Like all the houses on the TCNN campus we get our water from storage tanks which are filled at the whim of the person who operates the mains switch. Sometimes they get worryingly low as mains water doesn't come. That was the case for us at the beginning of the week so we did what we've learned to do during our time in Nigeria, we included it in our weekly email of prayer requests on Tuesday. It might seem a small thing but our God is faithful in the small as well as the large. Only our lower tank receives the water which we then have to pump up to the higher one which supplies the house. A full lower tank and electricity to power the pump do not always coincide but this morning we woke up to find the lower tank full and the electricity on. You can't hang around to use electrical things at your convenience here so before breakfast I was pumping the water.
It was a bit of a concern that the low tank was almost emptied as the higher one filled but at least we'd have water through the taps. As soon as the pump was turned off I heard the welcome sound of running water - the lower tank was being filled up again. Coincidence or answered prayer from a loving God?
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Saturday, 16 August 2014
Back at TCNN
We've been back at TCNN for a week now. School started on Thursday complete with anti-ebola handwashing stations and anti-terrorist car checks and security measures.
Mosque and preachers in Bukuru are still very keen on the 4-6am slot and unfortunately their loudspeakers are working fine.
Jos is still overrun by serious roadworks with roads closed without warning (you don't know until you get to the barrier and have to u-turn). On the positive side though, if you get confused and end up driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway no one bats an eyelid and the road workers, instead of telling you off, greet you most warmly and stop traffic on the other side to let you get through. Getting a new sim card requires photographs, fingerprints and passport numbers (think of that when you pick up your next one at Tesco checkout).
Our dogs are settling back in and so are we, although it might take a little time to get fully back into the swing of things.
Mosque and preachers in Bukuru are still very keen on the 4-6am slot and unfortunately their loudspeakers are working fine.
Jos is still overrun by serious roadworks with roads closed without warning (you don't know until you get to the barrier and have to u-turn). On the positive side though, if you get confused and end up driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway no one bats an eyelid and the road workers, instead of telling you off, greet you most warmly and stop traffic on the other side to let you get through. Getting a new sim card requires photographs, fingerprints and passport numbers (think of that when you pick up your next one at Tesco checkout).
Our dogs are settling back in and so are we, although it might take a little time to get fully back into the swing of things.
Thursday, 17 July 2014
Keswick
For well over 100 years the Keswick Convention has been bringing good Bible teaching and uplifting worship to people all over the world. It was at Keswick in 2010 that Fraser and I heard God telling us he wanted us to go out to Africa and now we're coming to the end of another week of encouragement. James and Ruth have been having a great time in the Youth Programme, not getting home until after 10:30pm on some nights but raring to go back at 10:45am for the next morning's sessions.
I'm feeling a little homesick as the preacher in the morning Bible studies is Vaughan Roberts, rector of St Ebbe's in Oxford, who joined the church staff when I was attending as a student. It's great to hear him again as he goes through Romans 1-8. Yesterday he gave a very useful illustration of justification and sanctification. Imagine God can only accept purple people into his presence but the human race is green and doomed to destruction because rebellion has changed its God-given colour. By his willing death on the cross for us Jesus has slipped a sheet of purple cellophane in front of those who believe and God now accepts them as purple: they have been justified, the consequences of their rebellion paid for. However, too often they only know how to behave as green people. That's when the Holy Spirit goes behind the purple cellophane and starts to paint them so the green truly becomes purple - sanctification which is a life-long process.
It's not all meetings. There are plenty of ice cream shops to sample and this afternoon we hired kayaks for James and Ruth and a double canoe for Fraser and me and headed onto Lake Derwentwater. James and Ruth were like ducks on the water. As for the canoers: if negotiating a double canoe was part of a pre-marriage course the numbers of weddings would plummet. Thankfully Fraser and I have been married for 19 years so eventually managed to work out an amicable system!
England can be beautiful too.
I'm feeling a little homesick as the preacher in the morning Bible studies is Vaughan Roberts, rector of St Ebbe's in Oxford, who joined the church staff when I was attending as a student. It's great to hear him again as he goes through Romans 1-8. Yesterday he gave a very useful illustration of justification and sanctification. Imagine God can only accept purple people into his presence but the human race is green and doomed to destruction because rebellion has changed its God-given colour. By his willing death on the cross for us Jesus has slipped a sheet of purple cellophane in front of those who believe and God now accepts them as purple: they have been justified, the consequences of their rebellion paid for. However, too often they only know how to behave as green people. That's when the Holy Spirit goes behind the purple cellophane and starts to paint them so the green truly becomes purple - sanctification which is a life-long process.
