On Sunday I was asked to officiate at the communion service being held at Moworo where Obadia and Briskila are stationed. They participate in the Mahula pastor’s course. Rev. Likita was scheduled to preach and he brought an extra pastor’s robe for me. The church building is small so we had the worship service outside under the mango tree near the church. There was a nice breeze to go with it as a bonus because the temperature is about as high as it gets here this time of the year; 105- 110 degrees F, cooling to 90 on some nights. I was glad I did not have to put the pastor’s robe on until the communion service later held in the church building. We had 28 people at the communion service but only 20 cups so we did that part twice. I noticed that the church did not have benches, people sat on boards on the ground; we hope we will be able to change that. It was however a meaningful service; I gave up trying to read the form and its difficult Hausa and opted to explain the intent of the form in simpler Hausa, simpler for me. All in all both services were meaningful and uplifting. We were very glad to participate and I was glad to take that robe off but using it for the service was important to the people present. When in Rome do as the Romans do. 

 

Saturday we went to a wedding at Zuru about 1 hr.1/2 North of Mahula. We were invited but we were also asked to drive the groom and bride back to the groom’s place in Uva’di which is near Mahula. The wedding ceremony was to be held at the ECWC (Evengelical Church of West Africa) in Zuru. We were surprised at all the different churches in this average sized city. I was told that that most people in Zuru are Christians. Nothing starts on time in Nigeria but the first thing we heard from the ECWA pastor was that we were late and he had assumed we were no longer coming. Normally, one hour is not late. I think I got used to NCCN not starting on time. I was to go to the father of bride’s house to pick her up and bring her to church. The location of the house was not clear to anyone as far as I could see and if you have ever driven in the neighborhoods off the main road in Nigerian cities with narrow, partially blocked, and unmarked streets you know that I am talking about frustration. Finally, a couple of little kids eating mangoes showed us the way. The way was blocked by the vehicle that was to pick up her stuff. I parked off to the side only to be told by John and Obadiah the Evangelists accompanying me that we were being fined for being late, not us but the groom and that needed to be paid. Apparently, the bride refused to come out of her room. I made a comment about paying the driver. I  wonder if that was not a ploy for cash by an enterprising family member. However, when they pulled the other vehicle out of the way and I backed into that spot to pick up the bride, the father came out and declared my vehicle unfit to take his daughter to the church. I thought I had seen it all! Somehow this was all resolved in short order by John and Obadiah and we were off to the church; bride, attendants, and a whole lot of other people. The wedding was typically Nigerian; a procession by the bride, attendants, and father into the church. The groom and bride sit in front of the pulpit facing the congregation while every group in the church is given a chance to sing a special number. If people like the song they come up and drop money at the feet of those singing and I assume this for the couple. Then there was a very appropriate sermon by the ECWA  pastor (the bride’s pastor) on Proverbs 18:22. I was asked to pray for the couple; I had a hard time with it but not because of the Hausa language. Then it was Rev. Jolly Tonko’s turn, the Principle of the Bible School, to begin the official ceremony. He began with prayer, a declaration by the father, vows, exchange of rings, a demonstration of depending on each other, gave them the church’s certificate and a blessing. After the service we loaded up the bride, groom, and attendants for the hr.+1/2 ride to Uva’di. Matt. Lancer had also agreed to help out and he took all the Pastor’s, Evangelists, and wives back to Uva’di. What was amazing about that trip was that there was very little conversation but the maid of honor sang Christians songs for every bit of the hr.+1/2; We were impressed she knew so many songs from memory. Uva’di is about 10 miles from the main road and consists of many family compounds separated by each other’s fields. Compounds are far apart when compared to the city where they are right on top of each other. There will be a lot to get used to for this new wife but they both are Christians and the groom is a friend of Samson the Evangelist placed there. The bride is from a Christian family. The groom was a Muslim and married before with two kids but when he contracted polio and ended up with a severe limp his wife left him and took the kids with her. That difficult time opened up for him the way to become Christian  Now that he is married we wonder if he will try to get his children back since they are being raised as Muslims. After I heard the whole story Gremar and I were glad to be part of this very important event. Gremar is the one taking most of the pictures.

