Nicky in Nigeria

Our Children are Letters for our ministry.....

2011-06-28T03:10:00.000-07:00

“You are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This letter is not written with pen and ink but with the spirit of the living God , it is carved not on tablets of stone but on human hearts.” (2 Corinthians 3 v 3 )

Our children’s changed lives speak for themselves they are our letters that show in essence what Kings Kids ( an arm of City Ministries of EMS ) is all about. Currently we look after 250 children living with us in our care centres, Orphans and Vulnerable children from across Nigeria.

One such child is Emmanuella a 12 year old girl who

came to our ministry two and a half years ago. When she was brought to our centre at Gidan Bege she was in a bad state, our staff were moved to tears when they saw the extent of the maltreatment she had received at the hands of a local “prayer man “. She lost her mother and her father left her with her Grandmother, She was falsely accused by an aunt of being involved in the secret society as people living around were becoming sick and she was taken by her aunt to a local “prayer man “ for help. He proceeded to burn her with a heating iron in order to get a confession , on her arms, legs and back. She was branded like an animal with a hot tool ! !

She was in so much pain and so confessed and therefore her life was in danger from the community wanting to kill her, and so she was brought to our ministry.

When she first came she was traumatised and very afraid whenever prayer was mentioned , she was very difficult to draw close to physically and was angry and confused with her family for allowing this to happen to her. We found the family and counselled them as to the effect of the damage their actions had caused to Emmanuella, , they were repentant and came to see her and sought her forgiveness. She readily forgave them and they all cried together. Gradually over the last two years they have visited us and she has visited them, she has grown spiritually and is understanding the power of prayer to fight against the attacks of Satan in order to protect herself. She has learned to love again and has physically healed from her injuries and has become a happy, outgoing child. Now this summer she is going to be reconciled and go and live back with her family.

God has done this. He has brought healing physically, spiritually and emotionally. He has restored the relationships in this family amazingly and has turned a horrible situation into good.

She is a letter from Christ

going back into her

community showing the results of our ministry upon her life, a living testimony of why Kings Kids is needed and just one story among many.

Little lives growing..........

2011-06-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

Its amazing to see how our girls are progressing and growing in the ministry. Those who have been following my blog for long will remember Favour who came to us in 08 after her mother died and Sandra earlier in the same year as a result of neglect...now look at them young ladies :)
It is amazing to see what a difference love and care makes in the lives of little ones.
Seeing them grow gives so much joy to us so how much more to our heavenly father who created them.

Who am I ?

2011-06-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

I love the Casting Crowns song Who am I....?
The chorus of which goes..

Not because of who I am
But because of what you have done
Not because of what I have done
But because of who you are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapour in the wind

Still you hear me when i am calling
You catch me when I am falling
You tell me who I am
I am Yours...I am Yours...

As I reflect on my life lately I am humbled by the way God guides and leads and brings new challenges along the way, not because of who I am but because of who HE is to bring Glory and Honour to HIM.
I am a vessel , a flower quickly fading...(sometime it feels like it !!) someone he is choosing to use here and now in Nigeria.

A few weeks ago I popped into a shop to buy some food and I saw a white lady i didn't know and her husband who is Nigerian. I overheard her accent and didn't think it was American !! and so when her husband left I asked her where she was from...
She replied London !!! and was so excited when i in turn said I was British too :)
She has been living here for a year now and has had no contact with a white person and lives on a totally Nigerian compound in Jos, she badly needed a friend who she could relate to and was so excited to talk. Her husband commented that she was obviously meant to come to the shop today to meet me !!! She had never met a missionary or knew much about ministry ( a suprise to me here )and was keen to be friends.
When we met later in the week it turns out she was a brand new Christian and was in need of someone to Disciple her. She has come through an awful lot in her life and God has brought her to Nigeria and got her attention....and then a few months later he introduced her to me :)
I felt God say to me that he wanted me to disciple her !!! wow.. I was already super busy and not looking for new challenges and I had not done one on one discipling before but I knew this was from God and he had a job for me to do :) Not quite what i was expecting to be doing here so far from home but God had a plan...

Well we have met a few times now and its so exciting to see someone grow in their faith, she is coming each week with loads of questions from the daily studies she is doing and we are having hours of discussion. She sadly has not ever had conversations about God with a British person before and God has designed it so well that she has come out of her country and yet connected with someone to help her understand her new faith .... and that is ME !!!

If you have never had the opportunity to disciple someone one on one I challenge you to look for those God opportunities he brings along your way. It is very challenging but so exciting and encouraging and really builds your own faith as you reflect on who God is and the changes in your own life.

When our life belongs to God and we let him be in control its amazing to see what he uses us for. We are flowers quickly fading , here today and gone tomorrow and we need not to miss the opportunities he gives us to bring Glory to him.

Life in Ministry...

2011-03-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

Kings Kids ( the ministry I work for ) --- Vision Statement says...

We aim to HONOUR GOD by developing Young People who love and serve God and impact their society for Christ and mobilizing the local church to do the same.

As I have been reflecting on this vision recently i have been challenged to think about what that means and what my part is in the fulfilling of this vision, what it looks like to me...

There have been many challenges since I last wrote a lot of political, religious and tribal instability here in Jos and many people have lost their lives, and yet despite it all I am here continuing to carry out God's call to Honour Him by serving where He has called me to be, fully carrying out the ministry He has given me. I know that this is where God wants me to be serving Him by ministering to the many young people he is rescuing and bringing from darkness into light .
We recognise that this is God's ministry and Trust Him to provide for the needs of looking after 250 children on a daily basis, He brings individual lives to us through so many different ways each broken, rejected, abandoned child special to Him and He asks us to Honour him by the way we love them, respect them, care for them and teach them about their Saviour.
We aim to disciple these young people to teach them how to live a Godly life and see such amazing changes from when they arrive as they heal and blossom with new life, and are released from bondage, free to live a life that Christ intended for them.
Discipleship is an ongoing thing, its challenging and requires much patience and forgiveness and encouragement....as we "pour out our lives" into these young ones so that they can grow up to impact their society for good .
I am still amazed and and in awe of the changes God's love brings to a child's life and feel humbled and privileged to play my small part in the process.

Just this week we have received four new girls each with a story to tell. One new girl Fatima is a 14 year old beautiful girl. Her mother is a prostitute and drug addict she has never known her father. She has been a "hidden child" she has brought herself up her mother leaving her for days on end as she went about her business, she was taken to school but that is the only place she went as she had to keep out of sight. As she has got older there was a real danger she could be groomed for a similar life one she was trying to get her mother to stop doing . Her mother felt she was too much disturbing her life and so brought her to the ministry so she could carry on her lifestyle in peace. Fatima gave her life to Christ and came to live amongst the sixty other girls....quite a change for her...she had never had a friend before or so much company it was quite overwhelming at first. Then just a week later i saw her grinning from ear to ear fully integrated with her "Sisters"...she told me she has never been so happy she is bursting with happiness a real testimony to the ministry and a reason we need to be here for others like Fatima.

Lost and Found

2010-12-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

These last few days have brought home afresh to me the message in Luke 15 when Jesus is talking about the parables of the Lost sheep and the prodigal Son and the cost of Discipleship and forgiveness. I love the way the shepherd kept searching for the one sheep that was lost, leaving the rest and searched until he had found it and then returned back to the rest rejoicing . Also the way that the father welcomed back the prodigal son even though he had made bad choices and treated him really badly, he forgave him and celebrated that His Son had come back home..

My understanding has been awakened this week afresh as one of my older girls aged 16 decided to run away and we had no idea why or to where she had run...she just did not come home from school. The staff tried looking for her but by nightfall they had no idea where she was. I rallied people to pray along with us that God would a. protect her and b. would expose to us where she was hiding. The next day i joined the search for this precious daughter who has been with us for two years and has made so much progress...
Mama Sati and I visited the school, talked to friends, visited friends homes gradually formulating a picture of what had been happening recently and gaining and checking out leads...we were going from here to there meeting so many people , and just when it seemed we were getting no where fast we got a call from her uncle to say she was at his home....and could we go and get her !!! yeah... we were rejoicing that she was ok but had so many unanswered questions that needed answers
God had answered our prayers and exposed where she was...we hurried there and talked with her relations and discovered no real answers ...
Only God really knows the why ? and how ? and where ? we carried our daughter back into the fold to her sisters all who had been so worried about her .
It was then that we had to make some choices, just like the father did in the prodigal son parable we had to accept that she made some bad choices, had probably done some wrong things and we needed to forgive her and love her despite everything.
It is not always easy to do but God calls us to disciple others, to encourage the weaker brothers and sisters in the faith, to forgive when they do wrong and keep loving unconditionally like he does to us.
I don't know what the future holds for her but i do know that i have to ask God to help me trust her again and to keep loving her and to pray she will learn from her mistakes and grow closer to God as a result. I am grateful that our shepherd never gives up on us even when we go astray he will always search for us until we are found and he can bring us home.

Christmas Shopping with a difference.....

2010-11-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

This week we have been Christmas shopping for our children, but it is unlikely to be like anything you have experienced yourselves back home...
There are no toys to buy, no special sweets or videos, no decorations in the shops and no Christmas carols playing and this week sees the 1st of December... In this culture the thing that children love to receive more than anything is a new set of clothes and shoes if the parents can afford it....in our case we needed to buy for 250 children...which as you can imagine is quite an ordeal and costs quite a lot of money. It is great to not be caught up in all the trappings associated with the build up to Christmas, so much simpler and the real meaning of Christmas can be the focus.
So this week I was responsible along with Mama Sati and one of our Aunties to find 62 pairs of shoes for our girls and to buy the material for new dresses and headscarves to complete the outfit.
It was a memorable experience...I had asked them to measure the girls feet not really thinking about how they would do that !!! but these ladies are so resourceful they arrived with lots of pieces of straw from the brooms all different lengths with names attatched and little bundles of wool. So we set off for the market.....remember it is very hot dry and dusty here at the moment ...the shoe area of the market is a warren of small concrete stalls one on top of each other with narrow walk ways between...so many small shops all squashed together and all selling the same things it is mind blowing how they can sell anything all competing with each other. We arrive at the first shop and try and browse....but everyone is shouting out to us from all over trying to get our custom...one man persuaded us that he had wholesale shoes and as we needed a large number we followed him...down alleys and eventually upstairs to a shop full of shoes all sides of the walls...we are given a wooden bench to sit on and then are shown all the varieties...
The aunties are satisfied and so he asks what size ??? well i hand him a piece of wool and a wooden stick !!! and we begin...trying to keep the name and the shoe from getting muddled up. While we are there people keep coming in and out trying to get our attention whilst we are getting hotter by the minute and trying to concentrate on the task at hand. The measuring is very random, the colours and styles pretty awful nothing like buying shoes at home. We eventually have around 40 pairs and decide we need to go elsewhere for the larger girls ones...and so the haggling over the price we are prepared to pay begins....satisfied we hand over our money and then a boy is called to take our very large sack to the car...on his head we quickly follow behind and process once more back through the alleyways to find the car....we pay the boy for carrying our bag and then we have to go back and begin again !!!
This time we are looking for more classy shoes with heels for the older girls...each has given their ideas to Mama and so we look for shoes that to me are highly unsuitable for church in the village which is where they will mainly wear them !!!! but i have no idea but Mama knows what she is looking for !!! and she haggles prices and tells the men her exact wishes it is very interesting to watch...but time consuming as you can imagine :)
Eventually we think we have enough and set out to find headscarves. Whilst sitting in a shop on the upper level we suddenly see the head of a rather large lady emerge on a rickety looking spiral staircase...she is crying for help as she is suddenly frightened...i leap up and give her a hand and pull her up....a few minutes later we see a young man trying his luck coming up the stairs too looking for help !!! i told him he was not a damsel in distress ....sorry ...everyone laughed !!
Finally we are done and its 4 pm and we haven't eaten since breakfast.....and now shopping is over the ladies are hungry and no Mc donalds handy so we stop at the side of the road where they are barbequing chickens and fish on old barrels and wait while they cook.....eventually we eat and can laugh at all the craziness of the day....done for another year :)

Dreams broken, Dreams begun....

