As time has progressed, so has my understanding about the ministry. Basically, I am in a pioneer ministry, attempting to establish a health care system for the children in our care. I am not necessarily equipped medically to do this, but God has provided two missionary physicians to help me. At Transition House (one of our Care Centers where 68 boys live), I now have an office/clinic. It is my goal that when the boys enter my office, they feel safe and loved. I practice my Hausa (and they usually laugh at me), I try to learn something about them, and we pray together… oh! and I dispense medicine and care as needed? I have recently started teaching a Health Education class to the boys on a weekly basis. I also began teaching a Bible Study with the same group each Thursday. I am a first-time teacher on both accounts, so please pray for me!

In August Gene Martin (missions pastor) and Lee Hoffer (elder), from Temple Bible Church in TX, visited Jos and spent time with me, learning first-hand about the ministry. It was a very encouraging time and I was so thankful for their wisdom and support! Last month my mom came to visit! She really appreciated seeing where I live and work because she is now able to picture my life in Nigeria. We had some good mother-daughter talks, allowing me to process what I have learned in the past 10 months.

Off the streets and into my heart

Gidan Bege, meaning "House of Hope" in Hausa, is living up to its name. God has blessed us with the opportunity to care for street boys who have decided they want to change their lives and, as a result, many have become Christians. On Thursdays, boys are invited to come to Gidan Bege to learn English, to eat, and to receive medical attention. If a child expresses a desire to leave the streets, he stays at Gidan Bege center for a time of counseling and observation. After weeks or months, depending on each child, he is moved to a Care Center. We have four Care Centers right now, where the children live, holding a total of 124 boys from the ages of six to twenty years old.

Last week we took the 68 boys from our Jos Center to Miango for a week of camp! The theme was "Armed in God's Love," focusing on the armor of God and the victory available to His children. This truth is vital for the children to understand, since they have been held in bondage of fear and deceit for so long. The boys were assigned to a Bible Study group, which met every morning, studying being a warrior of the King. Each afternoon, the staff taught electives such as "Injury and Prevention," "Music," and "Hiking." We also held our own Olympics, had a Treasure Hunt, played lots of football and spent quality time with each other.

Every night during camp we met for praise and worship. Man, do these boys know how to dance! I absolutely love to join in with them, praising God together, in sincerity and freedom. From the youngest to the oldest, they sing at the top of their lungs, some with eyes closed and hands raised, praising their Redeemer. They know what it is like to be in chains, and now they are free! Their innocence in worship brings laughter to my lips because I see them as they are… children. They have seen and done things in the past that would cause some of us to shudder. Yet, God knows they are simply children, and He invites them to come and worship Him.

Tears of grief

I met "Emmanuel," a 7-year-old, about a week after I arrived in Nigeria. He had been falsely accused of being in the Secret Society. Nevertheless, his relatives wanted to kill him in order to protect themselves. God intervened, and Emmanuel was rescued by one of our volunteers and brought to Gidan Bege. Emmanuel is one of our most joyful boys, always singing and playing. One day at camp he was very downcast, but he would not tell me what was wrong. Then he suddenly broke down in tears, sobbing. I sat down with him and held him, waiting until he could speak. "My grandmother said I cannot go home. She said Uncle Elisha (our leader) is now my father. My mother is dead. My father is dead. I am alone. It is only me. And I cannot go home." And then he broke down and wept. After talking with him, I learned that he last saw his grandmother seven months ago, before being brought to Gidan Bege. Emmanuel had become homesick while at camp and wanted to be with his grandmother. I was reminded that these boys are hurting and lonely, and many of them do not know how or choose not to share their feelings. I thank the Lord that Emmanuel trusted me with his pain.

