This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago when we were in Fanny, Mary and Adam's village. From left to right is Adam, Me, Stephen, Fanny, Mary and Allen.


Last Monday night (the 16th) Fanny and I stayed up all night until Pastor B took us to the bus station. That was at about 3:45am. We were hanging out with the Japcyn crew, knowing that it was our last night all together for a long time.
Once at the station and in the bus Fanny and I crashed! We slept as much as we could off and on when the bus wasn’t crashing its way through the bad roads. We made it home in one piece. Once we got home though we slept the afternoon away yet again!
On Wednesday we went with Susan to her village and visited with her Fulani friends. Susan bought a piece of land in her village not too long again and has started planting a few different things. So Fanny and I went out to her field with her while she worked and sat on a mat and talked. Susan wanted to work the field by herself and with Fanny being a guest Susan didn’t want her working at all! It was fun and I got to take pictures of her out there working in her very own crops.
Thursday Susan, Fanny and I headed to my village to visit a bit. Fanny and I wanted to stay the night but wanted them to know that we were coming. So we headed out there for a bit on Thursday afternoon and let them know that we would be back on Friday for the night.
The biggest new news is that *Sara, the chief’s oldest daughter living at home, got married! I had no idea and they dropped the bomb on me when we were out there. It wasn’t the getting married that took me by surprise but the fact that she was going to be moving to her husbands village a ways away. I told them, “Jonni, Mi hida sitago nder woro ma.” They said, “Gom dume?!” My reply “wuro ma wela, Sara wala!” I got a great laugh out of that! (I told them, “Now, I don’t want to live in your compound.” They said, “Why?!” My reply, your compound is not sweet without Sara!”).
They said that she would be leaving the following Monday so at least I would be able to spend the following night with her.
Fanny and I made our way to the bush taxi the next morning at about 10. We waited for 3 hours for one to come that was headed to my village! That has never happened before when I was leaving in the morning, but it gave her and I a chance to sit and visit with the Zarma/Fulani family across the street until a bush taxi came.
We loaded up and the sun was hot. The truck we were in traveled SO slow! It took us about 2 hours to get there when sometimes it takes about 45 minutes. It was after 3 in the afternoon by the time we got there and we thought that we would have been there before noon. They were all waiting for us!
It was a fun night of visiting and fellowship. Fanny loves my family and they love her. Their Fulfulde is a bit different because of living in different parts of the country, but it didn’t keep them from talking the day away.
The next morning we headed out early. I wanted to be home when a missionary family living in Niamey made a bathroom break at my house on their way to my supervisors another 6 hours down the road. They got there about noon. They have two children both of whom were adopted. Shiloh is 6 and a beautiful little girl with hair that’s almost white, while her younger brother Ethan is 3 and half Zarma, half Tuareg with hair as black as night! I love these kids like they were my own siblings and it was fun to have them in my home.
Saturday Fanny and I walked the streets of my town and visited Susan and her guards family. We ate at a little restaurant here and got sandwiches and cokes. The sandwiches are pretty good so if you ever come for a visit you are guaranteed a trip to this restaurant!
Sunday Susan came over for worship and afterwards Fanny and I cooked Nigerian food for lunch for us all! It was great! We spent Sunday evening again out walking and by this time in her stay we were really comfortable with talking about anything under the sun. I’m amazed at how much English she understands. She just doesn’t speak it well at all. I was talking to my mom on the phone and was telling Fanny afterwards about it and she had picked up quit a bit of our conversation! But then when I think about it I guess I’m that way with Fulfulde too. I understand a lot I just don’t speak as much as I’m able to comprehend.
Having Fanny with me was amazing for my Fulfulde because she corrected me every step of the way. She said my Fulfulde was really good and I was doing great in speaking and learning. We studied just about everyday she was there. I gave her my Fulfulde book and she copied all the notes into her notebook for her English studies. It was good to be able to feed off of one another! It was fun too talking in whole sentences but mixing English and Fulfulde. We got some strange looks on the streets!
Monday and Tuesday were fun and full of visiting with Fulani in my town, walking the streets, eating mangos and pineapples, pizza and chicken potpie. At night we would pillow talk (the thing I miss the most from home). The lights were out and we just talked about whatever was on our minds. I felt like a girl again! We talked about boys and families, clothes and friends. It was so refreshing for me to have her there! I have a pretty good friendship with Fati, but the different in the two of them is that Fanny knows and loves the Lord and Fati doesn’t.
Wednesday Kris and Shelley, Shiloh and Ethan made their way back to my house to stay the night. We went to my village and visited out there that afternoon and had a great time! Sara was GONE and they all laughed at me when I pooched my lower lip out and pretended to cry! Shelley had never met my family out there so it was good for her too. Her and Kris have lived here in Niger for a little over 10 years so their Fulfulde is wonderful and were able to keep up good conversations with the chief and his family.
Wednesday night Susan had us over for a full meal of spaghetti, green beans and rolls, and the night was topped off with the chocolate cake that I made for my friend, Paul’s, birthday that was on Monday. He lives in South Africa. Go ahead and laugh. But we took pictures and I will email them to him! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL!
Yesterday we all loaded up and made our way back here to Niamey. Susan and I weren’t planning on coming in but we both realized there were a few things that we needed that couldn’t wait any longer. So it’s a two day trip and we leave in the morning.

It was such a fun week! Thanks for your prayers and comments on the last blog.

New prayer requests and updates on the others:
Stephen has another appointment in Niamey in a couple of weeks to get his head looked at again. At this point everything is the same.
As far as I know my grandparents and Aunt Sis are all stable right now and doing ok. Thanks for your prayers on this. Please continue to lift them up.
My travel to S. Africa is still in the making. I will let you all know when things are written in stone for my travel dates.
Please lift up all the missionaries in West Africa right now. We are getting ready to head to the Ivory Coast in less than a month for our annual meeting. It will be a time of fellowship and learning, some training and meeting new missionaries that have come to the field since last year’s meeting.

Thanks everyone for stopping by!
Until next time!
AnnaK