4 Sonia......

This one especially for you, Sonia....since you said you enjoyed those other pics so much....

Bear with us ppl....we may just get another missionary to Africa out of this....huh, Sonia?

The last 2 photos taken in Uganda during some CTPs done there...I won't take credit for those two, I didn't take them (DUH! I'm in one!). I post these even at the risk of giving away my 'Remembering Uganda' post...(I think that's an advert for a future post. What say you? Stay tuned....)

--Enjoy!











Sorry, Sonia....I actually wanted to add more, but this is all the internet connection would allow.....XO

BaCkTrAcKiNg!!!

I had put up the pics of my last trip, but I also wanted to post some great shots I took of the community kids during our awareness program for the clinic that we held the weekend before I went on my trip. Enjoy!

....Please appreciate these pics as it literally takes me about 7-10 minutes to upload each of these pictures onto this blog....just so you know what went into "That Bananna There"....







This kid in the middle (the only one smiling)kept wanting to be in all the pictures...


It's cute how they're so eager to be in the pictures even though they know they won't get the picture, nor will they get anything for the picture (Of course, they'll benefit from the free & subsidized health care & prayer that we'll be giving them & their families every time they're sick. But of course, they're not thinking of that when you're taking their "snap", as they call it). They just enjoyed having their picture taken...it's like a whole event in itself for them....

ENUGU/PORT-HARCOURT!!!

Hey, y'all!
Thanks so much for praying for my trip...all went well & I enjoyed it immensely. This despite long rides down crater-infested roads, tropical heat & a near attack by armed robbers (that's a whole 'nother story in itself...stay tuned...). But those are just the few difficulties to endure (in other words, the exciting bits)...the rest was a succesful Christmas party (early, I know) for handicapped & orphans, suply along the way, angels of protection & safe-keeping there & back, as well as lots of sights to see, good food to eat & photographers oppurtunities everywhere....

Yet again, a picture says so much more than words, so without saying much more (can't promise total silence, though) I'll give you pics of some of this weeks' highlights...(this method of more pics/less words not spurred by laziness, only an attempt to save time, ha!). Enjoy!



On the way....I forget which town...excuse!

Now, he's pulling...but I don't know what he's gonna do with the thing once he gets it out....


Shanty-town... all these pics taken from my rear-seat window while on the road, by the way....thus the shakey/blurry effect.


Can you guess what happened here???....I still haven't QUITE figured it out!--HOW?????


The back view from the hotel where we stayed....this is called Nike Lake (pronounced 'Neekay') and is just outside the town where we did our Christmas program




Some of the new friends I made at the center enjoying our program...


Some of our teens giving gift bags to some of the orphans after our show...

GOING ON A TRIP!!!!

Just to let you all know that I'll be going on a week-long trip tomorrow to the east of Nigeria (Enugu) with a few others by road to check on the projects there....so if you don't hear from me for the next while, you know why!

Please do help us by praying that the Lord will keep us safe on the roads the whole way there & that the projects will continue developing just as they should & that any bible studies & other witnessing we do will be a blessing to many...

Thanks soooooo much! Will update when I'm back!

GBY!

Have a great week ahead,


Brian

Those long-awaited pics.....

That took long enough, didn't it?? But at least meanwhile I got to post some very inspired words that changed me when I read them & hopefully will chang you too...

Here's a couple random pics from recent times....there's a couple classics I'm still waiting for...stay tuned!

The real truth is that I've been ready to post this for days....but the internet's been giving me trouble (I'm still gonna be happy & smiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiile). So without further ado......I give you...

Here are some pics I took at the beach the Sunday before last. Nicely enough, we got to go again last Sunday.--Actually to the beach house about 2 up from this one where I took these pics from....But only Elene took pics that day & I don't know if she'd let me post them...hmmmmm (not that I HAVE them)--Enjoy!


flags....to state the obvious


some of us with a friend who invited us....just shortly before food time...that's why they're looking happy....


Etienne & Rachel's cute baby...


It was a good day of swimming, relaxing & enjoying cold drinks, grilled meat & Lebanese cuisine....good stuff. TYJ!

The next ones have nothing to do with the beach...be not confused....



our own private "Moat" directly in front of our gate.....this is seasonal, thankfully, & will go away shortly after the rainy season stops...

GOOD QUESTION!--BETTER ANSWER!!!

Ok, I don't know how all this posting & copyright stuff works....I didn't write this...but I suppose if I quote the original source of this article....anyway, I am a member of the orginization of who's blog I took this page from. It comes from:

'Live the Creed' a blog by various young missionaries with the Family International (like myself)....

