Crist and Eileen in Nigeria

It's Been GREAT!

2011-04-05T14:11:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Well......I guess this will be the last blog......we're back in the U.S.......visiting family and friends....ready to start our next God adventure.......missing the Nigerian rocks already! We had a good trip home - a layover in Frankfort, Germany and Chicago. Our first American foods once in Chicago were a Big Mac for Crist from McDonald's and a chocolate milk shake for me - yummy!! It was sooooo good to see our son and family again. Little Camille and Corinne were both shy but this morning are beginning to "come around." There's something so sweet about little arms around your neck giving you a big hug!!!

This afternoon we did a little bit of clothes shopping. I desperately needed a pair of jeans and a couple of casual tops to wear in these cooler temperatures. Crist needed a couple of casual shirts and a new wallet. Shopping was successful - it's amazing how quickly we could get back to buying things once again. We didn't do much shopping in Nigeria - no malls or stores to get ready-made clothes. Tomorrow we're going to go looking for a used car to purchase. I wonder if I've forgotten how to drive (grin). I haven't been behind the wheel in a year. We'll be here at Crist and Cheryl's until next Monday and then we leave to do a week of traveling visiting friends and relatives in Ky. and Illinois. Our thoughts are that we'll be at our home in N.C. on the 19th of April.

Once again, thanks to many of you who made this last year possible for Crist and I. We left a two room bungalow just waiting for another STINT (one year'ers) couple or individual to stay at in Jos. Maybe this is something you would like to do or you know of someone who might like to spend a year in Nigeria in ministry. Your room is waiting!!!

Hopefully we'll see most of you in the days ahead. Thank you for your love and support this past year. We are truly blessed!!!! This will be our last blog. We hope you had a real sense of what we were doing in Jos. God bless each of you!!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

The Almost Last Blog

2011-04-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, This is unreal. I started this blog this morning while still in Jos but all of a sudden people were coming to say "good-bye", so now it's 5:30 at night and we're sitting in our hotel room in Abuja. It's been a crazy few days and all our good intentions have gone out the window. I had visions of my writing a beautiful heart-felt "last blog", sharing all of the deep emotions we are experiencing right now with having to say good-bye and give last hugs to the people we have worked closely with the past year as well as all of our new Nigerian friends. But it's just not working out the way I had hoped. We have only an hour left of battery time on our computer, we're totally drained of all energy and emotion and we're really really tired. The Nigerian people love to give a proper "send-off" when friends leave to go somewhere, so the past two days have been filled with people stopping by to say good-bye, the ECWA church we attended giving us a wonderful send-off yesterday afternoon and all the B2B staffers having us over for dinner with many more good-byes. I have no more tears left. And we still have to say our final good-bye to Alphonsus when he takes us to the airport on Sunday. That's going to be a hard one - he's become very special to us. We originally weren't scheduled to leave for the U.S. until the 12th of April, but national elections start tomorrow - three consecutive Saturdays beginning tomorrow. We were STRONGLY advised by many many people that we should get to Abuja before the elections - so we left Jos this morning. Tomorrow is a "no traveling" day throughout Nigeria so we'll have to stay here at the hotel all day. Our plane leaves Sunday evening and Corrie and John's plane leaves very early on Monday morning. It's feels almost surreal that our time here in Nigeria is almost finished. It has been an incredibly FAST year hasn't it? We wouldn't change a thing about what we've experienced and/or learned. We feel so totally blessed to have been able to join one of our children on the mission field and to have met so many great Nigerians (and B2B staffers) and to walk alongside them in faith and ministry. At the church "send-off" yesterday, we were each presented with a Nigerian dress/outfit which we were told to put on then (they provided a hut to change into). I don't have the pictures of the day to share with you, but many of you will see Crist and I wearing our outfits from time to time (they're BEAUTIFUL!!) in the future. It was so encouraging to us to hear people's comments and heartfelt feelings about our leaving. It was like attending our own funeral - humbling yet so very sweet. And many at yesterday's "send-off" still came to the compound this morning to once again say their good-byes. So right this very minute it's almost six in the evening and we're just about ready to go to bed (I'm almost not kidding). We're all tuckered out!!! BUT EXCITED!!! We're coming home and now that the good-byes have been said - it's time to think of all of you and all of the "we're back!!!!" We can't wait to see each of you in the near future. We'll probably blog one last time once we've arrived somewhere we can recharge our computer. We love you all - thanks to many, many of you who allowed this last year to happen for us!! In-joy, Eileen and Crist

Disciple Making

2011-03-28T23:25:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone, Matthew 28:19 says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations......" With our days here in Jos, Nigeria almost to a close, Crist has mentioned almost every week how much he has loved being a part of the Tuesday afternoon Bible Study in the village. A year ago, he and Jason started with just a few young men (see the picture below), and ever so slowly their numbers began to increase. Then six months ago Will and Theresa came and Will began helping to facilitate the Bible Study and Emmanuel (the man the farthest to the right in the picture above) began witnessing and sharing with the men he works with at the local car wash. Then things began to really happen, evidenced by the above picture showing more young men wanting to learn about God's Word. And from this larger group, outreach is beginning to happen with the men going into their own village and helping the widows that need sticks to be gathered for selling, or hut repairs and/or any number of chores that need to be done. It is exciting to see the Word become alive to them and for them to realize (maybe for the first time) that they must be "doers of the Word" not just "hearers". This will be a group that Crist will miss greatly. This afternoon will be his last village Bible Study. In-joy, Eileen and Crist

Giving a Vision and a Hope

2011-03-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
The group in the picture up above just left and wow oh wow - was it ever a busy week, but we're all excited to see what was accomplished in the short time that they were here. We partner with another ministry called "SSE" (Self-Sustaining Enterprises) and this group in their home church in Ohio partner with SSE so we all worked together with a common purpose. SSE tries to bring small businesses for the people in the village to help them become self-sustaining. These Christians came with monies to help with two projects. The first one is the picture below. An old storage shed on our OCC property was converted into a chicken coop and one of the men from the village was trained in caring for the chickens and in a few months these once baby chicks (they are now almost two months old) will be sold to restaurants and to private companies for them to use and the monies will go back into the ministry for more chickens and hopefully this will expand and other villagers can start their own chicken businesses. Solomon, the young man now caring for the chickens is very very excited to be a part of this new venture. He told another B2B staffer that he recently woke up in the middle of the night really "happy." He now has a vision and a hope.

But, the most exciting thing that this team did this past week was to build a test model aquaponics system that we hope will one day completely revolutionize the way the villagers will do their farming. Several on this team have much experience and did much research before coming to Nigeria and they purchased the materials needed and in the pictures below you can see the process that took place.

They first built a large slightly slanted table 32 feet long, covered it with a heavy industrial material then a heavy plastic put on top of that. They then filled the table with rock chips about four inches deep.

The table is angled down towards a large tub (spa sized) which contains water and 200 catfish fingerlings. They feed the catfish, the catfish poop and the wastes and water is recirculated through a filter which removes the solid waste and allows the nutrient filled water to cover the whole table which then drains back into the pool. In the rocks are little green squares of a material that will help germinate the seed that has been planted inside this pourous square. To begin with we they planted some tomatoe seeds and lettuce seeds. The lettuce will be ready to pick in 30 days and the tomatoes slightly longer and will be ongoing. The benefits to the community if this project succeeds and then can be replicated, will be life-changing. Even in the dry season (which lasts six months), villages can still produce crops that can be sold to earn income. Within two days after the construction, we could already see a little shoot popping up from one of the lettuce seeds - see one of the pictures below.

The last thing the team did was build a plastic covering over the entire table which still allows the sun to get in but will keep rains from hurting the crops. A solar panel was purchased which will charge the battery which is used to power the three pumps that aireates the water and recirculates the water through the vegetation. Many people helped in this week's building of the aquaponics and some days there were several people from the village watching and hoping, I'm sure, that this might help their economy and families. We sure would appreciate your prayers toward this end. It's time for the people in Kisayhip Village to have a future and a hope!!

Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people will perish."

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Living Water

2011-03-21T01:52:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
The above picture is the "before" picture of the borehole that was recently drilled in the Kisayhip Village on the village Doctor's compound and the picture below is the "after" picture from yesterday afternoon's dedication of the borehole. The man in the orange Nigerian dress is the Chairman of the village and he said a few words during the ceremony, as well as Pastor
Dauda who gave the opening prayer.

We pumped the water out and allowed the children to fill little bottles and some do some typical children's behavior of playing in the water. It was a VERY hot afternoon and the water was truly refreshment in a dry and dusty land. This reminds me of the Scripture that says: "Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'" John 4:13&14

These women to the left are some of the widows from the Catholic Church in the village. The dresses they are wearing were part of the Widow Outreach we had a few weeks back where we measured the widows in the village (around 38 of them) and had an outfit made for each of them. They just received the dresses this past week so it was fun to see them wearing them yesterday. At the dedication ceremony, these widows sang a couple of songs which was a pleasant surprise since we weren't expecting it.

We probably had close to one hundred people from the village show up and there was a real sense of celebration to the event. Something we take so for granted in the United States (water), is truly a reason for rejoicing in the village. It's the end of the dry season here in Nigeria and many wells have run dry - so this borehole (which won't run dry - because it's deeper than the wells) can make a difference in the health of the villagers - since this water source will be cleaner and purer but it can also make a physical difference in their lives as this water source is closer so they won't have to walk as far to get it, and it is free and THEIR water source. Someone in the states paid for the drilling of it, but now it belongs to the villagers.

This last picture up above is of some bouganvallia (I think this is mispelled) that is right outside our apartment (we're to the left - and Corrie and John are to the right). A year ago when we came these weren't here - see how quickly they have grown. And they bloom in the dry season, which I've never understood. They require very little water, which I also don't understand. These flowers are all over Nigeria and the colors are rose, bright pink, orange, white and red. They're absolutely beautiful. God shows His creation in such amazing ways!!

We have a team here from Ohio and they're a great group of businessmen (and one woman) that are very excited about aquaponics and they're making a "model" in the village that will hopefully become the real thing in helping the villagers be able to successfully grow crops all year round using very little space.

Chat with you again soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Just To Let You Know

2011-03-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!
Yep! Here are "my" rocks once again. I just wanted to let you all know that because of the team being here, I might not be blogging for a few days. So, in the meantime, thought you could all look at (Okay, they're His rocks!) God's rocks again and think about how blessed you each are and how much you have to be thankful for. Especially with what's going on in Japan, we should really be seeking the Lord for ourselves and our families.

But, before I sign off, I do want to say how very very thankful Crist and I are for our family - Kelley, Chris, Phillip, Joshua, & Gabe Lett, Crist, Cheryl and Henry, Brock, Claire, Seth, Colette, Corinne and Camille Hamilton, Corrie, John, Sarah, Gus & Sami Guckenberger and Jodi, Heath, Lydia, Noah and Allie Caddell. You are all held deeply in our hearts, and Dad and I love each of you for who you are and we are so thankful for the Lord's hands in your lives!! You are special, special, special to us!

"And Father, we pray for the people of Japan. We pray that through all the devastation the Japanese are experiencing now; through the heartache and pain, that You will show Yourself Mighty and Strong - their Healer, their Comforter and their Redeemer. Amen"

In-joy,
Eileen and Crist
(and for that special someone who wanted their name mentioned - there it is!! grin - see you soon!)

The Beginning of "The Lasts"

2011-03-17T06:48:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Well, we're getting down to the wire now and we're beginning to have "last things" happening - which in some respect is sad. Though the other night's dinner with all of the B2B staff wasn't sad at all. It was fun to all sit together and eat and share and laugh. Corrie had some fun activities where we had to guess things about their family and the one who won would receive a small gift. You would think that we'd win, right? Afterall, we're their parents!!!!

I'm not even sure we were close to winning! Theresa won that honor - I guess we're not as observant as we should be. grin

Much of Corrie and John's furniture is being sold to another ministry and some Jason and Emilee and Will and Theresa have now. All of our furniture will stay, in case the ministry uses our little apartment for other people to use. Little by little, we're giving things away and even packing some things into our suitcases. Saturday we have a team coming so for the next week it will be super busy. We'll try to continue blogging - so check in on us from time to time.

"A time to keep and a time to throw away." Ecc. 3:6b

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Just So You Know....

2011-03-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
I actually enjoy every few days getting on the computer and blogging to all of you. We download any and all the pictures we've taken and then we resize them so they can fit the blog and then I look at the pictures and think of something "clever" and "witty" (grin) to write so that you can better understand what we're doing here in Jos, Nigeria. But.....I am finding myself in a dilemma this afternoon. The last few ministry events or places we have gone, we didn't remember to bring our camera. So.....just so you know......these two pictures are all that we have left in our picture folder. This is IT folks! So, now I have to say something about these mud blocks in the picture below. Nigerians build their huts and/or their block homes in two ways. The more expensive way is by making and using concrete blocks. Our little bungalow and Corrie and John's house are made with concrete blocks. For some reason, and we're not sure why, the price of concrete has gone up considerably in the last few months, so we are seeing more and more people (especially in the villages) making their own mud blocks - which essentially is mixing water with the dirt in the backyard and adding a little bit of straw and then cutting out the squares and letting them dry in this dry heat. From what we're told, these mud bricks last for quite a while - even during the rainy season (which I don't understand at all how they just don't dissolve in the rain). This last picture in our picture folder is of the new borehole at the Doctor's Compound. Because of expenses, only a pump handle will be available for getting the water (as opposed to a spigot type). But everyone in this part of the village is very excited to have this clean water source now. Since this is the end of the dry season, many wells are beginning to run dry and now they have clean water that we hope and pray won't run dry.

We have a large team of businessmen coming this Saturday - so hopefully we can take alot of pictures and show you some of the things they will be doing (if we don't forget our camera - grin). We miss you all and can't wait to see you in a few weeks!!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

This Was So Much Fun

2011-03-12T00:34:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Okay - it's me again - Crist. Since this blog is directly related to what I experienced, I thought it would be better if I did the sharing this time.

As we've mentioned before, every Tuesday afternoon I'm part of a mens' Bible Study in the village. We can have anywhere from 7 to 13 (this includes Will and I from B2B staff) young men and most of them work at the car wash. I love this Bible Study and seeing how the Word of God is beginning to come alive in their hearts. They have begun to ask many faith, life and Bible questions and it's such an encouragement to me to see their faith growing.

Recently we received donations from the states of several pairs of used soccer shoes/cleats. Many in the Bible Study also are part of the village football (soccer) team and after Bible Study this past Tuesday, Will allowed those who are on the football team to look and see if they could find a pair of shoes that would fit them. It was like watching "kids in a candy store." There were smiles and laughter everywhere and each would hold up their feet to show the others their
newfound treasures. This is such a "little" thing to those of us from the U.S., but to these young men it was truly like a gift from God.

"Thank You Lord for allowing me to be a part of your perfect plan for these few. Continue to grow in each of them a desire to know you better. Protect and watch over of them and allow them to become leaders and men of God in their village." Amen

In-joy,

Crist and Eileen

These Children Are What B2B Is All About

2011-03-08T05:37:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

From the moment we set foot on Nigerian soil, there have been children all around us. For some of the littlest ones, they have cried when they first saw us because they had never seen a baturi (white person) before.

But for most of the children, there have been nothing but shy smiles, giggles and always a desire to hold your hand, pull the hairs on your arms and to just love on you! Children are so precious with their unconditional love for you. They have no expectations of you - they just want to be with you. In the states, children are told (and justifiably so) to not talk to strangers and to be careful to who you talk to. Not so - in Nigeria. They rush up to you and want to swing from your hands and to just walk along the road with you. We're going to miss that. We're going to miss these children; raw clay just waiting to be molded by the Father into His unique creation for each of them.

Please pray for more workers to come to Nigeria so that these children and hundreds just like them can learn more about God's perfect plans for them. Please pray for hearts to be broken for the lost in Nigeria and for each of us to be used by God and not to settle for "safe."

"Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world."

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Colors, Colors, Colors!!

2011-03-07T04:41:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I've shared with you many times about how much I love the Nigerian dresses that the women wear. I love the colors and patterns in the fabrics. I would venture to guess that probably 75% of all Nigerian women, go to the material huts in the market and purchase their material and then take the fabric to a dressmaker who then makes their dresses. Included with your dress will always come a large swatch of material that is used for the headwraps that probably 95% of all women wear almost all the time. On Sundays to church, I will wear a headwrap and by the time the service is over, it feels like my head is ready to explode and it always itches for some reason. I'm just not used to wearing something close to my head that way. But to the Nigerian woman, it is very very natural and comfortable.

In the United States, we've become used to wearing alot of solid colors and some flowery prints for a summer dress - but rarely do we wear a dress that is BOLD with all types of abstract designs. Not so here. Even women with a larger frame (that's me folks! - grin) wear these wild patterns and they look beautiful. I'm not brave enough to do it - my loss!!

Speaking of colors - at the Carnival at Hillcrest on Saturday, Sarah won some games which gave her tickets, which allowed her to redeem the tickets for small prizes. One of Sarah's prizes that she picked out was a can of hair spray that sprayed a HOT orange stream onto your hair. Sarah's hair is brown so you couldn't see the full effect of the orange spray so she asked if she could spray my hair. I said (as any good grandma would do) "yes." Voila - the picture below. Cute, huh? With my white hair, you sure could see the color. I got alot of funny stares as we left the carnival and headed for home. It took two good hair scrubbings before the hairspray came fully out. Whew! I was worried there for a little while.

But having all kinds of beautiful colors in fabrics, flowers and bushes, people's skin and yes, even in someone's hair - doesn't it make life interesting? Well, we'll chat again with you soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

The "Good-Byes" Begin

2011-03-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
This afternoon, Crist and I were invited to be a part of a "good-bye" lunch for Corrie and Sami given by the third grade mothers. Sami is in 3rd Grade and this group of moms are very close knit and supportive of one another. Everyone brought something to eat and it was all so good!! This first picture shows the moms (and me - the Grandma!). There are 19 children in the class and with all their siblings present to eat, it seemed like there were 30 children running around.

