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.

I took the scenic route

So I already feel behind in writing on here. I had an interesting and funny experience on my very first day of school. I think I mentioned the crazy traffic here. There are no stop lights or stop signs. Sometimes the traffic people are at the post, sometimes they aren't. So I was excited and anxious for the first day of school. I left in plenty of time because I was taking a taxi and I wanted to get to school extra early so I could be ready to greet me students. It didn't take long to get a taxi, and when I told the driver Hillcrest School, he nodded. To me this meant that this would be the place where he would drop me off. Logical. After we drove past Hillcrest, I began to wonder what just happened and what should I do. There were two other people in the taxi, so I thought that maybe he was taking one or both of them up the road, and then would turn around. I wasn't sure of all the taxi rules yet, so I decided to wait patiently. After about 15 minutes of driving away from Hillcrest I figured I should ask the driver if he would be turning around sometime soon. He nodded. By this point it's about 7:25 and school starts at 8:00. When he finally does turn around, he periodically pulls over to try to pick up new fares. It's now 7:35. I told him that if he would keep going to Hillcrest, I would pay extra. When we pull up to Hillcrest at approximately 7:55, I remind him to pull over, pull out N1,000 (1,000 naira) get out of the car and give it to him, and rush to my classroom. Now, if you are unfamiliar with how much things cost in Nigeria, I'll tell you. A taxi ride from my apartment to Hillcrest is N30. So I gave him a N970 tip. I'm not sure why I did this, but I was so ready to get to the school, I didn't give it much thought. My more seasoned missionary friends thought it was crazy that I paid so much. But they also enjoyed the story. So, two lessons learned before the first day of school. You are supposed to tell the taxi driver when to pull over. Logical. And, living in Nigeria is completely unpredictable. FYI N1,000 is $6. Not a bad price for a good story. You may ask why didn't the taxi driver say something about getting off at Hillcrest. I think there are two possible answers to that. 1. Maybe he didn't understand me. (Quiet possible) 2. Nigerians do not like conflict. He might not have wanted to ask me or embarrass me. Who knows. Thanks for reading!

Saturday

My friend Grace and I out shopping.







Downtown Jos

Sweet friends. Met at SIM in 2008

Shopping for fabric at the market.

These are pictures from my day of shopping. I am so excited to get some Nigerian clothes made! Hopefully they will be ready in about a week, and I'll post pictures...as long as they look ok!

School has been in session for a week and half. I have seventeen sweet, energetic third graders! They keep me on my toes. Hillcrest School has done a great job at making the new staff feel welcome. They had two huge laundry baskets full of groceries and household items. It was such a blessing. Shopping and cooking here takes a lot more time and planning than at home. You can't just run to Walmart and pick up something. I'm adjusting to instant coffee. Yum. I'll be ready for a latte when I get home. Back to school. I'm still adjusting to the fact that I teach in a Christian school. We pray during the day and I teach Bible every day. In third grade they begin with Genesis. The other day I was surprised and excited by all the questions they were asking. It challenges me to study more and find the answers to their questions. Please pray for their hearts that they would be soft and receptive to the gospel.

My apartment was furnished when I came here. I also got a brand new table and coffee table. They are so nice! I look forward to getting some things to decorate, but it's so great to not have to worry about it.

I have signed up to do a discipleship group on Tuesdays after school. Another teacher and I will be leading it together. I believe that we are going to be doing the ninth and tenth graders. It will be a coed group and we will do topical studies. I hope that this will be a great way for me to be more involved at Hillcrest and invest in other students. I enjoyed working with the high schoolers the past couple of years at Briarwood and I hope that I can be some encouragement to these kids. Please pray for wisdom in planning and that we would find favor with them.

This morning I am getting ready to go the Plateau church. This will be my third church to visit since I've been here. Please pray that I would find a church soon where I can be fed and also be invested in the church. I look forward to finding a "church home". I'll write more later. Please let me know if there is anything you want to know and please let me know how I can be praying for you! Love in Christ

Observe. Think. Pray. Appreciate. Learn. Repeat.

I am extremely grateful for all the training that I went through before coming to Jos, but nothing can fully prepare you. I guess you just have to experience something to know what it is like, and then somehow process it even when you don't fully understand everything. Pretty clear, right?

I've been in Nigeria for almost a week now. I'm slowly adjusting to the crazy traffic, the different noises and smells, a new language, a new school, new friends...the list goes on.