This post was in the section answering the question "Why Would Anyone Want to be a Missionary Anyway?" ENJOY!!--I know I did!


Salvation
Why indeed?

I know of one man who switched careers mid-life and became a missionary. Prior to that he had the success and respect of his community. He gave it all up…and what was the result?

Eight times he was beaten. Three times shipwrecked, once spending a day and night adrift. He spent more nights in jail than I can count. Once he was left for dead by a mob. Once he was saved from another mob in the nick of time by the authorities…who promptly slapped him in jail again. He said:

"I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, as well as from (others). I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm." (2 Cor. 11:24-27)

Eventually his enemies caught up with him and he died under the executioner’s axe. Long before his death, how did he feel about his new career and the change in circumstances it brought? He is quoted as saying:

"I am quite content with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities." (2 Cor. 12:10).

Fortunately we know why, because he once wrote: "Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes."

Perhaps one of his contemporaries said it best:

"We love Him (Jesus), because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

St. Paul and St. John are generally well-known and well-liked now, but in their time they were just ordinary men whose driving motivation was simply how much Jesus loved them. Whether we as Christians today will ever accomplish a tenth of what they did is irrelevant. It is the same love and the same motivation that now moves us. For no matter who we are, or what we’ve done or haven’t done, Jesus loved us. He loved us so much that He gave His life for us (John 3:16). He endured cruel torture and death so that we might have peace of mind and heart here in this life and no fear of what is to come in the next life. He offered—and offers—this gift to us for free! The gift of eternal life. All we have to do is accept it and thank Him for it.

His offer is for everyone. Why not give Him a try? It’s simple. Just ask Him. There are no right or wrong words to use. Just speak to Him from your heart. If you’re unsure of what to say, you could say something like this:

Dear Jesus, I ask You to come into my heart and life.
I want the love, peace and forgiveness that you offer.
Thank you for this free gift. Thank you that you love me.
Fill me with your Spirit and set my life on the course you know is best.
Amen.

Now what?

to view this blog yourself simply visit www.livethecreed.com

Biding my time!

Let not regular posting be confused with copying everyone & joining the "online-diary" club.
I told myself I wouldn't put stuff up EVERY DAY, just to say that I've done it, but then I did realize that I've got to put up SOMETHING (of course, that sounds like, put up anything, just so ppl can see something. OOPS!).

Time would fail me to tell of spending the WHOLE ENTIRE DAY inventoring (is it a word?) all the medicines obtained for the clinic that Family Care started here (it was fun actually)....or of some beach visits, or of teaching 12 FS Bible studies, which I absolutely LOVE. It's all enough to keep a man busy, but certainly not the "end of the action" if you will. There's more to come & even though I've already had enough Adventure for a Lifetime already, the sky is just the limit--past the limit is what I hope to reach someday. TYJ!...Getting there....

About blogging!

Well, I never really titled it that before, but I have been on about this in the past.
I will not deny it...I neglect this thing....somewhat! Not for long!!! THERE'S HOPE! Really, there is....

I always go on my friends blogs & eagerly anticipate some new story/tidbit/inspirational writing/news, whatever! I guess some are hoping for the same from here, I realized...

So, without further ado, here is this post! That's all of it, actually! The truth is that right now I'm not connecting from my computer & there's a bit of a line to go online with this one. Also, the internet's on & off, so it's a bit of a juggling act...Oh, yeah! I've got a bit of a story about that!
Last night I was on this very computer & trying to connect! My own computer wouldn't stay on & this one wouldn't get online & a bunch of ppl were waiting to hear back from me about stuff & I had some urgent things to send as well & was trying to write my family & had missed a couple B'days & on & on..... So I was starting to get really annoyed with the whole thing & then I remembered my stance to be more praiseful in my last post from the other week (Ta-Dum!). I could hear the Lord telling me that it was a test & that I could either go into negativity about it, or I could actually just praise & wait for the miracle.
So I decided to do the latter & I started singing a praise song to Jesus. I felt better already! Then I really felt better when INSTANTLY after that the thing connected & I sent about 5 messages in about 4 minutes (excellent track-record for this thing) YEEEEEESSSSSS!!!! I was so happy! Praise does it again!

"Oweboooooooooooooo!".....He couldn't POSSIBLY be talking to me!!

