Praise the Lord!

Hi Everyone and Happy New Year!

Crist and I have just finished reading through the Bible in a year and usually it ends with the Book of Revelation which says, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.' Amen. come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen." It has been an incredible year for Crist and I and we have seen the best of mankind and the worse of mankind. There are indeed days where we both just say in prayer - "come, Lord Jesus, come."

But then, we look around us and see what God has done even in these short eight months since we've been here in Nigeria - and we stand in awe and amazement. The picture above is of the Oasis House Viewing Center and the Education Center and in the distant you can see the Kisayhip B village where we do most of our ministry. The Education Center will be dedicated within the next 10 days and begin tutoring the children by the end of the month. There has been great strides in building relationships with the widows in the village and from this we will begin plans for helping them become self-sustaining. At OLA we will start on Tuesday, with the work team that is here from the states in totally redoing the OLA Baby Room. With funds raised and donated from an OLA baby shower held in Indianapolis we will be completely painting the entire room, putting in new cribs, having two clothes wardrobes put in and do some "baby decorating" to the room. We'll try to show you some "before" and "after" pictures in future blogs. God has provided in 2010 for a pit latrine to be built at the doctor's compound and very soon a borehole will begin to be drilled which will provide clean, drinkable water for people at the village. Villagers that once looked at us with suspicion and distrust are now beginning to share and plan with us for the improvements for their lives.
In 2011, God will continue to use work teams and funds provided to invest into the lives of "the least of these." For the next two weeks Crist and I will be really busy as we have two teams working simultaneously so it's gonna be kind of crazy. We'll try real hard, however, to keep you posted on what's going on.
But know for sure - THIS MINISTRY COULD NOT CONTINUE without the prayers of all of you. We feel your prayers. When our bodies are weary - we feel your prayers and continue on. When the impossible needs to be done, we feel your prayers and God provides the funds for what needs to be accomplished. When tragedy strikes in loss of life, we feel your prayers and God provides the comfort and encouragement needed. The very fact that you are reading this blog means that God is working in your hearts and He wants you to be praying for His work here in Nigeria. "With God, all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
And to start this new year of 2011, there's no better Scripture than Psalm 150 - which I just love to read when my heart is overflowing with thankfulness. It says:

"Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his might heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;Praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet.

Praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing.

Praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!"

In-Joy,

Eileen and Crist