Ken and I had the opportunity to leave the capital city and travel to a remote village close to the Nigerian border at the end of March. The thump, thump, thumping sound of women pounding millet with huge pestles and mortars, the small children standing just out of reach to stare at us, the grown … More What Makes You Nervous?
How do teachers spend their Spring Break in Niger? I know a few teachers in Niger, and there are two that have been planning for this Spring Break for about six months. They teach at international schools, but they are not missionaries from the west, they are Nigerien. They speak several languages and are very … More Spring Break
What are you facing today? Isolation? News Overload? Joblessness? Life has changed so quickly, it’s a bit difficult to keep up. The things that have changed for us: School is closed. The airport is closed. The land borders are closed. We didn’t have a confirmed case in the country a week ago. Today … More Being Open During the Close
“Maca! Maca!” The three-year-old boy clapped his hands excitedly. Zacharie and his one-year-old brother were sitting with their mother in their home, feeling excited and optimistic. I was feeling the enormity of their situation, and I was surprised that the mom could still smile. Earlier today, my friend, Zainebo, came to me at Sahel and … More Hope and Courage
If you ever sign up for missions in West Africa with SIM, they will give you A LOT of books to read. These books give solid advice about cultural missteps, money matters, and compliments. My life this last year has proved these books true. Yesterday, I got the chance to test them again. About two … More Punctuality is for the Birds!
My friend, who is the fourth wife of her husband, invited me to her house on Friday. She is one of the women who takes care of the babies at the Baby Home. We had a great time together learning about each other. In the photo above, Jamila is on the left sitting with one … More Dreaming in West Africa
Dear Friends, I hope you “enjoy” reading this. It doesn’t do justice to what I saw and the experience of people opening their lives wide open and then looking at you to see how you respond. Galmi touched my heart. Thanks for reading, Julie Galmi Part 2 After we had spent several hours in … More Galmi, part two or Forgiveness
Hello Dear Friend, We miss you as always, though lately, to be honest, much more intensely. I personally would like to be adjusted to my new life, yet am not.By the way, Galmi, Part 2, is coming, but it’s a bit intense and I am still reflecting on what I witnessed. In the midst of … More My New Getting-Ready-for-Bed Routine
“Please remember to minister to the WHOLE person,” my tutor spoke to me in French a few weeks ago. “Missionaries remember the spirit needs feeding, sometimes they forget about the stomach!” We were discussing my upcoming trip to Galmi Hospital, where Ken and I would be taking four teens. We traveled eight hours on a … More Galmi, Part 1
A few weeks ago, we took Mohammed to a doctor that we trust. We had been encouraging him to go, but he procrastinated each time we talked about him going. He really just wanted us to tell him the name of the medicines that would help him with his medical issues so that he could … More Friends
ken and julie faulkner 