yes I can

It has been awhile and I must make this short because we have a group here and not only a group, but family...
We have been having so much fun spending time with all of this group that I just wanted to show a couple of photos of life so far this week.
And for the record, yes I can carry blocks on my head!!!!
Have a great day!

repeat, but let's look again anyway

I know I have shown you this picture before, but really, can you imagine doing this daily to make your own fire for you to cook the food for your family????

John and I leave today to pick the group. We cannot wait to see more family!!! Have a great day!!!

please meet the children of OLA one by one

I recently took these photos of each child to give to my sister-in-law for a baby shower that they are throwing to raise funds for these precious children. And I decided that I talk about these kids enough that maybe you all should meet them one by one.

I am excited to see them dwindle down in number as more are finding homes to live, but these ones that are left behind need your prayers.

1. Hope is the first girl, she is starting school in one week and she is five years old.

2. Sister Fidelia is next, I have mentioned her before as she runs the entire OLA orphanage. She is amazing to work alongside. We are blessed by administrative skills with these children.

3. This next photo is of "Big Mary". She has been at OLA as a newborn and she is about 1 1/2 years old.

4. Lucky is about 4 months old and he has been there since birth.

5. Kenny is almost three and he has always been there as well.

6. "Little Mary" is the same age as "Big Mary" but looks so much more petite. We wonder if there is something else going on with her.

7. Joe is next and he is ten.

8. Abigail and she has been there long enough that we sometimes go to her verses the caregivers to ask about what is going on with each child. We joke saying she is the one running the place. She will always live at OLA and she is a blessing.

9. Ogace is about4 months old as well and she is Gus's little girl.... :)

10. Esther just graduated from her schooling and she is on to her next phase of education. She is becoming a grown woman in her physical, but has a slower mental growth. She needs your prayers.

11. Claire has many, many physical and emotional scars. Please pray for her whenever you think of her life. She spends most hours alone in her crib and cannot speak, hear, move and we also think she cannot hear. God loves her.

12. Last is Daniel. He is ten and is one of the biggest helpers in this home. He is such a smart, helpful and kind and fun boy. It is hard for me to see his childhood be robbed of all he does to assist everyone in who walks in this home.

Okay, here is the truth. I just read this in the posting format and you cannot tell who is who. Sorry, but with our slow internet, I don't have the time to move things around tens of times to make it more complete looking. Sorry, but try your best to follow child by child, if you can. Sorry.

There are the children of OLA. Thanks for taking the time to get to know them.

Have a great day!

from the Nigerian Inquirer

The below entry was actually a newspaper article recently found in the national paper of Nigeria. A friend showed me the link. The reason I share it with you is just the reality of one aspect of life here. On some days it can be funny that you go to a place of establishment way after the hours of opening and it still be closed and not open. Then of course, other days, not so funny.

Here is hoping your day is on time and ready to go!!

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 | Posted by Staff Writer

Employee Gifts ShippingHave staff at multiple sites? Store & ship reward gifts with us! 
www.pakmailrichmond.com


HR Master's Degree OnlineEarn Your Master's Degree in Human Resources Online - App Fee Waived! 
www.VillanovaU.com/HR


Snoozing Federal Employees Locked Out of Work

Sometimes Lateness is not by Choice

Federal employees who reported late to work on Tuesday received a rude shock as many were locked out of their offices.

In a determined effort to end tardiness, several federal government offices in the Abuja locked out hundreds of late workers today.

The move is part of an ongoing government effort to end chronic late arrivals among employees in Africa’s most populous nation. However, the offices opened their doors an hour later to let the embarassed employees in.

In Nigeria, everyone is familiar with “Nigerian Time” which afflicts not only official meetings, but private appointments, commencement of parties and almost all activities. Most Nigerians know to invite guests or set an appointments two hours before the official time in order to have a realistic chance of attendance.

While ministries are officially scheduled to open at 8 a.m., there is not much activity two hours later. Offices also typically close at 4 p.m. if there is electricity, or earlier if there is no power.

getting things moving again

Good morning on this nice Monday morning. I have realized that where majority of the people who read this blog, it is their summertime. Here is it the equivalent to our fall. It can be warm during the day, but for the most part, it is cooler out and beautiful. I am really enjoying this season, weather-wise.

As our first team is coming this Thursday, John and I are trying to get things moving again with our kids and family. If we can get things moving, it is easier for us to have teams here for our children.

