The Road To Miango

Sanu! Greetings from Jos, Nigeria.

On August 20 (Naomi’s 10th birthday), friends and family from around the state joined our church family for a time of worship, lunch, and lots of hugging. A caravan of loved ones took us to the Nashville airport with our 20 pieces of luggage. We shared a few hours together at the airport until we had to say “goodbye”. After traveling on three planes, landing on three continents and traveling numerous time zones, we safely arrived in Nigeria two days later.

On the first day in Nigeria, we traveled another four hours to arrive “home”. Immediately we were told that we were expected to be at Hillcrest School’s staff retreat a few days later. The retreat would be at Miango Rest Home. This rest home’s primary purpose is to serve as a retreat place for missionaries to find refreshment and rest from the everydayness of life in the tropics. By the time we arrived in Nigeria, we were as worn out as we had ever been. Teamed with the emotional and physical demands of selling our home, packing belongings, and saying some hard goodbyes, the two day trip proved to be more demanding than we thought. After spending the first three days learning to live with no electricity, cold showers, strange food, and complete isolation from anyone we had ever known, we looked forward to going to Miango.

Friday afternoon we met up with fellow missionaries and journeyed an hour to Miango. We drove off road more than we drove on it. We dodged goats, cattle, other cars, and people while trying to avoid the crater sized potholes. The roads were so bad we arrived with a bad case of carsickness and a variety of bumps and bruises.

One thing that we don’t remember being covered in all of our training is the paralysis of the culture shock fog. For the first four weeks, we lived in a fog, unable to process even simple survival tasks. As this fog is now lifting, we can begin to clearly see how our journey to Miango resembles our calling to Nigeria, but more importantly, our life’s journey. Some of the potholes of this life journey are created by our own sinfulness while others by the Enemy’s flaming darts. As believers, we are promised that we will have these rough roads. However, we are also promised that our precious Savior will walk with us and will use the bumps for His glory.

We truly thought that as we worked on the field of Jos, our work would be that of merely support. We would support the missionaries who were doing the “real work” as we helped with logistics in the office, taught their children in school or just encouraged fellow believers. Boy, were we underestimating the Lord’s plan for us here! Jon has a real passion for making sure ministries are managed well, encouraged and functioning in unity. He comes home after visiting ministries telling us about boys of Gideon Bege (“House of Hope”), Geyro Care Center, and Transition House. These ministries help homeless boys, providing them with shelter, food, Bible studies, and hope. Jon will also begin teaching Junior Bible classes in October at Hillcrest.

My (Julie’s) ministry at Hillcrest school seems to be growing by the day. The Enemy is alive and on the prowl, seeking to destroy these children at such a young age, and as a result, hindering their parents’ ministry if He succeeds. I find myself on my knees pleading for the protection of missionary kids, begging for the souls of Muslim students who can only see what they have to lose (families, finances, or even life) in professing the name of Jesus, and thanking the Lord for children who seem to have so little yet are joyful beyond measure. We are so thankful that the Lord has placed us here.

Now, back to the road to Miango….full of potholes, most of which we cannot avoid. We just hang on for the ride. However, once we get over the shock of the being bounced to the ceiling and back, we look up and see some of the most beautiful scenery. We must not focus on the potholes or we’d never take the journey. Instead, we cherish the opportunities we find along the road and remember that there is rest in Him and our Final Destination is worth it all! To God be the Glory alone!

Rejoice with us for:
*Sale of our house
*Safe arrival into Nigeria
*Many opportunities we have to share the Hope in us

Please pray specifically for:
*Students at Hillcrest school
*Protection for Lauren, Mattie Grace and Naomi
We are amazed how creatively the Enemy attacks our children!
*Peace in the Jos area (especially as the city prepares for elections early next year)
*Energy for us as our workload is heavy and we are still adjusting to the culture
*Adequate funding for our ministry here in Nigeria. We are still a bit under supported
and desperately need to be able to get a vehicle.

