Here at last

Where do I start?  So much has happened in the last four days that I don't really know where to begin.  At 4:45am on Saturday morning we landed at Abuja airport, went fishing for our 12 cases on the baggage carousel and thankfully landed them all.  Catching a couple of porters with empty trolleys was our next task but we managed, promising them that our friend would  have something for them once we got through customs.  We got through customs and there was no sign of Ricky from Mission Africa who was going to meet us.  What do we do now?  It was a relief when we went outside to find Ricky, his father and brother in law, two MA drivers and two large vehicles waiting for us.  They sorted out the porters, filled the minibus with our cases and we were off through Abuja in convoy by 6:30am.
Our journey to Jos was an education in driving Nigerian style.  To start with they drive on the right so I thought our driver had actually got into the passenger side (I'm still trying to get into the driver's seat instead of the passenger's).  Actually, saying they drive on the right isn't really accurate - they drive on whichever side there aren't potholes, using the horn to tell others that they're coming so get out of the way.  You can't drive in Nigeria if your horn doesn't work, you'd be flattened.  We're going to leave it a little while before we get behind the wheel although the car we've bought from a departing missionary family has arrived and looks good (if a little scratched but that's also not a bad thing).
On the four hour journey to Jos I lost count of the number of army checkpoints we went through.  They were all very polite and our driver handled them as a matter of course but that will take some getting used to.  Ruth received her first proposition of marriage from one of the soldiers but, having had no sleep on the plane, she didn't make the most of it, she's still unattached.
Once the sun came up I was enjoying looking at the stalls by the side of the road.  There are some amazing company names - the "God is Able Block Company" or how would you like to have your teeth done by "The Lord's Chosen Charismatic Dental Clinc"?  More fascinating things were the cactus fences, guaranteed to keep out marauders if there are no gaps, the ornate piles of fruit and vegetables on roadside stalls and the amazing volcanic rock formations as we neared Jos.

The Baptist Hostel

By now we'd got a second wind and were no longer so tired although I certainly knew the meaning of being travel-stained.  We were taken to the house of Pamela Gaiya (a Northern Irish MAer but married to a Nigerian) for a breakfast that was nearly lunch (since we've been here there's been a lot of eating).  Then it was off to the Baptist Hostel where we'll have to stay for at least a couple of weeks until our house at TCNN in Bukuru has been renovated (at the moment the roof is leaking and as I'm writing this whilst the rain pours down outside I can appreciate the damage that a leaky roof will do in the rainy season: at least it's warm rain).  We've got the place to ourselves which is great - plenty of space and the garden's lovely with mango trees (although the season doesn't start until April), lemon trees, banana plants, swings, a trampoline and a traditional little house on the top of a huge boulder.  The disadvantage is that there are some mosques quite close.  As it's ramadan they seem to be working overtime with loudspeaker services at 12pm, 3am, 4:30am 5am so my nights are rather disturbed.  The days are warm but not too hot and sometimes giving torrential rain.  They're also very full so we're going to bed very early and getting up very early too, especially as school starts tomorrow at 8:05am for James and Ruth.
That's it for now.  Next time I'll write about our trip to TCNN to meet the Provost, Dr Tersur Aben, and to see our new house.  The question uppermost in my mind of course was, "Would there be mango trees in the garden?"  Find out next time.

View from our window

Off we go!

It's very odd to think that this is our last full day in the UK for quite a while.  I feel that I've been in the limbo-land of living in other people's houses for so long that I'll just drift along forever when the reality is that tomorrow we head down to Heathrow and fly away.

Here's the proof - all our cases just about packed and ready to go.

In July 2010 when we first heard God's call we hoped we'd be overseas within a year.  Some people told us it would probably be summer 2012 before we went anywhere. We didn't want to believe it but they were right.  Frequently it's been a frustrating wait but throughout it all God's been faithful and working.  I've seen it in myself and I hope that our progress, the rollercoaster we've been on, has touched some of those who've been involved or watching.  We've been stressing from the start that this is a team or family effort and as we go on that has become more and more obvious.  With God we can do anything and doing it his way, with the people he's chosen to get involved, is the most freeing and exhilarating experience in the world.
Our rollercoaster is going into loop-the-loop now: we need to hold on to our support all the tighter.

Good news

After a week of ups and downs we got the go ahead to go out to Jos yesterday and today received our e-tickets for the 10:15pm flight on Friday, 3rd August from Heathrow to Abuja.  We'll arrive in Jos (all being well) on the Saturday morning but we'll have to stay in a guest house for the first couple of weeks as the house we've been allocated by TCNN still has rather a lot of work needed to make it habitable.  At least we'll be out just before term starts at Hillcrest School on Wednesday, 8th August and in time for James and Ruth to take the assessments for which grades they'll be in on the Monday. 

Bad News

We've been counting down to Thursday, 26th July when we hoped to be leaving for Nigeria. 
Today we were told that our departure has had to be postponed due to terrorist activity and the threat of more trouble in Jos and the surrounding area.  There's been credible intelligence from both expats and Nigerians that something's brewing and it's not advisable to send new families into the region.
Needless to say we are all very disappointed.  We do believe that God is in control and will work out his purposes despite the schemes of evil men but it is hard to remain in this holding pattern.  It brings home to us yet again that we as Christians are truly engaged in a spiritual battle where the hope and help we want to bring to others can so often be attacked.

Someone I know recently went back to church for the first time in ages.  She was amazed to find that some of the songs were two of her absolute favourites.  Perhaps it was just a coincidence or perhaps God was saying, "Welcome back, I'm glad you've come."
Whether she'd been in church that Sunday or not, the songs would still have been sung but she would have missed God's message of love to her.  How often we live our lives refusing to accept the gifts and tokens of love God desires to give us.  It's crazy really but stubbornly and willfully we all do it and miss out on so much.
We were travelling again over the weekend, seeing more of my family before we head off in 9 (!) days.  I'm very glad we went but the repacking is still hanging over me (hence the early morning post - perhaps more sleep will come once it's all done (again)).  On Sunday we enjoyed our time at the definitely not boring Baptist church in my sister's small village near Cambridge.  It was alive, friendly and minded to spread the good news, both overseas and locally, a good example of the fact that no Christian's got an excuse - God isn't calling us all to go abroad but we can all get involved in some way. 

Visas!

Last week our passports arrived complete with Nigerian visas.
On Monday the plane tickets were bought - we fly out from Heathrow on the night of Thursday, 26th July and arrive in Abuja at about 4am on the Friday morning.  The only problem is that we were under the impression that we could take a lot heavier cases than we actually are permitted so, despite all my careful packing and weighing, everything has to be sorted out again and about 8kg lost from each case.  Hopefully it'll be a bit easier this time but I'll be really glad once I can unpack the cases and leave them unpacked.

Rest & Recreation

 As promised here are some photos of the part of England where we're all relaxing with my parents before going out to Nigeria. They're not quite as spectacular as the ones from Scotland, it is Lincolnshire after all and rather flat, but they have their own beauty.

 The first four were taken in the fields behind my parents' house on the Isle of Axholme. Their village is only about three miles away from Epworth where John and Charles Wesley were born.  John used to ride along their road on the way from Epworth to preach in Wroot.

Yesterday Fraser and I got away for a night as a belated wedding anniversary celebration.  Only about an hour's drive away is the beautiful Peak District where we stayed.  We may have been walking through low clouds but it was well worth it.  Thanks to Mum, Dad, James and Ruth for giving us the 24 hour pass.