The "Baptist Center" located
in Ouallam has been closed after over 10 years of operation.
Many of its goals had been reached as many in the area
had been touched by it's ministry of community work
helping to better lives in various ways in a Christian
atmosphere. A church had also been started (however
fledgling) in Ouallam. Center attendance had also fallen
and a long prayed for desire to reach more people through
this "center" approach began to take shape.
Part
of the Zerma Team mission statement is...."to
see that the Zerma people have heard, understood and
had the chance to respond to the Gospel." The Baptist
center located in Ouallam had basically reached its
goals and ceased to be the most effective way to reach
all Zerma people with the gospel. Part of a new way
to help accomplish our mission statement is now through
what we call the "Mobile Center".
With
a lot of work and a little expense the Baptist Center
was made mobile. A volunteer group from Wildwood Baptist
Church, Clinton, Mississippi came to Niger and packed
up all books, cassette tapes, chalk boards, puzzles,
pencils, teaching material, etc., inventoried and put
most of it into locally made metal trunks.
The
"Mobile Center" is now available to be taken
to many different Zerma villages where a program of
activities can be designed to fit the needs of a village
and the gospel can be presented before moving to another
village.
The
Mobile Center activities can easily be made to "fit"
the family and village and for the time. For instance,
different times of the year find a family's activity
and makeup very different. Certain times of the year
major shifts in activity take place such as rainy season
and dry season or the times for planting, cultivation
and harvesting. Most of the men may be gone at some
of these times. Also for instance one village may be
highly active in gardening and another for a lack of
water not interested in gardening.
Timing
for a village is important but some Mobile Center basics
never change, such as the basic needs for health, hygiene,
safety, malaria controls, child care and of course the
need of the Good News. We plan to tell Bible stories
during classes and to show the Jesus film. Other versatile
classes as needed can be sewing, cooking, stove making,
gardening and agriculture subjects. Books for readers
are available. Audio tapes in the local language are
available for Christian music and study.
These
ideas are now being put into practice with the "Mobile
Center". The Zerma Prayer Team has helped pray
this into reality. Thank you if you are on the team.
And if you are not, please think about joining in prayer
to see that the Zerma may come to know Christ as Savior.
