We drove in through this:

Click to view larger

Venturing Out

Wow! Today Ben and I joined Devin and Jack and our security officer, Mustafa, for a trip to Etiose. Thanks to our generous supporters, we drove along in the mission’s “fairly used” Toyota Tundra pickup we purchased yesterday. It has AC. And shocks. Ahhhhh. Thank you Lord, and thank you, generous supporters. We owned it 10 minutes before we loaded the back with cement to transport to Etiose.
Anyway… The drive to Etiose is quite interesting! It is an expressway, which means it is a divided highway, but you can choose which side of the divided highway you want to drive on. On either side, you drive on the right as we are used to. Some stretches of road are in far better condition on one side than the other, and it is somewhat easy to predict when you would benefit from the crossover because of the extended red tracks from the red soil entering the roadway. The scenery was beautiful, with ancient gray rock piles as hills and abundant green. The trees were much taller and in many stretches the grass grew right up to the roadway 8 or 10 feet high.
We drove through Okene, where two weeks ago there was a day of rioting, which apparently was just a party got out of hand. Buildings were burned out on both sides of the main road through town. Etiose is two states away, and before we entered Edo state, there was a “government” team of men who waved arms and put several 8 foot long 4x4 boards pierced through with 10 penny nails in the road to stop our truck. They pulled us off the side of the road and then put the nail boards under our front and rear tires and let the traffic resume. Road safety explained we needed to buy a bunch of registrations, and, so we visited with them for a while and tried to explain that we were only carrying money for the school for the Nigerian children. If we gave them our money, the workers at the school would not be able to continue and have the building complete by the time school resumes on the 11th. No matter, we had to part with about $200, which sounds much more dramatic if I report that it was 30,000 Naira. This came down from the 40,000 they originally said we would need to pay. If you don’t have money to pay, you just have to turn around. We received a big pack of stickers and forms we now can present all over Nigeria – which apparently may not actually cover road safety… Clement looked at out packet and let us know we didn’t have 3 of the stickers and authorizations. We stopped and talked with the men on the road back and they assured us they just weren’t out for 2010 yet, but we can come back at the end of January and they will provide them at no charge. Hmmm
At the turnoff for the Etiose school, there was a cassava mill. Easily a hundred people were sitting under shade peeling these long cassava roots, which were stacked in tall white piles all around. We continued up a washed out dirt road to the school site. It amazes me that a camp in the middle of the bush can be so sparkling clean – especially since garbage is literally everywhere here. Using brooms that are maybe 2 feet long and made of a stiff bundle of sticks, they keep the dirt swept sparkling clean! There is a government provided solar well close to the school site, and well packed trails just the right size for one person carrying a bucket on their head stretch off into the bush. The footings for the addition for teacher housing were being dug when we arrived, and the bush was burning right up to the site, with loud crackling all around. We were greeted warmly by some weathered Muslim men and Malaam Sani, the man responsible for the connection with Phyllis and the beginnings of this school which began in fall and has 150 children registered. One man got up of his bench and sat on the ground on a mat so I could have his seat.
I had so much fun with the children! They love to have their picture taken, and then to see the digital image! The little ones smiled, but the big girls gave their best serious poses. My Fulani friends here have helped me learn to count to 10 in Fufulde, so I drew out 1 through 10 in the dirt with them all huddled around and they showed my their learning and laughed and corrected me when I showed them mine! Crouched down in a huddle of their smiling faces, I guess I had a “moment” of revelation, as I realized here I am, trusted by God to represent Jesus to an unreached people group in the middle of the African bush. I am so glad God has made every step of this process so completely clear, proving His faithfulness over and over. How can I begin to show His love? How can I begin to tell them how precious they are in His eyes? Joyfully, I’ll hold those moments perhaps forever. Thanks for your part in getting us here and sustaining us in prayer. We need you, and yet in Christ, we have everything we need! Both/and. Life in Jesus is like that.

Sick on Sunday??

Don’t bother! You don’t get out of church, you don’t get privacy, and you don’t even get to stay sick!

