by Tina | Nov 13, 2014 | Devotional
I am sorry friends, we have not had much for internet the past two weeks. Here is what we’ve been up to:
On Friday we saw the doctor for Dan’s leg. He determined it was getting worse and there was nothing more they could do in Gembu. He called his brother-in-law, who is a doctor at the National Hospital, and set up a meeting for us Monday morning.
We left for Abuja early Saturday morning, October 25 after the nurse cleaned and wrapped up Dans leg. We had an uneventful trip and arrived in Abuja on Sunday. We got a few provisions and went to the house and rested and contacted the doctor we were meeting on Monday. During this time Dans leg is looking and feeling increasingly worse.
Monday morning we texted the doctor and met with him. He took one look at Dans’ leg and said you will need to be in the hospital for a week or two with your leg up to reduce the swelling, and then have a skin graft, then stay in the hospital a week or two or until it is healing. I do not need to tell you that both of us were discouraged. This would eliminate doing any work in Gembu before we have to go home in December.
I am ready to call and get plane tickets home as I really hate seeing Dan in pain and it has increasingly gotten worse with treating it here. Dan thought he should check with his doctor that is going to do his vein surgery in his legs in December to see if there were things we could do that we hadn’t been doing that would help or if their opinion was we should come home. We are still not sure why we didn’t do this before. They were wonderful and said that he probably had cellulitis around the ulcer and that was where a lot of the pain was coming from. Also the gauze he was using was not non-stick. That was irritating it every time he moved or changed dressings. We traveled to quite a few pharmacies and found the items we needed to wrap up Dan’s leg and he sat on the couch with his leg up Tuesday and Wednesday and he continued taking the antibiotic he had been on for two weeks.
God has blessed tremendously and this has reduced the pain, infection ,and drain on Dan’s body! Words cannot describe how very thankful we are for this.
While in Abuja we have had servicing done to the vehicle we are using, bought a new truck and the mechanic is currently working on that making sure everything is ready so that we can take it to Gembu. You see, when a vehicle breaks down on the road, that’s where it gets fixed here. Availability of parts and qualified people are very limited. It is always better to take care of it in a bigger city and be able to get the parts that are from the dealer. We have also spent this week getting the items on our “to do” list done. It totally amazes me how long it takes to do anything here! We can spend a whole day and not find the part we need or a decent copier, or an ace bandage!
On Sunday we got to go to an international church called “The Ark”. It was wonderful to sing songs we knew, a message that spoke to us and visit and connect with people of many different nationalities. This made me realize that I have had a lack in my life here and that is music. I seem to need good words and melodies going through my head This seems to encourage and motivate me. I was so surprised that I just soaked up the music and the whole experience like a sponge!
On Monday we went to Johnny Rockets. We visited with a missionary couple on Saturday that told us they had discovered it about a week ago and then and there Dan had decided that is where he would go for his birthday lunch. His birthday was actually on Tuesday, but we decided that day we would work around the house and get some more done there. The picture above is Dan enjoying his peanut butter chocolate shake and enjoying every second of it. Ice cream in Abuja is very expensive and does not taste good to us. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there talking and eating and listening to oldies from the jukebox!
We are still waiting to hear when we are supposed to meet with US AID for a close out meeting. We are anxious to get back to Gembu and get some work done before we have to leave in December. We are missing our friends and co-workers in Gembu and excited about what the future holds there at GECHAAN.
We also found out this week that my mom broke her leg and dislocated her hip. I am so thankful my sisters are there to be with her and advocate for her as she is in the re-hab. They really are much better at that than I and I am thankful for that!
This note is more informational than inspirational today. I do want to leave you with this one thought though. Wherever you go, whatever you do (especially if it’s not what you want to be doing) who are you reflecting? You do not need to be a missionary to reflect the One who sent you!
by Tina | Oct 30, 2014 | Devotional
Psalm 130:7 O Tina, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. This verse has spoken to me in so many different ways this week. Of course, the Bible says “O Israel”. But this verse is a personal one for me. I have found that with totally trusting the Lord, I have found unconditional love and total freedom to live and “be” as He made me.