 

Friday, 3/26 Case and I with a carload full of happy women and children drove to Maretu for the Women’s Revival Meeting. Can you picture this, one man, thirteen women and 6 babies all loaded up in the pickup to drive for 2 1/2 hr over bumpy ,dusty, hot roads to a little village in the middle of no where. We arrived about 3:30 plenty of time for Case to drive back home since no one drives here in the dark. Women came from all the churches  in this classis, and filled the local school of two classrooms with sleeping mats, rice, guinea corn, oil, cooking pots and personal belongings. I had fully expected to sleep with the women on the cement floor and had even bought a sleeping mat, but was brought to the evangelists home to sleep in their guest room, on a water bed mind you that was left by the former missionaries there. (Larry/ Rose Van Zee lived here for 23 years, quite an achievement.) Grace, the evangelists wife mentioned that at night I would see ????? but not to worry, so I didn’t ask what the ???? was since she had said I wouldn’t have to worry about it.  The first meeting was to start at 8 PM but by the time supper was cooked for about 100 women and children, the meeting started at 10PM.  One of the pastors spoke a great message of encouragement for all of us and then drums, dancing and singing.  By midnight I decided to turn in.  Sleep wouldn’t come, the strangeness, the drums, and then I heard some scratching and running across the rafters and tops of the mud block walls and I saw the ?????, with beady little eyes looking back at me, yes rats, not just one or two, but families of them busy scurrying here and there, jumping down onto my bag hanging on a nail on the wall, and scooting out of a large hole in the screen. Since it was about 95 degrees with not a breeze I couldn’t even hide under the blankets, but pray I did! I woke up with the roosters crowing with not a rat in sight, and told everyone I had a great night.

Saturday, first meeting at 9AM, lots of singing and another speaker, food was cooked at 11, and yours truly spoke at 3 PM.  There are 3 local congregations in this regional church area with many preaching centers in each center. There was a singing contest that afternoon of the 3 congregations, and it was great to see the dancing along with the singing.  Another meeting after supper at night starting a 9PM followed with more drumming, dancing and singing.  I joined for about an hour, it was wonderful to see everyone praising God, many of these women being first generation Christians. I slept a little better that night knowing that our friendly rats were really not interested in me.  Sunday morning the church was packed to many standing by the windows, Case had also come to pick us up. It was a great time of worship and fellowship!

Dancers 2 maretu     Drumer at Maretu  Dancers 3 Maratu

This week we returned from Taraba State. 2475 Kl. is a long way in this country. But we are thankful to God for a safe trip and for meeting many of the people we know in the places we worked in the past. We did not meet everyone we wanted to but time was not on our side. It was very hot when we left Niger State about 108 degrees daily and 90 at night. But as we went south things started to cool off to around 80 degrees, we are blessed with air in the vehicle so that was a help, and all the hotel accommodation were air conditioned. Besides that harmattan blew in so thick it reminded me of times in the past when we grounded the airplanes due to lack of visibility. Harmattan also keeps things a lot cooler. Over all it was a very good trip. The one goal we had was to see Pastor Nahum and Maryamu at Akwabe. He has a phone but no reception there so we tried to contact Pastor Ishaya Nahum, their son, but to no avail. We staopped at Mina, Mukurdi, Wukari, Takum, Kungana, Marrarba, Tatin Ndoro (where Ishaya is the pastor) Baissa, Sabon Gida Akwanwe, and Akwabe. As it turned out a two track was just completed to Akwabe because a team of engineers went to check out a dam site. Unexpectedly we could drive right to the river and walk across to Akwabe. On top of that the Regional Church Council was having a revival meeting there so we got to see people we did not expect to see. God is good. Good in more ways than one as it turned out because a couple of hours after arriving I came down with an intense fever, vomiting and diarrhea that gave us a good scare thinking it would be awhile before we would be able to travel again. We could not go to the service that night but thanks to God and Gremar who always packs medicine wherever she goes; I recovered during the night, nothing short of a miracle, and was able to bring greetings at the morning worship service on Saturday. We had to leave again at noon so as to make it back to Niger State by Monday afternoon. The way back was uneventful but we were not looking forward to the heat; harmattan had blown in at Mahula as well and it was about 97 degrees when we arrived home, almost cool. The dust is still here and it is much cooler now at night. The following pictures are of our trip.

We have been in the dry season for 5 months and do not expect rain until the end of march This area is rolling savanna scattered with 1500 ft rocky out cropping like they were pushed up out of level ground. (see photos and Map) It is extremely dry right now but I am told that by the end of march the rains will begin with an annual rain fall of about forty inches. This is the time when people rebuild their grain storage binds, repair their corn stalk fences, get grass to repair their roofs, gather firewood and make mud block to build with. People also have cassava plots in the dry season. But it is not always dry I include a picture of the rains.