But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son.

Transcription

1 But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son. Gal. 4:4 This Christmas provided a special occasion to celebrate the season together with believers from across the nation. The birth of Christ is the evidence of three perfect things: perfect timing when the time was exactly right; He gave the perfect gift God sent His Son; for the perfect purpose to redeem us. Through our relationship with Christ we have the assurance that our time and our lives are in His hands. Christmas Love in Action At the Palais de Congres (Convention Center) in Niamey, the Alliance of Evangelical churches and missions in Niger organized this celebration with music and dance. The event was very well attended. The representative for the archbishop of the Catholic community, a Muslim representative of the committee for Inter-Religious Affairs and the representative of the American Embassy were also present. Each one of them shared a short message for the occasion. Love Reconciliation Peace The president of the Assemblies of God in Niger delivered a very clear and focused message on the above-mentioned theme. The Christmas story was illustrated through different short sketches like the announcement of the Good News by an angel to Mary and to the shepherds. A stable was made for the occasion and a Wodaabe couple with their baby played the role of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. As a symbolic and spiritual act the president of AMEEN invited the official representatives to kneel and worship the Newborn King. In order to motivate and encourage Christian music in Niger the Alliance offered prizes for the winning regional choirs. A choir of pastors from Maradi won the first prize - a drum set and a keyboard. The second was the regional choir of Niamey followed by Tillabery and Dosso. A children s choir from an orphanage contributed with two songs.

2 TV Station Fidelité On the 30 th of November, the yearly celebration of the Freedom of the Press was organized by the ministry of communications. Fidelité had good visibility this year with a booth. The theme was A free and responsible press in Niger. Government officials and several people visited the booth with words of encouragement and asked for more information about the station and the programs. There were quizzes for children and adults. For the right answer they could win a Fidelité t-shirt or a stuffed animal. RTF is a very popular station in the city now and their activities increased during the past months. They are invited to cover national events, important meetings, debates and conferences organized by the government or by the American Embassy. Thanks to Fidelité the whole Christmas celebration at the Palais de Congres (Convention Center),was recorded and will be broadcast during the season. The radio was invited to cover a national bicycle race which many people followed on the Fidelité frequency. Short messages with nuggets of truth from the Bible playing on TV and on the radio station are very much listened to, producing life-changing results. Please continue to pray and believe with us during the process of finishing the construction phase of the TV station. We are still in need of professional advice and help with installing lights and making the TV studios soundproof. Camel Race in the Region of Agadez A media crew from Fidelité traveled a long distance to cover this event in the desert. Out of 50 camels, fifteen competed on a distance of 30 km. Approximately 400 people were present at this annual festivity. The prizes for the winners were again a bull, a sheep and a goat, provided by HIS USA. A Wodaabe from Ingal won the first prize, the second was from Tagalal and the third from Dakoro. At midnight, around the campfire, the Wodaabe Pastor Maude was asked to speak. We are thankful for another opportunity where the gospel could be shared. The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time. Carl F.H. Henry

3 Agriculture Update In November, the activities focused on vegetable production at our irrigation site of the solar project in Kollo. Seedlings of cabbage, onion, salad, okra and tomato were transplanted. Deep trenches were dug for more papaya and moringa seedlings. This irrigation project is a framework for sharing education and agricultural advice for the benefit of gardening groups that have used rudimentary techniques. Jonathan and Liviu who drilled this well a year ago were visiting the site. They were very pleased with the water supply and the successful management by Harouna and the watchman who guards the place. We also monitored the activities of the gardening program with the women s group in the village of Sirinyere, which has 192 women beneficiaries in the program. Every year, they receive donations of vegetable seeds and agricultural equipment from CBN Niger. The women are motivated because of its economic and nutritional impact within their respective families and even in the community. They have started well, and we are very hopeful that this activity will bear fruit. Well Drilling Update In November two wells were completed, providing clean water for 750 school students in two different villages. The neighboring villagers are also using the wells for drinking water. During the visit of the well drilling team in December a historic moment happened, the local team drilled their first well being coached by Liviu and Jonathan. Together they drilled two wells, one for a girl s school and another successful well was drilled at the headquarters of the Alliance for Evangelical Churches and Missions in Niger.

4 CBN Community Health Program In Sirinyere an awareness activity was carried out on how to avoid respiratory diseases caused by dust, skin related issues, dryness, lack of body hygiene because of low temperatures, especially for children. Soap was distributed to 60 women of two agricultural associations there. Kollo Clinic After giving birth to twins at home, this mother became seriously ill and had no breast milk. The clinic provided a nutritional milk supplement for the babies. This is only one of several cases of malnourishment the clinic has taken care of recently. Center in Maradi, visited Niger. Sylvia Meyer traveled to Maradi together with Dr. Israel, the Humedica coordinator for the Kollo Clinic. They were very encouraged by the ongoing activities. During their visit they explored additional possibilities to help with the refugee problem in the area of Maradi. The soccer and handball teams from the Center of Hope competed at a tournament in Tahoua. The team (all physically handicapped) won second prize with 15 medals of silver and an envelope of CFA. Government officials provided an encouraging visit to the clinic. Maradi In November, the representative of the partner organization DRW for the Handicap Praise We thank HIS US for the water tower sponsored for the new office building. A big thank you to the well

5 drilling team who visited during this busy season. We are grateful for two successful wells. With the help of several Sahel Academy students and the skillful, creative and sacrificial support of parents and friends from Prayer Please continue to pray for skilled workers to help in various areas in the Hosanna Mission in Niger. For preparations and safety for the German team visiting shortly after Christmas. For the upcoming annual conference of Hosanna s pastors and evangelists. For protection, peace and security during this season. Dear Friends and Partners, the Baptist Mission, the whole event at the Palais de Congress had beautiful Christmas decorations and a welcoming atmosphere. We thank everybody who was involved in this effort!! Over the past weeks we were happy and blessed to welcome several healthy babies in the church in Niamey and Kollo. We are thankful to God for ALL the opportunities He gives us to share the Good News in this country. We want to thank you for your contributions and participation throughout the year in fulfilling the Great Commission in Niger. Our experience has been that the most seemingly minor displays of love can change lives for the better! Merry Christmas and His blessings for the New Year!! The Hosanna Team in Niger!