There's our daughter, Corrie (in the white sweater), in the picture below with many of the moms. These pictures are unusual in the fact that every other time I've seen these woman they are ALWAYS beautifully dressed in Nigerian clothes, but this morning at Hillcrest, was a "Field Day" for the children so all the moms were encouraged to wear very comfortable clothes because everyone was helping with this fun day at the school. I enjoyed seeing the women in this informal setting. You know.....when you get a group of women together, regardless of nationality, there's always plenty to talk about. I know that Corrie will miss these women alot. I've always thought that I'm kind of tall compared to many women, but when I look at that first picture, yikes! I look short, don't I compared to the Nigerian women around me. I bet I've shrunk some as I'm getting older, huh? grin

Tomorrow is a "Carnival" at Hillcrest that one of the grades is putting on as a fundraiser. Corrie sadly told me that there won't be any Elephant Ears to eat, but there will be cotton candy, hot dogs, pizza and other fun foods. Yummy! I made a BIG pot of vegetable soup a few days ago and that's what Crist and I have been eating alot of lately - I'm ready for some junk food!!!

Chat with you soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Happy/Sad

2011-03-02T06:22:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I can't be at the rocks today, but I needed to see them anyway because they bring tranquility to my soul and I figured you would like to see them again anyway - grin! These days, Crist and I are both feeling such mixed emotions. We'll be leaving in five weeks and I have to be honest with you - we're very excited about returning home to our friends and family and the familiar. But, we're leaving behind wonderful new friends, a growing, busy ministry and a land filled with hidden beauty and beautiful skies.
Let me share with you some of the things we're going to miss when we leave:

Who would have thought that we'd miss one day big boulders/rocks? But we will!
I'm going to miss the twenty or thirty little lizards that live around our apartment. They're just so cute with all the different colors on their bodies.
We're going to miss all of the B2B staff that have begun to feel like "family" to us. What a great group of people God has assembled here to do His work in Nigeria.
I'm going to miss the six months of almost perfect weather - not a cloud in the sky - and gentle breezes and sometimes not so gentle breezes.
We're going to miss seeing cattle grazing alongside the roads and sometimes even in the roads!
I'm going to miss Kenny, Joe, Daniel, Hope, Suzanne, Ochachee, Lucky, Esther, Abigail, Claire and all the caregivers at OLA. They will all remain in our prayers.
Our ECWA Village Church and the women singing each Sunday, and the drums and joy as they worship.
I will miss the BEAUTIFUL, colorful clothing that the women wear each day.
I will miss the quiet evenings with Crist - every evening! A wonderful, slower pace.
The filled streets and markets and the peacefulness of the village at dusk when people are out cooking and fellowshipping with one another.
We will miss have Corrie and John, Sarah, Gus and Sami living five feet from us - we really will!
All the village children - each and every one of them.

I feel like I could go on and on with this list. God is blessing us here in Nigeria......but we're excited to be going home! Such a contrast of emotions.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist
"Lord, if Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from this place." Exodus 33:15

Work Day At The Oasis Center

2011-02-27T03:54:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
This past week everyone on staff met on Wednesday at the Oasis Center and had a good old fashioned Work Day. Over the past several months, donations from teams that have come from the states, as well as things brought over on a container, have begun to stack up and no one knew where anything was anymore. We wanted to "start from scratch" and take almost everything out and then put it all back into the rooms - only this time organized, straightend up and labeled. In the picture above is Emilee and Solomon and Emmanuel. Solomon and Emmanuel work for B2B and they are such assets to the ministry (and hard workers too!).

Here on the left is Crist in another room sorting and putting away. This box to the right is a really cool story. As we were sorting through all the clothing that has been donated, it came to our attention that a Nigerian friend of the ministry - his house had had a fire the day before and his two sons lost all of their clothing because the fire was mostly in their room. Within a matter of a few minutes we had a large box filled with clothes in the appropriate sizes, shoes, toiletries etc. all ready to be taken to the family. We love it when God puts all the pieces together and fills a need.

And here is Corrie (three or four of us ladies were sorting outside through all the clothing and stacking the clothes according to gender) sorting through the donations. People from the states have been so generous in their giving and we know in the months ahead much of this clothing will be given away.

We broke for lunch and all ate together and then went back to work. We finished everything that was on the list to do and all returned home weary but happy to see everything back in order once again.

Wouldn't it be great if it would be this easy to clean up our hearts?
But the principle is the same, isn't it? We need to take the time and purposefully sort through all the "stuff" in our lives and prioritize, clean out and throw away so our "house/hearts" will be clean before the Lord.

Hope everyone is doing well. We'll chat with you again soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Meet My Friend Ladi!

2011-02-24T04:17:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
This is my friend, Ladi. She is Pastor Dauda's wife and we've shown pictures of she and her husband before. Remember she is the lady that was hurt in the motorcycle accident probably six or seven months ago. She is still recovering from it. She very severely sliced open her left foot and she still is using crutches when she walks. She had a wound that they have been allowing to heal from within so it's been a laborious process watching the wound very slowly close up (somewhat). It's just about finished but I'm thinking that there is still alot of pain associated with it because Ladi is fearful of putting any weight on her foot. I really think she could do it, but it's a hard decision right now for her to make. Ladi speaks very little English and, of course, I speak about 5 or 6 words in Hausa so our times together aren't filled with lots of wordy conversation, but I love just being around her. She is the most upbeat woman you will ever meet and her smile is ever present when anyone is near. She is always wanting to hug and love on you. After church on Sunday, I had Crist take this picture above of the two of us. The dress she has on is an ECWA Womens' Fellowship dress. There were probably another twenty woman wearing the same dress on Sunday. The women and all other ECWA women in Jos last week had an ECWA Womens' Conference and so their dressing in the same dress was in celebration of that experience. I wish all of you could see the beautiful colors and patterns that are in the dresses that Nigerian women wear. They're gorgeous!

I value Ladi and our friendship and I know I will miss her hugs and smiles alot when we leave in a few weeks. I remember Michael W. Smith's song that says, "A Friend's a Friend Forever When The Lord's the Lord of them!" Amen.

In-joy,
Eileen and Crist

OLA Training Morning

2011-02-20T06:58:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Last week, Emilee, Corrie, Linda and I went to OLA with tea and muffins to help train the OLA caregivers to learn to use the new donated cloth diapers. Right now they use essentially rags as diapers and within minutes the diapers are soaked through and the babies' bedding and clothes are soiled and wet. In the picture above you can see Linda demonstrating how to use them. She is Nigerian so was able to speak in the native Hausa language. We allowed the women to ask as many questions as they wanted and we had them change some of the children's diapers while we were there to make sure they had the hang of it. It's not always easy to make changes to a routine you have had for a long time. But, we wanted the caregivers to see the advantages in making this change. Their wash load will lessen dramatically.

Remember in a couple of blogs ago I mentioned that I didn't have a current picture of the changing tables in the newly renovated baby room? Well, now we do and it's the picture up above. In the past the women would change the diapers in whatever bed was handy and many times would leave soiled or wet sheets behind. They really liked the changing tables and we also brought new sheets and waterproof mattress pads.

The picture up above on the left side is of our daughter, Corrie (she and family are here with B2B also - I think most of you knew that, right?) and she is holding the newest OLA child, James. He was brought to OLA just the day before. We're thinking he is between one year and 18 months but he could be even older - he's just so petite and small, that it's hard to tell. His mother is unable to care for him anymore and he was brought to the Childrens Home. Can you imagine how frightening that must be for the little guy. All of a sudden to be surrounded by new faces you've never seen before. See the woman in green to the right in the picture above - her name is Rachel (some call her Big Momma) and she is probably the oldest caregiver at OLA. I really like and admire this woman. She has a strong faith which sustains her daily. A few months ago her 35 year old son was killed in an automobile accident but she continues on - serving and loving. When this picture was taken, Rachel was suffering from malaria and she wasn't feeling well at all - but she came to the training to learn what she could.

It was a good morning of shared laughter, learning and fellowship. Corrie and I will be again going to OLA this week and we're excited and hopeful that the new diapers are being used and helping to make these women of OLA's lives a little easier. They sure could enjoy things a little easier.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Loving Home Improvements

2011-02-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
In the picture above is sassy little Hope from OLA. What a pistol she is and she LOVES posing for pictures. She's started school this year so we're sure some of her energy is being channeled, which is a good thing. grin Remember me telling you a while back when the teams from the U.S. were here how we had redone the small children's room? I don't remember or not if I had sent pictures to you showing you some of the improvements. I saw them in our picture saving place (I sound real computer savvy, don't I?) and thought just in case I had never shown them to you, now would be a good time to do that.

This room used to be blue and wasn't in horrible condition, it just needed to look brighter and more inviting and cleaner. Through a "baby shower" given in Indianapolis to raise funds for the renovations, we were able to just this week complete everything. We bought all new colorful (orange, red and purple - to match the colors on the walls) sheets, waterproof mattress pads on all the cribs, new cribs, new mattresses, two large wardrobers in the older childrens' room, a dresser with changing tables on top (the picture above doesn't have the changing tables on them yet - it was taken before we got the tables put on) and mosquitoe netting for each crib unit, new paint on the walls and the "Jesus Loves Me" letters on the wall.

Then, yesterday some of us staff women went to OLA and had a training session for the caregivers on the new cloth diapers that had been donated. I'll show pictures of the training in the next blog. I don't know about you, but through the years because of all the changes that Crist and I have gone through, I have found that we adjust to change pretty well. But we know for others it is not so easy. Let's talk about that next time. Hope you all are well and joy-filled. It's HOT here! Please pray with me about that, okay? Thanks!

Chat with you soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

"It is not that we are qualified to do anything on our own, our qualification comes from God." II Corinthians 3:5

Extreme Makeover

2011-02-14T22:43:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
Our B2B driver, Alphonsus, has been in the process of moving into a two-room (I don't know what to call it honestly) place to live. Crist and I care for Alphonsus a great deal and knew he would need some help as he has no car or finances to get his new place "up to snuff." In Nigeria, when you rent a new place, you have to give two year's rent up front to your landlord and you don't owe anymore until the two years are up. Alphonsus and Esther had a one room place they lived in previous to this. One room (and not a big room either) to sleep in, store all your clothes, etc. with no indoor plumbing or electricity. Cooking was done outside. The picture to the left is almost all of Alphonsus's worldly possessions (yep - that's it for a husband and wife of 15 years). The picture above (sorry, I have them out of sequence) is the "living room" after we had painted it. John and Corrie had given Alphonsus the electric fan you can see in the picture, but he hasn't been able to use it yet because he had no electricity. In his new place, we hope he will be able to use it since he will have electricity from time to time.
This picture below is of the walls when we walked in. They were all pitted with holes and cracks and there's no nice way to describe the two rooms.

The picture in the below right is the one light bulb they have in the living area. So, to make a long story short, Crist, Alphonsus and I began painting at 9:30 a.m. and finished both rooms by 1:00 pm. We tried to fill in the cracks as we went along and because we're in the VERY DRY season now here in Jos, the paint would dry almost immediately. We painted it on thick too so it would seep into the holes and all things considered, it didn't turn out too bad. A few years ago, Alphonsus had a fire in the place he was staying, so he lost any/all the furniture that they had. To now have TWO rooms and a place for he and Esther to sit - well, they are thrilled and so are Crist and I. I mean it! We feel so blessed to have been able to help in this small way.
We Americans have to stop complaining about all the things we think we need and want. Come to Nigeria and see what alot of the rest of the world has - and they're sooooo thankful!

Do you recognize the Jesus poster on the wall? It was one we brought from the states and we had it in our little apartment, but now since we'll be leaving in a few weeks, we thought Alphonsus and Esther could use it in their new place. I asked if we could get a couple of plastic chairs for him so that when they have friends over there would be a place for them to sit too. He told me that they don't do that there. The only friends they have are from church and it's not the kind of friendships where you visit one another (this made me feel sad). He was actually emphatic, that the room with the two chairs was going to be almost like a prayer room for them - a place to sit quietly and come before the Lord. We sure will miss this humble man when we leave Nigeria.

Psalm 127:1a - "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it..."

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Prayer Walking

2011-02-12T09:56:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
This is Crist. I know, I know - Eileen ALWAYS writes the blogs, but since this blog pertains to someting I did, she insisted that I write it. So, here I am!

When we first moved to Nigeria and became involved in Kisayhip Village, I used to prayer walk around the village, but it's been a while now since I've done it and the Lord has been convicting me that this is something He wanted me to do once again.

Yesterday was a beautiful day - very hot - but with a nice breeze and no clouds in the sky - so a good day for a walk. The top picture is the village (or part of it) from a distance. I started out from the Oasis Center and began walking. The Lord provided me with lots of different prayer prompts. I passed cattle, goats, crops and some people along the way and I prayed for them all. The ECWA Church we attend most Sundays is in the process of building a larger church, and one of the pictures above is of their new foundation for the sanctury. I visited with Pastor Dauda's wife, Ladi (Pastor Dauda was away) and the Catholic church's pastor's mother, Olet (Catachist Simon was away also) - but these two women are great women of God and it was a privilege to pray with them both.

As I was returning back the way I came, I encountered this man on his roof doing repair work and I stopped to chat and pray with him and two family members of his. Further along the way I saw some men under a tree relaxing enjoying each other's company so decided to join them for a little bit and asked if I could take a "snap" (take a picture) of them.

I felt God's blessings on me as I walked along. I don't know why it took me so long to get back into doing what I enjoy so much - prayer walking!

For those who are reading this blog, we covet your prayers for Kisayhip Village. There is much spiritual warfare occurring and we want so much for them to be set free from the enemy's bondage.

Philippians 4:6 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

In-joy,

Crist and Eileen

Women of Faith

2011-02-10T05:22:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I don't have a picture today. Corrie took a picture of all of the women in the Thursday morning Women's Bible Study, but I don't have it, so I'm just gonna share a little bit of what's happening within the hearts of our group.

There are six Nigerian women that come and four of us B2B staff members. We meet for 1 1/2 hours at Corrie's place each Thursday morning and we're studying the life of David; his anointing, his transformation and his redemption with a Beth Moore format of listening to a CD of the lesson and then discussion and then homework from a workbook we are each given. This morning was our third week and we have four more weeks to go.

Every single time we have met, the Holy Spirit moves me in some way. I am struck once again of God's love for His children. We women have all similar stories in regard to our families, husbands, ministries etc., but for the Nigerian women, they come into their faith journies with many cultural things against them. Men and women and husbands and wives here don't relate to one another as they do in the U.S. - conveniences we take for granted in the U.S. are not even in the picture here - finances and/or the lack of them are almost always something to deal with - legalism in the churches that keep you always feeling like you're not measuring up - these are things that our Nigerian women friends are struggling with and God is faithful with each and every one.

Each week I listen as they poignantly share their struggles and how God is uplifting them and encouraging them and how they are growing and their life situations improving. I feel so humbled to be a part of this group and to strive in my own life to become the woman of faith that the Lord is growing me to become. How dare I complain when my little petty inconveniences put me in a bad mood. Shame on me that I have made my God so small in my own eyes that I can't trust Him enough to find victory in a problem. My Nigerian friends struggle with things I will probably never have to experience because of my birth country. But each of us women, with whatever sin struggles we may have - we all serve and love the same Savior! I'm in awe of His lovingkindness!

"In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him Who loved us." Romans 8:37

In-joy,
Eileen and Crist

Our Plans/His Direction

2011-02-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
Last Thursday morning, the entire B2B staff caravanned to Miango Rest Home/Retreat Center which is about an hour away. This retreat center was founded by missionaries in 1919 and many of its buildings we still used. It's not fancy but it's a wonderful place to get away - have someone else do the cooking (yippee!!), have good quiet times with the Lord and get some ministry planning accomplished. Where we live in Jos, there truly is no grass (or at least we haven't seen any) so to enter behind it's walls and see all the lovely trees, flowers and GREEN GRASS was wonderful!! In the early years of the retreat center, foreign missionaries did the day-to-day running of it but now it is completely directed and facilitated by Nigerian Christians. The town/village of Miango is right outside the gates and many of its people work now at and for the rest home.

Our first night there we had a Murder Mystery Party for the staff and what fun we had. We each had been given a "character" that we were to portray and we had to find clothes to support that character. The theme of the mystery night was a group of people in Las Vegas at one of the casinos when a murder takes place and someone in the room "did it." We each had to, within our character role, try to find the person who was the murderer.

My character was Jamie the Journalist and Crist was Sam the Security Guard. Corrie (daughter) was Lucy Legs (a showgirl) and John was an Elvis Impersonator. I had never been to one of these mystery parties before and Emilee and Jason had put alot of work behind getting things ready and I think everyone had a fun evening. Both Crist and I didn't figure out the murder (for your info - Ace the High Roller was the one murdered and his wife of one day, Hustling Hailey, "did it.").

Each morning we went up a hill where a gazebo was situated overlooking a wide terrain of a beautiful landscape of Nigeria. In the picture below, you can see the little village tucked there in amongst the trees. You could see people coming and going as we sat there worshipping God and His beautiful creation right in front of us.

We had planning sessions throughout each day and times to rest and relax. One of the meals we even had meatloaf - and for those of you who know Crist well - you can imagine how excited he was (he LOVES meatloaf!!).

It was great to get away, but for us of the older generation - it was nice to get back to our firmer bed. A church in Ohio was generous enough to provide the funds so that the retreat could happen - Jehovah Jireh - our Provider!! PTL!

Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

We made some plans during the retreat - but ultimately God's plans will prevail!!

Chat with you again soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Revolutionary Love

2011-02-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
Our B2B Staff Retreat was from Thursday through yesterday so that's why you haven't heard anything from us. But we're back and we'll share abour our retreat in a later blog. But this blog is about something we think is really neat in how God works His perfect plans in the lives of His children. B2B feels very strongly about not just handing out things to the people of the village. That's not what we're about - but we do very much want to respond when we see God working and there's a need. A couple of weeks ago at the Tuesday afternoon mens' Bible Study, several of the village car wash boys were in attendance and they happened to mention that because of some skirmishes that had been happening recently, people weren't "out and about" as much so the business at the car wash was down dramatically and it was really hard for them. Many of them were going hungry and since some support their families, that means their families were going hungry as well. Our B2B Community Development team met and decided this was something we could and should respond to. These young men were part of our outreach as they attend the Bible study.

Last Wednesday, many of the B2B men met at the Oasis Viewing Center to put together a bag of rice, oil, Maggi Cubes, sugar and Raman noodle packages. These pictures show the progress of that day. Measured rice was put into a bag, oil was put into empty coke bottles and other items sorted out and put into the yellow bags. The team then went to the carwash, where 30 bags were handed out to the young men there. It was important that these young men see that God had answered their prayers by His provisions.

This picture above is of the men that attend the Bible Study. I LOVE it when God shows up in a mighty way. Many of you, by your financial giving, were part of this love offering. Thank you so much.

Chat with you again soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

What Kind of Feet Do We Have?

2011-02-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow we're leaving for a B2B Staff Retreat and won't be back until Saturday afternoon. So.....we won't be blogging. We're gonna be relaxing, reading, listening, studying, enjoying and practicing the presence of God!! Check back on Saturday, okay?

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7

In-joy,
Eileen and Crist

Meet Lydia

2011-01-31T08:10:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

The picture above is of Lydia, a widow from Jos who had an accident and is now under Dr. Zamani's care at the Doctor's compound. We met her for the first time a few weeks ago when we took a team there to pray with the patients and to give them a live chicken and some food. Diane and Rashell were the two that went in to pray with her and got to know her better. She told them that she took all that she had to come to the doctor's for treatment and she wasn't sure what she would do when she returned home since she had nothing left except her place to stay. She was thankful to the Lord, however, for His provision and her beautiful smile radiated to show proof of what she said. She was so grateful to have women to pray for and with her.

Some in the team pooled some money together and last week I was able to stop in and pray with her and give her the money that the Lord had provided for her. She was speechless, thankful and smiling from ear to ear.

Yesterday at the village church, who should we notice coming down the aisle (on her crutches) during the offering but Lydia with the biggest smile on her face. She had walked down the dusty, rocky road from the doctor's compound to the church (about 1/4 mile Crist thought) with a thankful heart. We are humbled by people like Lydia - they have so little by this world's standards, yet like the widow in the Bible who gave her last coin to the Lord, Lydia, with a thankful heart, is His treasured child and is being blessed by God for her faithfulness. Maybe our "huts" in heaven will be close to each other. I like that thought!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Life in the City and in the Village

2011-01-29T06:02:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to show you a few pictures of the differences between the village and the "city." In reality, it's not much different than in the United States. In the city of Jos, it's hustle/bustle, lots of noise, ALOT of traffic and people everywhere.

In the villages, you step back in time. People are walking where they need to go and there will probably be no electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. The huts have no furniture and the children have few toys or none at all.

Life is at a HUGELY (is there such a word?) slower pace. I would imagine that it would be very similar to the American Indians of 100 years ago. Crops are planted, meals are cooked outside, life is hard, and there is little hope of things changing. As we experience these two types of living styles in the relationships we know here in Jos, there is a sadness we are finding in both. Whether you are rich or poor, there is no meaning to life without Christ's peace and hope. There are many many churches in this area but few who are living victorious Christian lives. This makes me sad but allows me to see even more how important it is for our lives to be intertwined with the lives of our Nigerian friends. I'm not really expressing clearly what's in my heart - I'm feeling in a very reflective mood this afternoon, so I'm sharing from what I'm feeling I guess.

We want sooo much for our Nigerian friends to truly feel the Presence of Christ in their lives and to know without a shadow of a doubt how much they are loved by the Creator!!
Below is a quote from John Piper from his book, "Don't Waste Your Life." It struck a cord with me.

"What is the one passion of your life that makes everything else look like rubbish in comparison? Oh, that God would help me waken in you a single passion for a single great reality that would unleash you, and set you free from small dreams, and send you, for the glory of Christ, into all the spheres of secular life and to all the peoples of the earth." This quote really got me to thinking. What is my passion? I think I'm gonna be praying about this very soon.

Chat with you soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Children Of The Kingdom - Igmin Kibe

2011-01-25T22:40:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
Okay, all of you work teams that have come and worked on the Education Center - doing painting, cleaning, hammering and more painting - feast your eyes on the finished product!!! Yahoo!!!

The Igmin Kibe (Children of the Kingdom) Education Center was opened for teaching on Monday, January 24th. Everyone is so excited that this day is finally here. Alot of hard work and prayer has allowed this day to happen and we're very thankful to the Lord for His provisions. At staff meeting yesterday, Theresa shared that as she and Esther were taking the children around to see the entire place, the children were VERY excited about the two bathrooms. There is boys and girls room with a toilet, sink and a shower (with a blue shower curtain). These kids don't experience bathrooms - much less one with a shower and shower curtain.

For the first few weeks, Esther and Theresa will be teaching in the same classroom as Theresa will be doing some training with Esther - but in a few weeks, Esther will get her own classroom.
The first picture up above is of the "Reading Nook". Isn't it colorful and adorable! Thanks to the N.C. team for providing the bean bag chairs.
Pray for these ten children below. Pray that the Father will give to them all His good gifts of love, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, peace, faithfulness, gentleness and JOY!

There hasn't been alot of of this in their young lives and we so want them to know His love and see His perfect plan for each of their lives.

In the Book of Isaiah, it is written that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning (key) of wisdom." Father, we pray for these ten children and the plans you have for each of them. Thank You for Your loving kindness, for the Education Center, and for Theresa and Esther. Use them to instill wisdom, knowledge and hope into their lives. Amen

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Such Fun From So Little

2011-01-22T06:47:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I'm not going to "chat" much in this blog. We just wanted you to see the beautiful faces of these children as they posed with their "glasses" on. I wonder what was going through their minds? You can tell by looking at the children what 'stations' they had been to. Some have face painting, some have coloring books clutched in their hands.

Unless we become like children, we can't enter into the Kingdom of God.

Proverbs 15:13a says, "A joyful heart makes a cheerful face." Is your heart joyful today?

"The eye is the lamp of your body." Luke 11:34a

Chat with you soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Don't you just want to hug them all?!!

The Dedication, The Celebration and The Fun Fun fun!

2011-01-20T04:48:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Well, it's back to the Education Center Dedication/Celebration we had last week. The two work teams plus all the B2B staff began working early getting things set up (putting the ribbons around the posts, setting up the benches, getting the food ready and setting up the "fun" tables). We wanted to start promptly at 10 o'clock with different "fun" stations for the children to go to before the actual dedication began. We had a nail polish station, a pipe cleaner station, a coloring book station, a jump rope station and soccer for the older kids and, of course, the swingset all ready for use.
It was a chilly morning but people came out in full force and everyone seemed to be really having a good time. Rachell and myself were the "nail polishers" and we were busy for an hour straight doing children as well as some mothers' hands. The kids LOVED having their nails done. We even had some glitter we put on top of the nails and some little stick-ons that go on the nails too. Many of the boys wanted their nails done too but we told them no - there were soooo many little girls that needed to go first and we were running out of time.

The pipe cleaner station was a big hit also because for the most part, everyone wanted a pair of glasses fashioned out of the pipe cleaners to be made. So for the rest of the day, you could see many, many little children walking around with these colorful pipe cleaner glasses that they were very very proud of. (We'll have a blog tomorrow on some of these delightful little faces!)

Then after an hour of playing, we began the dedication ceremony and right after the dedication we had Nigerian traditional dancers that came to dance for the crowd. It was so much fun to watch the expressions on the faces of most of the Nigerian men, women and children. I would imagine that for most of them, this might have been their very first time to see for themselves some of their own native dancing - and they so thoroughly enjoyed it all. And towards the end of their dancing, they had people from the audience come into the circle and dance with them.

In the picture below, you can see Pastor Bobby Hallyburton from Connelly Springs, N.C. dancing up a storm. I think he rather enjoyed himself, huh Bobby?
After the dancing, came the eating and then we all pitched in and cleaned things up and home we went. A fun-filled day for all!

Hope you enjoyed seeing the pictures of our special day. We'll chat with you soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Alphonsus's Own Story of God's Transforming Power

2011-01-17T04:10:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I know I told you that we'd have more blogs on the Education Center's Dedication Celebration.....but......Alphonsus gave the below testimony to Crist this morning and we just had to share with you all. Alphonsus is our ministry driver and he and Crist have been meeting weekly for Bible Study and prayer. He has become a trusted friend and we care about him deeply. Here in his own words is what he gave to Crist this morning:

"One of the benefits of getting older is that you can look back and see just how far you have come since your youth. Looking back on my life, I would have never thought that I would be where I am today. I come from a broken home; an alcoholic, womanizing father who was violent towards my mother and his children, a mother who was depressed, and siblings who coped by taking drugs and doing other wrong behaviors.

My relationship with Christ has dramatically transformed my life: I am not the fearful, complaining, and unloving person that I once was because of my childhood. The Lord has washed away my fear and replaced it with confidence as I have learned to trust Him for tomorrow. He has taken away my complaining spirit as I have seen His care and his desire to sanctify me through the circumstances of my life. And finally, as I have become aware of the grace He has poured out on me, my desire to serve Him and love others has increased.

Seeing the changes the Lord has accomplished thus far in my character, I am hopeful that in another forty years or so, Christ will at last present me spotless to His Father, my Father."

I don't need to add a thing except "Amen!"

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Feeding the 5000 (Or What Seemed Like 5000)

2011-01-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Talking and sharing about the Education Center's Dedication/Celebration is going to take several blogs. What a day we had!!! We wanted a special day for all the children of the village so we planned an almost "carnival" type atmosphere for the day. It was "guesstamated" that about 65% of the entire village turned up for the dedication. The ten children above were the children picked to be our first students for the Education Center's tutoring program. They were so proud and excited to be the center's "first". In the picture above, Theresa, our B2B staff member will be the lead teacher and Esther is the Nigerian woman on the left back row in the picture. Remember that wedding Crist and I went to a couple of months ago? Well, Esther was the bride and now lives in the village and has a degree in education. She will be teaching the second class. There are two classrooms at the center.

We cooked for 200 (having no real idea how many would show up). We had rice joloff (rice, tomatoes, diced up green beans, carrots and peas) and some beef chunks that were cooked at the ministry center and transported to the celebration. As we saw the crowds beginning to arrive we began praying for the Lord to multiply the food and He did. We were able to serve all the children (344 children) which was our main concern. As we realized we couldn't feed the entire crowd, we limited it to just the kids. The Chairman of the village came to help cut the ribbons for the center and gave a very heartfelt and gracious speech to all. Theresa then introduced the ten students and a few more people gave little speeches (with an interpreter) and then the ribbons were cut and the celebrations began!!

I'll share more on the next blog about some of the things we had going that day. The picture below is of two of our work team members that came here from Wyoming. They are Jeremiah and Jo Jo and they were married three months ago but waited for their honeymoon. They wanted it to be serving with B2B in Nigeria. What a great couple they are and we're so excited they wanted to start their life together with all of us here at B2B. God bless you both!!!

Chat with you all soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

"Work as Unto the Lord"

2011-01-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!
Have the past two weeks gone by already? We had two work teams from the states come and help us in ministry and work projects and they left yesterday and it sure seems quiet around here. I told you in my last blog that the next few blogs would be about what was accomplished while they were here.

We worked at OLA redoing the baby room. The dirty/drab walls were painted bright Nigerian colors and wooden letters crafted and painted that say "Jesus Loves Me." New curtains were hung and we're having new cribs made and mosquito nets were put up over each crib. I'll send a "finished" picture when it's all put together. Everyone worked really hard and it's so rewarding to watch a project come to completion.

One afternoon, several of the men measured, drilled, glued, cut and stained three new pieces of furniture for the Education Center. These will be filled with books and school supplies and we'll show more on that as the school begins to operate.

We had an absolutely wonderful day last week as we dedicated the new Education Center. After many many months of building, painting and cleaning, we had a day of celebration and from beginning to end it was a day I think that the entire village enjoyed tremendously. I could spend the next month showing you pictures of what happened that day! So stayed tuned - there's much more to come!

While you're battling snow and ice, we're having sunny days with not a cloud in the sky. Jos is in the Plateau State and we're the highest state in the country of Nigeria. This means that the weather is different from every other state. Many Nigerians look at Jos as the "cold" state. Not to Crist and I - we're LOVING IT! We're in the 'winter' month now and within the next two weeks, Jos will enter into the 'summer' months - the HOTTEST three months of the year.

Well, we'll chat with you soon. Bye, Diane, Bobby and Jim - we LOVED having you here and miss you already!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

"We're Back!!!!"

2011-01-13T01:54:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
It has been SO LONG since we've had a chance to sit down and share with all of you all that has been happening the past two weeks. We've had two work teams from the states here and it's been really busy - fun/hectic busy - but still almost every minute accounted for. So.....over the next few blogs, I will mostly be showing you pictures of the various outreaches and work projects that the two teams have accomplished.
These first few pictures are of the team going to the Doctor's compound and visiting with the patients and praying with them and also bringing them a live chicken/oil/rice for them to have some extra food while they are patients there. This lady above is Lydia and she is a widow with a foot injury and she asked for prayers regarding God's provision for her once she goes home. She spent her last resources to get the treatment. (NOTE: God did provide for her with a special donation given by some team members - we LOVE how God puts the Body of Christ together!!)

The picture above is of my friend, Diane, from North Carolina who wanted the opportunity to present the chicken to one of the patients (she actually was one of two people that prayed with Lydia). Diane was amazed at how calm the chicken was. She thought the chicken would be flapping and struggling to get free - it didn't. It was very passive.
Another project while we were at the doctor's compound was to have some of the team members paint the pit latrine that has recently been constructed. Crist and Daniel (our Nigerian staff member) were in charge of the crew below (Maria, Daniel, Jo Jo and Casey). Everyone played with the many children that arrived and we handed out little boxes of crayons with a small coloring book. These children were delightful - one little girl looked up at the group as they were passing out the books and said, "God Bless You!" She was so sweet.

It was a very windy day and actually was chilly. But all of our hearts were warmed as we played, prayed and worked. It was a great day!! More pictures will follow of other work projects and of the groups. Both groups were awesome - friendly, hardworking and filled with the love of Jesus!!

Chat with you soon,

Eileen and Crist

Reaching Out....Up.....and Over!!!

2011-01-07T21:46:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Well, the second team came two days ago and things have picked up another notch as we continue going into the village, OLA, RCH and the Education Center. Yesterday was a wonderful day as both teams loaded into the bus and we headed out to the Education Center to do some last minute painting and cleaning, getting it ready for the dedication on Monday. Then mid-morning, we had another widow outreach.

We invited the widows to come to the Oasis Center where we had a seamstress ready to take their measurements as we are having a Nigerian dress for each of the widows made for them. The widows who have children or grandchildren that they are taking care of, were then taken to another area we had set aside that had benches filled with childrens' clothing that they could pick out clothes for their children.

After they had finished, women from the U.S. team would then pray for that widow. And as the morning went on, more and more children from the village kept coming and coming and pretty soon we had at least sixty children there, just playing and wanting to see what was going on. Diane's team had brought 150 little coloring books and small boxes of crayons, so they were handed out to each child and within ten minutes of giving them the coloring books, you could look out all over the property and every single child was sitting down somewhere and was coloring in their very own personal coloring book. Such a small thing for an American child, but here....a very big deal! Very soon, the dresses will be finished and we will deliver the dresses to the widows. What a great day!!! I'm finding that I'm really beginning to love these elderly women of the village. They all walked - many with staffs in their hands - and with smiles on their faces they receive whatever comes their way. We're so very very thankful that we were able to send a new dress their way yesterday! I suspect for most of them, it's been a LONG TIME since they've had any additions to their wardrobe (of maybe one or two dresses). Thank you Lord for Your love and provision for these women and that You allow us to be a part of Your plan for their lives!! Amen

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

"Friends Are Friends Forever When The Lord's The Lord of Them"

2011-01-05T23:35:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I remember a song from about 25 years ago by Michael W. Smith that talked about friendships. Our daughter, Kelley, used to sing it at church and Crist and I love the words to the song. Well, last week, some dear friends joined us in Nigeria for eleven days. We've known Diane and Bobby since we first moved to North Carolina 17 years ago and Jim we just met but feel like we've know him forever. That's the neat thing about being "brothers and sisters in Christ". The picture above was taken as we were on our way to church last Sunday. Bobby is a UMC pastor in N.C. Diane is to my right and Jim lives in Florida right now but used to live in North Carolina. For the past week, we have kept them very very busy!!! On Tuesday and yesterday we spent full days at OLA doing much cleaning and renovating in the Baby's Room. Below is Jim and Bobby holding Ocachee and Lucky. Who do you think is cuter - the men or the babies - grin!!

I have the personality that likes to see "results" so yesterday's efforts were so rewarding. After finishing up in the Babies' Room, we went to the "ladies' room" where Abigail (the woman in the wheel chair that we've shown alot) and Esther (one of the orphans - only she's 20 years old now) and two other women live. It was sooo dirty and had curtains hanging from strings that were nailed to the walls (see picture). There were crumbs EVERYWHERE (no wonder they have rats) and it just looked neglected and sad. So Crist and Bobby put in curtain rods for all eight windows and we hung new curtains that we had made. Then ALL of us moved bunk beds and closets and swept and mopped and cleaned and threw away and voila! What a transformation!!We're going to be hanging mosquito nets over each bed also soon. I'll show more pictures as we get them. Two of the women even helped us clean and they LOVED the results. There's something so cool about the feeling you get when you can actually SEE such good results after alot of hard work. The women just felt so good about their new room. I'm so thankful that we were able to help accomplish that feeling for them. There's not alot of joy in their lives I don't think.

Then, when we arrived back at our apartment, there was Gus, our grandson with his body suit he had designed from balloons stuffed into his shirt and pants. MUSCLE BOY!!! We loved it and it was the perfect ending to a very good day!

There are no two days alike EVER here in Nigeria. Each day brings new challenges and new excitement and new joys for all of us. Yay God!!!!!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

P.S. Our wonderful driver, Alphonsus (who has become also a dear friend and brother in Christ) - his six year old daughter, Ruth, died on Tuesday. She had been ill for the past two years and the doctors could never find out exactly what was wrong. Please pray for Alphonsus and Esther for God's comfort and strength to sustain them in the days ahead. The funeral is today.

Now Held In The Arms of God

2011-01-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
The picture up above was taken last week with our grandson, Gus, holding baby Joseph. There is a work team here from North Carolina and yesterday afternoon we visited OLA to have them meet and play with the babies and kids there. When we arrived we were told that baby Joseph had died on New Year's Day, the day before. We were all speechless and so very sad. Joseph's young mother died in childbirth and other family members were not able to take care of him, so he was brought to OLA to be taken care of. He was so tiny but he was a fighter and we thought he was doing pretty good. The caregiver said that they had just fed him and put him down for a nap and when they went in to check on him, they noticed that he wasn't breathing. He was 2 1/2 months old. Infant mortalities in Nigeria are high. But, for us, this wasn't just another statistic - we knew baby Joseph - we had all held him and loved him. But we are comforted today knowing that baby Joseph is being held in the arms of the Savior.....but we're gonna miss him....alot.

"Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, "let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there." Matthew 19:13-15

In-joy,
Eileen and Crist

Praise the Lord!

2010-12-31T22:21:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone and Happy New Year!

Crist and I have just finished reading through the Bible in a year and usually it ends with the Book of Revelation which says, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.' Amen. come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen." It has been an incredible year for Crist and I and we have seen the best of mankind and the worse of mankind. There are indeed days where we both just say in prayer - "come, Lord Jesus, come."

But then, we look around us and see what God has done even in these short eight months since we've been here in Nigeria - and we stand in awe and amazement. The picture above is of the Oasis House Viewing Center and the Education Center and in the distant you can see the Kisayhip B village where we do most of our ministry. The Education Center will be dedicated within the next 10 days and begin tutoring the children by the end of the month. There has been great strides in building relationships with the widows in the village and from this we will begin plans for helping them become self-sustaining. At OLA we will start on Tuesday, with the work team that is here from the states in totally redoing the OLA Baby Room. With funds raised and donated from an OLA baby shower held in Indianapolis we will be completely painting the entire room, putting in new cribs, having two clothes wardrobes put in and do some "baby decorating" to the room. We'll try to show you some "before" and "after" pictures in future blogs. God has provided in 2010 for a pit latrine to be built at the doctor's compound and very soon a borehole will begin to be drilled which will provide clean, drinkable water for people at the village. Villagers that once looked at us with suspicion and distrust are now beginning to share and plan with us for the improvements for their lives.
In 2011, God will continue to use work teams and funds provided to invest into the lives of "the least of these." For the next two weeks Crist and I will be really busy as we have two teams working simultaneously so it's gonna be kind of crazy. We'll try real hard, however, to keep you posted on what's going on.
But know for sure - THIS MINISTRY COULD NOT CONTINUE without the prayers of all of you. We feel your prayers. When our bodies are weary - we feel your prayers and continue on. When the impossible needs to be done, we feel your prayers and God provides the funds for what needs to be accomplished. When tragedy strikes in loss of life, we feel your prayers and God provides the comfort and encouragement needed. The very fact that you are reading this blog means that God is working in your hearts and He wants you to be praying for His work here in Nigeria. "With God, all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
And to start this new year of 2011, there's no better Scripture than Psalm 150 - which I just love to read when my heart is overflowing with thankfulness. It says:

"Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his might heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;Praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet.

Praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing.

Praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!"

In-Joy,

Eileen and Crist

"Bring It On.....2011!"

2010-12-27T22:22:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
What a week! Just wanted to show you some random pictures of this past week - our staff Christmas party (such sweet fellowship and Christmas carol singing), loving on the OLA babies (that's grandson, Gus, holding Okachee with glasses - grin), a child's casket (makes me sad to think of the families hurting now) and, last but not least - the butchering of cattle!!

Corrie and Theresa were running around the Hillcrest Campus last week and saw some of the maintenance workers butchering five cows on the outdoor basketball court. They got there right after the cattle were killed. The meat will be divided among the Hillcrest Nigerian workers as their Christmas gift from the school. This is quite a treat and they do it every year. Meat is very expensive in Nigeria and most Nigerians don't eat it because they can't afford it.

What a crazy world we live in - there's good, bad and ugly things that happen around us all the time. We stand in awe of an Almighty God who
wants to bring order out of chaos, bring peace to a troubled world and hope to the lost.

For those who have been asking - we are safe and we continue into this new year of 2011 with hope and joy. We have two work teams coming in the next week, so our blog might be sporadic at times. We see that most of our friends and family are experiencing LOTS OF SNOW!! Well, we're not! It's in the 80's here - hot and dry and dusty! What a contrast, huh?

Happy New Year to everyone!! Chat with you again next year.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

And His Name is........

2010-12-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

"For a child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government

will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful

Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There

will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the

throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it,

with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The

zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this."

Isaish 9:6&7

Merry Christmas!!

and

Happy New Year!!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Bringing Smiles To The Children

2010-12-22T04:14:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
It's been another busy week but alot of fun things to celebrate the Christmas season too. Last Friday, the B2B staff had a Christmas Celebration for all the Nigerian workers that help us here (guards, househelf, drivers etc.). Those who could, brought their families and we played silly games; even musical chairs - which THEY LOVED. We had refreshments and each family was given a live chicken for their Christmas meal. The picture up above is of the group. We are noticing that Nigerians work six days a week and they really don't "play" like we Americans do. So, it was sweet to watch them relax and really participate in the games. The children did some crafts, they had their pictures taken as a family and we'll be giving them all their pictures at a later date. There's no money in a Nigerian budget for "picture taking", so this will be a great treat for them.

Also, thought you would enjoy seeing the construction of the playground swings we're having built by the Education Center. This will be such a treat for the children that come for the lessons. We're hoping sometime in January to have the dedication of the Education Center and tutoring will begin shortly after that. Everyone in the village is very very excited about this - but initially we'll have room for maybe ten children.

Last week we also had a pool outing with the children from OLA. We had been promising them for a while and someone donated the funds for this to happen. Our granddaughter, Sami, was sick that day, so I stayed home with her and Crist and Corrie and John and other staff members gathered for this fun day. Crist said the water was ABSOLUTELY FRIGID. Lunch was prepared, bathing suits provided and promises kept - a wonderful day for all! Christmas is two days away. We'll be eating with our kids and two other couples. It will essentially be a duplicate Thanksgiving meal (chicken, potatoes, stuffing etc.) but YUMMY nonetheless.

You are all in our thoughts and prayers.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

2nd Annual Banana Bread Bake-Off

2010-12-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
This past week the staff women of B2B plus the three women who help with cooking and cleaning for the ministry, we all got together and baked, baked and baked some more. This was the second year for the Banana Bread baking but it was my first time and it was really a GREAT morning.

Here we are above after arriving at the ministry center with our aprons on and we're ready to go!!

We were each given a "station" and we all knew what had to be done.

We made 75 loaves of banana bread which we cooled, then put into colored plastic bags with a Christmas greeting stapled to each bag. Then we each were responsible to giving the loaves away to our neighbors, our guards and other Nigerian staff, to businesses we've used this past year, to Nigerian ministries we come alongside and to our pastors and other ministerial friends. We started at 9:30 a.m. and were finished delivering the bread by 5 that evening. Everyone who received a loaf were amazed and so appreciative. It is truly better "to give than to receive." We all had such a good time. It's beginning to feel more like Christmas!!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

1966 - An Important Year!

2010-12-17T01:02:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Forty-four years ago today, at 5:30 PM at Nichols-Bethel UMC, Odenton, Maryland, Henry Crist Hamilton III and Eileen Hoffman were united in Holy Matrimony. What an absolutely wonderful, FAST, blessed and joy-filled ride it has been so far. We started out just the two of us and end up with all these wonderful children, "married into the family" children and these beautiful grandchildren. We are blessed beyond measure and very excited about what the Lord has in store for us the next 30 years or so.

I love you Crist!

Happy Anniversary!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

You're Gonna Chuckle

2010-12-15T05:24:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,
Now to really see this picture above you're gonna have to squint your eyes and really concentrate. Can you see it? Do you see the two horns and the large white body? Who can guess what you're looking at? Green and yellow cars in Nigeria are like taxi cabs but much much more than that. Since most people here do not have any means of transportation, these cars are used for ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING. So, I guess it's not uncommon to see a cow sitting in the back of a taxi cab, right? Only in Nigeria!
Are you chuckling yet? We just thought you'd enjoy seeing something unusual - even for Nigeria! I wonder if the cab driver hesitated at all?

Chat with you soon!

In-joy,
Eileen and Crist

"These Are A Few of My Favorite Things" (come on hum along)

2010-12-13T03:09:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I was just looking through some of our pictures, and thought I would show you a few of our favorite things. But....you have to get into the right frame of mind. Remember that famous song from the movie, Sound of Music - "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things"? Okay, start humming that song. I actually tried to make up a poem using those lyrics, but it just wasn't flowing very good. So, your humming will just have to do.

The list could have gone on and on - but these are just A FEW of the things we love here. Of course, THE ROCKS! And little Lucky at the left and Daniel and Joe below.

Ocachee is to the right and you gotta love those lizards that are everywhere, right?

And we love the flowers that are blooming now around our compound. But we love also our children and grandchildren and each and every person here on staff. Then there are, of course, Alphonsus and Atukum and Hosea and Dan and Eveyln and little Daniel. Our list gets longer and longer. We have many "favorite things" here in Nigeria. Okay, you can finish humming now. I think "favorite things" is synomonous with things/people we are thankful for. It still doesn't "feel" like Christmas here, but our hearts are thankful!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

From the Very Beginning to the Almost End

2010-12-10T04:41:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
Some friends from Illinois felt God leading them to contribute to having a pit latrine (aka - outhouse) be built at the doctor's compound. What a blessing this will be to the patients as well as all those who live in this compound. It's very close to completion, so wanted to show you how it has looked from the very beginning.

This first picture is of Dr. Zamani on the left and his son, Moses. They are standing where the pit latrine will be constructed.

I think we have mentioned before that at the present, everyone needing to go to the bathroom has to walk (or be carried) into the bushes where they take care of business. This pit latrine will bring so much more cleanliness to the area. When we have the dedication of the latrine, we're going to have the Doctor explain the reasons why it is so important that everyone USE IT.

The familiar "way of doing things" is very strong in the village setting, so we really want this latrine to be used and for everyone to see the benefits of using it. Pray with us that this will, in fact, happen.

There will be a side for the men and a side for the women. It still needs to be painted and cleaned around the area. I know this doesn't look like much to those of you reading this, but, trust me - this is really an awesome undertaking for these people. God is so good in His provisions for these people in Jos!!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

"Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire"

2010-12-07T23:45:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Such a wonderful time of year!! How excited Crist and I are to go to under the bed and pull out the big box filled with Christmas decorations. I hope we can do this without breaking anything. We'll put some Christmas music on and "away we go!!"

First, we're gonna decorate with Christmas lights on our little porch overhang and then into our two-room apartment we'll hang more Christmas lights from the windows and around the bookcase. I'm so excited - now to have some hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies - yum!!!

Okay, that's done - so now it's time to put up the modest Christmas tree. There's not much room in here, but we can do it!! It's not the perfect Christmas tree, but it'll do. I think we'll decorate the front door next. We always do that at home in the states and it's nice to have alot of color on the door. Okay - we're standing back to see all that we did - it's BEAUTIFUL!!

Okay - so we lied!

We didn't bring any decorations with us from the states because of weight limitations and here in Nigeria anything Christmas IS VERY VERY EXPENSIVE! We didn't want to spend any money on things that we couldn't bring back with us (we're very practical - grin) so the picture up above is "Our Christmas Decoration". All of it!! But you know it's okay. Christ's birth wasn't fancy - probably even smelly. But He did have music - the heavenly angels singing!! So, this year we'll put on some music, read the Christmas Story once again and be very very thankful for all of our family and friends that we love and care about.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

P.S. Guess where we got the bow that is taped to our front door? It was from a jar of cookie mix that we bought at a craft fair at Hillcrest School. See, I told you we were practical! grin

Our First Nigerian Wedding

2010-12-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
It is seven o'clock in the evening here in Nigeria and we arrived home from our first Nigerian wedding about two hours ago. I'm going to take you through a very typical village wedding. I'm hoping just to show you exactly (as we saw it) the day, without too much editorializing. Stephen, an elder at our ECWA church was marrying Esther and the invitation said 10 o'clock. Now, in Nigeria NOTHING starts on time (they even joke about it) so we knew we shouldn't get there right at ten...but American habits die hard so the first picture is of Crist and I as we're heading out to the wedding. How about that fancy hat ladies?? We arrived at ten and the second picture shows you the empty church when we arrived. In fact, they were still hanging balloons and the band was practicing. We sat and we sat.

The band began playing at around 11:15 (very lively music and LOUD) and the church began filling up.....and filling up.....and filling up. All the children were told to go outside and probably when the wedding started at 11:30 or so (yes, 1 1/2 hours late) there were three hundred people inside the church and another hundred or so outside the church. The normal way the wedding party comes into the church is by DANCING. The groomsmen (ten or eleven) come shuffling in, followed by various family groups (you can tell because their clothing is made from the same material, but with different styles), and various church groups etc.

The picture to the right is of the groomsmen coming down the aisle. Then six little girls all dressed in pink come dancing down after them (I mean really dancing!!). Then the eleven bridesmaid and then some more family groups follow. The bride walks herself down the aisle (or should I say "dances herself down the aisle.") without accompaniment. The mothers and fathers of the bride and groom don't have a special part, so I was never sure which couples they were. There were about 7 or 8 pastors up front and for the first few minutes, it's very official - signing of documents etc. Then various church choirs sang songs, the wedding vows were said and the exchange of rings (similar to what we do in the states) and all the pastors praying. Next came a twenty minute sermon (which was very good - he spoke on "the two becoming one flesh." Then an offering was taken, another prayer and everyone began to leave the church. It's now 1:30 in the afternoon and Crist and I haven't eaten anything since 7 in the morning, plus we haven't gone to the bathroom.

Once everyone got outside, they just stood around talking and taking pictures. We probably had at least an hour wait before we rode over to the reception area (at a nearby hotel).

It is now 2:30 and people are streaming into the reception area which is held totally outside. There are tents all over (kind of in a horseshoe circle) and for the next hour there is an MC who introduces various people and dignitaries of the village. The bride and groom arrive and almost immediately the band begins playing and they have Stephen and Esther in the middle of the semi-circle and they begin to do a kind of shuffle style Nigerian dance and people begin to crowd around them throwing money at them. (not big bills - mostly ten and twenty Niara bills - which are the equivelent of 7 cents and 14 cents). About every ten minutes or so, they dance some more and more money is thrown at them. I would imagine that by the end of the day, they have acquired several hundreds of dollars. In between, Stephen and Esther cut the cake, then dance some more.

The picture right below is of Crist throwing money at Esther while she is dancing by herself and the men are supposed to throw money. I would imagine most of the people in the village are at the reception and everyone seems to be really enjoying themselves. Stephen asked me to be "The Honorary Mother" since his mom is passed away and that means at the reception I have to say some encouraging words.

This last picture is of me talking to Stephen and Esther with my "encouraging words". I very briefly gave them three gifts of "Faith, Love and Joy". I was nervous and everyone was talking so I doubt if Esther and Stephen heard a word I said, but that's okay - I said what I felt the Lord wanted me to say.

Crist and I left the reception at 4:30 (still having nothing to eat or not going to the bathroom) and arrived home at 5 o'clock. Whew! It was a LONGGGGG day....but we experienced our first wedding here. It was a very joyous occasion, lots of dancing and music - but for us "old folks", we're really tired. Well, I have chatted long enough. Hope you enjoyed the wedding!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Moving Right Along.....

2010-12-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

There's so much going on and it seems like I don't have a chance to blog about something before something new happens. So today I'll show you three things that have been happening. God is on the move here and it's so exciting to see the Spirit of God blowing into people's lives. Last Sunday we had a widow outreach at the Education Center. Any and all the widows in the village were invited to a "Forum" to just share about their greatest needs and for us to meet them and begin to know them and to build relationships with each one. Thirty-seven widows, young and old, showed up - all walking and for some it was a long walk. Two of the women were blind, but they showed up, eager to give their input to the afternoon.

I can't begin to tell you all their stories. A young widow stood up and shared about losing her husband, and struggling to raise her five children and losing one of her daughters and then having to raise her daughter's three children as well as the man "who has inherited her", raising his three children. He doesn't contribute to the household. There are no jobs - everyone just lives from day to day sharing what little they have with others in the village. There was such a sense of hopelessness. Each story was similar with regard to their great needs. Leaking roofs, lack of food, lack of education for their children and grandchildren, a sense of bleakness, no jobs - the list goes on and on. And in a very real sense, all these women are looking to B2B for something - anything. "Will anyone listen to me?" "Can anyone help me?" I had to frequently lift up a prayer to the Lord so that I wouldn't feel hopeless with their situations too. But we serve a mighty God and we KNOW He loves these women. We're hoping in January to have a clothes giveaway and each month we will try to respond in some ways. We cannot abandon these women and with God's help we will persevere with them into the future.