Baboons, elephants, and flat tires

Recently a group of singles went to Yankari National Park. We had a blast! It is known for its warm springs. I have come to absolutely LOVE palm trees. We had the gift of seeing elephants up close. For some reason they were hanging around the camp. As four of us swam in the water, a family of elephants stood about 100 feet from us, eating! Since we were swimming, no picture to act as evidence, but it really happened! They hung around for a good 45 minutes. A baby was among them, no bigger than a german shepherd. Yankari is known for the baboons that hang around… many of them. I had heard that if you threw food on the roof of the small rooms we stayed in, that they would jump onto the roof and wake the people up. So, one morning, Mary and I snuck over to the boys' house. I saw a mama baboon and her cute baby about 15 feet away so I threw a piece of bread at her, to get her attention. Yikes! I also got the attention of about 5 other baboons, who were just outta sight and who came running around the corner right at me! I screamed at them and chunked the bread (real tough, right). Just as this happened, Ben came out of his room and had a good laugh. Wouldn't you know that the next morning baboons jumping on our roof waked us girls up! I looked out the window and there was my good Nigerian bud Makoji, with a huge grin, throwing the food. He later told me the baboons did not run at him because he is black. Whatever. One baboon also came into our room, since the door was open and all, and took our bag of marshmallows! And you cannot buy those here. Check out this pic of a baboon enjoying himself on top of our roof.

The entire trip was an adventure. On the way home we had FOUR flat tires! It was actually quite funny and God protected us. Makoji was along and did all the work.

Well, not all. In this pic, you can see the tough white missy's lifting up the truck. On our next to last flat, we had to pile out and wait for a while for Makoji and Ben to go to a town and get the tires fixed. So all of us ladies had a good nap under a tree, as a few curious farmers stared at us.

This pic shows our final flat -- we decided we needed to maybe not try for number five, so we all piled out and waited for Makoji to go get us a van taxi. It was a great weekend, flats and all!

From Tragedy to Triumph

“Auntie Erin, my mother would like to meet you,” David said to me a couple weeks ago. David is a 12 year-old boy who has lived at Transition House for one year. Unlike many of the boys, David comes from a loving family. He has nine siblings, two of them who also live at Transition House. His story begins sadly, but has an ending that proves God is in control. David’s father was an officer in the Nigerian Army. He was a very good soldier and had earned the respect of many. He fought in a battle last year and did very well, earning a bonus payment from the military. He planned on building a house for his family. He went to visit his extended family in his village. His brother found out about the money and poisoned David’s father. David’s mother, Maria, found out and went to the village. When she arrived, he had become paralyzed from the poisoning. She took him back home, where David and his siblings saw their father in this condition.



One morning David went into his parents’ bedroom. His father was lying in bed and his head, according to David, was completely turned around on his neck, facing the back. Maria was trying to move it back in place, but was not successful. Soon after this, says David, his father’s legs began ‘slapping’ and then he passed away. This was in March 2003. Shortly before this happened, one of David’s elder brothers, Paul, ran away from home. While he was living on the streets, he heard about Gidan Bege (House of Hope) and began attending the program for street boys, where they are taught English, the Bible, are fed, and are able to been seen by me or another medical person. He decided to stay at Gidan Bege and sent a message home to his family that he wanted to live there because he would receive an education.



Maria desperately wants her children to be educated, and without her husband’s income, she cannot afford the school fees for all of them. So, she decided to allow Paul to stay at Gidan Bege, and she also requested that David and another brother, Emmanuel, be allowed to stay. All three brothers live at Gidan Bege’s Transition House. David is one of the smartest boys there. He can read advanced books, is fluent in Hausa, English, and his tribal language, and is doing well in the school.



I asked David what he liked about his father and he said the following, “He always corrected me if I was wrong. He always wanted me to be reading books. My father always made sure I had what I needed and if I did not, he did whatever he could to give it to me. He was very kind. He never fought with my mother.” I traveled with David to visit his mother and his siblings. When we arrived at the gate of the army barracks (I was not aware his mother still lived there), we were told I could not enter because I am a foreigner. David went to get his mother so I could meet her. I asked her how I can pray for her and she said that she has been trying to get the money back that was stolen from her husband, but has been unsuccessful. She wants to move her family out of the barracks and into a house, as was the plan of her husband, but she cannot because lack of funds. Please pray that the Lord will provide a miracle! I praise the Lord for this testimony of His faithfulness. Even though it was a tragic thing that David’s father died and Paul ran away, God directed Paul to Gidan Bege, and now these three boys are thriving in their education and walk with the Lord.

