My How Time Flies ...

even when we're not having fun!!

I'm sorry that I haven't been able to find time to get to this blog. The pace has not slowed down and the intensity has increased, so this is difficult.

Here's a quick update. We're still on lockdown and it won't be changing for a longgggggggggggg time. So tempers are getting higher. One gal just returned and has only experienced the lockdown for 2 days and is already saying she's leaving within the month. I had arranged for a police-escorted shopping trip to two markets. (A team of us visited both places a few weeks ago and the security team checked out the routes and both shops, determining that they had enough guards and the walls were secure so we could shop there, under clear directives.) I didn't have time to go. But picture 3 mini-bus loads of adults not being able to get this woman out of the shop. Tempers flaring. Foreheads dripping as they waited, locked in the buses, for this gal to finish. Evidently, they shouted at her and she shouted at them and they all came back sweaty and steamed! And of course, the complaints come back to me!!!! :-) I'm very tempted to say -- no shopping trips until you can learn to get along!!! But that would be a deathwish!

Progress, in a twisted sort of way:

My kitchen got a bit of a remodel job. New cabinets, at least. Unfortunately, the plumbing is just for decoration, I guess. I had company for dinner after the work was done -- a great Nigerian Christian guy who Jim had worked with who is leaving for a year of training and two of his friends. It was in the middle of dinner that I discovered that the plumbing job had never been finished and I had water pouring out from under both sinks.

The mold in the bathroom has now been bleached and painted over. Let's see, that'll keep us happy for 3 months. I've given up on getting them to find the source of the water leak.

Jim' back is giving him more trouble. He's wearing the corset constantly. The orthopaedic bed that we ordered in July is always arriving "tomorrow, Madame." In the meantime, each day is a bit worse.

But all is not bleak:
When the rains stopped one day, Jim and I enjoyed sitting out on the park bench that we had a local guy make for our little mini rainforest/garden that we have off of our back patio.

Yesterday I sat out there with my Bible and journal and pen for a good ... long ... time. It was refreshing!

We watched "The Pianist" -- a movie about Warsaw Jews in WWII. That put our lives in perspective. I joked with the security guys yesterday that maybe we need to watch Hotel Rwanda, The Pianist, Tears of the Sun, etc. at least once a week to realize how great we have it here.

Really -- we are secure here in the camp. Our generators work. We have water. We have satellite TV. Our phones work -- very often at least! We're surrounded by beautiful plants and amazing blossoms. The rains are lightening up. We can have food delivered. We can bring in extra fun -- like on Saturday we had local artists come into the Clubhouse for an Art Market. (Nothing like shopping to make some women smile!!)

So, Jim and I are glad that we have each other. We are each very busy at work but we try to keep a little window of time open for relaxation.

And, above all, we are clinging -- clinging to God's goodness and His strength!

Well, it's almost 8 a.m. Lucy will be arriving and I'm sitting in my PJs in the patio at the computer. I've been sitting here for two hours because I got up to work on writing. Oh yes, my friend, Laura, and I have a writing contract for an exciting women's Bible Study on the book of Philippians. Laura and I taught together at the church we were a part of in Colorado. Our first deadline is November!! So, the pressure is on but it's actually a welcome change from the dailiness of our lives.

Feel free to add comments or email me. I love hearing from you!!

We're back and it's been crazy!

We returned to Nigeria almost two weeks ago but ... whew! ... what absolutely over-the-top-nutsy days it has been. The pace has only slackened slightly so this will have to be fast. Excuse the abbreviated sentences that might follow!

Colorado: Packed up all belongings in the house. Prepped the house (thanks to daughter, Jeri's help with painting, etc.). It's now rented!! Had very little time for friends. Didn't even have time to find phone numbers and call anyone to ask for help with all that we were trying to do!!! Also, Jim saw lots and lots of Docs -- back, ear, head (from the surgery he'd had last Dec.), ... Some good news, some not.

Alaska: Spent great time with family and friends. Mom went into the hospital almost right after we arrived. (Not triggered by our arrival, I'm confident!) She's doing much better now but it was a bit scary! She got out the day before the wedding and could attend the wedding -- danced with Brad at the reception, even! Brad and Karissa -- now a happily married couple. After honeymoon, are now settling into their duplex. The best part of the time in Alaska? --going back to our old fishing hole with all three kids and Karissa. We got our limit of silvers!! Somehow, when I'm fishing I don't notice how wet and cold I am. Awesome times all around!!

Nigeria:
Arrived exhausted from the 2+ days of travel. The political climate worsened while we were gone so there is a lockdown on the camp for all expats. Essential travel is all that we can do at the moment. Some of the gals were afraid to go out anyway but for someone like me -- a bummer. I like to experience the markets, etc. Could last until after the elections in April. Makes things crazier on the camp -- tempers flare, need more activities to keep people happy. Times like these are like squeezing a tube of toothpaste -- what was inside all along is what comes out. So a few are rallying wonderfully and a few are nastier than I ever thought possible!

Can't go to church at the moment. We had so looked forward to getting involved in the church we had found shortly before we left. My soul is a bit starved at the moment. Jim and I are making more concerted efforts to feed our souls. I think I'm gonna go back to my Day of Solitude routine that I used to do -- at least 6 hours alone with God -- Bible, water, tea, and journal. Can't wait!!

Jim's health: Orthoped. bed we'd ordered before leaving is, of course, not here yet. His back is bothering him quite a bit. His ear was damaged by a loud speaker here in June so he's got pain, ringing, and hearing loss he's dealing with, too. Please pray for his back, especially. He's looking at surgery sometime.

My job: I jumped in at the absolutely worst time possible -- but of course, that's why I was needed! Please pray for me to have grace with the nasty folks, patience with the slow-to-do-their-job folks, solutions for the absolutely-incompetent folks, and encouragement for the great folks who struggle with the same frustrations. We have new arrivers all of the time and I'm having to juggle housing to make room. We have 10 students who want into a good school. 7 of them have no school at all. Pray for wisdom as I deal with the parents and the school administrators. Security is an issue for school travel, shopping needs for the women, etc. I'm working with all of those situations, too, trying to find solutions.

