February Update

2/20/2012

Bon Jour,
Now, say that out loud and draw it out with a nice Alabama accent. So, Becky and I are immersed in French language study, along with more dust than can be adequately expressed and more heat than our pampered bodies have known in our not too brief lives. Merci Dieu! We thank God for His faithfulness as we continue to adjust to our new home, which we like very much, by the way. We do have adjustments to make however . . .

It still amazes us as we are driving to school to see camels, donkey carts, hand-drawn carts, bicycles and lots of pedestrians truly crowding the main streets of Niamey. As we drive along in a borrowed and gigantic land cruiser, weaving through this array of unpredictable co-travelers, we do so as carefully as we can manage. We often find ourselves commenting, “Did you see that?” or “I just can’t believe he did that.” It really assists us in our learning to live by the moment.

And then there is the heat . . .(Now I know that Nigerien veterans are laughing and saying, but it’s not hot yet!) Remember I called our bodies pampered, meaning that we have lived our missionary lives in Jos, and now all those times we smirked when our colleagues visited and complained about the cold, well those inconsiderate moments are coming back to haunt us. To us right now is hotter than we have ever known. That it is going to get hotter—well, that we trust, will take place on a continuum so that our sweating and fatigue will not appear to us alarming as it increases. Anyway, we are trusting God for the adjustment to help us along that path.

So can you guess our first two prayer requests?

• Pray that we drive well and safely. 
• Pray that our bodies do process well through the adjustment to the heat.
  

School is going very well. We continue to be impressed with our teacher, his expertise and his patience. Becky’s command of vocabulary is impressive and my understanding of underlying grammatical structure is what you would expect of a trained and experienced English teacher. So it is good that God has placed us together. Just this morning as we conversed with our teacher in French, of course, I had to ask Becky twice for the word for birds, while she had to ask me for verb tenses twice. We are encouraged by the progress we are making and thank God for this opportunity.

So our third prayer request is:

• Pray that Becky can grow in the area of grammar and that Mike can improve his ability to grab those words out of the air, so to speak.  
  

Seriously, pray that we can learn as much French as possible so that our ministry will be strengthened at Sahel Academy and in Niamey.

We attend a small church next to our compound. They worship in Zarma and French. Their blind Pastor reads his Braille Bible in English, then translates into Zarma, himself, while his interpreter finishes the process in French. That gives us plenty of time to consider the French we are hearing. The people in the church are very friendly and we enjoy the music and preaching. This leads to our next prayer request:

• Pray for this church as they minister to the Zarma and French speaking people in this part of Niamey. Pray that our hearts and minds will be quick to hear and understand God’s Word in French.

We also attend an English speaking service at Sahel Academy on Sunday nights. Worship leaders and preachers from the various missions and agencies represented here in Niamey conduct the services, and it is a wonderful time of fellowship. Another request . . .

• Pray for this fellowship as missionaries and others gather to worship and hear the Word of God. Pray for us as we meet and get to know those with whom we will be working at Sahel Academy beginning in August.

We do know that Sahel Academy has many unfilled teaching and staff positions for the 2012-2013 school year. If you or someone you know is interested, please let us know. It is a marvelous opportunity to use teacher training and experience for the Lord among His people in a place like Niamey. Also . . .

• Pray that God-called teachers will respond obediently to meet these needs.

Rachel and Luke (our daughter and son-in-law) are busy working toward teaching degrees at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. They will be especially busy this semester as they are looking to complete their degrees next year. John David (our son) is moving toward his junior year in criminal justice at Jacksonville State University, also in Alabama. He is looking forward to possible mission and/or Christian camp work this summer.

• Pray for Rachel, Luke and John David that their studies will continue successfully. Pray for each of them, Rachel and Luke as a couple, and John David, that they will grow continuously in their walk with the Lord. All families face various challenges and opportunities. So . . .
• Pray for our families at home, our parents, brothers and sisters and nephews and nieces . . . that God would continue to lead them within His perfect Will.

How encouraging it is to sit down and share with you these prayer requests, knowing that many of you pray with us every day. So when we’re struggling for that word, (“Oh, it’s ‘oiseaux’ for bird.”) or for a verb form, (“Is it ‘ete’ in the past tense for “etre”?); whether we are sweating in our living room as we try to study in the afternoon or dodging the camels and donkey carts in the streets; whatever . . . we do know that you are praying and that and God’s very real presence here with us makes all the difference.

God bless you for your faithfulness in praying and in giving so that we can continue fulfilling our calling to serve our Lord in Niamey.