2010-11-14T11:58:00.001-08:00

What a week it has been since i last wrote....
One of our graduated boys came to see me last weekend in a real confused state, he has been saving hard , doing lots of jobs for people to try and earn money so he and a friend can begin their own business. They have been dreaming of what their future will look like and planning what steps they need to take to get there....BUT he received news that has broken all of those dreams....He has gotten his girlfriend pregnant and her parents have sent her away from the house and she is now his responsibility....Not what he had planned, He was feeling so guilty and needed to be able to talk to someone who would not condemn him but someone to help him sort through what was going on in his head and help him seek forgiveness . I was the person he chose to talk to....As I sat listening to him my heart was broken as i felt his pain and i was incredibly humbled that he felt he could come and confess....broken dreams..
Then just as i was trying to get my head around the first broken dream I was informed by our nurse that one of our girls has tested positive for HIV ....I was just commenting after last weeks funeral that i didn't know how i would cope if one of our girls died and then a few days later here i am trying to explain to a teenager that she has a fatal disease and all the implications that go along with it...we have no idea how she contracted it and as she sat and wept all i could do was hold her and cry too and reassure her that it was not her fault her dreams were broken....
BUT
This week I have had the opportunity to dream dreams that God has for this ministry alongside a visitor who is looking to partner with us as we look to see how we can prepare our children to leave us and set up on their own. A year ago i had sat with this lady and expressed a dream that i felt God was showing me of a "vocational centre" that would be ideal for our kids, she too was thinking something similar and she went home and drew it out...then when she came back we discussed our idea one year on and were getting excited but knew now was not the right time and it seemed such an impossibility so we put it on the back burner while we worked on other things...BUT... We got the opportunity this week to meet the Governor of this States wife and went to view a vocational training project that she has been developing...as we were walking round both of us could not contain our excitement as we were witnessing the reality of something like what we had been dreaming before our eyes....the Governors wife had been dreaming for 6 years before beginning .... I was amazed that something like what i imagined could be done here and knew i have to trust that God can do it if He wants and i just need to keep the dream alive until the time is right...
I was able to start to clarify the dream of transitioning our older girls out of the ministry too, I was able to see that we should start working on the three older ones and had them to stay over this week to work with me and our visitor to brainstorm what they were thinking and dreaming for their future...it was a special time and awesome to see how these girls are able to dream of a bright future as a result of our ministry rescuing them from a hopeless situations. Their lives have been totally transformed by God .
As I reflect upon this week I am glad that God is not suprised by anything, he knows before we do what is coming and He holds everything in his hands. He knows our hopes and dreams, he knows that sometimes these get shattered and broken, He shares our sorrows and rejoices with us in our joys. He can bring dreams to fruition and provide all that is needed to fulfill them.
As I walk step by step with him i know he will accomplish what he wants for this ministry and all involved in it at just the right time.

Be Still and Know that I am GOD.....

2010-11-03T12:52:00.001-07:00

" When the oceans rise and thunders roar,
I will soar with you above the storm,
Father you are King over the flood,
I will be still and know that you are God..."

This song has kept coming to my mind this week...... There have been times when i have felt totally overwhelmed, completely out of my depth at the enormity of what needs to be done here, where to start.
When there seems to be so much needless sadness and death, when just shaking a hand and smiling at a bereaved person seems to make all the difference.
When my plans for the day are completely thrown as a girl runs away, as one of our children dies and we have a burial to attend.
When my car starts making strange noises,when there is no electricity.
When it is hard to understand why people think like they do in the culture we live in, why their priorities are not the same as mine.
When i am confronted by my shortcomings and doubt that i will ever be the person God wants me to be...
When i wonder if i will have enough energy to cope with all the challenges....

It can feel like the ocean is rising and that i am going to drown BUT I am reminded that God is with me and will help me to soar above it all , and that i need to take time to be still and see God all around me in the lives of the children he has brought to us. Through sharing a meal with them, through spending time colouring and teaching them how to play with bottle tops!! and hear them giggling in delight
I know the oceans will continue to rise and the storms will continue to be fierce but I can be still and know that God is in control , and that i will soar above them all ...one day at a time :)

The Battle is strong but we are on the winning side :)

2010-10-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

This truth was brought home to me again yesterday as it has been many times since my return to Nigeria. It was a day of mixed emotions, a day of contrasts in which I witnessed the battle between Good and Evil manifested over and over again...I was driving to Gyero ( our rural care centre where we have 110 kids ) down the un- made road early in the morning. It was a nice day as I drove past many groups of women all carrying things on their heads as they walked to their farms as it is harvest time here. It was a really lovely sight, so colourful a real sense of community as whole families/communities all turning out together to gather in the harvest, all laughing and singing as they trekked together.

i had gone this day to meet one of our staff who was bringing a new girl whose life had been threatened because of her involvement in the occult. When they arrived I was suprised to see such a small girl of 5 years and one who clearly had not seen a white lady before !! she was quite scared.
Her Father had brought her as the people in his community had rejected her as it became known that her mother had been involved in the occult herself and was likely to have initiated her daughter. The mother had been sent away and the father left with this girl. Satan is so good at blinding people's minds they are blinded to see truth and do not believe they can pray against thses things themselves. Satan loves it particularly when it involves children...BUT God has other plans...she was rescued and brought to us, prayed for and delivered from any evil. Her Father too gave his life to Christ , he went home a changed man PTL. This precious new life is now in our care...a living example to the power of God.
She was quickly welcomed by Faith one of our other new girls (of just two weeks) one who knows how her own life was spared ...it is great to see how well the girls all look after each other.

Suddenly there was a loud wailing to be heard over the village , upon investigation i saw a lot of women running and crying up the road I had previously seen them walking down a few hours before. There were so many running for their lives, we heard that there had been some fighting between rival tribesmen in the farmland and two fatalities, the ladies were scared of another uprising...having lived through several.. It was so sad...we too had to quickly leave the village, which was really heartbreaking leaving the children behind all we could do was to pray for their protection.

There was a spriritual battle going on too it was clear, we prayed and prayed for God to bring calm and He did and rain and rain and rain...( we are in the dry season !! )

As I was processing my day from the safety of my home I was reminded that He who is in me IS GREATER than he who is in the world. That the victory is his...BUT we have to be aware that the battle is very real and prepare ourselves because as yesterday shows he can strike at any time.. Praise The Lord he protected me and our children...but please join us in praying as the battle is strong...but rejoice that we are on the winning side.

My Return to Jos and Blogging.

2010-10-21T06:29:00.000-07:00

I returned to Jos six weeks ago after spending six months back in UK. It is my intention to re start my blog and hope you will all enjoy keeping up with the many stories that i will post about my work here amongst many precious children whom God has brought to a place of safety...to a House Of Hope ( Gidan Bege ).

Consider How precious children are to God....

2009-09-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is Nkiru, an 11 year old girl who was brought to our centre this week. She was clearly very under nourished and very traumatised and withdrawn, she was sooooo skinny, it was very sad to see.
Her story is as follows :-
She was born out of wedlock and her father disappeared and she has never seen him. She has lived with her mother who has blamed her from the day she was born for causing her trouble by being born.... The mother married and has two other children whom she treats very differently.
Her mother is a heavy drinker and after working she goes to the local bars and comes back and beats Nkiru daily. She had been eating most days one meal a day sometimes no food at all, and told of being beaten, locked up and starved...Until she was so hungry when a woman offered her a biscuit in the street she ate it and then found herself initiated into the secret society (ocult movement)...and then all hell literally broke loose and she was abandoned by her mother, and an aunt brought her to us. Ironically getting involved in the cult was her salvation to getting out from a horendous life, where she has grown up with the messages that she is unwanted and unloved. It is so hard to imagine doing such horrible things to an innocent child. As she was recounting her story we were all moved to tears, to see how thin she is and how withdrawn was so cruel and heart breaking to see.
It made me think of how our creator God feels to see one of his precious creations treated in such a horrible way, his heart is surely breaking for so many like Nkiru who are not rescued and brought out to a ministry like ours. I recieved a book this week from one of our supporters in US entitled " Too Small To Ignore" reminding us all that the least of these matters....
It reminds me that Satans most important task is to break the heart of God and he knows how much little children are important to Him and so he attacks small and innocent children. I quote

" At the moment of birth all heaven waits in anticipation and breaks into songs of joy , each child born into the world is in the image of its creator with the potential of bringing glory to God, meanwhile Satan and his hosts are waiting ready to pounce and destroy that life as quickly as possible , knowing it will break the heart of God. Given this frightening warfare between Heaven and Hell it is all the more ironic that children are seemingly so unimportant to adults."

We see so many innocent children being abused by adults here for their own gratification in this withcraft it is horrible. Praise God he has armed us for the battle and He has defeated Satan and these children can be delivered by the power of prayer. Please continue to pray for the children all over the world who are abused and used by adults for their own gain, innocent lives each one precous to their creator, it is not something that can keep on being ignored.

He holds my every moment.....

2009-09-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very sad day in our ministry . One of our boys who had been reconcilled back to his family died, aged 18 years of kidney failure. Something which probably could have been helped in a country with better medical care, but he suddenly became ill and within a few weeks was admitted to hospital and died.A young life so full of potential. Lukman was a gifted boy, he sang very well in a band, he was a gifed artist and a born leader. He was a converted Muslim and was sure of his salvation.

Death is such a common thing here, it is treated with respect and the whole family and community all come out to send the person home. The family are involved in digging the grave, preparing the body etc..there is no funeral directors to do it, a distressing thought to us but one in which the family has the chance to do something for the person one last time.

Lukman came from a village in the bush and so his body had to be taken home to rest in the family compound. As money is so short we as a ministry provided a truck and a convoy of us drove on the rough unmade roads, across rivers with no bridges, over rocks and grass, slip slidding in the mud for 4 hours to reach the village. The whole community was waiting to bury their dead, and our boys who were his classmates carried his coffin and laid him to rest. It was all hands on deck to fill in the grave with earth and to pray over the body...there was much wailing and agony at such a young life full of potential being taken......but leaving behind such a legacy to his community.