Life: In an effort to find one, I am resigning from the elected position I had as Coordinator of all of the female spouses. I should be handing it over to another gal tomorrow. She's great. Now there will be two of us for the nasty women to shout at and gossip about. It does help to have someone else sharing the load. I'm hoping to get a grip soon. The mere fact that I can write on my blog is a sign of hope. Last night Jim and I closed the curtains on our house, turned off the lights, lit candles, and planned on watching a chick flick. Jim had chosen one as a surprise for me. I don't know what one he'd chosen because I was asleep on the couch before he got it started!!!

Jim's job: Things are not progressing as fast as he had hoped but he's enjoying the work, still. He's got some great people that he works with.

Rain: New experience yesterday -- a driver had to take us from the office to our house door (only a five minute walk) because the streets were so flooded. Definitely still the rainy season. Dry days are coming, though. In the meantime, some folks are getting water in their patios, bedrooms, under the front doors, etc.

Mold: it's getting reallllllllly bad in our master bath and bedroom. Lucy had to wash every stitch of clothing in our closets due to the problem. That's a pile of ironing, too!!! Can't sleep in there. Run into the bathroom without breathing and close the door just to take a quick shower. It's in the bathroom, too, but not so stinky! They're working on it ... :-)

Prince: got married!! He and Glory are doing well. She's still working in her sewing shops a couple of hours away from here so they see each other part of each week. He's so anxious to drive but with our limitations on travel he's become our shopper -- I tell him it's good training for a husband. He hates it. But he does it 'cuz he likes to be busy. Even if it's shopping for diapers for a new family!!!

gotta get some work done!!
hopefully can blog each week at least once.
pictures of wedding will appear whenever I get some. other pics, too.

From NGA Before We Travel

This is probably the last moment I'll have to write before we leave Nigeria for 4 weeks. The blog may be silent during that stretch. We'll see ...

So, we leave in about 56 hours ... or so. Not counting, of course, cuz not excited in the least! :-)

Updates will be brief for our To-Do lists are long!

Job: It's now official. It's truly unlike anything I've ever done before. I'm working for Jim's company, which feels really weird -- fortunately for them it's not a job relating to computers or science or oil or anything like that because in those areas I'm totally clueless. It's in Personnel -- official title: Family Liaison Officer or Logistics Coordinator. In a nutshell, I'm responsible for creating the best possible experience for each person's time in Nigeria with Jim's company, whether they are an expat or a Nigerian. It's working with all employees and families, beginning before they arrive, to prepare them for the adjustments, arrange housing, schooling, etc. I will work with the remodeling on the 3 camps, assign houses, meet the people when they arrive on the bus from the airport, take them around town, help with culture shock, and then "keep everyone happy" -- which is, of course, impossible and I hope the company knows that.

We (Personnel folks) just worked on a welcome booklet yesterday and I inserted a statement "Your experience will be as positive as you choose to make it. Attitude is everything!" Right now, the whole thing is a logistical nightmare with people fighting over housing, etc. Hence, the need to hire someone. Strangely, my first official day on the job is my first day back in the US --- so, thanks to email I'll be able to do a lot of tasks but obviously not all. And, that's why I'm scrambling now for these last few days we have here, trying to get things in place and some processes begun.

It's a very flexible job, which is wonderful. It's a very huge job, which is not so wonderful. I'm quite excited, though, because it pulls from a lot of my previous experiences in working with people. A particular experience with some power-hungry and dishonest individuals has actually prepared me quite well. I know God is grinning, because He truly does cause alllllll things to work together for good ... (Romans 8:28 and on) The whole thing requires patience, discernment, tactfulness, strength of resolve, and the love of people! It's very collaborative, which I love. And it's making sense out of a mess, which I also love! Of course, there's no formal teaching but there is a lot of influencing and developing of systems and of individuals. OK. You can see that I am excited even in the midst of being overwhelmed.

Jim: needs your prayer. Our bed has been terrible for each of our backs. The toll has been greatest on Jim. He now has seen a few Docs, had a few tests, and has many Dr. visits scheduled for Colorado. He's got a slipped disc and a pinched sciatic (sp?) nerve. He's on 5 different meds and while traveling he will wear a "corset" -- picture muslim with 39 hooks and laces. Just kidding! It's a very modern, black, manly sort of thing! Anyway, he's finally gotten ahead of the pain but a few nights ago he was hurting so much that I had to call the camp Dr. at 3 a.m. God did give him a great sleep the rest of that night and, of course, I didn't sleep much at all. But, all is under control for now. The great thing is that we get to fly business class and, even when his back is great, for a guy Jim's size that's really good news! This means we'll have to hire movers to get our boxes into storage, but that's not all bad.

Schedule: Colorado Aug. 1 through 11 and Alaska Aug. 11 through 24. Then 24 - 26, but really just the 25th, in CO before we head back to NGA. I REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY want to hook up with you. Our home phone still works -- 303 663-8207. To the Denverites, let's get together. It may have to be in "clumps!" of women if that's ok?? I know that Jim plans on getting into the Denver office for a visit. (Between all of those Dr. visits -- not quite the visiting he had hoped for!) In Alaska, it's all family and friends all of the time. Brad and Karissa's wedding is Aug. 19. Oh boy!!! Joey will arrive from Aussieland and Jeri will arrive from Thailand. Can you see my smile from where you are?

Life of Leisure

Here's one proof of my life of leisure.
These hands rarely are in dishwater, never in dirt.
The work we do around here is mental, emotional, and spiritual, to be sure. But NOT physical. We work out at the gym, take short walks (there are only so many places to go on this little camp) and golf. That's about it. So, without my cello I have this opportunity to realllllllllly grow out my nails. Nails that got very strong with all of those years of having to stay short!

Shoes

Shoes are fairly new additions around here. I've heard that they're still rarely used in the villages and 10 years ago children in the cities were seldom seen with shoes.

But they're here, now, everywhere. Sometimes while traveling through town you'll hit the shoe region and suddenly every vendor -- on the streets and in the streets -- is selling shoes. Many are imported and many are made in Nigeria.

The ones made in Nigeria are the ones that interest me. I've got two new pairs of flip-flop style sandals that were both made here. Love 'em. Of course, a girl can never have enough shoes.

But, that's not why I'm telling you about shoes. I brought up the topic because there are cultural lessons relating to our shoe experiences. Sadly, more lessons about lying.