*And that we may each be the type of person Jim Elliot longed to be (and was) when he said, “Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.”

We thank the Lord for your ministry with us in Nigeria. We’d love for you to be here with us, but until you can get that arranged, follow our journey on our family’s blog site. You will find regular updates (when electricity is available!) and photos. We would love to hear from you (please put our missionary number #76589 on all correspondence) and please let us know how we can pray for you.

In Christ,

Jon and Julie Parker
Lauren, Mattie Grace and Naomi
Jon.parker@sim.org
Missionary Number 76589

Field Address:
The Parker Family
ECWA/SIM Headquarters
P.M.B. 2009
Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, AFRICA

All donations to the ministry can be sent to:
SIM USA
P. O. Box 7900
Charlotte, NC 28241
www.sim.org

Missionary Teachers and their Families

Last week a panel of five people visited Hillcrest (where we teach and the girls go to school) for ACSI (American Christian Schools International) evaluation. After MANY hours (and many before the visit) of reviewing curriculum, talking to students, parents and teachers, sitting in classes and being in the school for a week, the evaluators provide the school with very positive remarks and encouragement on Friday....and a real hope for accreditation! In our mailbox today we found the following article by one of the evaluators. We thought that we could have not have explained the spirit of the family at Hillcrest any better way. Hope it gives you a glimpse into our world here, a picture of what we are doing, and specific ways to pray.

Missionary Teachers and their Families

I have met many of them before, but this time it
seemed quite different. Had I changed over the years
or had I just missed something that had been there all
along? On my recent visit to a missionary school in
Africa, I had the chance to meet them in the
classroom, in their homes, and in numerous personal
conversations. Somehow theses conversations were
never about trivial matters. They didn’t seem to live
life at a trivial level. They are focused but fun.
They are passionate about what they do and why they do
what they do! They seem to ask little for themselves
because they have discovered that it isn’t about THEM!
Their days are spent investing in others. Rather
than to be uncomfortable with language barriers, they
welcome them and are fascinated by the differences.
They seem to have a high regard for learning new
things and discovering different perspectives. They
open their hearts and their homes and families to the
kids they serve. They are willing to stay after
school or come back at night for tutoring sessions.
They find newborn infants without home and make them
objects of great hopefulness. They have little of
this world’s wealth but seem very content with what
they have. They raise all their own support to do
their work and are careful in how these limited
resources are expended. They often find themselves in
impossible situations only to discover that God does
his most surprising work when resources are at their
least. They care deeply for each other and seem to
accept the fact that one person’s need is really the
need of all. They are “tight” with each other and
care for one another’s kids with titles like “Aunt”
and “Uncle” instead of teacher or coach. These
relationships seem almost as deep as the gene pool
because they are filling the function of parent which
is more important than the title. They have learned
that “simple living” is really a kind of freedom
rather than an enslavement. Simple meals shared with
each other is as rich as the most exclusive cuisine
and there always seems to be room at the larger table
for others. They find themselves as grandparents with
painful miles separating them from their children.
Sometimes they are parents with just as much distance
separating them from their college age kids in the
states. Holidays carry a special pain of separation.
They have said far too many “good-byes” far too often.
Saying “good-bye” never becomes something you
“adjust” to. They come with graduate degrees and a wealth of
experience that would make any school in the states
envious. Many of them have personally come through
the same mission experience that their students are
now going through. It is out of this deep reservoir
of experience that their ministry seems to take on
extra traction in the lives of kids. They teach out
of a heart that is thankful for those who made the
sacrifices for them and now they welcome the chance to
give back to others. Yet, others come with little or
no experience and begin perhaps a new cycle of givers
and receivers. But the one thing they all carry in
common is a deep sense of “the Call”. They have heard
their own timid hearts say, “Here am I, send me!”
Perfect people? No, not really. But they are living
proof that God is able to take flawed tools and do
highly technical surgery of the HEART!

