A Joyous New Year

A letter from Claire Zuhosky serving in Niger

February 2016

Dear friends,
What a joyous New Year! We entered the church for a midnight service. As participants contemplated the year that had passed and the year to come, all gave thanks to the Lord for having sustained their life, their very breath.  My brothers and sisters in Christ sang praise, offered prayer, and rang in the New Year.
The next morning another service was held. All were given the opportunity to sing a song of praise, individually or as part of a group.  I shared the song “That Where I am, May You Also Be,” which speaks of the promise Jesus gave to go ahead of us and prepare a place where we will enjoy His presence for eternity.
After the morning service the youth of the church were so charged with excitement that they stayed for an hour longer playing music and dancing up a storm. I had a wonderful time as they tried to teach me some traditional dance moves, and I’m happy to report no one got hurt.

Yakubu and his family

Hoping better to communicate what Niger is like and what are the struggles and joys faced by youth here, I have been working on a short video documentary. I asked for volunteers among the youth who would like to share their stories. Yakubu, a 17-year-old school student, stepped forward.  He attends school in Maradi and his parents live about 30 minutes away in a village called Danja.  Although this seems like a short distance, Yakubu can’t afford to visit them often.  Perhaps that is why he often looks like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. As we neared Danja, he guided us into the bush just outside the village walls. He welcomed us to a barren place, with few neighbors. As I looked around, I saw three small circular grass huts.  The smallest stored their grain; men and women slept separately in the other two.
Families that live out here have their work cut out for them because they must walk back and forth to the village frequently and carry all their supplies. As we arrived one of Yakubu’s younger sisters was in the middle of preparing millet for their family to eat. I could not help but notice that I usually take more gear and supplies on a camping trip than these people live with year to year.
Yakubu explained his family’s difficult life. His parents live a nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place in search of work with pay to survive. They sometimes leave Yakubu behind due to his schooling, a separation that obviously troubles him. I asked him what he hoped to accomplish in his life, what were his dreams for the future. His only answer was very much for the present “to save his family from this lifestyle through finding a good job.”
Yakubu is a Christian through whom the light of Christ shines. Both of his parents are Muslims, but the love that binds all the family members is self-evident; they do not permit this to drive a wedge between them.
Learning more about Yakubu’s story impacted my life, and I am left with a hunger for how I can  impact his. If Maradi, Niger, were to gain a new Youth Center, it would touch not only Yakubu’s life but many more.
Thank you so much for all your support and interest in the youth of Niger. I am truly blessed by your emails, your invitations, your financial gifts, and words of encouragement!   If you are not already giving financial support to this ministry I would ask that you prayerfully consider it and seek the Lord’s guidance as we seek to serve Him on this mission field.
Interpretation Assignment is an opportunity to spend several months in the U.S. visiting churches to share about the ways we’ve been participating in God’s mission in our part of the world. I have the blessed task of preparing for a season of visits to churches, presbyteries, and other groups from April to the beginning of July, before returning for another term of service in Maradi, Niger. It’s been a joy to build relationships through online communication and now there is a chance to meet in person, if you would consider inviting me.
If you’re interested in inviting me to share with you, please let me know as soon as possible so I can work out a schedule. I’ll do this on a “first come, first served” basis, while also trying to be a good steward of time, money, and fuel by grouping visits together geographically. If you can help me connect with other churches or interested groups in your presbytery or synod, I’ll be extra grateful!
I’m eager to share about my role in Presbyterian World Mission and the wonders God is doing in this part of the world.  Provided below is list of settings and topics to help us think outside the box in preparing for a speaking engagement; however, it is not exhaustive and I am open to whatever suggestions you might like to offer.

Settings:

         Sunday school (any age group)

         Special church event (potluck or otherwise)

         Choir practice (if the director is willing to give up a rehearsal!)

         Confirmation class

         Youth group

         Young adult group

         Clergy Bible study

         Men’s or women’s group

         Prayer breakfast

         Retirement home or nursing home

         Classroom (elementary, high school, college, seminary)

         Campus ministry

         Mission committee meeting

         Presbytery or synod meeting

         Church camp or vacation Bible school

Topics:
One of Presbyterian World Mission’s “Critical Global Initiatives”:

• Addressing the root causes of poverty, especially as they impact women and children
• Sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, through discipleship and theological education
• Seeking reconciliation amidst cultures of violence, including our own
• Doing mission in partnership with the global church
• A day in the life of the youth of Niger
• Advocacy as Christian witness
• Socio-cultural context

A note on expenses:
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pays my salary while I’m on interpretation assignment, so I neither need nor expect any kind of honorarium. My food, lodging, and travel expenses are not covered, however, and I will need your support in meeting those needs.
We can discuss specifics as we plan, but please know that I will try to group visits by region and share the cost of airfare or car rental among several churches or organizations where possible. I’m also happy to work with you if you have frequent flyer miles to donate for airfare, a borrowed car available for transportation within the area, etc. If you would like to invite me but cannot provide for my travel, please consider working with other churches or groups in your area to combine activities in the same week and share costs. If that is not possible, let me know and I’ll look for other ways to cover those expenses.
Let your light shine,
Claire Zuhosky, M.Div.
Email: cez108@hotmail.com