While in Abuja with Jeri, Jerz found a style of sandals she loved and they were being made right there in the market. The size they tried to sell her was too small. (That's another thing about shoes, here. No one seems to mind that their feet hang over the backs an inch or two. Style and price seem to be more important than a good fit.)

For all of their attempts to persuade us, we remained firm -- her heel should rest nicely on the shoe, not dangle over it! So, they said they'd make a pair for her. We explained we were visiting and would need to get them the next day. No problem. They drew her feet outlines on a paper and said that the shoes would be ready by 4 p.m. Our driver even reiterated to them in Hausa or Fulani or something that they'd better have them done on time.

We arrived back at the market at 4:30, giving them a little extra time. After walking through the crowds and wondering if we'd ever find that little shop again, there it was! And the workers recognized us right away, pulled a bag off of a shelf, and proudly handed Jeri her shoes. Problem was, her heels still hung over the back just like they had the day before. "Oh, Auntie, dey will stretch," was the explanation this day, followed by yesterday's same old line, "dees is what lukes good. Yooz no unnerstann. Dees is de way dey be made." Right. You used her pattern to make new shoes, right? Right. And that explains that, strangely, the size scratched into the bottom has new scratch markings. You can still see the old size under the new. We might be blond but we're not stupid! Grrr! Even the driver was offended. He's not stupid and he didn't want to be seen as a co-conspirator. So we left without the shoes. Fortunately, on the way out, we stopped in a shop that sold lots of things -- baskets, purse, and ... shoes. And one pair fit Jeri ... quite well, actually!

Being lied to reallllllllllly bugs me. Which means that I'm daily bugged!

One more shoe anecdote. Last night, Prince came back from a funeral in his village. He wanted us to see the shoes that a friend of his had made for him to give Glory. I was confused. There was a label right in the place there would be a label on manufactured shoes. Something like "FashionWorks" with a subtitle that said "Euro leather" or something close to it. So I told him that the stamp told me it came from a factory. I thought maybe Prince was lying to us and he's learned how much I HATE that! "No, Madame. I tell truth. My friend made dees. He has a stamp. He has lots of different stamps, even. He be a clever man." Hmmm. Clever. To reinforce the notion that his friend is clever, Prince turned the shoes over. On the bottom was a size sticker that said, in addition to a number ... "Italy" Yep. And Prince explained that his friend has other stickers, too. Some say "France," some say "England," some say "U.S.A." Such a smart friend!

I explained that these were all lies. "But Madame, people not buy shoes made in Nigeria. Dey like shoes from Italy." I shook my head once again, told him how disappointed I was in more lies, and told him that I liked shoes from Nigeria ... but only from people who tell the truth!
I think "honesty" must not even be a translatable word!

A Delay

My calendar countdown was halted. Sooooooooo, here's the latest -- I'm not leaving here tomorrow. The phone line has been down so my ability to blog was gone but I can now spread the word.

Fortunately, before we traveled Jim contacted our tax consultant and we were told that not only Jim, but also I, cannot be in the U.S. more than 32 days/year after he started his job. So, we're changing my tickets. Not sure, yet, when I will travel. It may not be until Jim leaves on the 31st of July. That'll get us in on the 1st of August for a mad rush before we leave for Alaska. I'll keep you "posted." (pun intended!)

The good thing is that it gives me more time to negotiate and begin a new job that was offered here. I'll fill you in on the details when that's settled.

A Few Things

The technological limitations around here require that I be in a great frame of mind before sitting down to blog or to read anyone else's blog. And commenting on your blogs has been impossible. So, pardon the delay in new postings -- I just haven't had enough patience and time stored up until now. Let's see, it's only taken me one hour to get this far!!!

PET UPDATES:
Thank you to each of you who offered help during our recent pet crisis. Susie is in a shelter and will soon, hopefully, be adopted into a wonderful home. Thanks to Brigette and Cyndy, Emma is in good hands at our home. She's still needing a loving permanent home. Let me know if you'd like to take her in or know someone who wants a cat with personality. She really is fun! Did I mention that she comes to me when I call her? -- just like a dog!! And if you are holding Sheba food or a can of tuna, she runs to you for sure, even if she doesn't know you!

USA BOUND!!
I will be arriving in Denver on the evening of July 21. Jim will be arriving on the evening of August 1. We have a lot to do on the house to get it ready for renting,. But it can't be alllllllll work and no play -- we decided that I didn't need to stay here until Jim could go -- I'm free to go anytime, duh! So, I'll have more "girlfriend-time" than I originally thought. Email me with times you are free so that I can hook up with my "peeps!" in the greater Denver area! Jeri will join us for the last couple of days in Denver. We're selling her cute little blue Tracker -- anyone interested? If not, we'll put it on EBay.

Then, we're on to Alaska on the 11th of August, Jeri on the 13th. Joey arrives in Alaska on the 12th. Brad's wedding is the 19th. Around the 24th Joey heads back to Australia, Jeri to Thailand, and we return for one or two days to Denver before leaving on August 26 for Nigeria. It will be so great to see family and friends in Alaska. And I'm looking at a picture of Brad holding two beautiful halibut -- can't wait to eat fish and go fishing!!! Can we say "Little Su?"

CHURCH HOME:
We believe we've truly landed on a church home. The irony is that it was the first place Jim wanted to visit, even before I got here in February. But the guy he worked with who told him about it never responded to his requests for more info about it ... until recently. So, we've been there the past two weeks and we love it!! It's under a huge, I mean huge, yellow and white striped tent -- open air type. The sound systems works amazingly well and the fans help circulate the hot air. Anyway the important things are:

the worship is fantastic (most of the singing is done while kneeling, a terrific way to begin the service -- such a reminder of surrender and preparing our hearts; individuals alternate singing with the music or just privately praying; at some point I'm ready to stand but I wait until the masses are standing which happens near the end of the worship time);

the preaching is unlike anything we've heard here (it's actually "teaching," people bring notebooks and use them; it's not the "you should" stuff nor is it the "give to God and God will give to you" pep rallies we've seen too often);

the people don't grab us and introduce us to the pastors because they need our money (we're always the only white people in any church we've been in since the first one where we saw one guy once; maybe the ohibos don't go to church because they're so sick of everyone "honoring" them so that they'll give money!!)

they have a balanced approach to money, are very generous in their giving to other churches and missions, don't send out letters begging non-members to give to their fundraisers, etc. (the money-stuff is really bad in most churches -- four offerings, multi-millionaire pastors, etc. It's that whole "appeasing the gods" thing I've blogged about before -- a mix of animism and western "health/wealth" doctrine)

Anyway, we have great hope that this is a place we can really get plugged into (when we return). It's called The Carpenter's Church. We are so thankful!!