The top picture is of a family that we are really enjoying. They came over for dinner on Friday night and it was fun to relax with them and play some games. The photo below that one is of my kids chapel at school. What is strange and different about this school year verses the past is this is the first time my children have been separated in different schools. I really cannot complain because they are still on the same campus, just in different buildings.

Well, that is it for this morning. Please pray for the team travels and for our visit with them. John's brother and wife are coming and we could not be more excited. They are leading the team. So, we are going to be trying to squeeze in family time, ministry time and staff time all in about 8 days, easy right? Yes, we need prayer.

God Bless and have a great day.

legos and squeaky shoes

Good morning and thanks for everyone's kind words to me on yesterday's blog. I appreciate the grace that comes with the body of Christ. Everyone needs that, especially me.

A couple of days ago my friend went with me again to OLA and she brought some Legos for the kids to play with. I loved seeing their minds be opened up to imagination. The picture on the top right is of Daniel creating his city, he called it. The other boy, Joe, was creating a computer keyboard. I really did enjoy watching them search for the "right" piece.

The bottom picture is of little Mary who was actually walking fast/running in a new little pair of shoes that as she walked they squeaked (they were built that way)..... she just giggled as she walked really fast everywhere she went so she could here the squeak.

Sometimes when I am with these kids everything else can kind of fade away in the background, my sins, the details of the hurried day and whatever else might be troubling my heart. As I watched these two play around, I thought everyone occasionally needs some squeaky shoes and Legos.

confessions of a missionary

I have no pictures today and nothing in regards to ministry either; however, yesterday was another fun day at OLA with my friend, Kimberly. But, today I want to share with you something different. Something that most people at the end of reading this will wish they hadn't because it will most likely be awkward (even if we don't see each other face to face) for me to know you know. But I write this in order for me to maybe be accountable to our friends and family who support us or maybe in hopes that there will be a few of you who will feel motivated to pray for me in a more real way.

Here goes:

I am not liking who I am becoming. I don't enjoy seeing what "fruit" has been coming out of me lately. The same people I came here to serve are the same ones I am feeling bitterness and anger and frustration towards. Maybe this is in some kind of "transitions to other cultures" class that I am in real life going through. The novelty has worn off, life has been established here and now I am left with the day in and day out living in a culture that can bring me to tears in about 30 seconds. And honestly, tears is the better option verses down right anger which has been known to come out of me as well.

I will give you a small example so you can really understand the impact. There are all sorts of beggars and people selling you things at most "larger" stopping points. One of the opportunities (that is me trying to be nice about this) that younger boys take is to wash your windshield while you are at a halt. You don't get a choice about it, they do it and then they expect to receive compensation for their dutiful act. Honestly, first year here, I would laugh to myself and explain to whoever was visiting at the time that this is one of the ways people try to earn money, yadda, yadda, yadda. Well, about a few weeks ago this happened and I asked them politely not to touch my car because it had just been washed and it didn't need it to be done again. Well, they did it anyway and I wouldn't give them money and one of the boys went behind my car and hit it with his hand. Within 2 seconds I was fuming mad!!! I jumped out of my car and started telling this young boy to NEVER TOUCH MY CAR AGAIN, Do you hear me? Never touch my car again! I got back in my car and embarrassedly so, feeling glad I gave him my mind.

Well, about 12 hours later I was reading in I Peter about humility and then I was reading in I Cor. 9 about giving up your rights in order to be a bridge to the gospel. Ughhh..... do you see what I mean? I am so embarrassed to see who I am becoming. Really, can you picture the Corrie you know becoming so aggressive like that to yell at a young boy? Who am I? I am embarrassed and humbled by it. All I can think about is the hundreds of people who saw what I did and to my shame!!! I cannot imagine the Lord receiving a lot of glory from me....

I think what bothers me most of all and maybe what prompted me to get it "out there" is the bigger realization that it was honestly in me the whole time. I just had not been in any environments yet to force it out. The ugliness of my sin overwhelms me at times. It also makes me cling to Jesus. For it is because of this ugliness that He died on the cross. I don't know why I don't think I need a Savior, right? Of course I do. At this embarrassing moment I have hope that if my sins are coming out of me at such an exponentionally fast rate, maybe Jesus is trying to purify me because He still believes I can do what I am called to do. Live in Jos, Nigeria Africa and serve the Fatherless that He loves just as much as me.

Thanks for your prayers and if you wouldn't mind would you pray for my purification process to be over quickly :) (I am kidding....)