Ken Tanis
Delaware County Christian School
On his 2006 ACSI Accreditation visit to Hillcrest
School, Jos, Nigeria, AFRICA

Sign of Recognition

Due to the growing problem of AIDS in Africa, it isn't uncommon to see billboards like this one around. This particular billboard is at the turnaround heading to our compound. Since road names are usually not posted, we have used this billboard as a sign of recognition for where we "turn" to head to our home.

Compound Photos

View right outside of our compound. Do you see all the motorbikes? They are called "achabas" and are EVERYWHERE!




Evangel Hospital entrance.



A little boy on our compound with one of his "toys"

We live on the Evangel Hospital compound. To get to our house, you would need to go through the hospital gates and pass the hospital (main hospital, maternity ward, VVF clinic, Spring of Hope counseling center, etc.) then go through another gate for the residential area. Both gates are guarded 24/7 and the walls are topped with razor wire. It is a sign of this day and age, I guess. We have many children on our compound. All the children on the compound now are Nigerian except for our girls. It isn't uncommon for us to look out the window and see more than 15 Nigerian kids playing with the girls. They have been building mud forts, planning a garden, chasing the residential goats, chickens and dogs, and quizzing each other on English/Hausa knowledge.

Children, Lost Luggage, and Jim Elliot

I took this photo the first weekend we were here. These chiildren we saw on the side of the road selling eggs, nuts, corn, whatever they had. The children are so joyful. Their smiles are beautiful and contagious.

Today we are going into Miango for lunch, a movie (with popcorn) and tea. If you know me well, you know I don't drink tea-not hot or cold, not sweet or iced. None, nada , never. However, when I am told that tea time will include chocolate, I am there! Our first chocolate since we've been in Nigeria. We're going!

We finally received the rest of our luggage this week. The luggage we checked onto British Airways on 20 August is finally here! Well....the boxes are here. Some things are missing, tho. All of our coffee, chocolate chips, most prescription meds, my art/scrapbook supplies, and sweets (I had stocked up a bit on Choxie at Target!) are missing. I am mourning my trusty ol' Fiskar's trimmer who had been with me the last 10 years. I didn't bring much out, just a trimmer, adhesive and some RSower paper. I'll be digging up something in the markets of Jos before long, tho. My fingers are itching to create. Jon and Naomi mourning the hope of coffee (they haven't resorted to the available instant). Fortunately, we can get any prescription meds we need here with no problem, and no prescription!

We are finally getting a handle of our scope of ministry here. Beyond the many needs of MK (missionary kids) in class, I have quite a few Muslim children in my classes. Most are well "doctrinated" and vocal. One Muslim girl, a student of mine, pulled me aside after class one day. She asked me if I understood what she would lose if she professed the name of Jesus. As she shared what happened to a person in her family who became a believer, I was reminded of the need to share what she has to gain. May I not lose hope in the miracle of our Lord, the miracle of salvation! I pray often every day for the Holy Spirit to draw these children to our Lord and for strength to make the stand, no matter what.

After going through a study of Jim Elliot with my eighth grade class, I have posted a quotes of his that are my favorite beside my desk. Here are a few:

“Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.”

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

“I many no longer depend on pleasant impulses to bring me before the Lord. I must rather respond to principles I know to be right, whether I feel them to be enjoyable or not. “

“Most laws condemn the soul and pronounce sentence. The result of the law of my God is perfect. It condemns but forgives. It restores - more than abundantly - what it takes away. “

“Those whimpering Stateside young people will wake up on the Day of Judgment condemned to worse fates than these demon-fearing Indians, because, having a Bible, they were bored with it - while these never heard of such a thing as writing."

