Sunday. One Sunday a month an EBM missionary teaches at the Baneira church. We were asked to help with the baptism of over 69 new converts last year. This year we baptized 46 in the muddy waters near the village. I might add that four of the lay leaders have expressed interest in attending a Bible school in nearby Burkino Faso. We are looking into ways to help fund the education of these future pastors.

Please continue to pray for the staff needs here at Sahel Academy. We believe God will provide, by I admit we’re beginning to wonder who is going to teach Math next semester. Our current Math teacher is leaving in December. If you are interesting in working with MKs and TCKs in this way, check out the school website at www.sahelacademy.com for more information.

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Night of Power

Many of you have heard of Africa’s worst floods in three decades that have swept across 20 countries wiping out homes, crops, and even sometimes taking lives. These people have no resources upon which to fall back; they have no savings, they have no crops from last year, and they have no family or friends who have enough to share. Because of monies regularly given to EBM’s (Evangelical Baptist Missions) famine relief, we have been able to help at least one of these villages where 210 families lost everything but their lives. Last week, several of us, along with Pastor Yacouba,  took them food, salt and soap. Please pray that this ministry of concern will make these villagers more receptive to the gospel of Christ.

This week as Ramadan comes to a close, devout Muslims will spend the Night of Power in prayer seeking a vision from Allah. Many who are involved in Muslim evangelism here in Niger will hold a “Night of Power” tonight, praying that God will reveal Himself to those who are earnestly seeking Him. Please pray with us this week – for peace and for opportunities to share Christ.

Within the past few years, Sahel Academy has been opened to non-missionary students (up to a certain percent). This year, this has brought families from Nigeria, Pakistan, Korea, Belgium, and Cameroon into our family. These students will hear the salvation story many times while here at Sahel Academy, and we pray that they will see Christ in the lives of their teachers and classmates. Already, some of these kids are noticing the difference and asking questions. One girl who has been raised in a very strong Roman Catholic home has said that for the first time in her life she realizes that she is lost. Another student, a beautiful Pakistani girl, loves being at our school, and we love her! As a staff, we are praying daily for God to work in the lives of these kids, to reveal Himself, and to use us to lead them to Him.

The percentage of MK’s (missionary kids) who end up in the Lord’s work, and especially in missions, is high. TCK’s (third-culture kids) quite often end up in places of leadership within their own countries or as ‘ambassadors’ to other countries. That’s why we believe we are Training the Next Generation. These kids have a headstart over kids who grow up in America; they are comfortable in a non-American culture, and they usually grow up fluently speaking at least one other language in addition to English. Most of them are already involved in ministry efforts with their parents or through Sahel Academy on a regular basis.

We at Sahel Academy are also praying daily for qualified people to commit themselves to this ministry. These MK’s and TCK’s are very special. We believe they will change the world, at least in their corner. Please visit the school website at www.sahelacademy.com to see how you might help.