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.