"Little Moments of Truth..."

“It’s a window in the world; a little glimpse of all the goodness getting through. And all along the way the days are made of little moments of Truth.” – Andrew Peterson

                There are no perfect metaphors or analogies, I know. Nonetheless, our God seems to use experiences and pictures around us to perfectly depict to His finite symbol-using creatures Truths which they could not otherwise grasp.  He whose face no man has been able to gaze upon allows us to admire his Being and character through windows of analogy.  I am so thankful that He knows our frame and remembers that be are dust, knowing that our infinitesimal understanding of the Kingdom of God requires pictures and parables. As a child’s comprehension of text often requires pictures, so we need illustration to understand the Story of Creation and its Author.

 I think it no coincidence that the Word so often describes the relationship between God and man in terms of a Father and His children.  The more I work with children, the more perfect I find the comparison.  Though we may dismiss many interactions between kids as immature and childish—perhaps sometimes even thanking God that we are not like THOSE selfish little things—I think they effectively reveal the condition of human nature.  For example, though every one of my two-year-olds has to be reprimanded multiple times throughout the day for misbehaving, they each still find it their prerogative to rebuke their peers at the slightest misbehavior.  Lunch time usually goes something like this:

Me: “Nifemi, you need to put that toy down and eat your rice.” [Nifemi eats a bite]. “Good.”

            Me, upon seeing Saatvik not eating: “Saatvik, you need to eat your apples.”

Meanwhile, Nifemi tries to quickly swallow that one bite so that she can shout, “SAATVIK!! EAT YOUR APPLES!!!”

                Similarly, even if a child has just been released from time-out where they were kicking and screaming, they feel it their responsibility to ensure that the next child undergoes the discipline correctly. “SIT DOWN AND STOP CRYING!” They’ll say in their pretend grown-up voice. How quickly they seem to forget their own wrongdoings and inability to meet standards of the classroom, instead choosing to get their panties in a wad about their friend’s mistakes. It all seems quite silly and trite until I step back and realize that most kids, including myself, never grow out of this tendency to point out the speck in our neighbors eye while there’s a plank in our own.

               

Besides showing me the depravity of human nature, my students have also been an example to me of how to surrender.  So often during playtime, any one child will see an intriguing item in the hands of another student and take it upon themselves to remove it for their own enjoyment.  The first child will then begin crying like it’s the end of the world, meanwhile tugging and pushing in an attempt to secure the toy. When all of this commotion draws the attention of their nearby teacher, I’ll simply call their names and ask them to come to me. Though the fussing usually continues, the kids will usually acquiesce and approach me with the toy.  When I hold out my hand for the toy, the children are quick to hand it over, and suddenly, BAM!—the struggle ends and the two go along their merry way. Amazing how quickly those interpersonal struggles can be alleviated when the little ones look into the face of the Teacher and simply hand over whatever is causing the contention.  If only we would follow the example of these little children and, when that which is rightfully ours is contested, simply hand it over to the Master. I am so thankful that our God, unlike my teacher-self, never tires of calling out our names and taking away our burdens (though they may seem privileges or rights at the time). 

                I am absolutely pumped this week to begin music lessons of some sort with a Beloved of God, Ibuku Baabalobi (meaning “Blessing” in Yoroba). He’s the teenage son of one of our French teachers. Madaam Baab’s and Ibuku traveled up to Gboko for the Christian retreat and the end of the term and I began a conversation with her about disability. Ibuku has Down’s Syndrome which has been really tough for the family to deal with here in Nigeria as there are ZERO therapies, resources or facilities around to support them. I’m really excited to get to know the family more and hopefully provide some encouragement. I really wish I had some training with which I could offer them real services. But for now, I’ll offer my 5 loaves and 2 fish and see what the Lord will do.

