Progress

We saw oh-so-much progress on the house, yesterday! Hopefully, we'll have two days in a row of workers being there. The carpets have been pulled, they're cleaning glue off of the tiles, and they are in the process of replacing 2 of the 3 ACs; the other one that needs replacing is to be done later!
But, a new leak developed in the bathroom so they couldn't paint. They think they found the leak and started drying the ceiling out again. It was a much smaller leak and because they caught it early (I've taught Lucy "a stitch in time saves nine" and she thinks the workers need to learn that!) it should be dry this morning with a hallogen light on it all night. Then Sam, one of the foremen, said he'd paint today -- it's a stinky sealant that needs a lot of airtime. To each of the workers, I cheer, bow, and say "thank you. I am so happy to see progress." They laugh at me and then say "we are happy that Madame is happy!" They are so used to the residents complaining; they don't hear thank yous!

One of the gardeners talked with me about how much I love flowers. He said they've all noticed that I'm walking around, looking at the plants and smelling the flowers. He asked if I'd like better flowers in front of my house. I was, of course, thrilled to know that I could get some. So, we went over to the house and discussed (as best we could with language barriers) what would be best due to the fans from the ACs and the lack of rain hitting some of the areas. They will be transplanting some tall flowering things -- I don't know the names of anything, yet. I met a magazine salesman at Christian's produce stand and Christian passed on to him the task of finding a book with pictures and labels of trees. I explained to Christian that he was now "off the hook" (used in the typical US way, not the most current "under 20"s way) about the book and so he told the magazine guy he was "on the hook!" and grinned at me -- so proud of how quickly he caught on to the US expression! This guy was amazed, too, that I wanted a book about anything in Nigeria. I'm reading a great book on Nigerian politics right now. Again, that is highly unusual. The Nigerian workers think that all expats are just enduring their time here and don't want to really know about Nigeria. Everyone here is so interested in the US -- movie stars, the Oscars, etc. Amazing.

My opportunites to use internet are still limited due to a variety of complications. So, I've got to stop for now. Lucy has arrived and her work day has begun. I'm soon off to French class!

Lucy ... and flowers that are indoors!

This is Lucy, our maid. She's a keeper!! Yesterday, I taught her the word "efficient" because she is. Today I asked her if she remembered the word. She said with a smile, "Yes, thank you, Madame." She really works so diligently. I only tell her something once and it's done before she finishes her day. We do pay her quite well -- about $86 per month. The Nigerian Madames pay less than half of that per month and her last Madame worked her very long hours and had three kids. Lucy arrived at 6:30 a.m. to dress the kids, prepare breakfast, pack lunch and get them off to school. She didn't want to live at the maid's quarters on the camp because she was afraid her Madame would work her even longer in the day. Now, we're getting a room for her. She got a fan today. The carpet that's coming out of our place will have a good piece that will fit in her 11x12 room -- it's just cement floor. She saved the fishhead today -- put it in our freezer. She promises to cook us something terrific!! Hmmm. We told her that fishheads make good fertilizer -- she thought that was outrageous!!
I've already grown to love Lucy. She is the "first issue" -- the oldest in her family. She sends her parents part of each month's salary. Amazing!! I don't know what I'd do without Lucy -- she helps me know what a good price is for something (even though she could never afford it herself!), she runs errands for me in the market because she can get deals I could never get and go to places I'm not allowed to visit, and she's great company. She leads a very quiet life when she's not here. She sometimes reads and sometimes sleeps. She sees her family 1 or 2 times per year but sometimes has a sister who comes to visit. I'm sure I'll share more about Lucy as time goes on. I tell her we have the best maid in the whole camp. She smiles, shyly, and says, "Thank you, Madame." Lucy is a gift!
Check out these flowers. I have a "flower man" who delivers these every Friday for N500 -- 500 naira. That's about $3.50. This is a little larger than one week's typical bundle. They last at least two weeks, if not more.
And I had a gardener that Lucy knows come to our house (the one we're moving back in to on Friday -- please, Lord!) to assess what plants would be good. He'll be bringing me one huge indoor plant and two plants (one that flowers) for the patio. If "I like" then I will order more from him. The plastic pots cost more than the local pots. He thought I was crazy to want the local, cement/clay pots. I told him that not all Americans like plastic.

