Thursday, November 4, 2010

We're home!

Twenty-nine hours after leaving Jos, Nigeria we arrived in Lansing to the warm hugs of our families-spouses plus Nancy and Brian's daughter Amanda. We're travel-weary, but not exhausted. In many ways, we're energized by our experience and remember warmly our Nigerian friends who we treated us to warm African hospitality.

In important part of the few days we spend in Jos before leaving for home was debriefing. We met with CRWRC, Beacon of Hope, and Christian Reformed World Missions leaders to discuss the partnership and put our experiences in perspective and align them to the broader mission in Nigeria. All of us shared excitement about the work and the part that RTC can play in it.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Travel day: Mkar to Jos

Today we traveled from Mkar in Benue state to Jos in Plateau state--a drive of about 6 hours. At sunset, we ferried across the Benue River. We call the trip on the river "exciting" --there was room on the wooden ferry boat for our vehicle and us, not much else.
As we left Benue state, we carried with us memories of those whose lives have been ravage
d by HIV/AIDS. The photo nearby is of 4 orphans from NKST churches in the Zaki-Biam ar
ea.
These are several of many orphans who have lost both parents to the AIDS epidemic. They have been taken in by relatives (sometimes distant) and are receiving support from the
congregation's women's fellowship to be able to have adequate care. It is orphans like these that our EmbraceAIDS gift catalog's school fees
go toward.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Two Church Services

Sunday was spent attending the Bristol NKST morning church service and the Ahwa NKST afternoon service. Clay delivered a passionate Reformation Day sermon in which he called for a 'new reformation' in the church to counteract the 'prosperity health and wealth gospel'
which also known as 'winners' in Nigeria, and Mark gave an impromptu offertory prayer (see photos). Both sermons were translated into TIV by a NKST pastor. After each service we had a full meal prepared by women of the church, which was an important way for the church to show their appreciation for our visit and Clay's inspiring sermon.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Memorable visits, joining of hands and hearts

A memorable day, no, two. We were in Zaki-Biam, an hour and a half by interesting roads from Mkar, where we are staying. Zaki-Biam, home to the world’s largest yam market, is our target site. Yesterday we met the classis leadership: pastors, elders, school teachers, and others. There are presently five churches in the classis, soon to be six, each a sprawling collection of church, preaching sites, schools, and clinics. We toured the Zaki-Biam Secondary School, which is still under the capable leadership of a woman of a certain age. She was a classmate of John Orkar in teacher’s college. We also toured the hospital. The doctor we met in 2009 now practices in Jos. He has been replaced by a young, energetic doctor, who spent a half hour or so with us. In both places we found issues to be addressed, and in both places we found much to encourage us.
The day ended with an impromptu meeting with a group of four people. Two of them were members of the same HIV/AIDS support group. They seemed to be doing well. The other two, who shyly hovered at the outskirts of our group until invited in, were a married couple. She was HIV positive; he, negative. Gideon Gogo (Nurse with Beacon of Hope) masterfully drew them out. She was clearly sick, but had not been treated. Her husband had not touched her in a year. Their relationship a wreck, they needed what the others had, a support group. More on this and the several support groups we met with today later.
Let me jump to today, Friday. For the purposes of this blog, I’ll mention only the last two events. We ended our time in Zaki-Biam with a short meeting with the five pastors of the classis and the secondary school principal. The meeting began with a short speech by Rev. Girgi, the pastor of the central church and the leader of classis. He talked about their dreams for the partnership between them and us. I responded briefly in turn with our dreams and ideas. After a bit of discussion, we had to go. Gideon asked the principal to pray. Before she did, we held hands—Nigerian pastors, the principal, the four of us, Gideon, Talitha, and Rev. Saamo. We sang from memory “To God Be the Glory,” the Fanny Crosby version; the principal prayed; we said the grace together, still holding hands. And then we took our leave: friends, partners in ministry, members of the same kingdom. As the old saying goes, it doesn’t get any better than that.
We left Zaki-Biam and drove a short distance before turning off into what Nigerians call “the bush.” We took a long single lane trek past several traditional compounds to a place called Ngobua (“Gobwa”). There we met with the members of a rural church. Two of us (Mark and Grace) met a large support group from the church; the other two (Nancy and Clay) met with the pastor and the elders. They, the elders and pastor, reported on how a 2009 Beacon of Hope sponsored meeting had helped them respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. They were grateful to them and us for helping to sponsor Beacon of Hope. But then one of the elders said something that stunned me. He said that the Beacon of Hope intervention had brought them together. Before, he said, the council and church had been divided; now they were unified. Their faces spoke of the confidence they now had in each other. In facing together this plague, they found in each other and in God a new sense of mission and new sense of unity. It is often in the face of difficulty that we find strength.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

