NIGER – AFRICA

Trip of Andrew Chapman to Niamey, Niger, Sub Saharan Africa

You will recall that Valerie & I made an initial visit to Niamey in February 2007, when I visited Shiona and Moumouni Koudougou who have been commissioned by Newfrontiers to plant a church in Kwaara Tegui, a new district of Niamey the Capital city of Niger.

They subsequently visited us at Kings Church Gt Yarmouth in July 2008 when they shared with us their vision and heart for the church plant and the Anoura School which is being developed alongside and is associated with the church.

A church has been established and local leaders are being raised up at the present time. Indeed the Headmaster of the School, Hama, is to become the Leader of the Church also thereby confirming the links between school and church.

In such a poor country as Niger a church building is essential to firmly establish the church in the eyes of the local people and to give it some authority in the neighbourhood. A site has been purchased and a temporary building of grass and corrugated iron erected.

Over the past few months I have been working on a design for the new building and during the visit will attempt to ‘kick-start’ the construction. Currently concrete blocks are being manufactured and during my visit I will be getting local labour going on the work of the foundations and external walls of the building.

It is hoped that matters will have progressed sufficiently for the roof to be constructed during my next planned visit in January 2009.

Update on 2009 visits

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I travelled to Niamey. Niger in November for two weeks and during that time the building works were started. All the work was carried out by hand without any plant or machinery and all by local labour.

The building was sited, set out and the foundations were dug and concreted. Masonry walls built up to ground floor level. A concrete ring beam was built at Ground floor level and masonry walls above ground were commenced.

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When it came time to leave the walls were almost complete to top of door and window level. That was excellent progress in just two weeks.

In view of the rapid progress the folks in Niger requested that I returned in December to oversee the construction of the roof structure, so I returned for a further two weeks just before Christmas, after three to four weeks back home

During this time the roof trusses that had been manufactured during my first visit were delivered to site and erected on the top of the masonry and concrete walls, when they had been built in steel purlins were welded to the trusses.

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Since my return home the roof sheeting has been completed and masonry finished, windows and door frames manufactured out of steel are being fixed and external rendering of the building started. Even the electrical installation has commenced

So in a very short time much progress has been made and many prayers have been answered. The church in Kwaara Tegui (on the outskirts of Niamey) will shortly have a building in which to meet and all the folks in the area can see for themselves that God is on the move in their town.

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Please pray that all this activity will cause local people to be curious, to enquire and to be drawn to The Lord Jesus

When the church building is completed, sometime in the summer of 2009, the old grass hut building where they currently meet will be demolished and a school room and office will be built on the site

In November 2009 Valerie & I were invited to return to NIamey to attend the opening celebration and the dedication of the now completed new building.

We went for one week to Niamey and the Celebration took place on the morning of Saturday 7th November.

The dedecation service was very well attended, with 6 Pastors from other churches in the town as well as friends from the sister Church at Dar-es-Salem near the centre of Niamey.

There was a great time of worship and Pastor Moumouni preached. The leadership, both present and future, of Kwaara Tegui Church which has been named 'Penoul Eglise' were prayed for. Afterwards a snack was shared by all the attendees.

The day was completed with a gospel outreach in the evening which took the form of two drama presentations. A good crowd gathered for this.

We were very blessed by our visit and the folks there were much encouraged.

Andrew Chapman