a weekend in Jos

home depot/lowes^^^

having arrived on thursday night in Abuja and Jos on Friday morning, i was assigned "rest" for the first few days. this allowed me the chance to explore jos, talk to the missionaries, eat w/ them (they say hi erin), visit church and even attend a basketball game. i'm in the honeymoon stage right now. this means everything is perfect and peachy...supposively the same way when people get married. after the honeymoon stage ends(probably in a few months), reality sets in and it's time to deal with the fact that you're here and not going anywhere for a long time. after that stage ends(by God's grace) then comes the "it's not so bad here after all" stage. this, i'm yet to see...stay in tune.

friday, saturday and sunday were opportunities to explore. today(monday) i started orientation.

saturday i explored the market and met some nationals. the Nigerians are wonderful and friendly people. they make up 1/4 of Africa's population and they have the capability to lead all of Africa (economically, politically, socially, and SPIRITUALLY). i'm yet to learn a lot about this in a "hands on" type of way but from what i have observed and what i hear, Nigeria has golden potential. there is a lot of corruption here, but i don't want to write a lot about this because it's not safe to do so. just know that they need the love of Christ in their hearts and lives or else they will continue to be a corrupt nation.

yesterday i went to a professional basketball game(for free) to see a friend of one of the missionaries play. maybe you can tell by the look of the pictures, their facilities were next to pathetic.

the highlite of the day was visiting an African church. i had a wonderful time hearing the Word of God preached from a man that was formally in the muslim faith. the African songs and worship was interesting, the sights, smells, and sounds were all together intriguing. reality set in yesterday...I'M IN AFRICA!

the rest of this week will be orientation to SIM/ECWA, the culture, and city ministries. later on this week i'll finally visit the boys in Gidan Bege and Gyero.

Pleasy pray that God will lead me into an area of ministry here. there are so many needs here in Nigeria.

pray also that i will be able to learn the Hausa language.

pray also for my transition into this country and culture.

i hope these pictures will whet your appetite.

yauwa, sai anjima---okay, see you later

welcome to Nigeria

i'm here! i arrived safely on Thursday evening in Abuja Nigeria. i made it through customs fine and found my driver(Danjuma) to take me to the ECWA guest house(more on ECWA[Evangelical Church of West Africa] later). God has been so faithful in every step of the way.


for starters, my visa came in on time and i was able to leave as planned. when i left for the airport on wednesday, i stopped by the SIM HQ's to pick up my tickets, visa and immigration papers and had no problems at all during travel

at the airport the ticketing personnel did not even touch my boxes. the lady said "put them on the belt and i'll put a sticker on them so they arrive in Nigeria"(hopefully). i did as they wished, said good bye to Bryan and was on my way.

my first flight took me to Boston and then to Frankfurt over night. i sat beside a 16yr. old German girl named Valerie(just like my lil' sister!). she was very helpful in Frankfurt finding my way to my connecting flight to Abuja. i took off from Frankfurt at 12 and flew over Malta, the Sahara desert and Nigeria before i arrived in Abuja at 8 pm on time.

the sahara desert>>>

the next morning i was driven to my new home in Jos in where i'll live in the challenge apartments. i've attached some pictures of my new apartment. notice how short everything is and don't forget i'm tall. not a good combination...but i'm thankful.


last night i slept 10 hrs which is pretty good for someone who is supposed to be having major jet lag. i'm still experiencing some jet lag but God has been faithful to give me adequate rest.


so, now i'm here. i finally found internet and i hope this is of some help for you all.
some observations so far are:
-drving here is crazy
-the lizards are 12 inches long(my dog would have loved them)
-the driving here is really bad
-when it rains...it pours!
-the driving here is horrible
-the people are very friendly and warm hearted
-the driving here is atrocious
-Nigeria reminds me of Papua New Guinea
-the drivers here are insane
-there are no walmarts
and heinz ketchup is $9.36 US


well, i hope this gives you a good look into Nigeria. did i mention the driving here is horrendous?

in the weeks to come i'll write more about the real reason i came to Nigeria: namely Children's ministries



stay in touch,
joseph

last days before Nigeria

i'm getting better at this "blog" thing. this post should tell you a little about my last month here in the states. i'm at my desk right now, tuesday June 24th and i'm supposed to leave tomorrow at 4:15 pm. the problem i'm facing is somewhat severe...I HAVE NO VISA!...that's right, i do not have my visa as of tuesday morning. i can't seem to get any answers other than it may be shipped tonight and received tomorrow morning. as of right now, it is on a desk in washington d.c. please pray that it will come in tomorrow. "not my will but Thy will de done".

this last month has been refreshing and stressful. trying to say goodbye to everyone while i'm trying to pack my bags has been difficult. it's easy to get to caught up in the work of the Lord that you forget the Lord of the work. i'm trying to get my priorities straight. if i don't start my day out in the word of God, i've already failed.

i'm trying to maintain a good attitude as i prepare to leave. moving is difficult, moving to another country is even more difficult, moving to a third world country is very difficult. i coulduse some patience as i prepare to cross the pond and live in Nigeria for two years.

one of my concerns while gone was "will people forget about me? will they forget to pray and write? will they even be interested int he work the Lord is doing in NIgeria?" this concern was met with much encouragement...

on june 20th my church had a going away party for me at the Stelzl's house. i had a great time playing with the kids and saying goodbye to all of my church family. the highlight, besides the "chocolate deliciousness" was the prayer at the end. all of the men laid hans on me and prayed for me. they prayed for all sorts of things as they were led by the Holy Spirit. they prayed for wisdom, patience, my visa, encouragment, support, peace and for companionship. a friend of mine took pictures during the prayer and we could'nt believe what she captured in the photo. look below at the picture of them praying for me. what do you see in the sky?

i see a cross.

God seems to show up in the most unique ways. coincidence you say. maybe. however, given the circumstance at hand and the heart that needed it, i can't help but glorify God for the wonderful work He did on that cross 2,000 years ago.