Godspeed,
Mike and Becky

New Year, New Home, New Challenges, New Blessings

1/19/2012

Hello to one and all,

Becky and I are now in our new home, Niamey in Niger. We’re already adjusting to variations on the African lifestyle we love so much. Here, life moves at a slower pace. The landscape is starker, certainly browner. The roads are for the most part, sandy, though still not all that sane. People are still friendly, though less boisterous than our Nigerian brothers and sisters.

We have enjoyed a Zarma worship service and also an English service. In both services there was plenty of spirited singing, much like we have enjoyed in Nigeria all these years. For the Zerma service, we sat on wooden benches under a thatch room with cane sides—though they have just begun building a concrete block wall. The English service meets Sunday evenings at Sahel Academy and serves a wide spectrum of missionaries from various ministries and missions.

Today Becky and I ventured out on our own for the first time. We did make it back, but were stretched by the city traffic—again unpredictable like Nigerian traffic, but in a different way. We will adjust to donkey carts, bicycles, motor cycles and the cars—but it may take quite a while—it depends on what interpretation you give to the word, adjust.

This coming Monday we begin French lessons. Our teacher informed us that after Monday, there will be no English in the classroom. That’s difficult to imagine. Pray with us that we will be diligent in acquiring this valuable tool for living, relating and ministering.

We have met with the Sahel administration and look forward to picking up our assignments there August 1. I will serve as Principal and Becky as a Special Education Teacher.

The weather here is pleasant for now, much dryer than we have known before. The real heat will come in a couple of months, we understand.

Rachel, Luke and John David are back at their studies. Pray for Rachel and Luke as they are looking toward graduation sometime in 2013. Pray for John David as he continues his second year. We treasure every moment we had with them during our Stateside Assignment.

As you pray with us remember please:

• French Language Study
• Continuing Adjustments To Life In Niger
• Our Drivers’ Licenses
• Developing Friendships With Missionaries and Nigeriens (People of Niger)
• Witnessing Opportunities

Thank you for your faithful prayers. The assurance of those prayers makes this huge adjustment a real do-able adventure.

I do have to close with a testimony of praise. All the time we have been looking toward this move, God has provided large and small lessons, encouraging us to see Him in this—and proving to us again and again that He will, indeed, provide everything (resources, people, opportunities, etc.) we need. Just yesterday I had an e-mail from a student I taught in St. Marys over thirty years ago—just getting back in touch and speaking words of encouragement. Our Father is so faithful.

Godspeed,

Mike and Becky

11/25/2011 Thanksgiving Update

Greetings From Gnatville!

For those of you who have done a furlough or a stateside assignment, or whatever label it might have been given; it will not surprise you for me to say that this time in the United States has passed more quickly that we could have imagined. We have enjoyed living here in this beautiful farming community with all of its caring people, wild turkeys, buffalo, amazing fall leaves, peace and quiet—and yes, a fair share of gnats. We are impressed that Pisgah Baptist Church in this small community can do such a wonderful job of hosting missionary families in this very comfortable house.

We have enjoyed visiting and sharing with family, old and new friends in Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. We have been encouraged by the intense level of interest in God’s Work and the accompanying sincere desire to pray for our share in that work. We have both prayer cards and bookmarks available for any of you who would like that visible reminder to keep us in your prayers as we head toward Niamey, Niger, hopefully on January 7 to prepare to take up our ministry opportunities at Sahel Academy. Just e-mail me at mstonecypher52@gmail.com and give me a mailing address.

Here are some specific prayer requests:

1. Final Medical Clearance (Almost Done)
2. Purchasing, Sorting, Packing And Crating (Just Beginning)
3. Good Adjustment To Niger’s Culture And Weather
4. French Language Study
5. Getting To Know Sahel Academy Staff, Students And Families
6. Connecting With Individuals In Niger
7. Spiritual Awakening In Niger
8. Witnessing And Teaching Opportunities
9. Rachel, Luke And John David As They Continue University Studies
10. Our Parents And Families Here In The U.S.

We are delighted to have Rachel, Luke and John David here for Thanksgiving weekend. In fact, yesterday the five of us hosted my parents, my brother and my three sisters and their families for a great Thanksgiving celebration. You would not be too surprised to know that I am writing while our university students are sleeping—the morning after Thanksgiving.

Rachel and Luke are adjusting to married life as they balance studies with work and church and friends. They would want us to thank you all for your prayers as they planned and carried off a beautiful August wedding. John David is thoroughly enjoying his role as one of two resident students at the Baptist Campus Ministry building. He is also learning how busy housekeeping responsibilities keep him and his fellow resident.

I have commented in several of our speaking engagements, appreciating those who pray for us as a family, and giving testimony to God’s faithfulness—that Becky and I are so grateful that we have had the privilege to raise Rachel and John David on the mission field, and in Nigeria and Jos, in particular. Becky found a new magnet for our refrigerator which we will treasure for a long time. It says, “Home is where God sends us.” There is so much that could be added to that sentiment—but is richly true and God and His people make it all possible, in the very best sort of way.