The picture above is Dan addressing all of the staff at our meeting on October 29. It was a wonderful time for us to tell all of the staff a little more about us and what our vision for the future is and to also hear feedback from those that wished to speak. We also made sure each of them knew we are open to their ideas and opinions and stressed the “team approach” to ministry and celebrate the wonderful miracles God has already done through and in GECHAAN, and looking forward to the future!
This is pretty much on the same wave-length of what we have been doing all week. We have met with some of the FHI staff that are in the area doing training in hospitals, meeting each of our staff members every morning and most afternoons to touch base and see how things are going. Dan is also working on organizing offices and moving people around and we are continuing to clean and organize and figure out the resources that are here. Tina is also working on a Days for Girls project and getting an AWANA program going in the area churches. The thing that has encouraged me the most are the young adults we have encountered here.
We were blessed to have a conversation with a young woman who works for another NGO and she explained her discouragement that Nigeria is a country where people will die for their tribal group but not for their country. It seems to her that if Nigeria could all come together, regardless of tribe, and work toward a common goal, it would change their country and they could move forward. Another conversation that we had this week was with a young man who wants to work in the community as a volunteer helping youth with abstinence clubs because it has affected his life so positively.
You see, Dan and I have been blessed to be able to encourage and love a lot of young people in our lives and we are blessed and invigorated to see their energy and drive to make their communities a better place. They don’t understand and are annoyed with needless red tape and questioning. The part that needs great wisdom is encouraging them, yet remaining realistic. There are processes that seem needless, but are there for a reason, and to explain that in a way they understand.
We have been very surprised that the big “C” word here CHANGE is not as much an issue as we thought it might be. This is encouraging to us as we celebrate and realize the wonderful work Art and Dorothy have done that has changed this whole area of Nigeria and the possibilities for GECHAAN’s future.
My biggest prayer this week is healing for Dan’s leg. Please continue to pray that it will heal. We are traveling to Abuja on Saturday and Sunday and request prayer for travel there and safety as we pack up the Abuja house and start that process.
Todays’ point: Are you living the life God made you for? Do you have a venue to use the skills and talents God made you with? Do you realize the freedom of His unconditional love for you? I pray that you too can experience this in your life.
by Tina | Oct 23, 2014 | Devotional
Boaz passed away on Friday, he was not able to recover from whatever was making him sick. Thank you all for praying. I’m thankful we have the female guard dog, Ruthie left.
This week we had a new experience. We attended the funeral of Mama Jacinta. Mama Jacinta was a 53 year old mother and grandmother who worked at the Life Line Center. She was HIV+ and has done very well for a good many years with that status. We closed the clinic and the offices and all attended the funeral. John, our carpenter made the coffin. It was in a Catholic Church, so we got to experience a Nigerian Catholic Funeral. It was amazing how she had touched many of our staff, as she was a cleaner in the Life Line Center for many years. They called her, “Mommy”.
The life expectancy in Nigeria is 52. In the United States it is now 79. Mommy had beaten the odds here by a year. There have been staff gone to many different funerals this week. Just in one accident on the road, 18 people were killed two days ago. Death is just part of life here. They look at death differently. Maybe you do if you experience it as much as people do here. They seem to understand that REALLY we are not guaranteed tomorrow. I know in America we may say that, but it is a shock to us when someone we know passes away.
We love going to church here in Nigeria. Last week we went to a Pentecostal Nigerian Church. The Pastor’s message was wonderful, even though we were a tiny bit uncomfortable during prayer time. The thing I love about when people pray on Sunday mornings at church, they truly thank God for bringing them together again another week. They thank God for peace in their state currently. They thank God for travel safety and pray for those not with them who are traveling or sick.
In America we pray those things as well, but is it a heartfelt cry? Not very often. Here many times they pray to “Papa”, I love that! It gives me a wonderful mind picture of a great big God with great big arms wrapped around His children.
