Another Overdue Post

I've apparently been a tad bit lazy in my blogging over the past week, so I'll try to keep this brief while updating what's been going on as much as possible.

Our big task this week was teaching school at the CLAPAI house. I was in charge of Math class and taught Pre-K through 3rd graders. The first day was insanely frustrating. We seemed a bit out of place and the kids were simultaneously further ahead and further behind than we imagined. Joe (one of the other interns) and I created a math assessment sheet to figure out where they were at in their education. Well, the amazing thing was that the first graders were learning division, the sad thing was that they had nothing memorized and relied on tally-mark counting for every single problem.

After that day, we took some time to revamp our lesson plans and decided they would be much better served if we focused on memorizing certain math. By the end of the week, I think we were able to accomplish a lot. The third graders had memorized their 2 times table, 2nd grade knew about fractions of a whole, and the first graders knew how to count using the number line instead of tally marks. I was really proud of them and all they learned throughout our time there.

On Tuesday, we took the CLAPAI kids on a field trip to the library - which they loved!

Afterwards, we took off for Kissayip A, a much larger section of the Village than what we distributed food to the other week. We met up with the Chairman of Village B, who went with us to explore the “new” territory. Very few B2B people have been their before. On our way to meet up with Ibro to drop off our passports for renewal, we happened to see the Chief of the village, who then decided he wanted to meet with us. Chris debriefed us in the car about proper etiquette when around the chief, including don’t make eye contact, don’t speak unless spoken to, and bow if you are acknowledged.

I must admit, I was a bit frightened. Well, everything turned out just fine. He invited us into his home, shook all our hands and had a great, lighthearted conversation with us, letting us know how glad he is that we are here. It was fun and encouraging.

When we left his house, it was out to the village. We were met by plenty of eager kids. Among our activities included an American vs. Nigerian soccer (football) game, bubbles (total hit!), nail painting with the girls, and handing out lollipops. It was a ton of fun. They are amazing at soccer! I did my best …

Wednesday, we were able to go back to OLA (the orphanage that is also at a hospital). It was fun to see the kids again, but also very sad. It's really hard to see kids struggling with the basics such as clothing - some of them don't even have clothes that fit, let alone clothes that are the proper gender.

There were 2 kids there that really stood out to me. First was Clay. He was in a crib when I met him; I thought he was about 2 years old. It was evident that he had a developmental disorder, but I wasn't sure what. Upon asking about him, I learned that he is seven years old! All I could think was about how his life could have been different if he had been born in the US. It was just so sad to see…

The second child was still an infant. She was about 4 months old. Her mother didn’t want her and threw her in a gutter after she was born. Luckily, she was found by a man and taken to the orphanage. Sadly though, she is covered in scars from the abuse, and it is simply heart wrenching.

Thursday after teaching, we took a trip out to the future B2B campus and hiked up one of the mountains. Upon reaching the top, Mark (another one of the interns) led us in some amazing worship time. It was absolutely beautiful! Afterwards, we spent some time in prayer – it was just so peaceful and refreshing, just what my spirit needed. It’s hard for me to think that moments like that aren’t going to happen weekly when I go home….

Friday was spent finishing out our week of teaching and spending a relaxing afternoon at the pool. Unlike what you may think, we are all very pale. Because of the culture, very little of our skin actually sees the sun on a daily basis.

That brings us up to today. Today was our day off, so 4 of the interns decided to tag along with the Gucks to go back to Sherry Hills to tackle the mountain we couldn’t quite reach the top of. It was one of the most amazing outdoors experiences of my life. We had to crawl through caves, jump from rock to rock, shimmy through narrow passages, hoist and pull each other up, and guide and support each other down. We were threatened by birds, saw a few mountain goats, avoided insane amounts of monkey poo, and found a dead warthog. It was quite the adventure. We did, in fact, get all 9 of us to the top and were very proud of our accomplishment.

So now, I’m left reflecting, apologizing for such a long post, but really glad I got to write everything down. It’s so hard to think that there’s only a week left for me here – it would have been incredible to stay for the whole summer.

I do miss you all, and once again, really appreciate the support and emails – they keep me feeling connected.

The Market, Safari, and Teaching Prep

06/22/09

Sorry for the lack of posts lately … I’ve spent the last week not feeling too great and we haven’t had the most consistent electricity.