It always strikes me in church and whenever a Nigerian believer prays they always thank God that they are alive, among the living ones. Believing that they are no better than those who have died but that God must have a reason for leaving them alive to live another day.

They know that one day they will die and that could be today, life seems so short here and so they live with one foot in eternity, and are grateful for every day...it is such a sobering thought and it helps me to appreciate every day i am alive to think about what is the reason that God has left me alive today what is it that he is wanting me to do for Him?

What about you ?

I love the words of this song....

You hold my every moment,

You calm my raging seas,

You walk with me through fire,

You heal all my disease.

I Trust in You, Lord I Trust in You....

Nothing is impossible for you,

You hold my world in your hands....

I am glad that i don't know what will happen tomorrow but i am sooooooooo glad that my Heavenly father knows already and He holds my every moment....and He holds my world in His hands so i dont need to worry but just Trust and walk with Him one day at a time through whatever He has instore for me.

Camp 2009

2009-08-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a week of camp...a wet and muddy week but one in which God really challenged all of us in so many ways.

This was the first year that we combined the boys and girls for camp ( as we have so many girls now 34) and we had around 150 at junior camp and 100 at our senior camp.....plenty children many of whom have never had this experience before of going to camp...thankfully not under canvas !!We had as our theme "Lead Others to Christ" and lead the children through a series of studies and discussions on Judging, making choices, making a difference in the word they live in, sharing their faith and encouraging others...all to help them as they start to think about transitioning out of the ministry and back into their communities to make a difference.The lessons were all practical and at whatever stage the children were they could all relate.Each morning the Nigerian Uncles led Praise and Worship and gave a devotion, this is always a highlight for me to see our kids worshiping so enthusiastically.

We had a team from Moody Church in Chicago come to help us and they did an awesome job of relating to our kids.

Each afternoon we did activities either hiking, sport or making sandals...(something we hope to be able to start to produce for sale in the future) I stayed with the 8 oldest girls in our ministry and that was great....they gave me such a hard time with my clumsiness !!! There was so much mud it was a challenge for me to stay clean but they seemed to manage it no problem ....in the end they made sure there was always a bucket of water outside the room for me to wash my feet in before i entered....

I introduced them to pillow fights and showed them how to have fun !!! they have had so little opportunity to relax in their lives....and have fun :) So even though I am tired it was an amazing week for all concerned, for me i was stretched in many different ways....and was amazed with how God used me a weak vessel to make a difference in the lives of these children.

Check out the pictures .....

girls fighting back !!!

worship

two of the team
early morning devotions...6am
making the sandals

the food...

A new lodger moves in...

2009-08-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Jana..... a crazy Texan has arrived....along with her peanut butter, crackers, diet coke and power bars....and crates and crates of stuff in my spare room !!! she did bring chocolate though so i let her in :)

She has been here before...about 10 times but always with a team and now trying to see what missionary life is like on her own... However housing is in short supply so she was staying in a place which had been empty for a while, that had no generator and as our electricity is practically non existent was in the dark a lot.....along with furry rodents and slugs and so had a melt down and took pity on her and allowed her to come and stay !!!!
Its funny living with an American ( Texan i should say .... everyone tells me they are a breed all of their own ) the cultures are very different even though our skin colour is the same :) Good job Erin broke me in.....

She moved in and i left for camp....and she survived....on her peanut butter and crackers and bottled water ...good job i am back to cook some decent food...:)

Seriously it is really nice to have someone staying, to talk to and share with, there is so many things to learn as we minister here...one of the main ones is we all need each other, we all need encouragement and God doesnt want us to struggle on through alone....
Praise God for the good community life we have here and for the many different people he brings along our paths for us to learn from.
Pray for us as we live together for this next month, that we will learn all that God is wanting to teach us both from this experience.....

here Jana with Erin in Texas...

Swimming

2009-08-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

I am a bit behind with my blog i am sorry.....we have had so little electricity that it is difficult to keep the internet connection...but i will try and show you a few glimpses of what we have been doing this last very hectic month..!!
We had a donation of swimming costumes when my Dad came and so we had many excited little girls all wanting to wear them and try out the swimming pool....so we aunties braved the rainy weather and went ....

The girls so rarely get the chance to be totally in water as they usually bucket bath with warm water so to get into a cold pool is quite the experience... see below...

Good fun was had by all even though it was freezing.... good job i am used to the cold water in England....such a little thing an outing to a swimming pool but one that brought so much pleasure to theses girls many of whom had never been swimming before.

Praise God for the donors who made this possible.

At last.....she is able to update you on happenings here...

2009-07-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

My Dad and Sister's visit.....

At the beginning of June as a real answer to many prayers my Dad and Sister came to stay for two weeks..It was awesome.............. to have my family visit me and try to understand quite what life was like here and what exactly i was doing !!!

My Dad was a little worried to begin with but he survived well, no sickness and no incidents... and generally he liked the food :)

It is really quite strange to have someone looking into your life and it was quite an eye opener to me to see just what I have got used to and think is normal now !!! like the fact we don't have much electricity so when we do no matter what time of the day or night we plug everything in for charging and the washing in the machine etc.. The state of the roads is rough i know but my Dad said he felt like all his insides were shaken up by the time he arrived in Gyero !! and its not my driving :) He knew about the pot holes but now he has felt them:) and the heavy African rain is something to be experienced several times we got caught out its hot one minute and drenching rain the next... which makes for great driving along a dirt road, slip slidding all the way...Praise The Lord for my Jeep :)

The congestion and seeming chaos in the town has to be experienced and the pollution smelt...suprisingly I now weave my way through and am sure my driving has deteriorated considerably by British standards !!

I think my living conditions are fine but my Dad found many things which needed fixing...and experienced how long things take to do and what you have to go through to achieve a simple task here :)

He had sooooooo many questions about missionary life and just what is it we do here...hopefully by the end of his time he has a much better understanding of just what i am doing and why there is sooooo much more to do that I have to stay for longer....

I did get them both working of course....to good an opportunity to miss two electricians in a country which has few trained electricians..and we always have things that need doing..

Enjoy the pics below...Still can't believe they were actually here....

Dad trying to pound Yam...Painting the new parlour in the new girls compound...

My Sister up close and personal with some of the new girls.. The older girls joining in ...all hands on deck.

Fixing the electrics...

An Amazing night to remember.....

2009-05-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I travelled to another part of Nigeria 9 hours away south, to Egbe...It was very different climate and terrain than in the Plateau , much more tropical and ohhhhh so hot ! !

This place used to be a big SIM base years ago but at the moment there are no SIM missionaries there, but lots of work going on with the Fulani people.

The Fulani are a large nomadic tribal people whose lives revolve around cows, they are practicaly all Muslim and they move around depending upon the grazing availability for the cows. Well I got to visit a Fulani camp and was shown around and saw the cows coming in and the wives and children and then we were invited to stay the night !!!

Well I was a bit daunted by the prospect as I was with three guys and I was the only woman, and men and women in that culture are very seperate....so I would be on my own with the women who didnt speak English and who were surrounded by children , and from a very different religious and cultural background than my own....BUT well I did it and it was an amazing experiene...

See the pictures of where we stayed....

This is the lady I stayed with, in this hut , with her and three children...It was amazingly comfortable and dry and remarkable to see how resourceful you can be when you live off the land. This entire home was made from branches and palms and grasses, including the bamboo bed I slept on. It was suprisingly spacious and waterproof.

This is the inside, you can see the bamboo beds and here one of the children drinking out of a calabash (a seed pod )

Here the lady is using yesterday's milk to churn into butter. Once again a calabash is used and manually shaken until thick. Above see the decoration they put onto their bowls all grow from the ground.

This is the daughter, helping the mother from an early age, the boys look after the cows and the women look after the home and children, very clear divisions of labour.

What you can see here is breakfast being made, a kind of steamed porridge served with fresh milk from the cows :) all cooked inside the hut as it was raining outside....

The hospitality shown by this family was amazing, How many of you would let a stranger sleep in with your family and be so hospitable ? I was able to communicate using Hausa and sign language a bit and was totally blown away to catch a glimpse of how people can live with no electricity and running water, totally off the land and cows and sharing with their families everything they have.

I hope that I was a little ray of light into this home, one very different from my own but one in which I was made to feel very welcome.

The simple things in life are the best.....

2009-04-10T04:03:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week we recieved a gift from Aunty Jamie !!! we all miss her sooooo much and the girls were so excited to see photographs of her and them and most of all to recieve lollipops...

They had great fun looking at the colour of each of their tongues after sucking....it was very funny..

Never underestimate the small things in life, Count your blessings and smile :)

Just look at the colour of the water !!

2009-04-10T03:48:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago while staying over in the village the daily bathing ritual was taking place and we aunties suddenly noticed that our girls towels didnt look too clean !! I guess due to many factors, lack of water, a machine !, and the fact its hard to wash a towel with a bar of soap in a bucket...

So aunties to the rescue we decided we would take them and wash them all :)

Well we had no idea how dirty they were...probably not been washed maybe for a year... until we decided to pre wash them in my bathtub....see for yourself the colour of the water...

This was after two washes and plenty of Ariel....we were amazed at yellow towels once again looking yellow !! and wondered why we had not noticed earlier the dirt !!!
We gave them back to the girls and they were so excited, but now they are reluctant t use them because they keep insisting they are clean and they dont want to get them dirty !!!
Always be thankful for a washing machine.....

Ignorance or Evil ?

2009-03-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Meet Emmanuella aged 8 years...
Her Story :-
She was born in 2000 and has two older brothers. She was living with both parents up until the age of four years when her mother died. She was taken back to her Mother’s family and has not seen her father since. She was living with her grandmother but the grandmother’s family have never really accepted her. During the Jos crisis in 2008 the family home where she was staying was burnt and since then they have been staying with various relatives.
Last week on 5th February her life changed. Her Aunt’s son was accused of being in the secret cult and was taken to a prayer man for deliverance. As part of that he was asked to give names of other children involved in the cult, he gave Emmanuela’s name. So she was taken to the prayer man and was told to confess. She was innocent and had nothing to confess and so the man started to torture her by burning her with a heating coil all over her body. She was in so much pain that she confessed to involvement even though she was innocent. It was at that point then the wider family threatened to kill her and so Grandma brought her to us at Gidan Bege. It is difficult to understand what makes someone do something like this to a child, is it Ignorance or Evil ?
To me it seems a bit of both. The traditional religion here still believes it is necessary to cleanse the evil out of someone and even when people become Christians it is very easy in a crisis that they revert back to old habits like the Native doctor rather than God. This is a classic example of how Satan has twisted things that a “prayer man” can whilst praying inflict harm…imagine how she will feel when people pray over her in the future…
We see many things like this here and partly the discipleship and teaching in the church is at fault too so people do not trust that God is sovereign and is all powerful and has defeated Satan. It is only through his power we can minister here to children who have been treated like this , precious children to whom God has given a chance of a new life of love and care. Praise God that Emmanuella has the chance of healing and many more like her keep coming brought by God to us. Please keep praying for us and our ministry here.