“Wherever you are - be all there.” – Jim Elliot

Raising Rabbits

OK, NOT YET! However, after a visit to our Superintendent's house last night, our girls want to raise rabbits. Lots of them. As many as possible, as quickly as possible. Upon arrival for a dinner date, Mr. Seinen captured Naomi's attention immediately as he pointed out which tree produced what fruit. (Naomi is planning a complex garden and is searching for ideas and bumming seeds everywhere we go.) After an extensive look around, Mr. Seinen showed off his rabbits. The girls thought they were cute, especially the little ones, but didn't have the affection for them like they did when we left.

We had one of the best meals we've had in Nigeria-"Chicken Curry"- complete with fresh pineapple, coconut, nuts, cheese, bananas, and many more toppings! We ate LOTS and enjoyed every morsel. Meat is quite expensive here and we've tried to be creative in getting our protein, so we really enjoyed this meal! In fact, it reminds me of eating at my high school principal's house (Dr. Kellum) when I was Lauren's age. Mrs. Kellum served up a very impressive and oh, so fun spread of chicken curry with many toppings.

As we left last night, Mr. and Mrs. Seinen shared their "chicken" curry recipe. When I asked about the boiled chicken, I got a quiet chuckle from both of them. They looked at each other and then whispered in my ear, "That wasn't chicken, it was rabbit. That is why we raise rabbits." We hesitated to share this with the girls for a few minutes. What would they think? Poor little Peter Cottontail was murdered for their meal. Well, I guess a few weeks in Nigeria can change your view of Mr. Cottontail. Naomi's response: "Cool, Mom, can we raise rabbits? They are REALLY good!"

With the girls' minds now in "protein" gear, our new little compound goats better watch out! Naomi might not be satisified with only what comes out of her garden.

Sisters

This photo was taken right before we left the states by our neighbor, Dustine Wallace.

The girls have bonded these last few weeks and truly are holding on to each other for support during the transition. Please pray for them as they are all suffering various forms of homesickness.

A "Typical" Day

Two weeks. I cannot believe all we have done in two weeks. The girls are getting adjusted to school. Jon and I are working full time and seem to be barely keeping our heads above water. Speaking of water-we are in the rainy season. The amount of rain makes us feel as if we are in a tropical region (and that we should look into some ark plans.) When it rains, it pours…and pours…and pours. Seems like every afternoon and most evenings we get buckets of water. We used to menace at our wet shoes, soured clothing and soggy hair, but it doesn’t seem to bother us much anymore. I hear that we will soon go months without any rain, so we ought to enjoy the water supply now. The rain allows so much to grow. Nigeria has such pretty landscaping and right now most everything is green. In our own yard we have trees that bear mangoes, lemons, oranges and who knows what all else. Naomi keeps an eye on the fruit and is anxious for something to be ripe enough to eat.

Someone asked what a typical day in Nigeria is, at least for us. I have thought about this for a few days and have had trouble writing it down. No day in Nigeria is typical, but I’ll try to give you a picture of a school day.

We wake up to the compound’s roosters crowing about 5:30AM. Our first question is usually, “is NEPA (Nigeria’s power) on?” Lately the answer has been “no” so we hop in quick showers (cold since the hot water heater hasn’t been on) and get ready for the day. If NEPA is on (or we get up in time to get the generator on and water warmed), we enjoy a rare warm shower. These have become luxuries that we don’t take for granted. However, we don’t have a problem with anyone taking a long shower!

After grabbing something to eat (usually an English muffin or pineapple), we rush off. Our Nigerian driver, Sunday, promptly drives us to school/work at 7:45. We wave at the guards at both of our compound’s gates and all the women (with babies strapped on their backs) out washing laundry by hand at the hospital. Although Jon and I are getting our license this week, I prefer to have Sunday drive us if possible. I am not good at driving a stick shift AND dodging motorbikes AND honking my horn AND listening to my children pray very loudly, “Lord, please don’t let us die” for fifteen minutes. Defensive driving takes on a stronger meaning in Nigeria than the states! A few things we’ve seen on the road: cows, goats, chickens, motorbikes with FIVE people on them, beggars, pedestrians marching in a protest, and a Honda Accord with twelve people inside-all on the same street at the same time. We haven’t had a ‘boring’ or routine trip yet.