Here are a few highlights; I’ll try to post a little more later:

6-15-09

Today was one of those days that I had to stand back and say, “Wow. I’m totally in Africa.” Our big adventure was going to the market to buy groceries. Now, yes, typically, grocery runs in the US requires you to traverse the aisles and can be relatively short. Well, Termino, is a whole other story.

We started off by circling the market several times merely looking for a parking space. Once we found it, we ventured into the market. Now, the market is outside, crowded, and it had just rained. Being in flip flops, not only were my feet all the way up to my ankles covered in mud (at least, I hope it was just mud), but the back of my skirt and shirt were covered as well.

After being yelled at in various languages for going the wrong way and blocking traffic flow, we found a spot to divide up into teams to go look for the items on our list. I ended up with Joe, Corrie, and Tina while Angela took Sara, Mark, and Stephanie to go look for vegetables. Amazingly enough, we found most of the stuff we needed at the first “store” we stopped at. Now, these stores are literal holes in the wall. The shops are made out of tin and wood and appear as though they will collapse at any second. After bargaining for the things we wanted, we settled on a price and told the man we would be back later to pick it up.

As we walked further down the “street” we realized we probably wouldn’t be able to find the rest of the stuff we needed there. Well, someone (no names will be mentioned) said that if we took a certain alley, it would take us one street over. Well, little did we know that the “alley” was really a dead end. As soon as the four of us walked in and realized this, we heard the door slam behind us, followed closely by uproarious laughter. Finally, someone took pity on us and opened the door. We walked out, of course, ignoring the fact that we had just been laughed at and were the only white people within eye shot. I think we played it off well …. Ha ha

At this point, we decided we were done, hired a boy with a wheelbarrow to haul our stuff to the car, and played chicken with traffic on the way back. It was quite the exhausting and adventurous African experience.

6-17-09

Today, we were up before the sun. At 5:30am, we set out to make sandwiches and pack our bags for the day. Then it was off for a 3 hour bus ride to Yankari for our much awaited SAFARI!!!!

We didn’t see anything too exciting – just some baboons, warthogs, lizards, antelope, deer-ish animals, etc. No elephants or lions or hippos , but it was still fun nonetheless.

After that, we threw on our swimsuits and headed to the hot springs on their property – oh that was so refreshing! We found this amazing tree to climb up and jump off of!! Sooo much fun. The water was absolutely gorgeous, clear as can be with palm trees all around – You’d think we were in paradise.

So zip back to the present, since then, we’ve spent most of our time preparing for “animal week” at CLAPAI. We’re giving the teachers a week off by teaching all the kids. I’m one of 2 interns in charge of math, so I will be teaching math to grades pre-K through 3^rd all week – who would have seen that coming!? Lol We’re also planning games and Bible stories for them: should be exciting!!

I also can’t believe I’m down to my last 2 weeks here. I can’t help but look back at all that we’ve done, and just wish I could stay longer to take part in more of it. It all just makes me feel so ALIVE.

The Past 2 Days In Review...

6-13-09

Today was our last day with the EKU group. The morning was spent shopping for souvenirs in the market. I can’t wait to go back! Bartering is very common here, so it was fun to try to see what kind of “deals” we could get. Apparently, it’s also common for vendors to say that they will offer a “special baturi (white person – not in a derogatory way) price” which tends to be double of the actual price, so our driver stayed with us to keep us informed of what was, in fact, a good price and what was outrageous.

We also went to a Fair Trade store where bartering doesn’t happen. Basically, people from surrounding villages make things to sell at the store and then the money goes back to them. The prices were really reasonable, and I think we all found some great things.

6-14-09

Today we went to church in the Village. Most of the service was in Hausa, with a bit of English scattered throughout. It was such a neat service though. They had some really cool instruments that they used and did a ton of singing! I’m not sure if the instruments were real instruments, or just really creative ways of making music. Either way, I wish I could have recorded it.

It was also really sweet to see how they take offering. They give out of joy and not out of obligation. Offering is taken about 4 times each service, and it’s this big thing where people sing and dance all the way to the front of their church to give their money. At the end of the service today, the preacher announced that there was a man present who was in dire need, so a special offering would be taken just for him. Even though these villagers had given already, they were able to sacrifice a little more just to help out this man. It showed a true sense of community that I feel is rarely seen in the US. It really was amazing.