Valentines Day for our girls.....

2009-02-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we were priviledged to be invited by a local church to a special Valentines programme for our girls....The girls and I loved it...they all got dressed up in their finery and all looked great and were excitedly waiting since early morning to be picked up. I crammed about 15 of them in my Jeep and the rest in a minibus and off we went.

We had never met these people before but they were great and so hospitable to us all. There was just us and a few of them in their church and they sang and danced and the Pastors wife told stories to the girls..Our girls love to perform too and sang and told memory verses..

There were lots of highlights for me but a few to share...Two of our girls Simi and Rebecca who have been in the ministry two years both stood and gave their testimonies and brought tears to the eyes....But even more special was the fact that then our two new girls who have only been with us a few weeks and days stood and told of the horrific things they had been through and how thankful they were that the ministry had taken them in....it was awesome.

The lady who invited us Comfort sang special songs to us and then gave each girl a big bag of toiletries and sweets and biscuits.. the girls were so excited to recieve their very own sponge and bars of soap.....

A few pics below ....

What a great way to spend Valentines day...surrounded by little girls and Jesus love demonstrated by these new friends of our ministry....awesome

The Old and the New...

2009-02-18T11:10:00.000-08:00

During these last couple of weeks we have been re- evaluating the function of our ministry here in Kings Kids, weve been writing policies and looking at a holistic approach from the day children come in to how we should best exit them and all the training we aim to do along the way..
Its great to be able to have an overview and to see all the amazing ways that God is helping to shape and mould us to meet the needs in this society.

At present we have 6 new boys from the street at Gidan Bege and in the last two weeks we have had two new girls brought to us. We are currently visiting some of our older boys families to see who can be reconcilled back this summer after living with us for a number of years , and at the same time weve visited those who left us a year ago and we have heard lots of stories about how well they are doing and what changed people they are :)

These are our two new girls... Blessing on left aged 14 years and Emmanuela aged 8 on right.
Both came to us running for their life as a result of occult involvement. Already in such a short time they have lapped up the love and attention shown to them. Praise The Lord we got a new aunty to live with them the day Blessing arrived...great timing.

This picture shows another cycle to the ministry...the Uncle here Waisu was one of our original boys who came from a M background and lived on the streets until aged 10 he came to us. Now he has finished schol and has recently been to a discipleship training course in Ywam and is now serving as a junior uncle in Gyero. He is doing great at teaching the little ones and an excellent role model with such a lot of experience to share.

The old and the new...God is in control of this ministry and as we continue to welcome new ones in and send old ones out He is glorified.

A night in the village....

2009-02-05T10:54:00.000-08:00

For all those of you that have been wondering just what exactly is it like to spend the night in the village with our girls....read on and enjoy the pictures.
Last night was a typical night...The children are all in classes till 4pm and when they come out have lots of energy...so I decided we would get some exercise and so we went to play football...They are gradually learning how to play together as a team...but it generally is very noisy but they get to run around a lot. So after all that exercise they need to bathe....Now bathing is a fascinating process here as the is no running water in the village . All afternoon buckets of water from the well have been sitting in the sun to get warm, the girls stand in the middle of the compound and are lathered from head to toe with soap and then water is carefully tipped over them. I started this last night but was quickly demoted as i was using too much water !! I sometimes forget that water is in short supply here . They then have to rub their entire body in vaseline....It is amazing to watch as the bigger ones scrub their little sisters and grease their bodies....

After bathing we had electricity and so started to watch a film...breaking in the middle to eat food, last night was touwe (made from ground maize) and okra soup , everyone ate with great enthusiasm.

after the film, all were worn out from the day including Aunty Nicky and it was only 8.30pm !! so as is custom we had evening prayers and off to bed.:)

Some were out like a light, others took the opportunity to be doing their homework, all sisters big ones helping little ones it is so lovely to see how they look out for each other in that way without being prompted...

AS you can see it is custom here to put clean clothes on after bathing and then to sleep in them. Getting up in the morning and putting you then put on your uniform for school.

We slept .......until around 4.30 when the cockrels start going and the the church next to us starts ringing its gong at 5am calling people to prayer and so we hear singing etc... and then at 6am its time for our girls to get up and start their own singing and praying for morning devotions :) so an early start...as school starts by 7.45 .... All of the older girls have their jobs to do, looking after little ones, washing plates, sweeping the rooms and compound etc...while I drink my tea :)

Then off to school and a chance for the biggest three to have discipleship with their Aunty....They are so keen and enthusiastic to read the Bible and discuss their faith it is great to help them grow. In the picture below are Elizabeth (left to right) Alherei and Ruth. We pray and then its time for getting in their uniforms and off to school. It is by now 10.30 am but it feels like we have done so much already....the girls have an hour walk to school....no small task in the heat and dust.

So there is a typical night/morning in the village. It is great to spend such quality time with our girls , watching them grow and mature and have such a zest for life in a safe and loving environment.

It really makes me appreciate my shower and toilet everytime i come back to my home and yet i see them with so little so happy that it is very challenging to me ... and to us all

Praise God that He is helping us to make a difference in these children's lives.

Back to school........

2009-01-25T12:34:00.001-08:00

These last couple of weeks have been a bit hectic as we have been getting all our children back to school and indeed starting some that have transfered to different centres into school. This is obviously costly and we Praise the Lord that despite the financial crisis He has provided enough for us to put all our children into school this term again.
For those of you who read previously about our new little girl 'Favour' check out these new pictures of her.....we started her in nursery school last week....

It was an emotional moment as i took her to register her in school, she clung to me and I could imagine what it feels for all mothers to send your child to school !!!
What an awesome priviledge we have in this job...to care for these little ones whom God has given to us...

Girls visit Aunty Nicky

2009-01-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

On Friday the girls came to visit me at my house...all 20 of them..It was a great time --a first for them and me as i cooked traditional Nigerian food by myself and they liked it !!! Of course they were fascinated by my toilet and the fact that hot water can come out of a tap , so there was a constant stream in and out of the bathroom and no hot water left by the time they went home...It is fascinating what little everyday objects to us are a source of fascination to so many...we have so much to be thankful for. It was really nice to give them an occassion to dress up for and to treat them with nice things...to make them feel special as they were created to be..

Christmas and New Year Celebrations

2009-01-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

As I write this we are beginning a new year... where has this last year gone ? It doesnt seem very long ago that it was last Christmas but then on the other hand sooooo much has happened , so many changes have occurred and we can only Praise God that he sustained us throughout the year and look forward to all that will come this one.

Because of the curfew beginning at 7pm New Year celebrations were curtailed in Jos...so I spent the night in the village with our kids...and it was one of the best New Years i can remember in a while. It was so much fun playing games with our boys and girls and laughing and joking with them, and as we settled down to watch a film I couldn't help thinking how great it was to be able to love on these girls and what an awesome privilege to be in a position of looking after 19 girls. They are all awesome and so enthusiastic, as soon as i arrive in my car i am mobbed by everyone trying to hug me all at once, carrying my bags for me, sitting on my lap (usually 3 at once) and so thankful for everything :)

Life here is very unstable and unpredictable and chalenging, but these precious children are what makes it all worthwhile, and i couldnt think of a better way of welcoming in the new year , than to be in this place at this time, knowing this is where God wants me to be , and doing what he wants me to be doing.

Below are some of the glimpses of this christmas.....

God's timing is always spot on.....

2008-12-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

Well I am now back in very hot and sunny Jos having come from thick snow and -10C in Chicago.....quite a contrast. Many of you will know that while i was away riots broke out in Jos as a result of a closely contested election for control of our state. A lot of damage to buildings, people's property and to people was done in just two days before the army took control of the city. We are now in a relative state of uneasy peace under curfew and we pray that nothing starts again.

Being away from here at such a time was very hard as Erin and I sought to find out information about our friends and children. It brought up many questions..Why was I not there? Should I feel guilty that I am not there ? What would the city look like when i got back ? Why had God chosen that particular time to send me to America ? these and many more questions were rattling around in my head....

But...there had been so many confirmations that this was the right time for me to be away , that I knew that he had chosen the timing and so I had to trust that God's plans were best for me , and so he had a reason for me not to be in Jos.

But then came the question ok am i going to go back as planned or am I going to delay ??? A difficult decision to make going into the unknown and a lot of stress deciding....after Erin and I prayed I felt that God was telling me I should come back....Once the decision was made several things happened to confirm this was a good decision, the most miraculous was the return of my hand luggage which had got left behind in an unknown cab all intact, and the fact

that i came all the way back with free bags and they all arrived with me....very miraculous i can tell you.

Once again I have to trust that my Heavenly Father knows the times and dates and he wants me back here. Maybe I will find out one day why I was not here when these awful things happened, but maybe i wont , all I can do is trust him with the future....

Lots to be Thankful for............

2008-11-28T15:37:00.000-08:00

This year I am actually in America for Thanksgiving to experience it firsthand ......After the heat of Nigeria it has been great to experience Autumn again and to see all the beautiful colours in the trees here...and to see all the Pumpkins everywhere, and the fallen leaves.
I love it and am so thankful for the chance to be here.

This celebration is a real family time here and it
has been really great to be able to spend time with Erin and her family, and to be so welcomed into their home.

It is a time marked by eating traditional foods like Turkey and sweet potatoes and cornbraed and of course pumpkins......... all together on one plate...very unlike England but interesting....

It is a time to be thankful to count our blessings for all the people in our lives and to look for things to be Thankful for...this started me thinking ....

What am I thankful for....
* My family who love me unconditionally and who are always supportive of me even if they don't understand my decisions, and have to sacrifice not seeing me very often.
*My friends who walk my journey with me and encourage and support me from all across the world.
*The missionaries who I live and work amongst in Jos who daily encourage me
*The "job" I have been chosen to do by God and for the many people who support me financially and prayerfully so that I can do this work.
*A completely different life now to the one I used to live, despite its many challenges and uncertainties.
* I am soooo thankful for all of the children that God has brought into my life , that I have the priviledge to love and care for.
*Ultimately I am most thankful for the Love of my Heavenly Father who has known me from the beginning and Knows everything that happens to me and can be completely trusted with my life.

I am in Texas...............

2008-11-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

Well I have arrived in Texas.....my first visit to this part of the world...its a long way from Nigeria...but worth it to be reunited with my good friend and fellow missionary Erin again...:)

I have arrived in Autumn and even though this pool looks tempting ....it was freezing.

We enjoyed the first few days staying with the leaders of the Crazy Texas team which come each year to visit us in Nigeria...it was wonderful ...they were so hospitable and we felt easily at home. Their church sponsored my flight to come and so in return myself and Erin spent the weekend speaking to various groups raising awareness of our ministry...