This week my greatest concern was Dan’s leg. Dan has vein problems which will be fixed when we are in the States in December and January of this year. Well, with all of the traveling we have done he has not been able to put his legs up at all. On Sunday Dan showed me the ulcer on his leg and it looked very infected. I googled what I should do to possibly help. We didn’t have peroxide, gauze, much of anything so I soaked it in hot water with salt. By Monday morning it looked horrendous! We talked to one of our doctors here. Dr. Ameka started treating it by cleaning it out twice a day and put Dan on a strong antibiotic. ALL of the staff has been very concerned about his leg since we got to Nigeria. Every day they check and see how it is looking and how Dan is feeling. Now I know why! They have seen people die from infections and seemingly harmless illnesses because care is “survival care” here. In America we have been blessed with “comfort care”.
I would love to personally send every 18 year old to a Third World Country for a year. I think it would give us all a totally different perspective on our lives and priorities if this were the case.
We took the picture of the praying mantis yesterday morning. We were walking around the clinic visiting with everyone and here is this guy hanging out on the step. I’m not sure why he was there instead of blending in to the leaves at the bottom of the step. I laughed because it made me think of us. Dan and I haven’t seen a white person for a month now. We kinda stick out here in Gembu. We aren’t hanging out, blending in with the crowd.
Here is my thought to share with you this week. How about you? Are you blending in? Do you look like the world around you? OR is there a light coming from deep inside of you that can only come from our “Papa”? Think about it.
by Tina | Oct 15, 2014 | Devotional
It has been a good week. Tomorrow we will leave at 6:00 am to go to Jalingo. We need to get our passports stamped at the Immigration office and want to meet with FHI and get a few supplies. We will then stop in Bali on the way home Friday to see how much food is left so that we can plan accordingly.
We are getting to know the staff a bit and can recognize most people by name. There are a few names we have a hard time pronouncing however. We have also started using a “How to learn Housa” program as we would like to be able to understand some Housa and have an inkling when we hear some words.
Boaz, the male guard dog is still sick. The vet’s assistant first thought it was worms, gave him meds for that, then a urinary tract infection, gave him meds for that and he is still miserable. In my “Other Life”, I didn’t realize that guard dogs are truly part of the security team. People are afraid of them, as both Ruth and Boaz are big German Shepherds and if you are not supposed to be in the compound, they will definitely stop you. Here is a picture of Boaz, he is a wonderful guard dog and is usually very perky and jumping and barking around. He really hasn’t moved or eaten, or done anything for over a week now.
This gets me thinking about health. Physical health is easy to see and to know. Either you’re healthy or you’re not. Spiritual health is another thing. It can creep up on you. Gradually. Insidiously. Dan and I can not be effective here if we are not physically as well as spiritually in tune and healthy.
How about you? Are you just as concerned about your time with God as you are with caring for your physical body? I have to say, for a good share of my life this has not been nearly as important than it is now. Make a plan today to nurture your soul with you “Papa” God by talking with Him and hearing from Him from the Bible. Have a wonderful week Friends!
by Tina | Oct 7, 2014 | Devotional
Well, this week has been good, but challenging in a strange way. We are familiarizing ourselves with the staff here at GECHAAN, policies and procedures in place, and resources available. We have been cleaning out cupboards and closets and offices. Dan and I each have an office space now, we know what is in the pantry, and what supplies are available for ministry.
After the past 2 1/2 years of sorting and organizing our work places and home to transition into ministry here it seems like the obvious next step, we really like to know where things are when they are needed. Here in Gembu there are many resources not available or very expensive, so it is good to know what you have and where it is at.
The Mambilla Plateau is a beautiful place and yesterday as I was “making the rounds”, greeting staff and clients in the clinic, and familiarizing myself with the property a thought occurred to me as I was soaking in the beauty of our surroundings. The picture above is of a passion fruit blossom. Art and Peter the Gardener have planted many very pretty and useful plants and trees on the property. This week we have had fresh bananas, papaya, green beans, and cabbage grown right here on our property. We also have a new favorite food – fried plantain. So good!
Well, if you look at the passion fruit blossom, it is kind of prickly and odd looking, I noticed it right away because it looked different than any of the other flowers. I thought to myself, “that’s kind of like me, I have never felt like I was like other people and I used to be very “prickly”. God has been so awesome to show me that my protective walls hinder me rather than help in ministry. Over the years, He has smoothed my edges, softened my heart, and allowed me to live without fear – He has it covered!!
