Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Spring Break and Beyond


They say that the last quarter of a tank of gas goes far quicker than the first.  While I question the legitimacy of such a statement, the principle definitely holds true when it comes to time spent amongst beautiful people and meaningful experiences. I can’t believe that I am well into the final quarter of my final year here at A.C.A. While I am excited to go back to my home country to be amongst old friends and family, the thought of leaving my students and co-workers is pretty devastating. I hate goodbyes. As the needle on my time-gauge makes its way towards “E,” I am filled with a greater urgency to pray, speak truth, and display love towards those God has placed in my life here in Ibadan.  I pray that God would give me the strength and direction to complete all that He has for me in this chapter of life.

The last month has been filled with blessings, which I’ll try to briefly summarize. As Spring Break approached, plans for the two-week holiday were sparse and unstable. But, by the time April 4th rolled around, my excitement about the vacation-time was through-the-roof.  With the help of my compound mates, I had thrown together a little retreat plan for my Discipleship Club girls. We had been discussing in club the practical application of being disciples of Jesus—that is, learning “to do all that [He] commanded”—that is, learning to love and serve our neighbors. So, I decided we should center the retreat around the theme of “Service” and provide some real opportunities for the girls to get their hands dirty. So, during the course of the retreat, we set up a party for the children of “Jesus Kids” (see last post) and brought them in for a day of fun. 
Many of my students had never interacted with or appreciated at all people with disabilities, so it was a beautiful growing experience for them. Each girl was paired up with a buddy (much like at Joni and Friends camp or Luke 14) with whom they did crafts, rode horses, blew bubbles, took pictures, and danced. It was a blast. 
After driving the kids back to their facilities, we began the next big project—cooking and setting up a nice banquet for the grounds staff here at A.C.A.—gardeners, cleaners, guards, and gatemen. During the evening meal, the girls presented gifts and Thank You cards to each staff member to appreciate there often-unnoticed work. Through the course of these two service events, my girls gained a huge appreciation for those who the world has deemed unimportant.  It was such a blessing to see my students shine as they embraced with joy the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ. I think many were transformed through the experience, and I sure was encouraged.
 
When the three-day retreat drew to a close, exhausted though I was, I began to prepare to travel to South Africa with Sam and Mr. Equi and Mrs. Karen. The following week was a spectacularly serene experience. We flew into Cape Town on Thursday and were picked up by some friends that we’ve gotten to know here in Ibadan. 
The beauty and luxury of the next few days baffled me—from hiking atop Table Mountain, to wine and cheese tasting, to dancing on the beach, to seeing fantastic animals on a safari. It was really too much to take in. A couple of days spent with another friend in the midst of Wellington’s wine farms, surrounded by mountains under a blue sky, was the crowning jewel of our trip. God really spoiled us.

Coming back to Nigeria, where quality in sights, smells, and organization is severely lacking, was a bit difficult. But God quickly reminded me of the beautiful purpose for which He has me here – to address the many emotional and spiritual needs of those around me by loving them to Jesus. 

A week after returning, many of our staff and students were brought to our knees in prayer for our sisters in the north who have been abducted by the Boko Haram terrorists (see more info here). While it is sometimes easiest for us to separate ourselves from such atrocities, a dream that one of our students was given brought the incident too close to home.  In the dream, a group of men came into our school under the guise of preaching the gospel and took, raped, and shot many of our girls. The dream was extremely vivid
and demanded a response of intense prayer, not only for our own protection, but also for the deliverance of the girls in the north who have been taken. When I began to consider the possibility of my own students being taken in such a way, I was struck with an emotional urgency to take up arms and fight until those girls are returned to their homes. The school is joining together to do so through prayer, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12). Please join us in asking that the one who led captivity captive would quickly rescue these girls.


Finally, I’d be so grateful if you’d pray along with me for direction concerning my future. My hopes of starting grad school in the fall look to be falling through. I’m sure it’s because God has something way better up His sleeve; I just have no idea what that might be. So prayer for discernment and willingness to go where He leads would be so appreciated. Until next time, O dabo!







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