Prawns, Shiny Nose, and Patience

Patience, in addition to being our theme, is the name of the dear "Fish Lady" (front in photo) who brought us a fish, a Shiny Nose, that's about 10 lbs. And she brought us some fantastic prawns -- Lucy is holding them in the photo. So, when I'm done writing, I'll start dinner -- prawns with fresh herbs and olive oil with a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, cilantro, lime, and a little hot sauce. And rice with rice spice -- a blend of curry and some unknown items.

Patience is a follower of Jesus -- the address on her card is an Assemblies of God so I asked her about it. She grabbed my hands and said "welcome, Sister!" when I told her that we were followers of Jesus, too. We will visit her church after we get back from Paris. She's very anxious for us to join her there. (We're committed to going back to the church near us tomorrow because Christian got excused from responsibilities from his church tomorrow so that he can meet us at Jesus House. And our driver will join us in the service, too!! Way cool.)

A Giant Chill Pill

I do believe that God has me here to learn to wait well (or at least better). Waiting is what we do ... for emailing, for repairs, for meetings to begin, ... But we have email again, though with dial-up well, ... we wait! Embrace the pace!!

Every day I spend as much time outdoors as my sweatglands will allow because any day now the rains will come. I often walk or just sit on a park bench. The workers continue to be baffled by me. I was just sitting on a bench praying and enjoying the trees when a contractor approached me and said, "Excuse me, Madame, what are you doing?" When I explained that I was just enjoying the beauty of all that God has made, he said that he hopes I do not change. I guess they are surprised that anyone loves it here.

It's easy to get critical of the workers because work is not really an appropriate term for what they do. They begin their "work" with a break and for every one guy working at least 4 are watching. But, we are trying to be very positive and encouraging for every little thing they do. That has built some great relationships -- they greet us with smiles and waves across the grass if they see us approaching. Jim had to explain some basic concepts in tile-setting to a guy today. Things like -- it's better to actually cut the tile, not break it! And a gap of over an inch is probably not appropriate for grout! Jim was patient and in the end the guy said he'd change some of the tiles before he grouts. Jim's checked back a few times today -- no workers there at all. Well, we thought we'd made progress!!

A Quick Update

Greetings! We just found out that our computer server is going down, soon, for maintenance. It may be out all weekend so I'm communicating quickly and hoping that we'll have access again on Saturday.

My English grammar is fading quickly so I'm even struggling with how to "speak" as I write. But I'm enjoying French class and am picking up bits and pieces of all sorts of other languages.

The cause of the leak (and mold) in our bathroom has been discovered and is about dry. That means that we should be able to move back in by the end of next week.

Sadly :-), we won't be able to enjoy it right away because Jim's got meetings in Paris and we'll be leaving next Friday evening for 10 days. Such a shame, I know! My shopping list is getting so very long -- things we would consider basics are extravagances, here! We'll take empty suitcases to Paris and come back here happy and full!