Just call me Julia

I have a better appreciation for celebrities (such as Julia Roberts) who are followed everywhere, with everyone watching them. Being a Bature (white person) instantly puts me in this category. There are always eyes following me: people watching to see my reaction to things, what I am buying, how I am worshipping God, etc. Even I do a double take when I see a Bature, as there are so few of us around!

It is tempting to become quite tired of all the attention, and even more so to sometimes want to turn around and stare at them right back. ? It helps to say to myself “Pretend you are Gwyneth Paltrow and smile!”. Seriously, the attention should not be on Erin, but on God and how He shines through me. It definitely provides accountability and opportunities to show kindness, patience and love…which is witnessed by many, who assume that because I am white, I am a missionary.

This is a journal entry I wrote last month about this:

“I continually deal with the stressor of always being watched, of people asking me for help, money, medicine, etc. Jesus lived this way: always being watched, under scrutiny, people begging for his help. Matthew 15:23+ says that ‘great crowds’ came to You. You did not turn them away. Instead, You healed them “and they praised the God of Israel.” You called to Your disciples and said “I have compassion for these people. They have been with me for three days.” I can’t imagine that You rolled Your eyes, or became impatient with these people who did not leave your side for three days. You were 100% human, but even when You were physically tired, You were available. Jesus, help me to be like You.”

Pray that all of the attention received will turn the spotlight onto God.

The following is what is now normal to me as I travel down the road:
1) Children digging through the trash
2) Pigs, goats, cows and sheep walking across the road, in the middle of the city
3) Cars upside down as a result of an accident
4) Five year-old children, in school uniforms, walking home alone
5) Being stopped by army officers many times, who are helping decrease crime by randomly checking vehicles
6) Lines fifty cars deep to buy petrol (gasoline)
7) Adults and childreb with various handicaps begging. Many times they, or their family, refuse curative treatment because begging provides money for the family.

Into the Jungle

The morning of our journey we all piled into vans to travel to the base of the mountain. Pastor had rounded up kids to help us carry our things. From the look of all the mountains surrounding us, I knew I could not carry my backpack, so I made sure that someone had it. A few kids carried generators and other heavy equipment. Unreal. The weather was perfect. It was drizzling and cool. We started the trek and I hung back to take a pic. Then caught up, then took another pic as we started our ascent. Doing these put me at the end of the line. We had about 50 in our group. As we started up what my friend later named 'Death Mountain', I was like 'Oh boy'. Straight up. No nice winding trail. Straight up. I had three small bags around my shoulders which became heavier and heavier. Two great guys from Gidan Bege, Victor and Yats, stayed with me, encouraging me and helping me. Then Pastor Matthias came and literally pulled me up the mountain, stopping patiently when I could not breathe:) And then pulling some more. Eventually 2 of the bags were taken from me, leaving me only with my water and my wet clothes to lug up the mountain.

When I rested, I would turn around and it was such an amazing sight. We were above the clouds! Mountains everywhere. Rainforest surrounded us. God provided rain and clouds. If it would have been hot and sunny- we all would have been in trouble. Although it was so tough we 4 enjoyed each others company. I say 'tough'- but the men were barely breaking a sweat! Even Pastor, who was literally pulling me up the mountain! Eventually, a couple others had slowed down from exhaustion and the 6 of us continued on. Finally we got to the top of the mountain. What goes up must come down. The rain had caused the mud to be slippery, so this was quite a challenge. Also, I had opted to wear my Teva sandals and not my boots bc they are so heavy and not so comfortable. The sandals are open toed, so bc of the slippery surface, going down a mountain, my feet kept sliding right out of my shoes! Eventually I just took them off and went barefoot, because otherwise I was going to twist my ankles.

