It's getting hot here!!

The flowers and bushes you see were a gift to me last year for my birthday and Mother's day! My husband's dad and wife were here to celebrate it with us and they even helped pick out and plant. I promised them I would take a picture every now and then and post it so they could see the fruit of their efforts. Sorry, it has been 9 months or so, but here they are..... growing, thriving in this heat.

I have to admit, in the midst of this heat and everything is turning brown in the area, these blooms are so beautiful to me. All of these pictures are taken around the house, so it can maybe also give you a good idea of our little compound. The second picture down, the one of the tree and three bushes, that is the one I am most excited about..... just picture it later on when they are grown and we put a picnic table back there and a huge umbrella (we found one here we could buy.... if John will maybe do it for my birthday this year and mother's day, it will take some persuasion).... Can you picture a little refuge from the heat.....

Okay, without complaining, just being honest, whewwww.... it is getting hot here. Did I already say that, oops. It has gotten to the point that we are sleeping on top of our sheets and the air seems stagnant. We have bought floor fans before, but with that you need power and the ones we did have burnt out.... (for the record, again, not a complaint - we are going on day five or six with no power). We are learning that we just need to get used to it, but I tell you what...... A little breeze would be nice. Okay, again...... I digress..... aren't the flowers pretty in their own way????

off to church

Good morning! John and I and the kids are getting ready to go to church. This picture is the church we attend. It is the building on the right and the building on the left is the "parsonage" that the pastor and his wife live in. Where I am standing taking the picture is the grassy field next to the school. I will write more another day of the village school.

I look at this picture and I go sunday after sunday and I think the same things...... What can John and I do as a family to encourage this small flock, or what can we, as a ministry, do to move these people closer to God and His will for their lives. I am currently reading a book that is starting to help me better organize my emotions and thoughts. I want to help them, not to harm them and yet I am too aware of "americans coming in and pushing their agenda". We hear it, being missionaries here. Everyone has an opinion, but what is it that YOU want, LORD?

"The poor will see and be glad - you who seek God, may your hearts live! The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people." Psalm 69:32-33

What does this verse mean in light of the "captive"? Truly, I want to understand poverty and the orphan in the midst of it. I am living in it, in the midst of poverty, but not sure exactly what to do with it. Oh goodness, lots of thoughts being thrown around in my head.

I have far to go, but I know the Lord will bring me to His understanding through His Holy Spirit. So, for today, I am going to church (and we have invited some friends) and I will sit with these people who are beginning to become more familiar with me and me with them, and I will seek with those who are glad and we will learn to "live" together, and I guess that is a beginning.

Josephine Dolls

This picture to the right is of a woman I have come to know and care for a lot and feel blessed to call her a friend. This woman's journey has not been an easy one. Her name is Josephine and when she was born she had polio so she walks with a walker. Then Josephine was orphaned as a child and then she married and had two beautiful children. Her husband has since passed away and now she is a widow. If you could meet her in person, you would see that she loves the Lord and her spirit is so beautiful! She provides for her two children by owning a little souvenir shop. We do bring groups to her hut when they are in town to help her business out. She is gifted at making dolls. I would say it is her specialty. We hired her for a fieldtrip this summer, and we took some children of one of the homes we work with. We all came to her shop and she put on a workshop to teach the kids about doll making and jewelry making. It was such a fun afternoon. I pray for her and hope as many of you can meet her and see her shop for yourselves. She is holding in her hand two rolls of magnets that my mom had bought her as a gift for me to bring back. SHE was SOOO thankful. You would have thought someone had just given her gold. I believe her enthusiasm, in part, was the idea that someone had not forgotten her and wanted to "contribute" to who she is and is becoming in the Lord. Again, I am grateful for this friendship.

Gidan Bege

One of the ministries that our ministry tries to support is Gidan Bege. It is basically a ministry that teaches and trains widows how to sow. They undergo a year of discipleship that teaches them the Word and trains them and gives them a place to stay and what children they may have. After that year, they are given the gift of a sowing machine and encouraged to go back their village to start their own shop. It is amazing what these women can do. Now, realize this is coming from a woman who can BARELY sow on a button. But, we all play our part in the bigger picture......hehehehe

We take groups there when they arrive to buy skirts, aprons, purses and bags, journals, etc... And they also make whatever you want if you come in with an idea. These ladies have personally made all of our curtains in our home and our throw pillows and whatever nigerian clothes we have, they have made. We are blessed by them in friendship and in their giftings and talents.

The pictures are of their working area (you will notice nothing is done with power) and their little shop where they sell their items and of their "office" where they keep extra material you can buy and where they store the items made until you return to pick it up. One thing I find interesting is their location where they are currently living, in past, was once a brothel. How cool is that this ministry bought it and has now redeemed what was once used as evil and is now being used for good. I love the idea that God can even redeem land. I look forward to when you come visit us, that you too, can buy something in this little shop.

Corrie's whole family

While we were visiting NC this past Christmas/New Year's, my whole family decided to get together. I have two other sisters and an older brother. We are all married with lots of children. Even though there are certainly moments of high stress with all these kids, it is always such an encouragement to be with family. In the end, I am ALWAYS grateful and thankful to be blessed with such a family as mine. We all love the Lord and count each moment as the His. I hope if my family is looking at this at all, they know I love them and miss them.

I know most of these blog moments will be about Africa, but the Lord has really been teaching me a lot about the Holy Spirit. With this teaching, I am finding my thoughts going to family a lot. Interesting, isn't that? There must be a deeper correlation than I know.

On a ministry note, please pray for our staff team as we have just started planning for summer. I believe that the Lord has something planned for us and those that come to serve alongside of us. I am nervous and excited at the same time. I want the Holy Spirit to lead us every step of the way.

other family

Here is a picture of John holding Peyton. Peyton is about eight months old and she is the first child of Jason and Emilee, our director's here in Nigeria. She is super cute and almost everyday my kids try to overstimulate her with their constant affection and "love". This reminds us that the Lord provides other family for us even when our blood ones are not around. Uncle John thinks that the harder you pat a baby on the back, the better it is..... I think Peyton is finally getting used to him and is now liking it (at least I think so.....hehehehehehe), and she is too young to say otherwise.....

Trash talk

This is a picture two gates down from where we live and our neighbor burns his trash outside of his property (kind of a bummer) and so daily you can see goats, pigs or cattle eating from it. Just a bit of life for you.