Christmas in Niger - Part 1

We had a wonderful 1st Christmas in Niger!

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The Preparations!
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The kids and I had fun making Christmas cookies which is no small task in Niger! We brought many of the ingredients with us, especially the colored sugars, cookie decorations, spices, and flavorings. All flour has to be sifted - and not to make it light and fluffy, mind you! It's a necessity to make sure there aren't any little unfriendlies in it! The powdered sugar for the frosting was homemade, and we substituted for things we couldn't find here.

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Gingerbread Men!

Mommy's little helper...

...who probably ate more dough than cookies! :)

Check out this look of longing...

Now let's do something about it!

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Frosted Sugar Cookies!

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And they tasted every bit as good as they looked!

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Jonathan's Birthday - December 18th

Jonathan's birthday was a very special day. We began the morning by going as a family, together with Rebecca and Amy, to visit little Jonathan's grave. The peace that surrounded us there was incredible and healing (see Grieving with Joy). I will be sharing more on how Rebecca and Amy are doing in an upcoming blog. Here is a picture of Jonathan with the apple pie that I made for him. We were able to Skype with his family in Maine, making the day extra special!

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Decking the Halls!

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Upon arriving in Niger, we were the blessed recipients of a beautiful artificial Christmas tree! We were delighted beyond measure to be able to have one. That, along with some decorations that I brought from home, and some others that were given to me here, made for quite a cozy, lovely Christmasy atmosphere. We loved it! It was fun for us to be able to look at these pictures and realize how far our home has come since we moved here! We have painted, cleaned, and renovated much of it since first moving in, and the difference is quite dramatic!

Our tree has artificial snow on it. With its colored lights, it's a beautiful sight to behold, especially at night. All the Nigeriens loved it, too!

Our living room! I just had the couch cusions recovered, and I am working on sewing new curtains for all of the windows. This was my favorite Christmas room!

This is a traditional African broom that I hung on my wall and spruced up with festive touches!

Our nativity set is our most prominent Christmas decoration every year!

It has been a privilege for us to celebrate this Christmas in Niger. On a daily basis, our appreciation, love, and gratitude for Jesus' coming, His death on the cross, His resurrection, and the free gift of salvation that He gives continues to grow!

On to Niamey!

We left for Niamey 2 days before Christmas. Niamey is an 8-hour drive from Maradi. We were looking forward to an awesome Christmas gift - my dad, Pastor Bob Burket, arriving in Niger on Christmas afternoon! Wahoo!

The children do exceptionally well traveling for such long distances! We are so thankful! I suppose it does help to have exciting things to watch the whole way - camel herds, long-horned cattle, goats, sheep, shepherd boys, families caravaning on their camels, and huge trucks piled twice their height with grain, furniture, animals, and people! One never knows what sights might go flying by on the Nigerien roads!
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Christmas Eve!

We had a delightful treat on Chrismtas Eve! Pastor Neal and Danette Childs took us to one of their favorite places located just outside of Niamey - a beautiful sand dune. We spent the evening enjoying the view, enjoying one another's company, and waiting for the sun to set. The setting of the sun was breathtaking!

Our little Anna...

She's off to change the world!

Isaiah...

...ready to play football on the dunes!

The Bowden Clan!

Daddy-Daughter time...

Anna loved sliding down the dune on her belly. It was absolutely adorable! The only catch was that Mommy or Daddy had to carry her back up to the top again, as it was too steep for her to climb herself. Talk about a work-out!

Isaiah and Tobi

Our Landcruser drove up the sand dune beautifully! It would be an impossible feat for most vehicles. We are so thankful for this Landcruiser!

Sunsets never cease to take my breath away.

I love the Lord's sense of beauty!

What a beautiful way to spend Christmas Eve!

Christmas Day!
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We spent a very special Christmas Day with the Childs families! Thank you Pastor Neal, Danette, Tanika, Tobi, Pastor Ron, and Jerry! Here we are sharing Christmas dinner together!

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One of my dad's flights was canceled at the last minute, leaving him stranded in Togo for an extra day. Words can't describe how happy we all were to be together again when we finally picked him up the next morning!

Welcome to Niger, Dad!

Praise God! Safe in Niger after a long trip!

Happy reunion!

These are just a few quick glimpses of our 1st Christmas in Niger! There is so much more to write! I want to share about my dad's incredible trip, as well as give an update on how Rebecca and Amy are doing.

Before I close, I want to thank each one of you who have blessed us this Christmas by calling, emailing, sending packages, and blessing us finacially! Our cup overflows, as do our hearts. Your thoughtfulness has meant the world to us! Thank you!

Thank you especially to our dear church family from Lawrenceville Baptist Church for sending Dad (Pastor Bob), along with the 3 suitcases of supplies for us! Wow! We are speechless and overwhelmed by your love and generousity! Words can't express how we feel! Thank you!

Please stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon!