A final URN Update...for now

Monday, 14^th of June marked the last day of food distribution for the Explore Africa 2010 Team. While our journey continues through Africa, we hope and pray that The URN Project will still continue to change and save lives. We received news on Sunday that the Nigerien government finally announced a state of emergency and hopefully the food shortages will receive a lot more press coverage and much needed attention.

In the first half of May whilst still in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the URN Project was born out of lots of hope, prayers and uncertainty. We initially trusted the Lord for R30 000 and later R60 000 to be able to reach 1000 people. We never imagined that God would bless the Project with R75 000 and that we would be able to reach about 2700 families from numerous communities in 5 different towns and surrounding villages!

Food distribution started on Thursday 3^rd of June and the town of Dogo was chosen as the first distribution point. We connected with the church for assistance and together we were able to give food to 148 people, including Christians, the deaf and the very needy.

The very next day we set out for the town of Tânout, about three hours drive to the North of Zinder. The Explore Africa team spent some time at the church in Tânout with Pastor Issa a week prior to the distribution, teaching and sharing at the three monthly Fulani gathering. Hundreds of people showed up when they heard that there was a slight possibility of receiving food. This was the first encounter we had with the severity of the crisis in these parts of Niger. Even though the need was really grave, we were able to give an average of 2 tiyas of millet to 930 people.

Kantche was our third distribution point. Here we experienced the Lord in different and magnificent ways. 300 people received food on this day and we keep on trusting the Lord for big things to come in the town of Kantche.

Cornelius left with Pastor Song for the Saharan town of Aderbissinat in the far Northern reaches of the country. On Friday, after buying the bags of food at the local market, 546 People received 3 Tiyas each. Because of a bit of political instability, the police assisted in the distribution process here which helped a lot seeing as a huge crowd of people showed up in the hope of receiving just a little bit of food. This was one of the places where the tolls of famine became very evident for the URN Project as some people who received food were too weak to even carry what they received back to their homes due to severe hunger and malnutrition. One lady stood up in front of the, mostly muslim, crowd and addressed them saying that they always dislike the Christians so much, yet now they are sharing in the food that the Christians are distributing and that Jesus has provided, therefore they are all Christians! One of the military officers even promised to mention The URN Project and the wonderful provision of the "God of the Christians" to the President of Niger in the report statement he had to write about the day's happenings.

We concluded the first leg of the URN Project with food distributions in Zinder. Also on Thursday the 11^th, 40 bags of rice were bought on the weekly Zinder market day by the rest of the Explore Africa team and distributed to the Christians of the church that hosted us, 29 families in total as well as their 70 neighbouring families. This was done with a lot of assistance from the church leaders here in Zinder.

On Saturday 20 bags of maize were shared among the deaf community in Zinder. We met with the leaders of the community the previous day and a classroom at a school was allocated as the place of distribution. Maman, a deaf man and the only believer in their community, came to the distribution and shared the Gospel with his fellow deaf Nigeriens in sign language. We were able to give 2 Tiyas of maize to the 326 deaf people. They were so incredibly thankful! We even received a letter of appreciation and a few visits from their leaders afterwards.

On our very last day of giving food, we decided to go to the outskirts of Zinder to the Leper Colony. We met with the Chief of the Colony and arranged everything for our visit on Monday. In the pouring rain we drove in a truck filled with bags of maize to the awaiting lepers. The lepers are split up into four different little communities, each with its own leader. We split up into two groups, each distributing food to two communities. Since lepers are usually among the most poor in any town, the need was also severe and the thankfulness great. We were able to give at least 3 tiyas to every single one of the 361 leper families of Zinder.

There is no doubt in our minds that The URN Project was in the divine will of God. We really experienced His hand and His provision in every aspect of this Project. The entire food distribution process was such a powerful ministry tool in these parts of Niger, a country in desperate need of the Gospel. We keep on trusting the Lord to appear to the Nigerien people in various ways and specifically in dreams and visions of Him. May we one day meet a Nigerien leper of Fulani in Heaven who got there because of a bowl of millet or maize.

God bless you for your contribution to this life changing and life saving project. Without your financial support and all of the continuous prayers, The URN Project would not have been able to touch so many lives and so many souls. May God's Kingdom come in Niger and may the people know the true freedom there is in Him who died for our salvation. We keep on praying and trusting the Lord that the latest R150 000 goal will be exceeded to reach more people in the dry and hungry land of Niger.

If you would like to make an additional contribution to the URN Project, the banking details are:

ABSA

Account name: GCEX Project

Account number: 9206963077

Branch code: 334515

The URN Project could not have been possible without the initiative of the Explore Africa 2010 Team, who will be going to Ethiopia on the 1^st of July. We are still in dire need of funds for the rest of our journey. If you would like to support the Explore Africa 2010 team for the rest of their journey their banking details are:

ABSA

Account name: Explore Africa

Account number: 9206965100

Branch code: 334515

Reference (One of the following): Madeleen Combrink, Cornelius Ngosa, Werner Greeff, Magdel du Plessis or Gerrie de Haas

God bless!

The URN Project (an Explore Africa 2010 initiative)