Ministriesssss

This is a picture of some of the people I work with. Me, Erin, Ade, Elisha, Alex.

     So the trip I took to the CARE Center in Makurdi went very well. We had a little trouble on the roads, but God kept us safe, and we didn’t have to pay any bribes (we did pay in the form of sitting on the side of the road for an hour). We gave the boys the first shot for hepatitis, did interviews with each, and then just played and encouraged. After I got home, I had a long talk with the Sawyers and found out that the sponsoring department of this ministry has a lot that they could be doing. It looks like I may be doing a lot of work there both while I am here and after I get back. I am excited about it, but it is a quite daunting task infront of me. Here are some pictures of the boys in Makurdi.


     Another new task I have is homeschooling a 8 year-old boy named Luke. He is a foster child with one of the missionaries here. His mom won’t give her rights away so he can be adopted, and it’s a really complicated situation. He is also a really rough kid with a lot of attitude and disciplinary problems. This last week I have already seen an improvement in his attitude towards me. Please pray for intense patience for me as I am being tried so hard and for increased creativity for our teaching and playing times. Please pray for Luke that the Word of God would start to penetrate his heart and be reflected in his actions.
     I have also been working at the EMS school. Here are some pictures there. Last week they had exams, and their parents will be coming to pick them up at the end of this week. I will miss these children a lot. YAY!


     Lastly, I am going to two of the CARE Centers in Jos and having a club time with the boys. We play games and sing songs. …or at least that was the plan. In actuality, I go with a plan in mind, but normally end up doing very little of what I have planned. Here are pictures of me and two of the boys. The one in the blue shirt is Isaac. He is one of the 15 boys at Gidan Bege in Jos waiting to be moved to one of the other CARE Centers as soon as beds are available. He is the youngest at about 9, and we call him “The Chairman” of Gidan Bege.


These are the three youngest boys at the Transition House.

What I Am Learning:
All in all, I have more work than I have time for, and I have found that 10 weeks in this ministry is only a drop in the bucket. I will be sad to leave these children and my friends. But I am learning much about the kind of work that I would like to be involved in in the future. Walking this city has allowed me to learn a lot and to see many people. I feel very much at home. I have also recently made friends with two individuals on my way to Gidan Bege. I greet them on my coming and going. Please pray that these friendships would be pure of heart. My patience and my flexibility (with plans) is being tried, and I am also learning that I have much to learn about a servant’s heart. My Hausa is improving as well. I’m trying to learn as much as I can while I am here, and I have more teachers than I can count. There is one click that the Nigerians use and I am trying as hard as I can on my free time(did someone say free time?) to develop this skill, but so far I am lacking! I am also enjoying living by myself…cooking, cleaning, entertaining guests, going to the market for food as well.

Philosophy Time With Lauren:
If a question is posed in a positive manner, one will reply with a simple yes or a no, however, if the question is has a negative, the situation becomes complicated. For example, if I were to ask, “Are you not going to play with us?” I am really asking if you are going to play with us but with the assumption that you are going to say no. Therefore, one should answer in the affirmative, “No, I am not going to play. You are correct.” However if you are going to play, you should respond, “No, you are wrong. I will play.” Either way, the answer is no. Nigeria does not follow this logic. If you ask a negative question, it is not taken as a positive question with the assumption of the answer being no. The answer is either “yes” or “no” without any explanation, therefore, I am required to sit there and think a while. This new logic is baffling. Who would think that answering a question according to its worth could be so simple.