Hut-to-Hut Provisions and Prayer

6-12-09

This morning was spent preparing measures of beans, corn, and cooking oil to distribute to people in the village. Afterwards, we packed in the car and drove to the future B2B property site. We were able to take the group up to the top of the mountain and show them an overview of what is to come and the vision of B2B. It is such an amazing and beautiful place! I wish pictures could do it justice. We had to climb down quickly, however, as a storm was rolling in.

When we finally got to the village, we split up into 3 teams and went door-to-door, or hut-to-hut, whatever the case may be. We gave each family 2 measures of beans and corn as well as a water bottle full of oil. Afterwards, we would ask if they had any prayer requests and then offer to pray with them. I was impacted by how many people were asking for prayer over sickness. Honestly, looking at their conditions, it’s a believable circumstance, but sad and unfortunate, nonetheless.

What struck me more than that, however, was the prayer requests for better spiritual walks. So many people wanted to “get right with God” or turn back to Him. They felt that void in their life and wanted prayer in seeking Him. It astounds me how there may be an ocean, a language barrier, and income levels all separating me from these people, but we seek the same thing. It truly amazes me that no matter the location, income level, or background we shared a heart’s pursuit. It just makes the world that much smaller. They are no longer people a world away with different issues. I’ve met them, heard their stories, and have found common ground. I don’t know if I’m explaining this feeling well or not, but it made a rather large impact on me.

One lady, in particular, really struck me with her story. Her name was Teresa, but her story reminded me of Ruth. She lost both her husband and her son, and just felt distant from God, like he didn’t care about her very much. I wanted to pray with her, but circumstances didn’t seem to allow it. Of course, maybe that was me being a chicken or not acting quick enough or spiritual warfare taking place. I just don’t know. Whatever it was, I wasn’t able to pray, and that left a significant conviction on my spirit. I wanted to tell her, with every ounce of my being, that she is loved and cared for, and that her story is that of legend. That God has such a huge plan for her and her life, she just can’t see it yet. I’m ashamed I never said it.

When we went to another section of the village, we were met by more children who just wanted to be with us. I stood back and had a moment where all the pictures I’ve ever seen of African children really struck me. These kids did have the puffed out bellies from malnutrition and inadequate amounts of food. They did have deformities and cuts and scrapes that weren’t taken care of. They all had snot running down their noses and were dirty. Some didn’t even have enough clothes. It was one of those moments that you stand back and take it all in. Then in a moment, all you want to do is tell the world. These things are all solvable. If more people saw, and if more people took an interest, maybe things would be different and these kids’ lives would be changed. Pictures don’t even begin to convey the feelings you experience when witnessing this first hand.

I’m also impacted by the amount of spiritual warfare going on here. It’s just so present in everyday life. I don’t know how to describe it much beyond that – just that it’s here and it’s rough and I feel like I take part in a battle every single day. It reminds me how imperative it is for me to gain strength from my Jesus daily and to lean on Him through it all. That’s so much easier said than done though, and I hope to integrate it more pervasively throughout my everyday “routine.”

On a lighter note, it never ceases to amaze me how transfixed the kids here are with white skin. They LOVE to pinch it to see it change colors. It’s so funny to watch!

Some Amazing New Friends, New Food, and a Party

6-11-09

Today we went to the Village with the goal of building them a couple benches and desks to be used in their school. When we got there, the kids were so excited, the teachers decided to cancel school for the rest of the day! Some people worked, while others played with the kids. And though we ended up only making 1 bench, 1 desk, and 1 teacher’s desk, I think we can all agree that our time was well spent.

A couple of us tried to get the kids to play duck, duck, goose – which was hilarious in and of itself. Most of them didn’t know English, so the language barrier was hard to get over. Eventually, we settled on a game of “red light, green light.” In the end, since I was the one giving the “go’s” and “stop’s”, I was completely tackled to the ground by all the kids. It was insane! And they completely loved all the attention they got.

One of the most interesting things that happened that day came through a little boy that lived in the village. He wanted to see what all the commotion was about and so he was hanging out close by. Another one of the interns noticed him and went to go pick him up. Well, as soon as she touched him, he screamed and ran to our driver crying! So then I went over to see what was wrong, and as soon as I got close to him, he screamed again and buried his face in the driver’s legs! It turns out, from our best guess, that this kid had never seen white people before. He was so intensely afraid of us! For the rest of the day, anytime he saw one of us, he would scream and then run to the nearest African for support, whether or not he knew them.

