Thursday, February 5, 2009
Journalism?
Who would have thought this Math/Bible double major would be given a column in a nationally distributed magazine? Crazy, huh? We'll see how it goes, but I did want to share the article I submitted for the February magazine. Unfortunately, they don't have an online edition and blogspot doesn't really let me upload documents. But, the article has been formatted and posted on SIM-Nigeria's website so click here to check it out. And, you know...let me know what you think!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Ghana (part 3)
From our charming Kokrobite Beach, we headed toward Cape Coast 
(advertisements say, “not a hotel, not a motel, but a botel!). After arguing for almost half an hour with our taxi driver to give us the price he told us, we made our way to the largest and oldest European castle in Sub-saharan Africa, a slave castle in Elmina. 
I don’t think I can fully communicate the gut wrenching that took place as we heard all the stories of this place. To walk into the woman's chambers and still be able to smell the urine that had saturated the floors at one time was repulsing. Over 100 women would get crammed into a 10x20 corridor for 2 months with no bathroom, no showers and nothing to sleep on but the cement floor that was covered with human feces (and other fluids that are excreted over the course of a month...). Every so often the governor would walk out on the balcony and have the women stand below him and he would chose one that would get a bath and then, he would rape her.
Then, to think they had a chapel in the castle where they would have worship services was another kick to the stomach 
I always heard about the slave castles but to be honest never really thought about what happened in these places. It was an act of evil that's hard to express in words. Feel free to view it in pictures. So let me move onto a lighter subject...liiiiiiiiiike swinging through the treetops of the rain forest on rope bridges! { 
The next day we did a canopy tour in Kakum National Park and ummmm lets just say awesome and exhilarating! The pictures don’t do justice! (but you should still check them out HERE.) You have to wonder how well they are maintained though, because these countries tend to struggle with that...hahaha! 
What a great way to go though...free falling through the African rainforest right into the arms of Jesus...I could handle that :) So after the tour we headed back to Hans for one last swim before we had to hit the road annnnd 4 of us decided it was a good idea to take the 2 paddle boats out around the lagoon to see some crocs. No sign usually translates in English to: Enter At Your Own Risk. That’s what we thought anyways...
but the lady who worked in the restaurant must not have spoke good english because she translated it into "What are you doing on those boats, what happens if you fall in, you have to pay $4/boat right now" Mind you, we were on them for 5 minutes! SO I decided to take action and inform her what no sign usually means to Americans and that I was not paying until I saw the cost writing (we had been ripped off WAY to many times on this trip). Well, she didn’t like that translation either so she went to the bar and printed a receipt for 8 dollars and wrote paddle boats besides it...hahahahha riiiiiiiiight, like I’m going to buy that. So, we went to reception and argued back and forth and, well, bottom line is we won!!! We didn’t have to pay...duuuuh did you really think I would give into that kind of ripping off?! So we then left for Accra Lagos Lagos 
this shot's for you mom :)
(advertisements say, “not a hotel, not a motel, but a botel!). After arguing for almost half an hour with our taxi driver to give us the price he told us, we made our way to the largest and oldest European castle in Sub-saharan Africa, a slave castle in Elmina. I don’t think I can fully communicate the gut wrenching that took place as we heard all the stories of this place. To walk into the woman's chambers and still be able to smell the urine that had saturated the floors at one time was repulsing. Over 100 women would get crammed into a 10x20 corridor for 2 months with no bathroom, no showers and nothing to sleep on but the cement floor that was covered with human feces (and other fluids that are excreted over the course of a month...). Every so often the governor would walk out on the balcony and have the women stand below him and he would chose one that would get a bath and then, he would rape her. Then, to think they had a chapel in the castle where they would have worship services was another kick to the stomach I always heard about the slave castles but to be honest never really thought about what happened in these places. It was an act of evil that's hard to express in words. Feel free to view it in pictures. So let me move onto a lighter subject...liiiiiiiiiike swinging through the treetops of the rain forest on rope bridges! { The next day we did a canopy tour in Kakum National Park and ummmm lets just say awesome and exhilarating! The pictures don’t do justice! (but you should still check them out HERE.) You have to wonder how well they are maintained though, because these countries tend to struggle with that...hahaha! What a great way to go though...free falling through the African rainforest right into the arms of Jesus...I could handle that :) So after the tour we headed back to Hans for one last swim before we had to hit the road annnnd 4 of us decided it was a good idea to take the 2 paddle boats out around the lagoon to see some crocs. No sign usually translates in English to: Enter At Your Own Risk. That’s what we thought anyways...but the lady who worked in the restaurant must not have spoke good english because she translated it into "What are you doing on those boats, what happens if you fall in, you have to pay $4/boat right now" Mind you, we were on them for 5 minutes! SO I decided to take action and inform her what no sign usually means to Americans and that I was not paying until I saw the cost writing (we had been ripped off WAY to many times on this trip). Well, she didn’t like that translation either so she went to the bar and printed a receipt for 8 dollars and wrote paddle boats besides it...hahahahha riiiiiiiiight, like I’m going to buy that. So, we went to reception and argued back and forth and, well, bottom line is we won!!! We didn’t have to pay...duuuuh did you really think I would give into that kind of ripping off?! So we then left for this shot's for you mom :)Friday, January 23, 2009
Ghana (part2)
He giveth more grace when the burdens are greaterHe sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction he addeth his mercy
To multiplied trials, he multiplied peace.