Today is our granddaughter, Sarah's 12th birthday and we celebrated it on Monday night. It was a fun evening eating some of Sarah's favorite foods, sharing encouraging things we like about Sarah and, of course, the opening of the birthday gifts. She liked everything! It has been such a joy for Crist and I to be able to live next door to Corrie and John, Sarah, Gus and Sami. They've always lived away from us so this is such a wonderful opportunity to get to know these grandkids better and to be able to love them "up close and personal."

The third thing that is happening which is very exciting is to see what the Lord is doing with the Tuesday afternoon Bible Study that Crist has been a part of for several months. It started out with Crist and Jason and three or four young men and gradually it went down to maybe two young men. But Emmanual (I've blogged about him before) has a heart for the men he works with at the carwash and he's been witnessing to them and over the past few weeks, more and more of them are beginning to come. On Tuesday there were 11 at the Bible Study. They just finished Romans and now will begin II Timothy, which will get them up to Christmas. Bibles have been given to the latest newcomers, but Crist is beginning to realize that there is a possibility that one or two of them might not be able to read. Crist took a picture of the young men and it's one of the first pictures in this blog. They're all eager to learn. Please pray that they will have ears to hear and hearts that are open to the Gospel message.

Tomorrow, Corrie and I will be going to OLA to visit the kids there and on Saturday morning, we're going to our first Nigerian wedding. One of the Elders at our village church we attend is getting married (after a ten-year courtship) and his mother has passed away and he asked if I would be the "Honorary Mother" at the wedding. I have to give "words of encouragement" at the reception. (Yikes! what to say, what to say!!) A neighbor made a special Nigerian hat for me to wear - I'll show pictures in the next blog. It sure is BIG, but that's what they all look like here. I bet you can't wait to see it - grin!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Project Runway

2010-11-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Over the last few weeks, I've been trying to take pictures of Nigerian women that I see so that I could show you how beautiful the Nigerian dresses are. These pictures are of all walks of life, but I must admit, there are no pictures of the wealthy women' dresses. There are some Sundays when we are driving to church and you can see EVERYONE walking to church alongside the road there are some absolutely STUNNING dresses with their head wraps. There are many dresses worn here for church in Nigeria, that our daughters would wear to their proms. Some are glitzy and shiny and some just elegant and beautiful. I'm hesitant to just "snap" a picture - but before we leave to return to the states, I'll try to get some pictures of that type of dress.

We had an outreach yesterday afternoon from 2 until 4:30 for the widows in the village. It went so well. I'll share about that in the next blog. All I know from what we can see after living here for seven months is that the Nigerian woman has a very very hard life in the village. After listening to the 37 women yesterday that came to our "forum" - my heart aches for each and every one. There is a BIG gap between the upper class and the village women - a HUGE gap.

We want to help bridge that gap. We want to be a friend and their sisters in Christ. Listening to their stories yesterday sure makes me thankful that this is not our "forever home."

I think I just digested the last of our Thanksgiving dinner a few minutes ago. grin

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Truly, It's Not Just About The Food! (grin)

2010-11-25T22:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
It's not so different the way we celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday with friends and family here in Jos, as compared to the states. You spend all day cooking, all evening eating and all night wishing you had used more restraint. grin!

Just wanted to share some pictures of the 23 of us at the ministry center's living room, where we moved all the furniture back and just set up plastic tables and chairs for everyone to sit on. We had the usual foods, except chicken instead of turkey (and it was DELICIOUS - cooked to perfection!). We formed a prayer circle before eating then had our dinner with everyone sharing what they were thankful for. Then we played a fun game for all ages (kind of like a simplified "Charades") - very non-threatening. There was lots of laughter and I think everyone had a fun evening. We had one missionary who is from Canada and he was able to laugh at himself all evening as being the "outsider".

I'm sure each of you back home had an equally good Thanksgiving. We truly do have much to be thankful for. Without having to worry about "after Thanksgiving sales", today will be a "business as usual day", but that's okay. Crist and I need to work off our food from yesterday anyway. "I'm not eating ANYTHING today!" Isn't that what we all say? Grin - (until lunch).

How can November almost be over? The other day at the little grocery store we go to alot - we did see a little Christmas tree. But it's 85 degrees now during the daytime, so it's hard to feel "Christmasy." I think I need to put some
Christmas carols on our computer one of these days very soon.

Chat with you again soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Thanksgiving Reflections

2010-11-23T00:15:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,
Well.....there we are - in living color! Grin!
I just got back from my Tuesday morning Bible Study on I Peter - so much to think about. For all of us women, it seemed that the verse that spoke to each of us the most in Chapter 3 was in verse 4: "......with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." A gentle and quiet spirit which is eternal and precious to God - what does that look like? We talked about that for a while and came to the conclusion that we thought it meant to "be content in all situations" - to have our total being so immersed in our inheritance as God's daughter (son) - that we can have that gentle and quiet spirit regardless what is going on around us, whether it be persecution, ridicule, abuse or even a different culture. I think we all needed to hear that from the Lord this morning - at least, I KNOW, I needed to hear that this morning.

We see God's purposes so clearly lately as to why we were to come to Nigeria. We love the people we work with and the people in the village and the children - so many children. But...there's no easy way around saying this - this is a totally different culture with totally different ways of doing things. In dealings with others in this culture, much of the time it can be soooo very difficult. Crist and I are finding that the Lord is dealing with our sin nature like never before, since we have been living here. Oh I can "bite my tongue" in most situations, but underneath there is anger and self-righteousness. In Verse 9 of I Peter 3 it says, ".....but giving a blessing instead (instead of an insult); for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing." This encourages me this morning, because most of the time it convicts me!! We want so much to be a blessing to others - to give a blessing! (but it can be so hard!) Please pray with us for a "gentle and quiet spirit". We are so THANKFUL TO THE LORD that He continues to refine and shape us (even in our winter years).

There are NO SIGNS of Thanksgiving here in Nigeria. Even many of the foreign missionaries are Canadians, Dutch and German. But there are a few of us Americans and we're celebrating on Thursday evening - gathering at the ministry center to celebrate our thankfulness to God. We're each bringing different food items and instead of a turkey we're having four large chickens that we'll bake. I suspect we will each think of our family members that are in the states and we will miss them all - but I know we will be sharing all the many blessings that the Lord has graced us with. Crist and I are thankful for:

A LOVING FAMILY

THE BODY OF CHRIST THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

GOD'S WORD CONTINUING TO SPEAK TO US

SALVATION/HOPE OF ETERNITY

GIGGLING TOGETHER

LIZARDS THAT ARE EVERYWHERE HERE (they really are cute!)

HOT FUDGE SUNDAES (which by the way, we haven't had in over six months - Yikes!)

WONDERFULLY COOL NIGHTS FOR SLEEPING

ALL OF YOU DEAR DEAR FRIENDS

(and last, but not least - the beautifully bump-free, paved roads in the U.S.)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EACH OF YOU!!

We'll be blogging again on Friday! Be blessed - be thankful and chat with you soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Some things To Chat About

2010-11-20T22:51:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to share with you all some of the things that have been happening around here this past week. In many respects, life here has its own routine just like in the states and much of our days are spent with this routine. The picture above is of the women I do Bible Study with on Tuesday mornings at 6:15 am (yes! you heard right - that early - grin). Our daughter, Corrie, is to the right in the orange shirt and she leads the study on I Peter. She does an awesome job and I'm learning so much as we're studying this book inductively. Having two Nigerian women in the study with us is opening up so much discussion!

This past week we also had two birthdays in the family. Sami turned nine years old and John turned 47 (oops - sorry John - I meant to say 38!) We were invited to both parties and besides not having to cook (hooray!), it's always special I think to celebrate with family. Sami got a fish tank with three gold fish and some fuzzy bear slippers. I think she was thrilled!

This other picture of a tree with orange blossoms is one of those fun things here in Africa. This tree is located on the Hillcrest School campus. During the rainy season it's just a green tree - not particularly pretty, but when the hot dry reason comes (we're in it now!!) all of a sudden all these BRIGHT ORANGE flowers appear. In another week or so it will be completely covered and look like a big orange flower. It's beautiful, especially since in the dry season everything else seems to get brown, dusty and yuckky and then to see this beautiful bright tree - it just makes you smile! I love it!!

Well, we're getting ready to go to church in the village once again so I better git going. I just wanted to share this past week with you. Be blessed and chat with you again soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

A Village Outreach

2010-11-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Crist and I have talked alot about doing a village outreach, but usually it's at the Education Center or the Viewing Center or at the Doctor's compound. I don't think we've actually shown you "the village". Well, yesterday, several of us went into Kisayhip B Village to follow-up with the widows from when we took all of their pictures a month ago. We went late afternoon, knowing that we would be leaving no later than 6 p.m. because it's very dangerous to be driving when it gets dark. We saw maybe half of the widows and we'll continue next Tuesday. We handed to each widow their individual picture that was taken. They all LOVED that. Having their picture taken is a wonderful treat and in the Nigerian culture it also is a "hand of friendship" extended.

We walked from hut to hut, calling on the widows and praying with them. We also invited them to a "Forum" that we're having at the Education Center for them on Nov. 28th. It will be a time of getting to know them better and to hear from them what some of their immediate needs might be. It was a sweet time and, of course, we had oodles of children hanging onto our arms and wanting to accompany us on our way. You can see in the pictures a little bit of what the village is like. There are chickens walking all over the place, as well as pigs and dogs. Corn is in the process of being harvested so in the various compounds you could see ears of corn drying on the ground. Some were already beginning to pound the corn (see the two boys). In a way it's like going back in time. Everything is done by hand here, so there is a real sense of how it probably was in the United States back in the 1800's.

All the children were so excited to just be with us. They fight over who's holding our hands and each wants to be the one with that honor. They have so little yet they seem quite content. In the village it is very common to see the littlest ones walking around with no clothes on or at least with no bottoms on. I'm guessing that they're being "potty trained" and it's so much easier without having any pants on to worry about.

We're excited about what the Lord is beginning to prepare for us as we reach out to the widows and orphans in the village. But more important than just meeting immediate needs, we want to establish a long-term relationship with them that will have eternal benefits. It's fun being a part of God's long-term plans.

Well, we'll chat with you again soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Random Thoughts and Sights

2010-11-15T05:36:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to share a few pictures with you of some things that have been going
on around here.

A week or so ago, Crist dropped me off at Pastor
Dauda and Ladi's home and I put them to work. I had brought from the states a book entitled "50 Things to Make with A Paper Plate." I had been noticing that the Sunday School has NO materials or anything for the kids to do except sit and listen or go outside to play. So I came equipped with pipe cleaners, crayons, paper plates, glue, stickers etc. Over the next two hours, we made "Jesus Loves Me" plates that were colorful and cute. We made 65 to make sure that every child would get one. As people dropped by to visit with Ladi, I put them to work too, so by the end of the craft session, we had 6 people helping. They're going to be handing them out this coming Sunday to the children. We prayed over the plates, so please pray with us that the children will experience God's love for them in these plates.
The next two pictures are of plumbing pipes in the apartments that are almost completed. Will and Theresa will be moving into their apartment this weekend. They are very excited. Crist and John have been working hard the past few weeks to get them finished. Crist helped John with the plumbing and electrical stuff. The electrical picture is of what our electrical stuff looks like. ("stuff" - that's the best I can do in naming things that have to do with electrical "stuff." ooops, there I go again!) For some reason, the past few weeks, we have only had electricity a couple of hours a day and usually that's at night. It had been getting better, but now we've digressed once again. I know many of you wonder how we can use our internet without electricity - here we get internet "cards" that allow us 50 hours of internet time. When our hours are up, we get a new card. It works pretty well. And we're really thankful that we're not dependent on the electric company for our time on the computer. And it's not uncommon for the washing of the clothes to be done at night! We do have a generator that we run every five or six hours for an hour or so to keep the things
in the refrigerator at least cool.

And, of course, what would a blog be without the usual picture of a man and his monkey? grin This isn't a common sight, but as we were driving into our compound, there in front of us was this man. Corrie quickly got out of the car and asked if she could "snap" his picture. He thought she was crazy, but he said she could. Just an interesting sight I thought you might enjoy.

It's hard to believe we're at the half-way point of our time here in Jos. It's been fast, it's been slow and it has certainly been a challenge, but God has been so faithful to Crist and I. We feel His leading and we feel His love - I think we'll stay to see what this next half will be like!! grin

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Living Water

2010-11-10T23:46:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,

"I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward." Mark 9:41

Back2Back works alongside a ministry called "Self-Sustaining Enterprises"; a ministry that tries to find ways that can get Nigerians involved with enterprises that will give them work and a way to produce an income for their families and SSE also drills boreholes in areas where there is no water supply or where wells no longer produce a viable water source. RCH is a childrens' home that we have had work teams help at, and (picture of the home with the red roof - see above) their water supply never lasts a full year. Now that rainy season is over, in another month or so, their well will produce only muddy water. A family from the states donated the monies needed for the borehole to be drilled and Crist was there a couple of days ago to watch this process. After tests were done, it was determined that they would need to drill about 35 meters (Crist said that is around 38 yards) down. Katerina and Israel (the Directors of RCH) and their daughter, Jireh, are very very thankful for the generosity of the donors. They are so excited to be able to drink clean, safe water from now on.

The picture below looks like the bushes have snow on them. Crist said it was all the mud that was thrown out of the drilled hole. Water is such a precious and necessary commodity and one that we very much take for granted in the United States. Most Nigerians do not have running water. Most have to lug these huge yellow plastic containers around as they either go down to the river or local waterhole or they pay for their water to be trucked to their home.

It makes me think of Christ as the Living Water. So many people are living dry, empty lives. But He came to give refreshment, new life and water that will never go stale. On a hot, dusty and dry afternoon - there's NOTHING better than a big glass of water. But in eternity, the Living Water is much much better.

Chat with you soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Jehovah Rapha - The Healer

2010-11-09T05:37:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

It had been a while since Crist and Moses (the young man to the right in the picture - the village doctor's son) have gone shopping for medical supplies. Some dear friends in Illinois provided the funds for this shopping trip and they were needed badly. A mattress was also purchased with plastic on the top which enables them to wash it down more easily when a patient leaves. They don't use bed linens so having a washable top is better for everyone. We're hoping also soon to be able to begin work on a pit latrine for the doctor's compound. I think I've shared before that all who live there use the bushes to go to the bathroom (even the patients). We're planning on having some hygiene lessons once the pit latrine is built so that the villagers will see the need for it. Sometimes "doing what you've always done" is so much easier - even though a newer and better way is right before you.

We pray that all will see Jesus in these acts of love.

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." Ephesians 3:20

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

A Picture Says A Thousand Words

2010-11-07T00:05:00.001-07:00

Hi Hi Everyone,
Well, yesterday morning we had twenty-five, 9th and 10th graders from Hillcrest come and do a service outreach at the Education Center. They were a good group - hard working (for the most part - afterall, we are talking about teenagers - grin) and very much wanting to serve. John had alot of projects for them to start and some projects to complete. Some painted the water tower; some painted the first coat of paint on the ceilings of the two rooms at the center; some dug a ditch and laid some wires and then covered up the hole. Some pulled nails from pieces of wood so the wood could be recycled; some worked in the "donation room" at the VC sorting through donations and putting some order to it all (that was my group) and some walked around picking up debris and papers etc. to make the property look clean.

How about those rocks in the above picture (have I told you before how much I love those rocks - grin) of course, the kids had to climb the rocks and see the view from up there. Each time the rocks are climbed, I say a pray that no one will fall and hurt themselves. No one did!

And, of course, anytime we do a project at the Education Center, within minutes the children begin to arrive. By the time the morning was over, I would say we had around 20 children watching and playing. And, of course, like every other time that Crist and I are doing physical labor - we went to bed early - grin!

Chat with you soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

wow

2010-11-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

One of the sweetest benefits of Crist and I being in Jos, Nigeria is being able to serve along-side our daughter, Corrie, and John and the kids. When your kids are young and you're still in the "Mommy & Daddy" stage, you discipline, guide and just love your children to the next stage of life. Well, we're into "Stage 4" now with our "kids" and all that is left to do is to just love them - which is the fun part. This past week, Corrie and the 8th grade girls at Hillcrest School had an outing to OLA to love on the babies and I went along to help and assist. Wow! It's been a long time since I've been on a bus with a group of 8th grade girls! I even turned my hearing aid lower -grin. Such enthusiasm and zest for life would have been enough to get that bus to OLA even without any fuel in the gas tank. And once we had arrived at OLA, they jumped in and just did what had to be done. It was fun to watch and see how Corrie related to the girls and to see "my own girl" be a a great role model to them. All the pictures, except the first one to the left are of our trip to OLA.

The first picture was of yesterday morning at Hillcrest School at the High School/Middle School Chapel service. Corrie was the "speaker" and she shared about B2B's vision statement which is "Care for Today and Hope for Tomorrow." A group of high school students will be doing a work project at B2B's new Education Center on Saturday morning helping with electrical work, painting and any other odd jobs that need to be done. Corrie shared at Chapel service how education is vital for the orphan and how B2B is trying to come alongside Childrens' Homes to help in this process, knowing that Christ's heart will always be for the "least of these." Corrie was joy-filled, enthusiastic, and 100% authentic and I think every high schooler's ears and eyes were attuned to what she had to say.
All this to say, as a parent watching your child grow, mature and become the person God has called them to be - it was awesome and humbling. It's okay to be a proud mamma, right?

Chat with you again soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

A Man Named Crist, and Now a Baby Named Crist

2010-11-02T05:11:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

At the Tuesday afternoon Bible study that Crist helps to facilitate, a man named Friday comes from time to time when his schedule permits. He attends the ECWA church we go to and he and his wife recently had a baby boy. The first time he came, he didn't have a Bible, so Crist purchased a Bible for him and when they see each other, they'll talk very casually to one another. Well, after Bible study a couple of Tuesdays ago, he told Crist that he and his wife were going to have their son dedicated at church on the 31st of Oct. and they wanted to name him Crist and would we come to the dedication service on that Sunday. Crist was honored and, of course, we attended church on Sunday not really knowing what would be expected of him.

The dedication was almost at the end of the service and they called Crist up and he prayed for Friday and his wife and also for their son, Crist. After the service, we took a picture of their son and another picture of their family and friends. The service lasted close to three hours and it was warm inside the church, to say the least. But it was a good morning and a great honor to have Crist's name passed to a child in the village. And, if I might add - if this baby Crist grows up to be anything like his namesake Crist - then he will be one blessed fella!!

Proverbs 22:1 - "A good name is more desirable than great riches, to be esteemed is better than silver of gold."
Chat with you soon!

In-joy,
Eileen and Crist

P.S. We were told afterwards by Corrie and John that when a baby is named after you, you are then responsible for paying for their education. Oh my! grin

P.S.S. Did you notice the picture of the baby and he is wearing a wool hat and is swaddled very very warmly with several blankets - it was in the upper 80's - amazing!

We Share The Same Moon

2010-10-30T00:47:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
A few nights ago we had a HUGE, gorgeous full moon. Because we were coming off of the rainy season, we hadn't seen a full moon in a long while. Crist and I stood outside our apartment just oohing and aahing. We took a picture - and look at what happened - it looks so small, doesn't it?But looking at the moon made me remember that animated cartoon of many years ago - An American Tale - about two mice that are separated and one night each of them look up at the sky and see the beautiful moon and even though they're apart they feel comforted by the fact that the person they love is seeing the same thing that the other is seeing. Then a really pretty song is song, Somewhere Out There. I remember some of the lyrics:
"And even though I know
How very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing
On the same bright star."
That's how we're feeling too. Most of you are in the states and we're here in Nigeria - but we do share the same big moon and the same Creator that created that moon. This gives comfort when a moment of homesickness kicks in. The next time you're enjoying a full moon - think of Crist and I and smile.
Chat with you again soon.

In-joy,
Eileen and Crist

New Birth

2010-10-27T02:32:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday morning, my daughter, Corrie and I, went to OLA to spend some time with the babies. Usually we go in the late afternoon so we can see the older kids home from school too. But, this week's afternoons are filled, so we decided to go in the morning and just have some quality time with the younger ones. It was such a good morning. We were able to change diapers and put some new clothes on little Mary that were donated by Next Chapter Church. You diehard Louisville fans will love the red sweatshirt that little Mary is wearing. We sat on the floor with some toys and just held and played with the kids. We also learned that a very young unwed girl died in childbirth a couple of weeks ago and her extended family is unable to care for baby Joseph, who survived his birth. He is in the OLA hospital where he is being cared for. We went to the room he is in and peeked into his tiny crib and he is so very little. We were told that he needs very badly to gain weight - so please pray for baby Joseph's health and well being. Also, a 4 year old little girl will be coming this week to the OLA Children's Home. Her mother is unable to care for her so she will be taken from the home and brought to OLA. We don't know her name yet - but pray for this little girl - how frightened she will be going to a strange and new place.

As Corrie and I were leaving OLA we were both fairly quiet thinking of baby Joseph and this new little girl. We were driving on the village road leaving OLA when we saw a mother sheep laying in the middle of the road and as we passed we noticed a bundle of white fur by the side of the road so we turned around and went back to where the sheep were all gathering. And there was a baby lamb, still wobbly but trying to stay upright next to its mother. He was so cute and so clean looking compared to the yellowish white color of the rest of the sheep. Another newborn starting out in this great adventure we call "life."

What a great morning to be able to experience new birth - the start of life for a lamb and the start of life for a little baby boy named Joseph. Jesus Christ is the perfect Lamb that died to take away our sins so that one day little Joseph may experience enternal life. How cool is that?! A Lamb and a baby - the salvation message for us all.

Have a blessed day!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Two Groups

2010-10-25T03:15:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This picture right below is unique in that it is a photo of the Fulani family that lives right next to the land that houses our viewing center and Education Center. This family is Muslim and they won't normally allow you to take their picture. When the Next Chapter team was here we did an outreach on the property and the Fulani children (as they always do) came a-visiting. Fulani are nomads and they do the herding of the cattle in Nigeria. This family, however, seems to be more permanent as they have lived in the same place for quite some time. They are very poor and the children are usually wearing what we would call "rags." The father/husband of this Fulani family is to the far right of the picture and he has three wives (which is normal in the villages) and about 11 or 12 children (we can never be sure). When we ate lunch that day of ministry we had leftovers so we were able to feed the children and gave some to the father also. He seemed very appreciative. We hope to soon be able to give the children some clothing also. Wouldn't it be awesome if one day soon this entire Fulani family would know of the love of Jesus in their lives? We serve an awesome God - so that's what we're praying for.

The first picture up above was taken last Tuesday after our staff meeting. Our newest staff members, Will and Theresa, are in the middle. Theresa has a blue shirt on and Will is standing behind her. They're a wonderful addition to the team. Theresa will be teaching/tutoring at the Education Center and Will is captain of one of the childrens' homes we minister to. We're so thankful for this group of people the Lord has put together for "such a time as this." But there's always room for more. grin

Two groups - both loved by God. One group trying to stay alive, living as a family in very harsh conditions - but lost. The other group hoping to bring Life as we live in community with one another in new and strange conditions. Please pray for our two "groups" as we each try to find what's really important in life - "and He left the 99 to find the one lost sheep."

".....I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly ." John 10:10

In-Joy,

Eileen and Crist

A Day of Rest

2010-10-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
I'm not sure why, but in the past I have been hesitate to blog about anything other than things we are doing ministry-wise. But that's kind of one-sided, I decided. I think we all do work pretty hard but there are some days when we just "chill." Today was one of those days, AND WE LOVED IT! Not too far from us is a hotel called LaMonde and they have a pool. For $5 each, you can swim and just hang out. They have a little eating place so you can order french fries, minerals (Diet Coke, Sprite, etc.) and a few other snacks.
Corrie called this morning and said did we want to pack a lunch and go with them and a few others to the LaMonde to swim? We said "sure" and off we went. The water was so COLD, brrrrr. But once you were in for a few minutes it began to feel good. Crist and I brought a book to read and so we spent the morning and early afternoon eating, playing in a pool and talking with each other. It was so relaxing and was good for us to get away and just do nothing. Thank You Lord for pools in Jos, Nigeria!
Chat with you soon!

In-Joy,
Eileen and Crist

I'm taking this Scripture out of context, but thought it fit for our day. "But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster." I King 5:4

Boy, Was I Ever Wrong!

2010-10-21T02:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Boy oh boy - was I ever wrong!!! I think in the last two blogs I have mentioned that the rainy season is officially over and blue skies here we come!! Not so!!! We are sitting in our apartment just giggling almost because it is pouring down rain in one of the hardest downpours we have had all season. When we woke up this morning it was sunny and so pretty. And for about two hours it was a gorgeous beginning to the day. But really quickly it started getting darker and the winds began blowing and then the heavens just opened up and it feels like gale force winds now. I've closed all the windows in our apartment because it's getting COLD - can you believe that - in Africa no less!

So, now I don't have to feel guilty anymore about the rain - I've fessed up. MAYBE the rainy season is taking a bit longer than we thought. grin

Be blessed. Chat with you soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Majesty, Worship His Majesty!

2010-10-20T07:19:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Now that the rainy season is over, everything is green and flowering and there are such beautiful flowers EVERYWHERE!

Just think, in the United States at Christmas you pay $10 for a six inch pot with a few poinsettia blooms in it. Here, they are bushes the size of trees and they are sprinkled along the landscape for everyone to enjoy - and they're free!

This is officially the "windy season" and I love it! The Nigerians feel that this is too cold for them but it's not at all cold - warm with a wonderful breeze!

Did I share with you already that all the staff women are meeting each Tuesday morning at 6:15 a.m. (yea, I know - it is early but so worth it) for a Bible Study on the Book of I Peter? Corrie is leading it and this is her passion and you can tell. I'm excited to see what the Lord will reveal to me about Himself and myself. But I do know that "His Word will not return void" so good things will come from the study.

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters." Psalm 24:2-3

Chat with you again soon.

In-Joy,

Eileen and Crist

"And It Was Good!"

2010-10-18T02:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

"And God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day." Genesis 1:31

We must admit, sometimes as I write the blogs, I am guilty of some "complaining" and showing you some of the harder parts about living in Nigeria - and we forget to show you the simple beauties and the majestic elements of this vast country. So this blog and the next will be showing you some of God's best handiworks!

I think I can safely say that the rainy season is officially over for this year, so each day is bright and sunny with blue skies and white clouds. We're thankful that it is also more windy which keeps the day feeling less hot. The night time hours get cool which is wonderful! Living in the Plateau State is such a blessing!!

See you again next time.....

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Jos, Ministry and Crawling Things

2010-10-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
We try to keep our camera handy for whatever might come across our path. And I try really hard to find things that might be of interest to all of you - but somedays it's just plain difficult to know what to write to you about that will be interesting and informative. What catches my eye, might totally be "duh" to you - but here goes anyway!

While visiting OLA one afternoon, a group of young people from a Jos Catholic school came to visit OLA also and they had a group dressed in dance costumes and they performed some Nigerian dances which was alot of fun. Then the children/teens sang a lovely song by Whitney Houston about "Let the Children" and then they presented the Children's Home with HUGE yams from their garden, toiletry items, some used clothing and big bags of rice and other food items. The leader of the group talked for about ten minutes (kind of like a sermon) and what he had to say was very insightful and heartfelt. The first picture is of their dancers. The next picture is of a Nigerian beetle - nothing earth shattering about this little fellow - just thought you might like to see him.

And, of course, you need the monthly update of how the Education Center is coming along - and it's really coming along. The roof should be on probably next week. Now that Will and Theresa are here (Theresa will be the teacher/tutor here when the Ed. Center is completed) we're really excited to have this building finished and complete so that some village children can begin
some schooling.

You've heard us talk about achabas alot, so thought I would show an "action" picture of some of them. Since there are no road rules here, these small motorcycles seem to "take over" the roads because there are soooooo many of them. They swerve in and out and you really have to be careful when you're driving, because if you hit one (even if it's not your fault) you'll have to end up paying for any repairs and hospital costs involved (because we're batures - Americans).

The progress on the apartments for the staff at the ministry center is coming along well too.

Painting has been completed on the outside (a golden squash color) - thought in this picture it looks almost pinkish orange (it's not) and they're beginning to paint on the inside. Then they will lay a 4 inch thick layer of concrete throughout the entire floor and that will be buffed so it will be kind of shiny looking. All the sand you see in the picture to the right will be for the flooring. John is still hoping that the couples will be in their apartments by the middle of November.

Crist and I leave in a few minutes to head to the village and visit with the doctor and his patients as well as Pastor Dauda and Simon from the Catholic church. We're forming some good friendships with these individuals and we try each week to pay a visit. Pastor Dauda's wife, Ladi, is still on crutches from her achaba accident of three months ago. The wound on the bottom of her foot is healing and we figure by the end of the month she might be able to walk upright without crutches. But she always has a HUGE smile when you're around her.

Hope you are all doing well. The days here are getting warmer, dryer and clearer - most days are really lovely.

Chat with you soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

A Great Week!

2010-10-12T04:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
I can't help it - I have to show you these rocks - cute picture, huh?
Last week a group from the Next Chapter Church were here and this blog shows just a little bit of what happened while they were here. They were a GREAT TEAM, worked hard and were a lot of fun.
Some of the things that they did was work at the Education Center doing digging, painting and playing with the kids. At the RCH they did some electrical work on this childrens' home that is in the process of being built. At OLA we had a party with the kids and played with them one afternoon.

Another afternoon we went to the village and had an outreach for the widows from the two churches (our ECWA church and the Catholic Church). Twenty-Nine widows arrived (with a whole village of children) and they each had their picture taken, had individual prayer with someone from the staff or the team and they received a bag with food items in it. While ministry was being done inside the church with the widows, ministry was also taking place outside the church with the children that had shown up.

One of the day's lunches was Suya (picture to the right) which is a shish-ka-bob stick with pieces of beef on it that have been seasoned and fried over a fire. Served with that are raw onions, "chips" - deep fried potatoe wedges (Crist's personal favorite - of course - you know how he loves his potatoes), and "puff puffs", which are donut holes without icing or sugar coating. They're slightly sweet and I really like them. This is a favorite Nigerian meal - but pretty much for those not in the village - meat is very expensive here - so not many Nigerians eat it.

Remember when in the U.S. they used to try to see how many people they could get in a VW Beetle? Well, in Nigeria it's "how many people can you get on one achoba? It's not at all uncommon to see people riding on these small motorcycles carrying goats, mattresses, sofas, panes of glass and many many children. Amazing!

There were times for personal devotions on the boulders (another "rock" picture - yea!!!), times of souvenir shopping, lots of ministry, good food and an occasional good night's sleep. It was a GREAT WEEK and we give God all the glory, honor and praise!!

Chat with you soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

The Body of Christ - His Church - Next Chapter Group

2010-10-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Crist and I took the team to Abuja on Friday afternoon for them to get their plane for the U.S. What a great week it had been with this group of believers from Next Chapter Church in Covington, Kentucky. They worked hard, served humbly, loved the children greatly and became as brothers and sisters to all on the B2B staff. We will miss them.
The picture up above is of the team taken when we did an outreach to the widows at the village. What a great day that was, taking the picture of each widow, getting prayer requests from each and having prayer stations where we prayed for their needs. Then we had a plastic bag filled with rice, sugar, Maggi cubes (bouillon cubes), raman noodles and oil that was given to each widow. We're trying to establish relationships with the widows so we can better address their needs and the needs of their families. Many of their prayer requests were dire - food to live on, HIV challenges, salvation for their families and many many requests for healing of the physical ailments they are living with. And, of course, whenever any group goes into the village, the children follow and within minutes there were twenty to thirty children wanting love and attention (which they received).

There were several opportunities for the team to experience the "Rocks" - for doing their devotions on as well as for climbing. Everyone feels drawn by these boulders.

Work projects were done at the Education Center and some of it was sticky and smelly (see last picture below). But all the work was "done as unto the Lord" so there was much laughter and joy as everyone worked together. As soon as we get more pictures downloaded, we'll be doing one more blog on some of the things this team experienced.

Hopefully, you'll get a more complete picture of what this ministry is about and maybe it will even encourage you to think about coming here for yourself.
The man to the far left in this picture and the man in the far right in this picture are the two pastors at Next Chapter Church, Rob and Aaron. Well, that's all for now but stay tuned for lots of pictures on the next blog. A joyous Sunday to each of you!!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

First and Second Day with the Team

2010-10-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Well, our team from Kentucky arrived this past weekend and we've been busy doing ministry with OLA and work projects at the Education Center (see the picture above for the progress on the building so far). I thought you'd enjoy another picture of "my" (grin) rocks that the team is climbing on. Everyone is beginning to see how special they are. Let me tell you a little about this team. There are six men and four women and they are really remarkable; humble, hard working and just a lot of fun to be around. Their love for the children has been immediate and heartfelt and every chance they can get, they're playing with the children.

Sunday was an extremely busy day, as we first went to worship at our village church. Watching the team's response to the joyous way the Nigerians worship, was such fun to watch and was such a big encouragement. From church, we went out to eat at Elysar (one of the three restaurants that we feel comfortable bringing teams to eat). Elysar is owned by Lebanese but they serve Chinese food - so we had several dishes served to the table and everyone could sample the different foods. Yummy! From eating we went directly to OLA where we had planned an afternoon of playing with the children and doing a craft with them. The very first picture up above is part of the team holding the babies and just being a part of the activities planned. It was noisy and crazy but hopefully fun too. Hope, the little girl in pink in the below picture, is one of the children at OLA and the other two girls were children of one of the caregivers. The team had brought some "butterfly wings" for the girls and they LOVED THEM!

Chad, a team member, spent alot of his time praying for and holding Claire from OLA. Claire, we think was born with Cerebral Palsy and her body is usually in a fetal position and we're pretty sure she can't see but Chad is convinced that she can hear (we thought perhaps she couldn't hear also). He massaged her legs and hands and by the time we had to leave, her body had begun to relax some and she was able to stretch out her legs. It was a beautiful sight to see the two of them. It was hard for the group to leave at 5:30 but it had been a long and full day and it was time to return to the Ministry Center. Crist and I were privileged to have been the staff with the team throughout the entire day.

Yesterday was another exciting day and I'll save pictures of that for our next blog. Suffice it to say that all of us are being stretched and molded this week and it's a wonderful thing to happen! Chat with you soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

"Rejoice in the Lord, Again I Say Rejoice!"

2010-10-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

"And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my Spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour."

Luke 1:46-47

I'm having trouble with the blog for some reason today - sorry - I can't seem to get the writing above the pictures. Oh well. Today is my wonderful husband's 64th birthday and the pictures above are part of his celebration. There is much to rejoice over as God shows up and things are accomplished that only He can do. We are so thankful to be His heirs!!!

Our daughter, Corrie, and family invited us over last night for delicious French Onion soup as we celebrated Crist's birthday. The grandkids each made their own birthday card to give to him (they were delightful and showed off each one of their personalities so well) and then we put the wrapping paper on Crist's head (doesn't everyone do that? - grin) and took our picture with him holding the very much coveted gift of dark chocolate chocolate chips. For those who know me well - notice the Mickey Mouse plastic glass in the picture. Crist's parents visited Disney World 35 years ago and brought that back as a gift for me and I still have it and brought it to Nigeria with me. It's MY drinking glass and I love it!!