This is a church of 15,000 members and is of the Southern Baptist variety...and i have never seen a church so big it was a huge cultural adjustment to make...but everyone was so friendly and welcoming and for some reason liked listening to my accent :) we hope we have raised awareness of some of urgent needs and inspired more people to visit us in Nigeria...

Erin and Uncle Jerry Me sharing about the ministry at church

Everything is soooooo big here....the cars are huge the lorries massive, the portions of food huge....and the glasses big and then they keep getting re filled .... the houses and yards are massive compared to what I am used to.... all to say its all bigggggggggggggggg....very interesting, now I understand why American people think England is so cute !!!

We are enjoying travelling around , meeting people and sharing about the ministry with all we meet. Yesterday for instance with the people we went to have our feet sorted out with , (our feet get very dry and cracked in the Nigerian climate)so a pedicure was in order...we were telling why our feet were so bad and this led to a great conversation about why are we in Nigeria...and ended up with a fellow customer paying for our pedicure....see how God is blessing us :)

So far soooo good, I will keep recording my reactions to share with you later...watch this space.

Another First for me.....

2008-11-04T11:56:00.001-08:00

On Saturday just gone one of our Uncles from Geyro got married and he asked me to be the Chairlady...

Well I didnt have a clue what that meant !!! and everytime I asked one of my Nigerian friends they just kept laughing at the thought....so it didn't bode well...

Uncle Musa just told me i was expected to say some encouraging words !!! and give a substantial gift !!! sounds easy enough....

So we get ready...all the ladies from Geyro had outfits made in the chosen cloth ( everyone in an organisation likes to be identified here by wearing the same cloth !!) and off we went.

Well we were late arriving and when we get there we were some of the first to come....and certainly no family or a bride...

Then I get asked to substitute for the Chairman ( who had been called away to a funeral) and he was supposed to pick up the bride...so we drive to the pastors house to see not only the bride still getting ready but 10 bridesmaids as well...well no way were they all going to fit so we had to call for a back up !!! meanwhile suddenly my car is being covered in ribbons....despite not being very clean courtesy of the village the day before...

I had never met the bride before....and eventually we arrived at the church one and a half hours later than supposed to start...and then ....

A two hour service in which our boys sang and the Uncle joined in and The bride joined in the choir....and it was all in Hausa....I was in and out of the service being called out to rescue one thing or another....and finally they were married...

We managed to eat small and then proceeded to the reception ground next door....and embarassment as i had to sit at the high table and had to get up and dance in front of a crowd... thankfully by this point Gaylyn and Jamie had joined me and so we danced together whilst people kept coming up and showering us with money !!!

It was tiring but thankfully the chairman turned up so i didnt have to speak ...yeah...

Finally we got home around six in the evening...a truly long day full of cultural learning experiences....hopefully not to be repeated in a while.

Me and my assistant.....

The Old and the Young.....

2008-10-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

This last couple of weeks you can really see that the rains have stopped and the dry season is upon us...everything turns brown and the dust starts to blow and covers everything in your house....it reached 93C this week and for me that is too hot...

Well as a result it is harvest season with many people mainly women gathering crops in from the fields. I arrived one day this week to see our very own KaKa (well in her 70's) threshing what to me looked like grass...on closer inspection it was found to be Accha something which is used like porridge...you beat the grass and it lets go of its seeds which you then spread out in the sun to dry...it is just like it talks about in the Old Testament its amazing to see it enacted...

The Old .....and the New.....

We have another new arrival amongst our girls...making 19 in total...this one however is unusual in that she is tiny...she is somewhere between three and four years and arrived with her brother who is about 9 to live with us this week.

Her name is Favor and she is so small Mama Sati can carry her on her back...God has rescued her big time....Her mother was a single parent and a prostitute and lived on her own with no contact to any family.. she used to go to work at night and tie Favor to the bed post with string so she would not wander and ill treated both of the children. Needless to say they are very attatched to each other having survived together... Then at Christmas time their mother suddenly died and never left any provision for them....

A lady from the local church who tried to befriend the mother took them in but as she has already six children of her own, her husband gave her the ultimatum either them or me....so...amongst much sadness she brought them to us.

She clung to me for the first two hours after the lady left, I carried her around everywhere i went...she is adorable, so small and yet a little character....it is so sad to see how small someone can be and how much they can have suffered already...truly humbling and reminds me of how thankful I am that i had a good safe and loving childhood...the right of every child.

New Girls "skipping along" nicely.....

2008-10-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

Our four new girls have been with us for three weeks now and are definitely blossoming...They all have their jobs to do...sweeping, washing clothes etc.. and have quickly settled into a routine. They are so keen to learn English to speak and to read it...and they can all copy what we are saying...Sandra (aged5) still tries to talk to me in her own tribal language and of course i can't understand a word but that doesn't stop her...she chatters away.

They have all learnt to skip since joining us only Happy had previously seen a skipping rope and the others didn't know what to do with one...but now they are all excited to show you how many skips they can do...

They are so needy of physical affection and as soon as they hear your voice they come running and throw themselves at you !!! this week they nearly knocked down our visitor of 75 years ...she had all four hanging off her...so excited were they to think a Grandma from America had come to visit :)

So although they are exhausting...it is so lovely to see how they are thriving and how just a few weeks of love and care can make such a big difference in their lives. God really saved them from their past and has given them a chance of a new start.

Look at this delightful picture .... Sandra was so happy when we recieved a donation of fish last week, she savoured every last drop and ate it bones and all....her smile says it all...Thank You

"Big" School Girls.....

2008-10-16T12:12:00.001-07:00

Look at these three "Big" secondary school girls ... all ready in their new school uniforms to go to school. They are so excited to be in Secondary school and have no problem with the fact that they have to walk an hour to get there and an hour back again at the end of the day. Its great for Ruth the eldest on the right to have Elizabeth and Alheri join her this year as they all trek together up the road...

Each one of these girls has many stories to tell of how badly they were treated by their families before they came to live with us . They carry the physical and emotional scars on their bodies, as a result of ignorance and superstision, but inwardly they are being renewed each day by their Heavenly Father. They now feel safe and loved and cared for and are thriving...each keen to learn...each with their own struggles...each precious princessess of the King.

Praise God that through our ministry they have a chance to a new life....please keep praying for them they are really precious girls.

new girls....

2008-10-07T11:22:00.001-07:00

Let me introduce you to our new girls......Four arrived on Friday making a total of 18 now living with us....

Two sisters called Happy and Sandra aged 9 and 6 years . They are from a split polygamous home left with their father who is unemployed their aunty took them in but having a lot of children of her own already could not provide for them any longer. They are delightful but soooo needy of affection and care. Happy tells me she is as her name says always happy !!! we will see

The other two are 10 years old on the left Patience and on the right Rose. They both have only one parent alive and have been neglected. Rose has also had a lot of occultic involvement and was at risk from her community

They were shown their room and were so excited to see that they could get to sleep on a bunk bed , the joy in their faces was well worth the effort we took last week with the painting. These girls will stay together for about three months as we train them and disciple them before integrating them with the old girls. It is exhausting keeping up with their enthusiasm and demanding behaviour as they adapt to living with us...please pray for Mama Praise as she lives with them and also has a new baby herself...

To be able to offer these precious girls a chance of a happy, loving , stable life is a real privilege...

At times like these I am reminded why our ministry exists...as we follow our Lord's example to love the little children he cares about so much.

Thank You for helping to make it possible to give a chance of a new life to such as these.

Camping...

2008-10-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend was another first for me...Camping.....in Nigeria and actually in a tent....
A group of ten of us drove about an hour outside Jos to a place called Kurra falls, a truly beautiful little spot around three lakes. It was quite amusing to see how much stuff we loaded in the van for just one night....but we camped in style , courtesy of a couple who have been missionaries here for 26 years and had been to this spot many times...we even had a table cloth on our table.....

It was great to be able to relax in peace and quiet with no tooting horns and constant noise, all we could hear were the sounds of nature around us. We were able to hike up the hills and scramble over rocks , sit in our deck chairs and admire the scenery and cook on an open fire!

Jamie and I slpt in a small childs tent...so small we slept sideways which caused much hilarity as we touched both sides and we are only small!!! just as we were trying to go to sleep we were assaulted by creatures, it took us a while to work out what it was in the dark, a bit unnerving but we figured it was bats in the end as they were dropping from the trees and scurrying in the leaves etc around us !!! but all a bit scary in the dark...

But it was a true little oasis and was very refreshing to our souls....a place to be visited again before too long. A place where it was possible again to appreciate our Creator God and have a real sense of peace....Hallelujah.

Look at my crazy assistant !!! needless to say we had a great time playing in the trees ...I will surely miss her loads when she leaves in December...

Training the Leaders of Tomorrow

2008-10-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days have been holidays here due to the Muslim sallah celebrations and so it was a great opportunity for our children to have some training in some of the practical things of life....

We are having 6 new girls join us this week, all orphaned and all needing to come now now....so I decided that the senior girls and i would paint the building where they will stay as it was in a desperate need...

These girls have never done anything like it in their lives but it was great training for them, something which will be useful to them in the their future homes !! and to help them to take responsibility for these new sisters

The next morning around six thirty i awoke and heard a lot of activity outside and i saw all of our boys and uncles outside cutting grasses and clearing the banks along the road near our compounds....it was great to see the uncles leading by example and showing the boys how to use the hoe and sythe and to take pride in the appearance of their surroundings. The girls too were included and all did their section....

I was reminded of the holistic nature of our ministry, to provide training practically and spiritually for our children so that they can have an impact on their society when they are older. In doing such tasks as these hopefully we are empowering them to be able to help themselves and others.

It was a priviledge to work alongside our girls, covered in paint and exhausted i might have been but a real sense of achievement was felt all round and a lot of fun into the bargain.

"Miracle" update

2008-09-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been following my blog, I am going to share some recent photo's of the little girl Miracle that our manager adopted after she was found abandoned covered in dirt by dogs chewing the umbilical cord....she is now 10 months old and has started to walk !!! she didn't bother crawling just got up and walked...she is such a beautiful little girl it is so hard to imagine why someone should want to abandon her, but God had other plans for her life....and she is a walking Miracle........

Parcels.....