I fell many times, yet never hurt myself! Amazingly, my feet did not even get scratched. I know why. At the beginning of the climb, God reminded me of the verse "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."Ps 91:11&12. I was assured that I would sustain injury and I did not. Even though I fell many times. The people with me could not understand why I did not break a bone or have a dislocation, they said, bc they were seeing how I was falling and slipping. Yats even took pics of me falling :) We all laughed alot and really had a great time.

The descent was really into the jungle! It was so incredible. There was one spot where we could see the mountains of Cameroon. Our last 45 min or so was travelled in the dark with flashlights- again, I did not get hurt! We arrived to the camp to the cheers of all who had made it before us. My friend ran up to me and gave me a big hug. She had been worried bc we were travelling in the dark. The whole journey was only a little over 3 hrs.

We spent 4 days camped in one village. We slept in tents, surrounded by mountains and palm trees. During the days we split up into 14 teams. My team conducted the clinic and the other teams trekked to other villages in the mountains to share the Gospel. At night we showed the Jesus Film. It was an incredible week, one that I will never forget.

Meeting the needs

Our ministry is expanding! This week we are moving some boys out to our new Care Center. There are about seven more Centers that are being developed at this time, all over Nigeria!

By 2015, Nigeria will be the #3 country in the world with people with HIV...

meaning there will be millions of orphans. We are trying to stay ahead of the game, so to speak, rather than react to the problem. God has also given us the responsibility to care for the children of Nigerian missionaries. These kids live at a boarding school on the outskirts of Jos. There is nobody trained to care for their physical needs. I will be responsible in training staff to care for the health of the children in these Care Centers, meaning that I would need to be traveling to the different places, many which will be in the bush. Gyero, which is opening soon, is near Jos, but the roads are impassible, except by truck or motorcycle.

To be a Nigerian

TO BE A NIGERIAN:
1) Pick out the fabric, design the dress and take it to the tailor. Voila –- beautiful clothes at bargain prices.
2) Dance, clap, wave your arms and dance some more when praising your Risen Savior.
3) Hop on a motorcycle with your 2-year-old sitting in front of the driver, your 5-year-old behind him, and your 6-month-old tied to your back as you sit on the edge of the seat!
4) Master the art of driving, which resembles a video game: objects (goats, people, other cars, dogs, motorcycles, chickens, etc.) flying at you in all directions and your goal is to get to the finish line without dying.

I have mastered three of the four above. Can you guess which ones ?!?

IMMUNIZATIONS, DEWORMING & ALL THAT JAZZ
The past month in ministry has been very encouraging to me. I praise God for a breakthrough in my relationship with the boys. We were able to obtain Tetanus and Meningitis vaccines for all the boys. I have observed a lot of problems due to worms, so last week all of them were given pills to kill those buggers! The boys are beginning to understand my role with them. They knew I was a nurse, but giving the immunizations was the first time they really saw me in action. After the injections, a dozen came up to me with various problems, showing me that they are beginning to trust me. Because God has healed my ears, I believe Him for healing in others. It is a great honor to pray over each boy, asking Jesus to heal and restore them in every way. As I develop the health care system for these boys, pray that I will work in the strength and wisdom of God. In Nigeria, people are called ‘Auntie/Uncle’ or ‘Mama/Babba’, depending on their age. So, all the kiddos call me Auntie. When I arrive at Transition House, many run up to me saying ‘Auntie, look at this cut’, ‘Auntie, I do not feel good’, etc. It is great! Spending time with them is the highlight of my day.

Bush Outreach!!!

