The 80th good thing about Lagos: Seniors from 3 religions giving of themselves to help Nigerians

Last week at Bible study, we had a visiting speaker, a white woman from Atlanta, Georgia. She and her husband, a pastor (probably Baptist, though she didn't say specifically), were spending 6 weeks in Lagos volunteering at the West African Theological Seminary. While here, they had experienced real Nigerian life, first living with a Nigerian family who had no electricity or running water and in very primitive conditions. After the "guest house" at the seminary became available, they moved over there, but she said the title "guest house" makes it sound a lot nicer than it really was. They drove around Lagos in a car without air conditioning and in bad repair. She spoke of it breaking down on the mainland bridge and being surrounded by the "area boys" -- local gangs of kids out to make trouble. She said she had never been so scared in her life -- and her fear was justified. But she and her husband had spent their time teaching and ministering and helping repair the physical conditions of the building. They will go back to Atlanta and try to raise funds to help the Seminary improve their buildings and they will return in January. She gave a stirring talk about facing our trials in life and using them to make us "better" and not "bitter."

On Sunday the Mormon expatriates in our congregation invited the senior missionaries and mission presidents over for dinner. We all enjoy getting together occasionally. We were especially anxious to bid farewell to the Rawlins, who were finishing up their 18-month term as office missionaries -- leaving the next day to return to Washington State (this is either their 4th or 5th mission for the church). We ate and sang some hymns together and asked the Rawlins to share some of their memories. Brother Rawlins talked about how driving here was such a challenge. They once went to a meeting outside Lagos and spent a half-hour at the meeting (they missed most of it because of the bad traffic) and 22 hours total on the road -- most of it just sitting in a "go-slow" -- the local term for traffic jam. Sister Rawlins spoke about how Nigeria is the dirtiest place she had ever seen and she thinks so many people here are very selfish, which contributes to the problems in the country -- but she realizes their selfishness is a survival mechanism. She made friends with local children and taught at least one neighbor child to read. She said despite all her frustrations with the country and the people, "there's something about them that grabs at your heart, and makes it very hard to leave them." They said they wouldn't have missed their experiences here for the world, but they think they'll have an easy adjustment to being home!

Today I went to the American Women's Club general meeting. One of the speakers was a Catholic nun who manages one of the charities that the club helps to support. She teaches skills to women who have dropped out of the public school system and helps them learn skills so they can support themselves. This white-haired Irish woman has spent her life in Africa -- she came to Ghana in 1958 (the year of my birth) and helped establish a school there and then came to Nigeria in 1961 and has been working in this country ever since. She has established schools and worked with a leper colony and this latest effort kind of fell in her lap when she was ready to retire. But she said it is so rewarding to teach these women skills that will better their lives. She was asked about being in the country during the Biafran war. She said it was so awful that she hates to even think about it -- she has put it out of her mind. But their school was on the road where the military convoys were moving east and every day there were long lines of trucks and soldiers. They had to hide the Ibo girls at the school and get them carried off to safety. The Ibo workers who remained at the school had to hide in the bush every day and the four nuns who stayed during the war had to secretly get them food. They were burdened with caring for the school as well as many injured from the war. She also said that there have been other uprisings and problems over the years that have been very difficult and frightening. But she said the biggest problem they face is the constant search for funding to support their programs. She said they fill out reams and reams of forms asking for grants. The Catholic church (in Italy) gives them some support (they get no support from the local diocese), but they get money from wherever they can. Like the Rawlins, she made a comment about how the people here just tug at your heart. Helping them has made for a very rewarding life and it was obvious to all listening that she has made a big difference in the lives of many Nigerians.

Three different religions -- all people giving Christlike love and service to benefit the people of Nigeria.

The 79th good thing about Lagos: Open air Home Depot!

There's a roundabout here on Victoria Island that expats refer to as "Home Depot." Lining the roundabout are shacks selling all sorts of hardware and household items. I was visiting another flat and admiring the paint color on a wall and the woman of the house said that she had sent her husband down to "Home Depot" and he went up to someone who had a card showing paint colors. Her husband pointed to a color and in a few minutes the guy came back with a bucket of paint and the color was actually pretty close to what he wanted. Our flat is painted with this white paint that is kind of like old-fashioned whitewash. It just washes right off the wall if you try to clean a spot. After the workers installed our lovely burglar bars, they left the walls a real mess. I asked the housing people at the office to have someone come and spot paint the walls. After a month or two of asking, I finally got someone here to touch up paint. They came with brushes and paint, but no drop cloths to protect anything from the drips. And then, of course, the touch up white didn't quite match the white already on the walls. So now instead of black dirty spots on the wall, I have off-white painted splotches here and there. I think I may have to make a trip down to Home Depot and point out a color!

