Seasonal Felicitations from Nigeria!

The Christmas season has officially commenced. Tonight’s commemoration of the start of Christmastime included a big screen viewing of Elf with A/Cs on full blast while sipping hot chocolate. We are amazingly blessed to have the capabilities of creating such a serene atmosphere in the African heat. With power out for most of the last couple of days, the playing of Christmas music has failed to give our sweating bodies the feeling of a Winter Wonderland. But we thank God for the comforts and small pleasures that he grants us. 

Thursday’s holiday did indeed give rise to much giving of thanks. Our Thanksgiving feast took place at the South African compound. About 25 friends (many of whom have become like family) joined in the festivities, representing a total of 10 different countries. It was definitely the most international Thanksgiving that I’ve ever had. While I wasn’t feeling quite up to par, I surely was feeling thankful. For, Thursday was the first day of the week that I wasn’t severely suffering from the effects of malaria.

Ah, yes, Malaria. It’s pretty much a given that, upon living here for any significant amount of time, you’ll experience the ever-common illness. I had supposedly contracted it briefly last spring, but it wasn’t anything like this week. They called it GI Malaria. Upon my first visit to the hospital, they more than sufficiently medicated me (by “more than sufficiently” I may mean OVER-medicated…). After the first couple days of malaria symptoms, the side effects of the drugs took over—that is, COMPLETE fatigue. I was wiped out to the point that I couldn’t teach for the majority of the week. Sitting at home, waiting for my body to heal was agonizing. But, I am ever so thankful for the care that my comrades here in the compound showed me—multiple visits to the hospital, waiting on me hand-and-foot, forcing me to rest. They were a huge blessing. During the Thanksgiving meal, I gave thanks, in all sincerity, not just for my improving health, but also for my sickness—for two reasons. First, though it seemed miserable most of the time, I’m thankful that I was forced to slow down and just sit. In so doing, I came to the realization that, in fact, the world does NOT depend upon me, and I don’t have to feel the weight of supposed dire responsibilities as heavily as I had been. Secondly, my sickness gave me a great appreciation for health and the ability to work. I mean, honestly, I was never so happy to work as I was on Friday when I stepped foot into class with a mostly cleared mind and a somewhat energized body. What fools we are to take such things for granted. So, this Thanksgiving week, I am, INDEED, grateful to God for His inestimable blessings.

This upcoming week is the final full week of school for the term. What a wonderful term it has been.  I am extremely thankful for the meaningful relationships that I’ve been able to form with many of my students. I am prayerfully trusting that God is using such relationships to produce fruit which is pleasing to Him. I am thankful for the awesome discussions that I’ve been able to lead in various classes—discussions, which, I hope, have pointed students towards God’s beautiful plan for their lives. I am thankful to be a part of the most important mission in the world—that of bringing souls out of the darkness and into the light. I have grown to love my students deeply this year and want nothing less than for them to understand fully what is the height and the depth, the length and the width, of our Father’s love for them. Please join me in praying this week for those in my Bible classes who will hear of the opportunity to be “born-again” into real, soul-satisfying LIFE through Jesus Christ.

October Happenings and Visitors

Apparently, it’s been over a month since I last updated my blog.  I don’t know about in America, but time is flying in Nigeria. Every moment has been filled with grace (recently defined to me as “God working”), and most have been extremely enjoyable.  I’ll attempt a brief update.

       I continue to thrive in my teaching situation. Some (including myself) have expressed concern that I might kill myself with the amount of work that I have to do, but somehow God is keeping me afloat and quite content in the hustle and bustle of  my eight different class subjects. My students, while sometimes a challenge behaviorally and academically, stave away any semblance of a dull moment and bring joyous purpose to each day. 2^nd -7^th grade students are currently being introduced, along with the followers of John the Baptist, to “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” It’s too cool to see kids begin to make connections between Old Testament law and miracles involving a lamb, and the Deliverer to whom they are now being introduced.  The 11^th and 12^th grade composition class has been a blast so far.  As we begin studying logic and argument in depth, my passion for the subject has been reignited by a passage in 2 Corinthians, “ We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor 10:5).  I find it an awesome privilege to be involved in the sharing of tools, like argumentation, which will be used to destroy lies and darkness in order that light and life might prevail. I just completed my first debate unit with 8^th graders, which had similar purpose in developing students’ understanding of argument. We had some rough days preparing, but the public debate last week was a success. A great highlight of the debate was the “international adjudicator,” which leads to the major excitement of the month—a visit from my parents!

       Last Monday, October 22, my parents arrived in Lagos for a nine day visit to Nigeria. It was an awesome, jam-packed trip for them. Those who live near Morristown or happen to phone my mom will no doubt hear a full account of the many adventures that they had. I’ll not spoil any of her stories, but give a brief overview. I was extremely pleased to introduce Mom and Dad to my life in Ibadan—my fellow teachers, my students, my friends, my compound, my bible study, my city, and my weekly market experience. Mom even got to dress in Ancara (the traditional Nigerian clothing) and sing with me in a church choir concert. After a few days at ACA, where I think they received QUITE the education, my parents and I began a 14 hour journey up to the Nigerian/Cameroon border-town of Obudu with fellow teachers and friends. 

Mountains in Obudu, Nigeria

After a week (or 1.5 years for me) in a big dirty city, we were stupefied at the beauty that we found there. We stayed in a lovely little chalet in the “Obudu Cattle Ranch Resort” which was situated in the most stunning mountains I’ve ever beheld (save, MAYBE, the Alps).

After one day of hanging out and swimming, we spent the second day hiking over about twelve small mountains until we reached a quiet village in Cameroon. We couldn’t believe our eyes. 

The hiking crew with the village chief (who has at least 6 wives and 30- children).  

We found a primary school in session and observed about 150 precious children who were released for lunch break with shouts of joy. These kids, we found out, were in extreme poverty—some barely able to pay the $2.00 per year for school fees, while their peers were kicked out for not coming up with the sum. Hunger, the schoolmaster said, was a huge problem. Indeed, none of the kids ate a bite during “lunch break.” It was a sobering experience, to say the least. But, we did get to teach them a few songs, play a bit of “football” with them, and meet the chief of their small village. We are now considering organizing an outreach for ACA students to go and assist, in someway, these beloveds of God.

Cameroonian Kids at a small village school 

       My parents’ trip was full of sights and opportunities that even I had not experienced before. I am so blessed to have incredible support from such awesome loving parents. I’ve said “Goodbye” for now, but amazingly, I only have another five weeks before I will be the one boarding the plane for America.