It's been awhile

Last Friday we had Multicultural Day. The students were encouraged to dress in their traditional dress as we celebrated the different cultures that are represented at Hillcrest. As you can see, I didn't really go all out, but I am supposed to be a "country girl". I think I was pretty excited about being able to wear jeans to school. :) Miss those casual Fridays.

We started the morning with a program and some of the other classes did a song or a skit. Afterwards there were some Tev (tribe in Nigeria) dancers that did a dance.

Then we had lunch together as a class. The parents brought food that represents their home culture. It was a fun day with and for the kids. It's pretty cool to think about the diversity in our class and know that we serve the God who made us all and brought us all here to Jos, Nigeria for this season of our lives.

So I've been here for over three months now. I miss everyone a lot, but I'm pretty sure that God is using this to stretch me and teach me that I need Him. I thought I'd share some interesting and entertaining things that come with living in Nigeria. Hope you enjoy! :)

--Walking downtown is always an adventure. You never know who you will meet or what you will see. Baturi is the word for white person, and you hear it called at you as you walk down the street. It's not meant as an insult, it's just more of an observation.

--The market. Live chickens, the inner parts of cow, some sort of black fish in a circle that smells delightful. The market is lined with shops where you can buy cloth for clothes, basic food shops, and in the middle are stands, kiosks if you will with loads of things like sandals, handbags, pots and pans, etc.

--Motorcycles otherwise known as achabas are everywhere. They weave in and out of traffic, drive on side of the ride, on the wrong side of the road and anywhere else that there is a bit of space. Most of them do not wear helmets. The traffic here is ridiculous, but somehow there is order to the chaos. Not much, but there is some. Even with all this, I am ready to get a car. It will be nice to have the independence again.

Oh yea! I want to share some fantastic news with you. Last month I wrote in my newsletter about the need for a car. I wrote that I would need around $7,000. I found out that someone anonomously donated $7,000!!! I'm so thankful for God's faithfulness. I will let you know when and what I get. It's quiet a long process here, but hopefully I'll have one by January.

Final story for now -- We now have a pet pig on our compound. Long story, but we got it as a gift for our friend Lisa who just got back from a visit home. So we are thinking of keeping it for Christmas dinner. :) mmm bacon.

Hope you are all doing well. I love hearing from you.

Isn't it Cool?

Isn't it cool how God works? We have praise and worship night on Wednesday nights. Someone usually shares their testimony and we sing and have time of fellowship together. Tonight, my friend Rachel shared and so much of what she said was what I needed to hear. She was talking about the difference between a faith that is dead and faith that is alive. So often I get caught up in my daily needs and desires. I want to grow and go deeper. She shared this poem and I want to share it with you.
"I Will Not Die an Unlived Life"
I will not die an unlived life
I will not live in fear of falling
Or of catching fire
I choose to inhabit my days
To allow my living to open me
Making me less afraid,
More accessible
To loosen my heart,
So that it becomes a wing, a torck, a promise
I choose to risk my significance.

--Donna Markova

My prayer is that God would grow me and that I would make the conscience effort to live in the day that He has set for me. I pray this for you as well.

OBUDU!

Hello! The first nine weeks has come and gone. I spent all day last Friday conferencing with parents, and then we had a much needed week off for October break. A group of us went to Obudu, which is in Cross River State south of here. The trip was about seven hours, but went very smoothly thanks to Baba, our driver. We were able to have three days of relaxation and fun. It was good to be in a different setting. It was quiet and there was an abundance of fresh air, two things we don't have much of in Jos. We spent two days at the pool and one day of hiking.

School started back today. It was good to seek the kids again. Please pray for wisdom in teaching and that I would point them to Christ daily. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Not sure if you can see what is being carried on this truck. Inside, are cows and up top are donkeys. As well as a few Nigerians.

Our first night there...we ate at "The Ultimate Restaurant" in the village.

Just wanted to make sure that you see how awesome it is. :)

This was our view from the pool. No complaints.

Just a normal day in the village...:)

This is the view from Holy Mountain. There were only a few opportunities to take pictures because of all the fog.

View from our hike. The amazing thing is, is that there are people that live out here. They farm on this land. A bunch of teenage boys from the village came along on our hike. They were wearing normal flip flops and were running all over the place. They helped us by carrying our backpacks and showing us where to step. I was very thankful for them!

We hiked to this waterfall. It was quiet a slippery hike. But it was also quiet a nice view.

View from the President's villa. It was so cool to be above the clouds.

Dee and I on the cable car. Dee is from Texas and she is here to do discipleship with the kids at the care centers here in Jos.

View of a village from the cable car.

The view from the cable car. Amazing view!

Claudia, Karis, and I at dinner on our last night. These two kept me laughing most of the weekend.

Pictures!!

My class on Independence Celebration Day.

Lisa and I. I am so thankful for her friendship. She's lovely. (I say lovely because she is from England and they say that. It's funny that I didn't really anticipate learning more about other cultures besides Nigerian, but it's been so fun and funny as well!)

Fun night of dinner and fellowship. Thankful for these friends.

Somewhat of a pyramid. My favorite part is the pile of chacos to the left side.