The next picture is of a catfish. Our Nigerian neighbor, Bayo, (and landlord) from next door brought this live catfish (in a bucket with about four or five inches of water in it) as a birthday gift for Crist and he left it outside our apartment. When we arrived home about an hour or so later (from meeting our new team that just arrived) we saw the fish lying outside the bucket about 10 feet away. Poor thing! We gave the fish to our guards and they will skin, fillet and cook the catfish the proper Nigerian way and Crist hopes to sample some cooked catfish later on this evening. Giving a catfish for a birthday or for a special occasion is very customary here!!

These last two pictures show how much progress has been made on the two apartments being built on the ministry center property. The one shown will be the apartment of the B2B Director and his wife and daughter. It will have two bedrooms. The inside room will be their living area and kitchen area (it will be kind of open). John is hoping it will be completed by the end of the month. I know Jason and Emilee and Will and Theresa are eager to get settled into their new homes as soon as possible - a reason to rejoice!

And a BIG rejoicing moment happened last Saturday as Crist and I sat with Alphonsus (our B2B driver and friend) and his wife Esther in a noisy restaurant and shared the Gospel message with Esther. Alphonsus is a believer but his wife was not and we have been sharing some Christian discipleship materials with the two of them and they have been reading them together. The Holy Spirit then began to really "woo" Esther and she was soooo ready to commit her life to the Lord. I was able to lead her in the sinner's prayer and she would repeat after me what I said. It was a moving experience for us all and Alphonsus's smile is as big as the sun these days. He is so excited at what the Lord is doing. Now in the evenings, the two of them are reading their Bibles together. Pretty cool, huh?

We hope and pray each of you will see something in your life that you can praise the Lord for and rejoice!!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Potpouri (Did I spell that right?)

2010-09-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
It's time once again for "a little bit of this and a little bit of that." It's always fun to see random pictures that were taken with no real purpose in mind but to just let you see a bit more about our life here in Jos.
The picture to the left is of our B2B property where we hope to one day soon begin building a dormitory and meeting/eating facility, as well as staff housing, so we can all be together in one location. This property was donated by a Christian Nigerian who now lives in the United States.

The next two pictures are of MOLD/fungus that is EVERYWHERE during the raining season. The shoes belong to Crist and they were BROWN Hushpuppies shoes (once the color of the shoelaces). The shoes were stored on the floor underneath where we hang our clothes. We've had mold on most leather items - but you can pretty much just wipe it clean and you're good to go - but these shoes - ugh! I'm sorry - they got pitched! Crist said they were really comfortable shoes too. grin The green fungus in the other picture is on all the outside walls and even on some of the inside walls (only the color is different inside). Once the dry season begins, it will dry up and turn black. If we scrape it too closely to remove it, then you lose all your paint.

I thought you were due an update on how the Education Center was coming along. It's looking more and more like a building and the work team coming this weekend will be working on it next week. Theresa is very excited to begin teaching/tutoring the children there upon its completion.

Will and Theresa just arrived from the U.S. two weeks ago and they're full time staff now with B2B. Theresa is a teacher and Will will be working in the village and captaining one of the children's homes. Having two more enthusiastic hands and hearts working here is such an encouragement.

So, this last picture is of Will and Theresa having dinner with us last night. We played cards afterwards which was fun.

Just for your information, Crist's 64th birthday is this coming Saturday (Happy Birthday Randy Thornton too - they share the same birthday!).

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

"And On the Seventh Day He Rested"

2010-09-24T01:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

When a work team comes, there is alot of ministry and physical work that gets done, but interspersed with the week are a few "fun" activities. We try to have a "Celebration Night" toward the end of the week and have Nigerian dancers with Nigerian music. It's extra special when it can be outdoors, but this night we had to have it inside (so don't be distracted by the rugs and furniture). I love African music with the bongo drums and fast tempo and the

dancers were energetic, alot of fun and very expressive. They had to be good in gymnastics to do what they were doing. John and his brother, Todd, tried to duplicate - but it just wasn't the same (grin). The staff each brought a different pot of soup to the celebration and it was just a really fun and special evening.

The team also had a chance to go on a "safari". Crist went, but I opted to stay behind. Crist said they SAW lions prints - but no lions or elephants. But there were alot of hippos, warthogs, deer, baboons (that walk right up to you wanting food), birds, rhinos. They rode, while on the safari, in an open jeep kind of vehicle. There was lots of picture taking and a tired group as they returned back that evening.

Many shared when they returned how beautiful the scenery was on the way North. Crist said it reminded him alot of the Kentucky landscape he had when he grew up. And the sun was shining all day - a "must" for a safari!!

Well, we'll be back in a couple of days, sharing our story/our adventure of our time here in Nigeria.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

More Team Adventures!

2010-09-22T00:16:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This is the second of three blogs on some of things our last work team did while they were here. There is never an ending to the work that can be done, so the leadership pick ministry work sites where the need is more immediate and where a team can best serve together.

Did you see Crist up on that ladder at RCH? The men were mostly up in the attic area stringing electrical wires that some of us women (see picture above) were putting together according to length. That's Jason the Director of B2B Nigeria helping us out. We were only there for two or three hours but we felt alot was accomplished. RCH was established by the Nigerian man, Israel and his German wife, Katerina (remember me telling you before a little about them?). They are working totally on faith for God's provision in every step of the construction process of their Children's Home. We're glad God is able to use B2B in helping them.

As we were working outside with the wires, I went inside to get a tool and look and see what I encountered. A goat!!! How many American work sites do you know of that goats wander in and out and their leisure? You never know what to expect here in Nigeria.

One morning while the team was here - we, of course, took everyone to "the rocks" so they could climb and just enjoy the view from the top. Yep! You guessed it - I stayed behind to pray and watch - grin. As I was sitting there, little Mary came with her baby brother on her back and she was heading for the rocks to climb with the others. I called out to her and asked her to come stay with me. Her little brother was very loosely wrapped on her back and she had flip flops on her feet and it just didn't look like a healthy situation to me. So she stayed with me and I took some pictures of her and her friend. Children LOVE to have their pictures taken, don't they? Corrie informed me afterwards that Mary and her little brother have climbed the rocks many times before - yikes!

It's been nice this week to kind of "catch up" once again and stock up on groceries, do some computer work etc. This afternoon I'll be going with Corrie to go to OLA and love on those babies and children there. There's nice rythem to the days as we prepare for the next team to come next week.

Proverbs 10:4 says, "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth." I guess we're wealthy people - yahoo!!!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Some Things Accomplished With the Team

2010-09-20T01:19:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up." Eccle. 4:9-10

All last week we had a work team from the states for 7 days and we all were busy doing ministry here and there. These next two or three blogs will show some of the things that were accomplished when they were here. One of the things we did was we all went to the village doctor "bearing gifts" and prayed for each of the patients. There were nine patients and we brought each patient a live chicken, some oil and a bag of rice. Each patient's family usually stays with him/her and does their cooking etc., and usually finances are very low for the village patients, so even this small gift of food was greatly appreciated and received. The picture above right is of a man with a broken leg and that is his wife. They never had their picture taken before, so Crist is going to get a 3x5 picture for each of the patients of the pictures that were taken.
The two men in the picture (above left) are a father and son. The father two days before had been admitted because of an achoba accident and he had a broken leg and the next day his almost adult son was coming to visit his father, when the achoba he was on also had an accident and he broke his leg so he was admitted into the same room with his dad. I wish the wife/mother was in the picture. This family was Christian and she was just praising the Lord that her husband and son were both going to be okay. I went to give this woman a big hug and she just clung to me and the two of us just stood there hugging, feeling God's presence in a mighty way. It was a special moment for me.

The team broke into groups of two and went into the rooms, giving the gift of food and then praying for each patient. Within a minute or so of our arrival at the compound, probably twenty or so children of all ages were there - so we took pictures with the children and played with them for a while before leaving. The man to the left has been there for almost a month and two or so weeks ago, he asked Crist if there was any way we could get him reading glasses. He loves to read his Bible and other books, but his eyesight was poor. I remembered that I had brought with me a pair of reading glasses from Wal-Mart with a fairly strong lens and I wasn't using them so we brought them a week or so ago for him. When we arrived last week, he had the glasses on and he was reading and he had the biggest smile on his face. How gracious of the Lord to remind us of those glasses. It was a wonderful afternoon and I think the entire team was blessed by their time with the patients. For some, it was out of their comfort zone, to be sure - but the joy they received will only strengthen their walks of faith.

One other day, we went to Gidan Bege, which is a ministry that helps widows by teaching them to sew. People can go there and pick out fabric and have a garment made or buy items that are already made (pot holders, purses, table runners, etc.). Several in the team were measured and had outfits made which were picked up four days later. We like to support this ministry and be an encouragement to the women. The very first picture up above shows four women, but in fact, there are probably 20 sewing machines and women working there each day. It's a fun place to visit as the women are talking and laughing together as they work.

Next time I'll share some more of what we did last week.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

A Busy Week

2010-09-17T02:00:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Well, last Friday a work team of five people arrived and everyone hit the road running. From sun-up to sun-down, we kept them and ourselves busy. Over the next few blogs, we'll show you some of the projects we were apart of. To the right is the Executive Director of B2B (John's identical twin brother, Todd) and it was fun to see people's reactions seeing the two brothers together.

One day we went to the OCC (Oasis Community Center) where an Education Center is in the process of being built. And I'll have you know that yes - one of those people in the picture aboved is ME (Eileen) laying plastic water pipes from the water tower near the Ed. Center to the water tower downhill where the block makers are making blocks. This particular day it was sunny and warm, so I worked up a nice sweat.

The picture to the left, is the roof going on to the duplex at the ministry center. Today Crist, will be going with the driver to take the team back to Abuja so they can catch their flights tonight, and planned perfectly, will be Will and Theresa who arrive from the U.S. They are the newest full-time staff for our team here in Nigeria and they will be living in one of the apartments being built (the apt. to the right).

These last two pictures show what happens to you as a work team member (only kidding). That's Andy's (a workteam member)backside sticking out of the water tower before it was put into position. He actually was doing some crucial work inside the cylinder but it sure makes for a good picture, huh? And here's the water tower in its completion. Another step finished toward seeing the Education Center up and ready.

We have a two week break and then on Oct. 1st another work team of ten members will be arriving. Whew! Crist and I are feeling our age. grin.

Chat with you soon!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

The Eyes Tell It All!

2010-09-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
We have a team this week, so this is the perfect time (since I don't have alot of time to write much on this blog) to introduce you to the little and "big" kids at OLA. Each one is precious to God and precious to B2B and precious to me!
You've met Abigail before - she's 38, spends most of her life in a wheelchair and has been at OLA since she was ten years old - everyone knows this lady and loves her!

The young lady below is Esther and we think she's around 18 and just graduated from one level and will be we think in the 9th grade this year. She has sickle cell anemia so has missed alot of school in the past so that is why she is in a lesser grade. Next is Okechee. He's about four months old and is the sweetest baby - always smiling and gurgling. Claire is next. Her picture is below Okechee's to the right. I feel sad when I share about Claire. She is deaf and blind but when someone holds her for a while, she will stop making noises and her body begins to relax. Most of the time she is in a fetal position and her body is very rigid. I'm so thankful she is in the palms of the Savior's hands. I pray she can feel His love and ours.

Then comes this handsome fellow, Daniel. He is such a wonderful help to the caregivers at OLA. He is always getting clean clothes or a toy or whatever is asked of him for the younger kids. And boy oh boy does he ever have an impish smile. I love it!

Joe is to the left and he and Daniel are buddies. I always wonder why someone doesn't come and adopt them. They're great little boys!

Probably the child that most captures my heart is Little Mary (since there are two Mary's - we call one "Big" Mary (she is the larger of the two babies) and "Little" Mary. She and Big Mary are about the same age but this one is very petite and more developmentally behind. But she is the sweetest little girl.

Kenny is the little guy below. He is about 2 1/2 and has one leg that is not fully developed so he has to crawl everywhere. He's a cutie but really likes to have his own way and when he doesn't get it - man oh man - can he ever through a temper tantrum!

And, last but not least, is "Big" Mary. She just started walking (we think she's about 14 months old) and a few months ago she was afraid of all of us, but now she's used to us and is sooo animated! We just heard that she might be the next to be adopted. That's so exciting.

There's one more baby, Lucky. I had him on the blog, but by mistake, erased him (sorry Lucky) and can't put him back in so I'll just describe him. Lucky is two months old and is the newest baby to be left at the OLA hospital. He's still at the sleeping most of the time stage - but he's as beautiful as all the others.

"The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it is bad, your whole body is also full of darkness." Luke 11:34

These eyes above are eyes of good. Thank you Lord for each child!

In-Joy,

Eileen and Crist

Expanding our Territory

2010-09-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Last week, Crist and I went with Jason (B2B Nigeria Director) and John to see the Rukuba Children's Home that is in the process of being constructed. This is such a wonderful story of a Nigerian man, Israel, married to a German woman (they have a little girl) who have a dream from the Lord of establishing a childrens' home very near to the village we minister at. Through funds and grants they have begun their building (picture above). We will be bringing our work team (they come on Thursday) there next week and we will be doing electrical work and clean-up work. Israel is the man standing in the picture above between Jason and John. The below/left picture is of the future living area of the building above. There will be childrens' bedrooms off to the left and right of this room. The work team will help clear this room of all the bricks, wood, nails etc. that are laying around.

The little huts to the right are two "guest" rooms (no windows) where family and friends who visit can stay. They really are very comfortable looking when you go inside.

This little hut shown below is the cooking hut that Israel and his wife, Katerina, use for their personal cooking. They live hundred yards from the building site in a modest home they have built. They help with the schooling for about eight children in the surrounding area. They don't know yet who the children will be that will come to their Childrens' Home, but they know God will bring them if they are faithful to complete what He has put on their heart to this point.

We're excited about this new partnership; new opportunities to serve and to be a help to another ministry - to go "back2back" with them to what God has laid on their hearts.

"For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: the righteous will live by faith."" Romans 1:17

"Be Prepared In Season and Out of Season....."

2010-09-03T04:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Next week, our first work team (since we've been here) will be arriving. It is a team of five people and we as the B2B staff need to be prepared to not only lead them in work projects but to be prepared for any emergencies that might arise.

So, on Tuesday morning, all of us met at the Ministry Center and took some first aid training. That's our daughter, Corrie, and her husband, John to the left, doing the Heimlich Maneuver. We also learned your basic CPR and practiced on our very willing pillows. Not one pillow died!

A couple of weeks ago, everyone on the team was given their "assignments" in preparation for the team's arrival and one thing that Crist and I had to do was to prepare six First Aid Kits. The kit that goes out with the team each day is the large container in the picture. It actually has a defibilator (not sure I spelled that right) in it. There are no ambulances and no 911 to call here so we need to be ready for anything that might happen. I'm just thankful that God oversees it all - He's our biggest source of preparedness! I know we're all excited about next week and I think we're ready.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Abiding.....

2010-09-01T23:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Yes, being on staff with B2B means we do ministry (but you do too, right?), and we come alongside our new Nigerian friends and help where the Lord directs (but you do too, with your friends, right?) - I guess the big difference between you and us is that we're living in Africa. In between our ministry times, we lead ordinary lives, doing ordinary, everyday things (just in a different way - grin).
The picture above is the bakery that we like to go to. There are MANY bakeries here in Jos. This is where you buy your bread and rolls. We were told, this is Nigeria's "fast food". At the bakery, you can buy an already prepared sandwich (something with onions, some minced beef and spices). This particular bakery, The Ostrich Bakery, is on our way home from church and we usually stop in and get the BEST rolls. There are five to a package and we'll rush home and have an egg salad sandwich on these fresh, yeasty rolls - wonderful (it satisfies us mentally - you know what I mean?). This bakery is also owned by a Chinese family - go figure.

The picture of the Mini-Mart below is one of the three or four grocery stores we shop at. It is actually called Mini-Tamerash. The big Tamerash is in downtown Jos. They are both owned by a Christian Lebanese family. There are MANY wealthy Lebanese in Jos and they own alot of the restaurants and stable businesses. At Mini-Tamerash, there are only a few of each item, but surprisingly, alot of what we need each week, we can get there and we don't have to fight (I mean that almost literally) all the traffic of downtown Jos.

Now, the picture of the cows is ON THE LITTLE ROAD WE LIVE ON! We were coming home after shopping and we literally had to stop the car because there were close to 100 cows walking briskly down our street. When was the last time you saw this on your street - grin? And then at the end of the line, were two young Falani boys with sticks urging the cows on. Amazing.

I think I did this blog to show you that we do ordinary things, like you and no matter where you live, God still wants the same from both of us - to abide in Him. John 15:4 says, "Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me." In ministry, in ordinary life situations, whether in the U.S. or in Nigeria - we are still to "Abide in Him." He will be our Peace, our Joy, our Comfort, and our Strength. Be blessed today in whatever you are doing and we pray that you will "abide in Him."

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Let Us Introduce You To..........

2010-08-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
These pictures were taken this past week of people that are in our lives and who are impacting what we do here and impacting who we are.
Let me introduce you first to Alphonsus - the man above. I wish he had smiled because he has a wonderful smile. He is the B2B driver and each morning John will give him a list of things to do, errands to run, people to transport, etc. He KNOWS this city like the back of his hand and I always feel safer when Alphonsus is driving. Crist is discipling Alphonsus on Thursday mornings and he is growing in his faith and in his understanding of the Bible which is exciting to watch.