We sign the Memorandum of Understanding



Wednesday October 27 was an eventful day, one we have been eagerly anticipating. We signed the Memo of Understanding (MOU) that officially launches our partnership with the NKST church in Benue State Nigeria. The goal of the partnership is to 'expand the wholistic response to HIV/AIDS ministry in the NKST context and to engage the people of the NKST with the people of RTC so that we can learn from and encourage each other in this ministry.' Pictured from left to right are John Mase Iornenga, General Secretary of the NKST church in Benue State Nigeria; Terzungwe Saamo, HIV/AIDS Pastor for the NKST; Samuel Vershima Ker, NKST Secretary for Education; Clayton Libolt, RTC pastor; and Gideon GoGo, Coordinator for Beacon of
Hope Initiative
(BHI) the coordinating Nigerian HIV/AIDS relief organization that works with CRWRC.

After signing the MOU, we became TIV, as were were dressed in the traditional black and white woven TIV cloth. Pictured here in their full TIV-ness are Mark Menning, Nancy Kelly, Grace Kreulen and Clay Libolt. Notice the great TIV bags the men have over their shoulders!

The rest of the week will be spent dloping relationships with churches in the Zake-Biam area and learning about their HIV/AIDS prevention and relief work. In an state with a 10.6 % HIV infection rate and where the role of the church in community life is powerful, the church's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic is foundational to limiting the spread of the disease.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

We Travel to the NKST Headquarters in Mkar


Forty six point five years. That’s the average life expectancy in Nigeria. This may be more a factor of driving habits and road conditions than it is disease.
Talitha, our beautiful young Nigerian trip coordinator and escort meets us for breakfast and we begin the four hour trip from Abuja to Mkar. Our talented driver Danjamo takes the wheel and expertly maneuvers us through pedestrian and scooters, honking a warning as he overtakes a van on a blind curve. Abuja and its city life fade into the background. Large western- style buildings become long plazas of market stalls selling everything from wooden doors large enough for compound gates, yams, shoes and oranges. Some of these market stalls are manned by four and five people indicating the scarcity of jobs. Industry is evident however; we see yam farms dotting the countryside, men pounding huge rock into gravel, others making brick out of the red dirt.
At one point we stop and Talitha negotiates a snack from women who rush to the van, baskets of bananas on their heads, baggies of peanuts in their hands.
The unseasonably long rains leave deep ruts in the road as we enter Mkar and the van lurches. Reverends Saamo (pastoral counselor for Beacon of Hope) and Iornenge (General Secretary of the NKST) greet us, welcoming us in the name of the Lord, his brothers and sisters from North America. It’s both humbling and a great blessing to have made it. We are shown to our rooms and allowed to freshen up before a delicious traditional dinner of chicken, pounded yam and a variety of greens that Mrs. Iornenge has clearly spent a lot of time preparing. In good African style, we chat pleasantly after dinner, saving the real business of the trip for the following workday.
Exhausted from our journey we retire to our rooms to face our first Nigerian shortage—The water has been shut off for the night. Showers consist of Wet Wipes and antibacterial hand gel. So that’s what the empty bucket in our room is for! Tomorrow we’ll fill it before dinner!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Departure on Second Visit to Nigeria

At 3:00 p.m. today the four 2010 ambassadors boarded the church van for Detroit airport. The 4 ambassadors are: Clayton Libolt, Grace Kreulen, Mark Menning and Nancy Kelly. They will arrive in Abuja, Nigeria on Tuesday and from there go by car to Mkar in Benue state. They will be observing the work of Beacon of Hope, talking to those administering programs as well as those receiving them. They also will be meeting with NKST church leaders.

God's blessings and Godspeed to our ambassadors!