We're Off to Niger!

The White family is off on an adventure of a lifetime! We are headed to Niger, West Africa from June 7 (that’s TOMORROW!) through July 7.

Ben has had a heart for missions ever since his first short-term missions trip to Venezuela in 1996. He knew he wanted to use his gifts for the Lord but wasn’t sure where or when. After considerable research, he discovered that Galmi Hospital in Niger is in need of an Ob/Gyn. Many countries in need of an Ob/Gyn missionary only want a female doctor because of religious beliefs. Galmi was the exception because there is such a desperate need – only one physician for every 38,500 people! After receiving confirmation from the Lord, we both knew Niger is where we are supposed to be.

This month long trip is actually a fact-finding trip – we’re going to Niger to see if it is a place our family could serve long-term in the near future.

In Niger, Ben will be working as an Ob/Gyn at a 45 year-old, 120-bed hospital in Galmi run by “Serving in Missions” (SIM). SIM partners with five different church organizations that represent over 100 congregations and is a member of the Association of Evangelical Churches and Missions in Niger.

We are all excited (albeit a little nervous) about going. Evan (3) packs his backpack weekly for “Assrica” and wants to know if they have scissors there. J Joel (6) is hoping to ride a camel and Drew (22 months), well, he’s just along for the ride.

Please keep us in your prayers this month. Specific prayer requests:
1. Pray for travel safety and arrival of family and luggage as scheduled.
2. Pray for good relationships with other missionaries and the locals.
3. Pray that all surgeries and baby deliveries go well and that the most needy patients receive the care they need.
4. Pray that language barriers would not be an issue.
5. Pray for tolerance with the weather (it’s been 1070+ with high humidity and rain) and dominion over bugs J (all three children, and Carrie, are scared of even the tiniest of bugs!).
6. Pray for open hearts of the Nigeriens.
7. Pray that if God is calling us to serve long-term, that the entire family would feel the confirmation.

Thank you in advance for being part of our prayer team! If we have computer access, we will “blog” about our trip – or you can email us.

Niger Facts:
*According to the United Nations Development Index, Niger is the second poorest country in the world.
*Niger is the largest country in West Africa.
*A landlocked country, 80 percent of the land is desert where the heat can be so intense that rain frequently vaporizes before it reaches the ground.
*Twelve percent of all infants die before their first birthday.
*Infant and child mortality rates are high due to generally poor health conditions and inadequate nutrition for most of the country's children.
*Niger's fertility rate (7.8%) is among the highest in the world.
*The life expectancy at birth in Niger is 41 years (we will look like senior citizens there!).
*Most of the population is under 17 years old.
*Literacy rate is 10.8%.Islam is embraced by 86% of the population. Only 0.07% of the people claim to be evangelical Christians.