Tara and I (Tara is the first grade teacher. She is an encouragement to me!)

My sweet friend Grace and her husband Musa with their two girls, Jemimah and Sophie.

Experiences

Over this past weekend, I had the opportunity to stay with a Nigerian family. Their two daughters attend Hillcrest. Here are some experiences and thoughts from the weekend. Hope you enjoy!

--I got to eat lots and lots of Nigerian food. One of the main highlights of living in Nigeria is experiencing superb hospitality. Here are some of the foods that I got to eat: red stew, moi moi, plaintains and rice, pop (corn but in a custard texture), and much more.
--Bucket baths. When you don't have running water, you heat up the water and take a bath with a bucket and a bowl. Thankful for hot water :)
--Got to meet their kaka (grandmother) and grandfather on the other side. What a neat experience that was. I guess it's because you know they hold so much wisdom. They were both very sweet.
--Talent Show Friday night. The older of the two girls was in the talent show. She did a fantastic job. She danced with a friend to a song by Superchick. The song was about needing a mean boy like needing a bowling bowl dropped on your head. :) There was some amazing break dancing as well. Hillcrest is full of talented kids.
--I got to spend time with the girls and hear about their interests. The younger sister wants to be a writer. She is writing a book. Amazing. The older wants to be a missionary. :)
--Cooking lessons from the mom. :) She even taught me to make pancakes from scratch.
--The mom also spoke to me in Hausa some of the time. Great way to learn. Mun gode Allah. :)

There was much more, but I need to rest for school tomorrow. Thursday is Independence Day, so we are celebrating tomorrow. I will post some pictures soon. Love you all and miss you very much. Hopefully I'll be sending out a newsletter this week, and I'll try to post it on here as well. Love in Christ ~ Heather

Recently

So I want so much for you to be able to visualize what life is like here. The best way that I can think to do that is to describe typical experiences here and hope that it gives you a glimpse of life in Jos, Nigeria. On a schoolday, I wake up and get ready for school. This includes on most days using the 12 volt light system that my parents so generously ordered and paid for. Power here is unpredictable and limited. I imagine that there is a man by a switchboard determined not to follow a schedule. But with the 12 volt system, there is nothing to complain about. But it doesn't power the fridge or the washing machine. So you learn what things to keep in the freezer and to be flexible with the laundry. The school that I work at, Hillcrest, has provided a driver in the mornings and afternoons for the teachers that do not live on campus and need a ride. This has been such a blessing. Especially since I have such great luck with taxi rides. :) I get to school about 7:30,which is nice because the second bell doesn't ring until 8:30. We start with Bible, and then do a whole group reading lesson. At 10 the kids have recess. Nice, right? Then, we finish reading and do math till noon. The kids eat from 12-12:15 and then go play. There is no lunchroom, so most of the time they bring their own lunch. Or someone brings it for them. They can also buy stick of suya (chicken on a stick) or chips (french fries). After lunch we do science, grammar, and writing. On Mondays the kids get out at 2:30. We sometimes have a staff meeting or professional development. On Tuesdays-Fridays they get out at 3:10. On Tuesdays I help with a 9th grade girls discipleship group. I'm leading it with another teacher which is nice. We are leading them through a study on how to be a godly woman. I did a Bible study with some friends last year on Proverbs 31. It was so good, I had my mom scan some of it to me and we are using it with them. They are fifteen lively, opinionated girls, so it's a challenge to plan things that will keep their attention and help them to grow. On Thursdays I take tennis lessons after school. Why not? One thing that the elementary teachers have the opportunity to do is to go on home visits. So I visit each of my students' homes. While it is taking a long time, and it takes up some of my afternoons, I am appreciative of the opportunity to catch a glimpse of their lives. It helps to understand them and their parents better. I have eleven boys and six girls in my class. Five are missionary kids, one is Lebanese, and the rest are Nigerian. The staff at Hillcrest is supportive and encouraging. On Wednesdays during recess the elementary staff get together and pray. On Wednesday nights we have praise and worship with some of the single missionaries around Jos. We have compound prayer on Thursday nights. I don't think I have had two similar weekends yet. Last weekend a group of us went to Styre. Styre is in Bauchi state. It's an old trucking company...I think. Anyway, they had a pool, which was nice. Once you get off the plateau, it gets warmer. We went to a giraffe park on Saturday. We saw a few giraffes and some zebras. Yes, they were enclosed in a fence. But I say it is two steps up from the zoo. 1. Because you are in Africa. 2. Because you get to walk around in the fence. This weekend we have a four day weekend because Monday and Tuesday are Muslim holidays. Shallah I think is what it is called. So I'm hoping to see some of the different ministries here in Jos. I will write more later and try to describe more of what it is like in Jos and what the culture is like. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. I praise the Lord for his hand in each of our lives. God Bless.

First weekend away...

This past weekend we went on a staff retreat to Miango. It was great to get to know everyone better. We had some great time of praise and worship as well as the opportunity to hear some awesome testimonies. On Saturday we got to go on a hike. It was so refreshing and beautiful. Here are a few pictures.

This is the view at the end of our hike!

One of the many beautiful views on our hike.

These girls are great!

Jayne, Zoe, Grace, me, and Tara.