2008-09-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

I just want to share with you a glimpse of what my life is like here by telling you about my experience today at the Post Office...
Just think how difficult can it be to post a parcel ??? simple you would think huh ? NO today the process took me an hour......
I love recieving parcels :) and have recieved two this week ( am a happy girl ) and so I thought it was about time i caught up with a few people's birthdays i had missed.... so i packaged and labelled three parcels and stuck them well with tape so they would not come undone and went to the post office. I was directed to a window round the back of the building for parcels. I met a friendly man who tried to help.....a very unfriendly lady came and told me i had to undo my parcels for immigration purposes, despite me telling them exactly what was inside....so having asked if they were sure they had tape to do them up i reluctantly complied!!! trying very hard to be patient and tolerant....
She then went away and the man proceeded to try and squash them into a box, he folded one of them in half!!! right in front of me....I couldnt believe it and then when he worked out how much it would be .....It was a horendous price...so i asked whether there was a cheaper way of doing things and was directed inside now...
I went to one lady and she told me it was impossible to do !!! and then another one called me over and said they could do it!!! she then proceeded to weigh them and it was slightly cheaper and so proceeded to give me stamps. Well she gave me so many stamps they had to be stuck all over the parcel....( no big stamps it seems) and the gum on the back is not very sticky and so they would not stick very well to the parcel....we tried and tried....
She directed me out of the building and round the other side to post them, well when i found where to go the people freaked out at the way i had tried to stick the stamps and insisted i got some glue and stuck them. So when i asked for glue they all said sorry you will have to go to a shop and buy some !!! ( by this time my stress levels were rising....i was wondering how hard it was to try and post a parcel here !!!)
So i went out carrying my parcels covered in stamps and bought some glue, one nice lady could see i was a bit stressed and folowed me to help me stick !!! while sticking she asked me about myself and what i was doing and told me how much she liked the British !!! and laughed at my frustration with trying to post my parcels.
She then offered to take them back to the place where we had previously been and as i thanked her i gave her the pot of glue, she laughed as i said to her that her their need was greater than mine.... It wasn't until she walked away with my parcels that i thought i hope she was honest and did put them in the post and didn't keep them herself !!!
So if you recieve a parcel from me soon....it will be a miracle , and know it has come with a lot of feeling.....and stress......

Girl's Camp

2008-09-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

We have just completed our first week long girl's camp :) we had nineteen girls including staff children and we took over an the SIM guest house for the week.

We decided to take the theme of "The King and I " thinking of ourselves as Daughter's of the king and therefore as Princesses.

We wanted all of these precious girls to really feel loved and special as so many of them have had such traumatic backgrounds and I think we succeded. We chose as our theme verse -

and everyday we looked at a diferent aspect of the verse building up to an invitation to a banquet on our last evening.

The girl's experienced many new things including :-

sitting at a table to eat their food , with knives and forks and table cloths...trying new foods like pancakes and pizza and french toast...

jumping on a trampolinemaking jewellrymaking cookieslearning how to tie and dye fabric going in a swimming pool jumping in off the side

standing on their hands and climbing trees as a part of a treasure hunt...

and we even had singing round a campfire and toasting marshmellows...
The highlight of the week came on the last day as the speaker issued them all with an invitation to accept Jesus's offer to be a Child of God personally and ten of them made commitments:)

That evening we had a Princess banquet and they all dressed up and we were able to find tiarras and shawls and even had a three tier Princess cake!! we decorated the room with candles and fairy lights and had live music playing....they were so amazed, we ate a nice meal and then they were taught Irish dancing much to their delight.... our Ka Ka so enjoyed herself she said she thought she had gone to Heaven ! see her all dolled up...
Truly it was a great Princess camp, all of our girls felt loved and special by their Heavenly father who loves them as they are and longs to heal their hurts and restore them to the people he created them to be. It was such a priviledge to share this week with them and see them blossom under the love and experiences they had, I pray they will remember it for a long time to come.

1st anniversary and new beginnings....

2008-09-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

As i write this blog I am celebrating my first year here in Nigeria as a Missionary !! how the time has flown, It seems not that long ago since I arrived in Jos and yet so many things have also happened in that time . I am thankful to God that he has provided all that I have needed for this year, financially, emotionally, physically and spiritually. He has protected me throughout and has kept me well :) no small thing here I can assure you.

I am amazed at all the things that i just accept as normal now and don't even notice. We had some new girls arrive this week and as I was orientating them i was reminded of some of the unusual things I don't even notice anymore...the way that Ladies carry large quantities of things on their heads and babies on their backs , the amount of people fitting into a taxi, the goat being carried on a motorbike, the constant tooting of horns,the fact we wash every food in bleach before we eat it, the fact that nothing is priced and everything is battered for, and you have to go many places to find what you need, no one shop sells everything, the way the people arrange their pyramids of tomatoes for sale by the side of the road, that we drink bottled water, that we have security guards 24 hours, that we are constantly wearing skirts, that we have to make all food from scratch nothing is ready made and so cooking takes a lot longer, that we all have househelp to cook and clean and shop for us...

There are definitely some things that i will never get used to....the driving, the roads full of potholes, the crazy motorbikes which weave in and out of traffic and come on both sides, it is so hard to not hit them....constantly being stared at for being white, the noise and lack of open spaces to relax in, the corruption, the way things always break down in and around your home and the way nobody ever finishes a job completely !!!

But I am praising God that I have enjoyed my year, have done many things and have gone in many new directions I would not have dreamed possible a year ago as he has lead me in to many new areas of ministry. In many ways i know i am a changed person and it is difficult to imagine my life back in England this all seems so normal to me now.

The last few days I have been involved in co leading a leadership orientation for our new leader in Gyero. Rev Ayuba is joining us and it is so important that we all as a team put all the difficulties behind us and strive to look to the year ahead, learning the lessons and moving on.

on the left is Rev Ayuba being officially welcomed by our Manager Rev Haruna this weekend. Please pray for him as he leads this new phase at Gyero.

Tomorrow we begin another new thing a week of camp for our girls...we are all very excited as the preparatons are complete and we can begin. Jamie and Corrine (below) and Anna and myself will be leading, please pray we have a great time loving on our girls...

I look forward to the next year ahead and am excited to see all that God will do through the ministry to impact the lives of the children he puts into our care.

Reconcilliation of our boys

2008-08-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

The last two days have been wonderful, we packed five boys yesterday and three today to take them and all their stuff to go back and live with their families. We all piled into a minibus and having said goodbye to their friends and home ( some for the last five years ! ) we set off along the very wet and soggy and extremely muddy Gyero road.

slip sliding along we travelled yesterday in and around Jos and today to some more remote villages. It is such a priviledge to take these boys home , they were so excited, parents were dancing with joy as their child came home. One of the boys mum's said she was the happiest woman alive as her Son is a new boy and she is so thankful to God that he is back reunited with her :)

Look at the huge smiles on Emma's parents face...all of these families welcomed us really well and served us with minerals and it was a joy to be the Lord's servant and recieve the thanks on his behalf.

Today we were able to take Fidelis home to his village and nine brothers and sisters. He has been with the ministry for five years on account of his life being at risk due to occultic involvement. His family live in the middle of nowhere, so far that most are uneducated and rely on farming for their income. There are children everywhere and local materials are used for house, despite the obvious poverty these are very happy and welcoming people. Due to the remote locality it would take him 2 hours to walk to secondary school and so we bought him a bike , he was so delighted to own such a thing.

As we left each child we prayed for them and promised to return three times a year to check on their progress. Pray along with us as they adjust to living back in their communities and for all their friends left behind , and thank God for the ministry which really is making a difference in so many children's lives. Thank you too for your continued support without which we could not do this work.

Check out the size of the maize in the village !!!!

Camp reflections.......

2008-08-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

As I write we have just finished camp for this year within our ministry. We had two seperate camps one for junior boys and one for senior, which meant a total of 175 boys attended.....For the first time I was helping to lead Senior camp for 70 boys here in Jos and we had a team come from Moody church in Chicago to help with the teaching and discipling of our boys.

The theme above was unpacked each day, and the boys were encouraged to walk daily with courage, endurance, self sacrifice, vision , compasion and discipline in their lives. Please pray that the lessons learnt will stick with them as they live out their faith.

One of the highlights of the day for me was the morning devotions, the worship was great as the uncles lead us in song the boys love to dance as they worship , totally uninhibited, unlike us Brits...

Then every afternoon we did various activities and i as one of the few people who could swim was assigned as lifeguard. This is fine until you consider we are in the height of the rainy season and that the pool was far from clean !!! as you can see from the following pics it was quite an experience...one of those moments when you just pray and dive in....

I loved spending time with the kitchen ladies they had a hard job to do but are such servants, always cheerful despite being exhausted. They are so resourceful and produced a lot of great meals. Take a look at their facilities....

See even i tried to help but it was so difficult these ladies are so strong and don't seem to get affected by the smoke...my eyes were streaming... Imagine cooking for a hundred people three times a day on an open fire .....

I liked being able to help organise but also constantly had to keep my attitude in check as i was generally enabling others to have a good time, and therefore was not personally doing a lot of hands on with our boys as others were. It is difficult being the behind the scenes person and i learnt a lot about myself and some of the lessons God is trying to teach me . I realise I need to check my motivation and don't think of myself more highly than i ought , which in this culture can be difficult as we as white people are generally put up on pedestals and i need to follow the example of my Saviour who was a perfect example of a servant . He got down on his knees and washed people's feet and didn't moan and so I need to humbly follow his example.

Following Jesus example....

2008-08-05T08:38:00.001-07:00

Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him. . . . After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and asked, 'Do you understand what I was doing? You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because it is true. And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. You know these things-now down them! That is the path of blessing."
- John 13:3-5; 12-17

Today in Gyero this is what happened. A team from USA brought many pairs of trainers and socks and they washed all of our boys and girls feet and put on clean socks and gave each a new pair of trainers. Whilst washing they talked individually with each child and prayed with them and celerated this new gift together. It was awesome to see the delight on each of our children's faces, especially the new girls ( i dont think they have experienced anything quite like this before !) they were all smiling and dancing in their new shoes. See the following images to give you a glimse of our day....

The team washed each child's feet ( which were very dirty in the we season in the village it is difficult to have clean feet in flip flops !! ) and dryed them and fitted them with brand new shoes...

I was filled with conflicting emotions....it was really humbling to see this team young and old alike washing each child's feet so tenderly, our children glowed with the love showed to them, it was also very hard to have to turn children away from the village who would have liked to have a new pair of shoes as well. There is so much need here it is difficult when you can't help everyone and you are the one to be hard and turn them away...sometimes I don't like being a leader !!!

To stop myself getting too stressed supervising I joined in and washed some of our senior boys feet, it was an amazing experience...to begin with all sorts of things were going through my head, I haven't done this before, their feet will be really dirty and smelly etc....but I knew Jesus was challenging me to humble myself and get involved. So I did and it was very special as individual boys special to me found their way to my bowl. They loved it and so did I :)

This was an amazing way to be used by the Lord, and so practical to show His love to our children who He has brought to us. So sad too that a pair of shoes back home everyone takes for granted that they should have, whereas here it is a real treat to be given a new pair of shoes.

New arrivals in Gyero !!!

2008-07-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

This week has been full of new things, we have had two visiting teams here, one from Ireland doing construction work on our buildings as we try to re organise the structure of the place. It is exciting to see a brand new building nearly completed to house an Uncle and his family and 12 boys. We are working towards having all our boys living in small family units alongside an uncle and his family, for more accountability and less institutional living. The team from Mission Africa are demolishing walls of old buildings and converting them as well as putting the finishing touches to the new one.

The other team has been from Conneticut and they have been great at encouraging us as staff and doing many exciting activities with our kids. We have learned how to play baseball, have painted tee shirts, have made photo frames and have painted a huge map of Africa on the outside of our classroom wall so all of the boys can grasp where they live in relation to other parts of Africa. see below.....

