Bonnie On Mission

Update on ESL classes:

24 regular students. Gospel was presented, Genesis tapes in Tamashek were given out to each student, only 2 students refused them. I will start the new classes start on Monday July 2 with 6 different class each week. I will continue to speak the truth of God’s Word to the students and let the Lord work. We all sense the Lord doing great things.

Thanks for all your many prayers, I am relieved of the attacks in my body, spirit and mind. Keep up your prayers

Love to all, Bonnie  

God is at work and we are joining Him   

          We have as many as 36 adults come to the English as a foreign language classes that have been started by the volunteers mission team from Warren Woods Baptist church in MI. We have been so blessed by each student’s participation and enthusiasm. 

          We have played charades with then to learn new words. We have sung and danced the hokey-poky with them to learn the names of body parts. We are using Bible stories to introduce new words.  

          I have been blessed to see how the Lord will use this in each student’s life. I will take over these classes at the end of June after these mission teams leave. I need your prayers to have the confidence to do this. Please pray they we will get to the place they  understand the messages from God’s word during the lessons.           I have been able to pray for the health of one man during class. The next day all his symptoms were gone and he was able to return to class. God is able to handle every need. Later that night he asked the men to pray for his family.   

       Of course the enemy isn’t happy about all of this and I am personally feeling depression, irritability, frustration and tiredness. Please pray that I will put into practice Philip. 4: 4-9. I am finding it hard to do while I am in the battle and very busy. But I must learn this and have victory.   

       During July 20-27 all of us will be in our annual meetings. Please pray we will gain rest, knowledge, have good fellowship and come back to the field ready to do the Lord’s work once again. I will take a week for R&R after this. So I will not be sending a news letter in July. But please do not take time off from your prayers I am counting on them!!    

      I will be seeking out two of our students that know English very well to take over the classes while I am gone. I pray this will work out well. Pray for these two students to be able to do this class and gain good experience from this. 

         Thanks to all of you for all your prayers. God bless each of you, Bonnie

Here is a recent picture of kid’s club and a lady standing to listen to the stories as well.  Bonnie is sitting in on this lesson to help with learning the Zarma language. Teen boys listen and even color the sheets. What a blessing!   

Hi all: thought you might like to see just one of our new English classes. God has blessed us with 34 students in 4 different classes. Praise the Lord, Bonnie

Last night was our first English as a foreign language class. We had 18 male adults that came. God is so good. They all really were excited to be learning. They all were very actively participating in every exercise and laughed, enjoyed each other. It was such a blessing. They hung around when the class was over to continue speaking their new language. God is so good. Keep praying for the mission team as they continue to start this new ministry. They have 3 suit cases that did not get on their plane and are lost. Thank you for all your prayers. God is at work here in Niamey. Love Bonnie

Seeking Truth May 2007 In my Bible study recently the question asked by the author (Beth Moore) “Can you think of any lies you once believed that God later exposed to you and replaced with HIS truths?” The Lord directly intervened in my life to show me the lies I believed about myself, my circumstances and showed me truth through His Word, other Christians, and circumstances and brought about my freedom in Christ. This is what God wants to do in the lives of the people here in Niger. I realized that they are blinded by the enemy just as I once was. But I know He wants to wake them up to the truth just as He had to do in my life. He wants to expose them to His truths in the person of Christ who is truth. (John 8:32, 36) Please pray for the people here to wake up to the truth and see that the Lord is God and they need Him, He is their only hope.   Let us pray believing and expecting God’s answer for their salvation and freedom in His truths.

 Open book, opens doors I went to a ladies compound to have her listen to me read out of my book about health. She looked at the pictures as I read the words. Next thing I knew another lady from the compound came and she too looked on as I read. Then in a short while another lady came and sat down and looked at the book as I read. Now when I finished about the health topic (gaham baani – good health) the lady next to me turned the pages to see other pictures. This time it was not a health topic. It was the story about Jesus calming the storm. She wanted to hear about this as well, so I read the story to the 3 ladies as they looked on. Then I asked them questions about the story that I had written out. They were able to answer the questions so I knew they were really listening. Now in March I did this same thing and it was a complete waist of time since the lady I read to went to sleep as I read! But the Lord’s timing and doing it in His power made all the difference this time. He brought those ladies, He helped me to better prepared, He showed me how to make the book and put the pictures in it. He did it through me and He opened the door to reach new ladies. Praise His Name. Please pray for these doors to stay wide open in this compound because there are at least 10 ladies to be reached there. Pray for their reception of the truth of God’s Word and His love for them. Pray I will stay disciplined to continue to go. 