[chorus]
His love has no limit, his grace has no measure
His power has no boundary known unto men;
For out of his infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again!
When we have exhausted our store of endurance
When our strength is failed ere the day is half-done
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving in only begun.
By the time we made it to Accra, our burdens seemed great, our labors many, our afflictions added, and our trials...well, you could certainly the trials seemed multiplied. O, but our God displayed how much He loves to give good gifts to His children. Truth be told, in each difficulty, we DID experience grace, protection, mercy, peace, and strength. Of course, it took a couple days spread out on the beach to clear our vision and see that. Also helping remind us of our Father’s giving was the Sonius family’s INCREDIBLE hospitality. Though the Sonius’ had never laid eyes on any of us, and my connection to them was weak (my mom grew up with Lee in Liberia way back when), they welcomed us into their home as if we were 8 children who’d just returned from travels. Upon arriving to their lovely home, we were shown our rooms (complete with AC) and then told that dinner was ready. Have I mentioned that we hadn’t eaten a complete meal in 3 days? Right, so that chicken curry with all the fixings sent the 8 of us into a euphoric state for a few hours. The next day (after another nirvana-reaching pancake breakfast)
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Lee and Michelle ushered us around Accra, helping us find money, booking plane tickets, arranging transport to the coast and shopping for essentials at the spanking new Accra Mall. .JPG)
By the afternoon, our “tro-tro” had found its way through some muddy villages to the much-anticipated BIG MILLY’S BACKYARD!! Yes, that’s the name of the place at Kokrobite Beach we stayed for 3 nights. I wouldn’t exactly classify it as a resort...but it was like a little 
community with accommodations ranging from communal hostel-like beds to air-conditioned personal bungalows. I had been able to arrange for our crew to have the owner’s old house for $60/night (we split that 8 ways). This cute cottage worked perfectly for us, even with the one bathroom and a few less-than-modest individuals ;-)
I’ll spare you the play-by-play of our time there at Big Milly’s and just let you check out the pictures. Basically, there was a lot of playing in the waves, noses in the books, walks along the beach, soaking up the sun, meeting the locals, eating good food, laying under the fan in the house, dueling over “settlers of catan,” and wearing non-Nigeria appropriate clothes.Our New Year’s Eve was spent there at Big Milly’s, too. They had this huge buffet dinner
, bonfire, and a jammin’ Rastafarian band (think, Bob Marley songs + popular songs sung in a Bob-Marley-esque way). Other than getting mugged when some of us went out for a stroll on the beach that night (pretty scary, but we only lost a camera and a phone) the night was fun and certainly memorable. At midnight they set off fireworks via the bonfire, and apparently had only enough prudence to avoid serious damage. Dancing (to the same Marley-esque rhythm) went on till the early morning, but most of our group opted out since the mugging decreased our gaiety.Now, here’s the top 7.5 reasons YOU should go to Big Milly’s Backyard:
1. Whole, fresh pineapple, cut right before you on the beach for less than $1. (Most of us went on the pineapple diet there)
2. Opportunity to play a game of soccer with the locals.
(My invitation happened during a chat with a couple local dudes helping sew a dress for me. Conversation went like this:
Me: So I see [from his shirt] you’re an Arsenal fan. When’s the next game?
Dude 1: oh, yeah yeah. Tonight.
Me: OK, cool. Are you able to watch the games?
Dude 1: yes. Are you a football fan?
Me: um, well...I don’t get to see many games, but I used to play.
Dude 1&2: YOU play football?
Me: Yep. I played for my university.
Dude 2: Prove it!
Me: Bring a ball in here and I’ll prove it.
Dude 2: No, you come at 4 and prove it during our daily village game.
Me: Um...ok! I’ll be here!
3. Eccentric 50+ sales women with years of sun-damage, bright green eye-liner, and tight cut-off shorts who come sit down on your blanket and convince you to buy her snazzy homemade jewelry or Ghanian clothes.
4. All food & drinks bought are put on your tab so you don’t have to carry money
5. Chilled out rasta-dudes who are happy to help you learn to play shakers, find cool places, dance ghana-style or beat you at ping pong for free (unheard of in Nigeria).
6. Watching fishing boats being pulled in (mostly by naked little boys) with fresh catches every day.
7.5 The name and the fact “Big Milly” is really a cute, petite 60 yr old British woman.
[sorry it’s taking me so long to write these blogs about the trip. I need to finish because stuff has happened back here in Nigeria I need to write about too...life’s just so full! Stay tuned for part 3 and check out those pictures in the mean time!]
Friday, January 16, 2009
Ghana (part 1)
Before I tell you all the awe-inspiring, memory-making, jealousy-inducing aspects of the trip, I’m going to share the not-so-swell experiences. These would be the fear-actualizing, money-draining, sleep-depriving, patience-testing, frustration-escalating, migraine-inducing aspects. So as not to deprive you here’s the blow-by-blow
The plan:
Take a 12-hr coach bus down to
WRONG!!
*When trying to book our flights, we discovered
*A week before we were supposed to leave, our return flight was unexpectedly and inexplicably cancelled. Other flights from
*After receiving back our passports with the
The Journey
*ETD was 7am on Dec. 26th. Giddy with anticipation, all 8 of us get dropped off at the bus station @ 6:45...where we’d spend the next 4 hours WAITING for our bus to show up. They kept saying over the loud speaker, “Thank you for your patience thus far. The bus is coming...” 
*Due to our late departure, our safe day-bus turned into a night bus aka the biggest thou shalt not in African travel, (soon followed by “thou shalt not take pictures at border crossings”). Combined with the next complication, this meant we didn’t get into
Once arriving in
Arranged for taxis to take us across the border to
* One taxi breaks down 500 meters from the
* Nigerian “immigration officers” harassed us every 10 meters for the last mile before the border. We got all kinds of threats and attempts to intimidate us but I knew at the end of the day that THEY couldn’t keep us from leaving the country. Basically, they were just looking for a little “happy Christmas” (= a few bucks). Seemed that anyone in possession of a large stick or board with nails on it were part of the border patrol and entitled to a dash. I’m considering using this tactic next time I need to raise funds.
* At the Benin-Nigeria border we needed to get transit (48 hr) visas, which according to all the research I did, shouldn’t be a big deal and would only cost us 10,000 CFA/person (~$18). WRONG! After 3 hours of “tipping” every person at the table, walking across the street 5 times, and essentially selling the shirts off our backs and our first-born children, we made it out of there with a severely depleted pocketbook.
* Didn’t have a street address for the SIM guesthouse we were scheduled to stay at and our taxi drivers were clueless about
* Arrived in
* Needed to find the bus company to get tickets, departure time, etc. I spent 2.5 hours cruising the streets of
{photo}
* The morning we were supposed to leave
* At the
140 km from
By some miracle, we’re able to get the van started again, and crawl all the way to 
Against all, and I do mean, ALL odds, we made it
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” –Rom. 5:3-5
"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted,but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”—2 Cor. 4:8
“Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” –James 1:2-4
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
I know I'm just one of many Christmas blogs, but if I didn't put these pictures up now, they might never get posted and then all of you would wonder, "What does a single gal DO for Christmas in Nigeria?!?" I had this whole little diatribe about peace and Jesus and everything written in my head, but now I haven't the time or energy to eloquently craft it into a blog. SO, this time around, you'll just have to enjoy the pictures. (Some of you are grateful, I know).
Kari (my sister!), me, Dana, and Corinne enjoying our cozy Christmas Eve dinner. Yes, the hooded sweatshirts were necessary! It was actually quite chilly for Nigeria on Christmas Eve, which helped get us in the spirit and enjoy drinking our special holiday tea. It also made sleeping 3 in my double bed rather enjoyable:)
Kari (my sister!), me, Dana, and Corinne enjoying our cozy Christmas Eve dinner. Yes, the hooded sweatshirts were necessary! It was actually quite chilly for Nigeria on Christmas Eve, which helped get us in the spirit and enjoy drinking our special holiday tea. It also made sleeping 3 in my double bed rather enjoyable:)On Christmas day itself, I trekked all around Jos, visiting friends, giving them my homemade Christmas cookies (most weren't sure what to do with my bright green X-mas trees), and showing them how much I love and appreciate them. Here are a few pix from my rounds:
With Larai, who later said, "René, you made my day with your visit. If you hadn't come, today would have come and gone like any other day." And all I did was come and eat a plate of rice!! 
With Larai, who later said, "René, you made my day with your visit. If you hadn't come, today would have come and gone like any other day." And all I did was come and eat a plate of rice!! 
This is one of my absolute favorite people in Nigeria--Mama Ceasar (her son's name is Ceasar). She has the most beautiful, contagious laugh and smile, CONSTANTLY. When I told her I couldn't eat very much food, she "packed" a whole meal for me in containers and a plastic bag and sent me home with it. VERY important for her to feed me, apparently. Don't tell, but I ended up giving the meal to a guard who had to be away from home all day. I think he enjoyed it more that I would have.
This is my Nigerian family, the Marcos's. The Mama is Hanatu, our head cook for the camp. They have 2 daughters as well, but they were both getting all washed up when we took this picture. By the way, notice how I'm the ONLY one looking at the camera. The look-away pose is in.
And now...I'm off to Ghana for 10 days with 7 friends! There's sure to be oodles of adventure and stories to tell when I return. Remain blessed!
Sai shekara mai zuwa... (=Until next year...)
This is my Nigerian family, the Marcos's. The Mama is Hanatu, our head cook for the camp. They have 2 daughters as well, but they were both getting all washed up when we took this picture. By the way, notice how I'm the ONLY one looking at the camera. The look-away pose is in.And now...I'm off to Ghana for 10 days with 7 friends! There's sure to be oodles of adventure and stories to tell when I return. Remain blessed!
Sai shekara mai zuwa... (=Until next year...)
Monday, December 8, 2008
Shipped out...sort of
So an hour after I posted that last blog a few days ago, I was informed that we had to come together for a compound meeting. There the crisis management team informed us that the compound I live on, plus two others were being evacuated. No, not out of the country, just away from the area. The night before we had received some reports of alleged plans to attack ECWA Headquarters and its compounds, including the one I live on. Naturally, hearing this quickened my heart beat and brought the danger of this whole situation a little closer to home...literally. After a week, the reports seem to have been just a rumor. These sorts of rumors are have been rampant in Jos this past week, serving only to instill fear and keep tensions high. Anyways, our wise mission decision makers reasoned that it was better to be safe and a little inconvenienced, than tragic victims, and thus, we were evacuated. Since things DID have the potential to escalate (and still do), we were advised to pack for the possibility that we might not come back. THAT was weird, let me tell you. I could be away for a couple nights, a week, or...forever! Now, things seem to be leaning toward me returning to my little abode in the next day or so. Don't tell, but I've snuck back to check on my cat and dump dirty laundry :) As time has passed, I've begun to process all the ramifications of this crisis. I don't think I'm quite ready to blog about it though. I will say that the safety aspect of it all, undoubtedly what many of you have been most concerned about for me, isn't that important in the big scheme of things. What breaks my heart is not the possibility that I could get hurt...it's all the corruption and brokenness and presence of evil that does nothing but destroy society. Oh, I could get on a roll very quickly, but I better not.
Adding to the craziness in my neck of the woods...it rained this past week!!! Maybe you've forgotten, but we're it the middle of dry season here in Nigeria. As in, it hasn't rained since October and we weren't expecting any precipitation until...oh...April-ish. Imagine our surprise when two nights in a row last week, we had a steady drizzle for several hours. Not imagine the irritation of my friend who was working on replacing a roof and had not reached the point of putting the new one back on. As I said in one of my first postings, T.I.A. (This is Africa).
Well, I should be heading back to the office tomorrow, and hope to be able to get involved with the relief efforts going on around Jos. There were some 30,000 internally displaced people (IDP's) staying at 13 different refugee camps. The number has decreased, but the enormous need remains. If you want to help out financially toward these families who've lost everything either in fire or being run out of their neighborhood, SIM has set up a project you can give to. Go to www.sim.org/giveusa The project number is NG 96038 (I believe you can omit the NG, that just stands for Nigeria). If nothing else, please continue to pray for peace, reconciliation, and repentance.
Adding to the craziness in my neck of the woods...it rained this past week!!! Maybe you've forgotten, but we're it the middle of dry season here in Nigeria. As in, it hasn't rained since October and we weren't expecting any precipitation until...oh...April-ish. Imagine our surprise when two nights in a row last week, we had a steady drizzle for several hours. Not imagine the irritation of my friend who was working on replacing a roof and had not reached the point of putting the new one back on. As I said in one of my first postings, T.I.A. (This is Africa).
Well, I should be heading back to the office tomorrow, and hope to be able to get involved with the relief efforts going on around Jos. There were some 30,000 internally displaced people (IDP's) staying at 13 different refugee camps. The number has decreased, but the enormous need remains. If you want to help out financially toward these families who've lost everything either in fire or being run out of their neighborhood, SIM has set up a project you can give to. Go to www.sim.org/giveusa The project number is NG 96038 (I believe you can omit the NG, that just stands for Nigeria). If nothing else, please continue to pray for peace, reconciliation, and repentance.
“The invitation of Jesus is a revolutionary call to fight for the heart of humanity…using the weapons of faith, hope, and love.” –Erwin McManus
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Jos crisis: a few words and pix
Dear worried friends and faithful prayer warriors,
Once again, my gratitude is immeasurable for your many emails, messages, prayers, and even phone calls. They humble and amaze me in addition to motivating me to keep posting updates. Though things seemed to attempt to return to normal today, nothing felt normal. The tension and anxiety was visible on everyone's face. And the standard greetings didn't seem like a formality as much today:
Ina kwana? (How was the night?)
Lafiya. Yaya Gagiya? (Fine. How is the tiredness)
Da Sauke. Yaya gida/iyali? (There is improvement. How is the house/family?)
I looked every person I saw in the eye and went through the greetings with the utmost sincerity. Unfortunately, many people had stories to tell. Stories I'm not ready to write in a blog post. Imagine some of the worst, most brutal incidences you've read about concerning African riots and sectarian violence, and you'll have an idea of what's happened in Jos the past few days.
I wish I could say the worst is over, but there are credible reports that more attacks are on their way. Security check points and roadblocks coming into Jos have stopped numerous vehicles carrying guns, ammo, machetes, and hired attackers from all over Nigeria and even surrounding countries. Needless to say, this is bigger than just an election dispute.
Once again, you can likely google "Jos, Nigeria crisis" or something and read up on the situation, but I've also included some pictures and links here. I haven't exactly been around town asking victims to smile for the camera, so these are just the few I've been able to gleen. In the next few days, I'm personally hoping to be able to get involved in the relief efforts when they get organized. Until then, I'll be keeping my ears and knees to the ground.
Once again, my gratitude is immeasurable for your many emails, messages, prayers, and even phone calls. They humble and amaze me in addition to motivating me to keep posting updates. Though things seemed to attempt to return to normal today, nothing felt normal. The tension and anxiety was visible on everyone's face. And the standard greetings didn't seem like a formality as much today:
Ina kwana? (How was the night?)
Lafiya. Yaya Gagiya? (Fine. How is the tiredness)
Da Sauke. Yaya gida/iyali? (There is improvement. How is the house/family?)
I looked every person I saw in the eye and went through the greetings with the utmost sincerity. Unfortunately, many people had stories to tell. Stories I'm not ready to write in a blog post. Imagine some of the worst, most brutal incidences you've read about concerning African riots and sectarian violence, and you'll have an idea of what's happened in Jos the past few days.
I wish I could say the worst is over, but there are credible reports that more attacks are on their way. Security check points and roadblocks coming into Jos have stopped numerous vehicles carrying guns, ammo, machetes, and hired attackers from all over Nigeria and even surrounding countries. Needless to say, this is bigger than just an election dispute.
Once again, you can likely google "Jos, Nigeria crisis" or something and read up on the situation, but I've also included some pictures and links here. I haven't exactly been around town asking victims to smile for the camera, so these are just the few I've been able to gleen. In the next few days, I'm personally hoping to be able to get involved in the relief efforts when they get organized. Until then, I'll be keeping my ears and knees to the ground.
Burnt vehicles--there are TONS of these all over the place, especially certain parts of town.
"The Family (Corinne, Marc, me, Dana)" trying to stay updated on what's happening. Better info online than outside sometimes.
Smoke rising from a certain part of town Sat. evening. Notice the difference in the two halves of the sky. Towards the right is where most of the burning took place all day.
Hundreds of dead bodies have been taken to the mosques for their burial rites to be said over them. No good figure of the death count so far, but well over 500.
More burnt out vehicles. Ironically, they torched this parking lot of fire engines. Imagine, sending a fire station up in flames. article about how this is affecting the rest of the country:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200812020825.html
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Kind of like a snow day...
...except it's a "crisis day." Has all the ingredients of a snow day in North Carolina:
-restricted to the house
-people gathering at each other's homes
-bad stuff happening out on the streets because of stupid people
-lots of tea drinking
-no outdoor activities
oh, but take away the cold, add a few dozen gunshots every 1/2 hour and the stench of burning buildings in the air.
BUT, we have a good crew of people who've banded together (yes, my sister is with me) and we're staying in good spirits, turning a trauma into a party.
The city's on a lock-down for the next 24 hrs (till Sunday morning @ 8am) as tensions, violence, and instability are very prevalent. I am safe and grateful for a walled compound with faithful guards.
If you want to read more on the situation, check out these online articles:
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=129452
http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200811292555081
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LT520810.htm
keep the prayers coming!
-restricted to the house
-people gathering at each other's homes
-bad stuff happening out on the streets because of stupid people
-lots of tea drinking
-no outdoor activities
oh, but take away the cold, add a few dozen gunshots every 1/2 hour and the stench of burning buildings in the air.
BUT, we have a good crew of people who've banded together (yes, my sister is with me) and we're staying in good spirits, turning a trauma into a party.
The city's on a lock-down for the next 24 hrs (till Sunday morning @ 8am) as tensions, violence, and instability are very prevalent. I am safe and grateful for a walled compound with faithful guards.
If you want to read more on the situation, check out these online articles:
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=129452
http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200811292555081
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LT520810.htm
keep the prayers coming!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Black (and smokey) Friday
smoke over Jos this morningThe day after Thanksgiving being termed “black Friday” is currently taking on a whole new meaning for me. While in the U.S., deal-seeking, door-busting, over-zealous holiday shoppers are getting up at 4am to be the first in line for ---------- (what IS the hot item this season??), certain sects of people in Jos were up at 4am with a very different agenda. Yesterday was actually a public holiday here in the Plateau State. Not in honor and memory of that first harsh winter survived by the grace of God and cooperation of two people groups coming together...actually it was election day. All the local governments positions in the state (equivalent of mayor and maybe House of Representatives), were being voted upon. Thus, there was a “no movement” restriction to prevent wahala (troubles). (on a side note...it seems to me that no transportation could make it difficult for some people to get to the polls, but whatever) While my friends and I opted to indulge in some Christmas craft-making while watching holiday movies, tensions ran high in the area. As I’ve mentioned before, Plateau State, and Jos in particular, is significantly located where the Muslim North and the Christian South of Nigeria meet. Thus, it is viewed by both groups as strategic for control and influence, not just for the local governments, but for the entire country. Plateau’s moto “Home of Peace and Tourism” has been true for most of its history, up until the 2001 Jos Crisis. Since then, Muslims and Christians no longer live in the same neighborhoods and bitterness, mistrust, and fear prevails between the groups. Leading up to elections, I heard a good bit of talk among Nigerians of all the corrupt tactics already going on--bringing in people from outside and forging residency papers, threatening people to keep them away from voting, and bribery. Perhaps it’d be easy for you to refuse a bribe to vote for the “other guy,” but these folks rarely get more than 1 good meal a day, and the Christmas season drives up the prices on everything. All sorts of promises were also made that if “our guy doesn’t win, we will attack!” I try to take all these bits and pieces of information with a grain of salt. After all, Nigerians do tend to dramatize things. So yesterday I layed low, gluttonized (not sure if that’s a legitimate word, but spell-check didn’t notice) at a big festive Thanksgiving dinner with the missionary/ex-pat community here, then enjoyed talking to numerous family members and my wonderful boyfriend. I went to sleep content, thankful, and without a single worry about the situation here in Jos. 