A few weeks ago our team went into the bush for an overnight outreach. The villages are chosen because either a pastor or a missionary have been trying to minister to the people and need help getting started. It was awesome! I kept wanting to pinch myself because I could not believe I was actually in Africa, traveling in a bus packed with Nigerian teammates, bumping along a 'road', with no civilization in sight. When we arrived at the village, our leader went to talk with the chief. We soon found out that the chief did not want us there because there was a wedding the sa

me day. It would not be good to have two events happening at the same time.

Our leader asked us all to come over and see the chief- perhaps our presence would help him change his mind. I have never seen a chief before and was not sure what to expect. We walked past a group of about 8 women and 15 children. One of my teammates told me those were his wives and kids. Out of the hut came a man, maybe in his 60's, no taller than 5'9". He had a kind face, which wore a tentative expression as he saw all of us. His skin showed evidence of many years in the sun and his clothes, although nicer than some of the others in the village, were not elaborate. Despite all of this, his demeanor demanded respect.

It was finally decided that we could stay until the wedding started. During that time about 50 people came to our makeshift clinic. Members of our team visited different families to share about Jesus. We praise God that 16 people committed their lives to Christ during those two hours! The local pastor will follow-up on their decisions. We received word that another village had invited us to come and stay the night with them! We piled into our vans and made our way down the 'roads' to this village. On our way, I marveled that we had planned on staying with the original village- however, GOD directed us to this one… and we would soon find out why! When we arrived, we could see a couple of huts at the top of the hill. The problem was that there was no road to the village. No problem! Men of the village hacked away at the dirt and rocks, making a path.

It was almost dusk, so we hurriedly pitched our tents and set up the 'screen' for the Jesus Film. The screen is a white sheet stretched between two sticks. For the first hour or so, a video was shown with Christian music and a short Gospel presentation. At this time there were only about 30 people present. As the music traveled across the plains, I could see people walking in the distance, arriving in anticipation. Many if not all had never seen a film before. Excited chatter of children and adults alike were heard over the music. As they arrived, they stared mesmerized at the screen as they heard the actors speaking in their language, telling them about the Truth of Jesus. By the time we started the Jesus Film over 300 people had arrived!! I sat on top of one of the vans and praised God all evening. His love transcends language, culture, countries… into the heart of the person He has created. I kept looking up into the night sky, where the thousands of stars twinkled, and thanked Him for allowing me to be there, for taking me out of my comfort zone, for giving me abundant life.

The next morning we started our medical clinic early. There were so many people waiting in line that I was told to take care of the men. 'Take care' meaning- be their doctor. :) Yeah, I was a bit nervous. But, my translator had been on many outreaches and although she was not trained medically, she helped me out a lot. Together we diagnosed and prescribed meds, which were picked up by the patients in the tent next to us. I learned a lot that day… mostly that I do not know a lot! Ha.

At the end of our time, we learned that almost 100 adults and children had accepted Christ! The pastor, who joined us, will follow up on their decisions. Those 100 souls are why God took us to that village. It was a blast! The next outreach is February 20 and I am pumped to go! Last year, 10,000 people accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior through these medical outreaches!

This is my home...

A wise missionary gave me great advice over 4 years ago when I committed my life to missions. He said that many missionaries get to the field and count down the days until they can go back 'home'. This prevents them from fully engaging with the people they are serving. He said that when I arrive on the field, I must completely unpack - not just my boxes - but my expectations, memories, and rights. I have never forgotten this advice, and it has helped tremendously. My home is no longer America. My home is where the Lord wants me… Nigeria! I praise God for graciously enabling me to be at home here.

You know you are in Nigeria when...

1) A man is standing on the street corner selling rat poison. It works, he says, as he dangles dead rats in front of you!
2) The electricity coming on is a highlight of your day.
3) You walk into the store and freak out over seeing Dr. Pepper.
4) You show up at 3:30 for a meeting that was scheduled for 3:00 and you are the first one to arrive.
5) You breathe a sigh of relief when arriving to your destination safely, since there were 10 near misses in the taxi you rode in. (There are no street signs, traffic lights, lanes, etc).
6) You see 2 LIVE chickens hanging upside down from a motorcycle as they head to their dinner date.
7) Complete strangers profess their love for you… as you walk by their storefronts!