I feel like, as funny as that is, it is such a foreign concept to me. I can’t imagine the fear he must have had in seeing us for the first time. It makes me sit back and realize how different our world views truly are.

When we got home, it was time to prep for the night’s festivities. We invited the CLAPAI kids, their matrons, and staff over, as well as a bunch of other people we knew in the area for dinner. Dinner consisted of Suya (thin pieces of grilled meat on a stick), irish potatoes, and puff puffs (think doughnut holes but without the sugar or sweetness; so, fried dough). It was all delicious and very new.

We also brought in a group of dancers who performed some tribal and local dances. People could join in as well. So no worries, once again, I have pictures and video of not only the group, but me looking ridiculous and uncoordinated as well. It was an absolute blast!

Some Amazing New Friends, New Food, and a Party

6-11-09

Today we went to the Village with the goal of building them a couple benches and desks to be used in their school. When we got there, the kids were so excited, the teachers decided to cancel school for the rest of the day! Some people worked, while others played with the kids. And though we ended up only making 1 bench, 1 desk, and 1 teacher’s desk, I think we can all agree that our time was well spent.

A couple of us tried to get the kids to play duck, duck, goose – which was hilarious in and of itself. Most of them didn’t know English, so the language barrier was hard to get over. Eventually, we settled on a game of “red light, green light.” In the end, since I was the one giving the “go’s” and “stop’s”, I was completely tackled to the ground by all the kids. It was insane! And they completely loved all the attention they got.

One of the most interesting things that happened that day came through a little boy that lived in the village. He wanted to see what all the commotion was about and so he was hanging out close by. Another one of the interns noticed him and went to go pick him up. Well, as soon as she touched him, he screamed and ran to our driver crying! So then I went over to see what was wrong, and as soon as I got close to him, he screamed again and buried his face in the driver’s legs! It turns out, from our best guess, that this kid had never seen white people before. He was so intensely afraid of us! For the rest of the day, anytime he saw one of us, he would scream and then run to the nearest African for support, whether or not he knew them.

I feel like, as funny as that is, it is such a foreign concept to me. I can’t imagine the fear he must have had in seeing us for the first time. It makes me sit back and realize how different our world views truly are.

When we got home, it was time to prep for the night’s festivities. We invited the CLAPAI kids, their matrons, and staff over, as well as a bunch of other people we knew in the area for dinner. Dinner consisted of Suya (thin pieces of grilled meat on a stick), irish potatoes, and puff puffs (think doughnut holes but without the sugar or sweetness; so, fried dough). It was all delicious and very new.

We also brought in a group of dancers who performed some tribal and local dances. People could join in as well. So no worries, once again, I have pictures and video of not only the group, but me looking ridiculous and uncoordinated as well. It was an absolute blast!

A Bit Overdue....

6-10-09

This entry might be kind of long, so I apologize in advance. I’ve been trying to make separate posts since so much has been happening over the past couple of days, but have been deterred by the fact that the internet has been inaccessible. I’ll try to narrow it down to the highlights.

Tuesday, we spent a lot of time at the CLAPAI house. I was so excited because I got to draw water from a well for the first time today! I know that’s incredibly ridiculous and somewhat silly to say, but it was such a highlight of my day. I mean, we’re talking about throwing a black plasticky bag attached to a rope down into this deep hole, letting it sink, and then pulling it up as fast as possible because there were holes in the bag! Haha Oh, I wish I had taken a picture!

One of the other projects of the day was to fill in a giant hole in their “yard.” Most of the team worked on that for a majority of the morning, and to celebrate, decided to start a game of football (soccer). Holy wow are some of these kids good at soccer! I can’t get over how quick and coordinated they are, or how they play barefoot! It was a blast!

That night, I also had to take a shower by the light of a flashlight since, once again, we had no electricity… It was a wind-up flashlight, so it kept dying. It really was the most awkward shower of my life.

Yay for Tuesday!

On to Wednesday….

Our theme this summer is “Shelter” as I may have mentioned before. Well, today, God showed me His shelter firsthand. I was so frazzled this morning and just feeling pulled in 7 different directions. I couldn’t seem to find a quiet moment to just gather my thoughts and ask God to give me strength for the day. At our meeting this morning, I was really blown away by the statement our staff made. They told us that today was going to be trying and wear on us. So if we hadn’t spent any quiet time with God, tell the other interns, drop everything we were supposed to be doing, and go do that first. It was THAT important to them.