It is really good to have teams come alongside us in the ministry, they bring many things for our children as well as adding so much to all our lives while they are here..so even though it is tiring it is worth it. It really helps people to see what the ministry is really about as they visit, many of these people have been supporters for years but its not until they come does it really all become alive. Some come year after year and are such a blessing.

Also this week a new arrival in the form of a baby girl born to one of our Uncles....so tiny and all wrapped up in traditional style here. The pics below show her with her big brother and father.

We Thank God for her safe arrival . Pray with us as over the next few weeks we have many visitors coming, Pray we will appreciate all of them and that God will really do an amazing work in all of their lives as a result.

a day of contrast---the joys of reconcilliation.

2008-07-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

We set out early morning for a journey to take two of our boys and one girl to visit family about an hour away from here. We squashed in my jeep and began the drive. The roads here are something else, driving is a challenge as for some unknown reason everyone is in a hurry ( totally in contrast to normal life here ) and there are potholes and armed police checkpoints and nailboys to contend with. We sailed through and arrived at our first port of call which was Joseph's aunties home. Joseph is 18 we discovered and has lived with us about four/five years and hasnt been back to see his aunt in all that time. His parents died when he was tiny and the aunt looked after him for a while but was unable to afford to continue as he and his big brother got older and so he came to us.

He is quite a shy boy and when we arrived everyone in the compound was so suprised and happy to see him he had tears in his eyes as they were exclaiming about how big he had grown etc... as we left him to visit for the weekend to get to know his family again he was chocked up but this is the start of the process for him....

Then we went a bit further along the road and found Nehemiah's grandparents. He was so happy to be home and they were delighted to see him. This is only the second time he has visited in the last four years to and is burdened to preach to his older brother who has an alcohol problem, and to check on his younger brother after they were all orphaned years ago. Nehemiah came to us due to involvement in the occult and his life was in danger, however now his family are accepting he has changed and hopefully in the next few years he should be able to return, when he finishes school.

All was going well so far...but this was about to change....
We had with us our newest girl Godiya as we were trying to discover more about her background. She was found begging on the streets and brought to us last week. To begin with she threw herself into activities with the other girls and seemed to settle well, then suddenly on Monday she packed her bag and said she had a dream that her grandma was sick in the village and needed her to look after her !! this was the first we knew about any family as she had told us she was an orphan and didnt know her wider family. Her behaviour dramatically altered and so we all had an uneasy feeling in our spirits and knew we had to check this out fast....so !!!
We arrived at the village and she jumped out and ran up to a crippled lady who she told us was her grandma...the lady looked a bit strange at us and didnt speak...a bit weird we thought and soon as were "white visitors" we attracted attention of two "angels" dressed as teachers from the village who started asking questions of our Pastor and then started shouting at the girl !! odd we thought as they marched her off in a different direction and told us to follow ! Where are we going we asked "to see her family" came back the reply !!! we thought she was an orphan so this was a surprise to us....we discovered she did indeed have two parents and was one of 10 children!!!!! and she had run away from home about a month ago and the lady she had taken us to wasnt even a relative !!! The parents were farming so Pastor jumped on the back of a motorbike and disappeared to find them on the farm...meanwhile the whole of the village had turned out to stand and stare at these white ladies , and the rain came and so our "angels" took us to see their pastor and then the leader of the womens fellowship, even though they had never met us before they took great delight in sharing the horror of the story house to house.... they arranged food for us all while we were waiting....
The mum arrived and told us a tale about her daughter and we realised God had indeed spared us from a whole lot of potential trouble !! she herself just carried on as though nothing had happened...really bizarre...and so we left her with her family and the village with something to talk about.
Just a crazy drive home, the Lord really protected us, despite being offered an aligator for sale waved at our car as we slowed at a roundabout !!

What a day of contrasts...over 140 miles covered ....a huge cultural experience....and real thankfulness that we had acted on our instincts ....and we arrived back home safely to tell the tale!!!

A new assistant ....

2008-07-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

This is my new assistant.....her name is Jamie and she is from Seattle in USA.... she is here for six months and has come at such a great time to help me with the mountain of work which has come my way...as camp draws near and Erin is still at home sick so i am taking on some more tasks...( for an update on erin check out her blog at erinrigsby@blogspot.com)

She is great and is slowly getting used to all my strange British sayings....She was very puzzled this week when i asked her to put something in my boot, she didnt know what it was !!!

She is helping with the girls ministry as the girls really miss Aunty Erin and need someone to be with their family group...

Its great for me to have someone observe what i am doing and comment on situations, it renews enthusiasm and helps me to know that my life is as random as i think it is. No one day ever turns out quite as expected...

Praise the Lord for his provision.......

new girls....join us

2008-07-13T11:49:00.001-07:00

Our Girls ministry is growing, in the last few months we have had five girls join us for a variety of reasons. They range from age 13 to six and two are sisters. We are now up to 15 !!!

The three in the top picture are Miriam, Patience and Precious and the bottom two Mary and Godiya. Two came due to being orphaned recently, one has been involved in occultic practices and is with us for her own safety and two came as a result of their father dying and mother becoming invloved in prostitution. They have all settled in really quickly and are so happy just to get the chance to be a child, a girl surrounded by other girls and to feel safe again. Its a pleasure getting to know them. Obviously they come with challenges, one being very few clothes except what they arrive in !!! but our new Grandma is such a prayer warrior she spends hours praying over the girls and loves them to bits and Mama Sati absorbs them all into her family...with such great role models we pray they will grow into strong women of God.

One of them was so protected by God this week. Her parents both died in the last few years and her older sister ran away and she and another sister were taken seperately to be a housemaid to a distant relative. This girl was treated quite badly and not schooled and had to work hard and then this week the lady who was "caring" for her told her they were travelling to Jos. They arrived and went into town and the lady told her to wait while she went to get something and never came back. So this young girl was left stranded , never having been to Jos, knowing no one and having no where to go. She started to beg...and Praise God she begged to a lady who knew of our ministry and who immediately brought her to us.. God literally saved her as who knows what would have happened to her on the street...and she then came into the ministry and has accepted Jesus as her own personal saviour and has started a new life at Gyero...

Back in the saddle ....a few updates to catch up

2008-07-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry to all of you who had started to get used to reading my Blog , I am horrified to see its been since March !!! well plenty of reasons....mostly lack of electricity and internet issues and i have been incredibly busy and i did go on holiday for 3 weeks !!!! so anyways I am now in possession of a generator and will endevour to do a better job of keeping up to date....

So a few things that have been happening around here....brace yourselves.... maybe have a cup of tea and a biscuit and make yourselves comfortable....!!!

RECONCILLIATION

We have continued to work towards reconcilling those boys that have family and are about to take 10 home this summer when school finishes. As you can imagine this process takes time and require lots of visits and paperwork and co ordination to make sure the situation we are sending the children back into is a good one. At Easter time we sent the boys home and then we visited...well quite a challenge as some of them live in remote places, I am very thankful for my jeep ( God obviously knew the kinds of terrain i would need to travel on when he got it for me !!! ) so many times the Uncles tell me to "go straight" and my responce is "but there is no road" to which they laugh and we proceed !!! Then I listen to conversations in Hausa of which i pick up a word or two , and smile a lot and shake hands and drink a mineral and then off to the next house. It has been a huge cultural learning curve for me, I have been in all sorts of homes and have always been treated like royalty , but it has been a real priviledge to meet people.

The families are so grateful for the way their children have changed its a real credit to the ministry and to our Heavenly father who gave us these to look after.

I have now been given the job of managing the reconcilliation process for the ministry !! and managing the team to visit regularly etc.. no small job i cn tell you but one I am loving.

For some of our children there cannot be reconcilliation now, maybe never but wherever we can we encourage visits from family. The following photo shows two of our girls Rebecca and Blessing reunited with their brother Wisdom who is at one of our other centres over an hour away...( because we have all girls in one place) we visited with a team recently overnight and it was unexpected...the delight on his face as he saw his two sisters was awesome...he gave them such a big hug it was hard not to cry....family means so much here...

finale of the sofa saga......

2008-03-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today after weeks of waiting and having a disasterous experience last time my new sofa and chairs arrived..

Well the sofa caused many difficulties again trying to fit through the door but eventually it was in and then the chairs and i am glad to say it looks great...and is comfortable too.

see for yourself....

Hopefully this will last me many years so i dont have to go through the saga all over again.....

How to solve the problem of water in Gyero......

2008-03-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

As the dry season gets even hotter in these last few months before the rain comes it is a challenge for most people to find water to drink. Not only water but clean water..it is really sad to see so many people here drinking dirty water.

Well out in the village it is not usually a problem but our bore hole has been broken ever since i got back and so the uncles and a "well man" decided to try fix it...well what a performance , everyone was trying to fix it, including so many of our children it was real entertainment and its still not fixed....

we take it all to pieces....and are left with a pipe sticking out of the ground...

the boys try and pull the pieces of pipe apart...

two try...and then many more join the tug of war...

all hands on deck trying to put bits together

three uncles pulling and pushing, trying to re- join pipes

how to make the pipes pliable in a village

so in the end after hours of work they put it bck together and it still doesnt work!!!! so we are having yet another "expert" coming to try again...please pray with us that they are successful and our boys get clean water again soon....

our girls

2008-03-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Look at how industrious our girls are as they are learning how to knit and crotchet in the village.
They are so excited that they are knitting booties for babies and hope to make enough to sell in the village. They are attatched to their knitting needles now whenever they have any spare time its so cute to see.

We interviewed a widow too this week and took her out to meet the girls, it was so great to think at last we can have a Grandma to live with the girls. This lady had been praying for 3 years to be used by the Lord in this kind of work, after having 9 children herself and having been a widow for twenty years...We pray she will setlle in well next month to living in the village.

Our girls continue to be a delight, they are so enthusiastic about learning new things....its a joy to teach them.

The Lord is holding my hand.........

2008-03-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

I read this verse this weekend in my Bible which is very applicable to where I am right now and i wanted to share it with you...

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

I have been involved in doing many different things so far and with the concentration on Language learning it can seem as though i am disconnected at times from the children i am here to work with. I seem to be doing many new things and it is difficult not to feel unsettled as the future direction of my ministry is not clear. So it is great to know that God directs my steps and he can see the big picture and he knows exactly what he wants me to do, I just have to keep walking in the direction he leads.

The second part of this verse is great as it tells me the Lord delights in every detail of my life. As those who know me will know i am a details person and i like to talk a lot and sort out verbally what i am processing. It is a great comfort to me that God delights to hear all my mumblings, and to those around me who dont need to do that so much. God will never tire of my thought process and need for detail...

Through this period of transition and instability it is easy to stumble and loose focus as the enemy is always keen to fill my mind with doubts. But God stops me from falling...hallelujah.I just need to stop being so clumsy myself!

