New Friends

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday, Crist and I ventured out once again to visit the Pastor and the village doctor. Pastor
Dauda wasn't at home, but his wife, Ladi, was home (women in the blue). She is also either a teacher or a teacher's aide at the village school (see picture below). School is only in the morning and as we arrived there after lunch, Ladi was home and took us on a "look-see" at the school. This little school is across the street from the church we attend and is for the first five grades. On Sunday mornings, they use the rooms for Sunday School.



Back2Back Ministries about two years ago made the school benches (above picture), but they weren't treated (we now know to do that), so very quickly they deterioate as you can tell by the picture. Back2Back also paved the floors. They used to have mounds of dirt and the children would sit on the mounds. The village is poor so conditions usually don't get better.

The "blackboard" is just black paint over the wall.....yet, inspite of these primitive teaching aids, there is learning taking place and we know the families are thankful that at least their children are able to attend some form of education.

Ladi speaks very little English, and I, of course, speak very little Hausa, but her smile is as big as the ocean and her hugs are warm and genuine. We communicate as best we can and friendship is growing.

This picture to the left is of Ladi and Respa (I'm guessing at the spellings of their names). Respa is a neighbor right next to the church. Her grown children live in town and she does farming in the village and visits her children during the weekend. This is the only way she can support herself. I value these relationships that are being formed; actually, I'm finding I need them. That's how we women are, huh?

Isaiah 58:6-7 ' "Isn't the fast I choose: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and to not ignore your own flesh and blood?" Hard words to read but even harder still to put into practice.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Beauty and the Beast

Hi Everyone!

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge." Psalm 19:1-2

This is truly a dry and dusty land but there is alot of beauty just waiting for us to discover. We were laying in bed last night and the window is right above our bed and I could look up and out and see all the stars and it was so beautiful. Without all the lights like we have in the states, you can REALLY see the stars at night here. I remember when we went to Kenya five years ago, Bill Leusink went also and he would show us the different constellations and as you see heavens' splendor, it's hard not to feel small and puny in comparison. God sure created magnificent wonders, didn't He?

Now the little green creature up above, this we encountered a few days ago as we were driving back from the village. It was the strangest sight. He was walking with his head up and very very slowly - not at all concerned with us talking and taking pictures. He put one foot down and then the other and it was soooooo cute! Bill, do you have any idea what type of lizard he might be? We were wondering if he was a chameleon. I called him the "beast" up above, but really he wasn't. I wonder if there were two of them on the ark with Noah?

This afternoon we travel to the doctor's place and to visit the Pastor - this is becoming part of our routine now and we enjoy this time of ministry. People are showing up at the Viewing Center to watch the World Cup and we're thankful that this outreach is continuing.

Back2Back is having all of their work teams through this year do a Bible Study on "Hunger" and Crist and I are doing it also. A question for you - "Are we hungering for less sin or more Jesus?" We've been thinking about that the past few days. I'm not sure what all of this has to do with flowers and lizards, but that's okay! It's all about God and His wonderful plans for you and me.

In-joy,
Eileen and Crist

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.....

The Nigerian team lost their match against

Argentina.

"...a time to laugh, ....a time to dance." Eccl. 3:4

Yesterday was awesome! HOT HOT HOT and children everywhere! We were hoping for more young adult males, but as the word gets out, we think that they will come. Probably all total, we had about 150 people. But seeing the childrens' faces made it all worthwhile! Daniel, our Nigerian staff person, is in a Christian band and they played (see picture). We had face painting (Sarah and I did that) and the children LOVED that. We painted a little Nigerian flag on their faces. There was food and minerals (soft drinks) and bouncy castle (where we could tell many, if not most, of the children had no underwear - makes me sad).

Enjoy the day with us through these pictures.

In-joy,

Crist and Eileen

"It is Appointed unto men once to die."

Hi Everyone,

We have a Nigerian man on staff with Back2Back, Daniel, and on Monday his 35 year old sister, Martha Peace, died of typhoid and yesterday was her funeral. Her home church was downtown (picture to right) so we all went to support Daniel. What an encouraging and comforting funeral service it was.

We had never met Martha but after the service, we felt like we had. Daniel gave a brief eulogy at the beginning of the service and then there were several testimonies given by people who had worked or served with her. Martha was one of 9 children and her life was one of service and discipleship. She had never married but she will one day have many "children" in heaven who will testify to her impact on their lives.

The church was crowded and you could tell that Martha's life had touched many in the community. Crist and I both felt moved to tears several times during the service. The Holy Spirit's presence was so sweet. In ECWA churches, during weddings, funerals, or any solomn occasion, many pastors, high and low in the hierarchy of the church, come and speak or say a prayer. And this was true for yesterday. The pastor who gave the sermon spoke excellent English so he would speak both in English and Hausa. It was an excellent salvation message and was so straightforward.

The service lasted almost two hours but felt like less. Our first day in Nigeria we had been invited to a wedding (were unable to go, however, because of our travel delays) and now five weeks later, we were attending a funeral. Life's full cycle in a month. Amazing! But whether you live in the United States or here in Nigeria, the message is still the same. How are we living our lives? Are we leaving a legacy that will impact eternity? I'm looking forward to one day meeting Martha Peace in heaven and getting to know her!