I began the wee hours of Sunday morning with a fierce case of TD – traveler’s diarrhea - and an increasingly bad headache. I’m assuming fever since I was under multiple blankets. I stayed in my darkened room (crossing the hall to the bathroom for many trips in several hours), and church came to me. You see, church here is LOUD, with a loudspeaker outside broadcasting the service. Our Pastor told us he has heard testimonies of people passing by and hearing a message and coming to know the Lord Jesus, so it is for good reason! So, I faded in and out of the “praise the Lord” and “the end is at hand” service from the privacy of my room, in much discomfort from a close-to-migraine feeling.

Now, in case you are considering a trip to Hope Academy, let me confirm to you that it was just a bug – not something I ate, since I ate and drank exactly the same thing as the rest of my family, who enjoyed inside-the-church church. Apparently at the change of the seasons, sickness goes around in Nigeria, too! It is the COOL season now – for just under two months before the three hottest months follow.

At 12:30 or so, minutes after church, I had my first visitors. Pastor Reuben’s wife Helen and children came in to the dark and prayed for me while I lay in bed, aching to raise my head. I had heard the children sing and tried to tough it out and compliment them with hospitality of a Nigerian. They left, then Clement’s wife Blessing came in. Then she left and Mr. Chukuma came in. Devin and the boys sat down to lunch. Then Pastor John’s wife Josephine and her kids came in and prayed for me. Trying to put on a good face, I sat up. I broke out into a major sweat just after she prayed for healing. My headache left. Just like that.

I wanted to get up and shower, but Pastor Reuben came, then Pastor John, each telling me that even now, I had received my healing. Strangely, it was true. God is so good!!

Who needs to sleep away a Sunday?? I should have been more specific about my ailment, since the yucky belly tried to hang around throughout the afternoon with limited success. After all, I’m posting the word “diarrhea” on the blog – why not let all the people in my bedroom know? The headache and fever fled at the mention of HIS name! Next time I’ll not shy away. Ahh, the learning curve…

Into Africa

Our family left Wenatchee on a cold 14 degree Thursday afternoon, drove to Seattle for a wonderful but brief dinner with family and a couple friends, and began our trek to Emi-woro on Friday. God provided a way for our many pieces of luggage to arrive at the airport at 8 a.m. (thanks Kevin), so Devin left the house and enjoyed a very organized rush hour for the last time for two years! The boys and I were able to sleep in, have breakfast, and spend extra time with family, arriving at the airport at 10:30, just about the time the ticket counter opened.

Our next blessing was when we learned the flight was very full and the information we had about Devin’s guitar being counted as a carry on was not going to be true that day. We were troubled by the cost of the extra bag ($250!!), not because it wasn’t in our budget, but because the Lord had provided a way for us to take everything we thought we might wish for at almost no charge. The January team is bringing a library of books and other extras for us for free. This would free our budget up to bring the shipment of donated goods from the Wenatchee Free Methodist Church up from Lagos to Emi-woro when its container will finally arrive. We had trouble getting our carry-ons to 18 pounds the week before and had decided to go ahead and spend $250 once – not too bad for two years out of the country – but now $500?? Yikes! When we got to the gate, we were charged only $200 J

It takes a long time to fly from Seattle to Frankfurt – about 10 hours – but this is not long enough to need sleep if you are Ben Myers, even on Benadryl. Devin got some great sleep, and Jack got an hour or two, and Ben and I had a great time enjoying the videos and the in-flight computer. It showed the time remaining, where the plane was on the globe, and other interesting things like outside air temperature. I expected a long nap for the Frankurt to Abuja leg of the flight, which was just under 6 hours. No such thing. Just a few winks for Ben and I. It was the peace of God which surpasses all understanding that let us fly through customs, receive help immediately and step through to find Phyllis and Clement waiting. Ahhhhh, Africa!

The boys had some pretty good enthusiasm! In God’s mercy the timing of our trip is the best even in the small things. This is the coolest and driest time of the year! Jack said he enjoys the feeling of the air. Traffic is crazy, as was reported. The trip in to the airport had Phyllis and Clement stuck in a traffic jam for four hours, but our travel was without interruption. God is already answering my personal prayer about the exhaust. I had been somewhat sensitive to exhaust, especially diesel, for years, and you throw in a bunch of dust and my body was not feeling the best after the short drive Saturday. The next day was equally thick, and I had no problem!

