March 1, 2009

Sunday 1, March...

There’s power this morning….something to be grateful for. There’s not a lot one can do with one’s hair in this humidity. I got a curly perm before leaving…doesn’t fit the trends in West Michigan but sure works for here. The heat, humidity and sweat activates the curls so I only need to work with the front. Some days when there’s power I can use my curling iron to do some straightening in front….on other days, it doesn’t really matter. If I am going out, I try to at least ‘feel’ pretty and a little primping helps me out. Since Sunday is a ‘work’ day for me and I am never knowing what I’ll be doing, I try to put myself together the best I can.
They’ve decided to take us to a fellowship of a few hundred where we’ve not been before. We arrived during praise and worship which has been going on for an hour or two already. We are placed on the platform next to the minister’s wife. After offering time and tithing time (two separate events), we are announced by the pastor. The pastor’s words were: “ With a black in the White House and the whites worshipping in Nigeria, certainly the days of reconciliation have come.” The Obama election has had deep-reaching effects here. They feel it is a sign that equality is finally on the way. I am sure the time will come when we will be allowed to speak our opinion on the election but that time has not yet come. God’s grace will need to be upon the timing as our words will not be what they will want to hear. Jon is asked to come forward and greet the people. The Nigerians love Jon. He is such a big man in their eyes and he always makes them laugh.
Eli was also introduced and asked to come forward. The pastor gave him the microphone. As I sat behind him on the platform, I was amazed at what a wonderful young man was standing before me. He was so relaxed and such a good sport. When he finished and turned his back to the congregation to come back to his seat, the crowd instantly reacted with whispers and conversation as they saw the long blonde ponytail down his back. They were instantly taken with him.
The pastor had taken Rev Mrs Ogbuji aside during the second offering and said he felt I was to ‘take the service.’ Goodness came to me and said, “The service is yours. Take your liberty.” I was introduced and given the mic. God took it from there. It was wonderful to be ‘back in the saddle.’ The message was timely and God’s grace carried me through. When it was time to leave, they blessed us with an offering. God is indeed faithful.
Following the service we needed to stop and make a hospital visit. A young woman who had been married for 5 years had surgery for what they called a fibroid. I’ve been on many hospital visits and the initial shock is somewhat over for me. This was the first such visit for Jon and Eli. We went into the room which was shared by another woman recovering from surgery. You can’t imagine but I can try to give a description. Each one has their own bed. There are not bathrooms but bedpans under the beds. They have a sheet to cover up with. There is a type of IV but nothing I’ve seen before. There was not any A/C while we were there. The ventilation ….I was going to say was poor but the truth is that there isn’t any. No sinks or water in the rooms. The heat and smell is a bad combination. The nurse came in while we were there and asked us to come with her. She wanted to show us something. While I stayed in the room and prayed privately with the woman, Jon went with the nurse and she picked up a bowl that contained a tumor the size of a full term baby that had been removed from the woman the previous day. No refrigeration or anything to preserve or cover the tumor….it was enough for Jon to see. These fibroids are common among the women. It prevents pregnancy and very often left unattended is fatal as it takes over and causes many other health problems to get out of control. Eli’s eyes continue to be open…he spoke of how our hospitals were and how these people survive more than he imagined and still have joy. We all humbly thanked God for our health.
The rest of the day was peaceful. The heat and humidity is so oppressive that your strength is spent easily. Laying around is about all you can do at times. There’s no power for television and nothing really to do….Jon and Eli have watched movies on the laptops….keeping everything charged up and ready is important since you never know when the power will be back on. Once we are started on the rural projects, there will be much more to keep them busy but we will not be going out to the villages until later in the week. We are waiting for Rev Ogbuji to return – we’ve not seen him since our coming into Calabar.

Saturday the 28th...