Be blessed!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Life and Random Observations

Hi Everyone,

I'm not feeling particularly talkative today and I'm not sure what to write on this blog. I suppose the fact that we live in Jos, Nigeria would make you think that our every day is filled with lots of exciting things......but the reality of it is that our lives here are not much different from yours - only the scenery has changed. (oh, alright, maybe it is a little bit different - grin!) After a staff meeting this morning, we each were left to do whatever ministry we felt led to do or do the "everyday" types of things.

Crist and I ate lunch and decided we both wanted to go to the village to spend some time with some of the patients at the doctor's place and then go pay a visit to Pastor Dauda and pray with him. Then on the way home we needed to do some "shopping." We went and visited Michael, Joy and Judith, three patients at the doctor's compound. We had some crayons and coloring books for Joy and Judith and some stickers. We sat and just visited for a while with the two girls and their moms. I'm not sure how much any of us understood the other, but the smiles and laughter transcend any language. We prayed with them and went to visit Michael, a man we had met a few weeks ago with a broken leg. We met his wife and visited for a few minutes and prayed with them.

From there we went to visit Pastor Dauda and we just chatted and talked and prayed there in his yard. It's nice getting to know him better outside of the church building. On our way home we stopped at one OF THE MANY MANY little markets along with way. I needed some potatoes, green peppers and bananas so you can see my back in one of the pictures of me shopping for those items. You try to ignore the gazillion of flies everywhere and just pick out what you think looks good, pay for it and off you go!! There's another picture of one of the "meat markets". This market we DO NOT go to. We get our meat only from vendors recommended by other missionaries. That meat will come clean, prepackaged and without flies!

The woman walking with her child on her back (a very ordinary way for all mothers to carry their babies to and fro) is a common sight everywhere you look. And there's something almost beautiful as the women carry household things, water, vegetables - whatever needs to be moved - on their heads. What at one time would amaze me is becoming a normal thing to see. I guess that means we're feeling more at home here. But we sure would love to hear from you; the home we left behind.

"Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you." Genesis 12:1

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Jehovah Rapha - The Healer

Hi Everyone,

Thursday, Crist, myself, our son-in-law, John, and the doctor's son, Moses (picture below) went into town to purchase some medical supplies for the doctor. Remember me sharing about the doctor a few blogs ago? Well, he has a son, Moses, who is 24 years old and besides assisting his father and learning from him, Moses also attends a medical school here in town. He is studying to be a lab technician. We drove into town and walked into what seemed like back alleys and finally came to a store that couldn't have been bigger than four feet across and 12 feet deep - filled from floor to ceiling with bandages, antiseptics, vials, instruments etc. Some supporters of Back2Back had donated some monies to be used for purchasing the medical supplies and Moses was excited to be able to get much needed things for the village doctoring.

After 1/2 hour of shopping, we headed back to the village and when we arrived we helped Moses unload the supplies into the room where they are kept. Below is a picture of the shelves before we unloaded the supplies. It made us sad to see the shelves so bare, but we know God multiplies what we give to Him, so we are thankful for the donated supplies and how they will be used for the healing in the village to take place.

The picture on the right is of two little girls who had just been operated on - each for a broken bone in one of their legs. We had just purchased some smaller crutches, and to see them put to such quick use was very heartening. The little girl on the left is Joy and the girl on the right is Judith. Yes, their beds are on the ground, and their mothers were there with them right behind us as we took the picture. Behind us where we took the picture were the shelves with the supplies - a very small room indeed - but every space being used. We were told that this is the operating room too, but because all the rooms were filled, Joy and Judith were put in there for recovery.

It's hard not to compare these humble rooms with the big hospitals and doctor offices we are used to in the states. How thankful we are that Jehovah Rapha heals in both places. This week I hope to get back to Joy and Judith with some coloring books and stickers and just spend some time with them. "Lord break our hearts for the hurting."

In-Joy,

Crist and Eileen

"In The Beginning, God Created the Heavens and the Earth....."

Hi Everyone,

There are around 70 acres of land that have been donated to Back2Back and on this property (next to the Kissayhip Village) is the Oasis House (picture above is where the Viewing Center will be) and hopefully eventually an entire campus. But for now, on this property are huge boulders that are truly fascinating. Just looking at the pictures, you can't get a feel for how HUGE they are. Many of the boulders are like a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces of these huge boulders just fit together. You can imagine "The Flood" coming and when the waters receded, these large rocks just all kind of fell into and on top of each other.

This large pile to the left is very high. Picture a grown person down by that tree on the left bottom corner and the tree is much taller than the person. That will give you a better understanding of how high this is.

Right now we are preparing for the "Open House" which will take place next week for the Viewing Center. (Top picture shows the main room where the screen is - there is an overflow room right behind this room) This will be a place where people from the village can come and watch the World Cup matches and after those are over, there will be other events to televise. We're getting the people from the village involved because that is the only way for this to be successful. Eventually, we'll have women doing some cooking and the food will be sold and the proceeds go back to the village. We'll have people from the village overseeing the events; some for making sure the property is clean and safe, others for registering people etc.

At the open house we will be having televised testimonies of some of the Christian World Cup Soccer players and we're hoping to have later on some other ways to share the Gospel with those who come. Please pray for this endeavor. It has great potential and we're excited what God will do with this outreach.

Can you believe that we've been in Nigeria now for one month? Many of the "kinks" have been worked out and alot of the "me me syndrome" (wanting things the way they are back home) has been weeded out. God continues to work on Crist and I - praise the Lord that He loves us enough to do that!! See you next time!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist