Hamatan....

This is an old post (about 2 wks...) & Hamatan is now coming to an end....but I thought to post it n-e-way....at least you'll learn something....

It's interesting looking around these days while out or on the road because everything's covered with a sort of cloudy haze...this is not because it's cloudy/rainy season....it's because it's "dust" season...Hamatan! This is literally a dusty season which lasts about 2 months because of wind changes from the North which carry away the rains & bring in massive amounts of dust from the Sahara desert which fill the skies. Check out the "fog-imitation" look that follows...
Pictures of 'Hamatan':

Across the Lake close to our house....this pic taken late-afternoon...but about 2 hours before sunset, so as you can see, it's pretty hazy looking.


The dust "fog" quite apparant in this one....the time in here being about midday.


I took this one in Zaria itself, right behind the hospital where the project site is, at the house where we stayed. This is actually the sun, even though it looks like the moon. Amazing! Attempting to peer through all the dust...Granted, this is about 1/2 an hour before the sun set, which is why it's so dull...interesting effect.

ZARIA....more adventure....

Ok, well, it was just supposed to be a simple 2-day trip up to Zaria to check on the progress of the construction of a building for vocational training for VVF patients that Family Care has been working on for a while now.....
But as this is me we're talking about, I should've known that as soon as I hit the African road, the adventure would begin....
We left our house at 7 in the morning, but arrived in Zaria at 2:00 p.m.--it was supposed to be a 3 hour ride--the reason it took so long? Read on...
We'd prayed for safety & protection, that the whole trip would be a success & that the Lord would go with us & all.....but not 15 minutes into our trip the front of the car started to sort of wobble/shake like one of the tires had gone flat....ended up not being LIKE one of the tires had gone flat--1 of the tires HAD gone flat. We pulled over to the side of the road & since we had the jack & spare, we would have been able to change it ourselves, but according to Simon this was the first time he'd had a flat--ever--in this vehicle, so the spare hadn't been used, (like, ever) so it needed to be balanced.
There was a little "vulcanizer" boy close by who we were able to summon who wheeled off the spare tire while Simon walked behind...I waited with the car for what would turn into half an hour of Praise Time, breakfast & Prayer time. Soon enough he was back, "vulcanizer boy" put the newly balanced spare tire on the car, & we were on our way.....for a few more minutes that is...
"BANG!!!"
"WHAT NOW??"
This time, wobble turned RATTLE & was coming from the back of the car instead. Of course, we pull over again, & now it's the back-left tire that's into SHREDS....I couldn't believe it?
"What is the Lord trying to tell us??" we both asked at almost the same time.
Since we were now slightly further up the road, it would be yet a little while further to the gas station where we would have to go, seeing as we'd already used our spare & would have to buy another tire now....but we figured that the tire couldn't get any worse & the gas station was so close....so we drove (ever so slowly) to the next gas station only to have to wait nearly 45 minutes or more for the lame-o that took off with our money &....couldn't find a tire? I don't what happened to him, but he had some excuse....we sure were mad at him by the time he came back, though.
If nothing better this gave us time to pray earnestly & ask the Lord what He was trying to tell us in allowing these 2 flats in so short a space of time at the start of what was barely our trip so far. He showed us that He was keeping us from some other imminent danger up ahead & delaying us, time-wise, on purpose. He also said that it doubled as a warning for us to pray at every step along the way & be vigilant in spirit (1Pet.5:8-9a) lest we meet that imminent danger at some other point n-e-way. He also told us to call the rest of our team back home & ask them to pray for us & claim the power of the keys as well...which we did right away.
So at about 10 a.m. we were finally off & didn't really stop till we reached Zaria @ 2 p.m.--safely, btw, TG!

At the project site


This is an excellent project that the Lord has already used hugely & will continue to for a long time to come....I'm quite impressed with it.
(warning: the following information is slightly graphic in parts....not recommended for wimpy readers)
VVF (Vesico Vaginal Fiscual)is a problem that mainly affects poor girls in the villages here in the North of Nigeria. Here's a description from one of Family Care's project update pages on the VVF situation in Nigeria:
"Imagine if you were sold to be married, got pregnant, Had a miscarriage, developed VVF & were abandoned by your husband, family & village....all before the age of 15, many times younger."
This is something that many girls here in the North of Nigeria face & is common place in these parts. Because there's such poor medical care in the villages, the women (or girls in the case of a lot of them) often don't have doctors present during their deliveries & when complications arise (baby being too big, tearing, etc.) some "local-yokal" attempts to do the "doctoring" for them, often resulting in the cutting of their urinary tract, or somewhere else, causing them to get major infections & swellings & to leak urine or faeces from then on.....this is of course, an embarassment for the family & village who see the women as having brought "shame" on them....so the girl is kicked out of home & left to fend for herself through begging, prostitution, etc., etc.
The center that the Family has built here is adjacent to the hospital & will run in conjunction with proper hospital staff & local doctors who have agreed to help these girls with surgery...then the girls will be able to stay at the VVF center that was built by Family Care for as long as they recover & can also enroll in "Vocational Training Programs" such as sewing, in which they are taken through a whole sewing course & given certificates & sewing machines on completion....this way they will be able to make a living for themselves decently whether back in the village or in the city itself.
Similar projects like this have been running in other towns in the North of Nigeria for years already & many girls have recieved the surgery needed & graduated from the sewing courses already. Please continue to pray for the Zaria project that it will go just as well & that it will be a help to many....it officially opens at the beginning of next month (February). Thanks so much!