Basic living takes a lot of time here. Getting produce from the vendor, requesting produce for the next day, disinfecting the produce in a solution, rinsing, etc. Going to the bakery lady, who brings fresh breads every Thursday -- bagettes, croissants, wheat bread, and the bread you find everywhere here that's very Wonderbread-like (ugh!). Calling the fish lady and trying to understand her English (and her, mine!) so that she can bring us fish and prawns. We're getting our first delivery tomorrow at our door. The fish arrives whole and if we accept it (which we will if it smells fresh), then she will clean it, fillet it, and bag it outside our door. I have almost conquered the gathering of all necessary ingredients to bake Jim his favorite cookies. The oven got fixed last night (after 6 different service men checked it out). But, alas, I have no baking sheet or anything flat for baking. It's amazing what we can "create" that works just like at home. After we finished off our first coconut (that came from a tree on camp) Jim said -- this could be a funnel for making your iced tea. So, Lucy, scrubbed away on it and we now have a funnel. To drink iced tea -- it's not as handy as ordering some at Chipotle, that's for sure! Here's the process --
Boil a big pot of water on the stove (which we light by match)
Let it cool 4 hours, covered.
Pour it into a stainless steel filter-jobbie that looks like a samovar.
This slowly moves through some filter tubes and goes into a bottom container.
From a nozzle we slowly fill bottles.
Then, I can pour that water into a tea kettle and boil it.
After boiling, I put it in a pot with tea bags and let it steep.
Then it cools enough to put in an empty water bottle. (That's where the coconut funnel comes in!)
Then comes the pouring over ice (and the ice is made from the same purified water).
Ahh, an enjoyable glass of iced tea!!
Lemon, anyone?

Safety Issues

So, some of you are wondering about recent news. We're still eating chicken and eggs but we wouldn't buy 'em from just anybody -- even without bird flu scares. WELL COOKED is the key!

We're still safe here in Port Harcourt. We are in Rivers State. The major trouble is in Warri, in Delta State. Between us is Bayelsa State. So, we're on Level 2 alert, only. The issue around here is always money. With all of the corruption at every level of government, the people rarely see much of the oil wealth. The kidnapped men were on platforms/rigs. They are vulnerable -- surrounded by water, boats can easily get to them and grab 'em. They're always well cared for, though I'm sure its no Hilton Hotel, and they never/rarely are harmed. The terrorists know they'd never get anywhere if they killed someone. But they are increasing attacks. The military stirred up the recent trouble by shooting on a village from a helicopter and killing 20, including some civilians. The group, MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta), had been gaining strength and the military wanted to stop it. Unfortunately, they took off from a Shell Helipad and so Shell is REALLY the bad guy, now!! Hence, the Shell kidnapping. Plus, the Warri area is also volatile due to struggles between tribes. We know of a man, here, who was raised in Warri, who can't go there right now due to the tribal struggles -- friend against friend like in the movie Hotel Rwanda, but certainly not as severe.

Another factor -- national elections in February '07. Pres. Obasanjo, once a nasty and corrupt military general, became a Christian and in his past 2 years he has made great progress against the corruption. So things will be heating up, politically. Jim's company already has a plan in place if the expats need to leave.

We are very secure here in the camp ... and quite self-contained. With the high walls and barbed wire, if we couldn't go out, after a while it could feel a mite like a prison. Its the proverbial glass-thing ... we can't get out or they can't get in!!!

So, please don't fret but do pray!

of Churches, cell phones and camp

Jesus House is the name of the parish. Redeemed Christian Church of God is one of the many thriving groups of churches in NGA. Their goal is like Coca-Cola's "a coke in every house" -- their's is "a church on every street." And they are everywhere! This is the original parish but not the largest. In our service there were about 1500 people, 2 of them white!! It was a 3-hour service with great worship -- many familiar songs. The band had a jazz feel with some guy playing a mean sax. Everyone dressess up -- about 2/3 of the women and 1/3 of the men were in traditional dress. Lots of hats and head wraps.
The preaching was a "you should" style, not very compelling. But with a topic of tithing, well, that's difficult anyway! It's pretty simple here, spiritually -- "What does the Bible say? That's what we should do." It lacks the inspirational style we might like in the USA but, hey, people are coming to Jesus by the millions so maybe the US approach isn't where it's at!! The people around us were totally focused and obviously love Jesus with whole hearts! And ... everyone carries (and uses) a Bible!

