Friday Safari at Yankari

Today we went on a safari at the Yankari Nature Preserve. It was a 3 hour drive from Jos to the nature preserve. When we got there, we were greeted by baboons and warthogs. We got into two land cruisers and drove around for about 2.5 hours looking for animals. We saw a couple of large birds, some more baboons and some monkeys. We saw a whole bunch of elephant dung, but no elephants or other mammals. It was still pretty cool to be on safari in Africa.

After the safari we went to the hot springs in the preserve to go swimming . The springs were beautiful and the water temperature was perfect.

The most exciting part of the whole trip to the safari was the baboon that jumped in to the bus onto Rhonda's shoulder. He then jumped into Dan's seat and stole Dan's pringles can. Dan let a loud "girly" scream and scared the baboon so much it jumped out of the bus. (Just kidding about the scream, Dan actually tried to chase the baboon off the bus and it just stared at him until it got the Pringles, then it ran.)

The bus ride home went fairly fast and we had dinner at a cafe in Jos and most of the team had their first "Chapmans," a Nigerian fruit drink that is very popular.

We are going shopping tomorrow morning and then heading to Abuja to the airport for our long trip home. This is the last post from Nigeria. We'll see you all soon.

Block Party at Kisayip

Today was a totally awesome day. We went back to the Kisayip village to have a block party. We started the day by picking up the CLAF kids and packing them onto the bus with us. We headed to Kisayip and climbed the path up to a rocky overlook of the land that SSE and Back2Back are planning to develop just outside of the village. It was a beautiful day and Jason shared with us the vision for that piece of land. We prayed for the land and the future of the people who will be ministered to through the work of B2B and SSE. The CLAF kids lead the prayers for the vision of B2B building a home for them on the land.

After lunch we went to the village for the party. We threw the best block party that village has ever seen, okay it was also probably the first. About 40 men showed up to play soccer at the field with new goal posts we installed yesterday. We had over a hundred women and children show up to hang out and play games. The kids had a bounce tent to play in that was the most popular event of the day. The kids must have each had ten turns each in the bounce tent. Dana, Rhonda, Matt, Kathy & Kenzi (from Mexico) painted the faces of almost every kid. Dan, Jim, Tim & Ernie conducted a punt, pass & kick competition using an American football. It was quite funny watching soccer players try to throw a football. Cathy, Dan, Matt and others tried to lead a water balloon toss game that quickly turned into a water balloon fight with all the kids and most of the adults. Matt (the intern) & Jason and some of the ladies cut hair for about 30 boys. Eddie (the guard) got a bunch of the women to play tug of war which was very much fun. We gave away 100 pounds of oranges and a bunch of little bags of clean drinking water.

Diane and Jeanette went back to the clinic to work with the doctor. They saw over 60 patients and took care of many different types of injuries and illnesses. They will have to tell you the rest when they get home because they went to sleep early.

On the way home we went four wheeling in the bus across the crop lands of Kisayip. Several children from the village ran alongside the bus the whole time we were four wheeling. They either ran fast or we were driving very slowly.

We brought the kids back to the house with us for a dinner party. We had traditional Nigerian foods and traditional dancers performed for us. We gave the kids who have birthdays in September, October & November birthday presents and we celebrated Matt’s birthday.

Wednesday Evening

Just a quick evening update. Kande & Mark joined us for dinner tonight and told us all about their advenures for the past two weeks. They're both doing well and have spoken at many churches.

This evening's entertainment wasn't quite as exciting as the bonfire last night. We didn't hear the dinosaur, but spent much of the night playing very loud card games named Peanut & Pit. Evenings here are interesting because once we get home from our daily work projects we have no option, but hanging around and entertaining ourselves. We are a very entertaining group!!

Krista & Mike C., if you are reading this, please respond so that your parents know you care.

Dan's family, thanks for all your prayers and comments!

Everyone else, thanks for responding. We greatly appreciate all your prayers and encouragement!

Wednesday at Kisayip

Today we went to the village outside of Jos called Kisayip. Some of the guys dug holes and installed soccer goal posts. Actually, they started digging the holes and the men from the village took over the digging and completed it much quicker than we could have without their help. The cement will dry overnight and tomorrow we will have a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the soccer field. We also built desks for the students at the school. Last year one of the teams from the US poured concrete floors and built benches. We got to build the desks to complete their classrooms. The kids helped build and sand the desks and were very excited to go to school tomorrow with actual desks. Diane and Jeanette (who are both nurses) worked with the village doctor at the clinic and treated over 35 patients. A couple of other people hung malaria nets over the beds in the infirmary at the clinic. It was a very busy day, but we got all our projects completed.

