Our men are freed! It's been a good week for hostage releases and we are shouting "hallelujahs" for our freed coworkers! They are in good health and seemingly good spirits. Relief is a small word for what we feel at the moment!
And the strike has been called off. The disputes between the new gov't and the Labor Unions have totally crippled the nation. I've put in a lot of hours working on a team for emergency plans to get diesel and water and food to our people and to even determine actually WHERE each of our displaced people are ... !
So, it's wonderful to know that we can begin to find the new normal. (I can't say "we can return to normal" because we will never all return to the life we had ... and, in actuality, the life we had wasn't really normal anyway!) But now the planes will fly again and we'll have fuel to get around and the shops will open and the shippers will return to packing our belongings in our old place and the people in our new place will be able to finish packing and move out and ... it keeps on going! And, just maybe, the oil industry will be able to begin providing all of the amazing opportunities to these millions of people who depend on the work that the industry brings. Drivers, maids, vegetable vendors, curtain makers, gardeners, shop owners, restauranteers, ... everyone has been direly effected by the hostage issues and then the strike. Things will not be bustling again in the River Delta areas -- that will take a much longer time to become stable. But, we'll begin to have some stability here.
Peace ... Joy ... Gratitude!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Adjusting to more changes
Well, we're in Lagos. We're staying in a guest house that is actually quite decent. Of course, the electricity goes off regularly but they are quick to turn on their generator. The water leaks have been almost totally solved. We now have hot water and internet and sometimes some TV channels. But it's VERY clean and nicely decorated and the staff are trying very hard to please us-all. Oh yeah, we do wait about 2 hours for a meal to get delivered to our room -- but they're trying! Our company has moved into all of the rooms. And we've taken over other guest houses, too... could be awhile that they are needed.
I can't give much news on hostage situations here but when I have REALLY GOOD news to report, I'm sure it will be ok to put it in print. We do have folks we know who are still in captivity but we continue to pray for their safety, that they will not get malaria, and that the negotiations will progress steadily and with a full release very soon!
Our belongings are going to be boxed up soon, under the supervision of our dear maid, Lucy. She's a treasure. We will bring her over here when we have a place to live. The belongings won't be shipped until then, either.
My job has basically transferred to Lagos. I'm replacing the gal who was doing it here and I'm inheriting all of the "orphans" from the area we were in. So ... it's a new definition of crazy! Housing is almost impossible to find and the prices seem to be rising by the day and the quality, though better than where we were, is still ... well ... "it's still Nigeria" is what everyone says!
So, peace and tranquility (and the accompanying boredom) are all things of the past. At least for a while until things settle down.
But ... Lagos, a city of somewhere between 15 and 25 million, has a lot to offer to previously encamped folks -- 2 movie theatres, many restaurants, home decorating shops even, clubs to join, ... That comes along with traffic jams -- "go slows" -- that can cause a 15 minute drive to be 2 hours. A car horn is used more than a gas peddle around here!
Way back, many blog entries ago, I posted some photos of the beach and the huts along the beach. Welllllllllllllll, the gal who's job I'm taking and her husband are leaving Nigeria after 7 (count them ...) years and we're buying their lease! OK, THAT'S something we can definitely adjust to!!!
We hope to visit a church this weekend. The last time we were able to go to a church in Nigeria was early last August!
So ... be it crazy and unsettled ... city life is what we have! And new opportunities with new people and new adventures and ...
new ways to learn to turn all of our concerns over to our ever-faithful and wise God!
I can't give much news on hostage situations here but when I have REALLY GOOD news to report, I'm sure it will be ok to put it in print. We do have folks we know who are still in captivity but we continue to pray for their safety, that they will not get malaria, and that the negotiations will progress steadily and with a full release very soon!
Our belongings are going to be boxed up soon, under the supervision of our dear maid, Lucy. She's a treasure. We will bring her over here when we have a place to live. The belongings won't be shipped until then, either.
My job has basically transferred to Lagos. I'm replacing the gal who was doing it here and I'm inheriting all of the "orphans" from the area we were in. So ... it's a new definition of crazy! Housing is almost impossible to find and the prices seem to be rising by the day and the quality, though better than where we were, is still ... well ... "it's still Nigeria" is what everyone says!
So, peace and tranquility (and the accompanying boredom) are all things of the past. At least for a while until things settle down.
But ... Lagos, a city of somewhere between 15 and 25 million, has a lot to offer to previously encamped folks -- 2 movie theatres, many restaurants, home decorating shops even, clubs to join, ... That comes along with traffic jams -- "go slows" -- that can cause a 15 minute drive to be 2 hours. A car horn is used more than a gas peddle around here!
Way back, many blog entries ago, I posted some photos of the beach and the huts along the beach. Welllllllllllllll, the gal who's job I'm taking and her husband are leaving Nigeria after 7 (count them ...) years and we're buying their lease! OK, THAT'S something we can definitely adjust to!!!
We hope to visit a church this weekend. The last time we were able to go to a church in Nigeria was early last August!
So ... be it crazy and unsettled ... city life is what we have! And new opportunities with new people and new adventures and ...
new ways to learn to turn all of our concerns over to our ever-faithful and wise God!
Sunday, June 03, 2007
a quick update
Jim and I are fine. Nigeria has been in the news ... again ... I don't want to give much information here, but, we did have more from the expat community kidnapped.
'just wanted you to know that we're being relocated -- taking one suitcase each. After things settle down, we'll probably get the rest of our belongings. We'll be staying with a friend in Lagos for awhile. Emails and mobile phones will still work!
We are still feeling relatively safe but our hearts are heavy for those who are hostages. I don't think we'll ever joke, again, about our camps feeling like a prison. Those who are truly prisoners would give anything for our comforts!
'just wanted you to know that we're being relocated -- taking one suitcase each. After things settle down, we'll probably get the rest of our belongings. We'll be staying with a friend in Lagos for awhile. Emails and mobile phones will still work!
We are still feeling relatively safe but our hearts are heavy for those who are hostages. I don't think we'll ever joke, again, about our camps feeling like a prison. Those who are truly prisoners would give anything for our comforts!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