CAMP LIFE:
The mass exodus has begun as schools are ending and families are leaving until the end of August. Usually, the men leave for a couple of weeks and then come back to work. We have new families who will be arriving in the next two months -- unfortunately, they'll be coming to a ghost town with few people to help them adjust to life here. I'm recruiting a couple of new-arrivers to take on the welcome role while the rest of us are gone.

Lucy's well. Her two youngest brothers have been in the hospital with different problems. Due to poor medical treatment, small things turn into big things pretty quickly. Her father is expecting her to pay all of the medical bills because he hasn't been paid (government job) in 3
months and Lucy's the only one in the family with income. We gifted her some of the total and loaned her some of it but we don't want her to have to pay it all; it seems to us that her father should take on the responsibility of getting a loan from someone for the rest of it. Most people don't use banks -- they borrow from friends or they form little savings groups with people they trust -- each person pays the same amount into the pot each month (like N10,000) and one person gets the pot for that month (so, for a group of six friends that's N60,000 to one person each month). Instant gratification for the first one, slow rewards without interest for the last one to get their turn. (Prince is in something like this, was the one to set it up, so had to be the last one to get the money. But, finally, he got his N120,000 and could finish paying for Glory's head -- which, translated, means "paying her bride price".)

No pictures this time around -- I don't have the extra three hours it would take. 'will try again, soon!!

Friday was ...

... the day Jeri left. She's been flying for a day, now, and will be arriving in Thailand in about 3 1/2 hours. It's quite weird having her gone. Everywhere I go, now, I remember being there with Jeri. I was telling a few of the gals about it and one gal suggested that I find a new place to hang out 'cuz it won't have memories associated with Jeri's visit. Great idea. 'just don't know of any new options.

Jeri really loved a lot about Nigeria. She validated a lot of my feelings that I try to not acknowledge very often -- I think she can truly "feel my pain" about feeling imprisoned on the camp, feeling frustrated with the delays in work, feeling overwhelmed by the trash on the roads, feeling limited in our "fun" options.

But we enjoyed visiting my favorite (and the only) coffee shop/sandwich place. 'went there three times! And we found a new place that actually makes gelato -- GOOD gelato! We went there three times, too! This place is supposed to be a coffee shop, too, but the machine broke right when they opened and no one seems to be able to fix it so they've got to send out to Europe for parts. Oh well, I don't even like coffee!!!

All-in-all, it was FANTASTIC having Jeri here. The residents and workers welcomed her with open arms. She was given farewell gifts and enjoyed a final dinner with a bunch of Spanish-speaking folks. Our friends had planned their vacation in order to get back before Jeri left so that they could fix a real Italian dinner for her. Yes, they are from Venezuela but he's originally from Italy and ... wow ... what a great cook!!! Around the table, though most spoke Spanish, the countries that were represented included Italy, Venezuela, France, Greece, Malasia, Chile, and the U.S. Ahhhh, the international flavor is fantastic!

After Jeri got on the bus for the airport around 7 a.m., I was swamped with work alllllllll day and into the night. Meeting with women who needed to be confronted on their gossiping, meeting with women who were angry with other women, planning parties, meeting new arrivers who didn't even want to unpack their suitcases because they were so disgusted with conditions here, planning for more arrivers, arranging for work to be done around the camp, ... being busy was great, really, because Jim left with Jeri -- for meetings in Lagos. We arranged for her to fly in and out of Lagos. If any of you ever visit -- that's the best airport with the fewest customs corruption. And, we welcome visitors. I just have to realize that it will always seem more empty around here when someone leaves. I miss you, Jerz!

Village Visit

Children in the village. They gathered quickly when the saw ohibos arrive!!
They LOVE posing for "snaps!"







I'd never seen pineapple growing -- beautiful!










When walking through the bush, my sandaled foot was stepping on sticks. One of the guards noticed a "stick" move and got me out of the way enough to beat the thing with his gun (he wanted to save his bullets!) He said that I wouldn't have died from a bite if I made it to the hospital. But, he assured us that the pain would have been great and the breathing difficult as the poison moved through my body. We agreed that a "Thank you, Lord!" was highly appropriate!!















Market vendors.










Plantains ready to be loaded on the bus to be sold in the cities.

More market women. So friendly and welcoming to ohibos!

Help Needed

This is a topic totally unrelated to Nigeria. We are feeling rather helpless over here in regards to our daughter, Jeri's, beloved pets -- Susie (Susitna), her dog and Emma, her cat.

Jeri had tried to find homes for her animals before leaving Colorado. That wasn't working. So, her next plan was to have them cared for until we return the first of August. Then, she was hoping to take them to Alaska with her to give them to families there, when we travel for Brad's wedding. Well, it's just not working to have someone just check in on them each day.

So, would any of you be interested in providing a pernament or temporary home to a cat named Emma or a dog named Susie?

Emma is a great cat -- she's got personality, "talks" to us rather convincingly when she wants something, disappears under beds when strangers come in the house but warms up to them pretty quickly. She's used to sleeping on the end of our bed.

Susie is a beautiful American Eskimo (Eski) breed -- white, long haired. Weighs about 20 lbs. She's very energetic, very social. Right now, she's probably not too friendly because she's not getting enough attention each day. She's great with dog lovers but she does frighten some non-dog-lovers. She's got a small dog bark -- which means that she thinks she's a big dog. She's mellowing with age (she's about 7 years old) but she's definitely got small-dog energy. She jumps -- straight up. She'd need to be on a leash or in a fenced area when she's outside. She's got a large kennel for staying indoors when no one is home. She did well during the night sleeping in Jeri's room.

So, if any of you animal lovers out there would like to adopt either of these gals, please let me know. Or let me know of anyone you know who might be interested!!!! Or, if anyone wants to just visit our house every day to play with Susie for awhile and let her out to do her chores, great!!! A permanent home is the greatest need, of course, but at this point we just need some good options.