This is the developing fruit of the passion fruit. It is not ripe yet, it doesn’t have the wonderful flavor that it will have after it ripens. It occurred to me that right now we are kind of like that green passion fruit. We are growing, learning, opening ourselves to new experiences, people, lifestyle but we are not “ripe” yet. We will ripen as we learn, trust, and grow in ministry here.
This week it was so awesome to be able to experience people coming to thank Art for the work that he and Dorothy have done in this whole area. The person that has touched me forever is a mother. 12 years ago Art provided her with the medicine that a mother can take so that she doesn’t pass HIV on to her unborn child. She also started on the medicine, as well as the diet that Dorothy wrote down for her to keep her healthy. Today 12 years later, her meds haven’t changed and she is very healthy and still eating the diet! Her beautiful, healthy daughter was with her. She cried and said, “thank you for saving my life and my daughters’ life”. Here you need to save their physical lives before you can even begin to talk about Jesus saving their hearts. I truly hope and pray that we will ripen in the way that touches lives and the community in this way.
My prayer requests for this week are this: Please pray that God will make it clear how to proceed with ministry here in Gembu. With the US AID funding gone we have much less funds to do work here and we really feel that possibly a quality care hospital is the best way to touch the community in addition to the HIV/testing, treating, and counselling . Please pray for wisdom, funding, and relationships with staff and the community here.
by Tina | Sep 28, 2014 | Devotional
Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war
my fingers for battle. Psalm 144:1
This week has been so very exciting for us! Monday morning we arrived at the airport. We had a stopover in Newark, New Jersey, Frankfort, Germany, then finally at Abuja, Nigeria. Art and Peter (the best driver EVER!) as well as Wilson and Tiwo picked us and our ten 50 pound bins and 100 pound water heater. We got a lot of looks at the airports. In Minneapolis a few people saw the tags on our luggage and said, “Thank you for helping these people”. That was very unexpected and we were very humbled.
We stayed at the Abuja house for two days while we went to the bank, tried to get a bank account, and can’t right now because of our Visa status. Shopped for some items that we needed in Gembu, and I discovered that most Nigerian food is very spicy hot! The girl at the restaurant had a very hard time understanding that I wanted spaghetti with no sauce, no meat, just margarine. We have had time visiting with Art about how things are going at GECHAAN, what we need to consider for future as well as many other cultural tips and facts.
We left Abuja and arrived at Boko Friday night around 6:30 pm. We met with Art and discussed more questions that we had. We left Saturday morning at 6am. We arrived at the spot in Bali where we were ambushed and Peter asked if we remembered where the incident happened. Dan said, “I think right around here”. Peter shook his head affirmatively and we talked a bit about that time when his hand was shot and he showed me how his pinkie finger still doesn’t work and yet the rest of his hand works well. I though I might have issues as this is the first time we have been there since the shooting. I thanked the Lord for the healing, friends, and process that we have gone through the past 2 1/2 years. Shortly after we passed that spot, we saw the other vehicle traveling with us broken down beside the road. Peter went and hired a mechanic, bought a fuel pump, and tools, and the mechanic and Wilson changed the fuel pump right there on the road. We must have been an unusual sight, because we had a few children peeking out from the bushes watching us the entire time. We arrived a couple of hours late to Gembu because of the repair. Courage had a wonderful supper waiting for us and we unpacked our trunks and started to get settled.
This morning was church! We went to the Mambilla Baptist Church and had a wonderful 4 hour service. They weren’t done before we left, but we left at an appropriate time. I loved the music, the drums, and the colorful clothing everyone wore. Art introduced us to the church and we got to visit with the Village Chiefs wife. We will be going to the Chief’s Palace tomorrow!
We had a lovely lunch of canned soup and Christopher’s wonderful bread. We had some wonderful visits this afternoon from people from the church and I was excited to get to meet women that are teachers and active in church life and the community here in Gembu.
My requests for today is to ask for prayer in funding for different areas here at GECHAAN. With the USAID grant ending and not renewed it cuts ways we can help the community in so many ways. Pray for wisdom for Dan and I and that we make the connections we need to to continue God’s work here.
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