The traveling here was long and for lack of a better word, interesting. The Lord was gracious and everything was smooth at the airport. My friend Kim and I spent the night in Abuja at the Baptist guesthouse since we arrived at night. We left the next morning for Jos. The best way that I can describe the traffic in Nigeria is that it is like I am in a video game. It's amazing how there seem to be no rules, but people follow rather loosely some sort of rules. I think I'll wait on the purchase of a car...and try to learn those rules :)

I live in an apartment complex with other missionaries. It's great to have a support group around. There are quiet a few other missionaries in Jos, which is nice. I've also met some great people that work at Hillcrest.

I spent the morning in my classroom. I have a pretty good setup. I'm teaching third grade for a year in place of a missionary that is on home assignment. She has left the classroom in great shape for me. However, after teaching in the states for three years, I realize what a great amount of resources we are given back home. It's kind of hard to process. The question comes to mind, why do we have so much when others have so little? How am I using what the Lord has blessed me with the bless others? How can I make a difference here? I pray that the Lord would provide guidance and opportunities to proclaim His name. It's different here. People are really watching you to see if you practice what you preach. The white skin has a little to do with that. :)

I'll write more later. I need your prayers and want to know how I can be praying for you. Love in Christ

It's Here

The time is finally here. After over a year of preparation, I am leaving tomorrow for Nigeria. It's a little surreal. Even thought it's not easy to leave family, friends, and familiar things, I am looking forward to my time in Jos. I would appreciate your prayers as I travel tomorrow. Please pray that my bags are not too heavy, that customs would go smoothly, and that somewhere in all the time that I spend traveling, that God would use me. Please pray for my short transition into teaching and living overseas. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement, and I look forward to updating you very soon. May the Lord receive all the glory in this.

Reflections and some other stuff

I arrived in Charlotte today. Awaiting me were five out of ten shots to prepare me for living overseas. I'm glad that my calling is sure.

I wanted to share some more about my time at Pre-Field Orientation. One of the best parts of the training was getting a chance to be around others with a similar mindset. It's amazing and exciting to see what God is doing in their lives. I appreciate their encouragement and I look forward to seeing how the Lord uses them.

Most of our sessions were taught in a lecture hall with uncomfortable plastic chairs, but they were worth it. We learned a lot about TCKs and what their life is like. TCKs are considered third cultured kids because they do not own their host culture, and they do not own their passport culture. So in an international school, there is a third culture that is created. I realized the huge responsibility and opportunity I have ahead of me. As with any child, they crave consistency, which as you can imagine is hard to have when are often in transition. We also had the neat opportunity to hear from a TCK panel made up of kids who grew up overseas. Even though some of the participants had some hard stories to tell, it was so sweet to see the Lord working in their lives and using their experiences to go and share the gospel.

We talked a lot about making a smooth transition. It was so comforting to hear about some of the emotions that occur during different stages of transition. It's encouraging and a relief to identify those different stages and pray through them. I plan on referring back to the different transition models regularly. I also learned so much about my personality. I know that sounds strange. I learned some of the best ways for me, as an introvert to process stressful and new situations. I learned that I need to consciously make an effort to journal, spend time in the Word and prayer, and also sharing my struggles and praises with other believers.

I am leaving from Charlotte to go to Nigeria. Before I left home, the Lord used my friends and family to give me sweet encouragement and time in prayer. I feel so blessed when I think of all the godly people the Lord has allowed me to spend time with. I have learned so much from them and I will be forever grateful for their love and support. We are not meant to walk this journey alone, and while I will be far away from them, I feel their prayers and support. Praise the Lord for the body of Christ and how we are all working together to bring honor and glory to His name, no matter where we are.

One more thing that we talked about at PFO was how important it is for us to have a heart of gratitude. My prayer for you is that the Lord would give you a heart of gratitude and that it would be evident in your life. Please email me with your praises and prayer requests. My email is hrlacroix@hotmail.com. Love y'all!

I didn't know how much I didn't know

My time at Houghton College is coming to an end. I've been here for the past two weeks for PFO (Pre Field Orientation). Most of the sessions have been focused on how best to relate to TCKs (Third Culture Kids), teaching in an international school, and how to adjust well to a new culture. The training has been rich with content. I am grateful for all that I have learned and look forward to processing it all and applying it very soon! I will update with some of the things that I learned later, but thought I could go ahead and share some pictures from my time here. Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement!

We got to go to Niagara Falls! It was lots of fun! It rained most of the day, but that didn't ruin it. We were wet anyway.

Hanging out at a state park. We saw a deer hanging out on the side of a cliff. Crazy!

Hanging out with some girls at Citgo!

"This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you."