I'll blog later on our terrific trip, today, to the village. Great experiences!!!

Beautiful!

It rained hard during the night and into the morning. But by the time we left for church the rains had stopped. (Unfortunately, Prince had to ride his motorcycle during the last of the storm in order to get to us in time. But he doesn't seem to mind the rain and always says he'll dry off fast.)

So, now the sun is out and the birds are singing. I do believe the plants that I face when sitting here at my computer in the patio have grown by about ten inches since yesterday! It really is incredible how things grow. The majority of my potted plants, both inside and out, were potted less than three months ago. Some have more than doubled in size during that time -- going from 2 feet to 4 feet tall and gaining new branches/leaves in every direction. And we never tire of marveling at the new blossoms on trees each week. Just as we were leaving camp for Abuja, Jim commented on a tree that was brimming with blossoms even though only last week it had none.

Sharon's top ten things we continue to love and never want to take for granted:
1. the color green -- it's everywhere on the camp!!!
2. the birds throughout the day but especially every morning around 6 a.m. -- it's much more pleasant than waking to an alarm clock!!
3. sunshine -- it's not as strong as in Denver but it's at least here very often, even during the rainy season!
4. fresh mangos -- even the word "fresh" takes on new meaning when attached to the mangos, here!
5. coconuts, pineapples, avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, ... always in abundance
6. peanuts -- I've never really liked them but HERE they have real FLAVOR!
7. no chores -- I never wash dishes, do laundry, clean toilets, mop floors, ... I only cook when I want to and I only make our bed on Sunday mornings because that's Lucy's day off.
8. no car hassles -- we don't drive so the traffic is only observed but not felt like it would be if we were the ones driving. We don't wash the car, put fuel in the car, maintain the car, ...
9. bargain prices -- the word "bargain" has new meaning in a place where we negotiate every price in the markets. It's a new-found talent and form of entertainment for us. Feels better than a 70% off tag at Nordstrom's!!
10. "new" -- though some of the new experiences are getting really old (like today's 4 hour church service with most of the preaching and singing at the level of all-out shouting!), we can be confident that every day will bring something new and worth pondering!!

Progress

Is progress possible in a place like Nigeria? That is what we often wonder.

Prejudice. You know it's happening when you start to make generalizations about a people group. Well, I'm finding myself saying "they" more and more -- I really hate it and try to avoid it, but there are definite patterns of behavior in the Nigerian population.

Take corruption -- it so permeates every level of society that people expect to be cheated. They lie because they're sure the other guy is lying to them. I witness it every day on the camp. For instance, a guy who works in the facilities department who openly professes to be a serious christian told a flat-out lie to a new resident. I was standing there and knew the truth. You see, he said that they were getting her phone line installed that afternoon. But I had already gotten involved with the IT people because there weren't any phone lines available and we were coming up with an alternative. This guy knew nothing about that because, honestly, we didn't include him in the situation because he's so worthless -- nothing he touches ever gets done. I was working on it while he just made promises and had done nothing. I said nothing. But, the new resident knew the truth, too, so now she already doubts anything a Nigerian says to her -- and she's only been here a week!! They make promises that they have no intention of fulfilling.

Take the trashy conditions. Maintenance is a foreign concept. So, buildings that are only 6 months old look like they've been around for 60 years. On this one, though, we have some hope. Here in Abuja, where we are right now (I'm writing from our hotel room) -- there are nicely designed buildings, fresh paint, repaired streets, ... and -- this one I can't stop talking about -- there's no trash on the roadsides. None. Other than in the camp, everywhere else we've been you can't walk without stepping on muddy trash -- food, papers, plastic, human waste, ...

But here in Abuja -- wow, the edges of the roads are clean and there's green beauty everywhere!!! OK, there are reasons the city looks so good -- and that relates back to corruption, unfortunately. It's the country 's capital, built out of nowhere in the 70s. (It took about twenty years to move the capital here, but the buildings didn't decay in the meantime.) The Federal gov't just pushed all of the villages in the area out and built a well-planned city. Any dignitaries from other parts of the world who visit Nigeria stay in Abuja. The oh-so-corrupt government has a lot of money to make things look "westernized" and they use every naira!! The hotel we're in is as nice as most we've stayed in in Paris or anywhere. It was built in the 70s but, hey, retro is in -- so the big mirrors, orange walls, square bathrooms fixtures, ... way cool!
Anyway, visitors to Abuja are quite impressed with the progress of the nation. Unfortunately, it's not the nation ...

Which leads to another issue here -- image. Everyone is about making good impressions, being in the know, being able to "out fox" others, etc. Twice while Jeri's been in the car with me, Prince has had trouble with the police. One time, they were just harrassing him, hoping to get a dash (money given to those who deserve nothing but are driving you crazy by either begging in your face or harassing you, if they have the power to do so). They tried to take air out of a tire while talking with him so that we wouldn't be able to leave. He outsmarted them and kept up the image that he was not afraid of them, he was in control, they shouldn't mess with him. In reality he was scared out of his wits -- but because image is everything he wouldn't even admit it to Jeri and me. The second incident, he really did violate a traffic law but because no one really expects to have to obey the laws (another issue here!) he didn't really see it as disobeying. So, he fought the police over that one, too. Acted really brave. Even boldly handed them his driver's license. Jeri and I were afraid they wouldn't give it back to him and then we didn't know what we'd do. But, as it turns out, what he gave them was only a copy that was laminated to look real. He keeps his real license hidden away because he doesn't want to hassle with replacing it when the police take it and keep it.

I could go on and on ...

So, is the problem with failed attempts to make progress a problem of low expectations? ("No one can do anything so why try?") Is it about personal comfort? ("This works for me so why fuss?") Is it a matter of tribalism? ("MY people are fine, the problem is with THOSE people!") I don't really know. But, I'm telling you -- sometimes it drives us NUTS!!!!!

I just read an interesting comment in a book about Nigeria -- the writer, a Nigerian, was talking about all of the contradictions -- what we would call oxymorons. He mentioned "civil service" and said that those folks are uncivil and don't provide any service. Mmmm ... I felt validated with this and many other comments he made until I realized he'd written the book in 1966. Grrrrrr ... 40 years ... so much for progress!!!!