The 78th good thing about Lagos: Activities lowly and lofty bringing different kinds of rewards

Happy birthday to me! I'm 49 today and having a quiet day at home. My planned trip to the Lekki market was scrapped as it's a rainy day and that place becomes mired in mud with rain like we've had this morning. Brent's in London, but I am invited to a neighbors' flat for dinner so I won't be alone all day. Yesterday I was busy all day with social activities: bible study in the morning and cards -- hand and foot canasta -- in the afternoon. Through a friend (who has now moved on and is greatly missed...) I got invited to the ExxonMobil Thursday afternoon card group. Each week there's a fun game and also a welcome chance to visit and share shopping tips (our hostess had found tortilla chips at Goodies grocery store, but the Velveeta for the cheese dip she had brought from the States, you can't find it here, nor the Halloween candy. She found celery at La Pointe and was thrilled until she realized she shouldn't be too excited at paying $7 for a small stalk of celery...) and other survival tips (how to hang pictures on concrete walls, how to best handle the delivery of our shipment to reduce the chance of items walking off with the movers...). Those are the kind of things I've learned along with the card game. Yesterday there were 12 players there and we each put 500N ($4) into the pot when we arrive. We rotate the tables with each round and add up the scores from each game. At the end, the player with the losing score gets their money back and the winner gets the rest of the pot. I've never won before, but yesterday was my lucky day! So I took home 5500Naira ($44) and I had planned to buy myself a present at the market today -- but I'll have to wait till tomorrow when I go to the South African Women Society's Handicraft fair, which I've heard is a not-to-be-missed shopping opportunity. In the States, I would have felt a bit guilty spending an entire afternoon each week in playing cards, but here it's more of a survival mechanism.

Thursday mornings I've started going to an activity that is a little more meaningful -- a bible study where this semester we are studying the book of James. As James is only 5 chapters long and we are spending 12 weeks on the book, it is quite an intensive study. James is a book of practical religion and I'm really enjoying the discussions I'm having with these ladies who all have such a desire to live good, Christlike lives. The prayers and discussion are all so sincere and I'm always able to contribute as well as receive insights in return. (This doesn't at all replace my wonderful scripture study group in Houston -- but it's the closest I can come to it here!) The only part of the morning that leaves me a bit uncomfortable is at the beginning where we start with singing praise music. There is nothing wrong with the music -- some of it is very nice, but it's just different than the Mormon/Protestant straight hymn tradition to which I am accustomed. It's more the kind of pop music that you'll find on Christian radio stations. Because of my church musical tradition, it doesn't feel "reverent" to me and it doesn't really open my spirit to worship. But that's okay -- we can't expect to all respond the same way to music. But I was really touched with the final song the leader chose yesterday. She asked us to sit down and just listen to this song. As I listened to this beautiful ballad, I thought of all the people I pass on the streets of Lagos each day, the people who peer in my windows as they beg for money, the ones with crippled and deformed bodies who make improvised scooters with a scrap of wood on wheels to get around, the blind man being led by the young girl, and the millions here that just live in such poverty that makes meeting basic needs a daily struggle. I don't have pictures of the really desperate because I feel uncomfortable taking photos of them. But I'll post some of the pictures of other people I've come across and type the words to the song:

Every day they pass me by
I can see it in their eyes
Empty people filled with care
Headed who knows where.
On they go through private pain
Living fear to fear.
Laughter hides their silent cries.
Only Jesus hears.

People need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams
He's the open door.
People need the Lord.
When will we realize
People need the Lord.

We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong seems right.
What could be too great a cost
For sharing life with one who's lost
Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear.
They must hear the words of life
Only we can share.

People need the Lord.
At the end
of broken dreams
He's the open door.
People need the Lord.

When will we realize
That we must give our lives
For people need the Lord.
People need the Lord.

Nigerian people are for the most part quite religious. I think many here rely on their faith to help them face their daily challenges. The book of James says that our trials and struggles are to teach us patience and faith and we should ask God for the wisdom to understand what we need to learn from them. These people here have plenty of opportunities to learn patience and faith. I was thinking about everybody's hopes for this new government and how we all want changes that will make a difference in

the lives of the people here. But the real and lasting improvement in our lives will not come from any government. For all people everywhere, no matter if we

live in poverty or wealth, the real differences will be felt and the real rewards will come in our lives as we respond with faith to whatever daily challenges we are facing. We all need the Lord. People need the Lord.

The 77th good thing about Lagos: Getting paid to play with kids

I had a fun day today subbing for a Pre-K teacher at the American school. There were 20 kids and I had 3 assistants who took the kids to PE and recess and did all the busy work and clean-up. So it was a great student-teacher ratio and it helped to have the assistants there filling me in on the routine. During free play time, I got a laugh at the boys who lined up all the vehicles on and heading off the play mat and made a traffic jam.