                The winter heat continues, but the rains are on the way. Speech class with the ninth grades is up and running and so far is a success.  I’m continually thrilled to see God beginning to stir hearts through His Word in my Bible class. I am now teaching 3 separate guitar clubs and may be starting a basketball club as well, which is keeping my afternoons quite busy. Bible study went really well last week as we began studying and discussing 1 Corinthians. Thanks to those who prayed.  The term has been full so far, but there are still things that I’m wanting to see come into fruition.  God continues to work in me, teaching me new lessons everyday and leading me on an exciting path whose destination I can’t begin to guess. Despite the unknown, I am confident in His perfect ability to guide me every step of the way.

Winter Wonderland??? === not so much.

It’s the dead of winter…or so my calendar says. The preschool art class has been creating a conglomeration of snow crafts—snow men, snowflakes, igloos, etc. The real oddity though, is that most of those little students cannot even begin to imagine a snowy winter.  I’m pretty sure that the average temperature difference between my 2011 winter in Michigan and my 2012 winter in Ibadan is about 100° F.  Going on a run at any point in the day results in the loss of gallons of liquid from my body.  While last year I was thanking God for the warmth that our furnace provided, I am now overflowing with gratitude for our air-conditioning units. 

                Though it has been several weeks since I’ve blogged, not a terrible lot has occurred. The strike ended the Monday after I last wrote. Everyone was pretty happy to return to school come Tuesday morning. And now, a week and a half later, everything is back in full swing—which means we are relieved to see the weekend come. It’s crazy how quickly our attitudes towards school and work can change.  The country as a whole is still experiencing some tension, as you may have heard in the news, but for now, Ibadan is as peaceful as ever. 

                My pre-nursery class has been buzzing with excitement as we now often have 14 students together in a fairly small room. Felo, our little guy from Egypt, has been the biggest handful lately.  His lack of English vernacular has resulted in several horrendous screaming fits, a bit of physical harm to other students, and plenty of general disruptions.  The last few days, however, his demeanor has been changing, particularly towards me. I suppose the fact that I nod knowingly as he speaks (when in fact I have NO IDEA what the kid is rattling off) has made him think that we have a special connection. He has now taken to kissing me.  We’ll be learning the difference between a circle and a square when suddenly he’ll turn, grab my neck, and give me a big wet smack-a-roo on the cheek. Perhaps a little odd, but I’d definitely prefer kissing fits to screaming fits…

                I am freaking LOVING teaching Bible right now.  After a term of bible lessons that began to establish the character of God, it’s fun to be able to refer to those previous stories and acknowledge the consistent gracious way in which the Creator deals with his Creation.  Thinking about and telling the story of Abraham, preparing to sacrifice “his only son, whom he loved so much,” nearly brought tears to my eyes each day that I taught this week. What a beautiful picture God gives us of the son carrying wood up the mountain to the place of sacrifice—wood on which he will soon be slain.  I pray that these stories are impacting my students as much as they impact me.   

                Outside of school, I have recently agreed to begin leading the Bible Study at the South African compound. I feel humbled and inadequate, but willing to take one the challenge. I’d appreciate prayers as I endeavor to lead the group to accept the Word of God which our Father freely holds out for our taking.

Strike Excitement

If you’ve been keeping up with international news at all this week, you’ve probably heard of the excitement in Nigeria.  Well, in case you’re wondering, they’re not just making it up. There has indeed been a national strike due to the government’s removal of the gas subsidy, which has doubled to cost of Petrol at the pump. Sufficed to say, people are a bit upset.  Though there is excitement in the country at large (protests, riots, etc.), I can assure you that I am privy to none of that. Instead, I sit cooped up in our compound, waiting for the strike to end. School has been canceled this week so far, and will continue to be until the strike is over. Last night there was a curfew outside to prevent violence/robbery, though we’re advised not to leave the secure walls of the compound anyway during the day. So, here we sit—playing many games, watching many episodes of Psych, playing many matches of Tennis, reading, writing, and waiting. Sounds exciting, eh? I mean, a couple days off of school was nice, but now we’re just ready to get back in the swing of things.

We did have three days of school last week, before the strike. It was great to see teachers and students again, everyone wishing each other “compliments” for the New Year. It looks like we’ve had a couple new two-year-olds added to our number this term, which means more crying and soiled underwear for a bit. One of the little boys is from Egypt and doesn’t understand a word of English, which makes things quite difficult. Hopefully it won’t take too long for him to settle down and begin learning and enjoying class.

