For Allah so loved the world...

Don't be alarmed; "Allah" is the Arabic term for "God". So explains Femi, our translator from Nigeria. Femi comes from the north of Nigeria, which is adjacent to the south of Niger. He is fluent in Hausa and in English, his first language. During our day camp on New Year's Day in Madaoua, our team member, Mrs. A, tells the story of Jesus dying for the sins of every person so that they can go to heaven if they ask Jesus to become part of their lives. Femi translates the story into Hausa, the local language of the approximately 100 Nigerien children who attend the day camp.

The day camp begins small, but as the afternoon progresses, word spreads to other children in Madaoua that there is an event going on in the white persons' compound, and the number of children swells. A woman from the local church tells the story of the wordless book (similar to the story told by Mrs. A) and the children get to make colorful bracelets with the same colors as the wordless book, by which they can remember the story.

Our team leader, Mrs. S, leads the children in some action songs in English, and Femi explains the songs in Hausa. The children enjoy doing the actions and later participate in some three-legged races. It is an active afternoon for our team, but these children get to hear about Christ possibly for the first and last time.

In referring to Christ, Femi uses the term for "Messiah", as the children would not understand the name "Jesus". I admire Femi, as he has left his home in Nigeria to work as a Christian missionary to the Hausa people in a poor part of Niger. You could pray for Femi and for his spouse, Comfort, who is expecting their second child.

Monday, January 1, 2007