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...