The weather is quite a bit warmer than when I left, I think. Supposedly it’s supposed to get much hotter in a few weeks. Increased mosquitoes have forced me to put a mosquito net over my bed now. Ugly lookin’ thing, but it does the trick.

Many things are in the works for this term. We’ll begin visiting the orphanage  regularly once the strike ends. We’re doing to re-paint and decorate the main room in the American House so as to allow better hospitality.   Yesterday we briefly visited the Christian Mission for the Deaf, which is a residential school for kids with deafness and other physical disabilities, AND which is just across the street. We MAY be inviting those folks to our next Luke 14 Feast. I’m also going to begin doing more in the school with Speech and/or debate. We haven’t determined exactly what that’s going to look like yet either. As I say, many things are in the works which should make for an exciting term!

Thanks for your prayers.

Happy New Year from Ibadan!

A New Year is upon us. As I attempt to reflect on my life as it unfolded in 2011, I can’t quite fathom how much change, blessing, and growth was crammed into the year. From a final semester at Hillsdale, to a summer with Teach For America, to a Fall Term teaching in Nigeria. It seems really crazy as I look back upon it. It’s also crystal clear, from the year’s events, that my life is not in my hands. I am so thankful that my life rests in the arms of a God who loves adventure and adores His children.

It’s been nearly a month and a half since my last post and, unsurprisingly, A LOT has happened in that time. I’ll just give you the highlights.  In November, we had a delicious American Thanksgiving Feast in Nigeria with some Indian and South African friends—quite ironic, I know.  As the term neared the finish line in December, things at school began to get a bit hectic. Christmas parties to plan, report cards to fill out, lessons to cram in, etc. One story worthy of re-telling occurred within the realm of my speech club. When I found out that one of my students had plagiarized her speech and lied about it repeatedly, I decided to write the speech that she would deliver for assembly the last week of classes. I handed her the speech that I wrote just minutes before she was to speak in front of the entire senior school. The speeches topic: Trustworthiness. Hopefully that student learned a lesson that day that will not soon be forgotten.

After a host of in-school and out-of-school Christmas parties, the term finally came to an end. While Gretchen, Katie, and Kyle headed back to the United States, I headed up north to Gboko, Nigeria for a Christian Retreat. The bus ride up to Gboko was quite eventful: involving tons of traffic, a busted tire, 40 police checkpoints,  and an hour and a half spent pulled over by local police asking for 25,000 Niara for some “official” sticker (we were released only after I brought out my guitar and sang a couple praise songs, which they clapped and danced to). Consequently, our trip took about 7 hours longer than we had planned.  I had questioned whether or not it would be worth it to cut into my time back in American for this conference.  It didn’t take long in Gboko for me to realize that it was the best decision ever.  There were about 25,000 people at this retreat, most of whom just slept outside for the 4 nights during the conference. The preaching was incredibly convicting, centering around the theme of “In this your day.”  Through hours of prayer, and fantastic preaching, we meditated on the question: “Now that Christ has brought us out of our Night of sin, how can we maximize our Day for the glory of God?” How do we use the time and tools that God has given us to the fullest increase of the Kingdom of Heaven? I thank God for using this conference to convict me of my own sin and deficiencies and drive me to follow him more ardently in every area of my life.

After a very long trip back to Ibadan, I prepared to return home to America for Christmas break. The flight back contained a divine appointment. The man who sat next to me on the plane just happened to have established two orphanages in Africa and was super informative. I told him of some of my dreams for the future and he promised to be a resource should I need him in the future.

Christmas break was amazing. It was filled with beautiful visits from close friends, fantastic time with family, and far too much delicious food. The time passed too quickly, and I can’t say that I was quite ready to return to Ibadan. But return, I must—not begrudgingly, mind you, but perhaps not jumping with excitement either.

