The bigger picture – Day 14

During a visit to a school in Niamey, Niger, I stood in awe of what Christians there had managed to do. Niger is about 99% Muslim in faith. In this particular school, there were 500 pupils. Only ten of these children came from Christian homes. It is also a church school and all of the teachers are Christians.

With great compassion, the headmaster shares the schools’ viewpoints in a country that challenges Christians in various ways. This Christian school provides quality education for its pupils. These two facts are non-negotiable, but of course, this is also the kind of behaviour that one would expect from a Christian school. Every morning, a Bible lesson is presented and the children sing Christian songs before they start their day.

The parents who are unhappy with this manner of teaching are free to take their children out of the school. The sad thing about this country is that their educational system has collapsed. Parents do not have many choices when it comes to quality education.

I noticed no hint of arrogance from the principal or teachers within the school. For them, Christianity is a serious matter and expressing it is a priority. They bring the message loud and clear without offending anyone. There is no bigotry.

The children take part in my photo shoot with much excitement. Many boys behave like clowns and some of the girls are shy. I managed to take many colourful pictures of happy and playful children.

Opportunities for witnessing cross our paths daily. Sometimes, these opportunities come at very unlikely times. This means we, as Christians, have to be aware of these opportunities and must be willing to witness. We then have to act with sensitivity and wisdom. We have to work with a soft touch. All of this in order for the love of Jesus to be evident in our actions.