HOWEVER, as I write this blog, a smoke-filled sky billows outside my window and I’ve heard gunshots for the past 3 hours. Since early this morning, people were out on the streets gathering and stirring up trouble. Down in the center of town, where the main mosque is located, houses and churches are being burned, people are being attacked, and federal soldiers are attempting to keep order. I figured I would still get dressed and head over to the office (just across the street) until I heard otherwise, but in the parking lot I ran into a colleague and he said, “The city is not at peace. The office will not be open today. See the smoke? The city is not at peace.” Soon I was receiving text messages saying to restrict all travel around Jos and make sure all gates on our compound were secured. Akim, my colleague who lives near the hospital called to make sure I wasn’t gallivanting around today and told me that he’s seeing many people come to the hospital with gunshot wounds. It is all a bit surreal right now and I’ve no real idea if this could become a much bigger deal. For now, I’m as safe as I can be and it doesn’t SEEM like the gunshots are getting any closer. Please pray for us though. Even if things calm down, homes have already been destroyed and many people have been injured, or maybe even killed. May peace, love and light overcome bigotry, hatred, and darkness.
HOWEVER, as I write this blog, a smoke-filled sky billows outside my window and I’ve heard gunshots for the past 3 hours. Since early this morning, people were out on the streets gathering and stirring up trouble. Down in the center of town, where the main mosque is located, houses and churches are being burned, people are being attacked, and federal soldiers are attempting to keep order. I figured I would still get dressed and head over to the office (just across the street) until I heard otherwise, but in the parking lot I ran into a colleague and he said, “The city is not at peace. The office will not be open today. See the smoke? The city is not at peace.” Soon I was receiving text messages saying to restrict all travel around Jos and make sure all gates on our compound were secured. Akim, my colleague who lives near the hospital called to make sure I wasn’t gallivanting around today and told me that he’s seeing many people come to the hospital with gunshot wounds. It is all a bit surreal right now and I’ve no real idea if this could become a much bigger deal. For now, I’m as safe as I can be and it doesn’t SEEM like the gunshots are getting any closer. Please pray for us though. Even if things calm down, homes have already been destroyed and many people have been injured, or maybe even killed. May peace, love and light overcome bigotry, hatred, and darkness. “Fill me with peace, that no disquieting wordly gales
May ruffle the calm surface of my soul.”
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Stay out of neutral
Eek! Has it really been that long since I’ve posted?! Oops. Well, apparently people have been too busy with crashing markets and clashing politics to care because I haven’t had a single inquiry as to weather I’m still alive over here. Don’t count on someone writing a post for me to inform you of my death! OK, that’s a little morbid...moving on.
SOO much to fill you in on. Because the most exciting thing happened recently, I’m going to go in reverse chronological order. That way, in case your attention span cuts out before you reach the end of this blog, you’ll have heard of the coolest news. Remember that time I went up to the desert, played on dunes and got stuck in some crazy mud hole? (Right...last post) And remember how a connection was made with that village and this all M-sl-m village chief said he was going to have his people listen to the “megavoice” every day during the month of Ramadan? Well, “Ma” and “Pa” W, went back up to visit them all last week. I’m a little fuzzy about all the details because I heard about this through a text message, BUT basically, 11 men have expressed a desire to follow Christ and made a confession of faith!! The chief (!!), 5 elders (!), and 5 others, one being our hero-Ahaji Muhammed! Ma and Pa have labored faithfully up there in northern Nigeria for 14 years, and for the most part, have seen very little fruit to show for it. That’s to say, these things don’t happen very often. Usually it’s a really long, slow process and even then, if a M-sl-im wants to follow The Way, he’ll do it in secret in fear of being kicked out of his community or killed. I totally have tinglies all over my body as I type this. Chad Verbeck, a friend of mine from camp BW/DR, sings this song, “Another One for the Kingdom.” (has a groovy sound so click here to download it for free yourself)
Another one for the Kingdom
Another defeating sin
Another one who’s loving Jesus
Another one’s been born again.
Another one who is lost and now is found
Another one who’s not alone.
Another one who is no longer tied down
Another one who’s comin’ home.
And I know the bells are ringing
Up in heaven I can hear the angels singing
And the Lord is smiling down
Cause He knows that we will live eternal
And wear a golden crown
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord
Get up on your feet and praise the Lord!
