COLD!

This is my 2nd "July-winter", but that doesn't make it easy..

Thanks be to God, we're starting the FDTP at the end of July this year, so we'll be going into August mainly, when it already starts warming up..

I suffer mainly first thing in the morning & again at night (only when going outside, my room has a heater, TG..). During the day it's still good & warm (although you'd never know by my eskimo outfit)..

Please help us pray that the Training Program for 17 year olds will be an immense inspiration & time of learning for them & us as well..

More prayer requests coming!

S.Africa!

I arrived here safely this morning at 4:00 a.m. local time..(3:00 a.m. Nigerian time time) after a 5hr & 15 minute flight on Arik arilines...The plane & services were downright impressive..It was a nice, mostly empty flight, so I got to lay down as I slept, making the short 3 hour night rest I had just a little more comfortable..

Got through immigrations & had picked my luggage by 5:00 a.m. & by 6:30 I had had B'fast at Mugg & Bean & was already calling to let them know I'd arrived..Was picked u by 8:45...the aiport wait turning out to be nearly as long as my flight from Abuja, ha..

I miss Nigeria already..I'm here in & S.A. & I'll be here for a while..It's here at Plot 6, w/ the large grounds & 6 Rottweilers that I'll be spending the next month & a week preparing for & conducting the FDTP 2009. After that, there'll be a good few adventures here in S.A. to speak of that should take me at least through to the end of 2009...

I shall keep you posted..

A Miracle of Comfort & Healing

This taken from the "Family Life" section of this month's 'Link' magazine (if you'll enjoy it half as much as I did, u'll walk away touched & inspired):

By Sherri, Mexico

Enrique is a friend who we've known for close to a year. He was interested in our work, and offered to donate some toys for one of our Christmas benefit programs. I had been trying to visit him since then, but it never seemed to work out.

I finally got through to him one day over the phone. When I asked him how he was doing he explained that his two-year-old son was having surgery the next morning for a tumor in his leg. He admitted to me that he was very scared, and I assured him that we would pray for his son.

We prayed that night and the next morning. When I called him to ask about the outcome of the operation, he sounded relieved, saying that everything had gone incredibly well and he thanked us for our prayers. We kept in touch over the next few weeks, and after the crisis was over I made an appointment to visit him.

When we arrived at his office he was waiting for us.

"Thank you so much for what you did for my son and me," were his first words.

We were a little confused as to what he was referring to, but thanked him and sat down.

He then explained to us why he had been so worried about his son's operation. The tumor had been sitting on top of a major artery in his son's leg, and the artery would have to be cut and then re-attached, an extremely high-risk procedure. It was so dangerous that they had sought out the best specialist in Mexico, and had brought him all the way from another city to perform the surgery.

The night after I called him the first time, he had gone out to eat at a little stand in his neighborhood. He was mulling over his worries as he ate, when two little boys of about six and ten years old sat down next to him and ordered one crepe for the two of them to share. He bought them some more food, and they began to talk.

"Do you have children?" the little boy asked him.

"Yes," he replied. "In fact my two-year-old is having surgery tomorrow."

"Tell your son that he is going to be okay," the boy replied.

Enrique thought that was a bit of a strange remark coming from a child, but agreed to pass on the message. As he got up to return home, the younger boy again called out after him, saying, "Tell your son that I'll be with him in the operating room tomorrow."

Enrique again thought that the child was very odd, but he was so preoccupied with his sadness and concern that he could spare no energy on trying to figure out the comment.

The next morning, as planned, his son was prepared for surgery. At 7:00 AM, as they were wheeling the little one away, he began to cry hysterically, "Daddy, don't leave me! Daddy, come with me!"

"I'll be with you soon, I promise."

Tears filled Enrique's eyes as he and his wife sat down to face the torturous wait.

It was supposed to take five or more hours, but after one hour and fifteen minutes the specialist came out, announcing that the operation was over, and had gone amazingly well.

"Go to your son," he said. "I have paperwork to do, but I need to talk to you, because something inexplicable has happened."

When the little boy awoke from the anesthesia his father joyfully whispered, "How are you? I was with you in the operating room, wasn't I?"

"No dad, you weren't," came the matter-of-fact reply, "but there was a little boy with me."

Enrique went pale.

He was still in shock when the specialist entered the room and got right to the point.

"You saw the test results, and so did I. They all showed that the tumor was wrapped around the artery. But when I went in this morning, the tumor had detached from the artery! It was only superficial, and very easy to remove. I don't know what happened, but it was a miracle."

At this point of the story telling Enrique had tears in his eyes, and so did we.

"You see," he concluded, his voice breaking a little, "those two little boys were angels. I went back to the neighborhood and asked around, and no one had ever seen or heard of them."

He felt that both these miracles were a result of our prayers, for which he was so grateful.

Suddenly composing himself, he sat up straight and said directly, "I've brought you here to find out how I can help you."

After a quick check-in with the Lord we presented our Home's needs: finances to help cover our monthly budget, funds for the construction of a new building for our humanitarian project, and a new fridge and freezer for our community. Without a moment's hesitation he agreed to cover all three needs, and took us out the same day to buy the two appliances.

Because we had shown concern for his needs, he was willing to help us with our own. But above and beyond all that, the Lord was concerned about him and his family, and showed it by performing a miracle of healing for his son and by sending two little angels to deliver a promise of protection and safekeeping.

Yankari/Lagos

w/ friends we made at the park..we split the cost for this game drive..


Keeping up w/ tradition, I took Christina to Yankari National game reserve for 2 days.

