Messages
from
Niger
Vonk's Nigerien Log
August 6,
2007
Hi, One and All,
It is Monday night and Ted is briefing materials needed for tomorrow.
We’ve been having intermittent power outages along with changing
voltage surges so I decided to write a note on Word, and hope that I
will be able to send it in a day or two.
Today was Day One of the Maradi Seminar. We have 22 teachers enrolled
in our Level I class. It was exciting to meet them and to hear their
introductions. There are 32 enrolled in Jim’s Level II class.
Most of them are students we had last year. What a joy for us to see
them again! People are most welcoming and gracious: today made the struggles
of travel and organization well worth it, and we knew why we had come!
Along with the excitement of opening the seminar sessions, there hung
a shadow of anguish and sadness. Yesterday a loaded bus went off the
road at a bridge near Dosso; many people were killed many seriously
injured. One of our teachers was scheduled to go on that bus, her luggage
was already loaded when the driver said she had to take the second bus.
(One bus following the other). She and her friend questioned the driver,
the friend refused saying she would stay on the first bus. Our teacher
took her luggage off the bus and went to the second bus. You can imagine
her emotion as a witness to all that happened. Her friend was killed.
Please pray for the families affected by this tragedy. Dosso is between
Niamey and Maradi. It surely makes our hassles with a loose spark plug
minor.
It was hot again today, but a slight breeze coming in the classroom
window and door made it quite tolerable. The rains have been sporadic
and have not been adequate this year. Some have had to plant their crops
three or four times. This is a hash environment, and we are seeing conditions
even worse than we have seen before.
Thanks for letting us share with you.
In His Hand, Ted and Eleanor