It's not all meetings. There are plenty of ice cream shops to sample and this afternoon we hired kayaks for James and Ruth and a double canoe for Fraser and me and headed onto Lake Derwentwater. James and Ruth were like ducks on the water. As for the canoers: if negotiating a double canoe was part of a pre-marriage course the numbers of weddings would plummet. Thankfully Fraser and I have been married for 19 years so eventually managed to work out an amicable system!
England can be beautiful too.
Tuesday, 8 July 2014
Scotland
For the past five weeks we've had the privilege of visiting many different places where God's people meet in the highlands. From the more traditional to the more modern, the welcome and interest in what God's doing in Nigeria has been great and we feel honoured to have the chance to get to know so many of our extended Christian family.
On Friday we head south for a week at the Keswick Convention then three weeks seeing family and friends in England before returning to Nigeria on August 8th but I couldn't resist posting some photos of Scotland before we leave.
On Friday we head south for a week at the Keswick Convention then three weeks seeing family and friends in England before returning to Nigeria on August 8th but I couldn't resist posting some photos of Scotland before we leave.
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| Bruar |
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| Lenticular clouds |
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| Ullapool |
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| Isle of Lewis |
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| Blackhouse Village |
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| Broch on Lewis |
Tuesday, 17 June 2014
Wanderers and sojourners
As humans we get attached to things. We want to hold onto our memories, helped by objects with sentimental value, we want to save things "just in case" we'll need them in the future.
I was relieved when our house in Scotland sold last year. Being in Nigeria whilst having responsibility for a 100 year old house in Scotland was not always a happy situation. It felt great to be free of the responsibility for council tax, mortgage, boiler repairs, frozen pipes etc. Friends cleared the place for us and stored many boxes in their attic until we came back to go through them.
Reducing your worldly possessions to a few boxes is a painful process. There are many times I've thought "What if we have to set up home in the UK again? Perhaps I'll need that." I really don't want to get rid of all the examples of the children's early artwork or of my own past. Think about all the memories in your attics; imagine having to reduce them to a small fraction of what they were.
There's a spiritual dimension to my feelings. We like the comfort blanket of the possessions that remind us of who we are, who we were and where we came from. At church on Sunday we read Paul the prisoner's letter to Philemon. Not only did the theme of reconciliation tie well with the account I gave later of the work I'm doing in Jos but it struck me that Paul probably didn't have a load of boxes in a friend's attic. He travelled light, relying on God to provide and retain the memories that should be kept.
It's a hard step on the road to sanctification. I mustn't be like the rich young ruler who was so attached to his possessions that he wouldn't let go of them to follow when Jesus called. It's things with sentimental value I'm wanting to keep rather than riches, but what is important? For the future I trust God to provide as he always has so abundantly. Logically I shouldn't find it so hard to let some things go. Perhaps the lesson that's being especially brought home to me now is that we are strangers and sojourners in this world. I've felt it to some degree in my travels but it becomes particularly real when you're having drastically to cull the things that you've lived with. In some respects having them all destroyed in a fire would've been easier. It feels slightly similar to the scene in Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Eustace turns from dragon back to boy. He feebly pulls away the first layer of scales but the real transformation requires a deep and painful stripping of all that's extraneous. Many people go through this in a far more violent fashion as war and famine force them from their homes. Many people don't have places to keep even the few things they've managed to save. I'm very conscious of all the things I still have. I do have places to keep the "essential" boxes and even if they were all destroyed I would still have everything I need. I pray that I'll be content to travel light through life. Philippians 3:8.
I was relieved when our house in Scotland sold last year. Being in Nigeria whilst having responsibility for a 100 year old house in Scotland was not always a happy situation. It felt great to be free of the responsibility for council tax, mortgage, boiler repairs, frozen pipes etc. Friends cleared the place for us and stored many boxes in their attic until we came back to go through them.
Reducing your worldly possessions to a few boxes is a painful process. There are many times I've thought "What if we have to set up home in the UK again? Perhaps I'll need that." I really don't want to get rid of all the examples of the children's early artwork or of my own past. Think about all the memories in your attics; imagine having to reduce them to a small fraction of what they were.