Tomorrow will begin the school term. Kids will arrive, teachers will panic, and then everyone will get back into the swing of things. I’m really hoping my jet lag/potential sickness wears off real soon.  I am looking forward to seeing what God will do in the following six months here in Ibadan. I have no doubt that there will be many difficulties, many blessings, and that God will remain sovereign and faithful through them all. My prayer is simply that God uses every experience everyday to mold me more into His likeness and draw me deeper in love with Him.

"...and have it in abundance."

     I’ve been taught from a young age that one of God’s greatest desires for his children is that they live abundant lives. I’ve never known exactly what that abundant life looks like, but it sure does sound appealing, doesn’t it? Synonyms for such a life might be rich, or full; my Dad used to associate it with FUN. As I grow and experience more of life, I’m finding that, ironically, perhaps the most full life—and indeed, fun life—is a life which is constantly pouring  out into others.  If such service is abundant life, and “eternal life is this: that you might KNOW Him [God],” then it seems that God’s greatest commandment is simply to have abundant and eternal lives: “The greatest commandment is this: to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, and mind and strength. And the second is like unto it: love your neighbor as yourself.” In loving and knowing God, we embrace eternity. In loving and pouring into our neighbor, we enjoy all the riches that life has to offer.  

     Though I make ZERO claims of loving my God or my neighbors well, I am thankful that He still is allowing me to see this principle at work in my life and the lives of those around me.  God has allowed me to experience the fullness of life in several ways over the past couple of weeks. Yesterday was a prime example.

We had our Celebration Feast yesterday, modeled after Jesus’ command found in Luke 14. Though we had initially invited about 70 folks, only around 40 actually were able to come. The event was a smashing success. The kids that came—most accompanied by their mother-- had some terminal illness (generally HIV or cancer). It was interesting that, in contrast with our past Tennessee Luke 14 banquet guests, most of these kids were not visibly struggling with a disability, but their physical and emotional hardships were just as real. I can’t imagine the emotional stress and heartache that the parents (mostly single moms) are going through, without the help of good medical care and material comfort of any kind, knowing that their children will die before they do. Anyhow, for a bit yesterday, I believe, those families were able to forget their troubles.

      When they arrived, they were warmly greeted, their pictures were taken by a professional—to be given to them at the end of the party, and they were shown the Bouncy Castle, which thrilled most of the kids. The auditorium was decorated as for a wedding feast, with the food matching in quality and style. As most guests were Muslim and spoke little English, Newton gave a short introduction in the Yoruba language. After they ate, we had a short program including music (led by yours- truly), minute-to-win-it games, and door prizes. They were then led outside where there was a horse prepared to give rides, a trampoline and playground, and earring making for the mothers. The smiles on those kids’ and mothers’ faces were absolutely priceless. After a couple hours of such festivities, they were sent on their way with party favors. Our greatest prayer is that they were blessed and received the knowledge of the love of God. Thank you for your prayers.

   

       Working backwards chronologically now, I must tell you of our fantastic guests of two weeks here in the American House. On Nov. 5^th, a group of nearly 30 American medical professionals arrived in Ibadan on a mission to provide free medical care to those who were in need. As some logistics fell through last minute for the group (Called the “Moses Lake Medical Team”), American Christian Academy was called upon to help house the team. We ended up with four young women here in our house (though only three actually stayed in the country for more than 24 hrs…) who turned out to be an absolute blast. We were able to go on site with them one day and volunteer with the medical team. They had quite the smooth operation, with a couple dentists, a couple general practitioners, several nurses, several surgeons, an optometrist, an ophthalmologist, several pharmacists, and even a massage therapist.  They served a couple hundred people each day for the two weeks that they were here. It was a great work they were doing, but our favorite part was definitely getting to host and hang out with Cecilia, Brighid, and Elaine. It really turned out to be a huge blessing to have them here. 

     Working backwards once again, we finally have gotten to interact with the orphanage with which we’ve been trying to connect. We made an initial visit almost three weeks ago, and then invited them over to our compound for popcorn and a movie on the following Friday night. Talk about a precious group of kids. They were the most grateful and respectful bunch ever; huge contrast with the students that attend our school every day. We are planning on making weekly visits to their orphanage to do crafts and such starting this Sunday.