There was no option for two beds, or rollaways at the hotel, so we enjoyed a good night’s sleep in a bed for four after bucket showers (Ben and Jack love that!). Actually, I hardly slept (this theme is continuing) because of the guests in the hall, the generator out the window… Thankfully, I had plenty of time to pray with much thanksgiving!

We slept a little late and had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, and when we arrived in Emi-woro, we had missed church. Still, many people were milling about and we greeted many, many people throughout the day. We were served a wonderful afternoon meal of roast and potatoes! Our caterer, Pastor Bassey, made us feel very welcome and very full! Before the night fell, the boys were playing with many children, with Ben on the perimeter and Jack taking charge. Devin was welcomed back as a friend, and I was loved on as a long lost Auntie.

We know that we are in the right place at the right time, and we are listening for direction. Phyllis leaves early Friday morning for the US, so we have much to learn, many people to meet, but it is God’s plan, His place, and He is in control.

Praise Him for our loss

We had to put our dog to sleep this week. We were hopeful that his medicine was working, but he took a turn for the worse, and we knew we would need to put him down. It is amazing how resilient kids are, and we are thankful for that, and we know in this case a covering of prayer for our family is making this as easy as it can be when you lose a friend.

We praise Jesus that we are having conversations like "I know you have to ask Jesus into your heart in order to get to heaven, but could He have told Toa about Himself? I mean, Toa might be in heaven if it is beyond our wildest dreams..." (Jack), and "Why didn't God heal Toa? We prayed for him like a thousand times!" (Ben). It is true that Ben in particular has mentioned Toa in prayers twice a day for months, but we didn't see him healed, and that is tough. As a parent, I am sad for the tears, which keep coming, but so thankful for the conversations. I choose to thank God that the boys will remember disease, not Africa, taking their pet from them, as hard as it still is.

Overwhelmed

Imagine, if you will, entering a room filled to the brim with items donated to supply all your needs! Then imagine entering another, larger room, even more filled! This was what we experienced Saturday night, and we are OVERWHELMED! "And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

We have this little "need" right now of over $100,000 to supply the expenses for our two year mission trip. That is a lot of money! We sat at the Missions Executive Team meeting just a couple of weeks ago, when a remarkable woman named Iris Bolstad said that maybe she would do a silent auction. We only had one date to work with, so she had to put it together in a hurry - and boy, did she. We have a large church membership, but even then, the outpouring was overwhelming. One room was filled with new items, donated primarily by First Fruits, but also by other generous donors. The entire gym was filled to the brim along all the walls with donated items. There was a lovely rummage sale, a silent auction, and a whole corner dedicated to shoes donated by Palmer Shoes (the quality shoe store downtown). Beautiful baskets, furniture, jewelry, services and lodging filled every inch of about every table the church owns, I think! There was a baked potato dinner, and ice cream for dessert, all served up with wonderful smiles.

One of the best particulars of the event was the minimal programming. We had fun listening to Pastor Mike auction some "precious" items, laughed with Pam Harris as she shared about our friend Stephanie, currently in Malawi and Burundi, and our hearts ached as Pastor Les described the corruption in the Free Methodist Church in Southern Nigeria, including the takeover of the other Hope Academy. Our program was brief, less than 10 minutes, but we shared our hearts and a video that shows how God is bringing His Kingdom to Emi-woro and using the Free Methodist Church, especially WFMC, to do it. The rest of the time guests could just visit and shop. It was truly lovely!

The room was decorated in red, with white cross and Myers prayer card centerpieces, set on giraffe fabric. It gave a great feeling of an event! They raised over $7000, with an additional almost $20,000 in monthly pledges of $20 and up. It was such a fun night, with many hands pitching in and many guests - maybe close to 200, since all the chairs were full and then some - enjoying the fun. God sure pours out the supply! We are over half way funded!

Compassion

We have been struggling with our dog and the lack of a cure for his allergies. He seems happy enough, but he looks awful, he smells, and he leaves a little snowdusting of skin behind. Yuck! I was speaking to my friend Marie, who has experienced a miraculous healing in her dog, and she said she'd pray for us. She gave me such insight and turned my frustration and helplessness into praise! She said that, since we are going to Africa, we will very likely see some disease and things that are just unlovely. Perhaps we are being given this time to experience loving the unlovely. I had a chance to discuss this with the boys and I am praising this trouble! I also had a chance to discuss it with the Lord, and confess that I have fallen short!