Another thing that's definitely better here -- cell phones. Forget those nasty 1 to 2 year contracts. You buy a phone (for as low as $40 for a Nokia), a SIM card for $3.50, and a recharge pin that'll last a month for about $10 (that's all in US dollars with 143 naira equalling about one US dollar.) No roaming charges; you either have a connection or not. And when you run out of minutes, you still can take incoming calls! (Australia has the same brilliant system!)

Meet Christian, a produce vendor who's stand is near our house. He's always buttering me up with his toothy smile and "I have cilantro for you, Muthuh!" He's a Christian, not just in name, and he asked me if I'd like a CD of African Ministry Music -- local worship songs. He's bringing me one for 150 naira and he said I'd have to pay 500 at least but they'll give him a good deal. So, because he's so eager to help, I've asked him if there is a book that explains all of the vegetation, trees, flowers, ... After many futile words, he said, "Madame wants book witt pixure of tree and words that say 'dis is a mango tree,' yes?" So, he promises to find me one but he doesn't know the cost. We are free to take fruit from the trees on camp -- if we can reach them. Coconuts could be tough!!

In Abuja

Flexibility and ... patience!

"go slow" is what the traffic jams in Nigerian cities are sometimes called -- its the motto for life here. This effects us profoundly in the camp. "Tomorrow" is when repairs are made. The patios being built off the back of every home take an average of three months to complete ... and then three months after that to repair. Construction work is designed for short-term happiness; the quality is such that lasts for two weeks. Why get rid of the cause of the mold when you can paint over it?

We've felt this in our house -- a small leak in the Master Bath is now a full ceiling of "rain." A leak in the pipes in the cement above us has been "fixed" many times. The musty smell has now permeated our furniture, clothing, ... It doesn't help that 3 ACs aren't working and that carpets have been wet. So, I "lost it!" (no one here understands that expression, only the feeling!) last night, telling Jim that you can spray perfume in a garbage dump but it's still a dump!

I begged God all day yesterday to make a way for a clean and decent home and indeed, He has! You see, working with the facilities people has been fruitless. So Jim called the Fac. Director and asked if we could move into a smaller, vacant place. This man said that he didn't have the authority to move us into a house that was being repaired for someone who was arriving soon and he said we'd have to talk to the "Big Boss" (BB in the future) in Lagos (the other side of the country -- western side). Jim and I had visited quite a bit with the BB in our Abuja mtgs -- a fantastic leader, a problem solver, a radical follower of Jesus, and a very kind man. So Jim called his cell phone. BB answered and asked Jim where Jim was -- which Jim thought strange for he knows we're in the NTC camp. Jim said "at home." BB said, well I will see you in 10 mins. at the clubhouse for dinner; I'm arriving at the camp gate just now." So, he bought us a great dinner, came over to see our house, was totally unsatisfied with the stink that hit him upon entering. We made a long list of the problems; he contacted the Fac. people and gave them a deadline of 2 wks to have verything fixed!!! We are now packed and will move into a temporary place for the next 2 wks! I'm clapping and giggling and thanking God!!

I really didn't want to move to a new place permanently because our view out the back is filled with amazing green trees and vibrant flowering bushes. I envisioned doing a lot of writing in the patio when it's done. Well, it'll all be done soon!

We don't know how much to put our roots down here, anyway, because it will be best for Jim if we move to Lagos before the end of '06 and after he has trained a team here. It's actually a wonderful combination of experiences -- to live in PH and then Lagos. PH, though 5 million people strong, feels very rural and primitive. Lagos is a bustling city of 13 mill. and is right on the ocean w/ the office and houses on a large island. In PH we live in a camp with lots of helpful people all around. In Lagos we'll live in an apartment on Victoria Island and have access to great restaurants and shops. The best of both worlds, I believe!

Our diet will mainly be local foods because they're so much cheaper than the imported foods -- and soooooo fresh! I think we'll do alright with mangos, pawpaws (papayas), pineapples, bananas, cucs, tomatoes, cilantro (Yes, I already have a vegetable stand operator well acquainted with my cilantro obsession. As I walked past him on my way to Jim's office just now, he called out "tomorrow, I will have more cilantro for you, Mother!" Last time, at the end of the day, he brought what he hadn't sold to my house and just gave it to me with a big grin!), fish, prawns, crab, ...
Not bad, aye?

