IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS:
“Let the little children come to me . . .”
In Niger children with physical and developmental challenges, need Jesus’ people to love and care for them.
Matthew 19:13-15
Then children were brought to him
that he might lay his hands on them and pray.
The disciples rebuked the people,
BUT Jesus said,
”Let the little children come to me
and do not hinder them,
for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
And he laid his hands
on them and went away.
IN THE EYES OF JESUS
In the eyes of Jesus
there is nothing more blessed
than a child
among His disciples,
those who love children
and give them the best God puts
in their hearts and in their hands
to bring them to Him,
and especially those children
Hadiza (In The Center) finds great joy in welcoming disadvantaged children in Niger into the arms of Jesus.
who need His special strength
in the midst of their weakness—
for as He takes them and
breathes on them His blessing,
He looks to each of us
and challenges our hearts all
filled up with His Love
to open our arms
and welcome His children
and take them to Jesus
who gives them His best.
You know, in this world I can never thank God enough for His Love and Redemption, for His provision of so much more than I will ever need. I can never ever praise Him enough. In my life I have recognized how deeply I have been blessed when I have had the opportunity to live among those who have so little. I can hardly imagine how they live. Every child I saw during my years in Niger became a resounding reminder of how very, very much God has always blessed me—and blessed me for His reason. All those blessings He has placed in my heart and in my hands, have come because He wants those who have so much less, to be blessed by Him. So, I open my heart and my hands and share joyfully and freely with those who have so little. He intends to bless them, and He intends to accomplish His blessing through bringing me to see them as He sees them; beautiful children created by Him to discover His Love and His Redemption through my active obedience to Him in serving them and their needs. He gave the very best He had in Jesus. I have His calling as His child to give the very best He gives me through Jesus.
I want to tell you about Hadiza in Niamey, Niger, who has powerfully practiced such obedient giving with her whole heart and her open hands. While Becky and I served together at Sahel Academy in Niamey, Niger we met Hadiza as the cook for the hostel which housed the children of missionaries from other parts of that country, as well as from other countries in West Africa. We loved it when we got invitations to
Workers share with each child the Love of Jesus, who makes all the difference.
lead devotions for those teens, because that meant we got to eat with them—and to enjoy another delicious meal prepared in Hadiza’s kitchen. She had quite the reputation among the missionary community for cooking a wide variety of delicious dishes which kept her busy, in addition to her “day job” work, preparing and selling things missionaries ordered: flour tortillas, cinnamon rolls, small meat pies (samosas) and pigs-in-a-blanket—and other tasty items. Missionary Kids clamored for these even in Niger where they were very difficult to prepare—and so, were very, very scarce. Needless to say, Hadiza was considered a huge blessing by many missionary families, including the two of us.
Now, that’s not even close to the best part of her story. You see, Hadiza did all of this extra, this difficult work, in order to bless others. During the time we were there she was raising funds to establish a ministry to children with special needs. In Niger every family faces constant challenges—finding and paying for housing, working long, hard hours to provide the most basic foods
Teach a young girl to sew, and give her the power to be blessed and to bless her entire family.
to nourish their children, while dealing constantly with limited water and power supplies. Life in Niger is tough. The people are strong and resilient. They work hard in often incredible heat. Hot days would daily earn emergency heat warnings here in the U.S.; not just for a few days, nor for a few weeks, but for several months out of every year. So, as families work to survive; there is little energy nor time to care for children who are malnourished or are facing developmental challenges.
With a faith which God had nurtured through years of ministry, Hadiza felt called to do something special in the name of Jesus for these children. Through years of constant work, and putting aside funds, she was able to establish the New Life Center for such children. She began by hosting these children on her front porch. Now the Center has three large rooms; a play room, a physical therapy room and a classroom. The Center has a teacher so these children can begin to benefit from going to school. Three of these children have excelled, and now attend a nearby Christian School. The Center also features a dining room and sewing center. Some of the older girls are taught sewing, including several who are deaf and mute. Some of the boys are learning to weave string chairs which can be rented for family or community gatherings, or sold.
Boys can be taught skills that help them get an education and also help their families.
A missionary friend, Shannon Maxwell, testifies that she delights in visiting the Center, because it is such a clean and peaceful place for these children to be nurtured physically, educationally and spiritually. She says she usually finds them happily participating in school or playing on mats or swing sets. Shannon explains, “You can feel the spirit of the Lord in that place.” Some families ask about how they keep the children so calm in the center because they seem to play more peacefully and sleep more readily than they do at home. The answer comes clearly and beautifully—IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS in that place and in the hearts of Hadiza and those who serve alongside her.
As Hadiza looks to the future for the New Life Center, there are prayer needs: (1) Because a physical therapist has returned to her home country, there is a need for someone to fill that need. (2) Hadiza also hopes to raise funds to purchase more land, so she can add a school for the deaf and further job training programs. Let us join together as God’s people to pray for His provision for the Center’s ongoing needs, and for these two exceptional needs. We also want to praise God for such a servant as this—Hadiza, who has so very, very little, in the midst of a land which demands so very very much, daily serving our Lord and Savior with all of her heart, soul mind and strength. What an example! Hadiza is one of those special, special people whose life is gloriously dedicated to being ALL ABOUT JESUS, and children and parents in great need, are tremendously blessed as a result.
New Life Center
With hard work, caring hearts, and most especially, the Love of Jesus, Hadiza and her workers change the lives of children in need.
Thank for the sweet reminder of God’s servants caring for special needs children in Niger and around the world through His servants following His footsteps and going the open doors in His name 🥰