Whirlwind across the U.S. and into Canada

We have had a very busy first three weeks back in the United States. We started our time debriefing at SIM headquarters in Charlotte NC. We drove from Charlotte to Philadelphia to meet the leadership of Cross World (another mission board that we are considering) and to stay in their guest house. We had a good time and were very impressed with their leadership and the mission as a whole. We then drove to Connecticut to visit with Lornel's family and the church that she grew up in. We got to help Lornel's mom move to New Hampshire. While in New Hampshire, we also got to see one of Lornel's roommates from Word of Life. We went back to CT and visited with more friends, and Lornel's brother and family. On Saturday of that week we were able to present our ministry in Niger at Eastford Baptist Church. The had a pizza party for us. It was great seeing and catching up with some friends. Sunday we drove to Maine and visited with friends in Maine for a couple days, and then continued our journey to Nova Scotia to visit some friends on their dairy farm. We were able to share about our ministry in Niger to their adult Sunday school class. We spent about a week in Nova Scotia and then visited some more friends in ME as we made our way back to CT and then on to Chicago. I turned in all my paperwork for my internship on Wednesday. Thursday I picked up my cap and gown, and today, we are in Colorado visiting more friends.

We would like to thank all of you that have been praying for us. God has been very good to us in our travels. We have driven over 3,200 miles since leaving Charlotte. Today we nearly missed our flight due to an error that I made, but God in His mercy helped us to make it just in time.

We will fly back to Chicago in time for my graduation next Saturday. Then we plan to visit my family in Michigan. Then we will begin the process of looking hard for a job and an apartment in the Warrenville, IL area. We are excited to get back to Grace Church of Dupage.

The above picture was taken in Nova Scotia

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for me to be sensitive to the LORD's leading as I look for a job
• For God to provide housing for us
• For continued safety as we travel

Praises

• God's enablement for us to travel to see family, friends, and to report on our ministry.
• For God's mercy to us as we have traveled

To Maradi and Back

Trip to Maradi
We are thankful for a good trip to Maradi. We got to SIM's Leprosy clinic in Danja. Leprosy is a disease that requires treatment over an extended period of time. The patients seemed very happy to see and greet us. Another highlight to our time in Maradi was seeing SIM's MIDP (Maradi Integrated Development Project). This project is multifaceted, including teaching people how to better farm the land, research as to what are the best methods of Farming in the Sahel, public health, and how to cook with some of the new ingredients produced by the new farming methods.
Another purpose for our trip to Maradi was to participate in SIM's orientation. It was neat to learn more about the culture here and learn about SIM's vision for Niger.
We saw rain for the first time here in Niger on Friday night. A nice thunderstorm came through Maradi. We went outside and got drenched. It was a lot of fun. We arrived back at 8:30 PM on Saturday night.
Easter in Africa
We went to an English Sunrise Service with a small breakfast afterward. We worshiped in a Zarma speaking church in the area and were invited to the home of another missionary family for lunch. It was a good day celebrating the Resurrection.

Prayer Requests:

• Safety as we travel home (we leave at 11:50 PM on Tuesday [April 10] and arrive at 4:10 PM Wednesday in Charlotte NC)
• A good re-entry into American culture and time zones

Praises:

• Safe travels to Maradi and back (we went via van with other SIM people, and Returned in a 70 passenger Bus. It was an 11 hour trip each way)
• For the hope of the Resurrection
  

PS We will plan to post an update later this week upon our arrival in Charlotte.