It is a comfort to know that whatever he has lined up for me in my future that he is right there with me holding my hand. Some of the new things are challenging and change is never easy but I am not alone. My Heavenly father is holding my hand. Sometimes as a single person I long for someone to hold my hand but who could love me more unconditionally and be more reliable than the person who made me and knows me intimately.

I am Thankful he always keeps his promises.

Family Group visits.....

2008-03-12T13:21:00.001-07:00

One of the new things we have been trying with our boys as we have grown so large is to split them into "Family Groups" each about 10 - 12 boys and an Uncle and Aunty. We meet each Tuesday night and twice a month we cook together over open fires in the village. The boys shop for the food and prepare it all and cook it, after collecting firewood in the bush. It is really helping them to get an idea of cost of food and is teaching them how to cook for themselves, and challenging Aunty Nicky how to cook with little facilities and with interesting ingredients....

It is helping the boys to feel connected and we share issues and sing and pray together each week as well as doing fun activities together.

One of the highlights for them has been to come to town to "visit" their Aunty and be spoiled with food and drink ....I have had two family groups here now and it is amazing to see how much food they can eat, whatever i give them is consumed.....

The experience of eating of a china plate with a fork and using a napkin is such a cultural experience for them, its a delight to be able to provide it for them.

Another thing which is of constant amazement to them, is something which it is easy for me to take for granted my flushing toilet and hot water from a tap!!! such things do not exist in their lives so as you can imagine there is a constant stream of boys in and out of the bathroom and people willing to wash up ......

Its a reminder to be thankful for the little things in life which make our live so much easier....

Two of my favourite people

2008-03-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

I am truly blessed by having these two beautiful women in my life, they both minister to me in different ways....

Firstly meet Eunice...... my househelp.

Eunice is a student at the University and she comes two afternoons a week to help me in my house...a luzury you might think but as everything has to be made from scratch and shopping is not just done in a supermarket....she is an amazing help to me. She is such a cheerful person and so hard working , I can help her by employing her and in turn she helps me.

Second meet Ritmua.....

She works in our ministry as well as studying at the local Bible College. She is so encouraging and is a good friend and has an amazing singing voice. She comes at least once a week to my house and we cook together, she is so keen to learn. Its great to have good local friends to learn the culture from and to practice my Hausa conversation.

Praise God for all his blessings.

Beauty even in the dry season

2008-03-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

At times living in a hot and sticky country , where the wind blows in sand from the Sahara and everything gets covered in a layer of dust, where the electricity supply is on and off and many suffer from lack of water, where the fridges defrost and all the food spoils, where it is noisy and dirty and your feet are always dirty......

It is a challenge to find nice things to look at and to restore your soul and lift your spirits...

But look at this....
God has provided me with beauty right outside my door....this tree which looked so dead a few weeks ago is full of bloom and the most amazing scent....and it attracts birds which sing outside my window in the morning..
A cool reminder of my Creator that even in the seemingly barren places there is glimses of his beauty....

look at this little Miracle...

2008-03-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

Look at how this little lady is growing....she is putting on weight and can sit on her own now....
She truly is a "Miracle" ......

With her new Mummy.....
With Aunty Erin............Praise God for the provision of this baby.........

Teaching again....

2008-03-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting a new blog we have had very bad electricity and internet for the last few weeks, so am trying to catch up now....

Teaching again...........................

As you can see from the above photo I was involved with fellow Missionary Anna-Karin in my first "proper " teaching / training day a few weeks ago. We both being former teachers ran a days seminar on "How to Teach" for out Nigerian collegues who are involved in teaching our children in the ministry. Only two of them have had any training of any sort and the rest nothing so it was long overdue.

It was difficult to know where to start in a cross cultural setting....so we picked some basic principles like the importance of good timing both for teachers and boys ( a huge big deal here "African Timing" is something to be experienced !!! ) How to make your classroom a good learning environment, How to encourage and punish children( without beating them!! ) and the importance of setting rules for the classroom. Then in the afternoon we taught the concept of planning the lesson, with an aim and assessment ideas being floated.....

We made them get involved in role play, discuss in small groups and brainstorm...they all coped well we had 20 people including three missionaries....

I really loved it and it was so encouraging to read the comments made in the evaluations...one person wrote it was great not to fall asleep in a seminar because it was so stimulating !!! Someone asked one of our leaders what I used to do in England as they thought i made a great teacher! so maybe I can't get away from my past life after all......

Seriously it was great to be able to see what impact my experience could have on others and we plan to do many more. It is at times like that I know why God has brought me here

Sofa Saga.....

2008-02-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

You would think that purchasing a sofa was an easy thing wouldnt you but not here....

First of all you have to design your own, then find a fabric you think would look good, then find a carpenter and upholsterer and then wait weeks......Then the day comes when you have parted with lots of cash and you get to see what it looks like and whether your design was right....Unfortunately there is a problem if the carpenter doesnt get the measurements you gave and makes something completely different and something that won't even fit through the door !!!

This was my experience today....my friend was waiting for the sofa to be delivered while I was at the hospital with Aminci, I got a call to say that the sofa would not fit through the door and it would have to be left out over night until it could be taken back in the morning. My friend remarked that it seemed rather large and deep and she didn't think i would be able to sit in it and still reach the floor!!! how right she was.

I got home after an extremely emotional day to see something that resembled two thrones...and a sofa outside. As its not rained for months it would seem safe to assume it would be ok outside as its so heavy but dont make assumptions...

I woke up this morning and pulled the curtains to see to my horror that dogs had attacked it overnight and had badly damaged it !!! I promptly burst into tears i already didnt know whether I had any come back with the maker and now i had a badly damaged sofa....
After a few cups of tea .....Erin and I prayed that somehow God would intervene and help us as we were weak and didn't have a clue what to say. The lady came this morning and miraculously could see that the design was crazy and ridiculously out of proportion for me and agreed to take it back and make me another one !! I just have to pay for the dog damage and wait a few more weeks to get it........ Praise the Lord an honest business man a rare find here.

As you can see from the photo I am not amused !!!! ahhhhhhh Nigeria.

A Crazy Couple of Days....

2008-02-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

What a crazy few days, summing up how unpredictable life is here in Nigeria, life is never dull and hardly ever goes according to plan. This last couple of days have had moments of excitement and joy followed by sadness and tiredness.

On Tuesday Aminci a friend of mine went into labour and i was involved with driving her to hospital inorder for her to have a cesarean ( something she was very scared of as no one in her family has ever had an operation before. ) A few hours later she had a baby boy, who was premature and was rushed into an incubator. Ive never seen an incubator quite like this one, little more than a glass box with tubes...the baby was tiny and was struggling to breath. Aminci was confined to bed and the baby was in another part of the hospital so she couldnt see it . Erin and I went to see the new baby and left thinking all was well. The next morning after Hausa class i got a text to say that the baby had died :( barely a day old. Lack of oxygen and limited facilities didnt help , my poor friend didn't even get to hold or feed her baby.

People here cope with death very differently,showing little emotion and the baby was buried that day in their garden. Maybe we see death so much more here life is never taken for granted and seen as the Lord's will

Baby " Miracle "

2008-02-12T04:37:00.000-08:00

My Nigerian Manager and his wife, Reverand Haruna and 'Mommy', took care of Friday, their nephew, for seven years. Just recently Friday died from a sudden sickness at age 12, which devastated Rev. and Mommy. However, God was so good. The day before Friday passed, Mommy was at work at the community health clinic, where she stays for a few nights at a time, since it is outside of Jos. Someone brought in a newborn baby with her umbilical cord still attached. The baby had been abandoned and covered with sand. She was discovered because a dog was biting on her umbilical cord and she began to cry. The mother of the baby, of course, was nowhere to be found. The police interviewed different women in the neighborhood and decided that Mommy was the best candidate to look after the baby while they tried to find her mother. Mommy was caring for her when she received the news that Friday had died. So Mommy bundled her up and took her home with her.
In the midst of the intense grief, God provided a miracle baby to bring joy, comfort and purpose to their lives. I went to their home the day we received the sad news about Friday. When I saw the baby and heard her story I said to Mommy "You must name her Miracle, for indeed she is." She agreed and that is her name. :)
Two months have passed and Miracle continues to bring happiness and God's love into their home. They see how the Lord was so good to them and His timing was just incredible, giving Miracle to them the day before Friday passed. Rev and Mommy have been wanting to have another baby (have 2 older children), but it has not been possible. They are working on formally adopting her.
This picture was taken on Sunday, Miracle's 2 month birthday. She was dedicated at church, which is why she has some eye makeup on - something the Nigerians put on baby girls for special occasions.

Welcome to my new blog.....

2008-02-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

Reconciliation of our boys.
As a ministry a few months ago we started to re- evaluate what we were doing and who we were serving , as we had grown rapidly over the last few years.

We discovered that many of the children have some family and we also looked into those who had been delivered from Occultic practices for several years to see whether they could be reconciled back into their communities. We realise it is far better in this culture if a child grows up with its family as the family and extended family unit is very strong here. As a part of this process we sent home for Christmas about 100 of our boys, and the staff visited them to assess their situations .

Many families stated that they had seen such changes in their children , their behaviour and their abilities had greatly improved and they were pleased to have them back. Of course for some we discovered they need to be with us. We want to exist as a ministry to help those children who have no one to help them and to train and disciple them so they can function well in their society. Some of the older ones we realise need to learn a trade alongside their education , so they can start to be independent when they leave school, and so we have sent some to a Technical Boarding school and they will come back to us or family in the holidays. As a ministry we are committed to help with school fees as long as we can so the children's education does not stop but this as ever is reliant on money being brought in by God.

So this week has been an amazing time for all of us in the ministryas we have been travelling around taking some of our boys back to their families. On Tuesday we took 10 to boarding school as you can see from the picture this was quite an undertaking as they have to go with lots of stuff.... they were excited and nervous at the same time and we were all quite emotional as we left them. We pray they will settle well and make good friends and that God protects them.

Then on Wednesday and Thursday we drove around several villages reconciling boys back to family members. We caused quite a stir turning up in small communities with two jeeps a car and a minibus loaded with mattresses etc..but we took all the boys in the area going home to see where each other lived and we greeted the families and prayed with them as we left their children with them. Mothers were crying, along with us Aunties as we gave back boys ...it was awesome to see the reason why the ministry exists happening before your very own eyes...boys whose lives had been turned around by God and who could now go home....We hope many more will follow in these first ones footsteps.

Here is a picture of Ayuba and Solomon re united with their Dad. He was so happy to see his boys back after being with us for 5 years after their mother died. He has built new rooms for them and has got farm land ready for them to be able to grow food.

This is Bala ( in yellow) with his Mum and two sisters and younger brother re- united in the village. He was greeted by his family who are excited to have him home, after being a changed boy delivered from Occultic behaviour and he can now be a real help to his Mum and older Brother. I was sad to see him leave as I have grown very close to him over my time here but know it is best for him.
As we leave these precious children in school or in their communities we have to Trust that God will look after them and that he knows the plans for their future. They were his children before they were ever ours and he knows them all by name......please pray for them as they adjust to new lifestyles.