Arrival into Nigeria

ADVENTURES DURING MY FIRST WEEK:

1) The plan was for me to land in Abuja (the capitol of Nigeria) for change of flight crew and continue on to Kano. As I waited with the other passengers, I observed a group of Nigerian ladies across the room, two who had newborn babies. They surprised me by crossing the room and sitting down next to me! They did not acknowledge me at first, but began speaking to each other in Hausa. I spoke up and for the next 3 ½ hours I laughed and shared stories with my new Nigeria friends!

We then found out that KLM was going to put us into a hotel because they had to cancel the flight to Kano due to zero visibility because of the harmattan (sand blowing in off Sahara). Praise God I did not have all of my 20 boxes with me (shipped out earlier) because it would have been impossible to take all of them to the hotel, along with all the other passengers' baggage. We booked into the Sheraton (!) and I finally crashed at 4:00am. At 7:00am we learned that KLM was going to take us to Kano by car (5 hour drive). Abuja is actually closer to Jos, in the other direction. So after praying and calling SIM, I jumped into a taxi and took the 3 ½ hour drive to Jos (again, yeah for minimal luggage)! It was a great introduction to Nigeria. We passed by villages where little children played in the yard, women carrying loads on their heads, cars jammed with people and goats, beautiful rock formations and so much more. I praised God all the way to my new home- for the honor to be here to share His love with others. I knew that because so many people were praying, I had been kept safe and had joy despite the circumstances of unexpected change.

2) The driving here is so different than in the States. There are unspoken rules of the road - necessary since there are no stop signs, traffic lights, lanes, or even street signs. It definitely provides a rush!

3) I love my new home! I live in a one-bedroom apartment in a small complex owned by SIM. By the end of the month, the building will be full with 4 men and 4 women missionaries and the Hammack's, a couple who help us to thrive in our new lives. Every evening us singles meet for dinner. It is such a blessing to have singles to spend time with to encourage and edify each other.

4) I met Praise, a Nigerian about my age, who Leslie Pelt (missionary from Moody Church) asked to come check on me. I look forward to building this friendship.

5) Shopping! This has proven to be a time to hunt for treasures. The 2 main stores I shop at are only about 50 feet in length and 20 feet in width- but have more than you would think. I found Dr. Pepper and was so excited! It is a treasure hunt, because you never know what you will find on the shelves. The market place is great- fresh fruits, vegetables, fabric, clothing, and the opportunity to try out my bartering skills. Shopping definitely wipes a person out!

6) Yesterday Mary, GayLynn (my neighbors) and I went to a small store at a corner where we bought beautiful matching Nigerian dresses and head wraps, bracelets and a necklace. We are performing the oldies hit "I Will Survive"- rewritten for what each of us has had to survive- for the talent show at SIM's Spiritual Life Conference Jan.7-11. I cannot carry a tune, but have been practicing drumming on a jimbae (African drum)

7) I visited Transition House, a branch of Gidan Bege, where about 60 boys live. They have shown responsibility, a desire to stay off the streets, and have committed their lives to the Lord. I was overwhelmed with joy to finally be with 'my boys' I have been thinking about for so long! They are precious and I cannot wait to share stories of them with you over the years.

8) NEPA (Nigerian Electric Power Association) - aka Not Ever Power Always- goes off sporadically throughout the day, for unknown amounts of time. The other night I made spaghetti on my gas stove by candlelight. I had to laugh and say "If they could see me now." You who know me know I cannot cook w/ all the conveniences of the States!

9) I brought in 2004 alone with the Lord, praising Him for all He has done in 2003 and looking forward to what He will do in 2004. On New Years Day I visited a local church celebration. I was also blessed to celebrate my 26th birthday with my new family.