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.

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.