There's a spiritual dimension to my feelings. We like the comfort blanket of the possessions that remind us of who we are, who we were and where we came from. At church on Sunday we read Paul the prisoner's letter to Philemon. Not only did the theme of reconciliation tie well with the account I gave later of the work I'm doing in Jos but it struck me that Paul probably didn't have a load of boxes in a friend's attic. He travelled light, relying on God to provide and retain the memories that should be kept.
It's a hard step on the road to sanctification. I mustn't be like the rich young ruler who was so attached to his possessions that he wouldn't let go of them to follow when Jesus called. It's things with sentimental value I'm wanting to keep rather than riches, but what is important? For the future I trust God to provide as he always has so abundantly. Logically I shouldn't find it so hard to let some things go. Perhaps the lesson that's being especially brought home to me now is that we are strangers and sojourners in this world. I've felt it to some degree in my travels but it becomes particularly real when you're having drastically to cull the things that you've lived with. In some respects having them all destroyed in a fire would've been easier. It feels slightly similar to the scene in Voyage of the Dawn Treader when Eustace turns from dragon back to boy. He feebly pulls away the first layer of scales but the real transformation requires a deep and painful stripping of all that's extraneous. Many people go through this in a far more violent fashion as war and famine force them from their homes. Many people don't have places to keep even the few things they've managed to save. I'm very conscious of all the things I still have. I do have places to keep the "essential" boxes and even if they were all destroyed I would still have everything I need. I pray that I'll be content to travel light through life. Philippians 3:8.
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Back in the UK
There's a lot you learn from travelling the world. One is that when you belong to Jesus you have a family of brothers and sisiters that transcends national boundaries. I have met my family in Australia, Papua New Guinea, the UK and Nigeria. There may be many cultural differences but the most important thing is that we all have the same Father who cares for us in whatever part of the globe we happen to be. For the next few weeks we'll be reconnecting with family in the UK whilst missing and praying for the family we have in Nigeria and the US. It's a joy and a privilege to travel around the beautiful highlands of Scotland showing what's been happening to us in Nigeria, showing that our God is not a provincial deity but the one who created and cares for the whole world. Be a part of his work. Get in touch and find out the wonders that he's doing.
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Peace
In a beautiful, albeit unplanned, display of harmony three weeks ago two BRICC families had babies. In the morning Alhaji's wife had a little girl. That afternoon Doris, wife of Friday the carpenter whose shop is beside the BRICC office, had a boy.
One Muslim family; one Christian. One girl; one boy.
This morning some of the BRICC family visited Friday's house to meet the baby. Too many times we've had to go to offer sympathy to bereaved families, hoping that the encouragement of seeing Christian and Muslim visit together would offer a little consolation. Today was going to be different, today we went to celebrate a new life and we enjoyed it, passing little Praises from person to person, laughing as Sadiq joked with Veronica about the best number of children to have, luxuriating in the sense that we are a family though from different tribes, nations and religions.
Doris spoke wisely as she told us how blessed she felt. BRICC was not able to shower the baby with the traditional largesse but she said that didn't matter. All the riches in the world are not worth as much as family and she knew that BRICC was her family. If she or those she loved were in trouble comfort would come from family, not from a cold pile of money, and all present were in agreement.
This morning was about life. This afternoon we thought of death. I heard and felt the bomb blast in Jos which has broken so many lives and destroyed so much property. Nothing can prevail against such hatred except love. Pray for Jos. Pray for BRICC bringing lives together, offering hope, showing people can live and love together. Pray for Nigeria.
One Muslim family; one Christian. One girl; one boy.
This morning some of the BRICC family visited Friday's house to meet the baby. Too many times we've had to go to offer sympathy to bereaved families, hoping that the encouragement of seeing Christian and Muslim visit together would offer a little consolation. Today was going to be different, today we went to celebrate a new life and we enjoyed it, passing little Praises from person to person, laughing as Sadiq joked with Veronica about the best number of children to have, luxuriating in the sense that we are a family though from different tribes, nations and religions.
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| Doris & Praises |
This morning was about life. This afternoon we thought of death. I heard and felt the bomb blast in Jos which has broken so many lives and destroyed so much property. Nothing can prevail against such hatred except love. Pray for Jos. Pray for BRICC bringing lives together, offering hope, showing people can live and love together. Pray for Nigeria.
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