Update from Niger

Ken & Julie Faulkner are missionaries in Niger.  They work for SIM Missions organization at a school called Sahel Academy.  Their oldest son Eli is also a teacher there and their daughter Sabrina attends there.  Niger has experienced horrible circumstances throughout the past year (like much of the African continent) that has impacted their food supply.  Crops have been destroyed through the course of drought, locusts and flooding.  Then in April the country shut down for COVID-19 and most people lost their jobs.  At this point they have been experiencing extensive food shortages, coupled with rising costs for food and a population that does not have the money to buy the food for many months now.  Additionally, there are a large number of refugees flooding their area due to Boko Haram attacks and driving people out of their homes in Eastern Nigeria.  One other thing to note is that the people in this region typically live on the verge of starvation even during good times.

Ken & Julie and a group of local pastors decided in early April to try to help meet the needs of those in their churches by distributing food to those who need it, in order to get people through until the next harvest in October.  The local pastors are the ones determining who needs the support.  The food distribution provides 1 meal a day per person in the family.  They have prayed and the Lord has provided extensively over the past few months.  While they were originally aiming at supporting about 45 people and raising about $10,000.  The Lord had blessed them and at this point has provided over $300,000, allowing them to support around 10,000 people in a large majority of villages and churches.  Many of these Christians have that graciously shared the little they are receiving with these Muslim refugees.  As a result many are coming to Christ.

Unfortunately, there has been extensive flooding in Niamey (the city in Niger where they live).  This has displaced 350,000 people and killed at least 70.  The school they work at is under water.  The buildings and soccer field are filled with 6 or more feet of water and many people have lost everything.  Additionally this flooding has destroyed the October harvest meaning they will have to figure out how to survive for another planting season without any harvest.  (The second one destroyed this year!) They have spent the last 3 weeks rescuing people and trying to save whatever they could of peoples’ belongings.

Would you pray for these people and the pastors trying to help them?!  Would you pray for Ken & Julie and their families?!  As a result of COVID they were not able to return home to the U.S. this summer to have a reprieve and to see their other children who are in college here.  They are weary and are needing the covering of prayer from other believers.  Here are some things to pray for:

– Continued provision for basic sustenance for these families.

– A filling of hope and strength for Ken & Julie and their children and the pastors and believers they are working alongside to try to help these people.

– Protection for the pastors who are distributing the food.  The processing of traveling from village to village is extremely dangerous due to thieves and others who are on the roads and are willing to kill for food or money.

– Discernment about what their responsibility can and should be in this dire situation for those around them.  The need is so great they can be entirely overwhelmed.

– For God’s Spirit to be at work in the people there and drawing many to Christ in the midst of this suffering.

I’ve included a few of the picture they sent.  One is a video of one of their staffs home, another is one of the school buildings (water is nearly up to the roof), and finally one of the roads in the city.

Jen King