Heading Home, but only to return again!!!
- Posted by under Life at Bethel , Travel
- Tuesday May 29th, 2007
- [4] Comments Leave a Response
I have never experienced so many emotions all at the same time…ahhhhh!!!! Tonight is my last night here in Jos, and we are heading to Abuja tomorrow until our flight leaves Tuesday night. On Friday, I was able to get my classroom arranged and some furniture moved in and all that good stuff, which makes coming back more of a reality. Since it was my last weekend here, I didn’t do as much packing and organizing as I should have, but had a blast with my friends. It’s just funny what you do here for fun compared to the states. For example, today I went with a bunch of friends downtown to the market and we just shopped for a couple hours. Then we went to this cafe, where you can actually get decent food and ice cream. Then we all crammed into one car and went to another market and just goofed around. It was a blast, even though I am sad I have to leave. It’s a great feeling knowing that I have amazing friendships to come back to.
I was thinking today about my time here, and it is quite overwhelming when I think about the way God’s hand has been in this situation from the beginning. I came to Africa thinking I would have an awesome 3 month experience and then be on my way back to the states to find a job. Little did I know what God had in store for me, and the amazing privilege I would have to teach 1st grade here, and to live life in a world that one has to experience in order to understand. I feel blessed to have gotten a taste of what the next couple of years hold for me here. Thank you all for your prayers, and continue to pray for safe travels as the presidency is handed over on Tuesday. Rumor has it that they cannot shut down the air travel, but in Nigeria, anything is possible! I am anxious to see everybody and catch up on that side of the world. Blessings always…
WOW!! I can’t believe this is my last week here, soooo crazy. I feel like I just got here. Now, I get to go home for a couple months, and then come back! It has been so cool to see how God is placing people in my life and allowing me to form some really cool friendships here from people all over the world. I have been able to hang out with some girls from Ireland and it has been a blast. The best news is this … I found out where I am going to be living next year - right next door to where I am now, only it’s a 3 bedroom house, all to myself. I am soooo pumped to be able to have people over for dinners, games and movies. It will be such a blessing. I also found out that when I get back in July I am getting a puppy. It’s a miniature weiner dog, and they were just born 3 days ago!
There is going to be a national strike on the 28th and 29th, the day I am flying out, so please pray that we can get out of here okay. We have decided to leave Jos a few days early in order to make it to Abuja. When this happens, there is no telling what happens, but traveling from city to city is a very bad idea, so I hope we can make it there and the international flights are not shout down.
Tomorrow, I am spending some time at an orphanage near by, so I will be sure to keep you updated on how many of the kids I am bringing home with me!! Hahaha. Until next time…
Whooooaaaa! I feel like I have a lot of updating to do. 
It has been a long and busy week, but a really good one! I started teaching full time on Monday and it blows observing out of the water! hahaha. We are doing a whole ocean unit and it’s so awesome. the kids are just loving it. The best thing about 1st grade is everything you do is so cool, and that are so animated and fascinated about everything!!! It makes me even more excited to come back here and start from the beginning with a new class. When we dissected fish, they absolutely loved it, which was surprising. They wanted to touch all the parts and hold the head when I cut it off, I was laughing so hard. I don’t ever remember being that enthused about biology. Haha!!
I have been learning so much about the Muslim and Christian mis here at Hillcrest. It’s pretty amazing to know that there are so many Muslim kids in this school who hear God’s amazing love everyday. I have heard some fascinating stories about kids converting to Christianity and going against their parents, which is a very difficult thing to do. One girl who was here awhile ago was told by her mom that if she dated a Christian and did not remain pure, she would take her outside the gates and have her stoned! When she went home in the summer, her family married her off and she never returned to Hillcrest. WOW! Knowing that I have so many Muslims in my class is very hard because I want to make sure they see Jesus and understand true Christianity without offending them. Talk about a mission field. A few of my students thought that I was only punishing them because of their nationality and because I was American. So it’s been a real eye opener.
There was an amazing event that happened at Hillcrest on Sunday. The Sunday school classes raise money every year to buy wheelchairs to give away to people in the community. Talk about powerful and emotional. You cannot imagine the people and their gratitude for receiving such a blessing. Many of them, who have been hindered for years and years, never able to walk, finally received a means of getting around besides having someone physically carry them. You will see in the pictures how touching this was and how many lives were changed this day. Friends and family carried their loved ones to church on Sunday morning so they could start a new life!!! After seeing these pictures, I hope you are thankful and appreciative for for a healthy body, as I am.
Well, only 2 more weeks of school and then I will be heading home early since I am coming back!!! I will be arriving the first of June in order to have a couple months at home to get ready for this amazing journey I am about to embark on!! Can’t wait to see everybody! Sending my love across the ocean!
Well, rainy season here in Nigeria is officially starting. On Monday, we actually had a hail storm. Can you believe it? I would have never thought I would see that in Nigeria. It was so loud on the tin roof that I could not even continue class. The kids were going crazy because it is such a rare sight to see! Needless to say, half of the class was out of their seats and outside trying to catch it before I could say “DON’T GO OUTSIDE!” hahaha. This was the same day that I had a run in with a few of my students who didn’t want to cooperate. My rule is that if you move 2 cards you have to pick up trash during lunch. Well, they seemed to think that, because they were the only ones who got in trouble, it was because they were Lebanese. Long story short, we had to have a long chat to get it worked out, and yes, they still had to pick up trash today … I know, I know. I am so mean:) Everything in first grade has been amazing, and they make me laugh everyday! It is finally starting to sink in that I am really coming back as I have started to prepare lists of things to get while I am in the states for a month!!!
I put some pictures up of my day in the village. I went to a Nigerian wedding, which was so cool and then afterwards all the village kids were waiting outside and so I had about 6 kids at one time trying to hold one hand. It was priceless, and of course, they loved seeing themselves on my camera! Only 3 more weeks of school here, but as of Sunday, I am officially done with school … YAY FOR ME!!!!!
