Some thoughts...

Dear friends and family...

HELLO. Sorry for the delay in my personal blog posts!

Oh my... where even to begin? There is SO much to share. I could spend hours going into detail about wonderful evenings at Nigerian's homes, the amazing time we've had with missionary kids here, and the many many ministries we have visited, but for this post I want to focus on more big idea topics...

Relationships, relationships, relationships - Think about this: when you walk into a party or gathering, do you greet every single person there? Do you smile or say "hi" to a stranger you pass on the sidewalk? Would you ever risk being late to a meeting or scheduled event because you were in the middle of a conversation? I know that most of us would answer "no" to all of these questions. I would. But why? And why would a Nigerian respond "yes?" Because Americans see through different cultural lens than Nigerians do. To Nigerians, relationships are EVERYTHING. When you enter a room, you greet every single person there. You ask about their parents. You ask about their children. You show your care and concern. When you pass people on the street, you often smile and say "Sanu! Yaya gajeuh!" If you're in the middle of a conversation with someone, then that conversation trumps most all other needs. You will stop any work to sit down and talk with someone. You will be late to church or a meeting because you were conversing.

In Nigeria, it's never about what you know, it's WHO you know. I know of a missionary who was guaranteed protection by the head of police's personal guards any time he needed it just because this missionary offered to buy this chief a new pair of shoes in America. If you invest in relationship, Nigerians will show you how highly they value that relationship. At the ministry where I am serving, I spent an hour or two talking to some young women who live nearby. Because I showed them that I was interested from the start, they in turn prioritize our friendship. They make an effort to stop by the ministry every day to visit, often bringing new delicious Nigerian dishes for us to taste. They love giving of their own resources, like giving me jewelry or food, to show how important I am to them.

The elevation of relationships in the Nigerian culture has taught me so much. Often, my life is structured around meetings and adhering strictly to my planner. I will tell a friend who really needs to talk that I can only spend two hours with them. I will rush to accomplish all of goals for the day, barely stopping to chat with my housemates. I will turn down a dinner invitation from my dear neighbor Anna (an extremely talkative 14 year old) because I have too many other things to do. My schedule is often more important to me than forming relationships. Now, I am not saying that it is bad to leave a conversation to go do something you need to do.     And I am not saying that you arrive late to all appointments and fail to work diligently and efficiently because you spend all your time developing relationships.

But I am asking you to sit back and think about how you use your time. Is the busyness of life keeping you back from pouring selflessly into others? Does the priority of your planner trump the richness of true fellowship? Are you too rushed to stop for two minutes ask someone how they are really doing? In America, the values of hard work, diligence, and efficiency often overrule the values of otherminded-ness and friendships. I am asking you, how should our cultural values be arranged in our lives? When should the value of relationships surpass the value of productivity? And when should the value of productivity surpass the value of relationships? Maybe we need to rethink how use our time and how we arrange our priorities.

Teaching... /preaching-but-NOT-IN-CHURCH - I have had a really incredible experience teaching while here in Nigeria. There is something about speaking to large groups of people that I just really love. Before I share about my opportunities to teach here in Nigeria, let me share with you a story from this past summer. It was during the month of July, and I was in Nicaragua for the month for a missions trip. One day, our team was doing an outreach in a neighborhood. We began a game of soccer and dozens of people flooded in from the community to catch a glimpse of the "cheles." Needless to say, our white skin did wonders for that outreach ministry. During each break from the intense soccer game, a member from our team would share their testimony. It was during this outreach that I felt moved by the Spirit like I never have before. I felt so compelled to stand up on a platform and share a powerful Gospel message. I began to see the message forming out of no where in my mind... I would speak on the transiency of life, urging my audience to look at the dead leaves on the ground and consider the fleetingness of their own lives. I felt so impelled by the Spirit to speak passionately about Christ and the abundant life found in Him. But I did not. Fear overtook me and I rejected the clear leading of the Spirit. I am so ashamed that my flesh ruled in the situation and I didn't share the Gospel (Romans 1:16...).

I vowed from the point onward that if I ever felt the Spirit leading like that, even if that meant sharing in front of hundreds of people, that I would not ignore His prompting. And I felt that prompting again when we have visited the brothels and prison here. And even in the midst of my fear and nervousness, the Spirit empowered me to share strong, passionate Gospel messages. I have never felt so filled with Spirit and so in my element. I just loved it. I loved looking each of those prisoners and prostitutes directly in the eye and declaring boldly to them the glorious Gospel. Oh how it livened my soul and brought joy to my heart!

I have also had the opportunity to teach 10-14 year old boys every day. These boys are brought in from off the streets and are given the chance to be educated, housed, fed, and taught about the LORD. Every day for two hours, I teach this group of 6 boys math for two hours. I have absolutely LOVED joking around and bonding with these boys, as well as watching their excitement and wide eyes as they compete to finish the problems before the others. They are so eager to learn... "Auntie Auntie! Give me anoda problem! I solve dis one... I want anoda!"  I feel so motherly to them. I never ever thought of teaching... but I have just so cherished it.



Well... I wanted to have three different points, but I am just too exhausted. Being here has put me on a great sleeping schedule of waking up around 5-6  and going to bed around 9-10. That's why I am extremely tired at only 10:13 PM! Thank you for taking the time to read this. It means so much to me. Please comment!

Prayer requests:
 -That our team will encourage and bless all those we come across in these last three days
 - That the Father will teach us some more deep and sweet lessons before we leave
 - That we will be prepared to enter back into life in Spokane. That the LORD will bring confidence and a fresh perspective as we return.
 - That the LORD will use this incredible experience to change us for the rest of our lives. That we will apply what we have learned and live in a new manner of life.

Thank you thank you thank you! So much love to you all. Please pray. Hopefully see you all soon!