Rest was the order of the day. Mental and emotion exhaustion creeps up on you and with the heat and humidity, it’s best to keep rested. We’d been on the move since leaving for Chicago on Tuesday and we were not able to unplug our minds and sleep without “one eye open” so to speak. Our bedroom has A/C which is a blessing for sure. NEPA is the Nigerian Electric Power Authority, the locals say NEPA – Never Expect Power Always…utility comes and goes throughout the day. So that means we keep things on the charger as much as possible and keep the A/C on so that it can cool things down when we have the power to do so. We try not to spend too much time in the A/C as that makes it more of a challenge during the times there is no power. On average, there are probably a dozen or so power interruptions a day.
Goodness Ogbuji took us to a market Saturday night. She had been told ‘it’s where the whites go.’ It was a typical market house but did offer a tremendous amount of brand items that we were familiar with. You can find just about anything you may need…..it may be labeled in another language but the product is available. Inflation has hit Nigeria but it’s very random and hard to determine what is affected. Jon bought 3 Fantas (orange sodas) for 180NR + 20NR deposit to return the bottles. (approx $1.30) which isn’t bad. But yet, in the store when looking for shampoo, it ranged from $4 - $10 a bottle for 14-16 oz. A Uncle Ben’s bag (#20) of rice was $40USD; 1 liter of juice ranges from 350-500NR ($2.50 to 3.30.) I’ve taken a liking to SILK Soy milk……can’t believe they have it here but it hits the spot for me. It’s about 450NR – about $3 a liter box – a real treat when I can leave it in their ‘freezer’ and drink it ‘cold.’
The plans for Sunday are not yet settled. We will be worshiping at an Assemblies church of their choosing. We’ve been told to be ready by 9:30am.

February 27, 2009

Catching up...

Our time in London was one of rest and refreshment – something we would definitely need for the days ahead. The trip from London to Lagos is about 6-7 hours. The flight was full and as we landed the Nigerians on board applauded in gratitude to be home safely. The airport at Lagos has definitely improved over the last few years. They now have signs posted to direct your way through customs and immigration – they are separating the Nigerians from those coming in from other countries which speeds up the process as well. There are occasional pockets of cooler air from random air vents throughout the waiting areas….all little details that are improving the process of getting beyond customs.

It took us about 45 minutes of standing in lines after landing to get up to our turn at the customs desk. As usual, our customs agent was irritable and generally annoyed – I’ve yet to meet one that is hospitable or helpful – he snapped a number of questions as to why we were there, what was our concern or business, etc. When he found out how long our intended stay was, he became especially upset. He declared outright that it would be impossible for us to stay more than 30 days. He and the others immediately began speaking native dialect which is your first clue that they don’t want you to understand what’s going on. After coming into Nigeria a number of times, you learn to smile and agree with what they say, to assure them that they are correct and you are most grateful for their assistance – you nod your head, say thank you and deal with it later. Any type of explanation or discussion only threatens the authority they are so anxious to display and causes more problems. So, our visas are stamped for 30 days which means we will be going to the consulate in Calabar and applying for an extension, etc, to override the stamp that was given at the airport.

Our luggage made it through – thank God. It took about another hour for all the bags to be loaded and carted to make our way through more security. Once again, the guards love to give you a difficult time. They asked what was in each box, bag or carton. After you would tell them, they would tell you they want to see inside. That meant that we would need to cut all the tape and banding off the bags, etc and let them go through the contents. Most of the procedure is an exercise in intimidation. They snap at you loudly and try to make you feel uncomfortable….we kept assuring Eli that all was well, just smile and wait for them to move on to someone else. They nodded with a grunt toward the doorway and we were free to go. As you continue your way through this process you are getting closer to the outdoors. As the tempers and frustrations rise, so does the temperature. As we rolled our cart out into the evening air, it was 90+ with excessive humidity. We looked back and forth through the dozens of black faces to find someone who was to be holding up a sign with our name and before too long, there he was, Dr Mike, our host for the evening.

We were somehow able to load all our belonging and ourselves into his vehicle. Something you really do not want to do is become separated from one another or from your baggage. Staying together at all costs is imperative even if it means waiting a few hours for a vehicle that will hold everything and everyone at once. We were blessed to be able to make it together the first time.

Dr. Mike’s home was complete with water and toilets….a real bonus after the heat and exhaustion of the day. It would also assure us of freshening up in the morning before our next flight. He had food prepared, salad (Nigerian salad is cabbage, carrot, peas, pineapple and other veggies in a cream sauce), pepper sauce with various meats in it to put over rice. Nigerian food is extremely spicy. Eli had quite t a time getting the burn out of his mouth after eating….there’s no refrigeration so drinking something cold is not an option either. You learn to adjust.