AND, the village wants Ma and Pa to come up every Friday at noon to tell them more stories
about Jesus aka, they want to be discipled! Cool huh? And it never would have happened if we didn’t lodge ourselves helplessly in a mud pit, desperate for help. Maybe, just maybe, it was our lack of expertise, our vulnerability, and our need for, well, grace, that opened the door. Maybe not, but the whole experience has certainly taught me a thing or two.
Speaking of stuff that happened up in northern Nigeria with M-sl-ms, at the end of September I
joined in the Eid-al-Fitr celebrations in Kano. That’s the Islamic holiday at the end of the month of Ramadan and in Kano, the Imir throws a party called the Durbar, for hundreds of thousands of people. Since Eid-al-Fitr meant 2 days off work, followed by the public holiday of Independence Day (happy 46th Nigeria!), a few friends and I thought it’d be fun to check out this thing. PLUS, Kano has one of the largest fabric markets in Nigeria =) 
We spent quite a bit of time meandering through fabric stalls, ooing and aahhing at all the gorgeous colors and patterns, and trying, in vain, to not but too many.
We also took some time to check out the famous indigo dye pits in Kano. I wish I could remember all the details about them, but basically this artisan craft has been a trade of Northern Nigeria people for hundreds of years. Though suckers like us are the main ones buying the fabrics now, the intricate handiwork is stunning. I couldn’t resist buying one of them for
my own cool Africa stuff collection...nor could I resist getting in one of the pits = P
Many more stories from the Durbar, but I’ll refer to you the captioned pictures on my web album to keep this blog short. Check it out, seriously.
My final blog-worthy happening was a 4-day backpacking trip a couple weeks ago. (I know...not really breaking news). Once again, a handful of fun-loving singles were rallied together for a little adventure. Donned with backpacks, food, stylish attire (note pink pants on Dana), and flexibility we trekked deep int
o Shere Hills, the mountainous terrain just south of Jos. Though we got l--, I mean, took the long way at few times, we had an absolute blast. For example, we gave out some trail names:
Our group --“Team Sexy” ; Kari –“Pre-heat” because she made the brilliant decision to wear non-breathable rain pants during one long day of hiking; Dana—“Pink Panter” for her lovely pink medical scrubs she wore every day; Hanna—“Swiss Miss” because she’s from Switzerland; Lisa—“Toasted Kiwi” because she’s from New Zealand and got totally fried in the sun; Matt—“Snappy” for his constant photo-taking, plus he’s british an “snappy” can sound really English; Marc –“Blinkin” after the blind guy from Robin Hood-Men in Tights. Poor Marc had the responsibility of leading us and got turned around a few times; myself –“Jukebox” for my ability to come up with a song for anything.
As you can see, we had a pretty international group, which made the whole experience all that much more interesting. And all the sore shoulders, scratched up legs, blistered feet, and funky smells were far-outweighed by our great fellowship and breath-taking views. Not only did we camp near a 100ft waterfall, but we also hiked up to the tallest point in Plateau State, affording us a 360 degree view of this stunning country. **sigh** Again, I’ll refer you to the web album for more pictures and tidbits. All sorts of nostalgia from the Appalachian Trail
washed over me on this trip and I was reminded of my deep appreciation/infatuation with hiking. (By the way, if you’re ever super bored and want to read about my adventure hiking the AT, go to www.trailjournals.com/reneandjess
This blog might give the impression that I’m having the time of my life, moving from one fun-filled adventure to the next. I can’t lie, I AM having the time of my life...but ironically, this past week or so, I have wrestled with feelings of stagnation. The thought keeps circling around that I’m ignoring little opportunities to make a difference. That I’m displeasin
g God not by my actions, but by my inactions. I gravitate toward adventure and am inclined to take big risks and yet, I ignore the seemingly smaller chances to exercise my faith. Sure I’ll make time for my “official” discipleship group, but will I take 5 minutes to stop and help the little sales girl with her homework? And while I take a hike in Nigeria’s wilderness for 4 days, why can I not walk down the street on Tuesday evenings to the church’s youth fellowship group that could use some encouragement? You see, you don't have to live in Africa to treat each day as pregnant with opportunity. Really, it's just about "refusing to live a life in neutral and valuing the irreplaceable nature of every moment."(E. McManus) Not sure about what will happen? That's ok...God's into calling us out of comfort into uncertainty.
SOO much to fill you in on. Because the most exciting thing happened recently, I’m going to go in reverse chronological order. That way, in case your attention span cuts out before you reach the end of this blog, you’ll have heard of the coolest news. Remember that time I went up to the desert, played on dunes and got stuck in some crazy mud hole? (Right...last post) And remember how a connection was made with that village and this all M-sl-m village chief said he was going to have his people listen to the “megavoice” every day during the month of Ramadan? Well, “Ma” and “Pa” W, went back up to visit them all last week. I’m a little fuzzy about all the details because I heard about this through a text message, BUT basically, 11 men have expressed a desire to follow Christ and made a confession of faith!! The chief (!!), 5 elders (!), and 5 others, one being our hero-Ahaji Muhammed! Ma and Pa have labored faithfully up there in northern Nigeria for 14 years, and for the most part, have seen very little fruit to show for it. That’s to say, these things don’t happen very often. Usually it’s a really long, slow process and even then, if a M-sl-im wants to follow The Way, he’ll do it in secret in fear of being kicked out of his community or killed. I totally have tinglies all over my body as I type this. Chad Verbeck, a friend of mine from camp BW/DR, sings this song, “Another One for the Kingdom.” (has a groovy sound so click here to download it for free yourself)
Another one for the Kingdom
Another defeating sin
Another one who’s loving Jesus
Another one’s been born again.