In a "coffee party" w/a bunch of wives, I finally realized I was the only one from the US. In fact, out of 60 homes we are the only North Americans. A few are from France, one from UK. The majority are from Asia, the Mid-East, and South America. Curious. It seems that people from developing countries are more willing to come here than are those from developed countries. Their loss!

The learning opportunities abound as we visit w/ people w/ amazing backgrounds and skills. And learning opps come in "standard" forms -- I'm going to join a French class, get a personal trainer @ the gym, and we(some gals) are hoping to get a water aierobics class going before the rains come.

When some women heard that I've served at churches (a "priest" one woman from Brazil said!) they became interested in my teaching their children Bible classes. Please pray with me about that -- so many backgrounds and faiths in one setting ... But what an opportunity!! Another gal wants me to teach @ her church. To each request thus far I've responded with "I'm interested but I need time to settle, first."
"go slow" -- It certainly applies to more than just traffic!!

('camera/docking/computer difficulties thus far! 'hoping to solve this weekend and add photos!!)

Initial Impressions

Contrasts and contradictions -- Watching the Winter Olympics (as in “winter” with snow!) in a hotel in Abuja, the capitol of Nigeria, where it was in the 90s today! We are here for three days of meetings with Jim’s company. As I meet new people, I am asked about our home – a difficult question to answer because I had less than 20 hours to adjust to our new home before leaving town for these meetings. THEY can tell me more about my home! So, I’m all ears and I’ve learned a lot! Everything’s either too hot and muggy or too cold and goose-bumpy! It’s gonna take a while to figure out how to dress and how to adjust the house air conditioning. (But thank you, God, for air conditioning!) The language barrier exists, even in an English-speaking country. I ordered crème caramel last night at the guest house (and even asked if it was like a custard, to clarify!) and I got Swedish pancake-type-of-things with berry jelly. It was good but, well, … not crème caramel. On the plane to Lagos, I sat next to a man who had his one-yr-old daughter on his lap. She was very entertained by me – kept grabbing my white skin. I look funny and talk funny!

First impressions -- There’s a musty smell in the house but they’re fixing a leaky ceiling in one bathroom and fixing the air conditioning in one bedroom – that should clear up a lot of the problem. But, I fear that a bit of musty smells are normal due to the climate. Lucy, our maid, cooks Nigerian but doesn’t know other foods. She wants to go to cooking school part time and hinted that we could help her with tuition. We’ll see. She’s 25, single, from a large family in a northern state. She walks from home and her body odor is pretty strong by the time she arrives. She lives in a one room, 8 x 8 place that is “outside” she said. I’m not sure what that means. Lucy calls us Master and The Madame or Mother. She explained that it is a custom that she can’t violate. Basically, we have two strikes against us – we are her elders which, in itself, demands that high level of respect and then we are her employers, which makes the titles non-negotiable. I tell Jim to enjoy being called Master because he’ll never hear it from me!!! Lucy keeps the house spotless. Dishes get done immediately so as not to attract bugs. She mops the floors and cleans the bathrooms, daily. The camp we live on is filled with palms and flowering trees. Lovely. The housing construction is shabby but compared to what we’ve seen on drives we’re living like kings. We could eat all meals at the clubhouse by the pool if we wanted to – good food, cheap price. There’s basketball and racquetball but who would use it when it’s this hot in the winter?

So much reminds me of missions trips to Grenada – the shanties, the vendors alongside the roads, the concrete blocks used for all construction (and then covered with mortar). There are so many people dressed in beautiful colors and in clean clothes. I’m not sure how they do it in such simple living conditions. There’s trash along the roadsides. Lots of trash, sometimes in piles, sometimes burned, and sometimes just left wherever it was tossed – which is anywhere and everywhere! The country has one Saturday morning per month called “Environmental Day” – a time that everyone is to devote to cleaning up the countryside. Hmmmm, nice idea but there seems to be no incentive!