God’s Power I have been praying the prayer of Jabez (IChron.4:9) once again as the Lord lead me to do. I have been praying for increased ministry here in new relationships. This week the Lord gave me another 6 new Tuareg women and all their children to begin friendships with. As I sat and talked to them this morning I was so blessed by their kindness to me. I asked if I could come again to tell them true stories about God and Jesus and good health and they welcomed this.  I have prayed this prayer over my life for many years and God has answered, I am in Africa. But once arriving I was way over my head, was heading for failure as I knew I could not do this! On page 47 of this little book it says “that feeling that I just can’t do this is exactly what I am supposed to be feeling. This is called dependence” Without total dependence upon HIM I can do nothing. So I have embraced the awful feeling knowing that I am in Christ He is in me and I am experiencing daily renewed faith in what ONLY HE CAN DO! Wow, I am living His great adventure!! Your prayers are being answered powerfully, praise the Lord. God is powerful to tear down strongholds of false religion and show Himself to ALL peoples.  Thank you, Bonnie      II Timothy 1:12        

Children’s Club          It is such a joy to attend the club. There were 15 children and around 10 adults and teens both Zarma and Tuareg. I go to hear the Zarma language being spoken and to interact with the children. I am blessed by these children because they are always smiling and joyful. As they did their color sheets of the Bible story an 11 year old boy was asked to tell us what the story was about. He repeated the story back to us. They really did listen. Please pray for the salvation of these children and the adults that come as well.Visits to Families           I am blessed to visit with a Tuareg family in their compounds. They live very simply. They have a mat covered dwelling that is supported by crooked tree logs standing upright. Mats form the circular side walls as well with a piece of tin for a door. There is a cooking ring outside with a kusu (pot) on it to cook in. They eat from a common plate with their hands. They sit on the ground on mats. But they always have a smile and a greeting for me when I come to see them. The family I see the most I have not met the husband as yet just mom and her 6 children. The last child is about a month old. The last time I went to visit I was so blessed to be able to read the children a story from the Bible, Matthew 19:14 “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them.” They all had such fun correcting my pronunciation of the Zarma words that I knew they were listening, not only the children but their mom as well. The mom used gestures to let me know her arm hurt her. The next day I was told by their neighbor that the mom was in the hospital. She is home now, still complaining of arm pain. Since I couldn’t understand what she was telling me and I couldn’t think of the words to tell her I left her compound very frustrated and came home knowing my failure in the language. I was over whelmed. It is only because of your prayers that I will be able to do as the Lord placed me here to do!!          Yesu ga ba ni nda ay ga ba ni mo. (Jesus loves you and so do I) 

Bonnie

Bonnie – “I sat in the amphitheater and listened to the guitars, flute, trumpet, the bongos and singers perform “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” As I closed my eyes I could have been in a church in the US. But then I looked out over the Niger River and saw the silhouette of a boat with the two African figures rowing it upon the waters and it was surreal to me that I was celebrating with 30 or more missionaries and their families in Africa. I was blessed to go to two unique services, the English sunrise service and the little Zarma church……. After the service we all piled into two trucks, about 35 people. They hung out everywhere as is the usual for most vehicles here. We went to the Niger River to hold a baptismal service. Praise the Lord for the two women and one man that were baptized. One woman took a stand for the Lord when her husband protested, but he came to see her baptized. Please pray for the numbers of baptisms to increase and for the continued deepening of these new believers.It is only because of your prayers that I will be able to do as the Lord placed me here to do!!            Yesu ga ba ni nda ay ga ba ni mo. (Jesus loves you and so do I)”