Yankari was relaxing & invigorating in that whole "nature-dwelling" kinda way..Lagos was a good time of fellowship & was also Mary & my official farewell party hosted by Angela & the team there.

The day after we got back we took off to Lagos w/ most of our home to spend the wknd w/ the team down there.

Great fun, the whole week.

Just before swimming in the Wikki Warm Spring below...supposedly a constant 31 degrees celsius, but the water's cooled off considerably over the last decade..


W/ our guide, just after we got back from the Safari--the stick's to ward off Baboons..


Fish Eagle--taken near the river.

"wen he was a young wart-hog...wen I was a young Wart-Hooooooooooooooooog"...(not me, Pumba!)

Sis so far..

Christina's been here a week & 3 days & so far we've:

--Walked the 8 kilometer span at the HASH, held along airport road, w/ a bbq after-dinner..

--Seen Strabag 8 times (at least)..(pool, drinks, etc.)

--Visited our schools & IT training centre in the making..

--Seen Angels & Demons at Abuja's one-&-only movie theatre at 'Ceddi Plaza'..

--Had brother/sister bonding over (and get this) an Indian dinner at a Japanese restaurant in Maitama..wow..(it was actually pretty good, tho..)

--Conducted a visitation project at Abuja School for Handicapped (just today, actually), which Christina herself largely sponsored. Tx, Stars!

--Were treated to a Mexican meal bought & cooked by Christina (w/ a bit of help frm her brother, but hey..), complete w/ some Brazilian drink for good measure..

More to come..

Enjoy the following pictorial (that's an order!).





Abuja 'Craft's village'


w/ some of our Primary students


Christina took this one


at our IT centre just finishing construction..

4 prayer points!

Seeing as prayer is not the least we can do, but the most, I thought I'd get a little help frm God via some help frm my friends in cyber world..

I'd like to "kick-start" my month's blogging w/ the following prayer requests:

1) My sister Christina is visiting us here in Nigeria for 3 weeks starting Friday, June 5th. Please pray that her trip to Nigeria will be smooth/safe/enjoyable & that we'll have a wonderfully productive/fun/enjoyable time together..

2) On those same lines, one of the projects we'll be doing together will be at an orphanage/handicapped-center here in Abuja on Sunday, June 14th. Please help pray that the project will come together, including co-ordination between all the volunteers (different friends will be coming along) as well as supply of the goods we'll donate to the center.

3) I'd also like help in praying that my old computer will sell within the same 3 weeks. I'm off to S.A. in less than 6 wks & need to have my computer sold by then in order to purchase a new one when I get down there..

4) Lastly, let's all continue to uphold the victims of the Air France 447 crash in our prayers. I'm praying that those that have passed away will find peace, God's love & mercy in the next life & ultimately Heaven. I'm also praying that if their are survivors, they'll be found immediately.--That the Lord will also anoint the crew to find any clues as to why/how this happened, so that it can be prevented in the future. Will you join me?

Overhaul!

This blog needs a bit of a make-over..

these r busy times (always), but I'll get around to it soon enough!

I always need change..Even bringing change to my physical surroundings/personal effects helps me have a sense of newness & variety...

who can relate?

An ode to a friend!

There really are a lot of special people in my life & I'm thankful. I thank the Lord every day for my family & friends who brighten up my life & show me so love in so many ways..

But this time I want to highlight a certain friend of mine, that puts a twinkle in my eye....

some ppl are driven.

some ppl are motivated.

some ppl have conviction in what they do.

some ppl are dynamic.

some people want to change the world.

others actually take the time to step out & do it.

some ppl are good w/ ppl.

some ppl take the time for others & connect with their spirits to take them to a higher plain & to propel them further in life.

some people have a certain Joy & spunk to their character that makes you want to "have some of what they're having".

Very few people are all of these things together.

--Anjali is one of these people....

Any who know her can testify that she's charming, spunky, outgoing, solid in faith, a bellwhether & a good friend.

Anj, keep it up...the world can do w/ a few more like you..

Mom & Anj, Dulwich, London..taken last October sometime during my visit to Europe..

The prayer-miracle connection!

Well, it went a little something like this..

About a year & a half ago, we submitted a request to an insurance company here, requesting sponsorship for any of our projects..we submitted a profile of our various programs & said something like "Requesting financial assistance towards the running of the programs run by FCEIS in the attached profile"...

Then last year, they expressed an interest & we brought another proposal with some specified dates & figures for the school project, as well as for the upcoming free health care projects in the South..

For what looked like endless months, we never got any reply..

Meanwhile, we'd also been praying for other donations to come through; some specific furniture items for the kids, more petrol contacts to run our vehicles & generator (electricity had been off more than on.), & a couple of other household needs....these too seemed to be taking months to come in..

Then the Lord showed us that we needed to target these items in prayer--specifically, fervently & regularly--so that's exactly what we did. Every day in devotions we claimed these things, then praised for having them already..

Within 2 weeks:

--2 petrol companies agreed to give us 300 litres of petrol a month
--another company gave desks for the kid's school room
--the insurance company that we'd approached & been discussing w/ since 2007, agreed to sponsor 175 of our school kids' fees for 2 terms..so that's for the rest of the year.

We're hooked on this new prayer method. You all should try it too.

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master,
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

In that case I think I'm finally growing up..Not quite there yet, tho..Life really is tough at times..exhilaratingly wonderful at others..But it's these extremes & learning to deal w/ them that make us who we are...do u all agree?

(P.S. the 2nd frm the last paragraph, seems to be @ the one I've mastered the most..how do you all fare?)