We were up at 5am the next day to try to catch a 7:30 flight to Calabar. The tickets are purchased 17,000NR each-$114 /usd/approx $350USD for all 3) before departure so it is first-come, first-served. We made our way through the madness of the local airport with our bags only to find the flight was already full. We would need to change airlines and take a flight 2-3 hours later. That meant weighing our baggage and setting it aside as we waited for the next flight. In-country flights allow you about as much as you can carry onto the airplane and then they weigh the entire lot of your other bags. It’s not by piece but by total weight. We had to pay $250USD in Chicago for overweight bags to Lagos; in Calabar we paid another $200 to get all of our things to Calabar. With the length of our stay, the need to bring the water filter, medical supplies and other misc needs, bringing things on these flights was the cheapest way to go. The option of mailing or transport of another kind simply isn’t an option.

The Calabar flight was delayed another two hours….you learn with time to keep enough water/snacks with you at all times. Each time you go out, you never really know how long you’ll be away. Eli spent the time people watching….never a dull pastime in Lagos. I dozed in my chair, soaking up as much of the A/C as I could. Jon and Eli played some cards. The flight left close to noon. For Americans coming into Nigeria, the issue of control is the first battle to contend with. We love to be in control and have a plan. Well, in this country, you definitely are not in control and you learn to have a list of options, rather than a plan. You adjust as you go.

We arrived in Calabar before 2pm. We were relieved to know we were nearly to the end of our journey for the day. We were taken to our host home not far from the airport. We had a change in arrangements: previously we were to be staying in the church guest rooms on the Assemblies of God compound. We are now staying on the second story of a private home. It’s a place that Jon and I have both stayed at before so we are familiar with the surroundings. A woman we call “Ma Grace” lives downstairs with an assortment of children. We have chickens in the compound…..Eli feels at home…..

February 25, 2009

Traveling update...

Although we've never flown with British Airways (BA) before, we will definitely choose them again. The check-in at Chicago was the best we've ever had. The woman at the counter helped us to label, weigh and then tape secure all tubs and the cardboard carton. She gave us great seats assuring us extra space and seats for rest. We certainly could recognize God's goodness and favor.

We arrived in London on time but with only an hour before the next flight would depart. Security in Heath-row/London is much more stringent than in the US. While our bags were fine and moved through without incident in Chicago, that was not the case in London. After making it through the long lines to get through once again a security check, our bags were put through the scanners and two were chosen for closer examination. Both bags that were pulled were Jon's carry on. As Jon was waiting for his turn in the examination area for bags, Eli and I checked on our flight. We made our way to the customer service for British Airways and let them know of our delay but the plane was already boarding. They said their policy was not to hold any flights for baggage issues.

Each and every item in Jon's two bags was thoroughly checked, wiped down, swabbed, etc. They would not let his drill bits, our two-way radios, fishing reels with line and caliper move through. Time was ticking by and the boarding time was now passed. We were eventually given a supervisor who assigned us to a woman escort to try to get us to the boarding gate for our flight. It was a 15 minute walk/run to the gate where we stood and looked out the window at our empty gate......the flight to Lagos had departed. We were instructed to go back once again to security. Since we were now left without a flight or plan, our escort stayed with us to help get some resolution. As we were walking back once again, she asked of our trip etc. We told her that we were going to end up in Calabar and why and she smiled. She then told us about a Britain that she knew that had married a Nigerian....that her husband knew the family, etc. I smiled for I knew in my spirit that she was talking of Theodore and Mary Effiong. They are pastors that we have worked with and are in relationship with.....so as I smiled, I asked her..."Are you referring to the Effiongs?" She could hardly believe her ears. The world had suddenly become once again, very small.

When we eventually got to the customer service for re-ticketing, this woman was so blessed by our commitment to go help in Calabar that by the time we were finished at customer service, we were booked for the same flight the next day...our luggage was being secured and held to be boarded the next day without any more security checks or our having to take possession of it, BA issued us a complimentary room at the Renaissance Hotel, transportation vouchers to and from the airport, dinner for three in the evening and breakfast for each of us before leaving for our new flight the following day. God once again assured us that as we moved out in obedience, He would provide us with a place to lay our heads and food to eat.

As I am writing this, we are enjoying a time of rest before leaving to ride the double decker buses and see a bit of London...compliments of British Airways....He is most definitely above and beyond what we could ever think or imagine.

Thank you for your prayers and please rejoice with us as celebrate His unending faithfulness!!

We have updated those picking us up and we will be in Lagos Thursday evening. After staying the night with a family there, they will bring us back to the airport and we will fly from Lagos to Calabar (about a hour+). We should be in Calabar Friday afternoon.

We will be in communication as it is available. Blessings ~~ Jon, Donna and Eli