It’ll be easy to grow all sorts of flowering plants and the veranda that the workers are currently building will be a perfect place for them. When I asked Lucy about where to buy some plants, it took awhile to make myself clear. When she finally understood “flowers” she thought I wanted silk plants like, she said, “what your people make.” I told her that I wanted plants that grow in the tropics and not plants that are made in a factory – she laughed hard at that.

The Nigerians are friendly and quite patient with our accents and odd ways of saying things. Their names are fascinating and break into two types: 1) Tribal-type names like “Gbenga” the “g” is silent and Chika and Choma and Ifeome and Chinedu. or 2)Westernized names like Freedom, Gift, Joy, Princess, Michael, David, … There are roughly 300 distinct tribes in this country, each with a slightly different language. They fall into three groups – Hassau in the north, Igbo (silent g) in the east and Yoruba in the west.)

I’ve seen my first Nigerian lizards. They’re actually quite pretty – very colorful! Some are also VERY large! Creepy! And bats -- trees filled with bats. Yuck! But both take care of bugs, so I’ll accept them but I don’t have to like being around them!

I’ve learned that the reason Abuja is such a well designed city and kept quite clean, comparatively, is that it’s under the control of the federal government. In other places, there is no cooperation between the state governments and the little tribal governments. Therefore, in Port Harcourt, a person might buy a small parcel of land from the state and then find out that there is no access across any land around it because those parcels were sold by the tribes. That’s why Port Harcourt is a total hodgepodge without any reason for the placement of roads, etc. And beyond the city there are only a few roads. Because it’s the Niger River Delta there are zillions of creeks and rivers so people might own a little piece of land that is surrounded by water. They travel on boats rather than walking anywhere. Fishing is their main livelihood. They step out of their “front door,” fish along the shore, and travel in a hollowed out log down stream to sell their catch.

The signs along the road, some professional billboards and others handmade, are entertaining. Like this one – “LIFE – no get duplicate!” I believe that’s our motto – we only get to do this once, so we’re going to make the most of it!!

I got to go to a small church plant with Chika on Sunday, in Abuja. She was thrilled to have someone go with her. Between the accents and the horrific sound system that was too loud and distorted, it was impossible to understand most words. Some melodies were recognizable and those I gladly joined in on. Otherwise I just danced (like a white lady, I fear) and clapped and prayed. At least I made a new friend who loves Jesus. She told me of a church in Port Harcourt that she thinks we would love and that she described as “more like the good churches in the US.” She and her husband lived in New Orleans for 1 ½ years so she probably has a good sense of US churches.

Cherish, Embrace, Delight – that is our theme. Cherish -- I am asking God to help us cherish every memory-making-moment just as we cherish our contacts with friends across the miles. Embrace -- To truly thrive in this place we need to set aside expectations and embrace whatever comes our way. Delight -- We want to delight in every new experience for it won’t always seem new. It will become the norm, the things we grow accustomed to. Just like my relationship with God. Sometimes I take it for granted. I expect Him to be all that He is – wise, loving, powerful, … and I lose my sense of wonder and delight. Lord, help me to delight in the encounters that come our way! And may we see You, oh God, in each delightful encounter!

I won’t write this much, regularly. My learning curve is a bit steep at the moment. I’ll be attaching some photos as soon as we get “home.”

New Beginnings

The Nigerian adventure has begun. Jim is pleasantly adjusting to eating shrimp the size of mid-sized lobsters, having Lucy keep the house spotless, and walking 200 yards to the office from the house. I'm joining Jim in two days and in the meantime I'm adjusting to the life of a blogger. Be patient with me as I embrace this new free-floating, stream-of-consciousness style.

Much more to come.