Simon, next to the temporary sign-post, placed when the construction first started. He's been managing & co-ordinating of this particular project since it's inception towards the end of last year (I visited this place mid-January....see how quickly it was set-up??...it's almost finished)


I didn't get any pictures of the VVF girls & very few around town, due to my batteries running out during the first day I was there. But here's a few. I'll go again at some point & will take lots more then...


This one in the "old town" section of Zaria....



Also in old town....these donkeys are used for transporting sand or cement used for building, or firewood used in ppls homes 4 cooking. Some of these kids are the ones that "work" the donkeys....

Up & Coming.....

Just got back from an extremely interesting & intriuging 2 days in the North of Nigeria, where I helped with a project in Zaria....also passed through Kaduna on the way up....I'll put the semi-full story up soon...stay tuned....

New Year's Resolution 2007--Be Healthy.

Tip#1: Get Your Sleep....

I thought to share some of my recent research on health with you in light of my "self-reminder" to be healthy this year.
Here are excerpts from a newspaper article I read recently on the importance of sleep.


Americans (and I assume many in the working class the world over) accumulate sleep debt like gamblers racking up IOUs. Each weekday night they get an hour and 6 minutes less, on average, than the 8 hrs that sleep experts recommend, each weekend night half an hr less. By the end of the year they are short 338 hours—2 full weeks—of rest.
Like sleepwalkers, they are dangerously unaware of the risks to their health. Most ppl know that lack of sleep makes them punchy. They are wary of the drowsiness that can be a killer behind the wheel. Yet inadequate sleep is a workaholic’s badge of honor.
New research shows that sleep may well be the 3rd essential component of a long & healthy life, up there with a good diet and regular exercise.
The findings hint that long-term sleep debt could be a factor in the national epidemics of diabetes and obesity. Inadequate sleep could weaken the immune system, leading to colds & other infections. And there is evidence that the increase in breast cancer, and perhaps other cancers, could have a link to the modern human insistence on extending the day. To brag about cheating sleep may be akin to bragging about eating a junk-food diet or never getting off the couch.
Then there are preliminary studies tying lack of sleep to a decline in immune function. Robbed of all sleep, a lab rat will die after @ 2 wks. “They die of infection” said James Krueger, a neurologist at Washington State University. Human studies show that inadequate sleep changes white blood cell counts & immune response modifiers, biological evidence that the body is having trouble fighting infection.
Even if the possible long-term effects of sleep loss don’t worry ppl, those who try to cheat sleep may be getting less out of their extra waking hours than they think. A recent study showed that ppl who were awake for up to 19 hours scored worse on performance testes & alertness scales than those with a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent—legally drunk in some places.
The irony is that although many of us trade sleep for productivity, we would actually be more productive if we slept more. We concentrate better and are less easily distracted when well-rested.
We are creatures with bodies that are finite and contingent. It is God and God alone who “neither slumbers nor sleeps.’ To sleep, long & soundly, is to place our trust not in our own strength and hard work, but in Him without whom we labor in vain. Get a good night’s sleep.

--From articles by Susan Brink, US News & World Report; Jeanie Lerche Davis, WEBMD News; Lauren F. Winner, Christianity Today; Rob Stein, Washington Post

7 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

Today is a special day for me....January 10th, 2007, marks my seven-year anniversary in Africa. I arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, today in the year 2000, & experienced Africa for the first time.
Since then I've also experienced Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa & Reunion Island (I know, it doesn't actually count...I just wanted to throw that in there so you'll know I've been). Each place similar to each other, yet so different.
To commemorate my anniversary I'll tell you a story about one of my African experiences. True to tradition, it's gonna be a bus story: (Look for the word bus)