But, we're finding out good ways to experience the best of Nigeria -- we will be going to a village, with escorts of course -- so much for "low profile!!" That has great potential. And I'm starting to work on some excursions for the residents -- day trips to watch weavers at work, weekend trips to a beach, day trips to a game reserve, ... I'm convinced that a lot of the problems on the camp could be resolved with a different perspective. So, I think getting out to see great places in the country will help. And then, the other approach is charity work. We're working on getting some things lined up for fall for volunteering in some schools. Some of the griping among the gals is just due to boredom. And we would realize how good we have it if we saw how the average Nigerian lives.

Getting out of the camp helps break the boredom but the other negatives outside the walls are too high a price to pay for some of the gals so they never go out. A downward spiral. One gal is manic depressive, to boot! One gal has been "grounded" by her husband and can't leave the house for an indefinite length of time. One gal was in tears because of the criticism she was getting from the other gals. Many leave on holidays, soon. That will help everyone, I think!!!!

But, all in all, I still really love this place. It helps to laugh at it and not take it too seriously. And it helps if I have no expectations for anything, anyone, any plans, etc. I know, some of you are laughing at that thought!! Because, you know, that has always been a great struggle for me -- the goal setting/expect-perfection person that I am! So, it's ok to laugh. I think God is laughing, too. He is a gentle but persistent teacher!!!! Maybe He wants progress in me and not in my circumstances!!! :-)

Various Things

I have a few moments for another quick visit to my blog site.

Jeri's here in Nigeria -- happy days for sure! She's really loving Nigeria. Shopping, bargaining, being shouted at -- "my friend, buy from me; aunty, come here; oghibo, oghibo," -- it's all part of the experience.










Jim and I had some good times in Lagos a couple of days before Jeri arrived -- a real movie theatre with almost theatre-like popcorn, a mall -- a real one!! With Jeri we visited a real TexMex restaurant and she had the best-ever quesadillas of her whole life!! I'll post some photos here, if I can, and I'll add some more later. Most shots are from a great beach spot that's owned by a couple of guys Jim works with. News that the white folks had arrived traveled faster than email and for the whole day we had vendors at the fence between the "house" and water.











I'm starting to see some major progress with some of the situations on camp. God is constantly renewing my strength and straightening out my attitude!

Jeri and I will be visiting Abuja soon -- Jim's there now for meetings. And then we'll visit a village, but not Prince's village. Such a bummer -- security would not approve a trip there due to some local skirmishes that probably are no threat but also are not worth the risk. We probably can't even go there for his wedding -- that's a huge disappointment for all of us.

Well, off to enjoy the sunshine and rain -- both occur regularly these days!

Humanity vs. Hermitity

I am beginning to realize why some people choose the life of a hermit over living amongst humanity. No, I haven't chosen that -- but I can see the appeal! Some folks on the camp do, really, hide out in their homes and only come out to go to the office.

Think of the top 10 most difficult people you've ever worked with/for. You've got them? Multiply that by 5. Now throw in about 50 folks you would call "tough" to work with. That's 100. Now think of someone you call "friend" but you've never fully trusted. Multiply that person by 60. We're at 160, right? So, toss in about 20 quiet folks who never get involved. Now. Put all of those people in the area of 4 football fields. Fill the place with houses. Move those folks around the place -- eating together in the clubhouse, swimming, playing tennis, ... you get the picture. Give all of the men and a few women REALLY difficult work situations, long hours, conflict, impossible expectations, ... Now, put that place inside walls with barbed wire and armed security guys at double gates. Give some of them cars and drivers (I'm still soooooooo thankful we have that benefit!) but restrict where they can go and when. Put them in houses they hate with broken equipment and missing "necessities." Make sure they don't get their requests for things for at least 2 months (that's how long it took to get a new mattress for the bed our daughter will use when she visits next week -- yippee, Jeri's arriving soon!) Now, create a Tower-of-Babel-kind-of language mix. Change the mix into people from every continent. Change 50 of them to children of all ages under 12. Are you getting the picture? Just in case you're not, go back to that group of difficult people we started with. Imagine working with them everyday, seven days a week, and then eating lunch and dinner with them every night ... Enough said.

So, it seems that I disappeared for awhile. 2 reasons -- no time to blog and whenever I did have time the server was down. But I'm not choosing the life of hermitity (sounds like a good word, to me!) -- actually, I'm still really loving it here. Yes, it's a challenge but there's no perfect continent and no perfect culture. And I really love the variety and the "I never know what's going to happen next" life that I'm living. I've never enjoyed routine, you know!

It will be impossible to catch you up on every crazy experience of the past 2 weeks of camp life so a list of descriptors will have to suffice: racial wars, shouting (at me), crying (me), accusations (toward our new team), apologies (from the new team), laughter, decorating, parties, golf tournament, menu planning, late night computer work, meetings, more meetings, new policy making, constructing new flow charts, writing proposals, creating budgets, problem solving, arbitrating, negotiating, bargaining, cheerleading, translating, English lessons, cultural studies, communication skills trainings, pastoring, praying, ... It's been quite a steep learning curve. My role is a bit like the camp mom, counselor, arbitrator, and advocate.

I did an activity with our new team -- using a map we "traveled" to each culture and each woman explained their social/interpersonal traditions and the ways conflict is handled in their homeland. Fascinating. It was exciting when the Egyptian gal said she really wanted me to teach them communication skills and conflict resolution because she admitted that her tradition is just to holler. And the sweet and oh-so-quiet Indonesian gal said that she wanted to learn to be more bold in speaking out. The bummer was that the Nigerian gals, who caused all of the mess in the first place, never admitted that they have a problem with communication and they simply defended the way it's done in Nigerian. Definitely room to grow there!! (Here, conflict is resolved by shouting, hitting, beating, sending a curse upon someone, poisoning, ... I won't go any further than that! My driver warned me not to leave my glass unattended in our meetings because he's confident that the Nigerian gals would poison me. Truly. But I think that's a bit extreme and I'm certain that he's just watched too much Nigerian TV.)

Lest you think everything is bad with the residents, please know that I have great hope. The forward momentum on the camp is fantastic. The general unity is improving steadily. The new team is almost completely unified behind me -- their support and encouragement has been amazing.