     School continues to be an adventure. My little ones are still cute as all-get-out. Bible class is still rocking my socks off—I just hope it’s having the same effect on my students. The food situation is great. The exercise situation could be much better. Life, though, is good. We WILL be celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday with a Turkey and all the traditional sides (with as few modifications as possible). While I am so thankful for the experiences God is giving me and the ways that He’s growing me here, I am also quite excited for Christmas break at home which is three weeks from today!! So many things to be thankful for.

Thanks be to God

A few people have asked me if I’ve experienced much culture shock since my arrival here in Nigeria. As I’m pretty laid back and seem to take things in stride, my answer to them has been “No.” Yesterday, however, I experienced culture shock—though not in the way you might expect. On our way back from a short traveling excursion (which I will detail later), we stopped at a big mall called Shoprite.  Walking into a mall that was enormous, clean, stocked, lacked odor, was absent of people staring and shouting “Oyibo!” was incredible. It was very nice and very western. The choice of foods to buy in the big grocery store was literally overwhelming to me. The really weird thing was that it seemed to be normal for everyone else walking the aisles.  Of course, three months ago, if I had walked through such a place, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought.  I just couldn’t figure out, given how I was feeling, how these shoppers could consider this mall “normal” AND the radically different world just outside “normal.” I’m still baffled. 

I’m afraid it’s been far too long since I’ve written a blog post and several goings-on of the past couple weeks may have escaped me. But I’ll give it a shot.

The last two weeks have been a huge gift from God.  The previous week, I had struggled quite a bit with the seemingly increasing monotony of life here and lack of meaningful interactions with people.  After discerning these struggles, I began praying every morning that God would grant me a real love for my students and co-workers, a joy in my teaching, and a passion for the mission that God has for me here.  God has been so gracious in granting these desires of my heart.  He has granted me so much joy that I can remain genuinely enthusiastic with my students throughout the day, that I can actually enjoy the moments that caused frustration before, that I feel so much more settled and at peace with the work that God has placed before me.  Praise the Lord.

Last week, I had several conversations with people about the different special needs of a few students in the preschool. There’s a child diagnosed with mild autism, a child with speech difficulties diagnosed as blockage in the ear canal, and a child with undiagnosed disabilities which to me resemble some sort of moderate autism.  Now, obviously these kids don’t have access to special services or accommodations, but the teachers definitely want to see them succeed.  Because of my minimal background knowledge, I was asked to observe the latter child to see what I thought could be done. Such observations and conversations really made me wish I was much more knowledgeable and capable of meeting these needs. They have again stirred my felt need to get further education in some area of disability service.  

I was given another unbelievable gift last week – a visit to a LEGIT coffee shop. Now in order to understand my excitement here, you have to realize that I’ve been primarily subject to Nescafe instant coffee with Peak powdered milk these past months—a drink which has fallen off the backside of the spectrum which contains a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte. You also need to understand that this little coffee shop had real, creamy and delicious cheesecake with blueberry topping—a delicacy that I dared not dream of before in Nigeria. I nearly started crying as I sat back in comfort with a Cappuccino in my hand a delightful dessert before me. “Praise His name, Hallelujah, ha ha ha.” 

This weekend has been a five day holiday due to midterm break here at ACA, thus affording us the opportunity to escape the compound for a couple days. Several of us jumped on the opportunity real quick. Katie, Gretchen and I, accompanied by Leah and Hadassah, as well as three lovely Nigerian ladies – Ethel, Blessing, and Goodness—made our way to Lagos (3-4 hrs. away) to spend a couple days at the beach. We stayed at a small resort called Hermitage. 