Everyone is still healthy and having fun. Tomorrow we are going back to the same village and taking the CLAF kids with us to have a block party for the people in the village. It will be great fun.

Tuesday at CLAF

We started the day by visiting a small business called Gidan Bege a seamstress shop that was started by a local ministry to provide jobs for widows. We bought miscellaneous Nigerian apparel for our families & friends. We also got measured for Nigerian clothes.

We spent the rest of the day working at the CLAF (Children's Love Advocacy Foundation) house. A young couple named Emmanual & Kyenpiya run a school for kids who have been orphaned by AIDS. The kids stay with them during the week and return to their relatives for the weekend. We did many projects around the house as well as playing with the kids. Diane & Jeanette did medical check ups for the kids and ladies who work at the house. They also cleaned the kids' ears & taught the ladies how to perform the Heimlich maneuver. Tony, Matt, Ernie, Tim (from Mexico), and Matt (the intern) mixed sand, rocks & cement to repair the porch and install a swing set. Jim & Dan hung doorway curtains for all the rooms to keep mosquitoes out. Cathy & Rhonda hung hooks for lanterns so they can have light at night since the house has no electricity or running water. Dana built a table for a drinking water station and learned how to draw water from the well, mix it with Pur, and end up with clean drinking water. Kathy & Kenzi (from Mexico) taught the Nigerian ladies how to salsa dance.

After we finished all the projects, we played with the kids. We brought footballs, wiffle balls & bats, soccer balls, and Frisbees that were all in motion at once. We also colored, painted nails, and made bead jewelry.

Everyone is in good health and having a great time. We built a bonfire tonight at the house where we're staying and learned the answer to the question, "How many batura (white men) does it take to start a bonfire?" The answer is 5 batura to discuss and plan and one Nigerian man to actually start the fire. When you see Dana, ask her about the dinosaur that lives next door and makes loud noises.

Day 1 in Nigeria (Monday in Mangu)

We all made it safely to Nigeria. Our rescheduled flights were very smooth. We spent Sunday night in Abuja and this morning drove to Jos. The drive was beautiful. We went directly to a village outside of Jos called Mangu. We met the borehole team there and watched them work on drilling a well. We played soccer and other games with the kids. Matt painted fingernails of many small children. The village kids successfully wore Ernie out playing soccer. Dan & Cathy got to assist the drillers by cleaning mud out of the out of the mud pit and installing pieces of drill pipe to the drill string. Rhonda taught the girls a New Zealand stick game. Tony & Dan played soccer while dodging goats & motorcycles in the playing field. Jeanette got mobbed by kids who wanted Spierman coloring sheets. Dana & Jeanette learned Hausa from the kids. Everyone on the team enjoyed meeting the drill team and Daniel.

Winding it up

Sorry for the lack blogs but its not the easiest thing to pull off.

It's Friday and the week is quickly winding up.  Today one group will take the children of CLAF to the zoo, while another finishes up some work at the brides shop.

Tomorrow will be the longest day of the adventure.  The plan is to get up and debrief,clean up the house , pack our bags and head out around 1:00 to Abuja, Make it to the airport and get thru,then the long plane rides.  If I figure right in a short 32 hours from when we get up we will be back in Cincinnati.  Can't wait to see you.

Everyone is doing well and the luggage arrived on Wednesday.

A quick run down

Wednesday , we went to see a piece of property that the ministry  owns and got a vision of what the future might hold.  Thursday we placed the concrete in what will become a computer lab or IT center. We mixed 6 cubic yards( for those unfamiliar ,thats 3\4 of a load on a big cement truck) That's alot !!!  It went very well dispite the fact it rained most of the day , but the slab was inside.  

This will be the last blog, we'll call you when we hit the US soil , can't wait

Geore

We are here...and we're safe!

Hello family and friends back in the US... i just wanted to let you all know that we made it here safe and sound. We had NO problems getting here. we made all our flights (even though we had to run to one) and getting through customs couldn't have been easier...let's just say that we were being led by an angel! 

We stayed in Abuja for the night and in the morning we made a 3 hour drive to Jos. This was amazing and i am sure that everyone will have wonderful pictures to show. 

Everyone is safe and no one has gotten sick so far...let's cross our fingers and continuing praying for health! We got to visit a local orphanage and play with the kids and do some good old work projects. Everyone did great. And we did get to see the drill rig that the Luke 4 challenge has purchased! It was cool to see where the actual money has gone and the determination and passion these men have who are helping drill the wells. 