Friday was Abigails 38th birthday party. I think I told you previously that she was going to be 41 - I was wrong - she was 38. OLA had a wonderful birthday party for her and several new and old friends showed up to help celebrate with her. She's been at OLA since she was ten and her wonderful spirit, even while in a wheelchair, has been an encouragement to all who meet her.

Danial is in this next picture. He is on staff with B2B and he is the husband of Evelyn and the father of little Daniel who is five months old. Last week the entire staff met at a nearby retreat center and had a day of planning, sharing and fellowship (and, of course, some eating - grin!). That's where this picture was taken. Daniel's participation on staff is crucial as he is from the Rububa Tribe and speaks their language and that is the tribe of the village we minister to. Daniel is a web designer also who has a passion for the Lord and a wonderful sense of humor.
This last picture is of "Big Momma". She is one of the caregivers at OLA with a heart as big as her name. This little girl she is with used to be an orphan at OLA a couple of years ago. Her parents are dead but her grandfather was living and two years ago, he came and claimed her and took her home with him. But recently, from a routine "check" that OLA does from time to time to see how the children are doing when they leave - they found out that this little girl (I'm sorry, I can't remember her name - I only met her for an instance) was being mistreated - so now she is living with Big Momma. And all she did was smile, smile, smile.

Four lives touched by the Master's Hands. Four stories of hope and friendship. Isn't God Good!!

Chat with you soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Keep His Song In Your Heart Even When You Feel Like Crying

2010-08-27T05:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

It sounds like a country western title of a song, doesn't it - that title up above? Early this week several of us went to OLA to figure out some work projects we can do when our work team comes in a week and a half. And just seeing once again how sad things look sometimes can get you down. But there's a gorgeous, brilliant (almost glowing) red bird that is plentiful here in Jos and on the OCC property, there are many of them. I zoomed in with my camera and on this particular tree, that didn't have any leaves, I saw this red bird and he was so easy to spot in the starkness of the barren tree. And he was singing his little heart out.

I think that's a lesson for Crist and I while here in Nigeria. There's alot of "barrenness" here, but God wants us to keep singing for Him even in the midst of stuff that looks sad to us. The second picture up above is of Joseph, who is 10 or 11 years old and he and Daniel, another 10 year old at OLA help SO MUCH with the taking care of the babies. Joseph is standing in the baby room holding Okeechum (spelled phonetically) who just woke up from his nap. These last two pictures are of 1) the bathroom where the children are given their baths. The only problem with this picture is that the water doesn't run from the faucets any longer so the tub is useless except when the older kids stand in it and pour from a bucket rinse water over them as they wash. The toilet isn't working either. The babies are washed on the white sink area in the picture. The blue tub is filled with VERY HOT water and there's another bucket with COLD water and we blend them together as we wash the babies.

The last picture is of 4 year old Hope in the washing machine room. This room, hopefully, will be the target of a good cleaning out and throwing away of junk, new paint on the walls and the washing machine hooked up and ready for use - a work project for the team coming. There are ALWAYS things to be done to improve things at OLA - and with "His song in our hearts", like the redbird in the tree, it will happen.

In-Joy,

Eileen and Crist

P.S. Today is Abigail's 41st birthday (she's the lady at OLA in the wheelchair I've shown pictures of before). We're going to her birthday party this afternoon - I'll take pictures - will blog on it soon.

"Take Up Your Mat and Go"

2010-08-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Last Thursday, Crist and I went with Moses (Dr. Zamani's son) to do medical supply shopping. They needed some new sleeping mats (there are bedframes for the mattresses to go on but most of the patients prefer to sleep on the mattress on the ground because that's what they're used to at their village home). Moses also got some crutches and within five minutes of returning from the shopping trip - Harry (the picture to the left) was given the new crutches. He was very excited because up to this point, family members were having to carry him wherever he needed to go. Now he can get around on his own and he is!!!

On the way to the stores to get the medical supplies we asked Moses questions about his dad and how he got started. He said 22 years ago, his dad (the father of 12 children) and mother took Moses' oldest brother to the hospital in Jos for a broken arm. After a long while his arm wasn't getting any better so they took him home back to the village. In visions and dreams, the Lord began to speak to his dad and told him what herbs to pick and how to make a poultice and pretty much what he was to do to help Moses' brother. And his brother's arm began to heal and soon others heard of how his dad had helped his brother so people from the village brought their family members for help and healing.

Dr. Zamani continues to pray for each patient and the Lord continues to speak to him in dreams and visions. He has Bible college classes but no formal medical training - but HE HAS THE LORD!!! He serves humbly in this small community. We asked Moses how people paid his dad and he said sometimes they pay with Naira (money), sometimes with chickens and sometimes they do labor around the place once they are better. We love ministering here.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Building Update As Promised

2010-08-22T21:40:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

As promised, here are the pictures of what is going on at the Education Center site. But, of course, FIRST - I have to show you another picture of our wonderful "rocks". Have I told you before how much I love these rocks? grin I never get tired of looking at them. They just calm me somehow. You're just gonna have to come see for yourself!!

The picture to your left is an arial view of the new water tower that is being constructed. Here in Nigeria, you have to have a high water tower so that gravity will force the water down into your home or building. That black cylinder thing on the ground next to the tower will be lifted on top of the tower and water pumped into it. The property has a borehole on it and this is where the water will come from. Boreholes cost $6000 each and few Nigerians have one but with a borehole you get clean water because your water source is deeper in the ground.

The next picture is another arial view of the Viewing Center (white building on the right) and what has been done already to the Education Center. It will be a two room building with a boys and girls bathroom (approximately 1500 square feet). It was to be three rooms, but the costs have necessitated it be smaler.

And to keep the costs as low as possible, we're making our own blocks. Last fall, a work team of men came and they erected block making equipment (pictures below). We've trained and hired some men from the village to make the blocks and the equipment is just 50 yards from the Education Center, so we're not having to transport blocks (which can be costly).

The Viewing Center (we've changed name to Oasis Community Center) (will refer in future to OCC) is next to the village, and unfortunately is 35 minutes from where we live. So the more we become involved with the work of the village, the more trips that we make. But, I guess that's not much different from anyone who has to commute a distance to get to work, right?

Please keep this project in your prayers. God bless each of you. Have a great day in the Lord!!! Chat again with you soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

"He Makes All Things New!"

2010-08-20T00:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Crist says that I try to "explain too much." I can't help it - I think it's a "woman thing." I just don't want you to look at our pictures and think, "Oh, that's nice." I want you to know the story behind the picture - to begin to understand this ministry and what we're doing here. So....here goes - more explanations.
A week ago, we had a ground-breaking ceremony at the B2B property site (where the viewing center is and my WONDERFUL ROCKS are and now where an Education Center is being constructed. At the groundbreaking ceremony is the "Chairman" of the village. In the top picture, he's the man in the brown shirt with the beige circles on it. He brought along a few of his children (he has three wives) plus there were Felani children and village children there too. John gave a short devotion (picture right below) and then there's a picture with Crist, John, Jason, Daniel (with B2B) and Sunday (striped shirt) who is a Christian Nigerian contractor that John has hired to help with the building projects going on. It's different building here in Nigeria and Sunday knows where to find the best laborers and what businesses to do business with. He has been a great help to John.

In three weeks, Will and Theresa Reed, will be joining us here in Nigeria and they will become full-time B2B staff. Theresa's heart will be to tutor the village children at the Education Center. Village children get a very sub-standard education because the school is closed so much of the time. Theresa's efforts will bring hope once again to these little ones. Will wants to get involved with the village and will be building relationships and outreaches. My next blog will show how much progress has been made since these pictures were taken. The building site is already beginning to take shape - it's all very exciting to see God at work in this part of the world. How blessed to be a part of His work!!
Chat with you soon!
In-joy,
Eileen and Crist

Some More Of "This and That"

2010-08-16T00:04:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

It seems like we spend alot of time on the road getting to the village, or the Viewing Center or to do shopping, or go to OLA or the Doctor's compound. We're not always doing "ministry", alot is just "doing life" so we keep our camera handy so we can just show you how living here in Jos, Nigeria is for us. Here are a few pictures to just capture what we see around us.

One of the main routes we take each day takes us by the top picture. It's just a view of the rooftops as far as you can see. There are some muddy roads that wind through the area getting people to their homes and somewhere in there (but you can't see it) is a muddy river that is a source for alot of car washings, baths and maybe even drinking water for some.

The picture to the right is a cooking hut by the Doctor's compound. Most Nigerian cooking is done outside under some sort of palapa and, as you can see, this is also the "drying station". This is common is Nigeria. Since electricity is scarce and inconsistent, dryers are useless so any big rock or tree becomes the "dryer". Hey - it works!

This picture below makes me smile. Last week, Dorcas and I went walking and we just walked down the street into another "development" - more country with more bushes and grasses. As
we were walking along, there by the side of the road were wild marigold plants - several here and there, just sticking out of the muddy ravine near the road. Dorcas is always looking for flowers and plants for their compound, so she went over and began pulling the marigolds from the side of the road (roots and all). I began to help her and we each left with two or three good sized plants, carrying them in our hands as we walked along. When I got home a few minutes later, Atukum (one of our guards), came quickly and dug two holes in front of Corrie and John's house, and we planted them. Within a matter of minutes almost the plants were standing straight and tall and two days later we had buds and then they bloomed. I grin because this isn't the way we do it in the states, is it? We have to go to Lowe's Hardware or Wal-Mart to get our plants. Nope! Here, if you see it - you just pick it! Kind of fun! Alot less expensive too!

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

"Ask and you shall receive."

2010-08-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

"......wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7b

Weekly we do ministry with OLA, the childrens' home about 1/2 hour from where we live. Picture, if you will, six in diapers and five more older children and NO washing machine. They used to have one but it broke a long while back and now each day, when the kids have had their baths, they just take the leftover water and put all the soiled clothes and sheets, etc. and put them in the water and wash it all by hand. Nothing gets really clean; it made us sad. I blogged about their predicament a few months ago and some very lovely people came forward and provided the funds for the washing machine to be purchased. Thank you, thank you!

Once we notified Sister Fidelia that there were funds for a washing machine, she went and picked out what they thought would be sufficient. We were all very attracted to the years'

warranty that was provided - which most of the time is NOT given. So this past Thursday, Crist and I and Alphonsus went to pick up the washing machine at the store and then met up with Sister Fidelia who was in town with a truck and she took it to OLA. The second picture shown was taken at the store with the two sales clerks and the top picture shown is of me and Sister Fedelia.

We're hoping that in the near future when we have a work team here, that this might be a project to tackle - to clean, paint and make almost like new a functional and clean room to do the washing. The room they have now isn't very nice at all and just needs some attention given to it. Little by little God's work is being accomplished.

Chat with you again soon.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Be At Peace With All Men

2010-08-12T04:24:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,
"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

Weekly, Crist (and sometimes me too) goes to the village and prays with the doctor's patients and then he'll go to visit with Pastor Dauda and they'll pray together. We, at Back2Back Ministry, want to become more involved in the lives of the widows and orphans in the village and find ways that we can minister to them without just "giving things away." Yesterday, Crist and Pastor Dauda went to the Catholic Church in the village and met and prayed with the Priest, Simon. The ECWA Church and the Catholic Church work together when needs arise and there is friendship between the two pastors.

Crist was thankful to be able to go meet Simon and have prayer with him and learn a little bit more about his congregation. He said that he has 18 widows in his fellowship and Pastor Dauda said that his church (also, the one that we attend) has 20 widows. In the weeks ahead, we are hoping to be able to meet with the widows and learn more about their lives and what assistance B2B might be able to help them with. The first picture up above is of Pastor Dauda and the priest, Simon, with his church in the picture right below. God is up to something and we're excited to be a part of His work. Pray for patience (for me). I like things to move alittle faster than things in Nigeria do. Give us eyes to see when and where the Lord is leading.

A side note: I'm feeling saddened this afternoon. This morning on the road with Alphonsus to do some shopping, we noticed alot of commotion up ahead in the road. When we finally arrived to where the crowd was gathering, we noticed a body on the side of the road with his face covered. We don't know any of the particulars - if they were hit by an Achaba (motorcycle) or a car or how it happened; but someone was dead and there is a family right now that is hurting and grieving. Then I wondered, "Did they know Jesus?" "Where is their eternity being spent?" It can happen so quickly!

As we went shopping this morning and I paid at the register for what was purchased, it struck me once again how very blessed we are for all the financial support that has been given us and continues to be given. Your generosity allows us to buy our groceries - THANKS! (Crist got his M&M's - his one vice - grin!)

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

A Changed Life

2010-08-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Meet Emmanuel. He lives in the Kisayhip village and washes cars for a living and also has just recently been hired by Back2Back Nigeria to be the part-time "manager" of the Viewing Center at the village. Emmanuel is different than the others boys at the car wash. His mother left his father and his family was split up. His father and brother turned to a life of alcohol but Emmanuel chose to be different; he wanted something better. A Christian man raised him, and Emmanuel has modeled his life after this mentor. He is one of the "good guys"; someone people trust and admire. When we started looking for someone to help with our Community Center, Emmanuel became a key role in running and maintaining it for all of the World Cup matches. He has a vision for his community and he desires to see the children become something more than what he sees himself. When Jason, our Field Director, asked more about that desire, Emmanuel said, "if these children don't get an education, then they will wash cars like me and that is where it will end."

Emmanuel is one of the young men that Crist and Jason are discipling on Tuesday afternoons through Bible Study and sharing. How exciting it is when the Holy Spirit begins to work in the heart of an individual - whether it's in Pinehurst, USA or Jos, Nigeria. Pray for Emmanuel to be strong in the Lord and consistent in his walk of faith.

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

This and That

2010-08-09T00:09:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Today is another rainy "Winnie the Pooh" day. August is the REAL rainy season month so I haven't taken many pictures lately. So I went through some of our pictures to see what I haven't shared with you before. The picture up above is the "percussion" section at the ECWA village church we attend. These instruments are made from/with gourds, beans, a piece of pottery with a sponge (that's the bass drum - sounds really good too) and a bongo drum. All women play the instruments and do the singing. I don't think that this is the case in most of the churches, but since this church is very small and there aren't alot of men attending, the women are the ones who fill these roles.

This next picture is another update of the apartments being built on the B2B compound around the corner from where we live. It's really coming along. The rain hinders somewhat the progress, but unless it's a torrential downpour, they continue on with what they're doing. I love that tree right there in the middle, don't you? And this last picture is of our local Christian Bookstore. There is a mission agency here in Jos (probably the biggest missions presence here) called SIM and they have many many things that they are involved in. One of their outreaches is this bookstore. All the materials are printed in India so much of their Christian fiction is about six months behind but the teaching materials and Bible Studies are fairly current. Crist is discipling Alphonsus (the B2B driver) once a week and they're soon to be finished going through together "The Bondage Breaker" by Neil Anderson. Saturday we went to the bookstore and Crist got the materials they will begin soon - "God's Power to Change Your Life" by Rick Warren. There is MUCH spiritual bondage here in Africa and almost like doing Freedom Weekend at Grace Church, Crist, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, is having to slowly go through a similar process with Alphonsus. It's exciting to see Light and Truth becoming a reality in this man's life.

Thanks for your prayers for Crist and I. Until the next time.....

In-joy,

Eileen and Crist

Pastor Dauda and Ladi Update

2010-08-06T05:32:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Three weeks ago, I shared with you about how our Pastor Dauda and his wife, Ladi, were in an Achoba (motorcycle) accident. Someone sideswiped them and took off, leaving the two of them in the middle of the road hurt and alone. Some one came and took them to the hospital and Pastor Dauda was released after five days. Ladi had to stay two and a half weeks because the sole of her left foot was sliced open lengthwise and she had many stitches and they wouldn't release her until they took the stitches out.

Last week she returned home and for two weeks she is not allowed on her foot so they took the little sofa they had in their living area out and put on the floor a mattress for Ladi to lay on for the two weeks. Someone has very graciously come forward and has paid for the motorcycle to be repaired and for the hospital bills. This is a tremendous burden that has been taken from their shoulders. The pictures I am including are of their motorcycle (can't really see where the damage is - but it's not working, that's for sure) and also pictures of Pastor Dauda and Ladi in their little living space.

Besides this little living room, there is a small little bedroom and their bathroom is outside and their cooking is done outside under a little roofed area. Continue to lift them up in your prayers please.

Crist this coming week will be meeting with Pastor Dauda and the two of them are "going visiting" for Crist to meet the Catholic Priest in the village and hopefully for the three of them to pray together.

In-Joy,

Eileen and Crist

Psalm 37: 40 says, "The Lord helps them and delivers them;he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him."

Each One Is Special

2010-08-03T06:25:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Remember a week and a half ago I blogged on Esther, who had just "graduated" into a higher level at school and we went to her graduation. Unbeknownst to us and Sister Fedelia, Daniel that week had also received a very high honor at his school and because OLA was not notified, there was no recognition at all of his achievement. Sister Fedelia felt bad, so invited us last week to a party that would honor Daniel, as well as Esther, for their hard work.

In the picture above is Sister Fedelia, Esther and Daniel that was taken before the party began. And what a party it was!!! After people had a time of sharing and congratulating Esther and Daniel, all the caregivers came out and began setting up tables, bringing in food and minerals (soda) and distributing the food to each of us. After a few minutes, it became apparent that this was also a party honoring those of us at Back2Back. Sister Fedelia gave a lovely, heartfelt appreciation talk thanking us for coming along side OLA and for helping them begin to achieve some of their plans for being self-sustaining, as well as the improvements that were being made.

They had even hired a photographer to come and take pictures of the group. The picture at the very top is of all of us; caregivers, B2B staff, children and friends. And last week a new baby was brought to the Childrens' Home. He is a newborn and his name is Lucky. Sarah, in the picture above, is holding him. (Sarah is in the middle.) It was a special afternoon with special friends at OLA. How blessed we are to be a part of God's plans at OLA!

In-Joy,

Eileen and Crist