You have participated in that so faithfully through prayer. This marks my own thirtieth anniversary since my appointment by the International Mission Board. I am more aware than ever that these thirty years have been so rich and rewarding because of so many people praying faithfully and regularly. And Becky, with her twenty-six years would say that same.

We are keenly aware that so many of you have been directly involved in making God’s call on our lives such a marvelous reality through your giving down through these years, much of it through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. All we have been allowed to participate in alongside God as He has been reaching, teaching, discipling, training individuals and people groups over these years—all of the miracles we have walked in the midst of—everything has been facilitated by those who give so that we are able to not only go but remain where God takes us. We cannot praise God nor thank you enough. You bless our lives.

May your Christmas be filled with wide-eyed wonder as you delve deep into the joy of rejoicing before our God who loved us enough to be our Emmanuel.

Godspeed,
Mike & Becky

I am guessing that Becky, Rachel, Luke, John David and I are the privileged few among this company of readers to have slept in Gnatville, Alabama. Believe me, it’s your loss. This place is the epitome of peace and quiet—a welcome respite after the hustle and bustle of our hectic though rewarding last semester at Hillcrest School in Jos, and the delightful yet harried preparations for the August 6 wedding of our own Rachel to Luke Anderson, with whom she had graduated from Hillcrest back in 2008.

Now, Rachel and Luke are settling into their apartment in Montevallo as they begin their senior year—both working toward teaching degrees. John David is scurrying to keep up with his classes and responsibilities at the Baptist Campus Ministry as he begins his sophomore year at Jacksonville State University. In the meantime we are trying to see them as often as their busy schedules allow.

Just today Becky and I cleared our dental exams, completing the gauntlet of medical exams required for our clearance to return to the field in early January, 2012.

Most of you know that after almost thirty blessed years in Jos, Nigeria, we are headed to Niamey, Niger and Sahel Academy, where we will continue our ministry to missionary children and international students. We are in the midst of working through on-line Bible and education classes in order to heighten our readiness for this new opportunity. We will study French during our first few months in Niamey.

Becky and I are enjoying the very comfortable mission house generously furnished by Pisgah Baptist Church in Gnatville. We have already spent considerable time on the road, though, traveling to Yorktown, Indiana to be with Becky’s family twice; driving to Somerset, Kentucky (Becky’s birthplace) to help her aunt celebrate her ninetieth birthday; visiting the First Baptist Church in Fort Mill, South Carolina for their Global Impact Conference and enjoying a wonderful visit with some of our heroes, Jay and Heidi Tolar while we were there.

Upcoming trips will have us visiting St. Marys and Valdosta, Georgia; along with Somerset, Kentucky to continue our reporting on God’s Work in Nigeria, Niger and across the world in this exciting time of seeing more and more peoples in the world gain their opportunity to hear the Good News of Christ. We will also visit our company headquarters in Richmond, Virginia to update our understanding of current policies and procedures—and to fellowship with colleagues on mission with us from all across the world.

Becky and I have already enjoyed spending time with family and friends, worshipping in our home and host churches, shopping for bargains as we outfit ourselves for the hotter climate we are moving toward, getting used to our Nooks so that we can have all of the English language reading we will want, and eating a wide variety of nutritious and/or delicious foods that are so easily available here in the U.S.

There are certainly important prayer requests we have to share:

1. Pray that God will give us energy and commitment to prepare well for our new assignment at Sahel Academy.
2. Pray that God will open our hearts wide for new colleagues and students and Nigeriens among whom we will have the privilege of ministering His powerful Gospel.
3. Pray that God will be preparing the hearts of people who will be hearing and seeing the Gospel through our lives in Niamey.
4. Pray that God will facilitate our smooth transition into a very different place. Pray that we will adjust to the heat well.
5. Pray for Rachel and Luke as they adjust to marriage and tackle their senior year at Montevallo.
6. Pray for John David as he balances classes, his responsibilities at the Baptist Campus Ministries building and enjoying his sophomore year at Jacksonville.
7. Pray that God will give us many blessed moments with our dear parents, brothers, sisters and other family members during the remaining months of our Stateside Assignment.
8. Pray that we will connect with and encourage those God is calling into His service here and throughout the world.

We do hope we get to see each of you sometime between now and early January. We so praise God for you and your encouragement and prayers.

Remember how vital it is that the people of God remain faithful in their prayers, their giving and their going until all people have heard the Good News of Christ.

In this challenging time, may God provide for each of you and your families the resources that will challenge you to enable those He continues to call across the world to live and preach the Gospel.

Godspeed,
Mike and Becky