3 bags were lost...but no worries because hopefully they will be here tomorrow! Everyone is loving it and having an experience of a lifetime, and each person is using their strengths to help the group and the kids. 

Thanks so much for your prayers... please continue praying that God would just show us what we need to learn this week. We love you all very much and we miss you. 

Bob wanted to say that he misses Kamri and all the kids very much and they he loves them. ( i told him that i would post his little message!)

We love you all!

Nigeria team 2008

Test Case

This is a test for the June 08 Trip To Jos

A picture website..

Check out some great pics. Visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/missionsvcc/ to check out nearly 200 photos from the trip. Photos on the main page display randomly... to see them in an order that makes sense, open up the Nigeria Jan 08 set.

A long, hot shower and my very own bed!

It's good to see Jesus at work in a culture very different than our own. And then it's nice to be home. Especially when your bus breaks down (TWICE) on the way to the airport and your new Nigerian friends have to pull strings to get you through the check-in process in order to make sure you don't miss your flight. Dang. This is a story worth telling. But we'll leave that up to each of the team members to pass along to friends and family who were praying so diligently... and of course to Dave.

Thanks for allowing us to be your representatives for this part of the Luke 4 Challenge. We are all honored and humbled to have been sent as part of God's greater purposes. And we can't wait to tell you more in person... as soon as we soak it all in ourselves, of course. And that may take a while.

In the meantime, we'll post LOTS more pictures, after a good night's rest (check back tomorrow!)

Kande

Ready or not, here we come

I type as the rest of the group busily prepares to leave the SSE house at least as good, if not better, than when we found it. We're packed and ready to head out to Abuja in a few hours. We'll likely wait in the airport after security check for quite a while... then on to Amsterdam with a 5 hour layover before we leave for Detroit. And this trip has been worth every bit of every hour of travel.

Last night's dinner that was hosted here at the house was attended by nearly 50 people, and we were treated to traditional tribal dancers. Very fun. It was cold here by Nigerian standards, so our local friends were suffering quite a bit. We ate ram and chicken and laughed and talked a lot... and exchanged a TON of pictures! Good stuff.

We miss you and can't wait to tell you more in person.

Sai gobe,

Mama Kande

Fun day from start to finish

We went back to see the kids from CLAF children's home today (where we built bunk beds and helped with a few home improvements, etc. on Monday). It was good for Dave, Mark, and Brad to see the facilities and to met Emmanuel and Kyenpia, since their assignments on Monday prevented that. Today, we basically just picked up the kids and took them to a private park with swings and slides, and some real, true grass. It as good to just be able to play with them, relax, get pictures with them, eat lunch together (meat pies... YUM!), and then send them back home with the care kits we brought. Great pictures of that I can't wait to show you.

Afternoon was spent in the market... probably too much time if you ask the guys and too little time if you ask the girls, which likely means it was just right. We had a little time to freshen up before dinner, which was hosted here for about 45-50 people. It as good to have SSE board members and staff bring their spouses, as did the drilling team. Dinner was roasted ram and chicken, barbequed right here on the property and it was delicious! Some members were a little shy about eating the intestines, but some went for it! OH, I almost forget... our entertainment for the night were some traditional tribal dancers. Very cool, special treat.

It was bittersweet to say goodbye to many that we've grown to love during our travels here since we likely won't see them before heading out to Abuja tomorrow. And yet we eagerly look forward to home and its warm familiarity after this experience of being completely immersed in a very different culture and economy.

Please pray for a smooth transition out of the SSE/B2B house we've been staying in... that we organize our time in such a say that we can bless Jason & Emilee by leaving things better than when we found them, but still be on time for departure. We also desire your prayers for our safe, timely travels and for the remaining meetings that are to be had in the morning - may they be productive and glorifying to God.

Sai gobe,

Mama Kande (Can't wait to show you my new decked-out dress!)

Very different experiences...

Very cool day today. Most of the group worked here at the Back2Back compound to prepare the place for rainy season (digging a trench, which is more physical labor than most are used to, so we have some tired backs tonight!) Some also got an opportunity to see a similar drilling rig to what we’ve purchased in operation, while Emmanuel, Dave and Kande went to meet with a group of pastors here in Jos. The pastors here are so impressive, with how little they have to work with. There were about 50 pastors there. Emmanuel introduced us, so we gave some VCC history, spent some time on mission, values and practices, and then talked about our core values. Even though the cultures are so different, there is always a difference between “church subcultures” and the particular broad culture of non-Christians in any city. You could see light bulbs going off with these guys. Then we did Q&A; it was totally fascinating. The questions were more about mechanics in an outward-focused church. Very cool. They were, of course, so appreciative and grateful. I think we actually stirred up a little trouble because of some of the systems/processes in the ECWA (Evangelical Church of West Africa) denomination, but they laughed about it themselves. The younger pastors were especially interested, as they are eager to reach out more effectively.

Afterwards we stopped to see a friend of Emmanuel’s who is a surgeon at the local ECWA hospital. Unbelievable conditions, but very good for Nigeria. He is actually an American who’s been here for seventeen years. What a model of sacrifice.

We left there and went to the ECWA seminary. We barged into a missions class and the professor invited us to talk about what we’re doing! There were maybe fifteen students in the class in old wooden desks with a wornout blackboard, open windows, and a mother with a nursing infant attending the class. The prof was talking about a shift in missions strategies from rural areas (traditional approach in Africa) to cities which are now overloaded and diverse. It’s an obvious mission field but a paradigm shift in missional thinking here. It was a clear fit with what we’re doing (as in: Greater Cincinnati is our mission field), so it was a great segue. This turned out to be totally a God-thing. As a matter of fact, during Q&A one of the students (who looked a whole lot like Spike Lee) spent about five minutes thanking us and remarking that the past thirty minutes had completely changed his view of ministry and were the most impacting time he’s had at seminary. No kidding. The students were all nodding their heads…and all we were doing was talking about our mission and values and spending time describing an outward-focused, relevant approach in whatever culture you’re in. I’ve never been in a classroom setting that was so much like a giant sponge. This was way worth the stop. We ended up being there for a good while and going over their scheduled class time by an hour!

It was a full day; we again skipped lunch but we did have dinner tonight at a Nigerian pizza place(!) with a Coke and, get this, ice. Beautiful. Much of the group was also introduced to Kande's favorite drink here - something called a Chapman. Yum!

The team is resting tonight, playing Scrabble, laughing, and sending emails home. It’s been a good trip.

Tomorrow we spend time taking kids from the children’s home (they prefer to not use the word orphanage) for an outing at a park. Should be a fun trip; and, as usual, Dave's hair will puzzle them.

The team is thinking more and more about seeing family and getting back to everyone we miss at home. It's been great, but we're all VERY tired!

Thanks for your support. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Today's Pictures

Kids enjoying the water. Lots of people worshipping. Dave praying for the SSE Drilling Crew.

WE DID IT!

Words truly cannot describe our joy and amazement... We drank from our first bore hole today! (Yeah, and no one is sick yet.)

Really... I'm not kidding. Words can't describe it. So after we recuperate from a day of celebration we'll try to figure out how to post a picture or two later today. Brad can't fathom editing the amount of great footage we got in order to capture the experience for you all back home. Pray for him!

Meanwhile, the girls got their missing luggage and nearly 100 orphan care kits were delivered to area pastors so they can distribute them to those in the most need in their congregations. God is so good.

And this is about so much more than water...

Mama K

What a day!

We saw water!!!!!!

The majority of the team was at the village where we'll officially commission the drilling enterprise tomorrow... and the bore hole is operational! Originally we just thought they'd be blowing out the pipes to get ready for tomorrow and that we might not see it pumping. As a matter of fact, the majority of the group had loaded onto the bus after a hard day's work of building benches and playing with kids, digging a latrine, etc. Then news came that water was flowing... they all ran to see the big event. We can't wait to show you the video (sorry, you've got to wait for the celebration for that), but needless to say it was a big moment. More than a few tears were shed to see a dream come to reality!

It's hard to put the day in words. More than one of us is tired from crying... tears of joy for seeing God at work in so many ways. And to think he invites us to be part of it...

Meanwhile, Dave, Emmanuel and Kande were able to travel to a northern city called Bauchi to meet with area pastors there. They deal with muslim/christian tension and just recently had what they refer to as "an incident" in December where 23 people lost their homes to fire and rioting. We were invited to share how God has inspired us to see our city as our mission field and how that led to where we are today with the water project 1/2 a world away. And yet they taught us SO much. We have no idea about persecution, really, and what it means to nurture our faith and the faith of others in the midst of such on-going harsh realities. We'll be processing this one for a while...

Please pray for the commissioning tomorrow. It's sure to be a joyful, emotional day for all. Nearly overwhelming, and the anticipation is amazing. God is surpassing our wildest expectations.

Thanks for your love and support... and for making this all possible.

Mama K

Sorry for the delayed post!

Sannu (Hello!), Friends & Family!

We apologize for the delay in getting this post to you. There was a bit of trouble connecting to the internet when we first arrived, and then we were busy serving at a children's home and got so excited we forgot to write! Oops...

Meanwhile, we traveled without incident in terms of flight delays or issues. Upon arrival in Abuja (the Nigerian capital), we did unfortunately have a few missing pieces of luggage. 2 of the bags were donation bags, which is unfortunate but not terribly inconvenient... 2 bags, however, were Jessica and Bekka's personal suitcases. The good news is that they are about the same size as Emilee (our host missionary), and so borrowing clothes hasn't been too much of an issue so far. They are being good sports about it and we are told that the luggage has now been found and is on its way. Yeah, God!

Sunday in Abuja was spent at church in the morning, where our group definitely stood out among the crowd! Dave spoke about God's heart for reaching out to those who don't know Jesus in our community; he was well received. Then we went to our friends Patrick and Sarah's house for a feast of a lunch! They spoil us and it was great! While the rest of the group headed on out to Jos, Dave & Kande were able to go with Emmanuel to pray for a sick family member. It was sweet moment for seeing God minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Yesterday was our first official day of ministry with Back2Back. We worked at a children's home and school (CFLA) with a wonderful couple named Emmanuel and Kyenpia. Through our mini-extreme makeover they went from having 3 beat up foam mattresses for 14 children to individual bunk beds with fresh, brightly colored sheets for every child!! We also built and stained some shelving units to help with organization. It was a great day that impacted us all. Mark, Dave and Brad were able to travel separately to meet up with the SSE drilling crew and were very encouraged by the character and eagerness to be part of this project. Most of the rest of the team will meet them today, as they are travelling out to the village where the bore hole is being installed.

Today the group will work in the village of Zagun, which has a great story of historical significance we don't have time to tell here, but we're very excited. They will do work projects to support the school there, and help dig a pit latrine, which is critical for health and sanitation to become a way of life. Dave and Kande are traveling to Bauchi, about 1.25 hours from here, to meet with some pastors there. Please pray for group travels today, as all of the places we are going are farther into the bush and we travel over roads with more pot holes than actual road! It's not uncommon for people to become motion sick as the driver tries to avoid getting the bus swallowed up by the road! We'll make this same journey tomorrow to celebrate the commissioning of the bore hole, so we're hoping the test run goes well!

A couple trip members have concerns back home for which prayer support would be appreciated. Paul's dad Eugene is in the hospital and it's hard for he and his wife Chris to be out of touch with him while he's ill. Also, Brad just found out today that his dog has become paralyzed and is having a VERY expensive surgery now, so it's stressful for him to know that his wife Leah is at home dealing with those issues without him.

We are learning MUCH about God's provision for the needs of those he loves while we are here and pray the same encouragement comes your way.

Sai gobe (goodbye) for now. Thanks (Na Gode) for your prayers!

Kande and the team...

Here we go!

A team of 16 people from the Vineyard plus one person from Back2Back and one person (Emmanuel Itapson) from Self Sustaining Enterprises (SSE) will be travelling to Nigeria January 18-27 to commission the drilling enterprise that our Luke 4 commitments have established.
Brian Hitchcock, SSE's Executive Director, travelled to Nigeria in early January to oversee the local staff and transportation of the rig in preparation for our arrival. Once in Nigeria, we'll be working with long-term Back2Back missionaries Emilee & Jason Munafo.

Dave Workman and Kande Wilson are leading this team who will assist in the preparations in the village receiving a well during our stay, as well as support the work being done in area orphanages. We will also deliver over 100 of the orphan care kits that were prepared by SOS and Cincy Kids students in the summer of 2007.

Prayer - the most important part of our trip preparation!

1. Drill Rig. That it arrives safely and in time for our trip. (It shipped from Thailand November 17 and should arrive any day now!)
2. Smooth Travel. That any obstacles to family or work arrangements would be smoothed out and that all flights and connections would go as planned (and safety, of course).
3. God's Faithfulness & Our Response. We believe that God is speaking clearly through this mission and through this particular team that he wants to reveal to us more of who he is as Jehovah Jireh - the God who sees the needs of this world and then provides. Our hope is to press into what this means for the H2O: Nigeria mission, as well as for our personal lives.
4. Team Members & their Families - to keep healthy and safe during and after travel.
   Please partner with this team by prayer with us through these items. The more people we have participating with us, even though they aren't getting on a plane, the better!
   

Kande Wilson

Pastor/ Sr. DirectorEvangelism & World Missions