The other part that was so fun about visiting the Subsidized Health Care clinic that Family Care has just set up here, was talking & playing with the little community kids that run around here. How I've missed those areas where on the little "streets" cars, people, "stoves" (more like a big pot on some burning sticks) & chickens all share the road. In other words, this new clinic is in a poor part of town (you already guessed that???...Jee! You're smart!)
We had worked hard chasing accomodation & furniture for the doctor that we've just employed & is pretty new to Lagos....he's from out of town & is used to...well...shall we say, a "different way of doing things". The whole part-time-charity thing (for him--it's full-time for us...)& the "Just-do-it-for-Jesus" concepts are still a bit new to him. But we're working on it!
....Oh, but wait!! I'm veering off from my story (that sentence sounded like something out of a 'Reflections'...)...As I go in & out of the clinic, getting stuff from the car & going back in I see this little group of about 4 or 5 kiddie faces & one little 6 yr old grin that calls out, "Owebo!" with a twinge of sarcasm & a slight chuckle. I'm like "Did he just say that to MEEE!" The reason I'm so shocked is because Owebo is the Nigerian term for foreigner...well, roughly. It's basically used for any "white man". The reason this shocks me is because I'm NOOOOOOOOOOOT WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE!!!! They're on to me...they reckognize that I'm a foreigner.--Nothing is sacred anymore!
This was the beauty of Uganda!--Well...East Africa in general, really. Although no one could ever place where I was from, they generally thought I was African (at least half of the time). This meant that I could go around &...well, blend in.--I got the whole "Mzungu" thing--the Swahili "Owebo" equivalent--like, 3 or 4 times MAX in the whole 6 years I was in East Africa(slightly exaggarated, but hey). Not being a target for eye-stares/gawking, or hiked up prices, pick-pockets, what have you. (In case you missed my picture at the top of my page, I'm black!--Not Jet black...but..black, nonetheless!) This is the ideal of being a missionary: Being a foreigner in a foreign land, ministering to foreign people...yet being able to BLEND IN. I was enjoying it!
I guess I can kiss that goodbye now...no more getting "African prices" at the market, or "slipping by" unoticed, or getting walked right past by all the beggars who go straight up to the real Mzungu, or "Owebo". I hope I won't be hearing that word again for a while.....hmmmmm...let's see how that goes!--I'll keep you posted!

I really have GOT to get some pictures up here....sigh!!!!

Nigeria--1st post!

WOW!!!! I’m finally here! It’s good to be back in Africa! The land that has become my home over the last 6 years…
Strangely enough, this is the country where I experienced Africa for the first time in my life at the age of 19. Many of the major experiences of Africa that I still consider “unique” to my whole time here in Africa, happened here in Nigeria—Not all, but many (this partly due to the fact that I was experiencing Africa for the first time, so each event stood was more outstanding)
...Like assisting an eye-surgeon to remove cataracts from about 20 or 30 patients at a medical camp deep in the jungle of Cross-River state(pull out your maps of Nigeria)--This was also, uniquely, where I had my 20th birthday)
...Like experiencing dense humidity & tropical heat for the first time since I lived in India as a child (besides the time I went to New Orleans in the summer.--Next to the Mississippi, humidity like you wouldn’t believe blowing up from the gulf of Mexico—wow. That was even worse than Mombasa (pull out your Africa map again))
...And yes..., like getting 2 consecutive visits from armed robbers two weeks apart from each other, 10 days after I first arrived in Africa. These were to be my first experiences of Nigeria & of Africa in general. Let’s see what it holds for me this time.
The funniest thing & what’s does strike me as odd in one way, but is also a pleasant surprise in another way, is the fact that things that made me feel like I had just landed on an ALIEN PLANET 6 years ago, now--after living this whole time in Africa--seem perfectly normal to me! I was bracing myself to have the same reaction to things that I did back then & upon arriving here, was like, “oh yeah…that’s right...I’m in Africa” & it’s all like “DUH!!" "Of course this is the way things are!” “Of course”, there are potholes all over most of the main roads! “Of course” there are cripples & blind & beggars lining certain streets going begging between the cars! "Of course you need a 4-wheel drive to get most places comfortably here, without wrecking your car engine, your spinal cord & your head...
The same Lekki (a section of Lagos) that looked like Mars to me then, now looks like Dar-Es-Salaam (again--pull out your map of Africa) & the waving “heat” that struck me when I was 19, now seems “the ideal temperature”.
Granted, things have changed in Nigeria in 6 years & VI has developed considerably, with security being more efficient, new buildings & roads thrown up & the whole of the area getting a general “face-lift.” It has experienced tons of improvement—which is good. But at the same time, it’s funny comparing the differences in my outlook/first impressions on Africa, with what is now a whole world that I’ve grown completely accustomed to & feels basically like…..well, home!!!


The pic's not clear, but they're starting to build roads this way...laying bricks, as opposed to asphalt...it stands the rainy season a lot better...


Not a true big blob without traffic....this is nothing compared to how it gets...