Things are starting to happen in the way of improvements; that always helps people's moods to improve. My cell phone is by my side as I type because an "I'm on my way" call should come in any moment. That will mean that the new 70" plasma TV will be arriving at the gate and then I'll gather all of the camp technicians at the clubhouse to get trained on the operation of the thing. It's supposed to be here before 11 a.m. -- that means maybe before 4 pm. Our World Cup party begins at 4:30 -- a bit tight on the scheduling, but as they say here, "this is Nigeria!" The clubhouse looks fantastic -- football jerseys, flags, footballs, ribbons all over the place.

Jim's in Lagos for a week. I'll be joining him tomorrow. He doesn't experience all of the "stuff" of the camp because he works so much but he hears about it -- from me, of course, and from others. Word travels fast around this place. Jim's been a fantastic support through this leadership transition time I'm experiencing. We both know that this is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing.

Other quick stuff -- Lucy and Prince are fine. Prince and Glory (his fiance') are hoping to get married at the end of August, just after we get back here from Brad and Karissa's wedding in Alaska. By the way, I'm working on getting mailing addresses for those of you that know Brad -- it would be a huge help if you could email yours to me because he's needing to mail out invitations/announcements soon! The teaching I did last week at the MTFellowship was very well received. I was tough on them -- challenging them that most Nigerians in the region go to church a few times a week and proudly call themselves Christians -- names of shops are Christian names -- God's Power, Redemption Center, Grace Store, ... but corruption is a part of life here -- lying, cheating, etc. So, the challenge was --are you different, now, than you were last month because God's Spirit is changing you from the inside out? Are you more loving, more hard working, more trust worthy, ... Stop trying to look holy and start surrending so that God will make you be holy.

Oh, ya! I've been strengthening my neck at the gym so that I can start golf. Welllllll, Jim won a new set, a complete set, of golf clubs at the drawings after the golf tournament. Of course they don't fit Jim, so ... yep, I'm smiling!!!

OK, gotta run. Still no call from the TV guy. Gotta call him. I know his answer to "where are you?" will be "I'm coming, Maam." But that could mean that's he's just waking up, just getting to work, ... pretty much anything! So, I'll have to give him a deadline of one hour and then we'll see. Sometimes it takes one hour to go 2 kms due to the traffic craziness.

I'm telling you -- I love this place!

Celebration Time!

It's happy days around here! Well, at least for me if not for Jim. Jim's still swamped with work and rather overwhelmed. He's meeting with a client this morning -- a Saturday, even!!

I'm celebrating because we had our first meeting with the new team of leaders for the women and there was a lot ... truly, a huge amount ... of progress. We turned a corner away from the negativity and gossip and really began to move toward unity. It's a stretch to lead such a culturally diverse group -- the language barriers are the toughest part. Fortunately, the only other woman who's native language is English is on the team. But (and she's just like me) when I really get on a role, I talk WAY TOO FAST. So, yesterday, because I was excited about getting moving forward and we had so much to do in two hours --- well, I had a gal signal me everytime I was speeding. Unfortunately, anything above a crawl is speeding!!

Imagine trying to explain synergy to women who don't speak much English!! But it worked -- math, a universal language, helped on that one!! When we worked on our cultural norms/core values, a foreign concept to them but one they appreciated very quickly, I was so thrilled! Right away words like trust, mutual support, communication, respect, ... were mentioned. Over-all, I was very pleased!! The only bummer was the varying cultural understandings of "time." Even after saying to each one, personally, that it was very important to arrive at my house at 9 a.m. because we had to end at 11 a.m. -- we had 2 women arrive at 10:30, without apologies!! (And that was even after Lucy called them at 9:30 to tell them that her Madame had a meeting going that they were missing.) "Time" was actually the first word mentioned for our norms but I listed it second so as not to blatantly offend the late arrivers. Time -- definitely something that gets a "needs to improve" on the report card. Oh well, we just keep smiling!!!

Another cause for celebration is ... (insert drum role sounds) ... OUR SHIPMENT ARRIVED!!!!! It had been delayed so many times that I had to take some serious action. So, on Wednesday I called the woman in charge and said, "I have been very patient, yes?" She said, "Yes, Madame." I said, "OK, I am now done being patient. I am now angry. You confirm that the shipment will be arriving and then you don't even let me know when the plan changes. I have changed my schedule for too many days. This is the end." I don't know if that helped but we did get the shipment the next day!!! And when the men from the port called Thursday to say that they were delayed and that it might be too late to leave the port soon I said, "no, it will never be too late. You said it would be delivered today and it must be delivered today. We will be ready for you anytime of the night. Please call when you are leaving the port." They called at 5:15. It should take, even with traffic, one hour. They arrived at 8:15. I didn't ask questions. I just cheered and clapped and shook a lot of hands and said, "THANK YOU!!!!!" And, nothing had been stolen by the customs guys and nothing was broken!! Pretty incredible!!! So, it took 2 1/2 months to get across an ocean and almost 2 months to get across a city. As they say here, "This is Nigeria."

Because I had the women coming the next morning, I wanted to have every thing put away or at least placed in the right room upstairs. Lucy insisted on staying late to help me because she was almost as excited as I was!! Jim and Moses helped down load the boxes and then Jim had to work in the office and Moses had to get to his church sooooooo Lucy and I worked liked crazy women for two hours. By 10:15 we had everything in the main part of the house taken care of and everything else distributed. Lucy was squeeling with delight with everything she pulled out!! We now have shampoo to last three years, candles to supply the entire camp if we had some emergency, books that I fear I may never have time to read, and yarn for about 20 projects!!! And, of course, I have some of my lovely tea pots and cups and saucers. It's strange how secure I now feel with my "stuff" surrounding me!!!!! Nothing necessary, but lots of things that bring joy!

The Bible Class will be here in a few hours. I will end it at 3 p.m., even if they don't get here until then!!! It'll be an adventure, for sure!

The Mango Tree Fellowship was terrific, as always. I was the only woman in a group of about 20-25 guys. Somehow, that's got to change. I was asked to teach next week. Lucy said she'd be there. Please pray as I need to speak in a way that they will understand!!!!

OK, I'm off to polish my silver -- yes, I did ship just a little bit of lovely antique silverware. Celebration time!!

Geneva

To enlarge any photo, simply click on it!

Don't Know Where to Start!

