I am very grateful for all of the prayers and concerns for my family, myself, and for our partner church and people of Niger that have been received from family, friends, and congregations from all over the country. I also want to share the tremendous need to continue praying for Niger.
A recent coup orchestrated by Niger’s military has prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a Level 4 (Do Not Travel) advisory to the West African country and order the departure of non-emergency government personnel and eligible family members. The department is willing to assist other U.S. citizens who desire to depart the country. Expected to be included in the evacuation is PC(USA) mission co-worker Jim McGill, who has served in Niger for the past several years. McGill boarded a State Department charter flight earlier today and will be flown to a yet to be determined location.
“Water is life” is a statement that is heard frequently throughout Africa as many people cannot take water for granted. This is particularly true in Niger, a country that is mostly within the Sahara Desert, with the remainder lying within the Sahel, a dry ecosystem that transitions between desert and savannah lands.
“Water is life” is a statement that is heard frequently throughout Africa as many people cannot take water for granted. This is particularly true in Niger, a country that is mostly within the Sahara Desert, with the remainder lying within the Sahel, a dry ecosystem that transitions between desert and savannah lands.
In the Republic of Niger, there is roughly one nurse or nurse midwife for every 10,000 people, and the country is not alone in its need. By 2030, the World Health Organization estimates there will be a projected shortfall of 18 million health workers worldwide, mostly in low- and lower-middle income countries.
Since 2009, the Nigerian government has been engaged in violent conflict with Boko Haram militants in Northeastern Nigeria. People’s homes have been burned along with their farming fields. Food, tools and other possessions have been stolen. And many women and young girls have been raped by the insurgents. Many have lost their lives.
A delegation representing the Niger Mission Network (NMN) saw beautiful feet in Niger — many of them — during a recent 13-day partnership trip hosted by the Evangelical Church in the Republic of Niger (EERN). Participants learned some of the ways the good news of Jesus is proclaimed by Christian brothers and sisters in a country where the vast majority of its citizens are Muslim.
The country of Niger in West Africa is only one percent Christian, but “the faithful witness and long-term vision of these believers is great,” said Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-workers Michael and Rachel Ludwig, who have worked in mission and ministry alongside the Evangelical Church in the Republic of Niger (EERN) for more than four years.
When it came time for my wife, Jodi, and me to accept a new call because of our children’s educational needs, it was difficult. Malawi was our home.
We wondered how we could move away from our relationship with the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), which had supported and encouraged us for more than two decades.
The 113th New Wilmington Mission Conference (NWMC), regarded as the oldest annual mission conference in the U.S., will be held on the campus of Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, July 20–27.
