A Nigerien Reunion

On June 21 I was blessed to attend an evening gathering with everyone from our Niger team to see Mike, LaRae, Mitchell and Ariana Schmidt, who are on a short break in North America. It was so good to see team members, to renew our friendships forged in the African desert. It was so good also to interact again with the Schmidt family.

Our friends in Niger look tired, but well. It was great we could discuss football, education, politics, the Nigerien mail system and anything else interesting that came to mind. Our team asked about people we had met in Madaoua and how they were doing. The news wasn't always what we had hoped and prayed for, but it was still good to know.

It was especially good to hear Mike remark that his family was blessed to be able to have a contact group back home, like our Niger team, that can relate closely to them and their life in Niger when they return home. In addition, Mike stated that our team's family members were also now part of the larger group that can relate to the Schmidts when they come to North America and share their story of their ministry in West Africa.

So, along with the active hands on ministry in which our team was involved in Niger, our other purpose of blessing and relating to Mike and LaRae, and to Mitchell and Ariana was also important. As they had hoped, they now have more close friends in North American who understand their situation in Madaoua, and who can laugh and cry with them about their experiences there. Please pray for the Schmidts whenever they come to mind.