Though the hotel wasn’t the nicest thing ever, the private beach was SPECTACULAR. I’d never experienced such awesome waves—though the alarming number of jellyfish was a bit perplexing. We so enjoyed viewing the power of God manifested in the night sky filled with more stars than you could count, the raging ocean filled with bright sparks from the jellyfish, the beautiful crescent moon, and the dim lights from the nearby city reflecting into the water.  Sitting on the beach Friday night with a guitar, singing praises to the Creator of this beauty was an awesome and refreshing experience.  In the morning, we rose at six in the morning to view the sun rising over the water and the fisherman beginning to maneuver the waves in their small boats. We attempted to get a ride out into the ocean on one such boat but failed on account of the outrageous price that the Fisherman wanted to charge we seemingly rich and dumb Americans. Not this time buddy.  Anyhow, the beach trip was a wonderful and needed break from work and compound life.

Typical view while driving down the expressway.

The common roadside vendors, walking between, and causing congestion.

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And now onto that which is exciting me most at this very moment. I just came back from a brief planning meeting that has gotten my head reeling with excitement and anticipation. About a month ago, I mentioned to a couple people the idea of having a Luke 14 kind of dinner party here in the compound (following Jesus’ command to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind when you have a feast).  Eventually I talked to most folks in the compound about it and found that most were enthused about the prospect. So, we gathered today to seriously plan it out. It’s going to be awesome. We’re going to invite 60 or so folks nearby that an acquaintance of Karen’s ministers to every two weeks. The group is composed of children that are suffering from chronic pain and life threatening ailments (AIDS, tumors, etc.) along with their mothers.  These folks are very needy, in a lot of pain, and most are Muslim.  So, we’re gonna invite them in to our compound on November 20^th, feed them a delicious Nigerian feast, entertain them with music, games, horse rides, blow-up games, and crafts, and then send them away knowing that Jesus loves them.  I’m pumped out of my mind. How awesome to be able to serve Christ in such a real way—He who claims “Whatever you have done for the least of these, brothers of mine, you have done it unto me.”  If you would join me in prayer as we begin preparations for this “Celebration Feast,” I would so much appreciate it. I’ll definitely keep you updated as the event draws near.

Sharpening through the dull moments...

Life always has it’s dull moments, even in Nigeria.  Thankfully, the dull moments here so far have been balanced well by extraordinary ones.  The daily routine is becoming, well, quite routine. I’m grateful that my routine has a variety of activities and tasks incorporated here in the school. Going from teaching the color Green, to teaching about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, to Cicero’s Canons of Rhetoric is really nice. Time after school can be a drag if I let it be. I fight the feeling of being “trapped” inside the compound, as nice as it is. With the right tools (exercise, prayer, reading, music), it is definitely a winnable battle.

Rainy season continues here, and brings with it many adventures. Last Wednesday, Gretchen, Leah and I (along with little Hadassah), headed out to the South African compound for Bible Study—which, by the way, continues to be a huge blessing and highlight of my week.  Though the skies were clear when we left home, a storm quickly came upon us, and by the time we neared our destination, it was a raging monsoon. With incredibly low visibility, avoiding the ever-present and often enormous pot-holes was nigh impossible. At one point, we fell into a hole so big we thought we had lost our bumper. A three second hop outside (in which I immediately got soaked)proved otherwise, thank God. When we were what should have been 10 minutes away from the compound, we were informed that we could proceed no further because there was a bad accident ahead that would not be moved until the morning (that’s Nigeria for you). It’s now quite dark, still raining cats and dogs, we’ve just ventured 40 minutes in a treacherous storm, we’re a mile from our final destination, and most importantly, we’re three strong determined young women. The obvious solution then was to park the car and take off on foot. So, after wrapping our bibles and freshly made Apple Crisp in plastic bags, we took off.  We neared the accident and saw that a small car had been smashed between two semi-trucks—a mess which would definitely not be dealt with in short order. We were very grateful to find that one of our calls to the SA compound had brought forth a car and driver to pick us up on the other side of the accident. And so, we arrived about an hour late, soaked to the bone, to enjoy a lovely evening. The trip back was almost as eventful as the trip there. After trudging through the rain back to our vehicle, we found the visibility to be just as bad and the water on the road to be up to two feet in places.  We arrived safely back home with no problems, but it had certainly been a night to remember.