Of course, though, I didn’t do that…. I’m so stubborn. Instead, I took 2 minutes out (while making water) to send up a prayer that God would quiet me and just fill me with Him. Well, that’s about all the “me time” I had before getting on the bus to go pick up the kids. So I was feeling drained and tired even before the day really started. Well, one thing about me: I feel that God tends to use music to speak to me. That’s just one of the ways that I get to connect to Him and feel renewed. So, we picked up the kids (we had 3 buses), and I was trying to figure out ways to entertain the 10 in our car for the full hour drive. Well, god decided I wouldn’t have to. As soon as we started rolling away from their house, they started singing. They sang the whole way! It was amazing. God was able to turn my whole day around by providing me shelter with all those moments.

Our day with the kids consisted of a 2 and a half hour hike, with lunch somewhere in the middle. It was a beautiful, slow-paced hike. I was walking across this rickety bridge at one point with the kids, and Teyei, one of the girls I was holding hands with, was apparently afraid of heights. As we crossed she kept gripping on tighter and tighter until we reached the other side. When she let go of my hand, I could still see the marks from where it had been! It was just so crazy to me how much she trusted me in those moments and how scary it must have been to her.

When we got back from our hike, we realized we had some extra orange slices. After handing some out to the kids, we decided to offer the rest up to the villagers who so graciously allowed us to park our buses there to go on our hike. It’s so amazing how love spans the boundary of language. I don’t think either side understood the other, but the looks on their faces spoke so loudly. What was just “scraps” to us, was like treasure to them. The joy on their faces captures a moment and a hope my heart wishes it could capture and recreate forever.

Finally, we said goodbye to the kids. On our way over to the Oasis house (their new home just recently purchased), we took a shortcut through the Jos Army division, including the barracks and weapons area. Well, we got stopped by a security guard who told us that white people were not allowed to cross there…. Did we look that threatening?? Things worked out alright, no worries. It was just an odd situation.

When we got to the house, I worked with Tina, Jenny, and Marybeth to cut rebar with a grinder – never done that before! I was so excited. Don’t worry, there are pictures and video. There were sparks everywhere! We went through all four batteries before resorting to a hack saw. Haha Oh it was so much fun! Big picture: we were working to build a form to cover the septic tank. Once we finished, we helped the other teams tie together the rebar frames until it was time to leave. Just before leaving, we were certain to pray over the house. We (Tina and I paired up) went from room to room, laying hands on the walls and praying blessings over the future residents of the house. I hope the kids find a home there, a place they really feel that they belong.

Debrief also went well. I’m surprised how much I look forward to them and how much my attitude has changed about them since high school. Corrie told a story about chickens tonight. In Mexico there were these chickens that they would watch every morning as they tried to cross a pipe over a river to get to their food. They would take a wobbly step forward and a few wobbly steps back, then a few more steps forward, etc. until they finally made it to the other side. Apparently, it was a painstakingly slow process that would occur every morning and every night. Well, one day, someone decided to have some fun and scare the chickens. Upon doing this, their reaction was to fly across to the other side. Logically, one would think that this would make them realize the value in flying. But no, the very next day, they were back to wobbling across a pipe, very, very slowly.

Corrie related this to us and asked what we thought we were holding onto as our “pipe” when it could be so much easier (and quicker) to fly. What has God been asking us to let go of or what do we use as a crutch or what is holding us back? I think mine is believing the lie that I have nothing good to offer. I feel that holds me back from so much. I sell myself short all the time because I lack confidence in my abilities. I pray that God uses that realization to make a change in my life and begin transforming me in that area. Though it will be painful, I know it’s worth it. I think he calls us to put ourselves out there and always offer our best. My problem seems to be that I don’t know what that is in relation to me. Anyway, it’s something to think and pray over.

In other news, we have (well, as of 5 seconds ago, had) electricity!

I promise I’ll get the rest of the updates up as soon as possible. Thanks so much for reading (I know it’s long…). I also really appreciate the emails – they are such an encouragement here!

No Electricty or Water, but Infinite Joy Abounds :)

I’ve spent the last few days sick and not feeling well. Luckily, I finally decided to take some cipro last night and am feeling so much better!

