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.