Another alarming driving experience occurred on Friday evening on the way back from eating Lebanese we ran into some normal looking traffic. As we neared the heart of the congestion, we saw a man lying in the middle of the road, most likely dead. From the looks of it, he had been riding an Okada (commercial motorcycle) and had been hit. No one was moving the body, potentially because the norm is to wait for the incompetent police to come assess the situation without anything being altered. It was a really disturbing sight though.

Other uniquely Nigerian experiences of the past two weeks include eating Goat’s head (gag me with a spoon please). Every week, the school butchers a goat to prepare a lovely spiced meat called “Suya.” Such a butchering allows some lucky few to enjoy the delicacy of the goat’s head. Basically they take the whole head – eyes, ears, teeth, brain, skin, etc.—chop it all up a bit and cook it with some spices and then serve it. I’m not sure what all my bite contained, but I definitely felt some rough skin, maybe some brain… thought it could’ve been some tongue….hmmm…. Meanwhile, a couple Nigerians were chomping down on everything, periodically removing the teeth or jaw bone from their mouth. Mmmmmm, appetizing, eh?

We ate more Nigerian food this past Friday at a baby naming ceremony for one of the teacher’s daughters. The baby was born about a week ago and the time had arrived to give her a name—which is not simple process here in Nigeria. We arrived at the ceremony to find QUITE the celebration – like a mini-wedding. The naming process involved all of the extended family picking out a name for the child. The parents would then choose one of the given names to actually call the little girl. The names chosen by the extended family were as follows:  Oluwafayotimisola, Oluwafeyisemilaanau, Ileriayooluwa, Mojadesolaoluwa, Arauluwanimi, Motunriyanuoluwa, Oluwateleayomi, Oluwatomikepe, Temidayoninuoluwa, Sarah (Princess), Michelle (who is like the Lord?). Now, which one of those would YOU pick to call your daughter? I’m not sure, but I think they settled on Princess. Good choice Mr. and Mrs. Afolabi.

Teaching has been going quite well. The preschoolers continue to be super cute and draining. Bible Class is rocking my socks off. Not only do I have an awesome time explaining God’s Word to these kids and answering awesome questions, I’m also being challenged to think through how God’s love is manifested in these Old Testament stories. How, for instance, is his love manifested in his banishment of Adam and Eve from the Eden and the Tree of Life? The Jesus Storybook Bible clarified the answer for me: “You see, God knew that if they ate the fruit, they would think they didn’t need him. And they would try to make themselves happy without him. But God knew there was no such thing as happiness without him, and life without him wouldn’t be life at all.”

 Lunch in preschool today provided another clarifying picture on the issue. When it came time to eat, little Nifemi rushed to her bag to grab her fish and spaghetti. Knowing the disaster that would inevitably result, I grabbed the food first and kept it from her, asking her to sit down nicely. She proceeded to pitch a huge fit, apparently not believing that I would actually give her the food and prevent a huge mess while I was at it. So often I am like Nifemi, not trusting that my Provider actually knows what’s best; not trusting that anytime He keeps something appealing away from me, he is doing it for my good. It was so hard for Adam and Eve to believe that God’s withholding the appealing fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was actually for their good. How much harder it must have been—and is even still—to understand that his withholding the Tree of Life from them was also out of his love for them. Am I willing to trust in the love of such a God? Am I willing to believe that his withholding of pleasantries is actually a preventative of the mess that I would inevitably make out of my life without Him?

As you can see, these classes are becoming the catalyst for some awesome discoveries about the character of God and my relationship with Him.  Thank you for your continued prayer. If you want to prayer specifically for a student in one of my bible classes named Hussein, I’d appreciate it. He’s in 6^th grade, with a clear distaste for the Bible and anything Christian. Oh, how I would love to see God’s love soften the heart of this child and bring Him into a right relationship with the Creator.

I will end today by noting that though dull moments do exist, I’m pretty sure God is using each of them combined with the exciting ones to sharpen this piece of garbage which He for some reason loves and enjoys calling “Child.”