Yesterday was the craziest as far as power goes thus far. We lost power in the morning, gained it back for about 2 hours, and then lost it again. We weren’t able to get the generator working for a while either – it’s funny how little it affected us. Life continued on as usual, though with a few struggles like not being able to see in the bathroom without a flashlight or being careful not to open the refrigerator too often. Finally, power came back on at 1am – haha. But then went back off at 6am. As of this morning, we also had no water. Fun times. That was a little harder to deal with. So the guys (once they got back with the EKU group) set off to fix what was going on. Currently, it’s about 6:15pm and we just got power back! Yay! We’ll see how long it lasts….

Today was an amazing day though, in spite of electrical and plumbing issues. Yesterday, we (the girls) made a bet with John that if we were able to put together an entire 1000 piece puzzle before they returned, he would have to buy us ice cream; otherwise, we would have to buy all the kids ice cream. Well, we completed the puzzle with just over an hour to spare! So, ice cream is in our near future. *smiles* So once the group got here, we ate lunch and took off for Gidan Bege again. The girls got fitted for Nigerian dresses and we all looked at bags and skirts. I might buy something else later, but I don’t know for now.

After that, we took the group to the CLAPAI house to hang out with the kids for a few hours. It was one of the best times I’ve had since being here. We taught them sardines and the junior bird man games (which they absolutely LOVED) – it was SO funny to watch!! Then we sat around and colored and read some books and just loved on the kids. Whether that meant playing football (soccer), pushing them on the swings, taking pictures of them, or just giving them a hug, they really enjoyed us being there. I wish I could better describe the looks on their faces – they really are very precious.

This is the group of kids who are all in some way affected by HIV. They don’t fit in elsewhere and may have been picked on or misunderstood all their lives. But they are all beautiful! They just love being found captivating and worthwhile in other people’s eyes. We’ll be going back the next two days, and I can’t wait to see them again!

Even though today was really tiring and busy, I somehow felt energized after hanging out with the kids. They have such innocent hearts and it’s refreshing to my spirit to see.

For now, I’m glad we have the power back on. It’s nice to be home and able to rest after such a full, intense day. I’m glad the group arrived safely and with all their baggage. I can’t wait to get to know them more and help them have an amazing week here!

Finding Shelter on the Mountain

Today was another rather adventurous day! The staff took us to Sherry Hills (I’m not positive on the spelling) to climb another mountain. I thought maybe it would be as easy of a climb as the mountain we climbed earlier, but I was definitely wrong. I’m so glad I wore my hiking boots! Haha

At one point, we had to jump from one rock to another over top of a small river with maybe a 5 foot drop underneath. The jump wasn’t too bad, but it was a great team building exercise as people were helping us across.

We saw a dead snake at one point – I was SO glad it was dead. Ew! And walked past some construction workers who apparently yelled at us “I want to marry a white woman!” in either Rakuba or Hausa (not sure which it was – we were told about this later).

But the craziest part about the hike, hands down, was when we have to go through this really narrow passageway, wedged between rocks in order to continue on our hike. I was carrying a backpack, and at one point ended up getting stuck because combined, myself and the backpack were too big. I’m really proud though of how everyone helped everyone else out – with trying to get footing to boosting someone up onto a rock to pulling each other up on the climb. It was impressive and I think we all felt really accomplished when we finally made it to the top.

Once up their, we continued our discussion on our community values and God’s shelter. How would we define shelter? God’s shelter? Would our view of His shelter change if our biggest fear came true? What does His shelter look like? How can we shelter our fellow group members? Where in our life do we need to see a “good work” and avoid legalism to set in?

Psalm 91 (shelter) is the theme for our summer. Pray that God opens my eyes and the eyes of our team to what He has to teach us about His shelter. We want to seek not only it’s meaning, but be able to live out it’s application in our lives.

"Amazing" Would Be The Word Used To Describe Today

Today was a pretty simple day. We (the interns) started off by getting up at 5:55am to go running with Corrie. When we got back, we made French toast (YUMMY!) and had some more training.

After lunch we went to this place called OLA (Our Lady of Apostle). It is a hospital and orphanage. We got to interact with some of the kids there. They were shy at first, but got really excited when we brought out our cameras. They kept yelling, "Snap me! Snap me!" They really enjoyed being able to see themselves on the screen - it was so cute. One of the little boys actually grabbed my camera and went around taking pictures of everyone while I played with a little girl named Agnes - she LOVED being flipped upside-down and spun around. The boy is bound to be a photographer one day though. He took his time in setting up his shots even to the point of closing curtains to adjust the lighting! He was awesome.