"It was during the Summer of 2002 & I was taking a road trip from Kenya, where I lived, to UG, & then to join Aaron & his team for a 10-day missionary seminar in Zambia & then back up to my home in Kenya. I was accompanied by Jer (Tina's brother), who was 15 at the time, & we had just completed a 50-hour train ride from Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, to Ngola, Zambia(that's right!--50 HOURS ON A TRAIN), after a 24-hour bus ride (there's the word) from UG to TZ..... Now we were to get on a 2-hour bus (there we are again) ride from the Copper Belt to Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, where we were to call Dar (TZ) & get the number of Aaron & them so we could meet up, as was arranged before we got on the train from Tanzania.
And what do you know, due to the fact that the road was mainly holes & bumps, the 2-hour ride from Ngola to Lusaka seemed longer than the whole 50 hours we had just spent on the train. I COULDN'T WAIT TO GET OFF!! That was definitely the most uncomfortable bus ride of MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!--Nearly as bad as the time I got the last seat (the very back) on a night bus from Kampala to Nairobi & got a seat right on the left wheel (think bumps)....but that's a whole 'nother story in itself.
So we get off the bus (rueing the minute we got on it) & drag our stuff to a pay phone & stick the few Kwacha change we have in the coin slot & call TZ...Mary picks up & ever so sweetly tells us that she had not recieved any e-mail from Aaron & therefore didn't know where he was staying. I had nothing to say except "Ok....um...we'll look around for him"!
What? In a city of 3 million ppl that we'd never been to before? I guess I was speaking faith....what else could I speak....besides, my Kwacha were ticking away....
I hung up the phone & told Jer, "Let's pray!!" And that's exactly what we did...we called on the Power of the Keys of the Kingdom that the Lord would lead us exactly to where they were & that we wouldn't have to look long either. With that, we set off & dragged our bags to the first hotel we saw, which happened to be called 'Cairo Hotel' (the bus had dropped us smack down-town).
We walked in to the reception & asked "Are any Missionaries from Family Care staying here at your hotel?" "They're preparing for a seminar & they should be in a group of about 10 or so...?"
And I still remember this part like it was yesterday.....The receptionist pulls out a flyer advertising the seminars, with Aaron's picture on it that the team had been passing out & asks me, "These people?"
"Yes?" I said, half questioning!
"Oh, yes! They're upstairs!" was her reply.
Jer & I were stunned!!! It wasn't that we didn't know the Lord would honor our faith & lead us (He had no choice, right?)...but we just didn't know He'd do it so soon. I could hardly believe it!
We flew up the stairs to their room & told a bunch of just-as-surprised-people-as-we-were the story of how we had found them by a prayer. It was incredible.
The seminars were a Blast & several other adventures followed, which I shall relay to you another time......stay tuned.....

Paid Holiday.....Jesus Foots the Bill!!

Just got back from a wonderfully relaxing 6-day holiday at a 5-star hotel that was all DONATEEEEED. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! I thoroughly enjoyed myself....a big room all to myself (most of the time), beautiful pool, nice gym & squash courts, exquisite 5 star restaurants & 6 fun friends to share it with. What more could one ask for at the start of the year? (don't answer that!) Thank you, Jesus!


The only decent group shot we got of all of us during our four-course meal on the last night of 2006. You should've seen this guy (apparently he was some famous Nigerian singer, who happens to be a friend....popped in the place to say hi & I made the mistake of asking him to take a pic of us...he did the whole "around the clock" thing & took at least 6 pics of us...this is the only one I could use.



I have an excuse for all these fuzzy ones.....no one knows how to use my camera. Or could it be the fact that the guy taking the picture probably had 2 much to drink.
Anyway....all of us during some of the first moments of 2007....


This one I took.....there wasn't much happening at our hotel's club (Sheraton), so we went to the Hilton for the real New Year experience....

All 4 girls enjoying the "jungle within"...l-r Angela, Mary (holding Jolena, Angela & Richard's baby) & Michelle...I told you Nigeria had cuties..... Michelle black & whitified this pic...gave it a nice look (not that it didn't already have one....)



This place was called "The Obudu Grill". It's an excellent high-standard Steakhouse with GREAT food & a very classy air. We ate their 2x....this is the first night we ate there & I've having Ostrich steak (yup, that's right all you in the U.S.--I'm actually eating Ostrich)...my red drink is called Chapman & it's a Nigerian special (I'll explain later).


WHAT THE???....NO WAY!!! Ok, that has got to be the largest pepper shaker in the world. I think it also doubles as a fire extinguisher in case the chemical reaction of the pepper hitting your steak causes an explosion.....

more later....hope you had a good New Year :)

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!!



My goals are simple this year.....I resoluted to (according to what Jesus asked me to do when I talked to Him before the close of the year):

Be a better disciple & do what Jesus wants me to do this year

Hear from the Lord more in prophecy for myself & others

Claim the keys of obedience & fortitude

I thought to post my sister's New Year card as well, as I quite liked it....enjoy it while it's up, as any protests from her side to my posting this without her permission will result in me taking it down.....enjoy!


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH......200777777777777777777777....WOW!!!!