That is something we have too much experience with here. With the minimal traffic going to school, it takes about 15 minutes. Going home today it took almost an hour. When I was subbing last week in a 5th grade classroom, the kids that came on the Chevron bus were 45 minutes late for school. And I know that their bus leaves their compound (which is out the Lekki Expressway -- a road that's seen too much building along it--just past where our church is located) almost 1 1/2 hours before school starts! That's a long commute for those kids! At least on my ride home, Jamiu is doing the driving and I'm in the back seat with my I-pod on and sometimes snoozing, sometimes shaking a "no, thanks" to the vendors who pass by in the "go-slows" trying to get me to buy their snacks or phone cards or gum or water or whatever else.

The 76th good thing about Lagos: An American school with opportunities

I really don't want to find full-time employment here so I am free to travel as opportunities arise. But I applied to be a substitute teacher at the American International School of Lagos. It turns out that they are in need of subs, and the jobs I've taken have been quite enjoyable. I subbed in secondary art -- which was a real breeze. You basically make sure the students are making progress on their current art project and you look over their shoulders and admire their work. Really easy. I subbed for 5th grade, which was a bit more work, but the kids were great. And tomorrow I'll sub in Pre-K, which should be fun and quite a short day. The kids seem to be very happy at the school and there's a great mixture of nationalities in the student body. On the day I took this picture, they had fabric that a class had tie-died hung up to dry on the courtyard railings. The school this year goes up to grade 10 and next year they will add an 11th grade. They are behind schedule (no surprise considering this is Nigeria) constructing their new high school building, so they are bursting at the seams at their present location. Though I don't want to work every day -- I really need time for my social engagements :o) -- substituting at the school is a great addition to the sometimes ho-hum routine of life here and provides me with a little more cash to take, guilt-free, to the market.

The 75th good thing about Lagos: Cute and confident kids at church

Today at church was the annual Primary children's sacrament meeting presentation. This is where the children basically take over the church service and sing songs and give talks. There are only about 20+ children in our Primary --I took this picture of them after the meeting after they went upstairs to their Primary room. But though they are few in number, like most Nigerians, they sing loud and strong. I was pretty amazed at how poised and confident they are when they spoke at the pulpit. The topic this year was on faith and they sang out their songs with energy and excitement. I think every child had a speaking part and even the young ones stood up and spoke their part, with only just a stumble here or there. The older ones bore testimonies or gave longer talks on a subject. All that were speaking would begin with "Good morning, my dear (or alternatively, my most beloved) brothers and sisters." The congregation would then respond with a spoken "Good morning!" The congregation would respond after each child's talk with a hearty "Amen!" The children were so cute and so proud of themselves, and there was plenty for the adults to chuckle about as they delivered their prepared message. As our Primary president said in her closing message: "To the children, I applaud your courage." And our bishop said: "Behold your little ones! Behold the future of the church in Nigeria." The future is bright.

P.S. I was able to upload a couple of short videos -- not the ones I had intended to put on post #73 -- but if you look back a couple of posts, you'll see some brief street video.

The 74th good thing about Lagos: Celebrating the end of Ramadan

Eid Mubarak! That's the greeting we gave our Muslim driver yesterday, wishing him a happy Eid al-Fitr, which is the Muslim holiday at the end of Ramadan. He observes the holy month of Ramadan by fasting each day. I admired his dedication and it actually was kind of nice for me because I usually try to make allowances for his lunch hour in my schedule, and during Ramadan I didn't need to adjust my schedule so he could eat lunch at the company canteen. The end of Ramadan is signalled by the moon and earlier in the week they didn't know if the holiday would begin Thursday or Friday, but Wednesday morning the government announced that the holiday would begin on Thursday, which has made for a nice long weekend. Of course, Brent went in for meetings yesterday and is working at home today -- we gave our driver the day off. After Brent got some work done yesterday we went over to Lekki market and I made some fun purchases of items to help decorate our house. I got some great beads and some fabrics to hang on the walls. I'll post photos when I get things hung and arranged. I still haven't been able to upload those long videos from last Sunday. I'll keep trying!

Here's a couple of shots from Lekki market. This first one was from a previous trip, but it gives you an idea of what the market looks like.

I took this second photo right as I entered the market yesterday. I was glad to be able to get a closeup of these dried fish that they sell all over the place. There are often venders on the street with a large basket on their head with stacks of these curled up fish piled high on it. It took me a while to figure out what they were. When I glanced at them from a distance, they look like stacks of burnt bagels. The photo doesn't show the flies crawling around on these. I think this will be a Nigerian delicacy that I won't be trying!