Another really neat thing is that we are currently traveling with 6 kids, and I think that brings out a whole other dimension to our interactions. The kids here in Nigeria seem just as curious and excited about meeting them as the kids with us are. It's really fun to watch!

After that, we went to this sweet store called Gidan Bege, which means "House of Hope" in Hausa. It's a ministry that teaches widows and orphaned, abandoned, and abused street children how to sew and use their skills to make amazing products like skirts, reversible bags, wallets, aprons, journals, etc. They truly are beautiful! I bought a gorgeous patchwork wrap skirt that I am super excited to wear!! I can't wait to go back!!

I'm so surprised by how many goats we see roaming the streets! Maybe goats are Nigeria's squirrels...???

Ok, I'm off to play cards and hang out with people. Hope you are all doing well. Miss you!

Quite The Adventure So Far ... :)

I don’t even know where to start right now! I’m just SO excited to be here!! Things have been going really well, and it’s been quite the adventure – I love it!

I guess I should start at the beginning. The trip getting here was quite the ordeal. I left Dayton at 10:50am, arrived in Chicago at 10:40am (haha time change), sat for about 5 hours and then found another intern. Shortly thereafter, we met up with the rest of the intern team. The flight to Frankfurt was long….. sooo long, but we made it… 2am our time and 7am theirs! After that, it was another 4 hour layover and a 9 hour flight. We arrived in Abuja, Nigeria at 7:45pm, eventually made it through immigration and customs, grabbed our bags and found our ride.

That night, we stayed at the Baptist house in Abuja and made the “3” hour drive the next day. After arriving at the B2B house, we made peanut butter sandwiches, had a mini meeting and went to visit the future site of the B2B campus. To do this, we hiked up this mountain made of boulders – it was so awesome! The view was breathtaking! Cori gave us each these beautiful handmade journals to log in while we talked to God and reflected on things thus far. A bunch of kids from the village also swarmed us on the mountain and just wanted to chat. They mostly spoke Hausa with a tiny bit of English. We’ll be working with them more this week.

I was on dish duty with Sara which was a whole ordeal in and of itself – it’s so crazy what you have to do when you can’t drink the water! We would wash and rinse dishes in one sink and bleach/sanitize them in another before letting them dry.

To hang out, we played squidge (or group solitaire) and then attempted to send emails to people letting them know we arrived safely.

Also – really fun fact: we have a guard dog named Rocky. Because of this, we are not allowed to be outside while he is on patrol – how crazy!

That brings us up to today –

Today we did a lot of training. We played get to know you games all morning, including human foosball. Then we went over house rules and went to the Guckenberger’s for lunch. While we were there, a mass storm rolled in – total downpour! However, it really cooled things down and was very refreshing

Later, we went to the CLAPAI house (formerly known as CLAF). It’s a school for kids who have been affected by HIV or AIDS. Some of them are orphans, some have the disease, others know people or are directly related to people who have it. There are about 20 kids. A few come to the school daily while others live there throughout the week. They’re really sweet kids who LOVE visitors. As soon as we got there, they grabbed our hands and led us around. It sounds like we will be spending much more time with them – I just hope I’m able to master all of their names! In the short time we were there, another storm rolled in – the weather is so fickle here haha

A really cool moment at the CLAPAI house was when the Ramos family was able to present a bunch of toys and stickers and rewards in a “treasure chest” to the kids. They were also able to give some boxes of muffin mix and formula to help out the staff. The most amazing part about all of these things was that everything was purchased with money that the Ramos boys received instead of birthday presents.

When we got back to the house, we (the interns) learned how to make water that’s safe to drink. It’s quite the process too! This was one of my favorite activities today – I think it was because this was one of our first big intern group efforts.

I’ve been really enjoying things so far – it’s so different here than anything I’m used to. We can drink the water, the electricity may or may not work at any given time, the water also decides when it wants to work or have any pressure. Grocery stores are literally nonexistent. There are so many quirks to everything.

I’m sorry this post is so very long. I figured it’s been a while and a lot has happened since I got here. I feel like a little kid, just constantly wide-eyed, trying to take it all in!!

I hope you are all doing well, and if you would like to email me, I suggest using Dizzygymnast4now@aol.com …. My emich address isn’t working, but I’d love to hear from you!