BRICC trip

Yesterday we invited the BRICC co-ordinators and stalwarts to come over to TCNN for lunch and just to "hang out" together away from the office.  Sadly bereavement and illness meant that three couldn't come but despite these gaps in our family we had a good time.  I was encouraged from the start that our convoy of three cars from Jos to Bukuru went through two Christian compounds without any trouble.  Some security men would be very wary of allowing Muslims beyond the gates without subjecting their car to a thorough search but as I explained they were my guests we were waved on.

I made my debut welcome speech in Hausa, admittedly written down first and then read but received well.   However, people are so kind and encouraging that I'm sure they'd have received it well however badly written and pronounced so I said it all over again in English just to make sure it was understood.

We took the opportunity of having everyone captive to encourage them to write down thoughts about what BRICC's done and how we can develop in the future.  These will appear at a later date on the BRICC website (www.briccjos.com) but the overwhelming theme is how BRICC has touched people, showing love in action, removing fear and suspicion and helping in practical ways to improve and rebuild lives.
It wasn't all BRICC business.  We wandered round the garden before lunch arrived courtesy of the TCNN cafe - an easy way of entertaining and very tasty too.  After that the conversation got really useful.  We're now aware of a certain tree in Africa that'll kill you if you sleep under it although no one could tell us what it was called in English or what it looked like but they did assure me that we didn't have any in the garden.  Then we got onto survival methods in the desert which is encroaching on northern Nigeria.  You can't outrun a sandstorm so what you need to do is lie down and roll, you'll move faster.  Remember this.  With global warming you never know when desert survival tips might come in handy.

Coach Musa, "I'll be back."