Another one who is lost and now is found
Another one who’s not alone.
Another one who is no longer tied down
Another one who’s comin’ home.
And I know the bells are ringing
Up in heaven I can hear the angels singing
And the Lord is smiling down
Cause He knows that we will live eternal
And wear a golden crown
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord
Get up on your feet and praise the Lord!
AND, the village wants Ma and Pa to come up every Friday at noon to tell them more stories
about Jesus aka, they want to be discipled! Cool huh? And it never would have happened if we didn’t lodge ourselves helplessly in a mud pit, desperate for help. Maybe, just maybe, it was our lack of expertise, our vulnerability, and our need for, well, grace, that opened the door. Maybe not, but the whole experience has certainly taught me a thing or two.Speaking of stuff that happened up in northern Nigeria with M-sl-ms, at the end of September I
joined in the Eid-al-Fitr celebrations in Kano. That’s the Islamic holiday at the end of the month of Ramadan and in Kano, the Imir throws a party called the Durbar, for hundreds of thousands of people. Since Eid-al-Fitr meant 2 days off work, followed by the public holiday of Independence Day (happy 46th Nigeria!), a few friends and I thought it’d be fun to check out this thing. PLUS, Kano has one of the largest fabric markets in Nigeria =) 
We spent quite a bit of time meandering through fabric stalls, ooing and aahhing at all the gorgeous colors and patterns, and trying, in vain, to not but too many.We also took some time to check out the famous indigo dye pits in Kano. I wish I could remember all the details about them, but basically this artisan craft has been a trade of Northern Nigeria people for hundreds of years. Though suckers like us are the main ones buying the fabrics now, the intricate handiwork is stunning. I couldn’t resist buying one of them for
my own cool Africa stuff collection...nor could I resist getting in one of the pits = PMany more stories from the Durbar, but I’ll refer to you the captioned pictures on my web album to keep this blog short. Check it out, seriously.
My final blog-worthy happening was a 4-day backpacking trip a couple weeks ago. (I know...not really breaking news). Once again, a handful of fun-loving singles were rallied together for a little adventure. Donned with backpacks, food, stylish attire (note pink pants on Dana), and flexibility we trekked deep int
o Shere Hills, the mountainous terrain just south of Jos. Though we got l--, I mean, took the long way at few times, we had an absolute blast. For example, we gave out some trail names:Our group --“Team Sexy” ; Kari –“Pre-heat” because she made the brilliant decision to wear non-breathable rain pants during one long day of hiking; Dana—“Pink Panter” for her lovely pink medical scrubs she wore every day; Hanna—“Swiss Miss” because she’s from Switzerland; Lisa—“Toasted Kiwi” because she’s from New Zealand and got totally fried in the sun; Matt—“Snappy” for his constant photo-taking, plus he’s british an “snappy” can sound really English; Marc –“Blinkin” after the blind guy from Robin Hood-Men in Tights. Poor Marc had the responsibility of leading us and got turned around a few times; myself –“Jukebox” for my ability to come up with a song for anything.
As you can see, we had a pretty international group, which made the whole experience all that much more interesting. And all the sore shoulders, scratched up legs, blistered feet, and funky smells were far-outweighed by our great fellowship and breath-taking views. Not only did we camp near a 100ft waterfall, but we also hiked up to the tallest point in Plateau State, affording us a 360 degree view of this stunning country. **sigh** Again, I’ll refer you to the web album for more pictures and tidbits. All sorts of nostalgia from the Appalachian Trail
washed over me on this trip and I was reminded of my deep appreciation/infatuation with hiking. (By the way, if you’re ever super bored and want to read about my adventure hiking the AT, go to www.trailjournals.com/reneandjessThis blog might give the impression that I’m having the time of my life, moving from one fun-filled adventure to the next. I can’t lie, I AM having the time of my life...but ironically, this past week or so, I have wrestled with feelings of stagnation. The thought keeps circling around that I’m ignoring little opportunities to make a difference. That I’m displeasin
g God not by my actions, but by my inactions. I gravitate toward adventure and am inclined to take big risks and yet, I ignore the seemingly smaller chances to exercise my faith. Sure I’ll make time for my “official” discipleship group, but will I take 5 minutes to stop and help the little sales girl with her homework? And while I take a hike in Nigeria’s wilderness for 4 days, why can I not walk down the street on Tuesday evenings to the church’s youth fellowship group that could use some encouragement? You see, you don't have to live in Africa to treat each day as pregnant with opportunity. Really, it's just about "refusing to live a life in neutral and valuing the irreplaceable nature of every moment."(E. McManus) Not sure about what will happen? That's ok...God's into calling us out of comfort into uncertainty.
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