I need to load some more photos, yet. I still haven't shown you any of the Geneva shots. But, I'll do that after I post some thoughts. I really don't know where to start because so much seems to be happening!!!!

Church -- well, we've decided to continue attending Dayspring for now. We had a great experience on Sunday. The worship was great, the people were friendly, but we especially loved the message. It was one of the most practical we've ever heard in our lives. The pastor preached from the passage in Acts 8 where Phillip was prepared to share the good news about Jesus with the Ethiopian eunich. It was a great message, not a "you should" approach like we'd heard so many times before but more of a "this is our privilege and calling; what a joy!!" approach. And then ... get this ... he sent us out in the area -- assigning various sections of the church of about 1500 of us to different roads or sections. We had 1/2 hour to share the good news of Jesus with others and then come back. Prince and Jim and I went out but we were late because the pastor wanted to visit for a bit before we left -- so -- everywhere we met people, others had been before us. It was still great, though. I know, it would be offensive in America ... it was hard for us to even consider at first ... but in Nigeria this approach was well received. When we got back, we had a great time of worship and then some people shared stories of what had happened. Many people who had been approached in the streets came back to the rest of the service, even. And some made serious choices to become followers of Jesus. Way cool!!!!!

Jim's job -- he's more busy than ever but because his office is so close to the house I get to see him very often for lunch and then we have a late dinner and relax. Tonight Jim and Prince are watching the first DVD of The Lord of the Rings. Interesting experience for Prince. Very different from anything he's ever seen. He's not familiar with the genre called "Fantasy" so he's always asking Jim, "how could that happen, Master?"

Prince's book -- not progressing very swiftly. We tried to work on it twice today but had people stop in and were unable to move forward. If only I could record his regular chatting because he's always launching into another story when I don't have my laptop handy.

Christian, the vegie guy -- I haven't said much about him of late. I've been very frustrated with him for many weeks. He lies easily and isn't very sensible about his business in general. He has lost most of his customers on the camp. Prince has tried to talk with him, to give him some advice. That hasn't worked well. So, today Christian and I had a long visit. I'm trying to get him to find work outside the camp. He's not even making any profit. Today he made -N200. That's about minus $1.40. That's a lot of loss, actually. So, I talked from every angle I could, trying to get him to comprehend some basics of business sense. He tried hard to grasp it. Then we prayed. He's such a dear but he's really in bondage and he's very simple minded. Now, in my new role as women's leader on the camp, it will fall to me to "sack" him, I fear. So, I'm trying to get him to find another job before he's lost this one. Dear guy.

My new role -- I still welcome all prayer support you have for me!! Some of these gals can get pretty nasty. Too much time on their hands, I fear. But I'm sooooooooo loving the support I have from all of the workers. They say that they have been praying for a very long time that God would send someone to help make this place a better, more positive, place to work. They see me as an answer to that prayer. Whenever they tell me that, I just beg them to keep praying!!! There's such amazing potential in this place -- consider all of the combined backgrounds, cultures, skills, training, ... phenomenal, really!! So, I trust that we can begin to have a sense of unity and cooperation.

Bible Study -- has been on hold with each of us traveling. We'll resume next Monday evening. Great potential, still.

Children's Bible Class -- we finally start this Saturday. There's a lot of interest, for sure. The multi-cultural aspects make the multi-age aspects seem simple!!!! I bought a couple of Children's Bibles in Geneva and a few little goodies to enhance the classes. I'm really looking forward to getting going with this!!!

Shipment -- well, yesterday it was confirmed that we would get it today. Now it's confirmed for tomorrow. I think that word needs to always appear in quotation marks when said in this place. As in "tomorrow" -- the answer to every WHEN question. Prince's answer to every WHY question is "Zed" as in XYZ!!! He says that this is the best answer to "why" in Nigeria because there never really is a true reason!!!!

The problem with not knowing where to start is that it means I also don't know how to stop!!!!

I'll stop now, post this, and then try to post some more photos.

More Antibes and Vicinity

Here Come Some Photos

Antibes, between Cannes and Nice. Quite the place. Originally Greek, before the time of Christ. Narrow cobbled streets. Clear water. More to come in another post.
























Paris shots. More to come soon!

The Beginnings of an Update

So, you can tell that I wasn't able to gain access to the internet in Antibes as easily as hoped. However, the place was incredible!! A highly recommended vacation stop and stay!! I will write more tomorrow. For now, I'll just say that we are safely back in Nigeria and quite happy to be back in our home and with our routines. Our time in the Mediteranean region was fantastic -- resting and sunbathing, walking and walking, shopping and eating, eating and shopping, and more walking and walking. I plan to load photos beginning tomorrow. Oh, my goodness ... photo ops abounding!

Jim was never fully able to take a break from work but it still felt like a vacation for him. So, we returned rested and ready to jump in again to life here in Nigeria. While we were gone there was an election on the camp and I am now the new coordinator for the wives on the camp and actually all employee wives in this area. The responsibilities of this position hit me fully upon return with nonstop discussions with women who are disgruntled, angry, frustrated, disturbed, ... The needs are huge, to say the least!! Please pray that God will grant me the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the boldness of Esther and the communication skills of Paul!! Grace and truth must reign as this is a tough situation with many small cliques, some racial issues and discrimination one race against another in a setting with about 25 nationalities represented, huge cultural misunderstandings, selfishness, distrust, and unrest. We will be transitioning leadership teams in the next month. The new team has great potential. I have great hope and great concerns. I must remain friendly to all but not be close friends with anyone -- neutrality is crucial.

Tomorrow, we head back to a church we visited one other time. We really are getting ready to plant our feet in a church home. Speaking of churches --- what a great experience we had at Hillsong Paris -- a church plant from Hillsong Australia (the original) and Hillsong London. Imagine 300ish 20-somethings packed into a rented space totally celebrating Jesus!!! It's a fairly new church and already has 2 services. Pretty amazing for such a secular country. What an impact in the area!!!! Awesome worship, awesome preaching and the best interpreter we've ever heard. The speakers spoke English and this amazing gal walked along with them, gesturing, filled with life, translating everything into French. She not only translated the words, she did an amazing job translating the MEANING and HEART of each thought. Wow! I'm sure the world will hear more about this incredible ministry in this amazing city. What a privilege to be a part of it. God is so ... well, .... He's so very BIG!