As we pass through the school compound gates and greet the guards, we are always aware of how the school campus seems to be a “different world.” We have many nationalities (Nigerian, British, Korean, American, Lebonese, etc.) and religions (Christian, Muslim, atheist, etc.) in the student body. At 10, we have a break for the kids to grab a snack or just get some energy out or socialize. The “hot lunch program” consists of three huts on the compound. For ₦50 ($1= about ₦128), you can get some suya (meat on a stick) or cooked potatoes. We have found out that potatoes are a much better price point, so this is what we usually have for lunch. The potatoes are cooked right in the hut and served in newspaper.

We are out by 3:30 in the afternoon, but usually have something to do at school: soccer practice, staff meeting, etc. Once we leave from school, we pick Jon up at work (he is at the SIM headquarters-1/2 way between home and school.)

If NEPA is on and at full power (220), we’ll throw the laundry that has been on the line into a dryer to kill any mango fly eggs (not something you want to hatch in your skin!!) or we’ll have to iron everything. As much as I hate to iron, ironing beats squeezing mango fly worms out of your skin! ☺

For dinner, we are trying out various types of food. Some of what we are used to is available but very expensive. Cheese, meat and anything “western” will be luxuries for special occasions. I sure wish I had brought kool-aid, packets of pesto, chocolate chips, pepperoni, pudding, etc. We are enjoying the fruit (the BEST bananas ever!) and the weight loss has helped our clothes fit better. Today we splurged and bought some olive oil and made Angie’s salad dressing. Although the lettuce had to be soaked in bleach and we used malt vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, we felt as if we had a taste of home, complete with cilantro! We shared a “mineral” (Coke) and savored the meal.

The afternoons are spent playing with the local children (I counted 17 Nigerian kids in our yard the other day) and doing hours of homework. By 10PM we are all so tired, we fall into bed. Lauren and Naomi are sharing rooms and Mattie Grace finally has her own room. The evenings are cool (in this rainy season) and we are finally sleeping fairly well.

I would say that you now have a picture of life in Nigeria, but consistency isn’t the norm here, so it changes each and every moment. We are so thankful that the Lord has gone before us and has prepared the way. He is always faithful and never changes. We hold to Him tightly!

New Family Photo

Photo by Dustine Wallace

Staff Retreat

Written Monday, August 28
Hillcrest Staff Retreat

The girls are attending Hillcrest Academy. On Wednesday, I will begin teaching there also. We were fortunate to be able to arrive in time for the school’s staff retreat at Miango. I believe that this is one of the first retreats in which I felt as if I truly retreated and rested. Dr. Danny McCain spoke during our three sessions, spread out over three days. He was very encouraging as he applied Biblical principles to teaching. How refreshing it is to be around those who are like-minded. I am so excited to get into the classroom.

Saturday morning, Jon and Naomi joined about a dozen others for a rigorous hike. At one point, Jon said that Naomi was completely out of view due to the high grasses. Lauren, Mattie Grace and I slept in. The younger kids spent the weekend playing very hard outside when it wasn’t raining. They found a huge beetle and quite a few furry creatures. The teens hung out together, watched videos, and talked a bit about ‘home’.

On the way home, we stopped at a grocery store called Tamarash that seemed to cater to ex-pats. Most “luxury” items (such as shampoo, koolaid, cereal) were very expensive (such as $20 for dandruff shampoo) since they were imports. However, we did manage to drop a few niara for juice, cheese (YEAH!), popcorn, ramen-style noodles, and ketchup! We have lots of potatoes to eat up, so we splurged for the ketchup. It was also nice to not have to barter for anything…the price set was the price paid. We are finally figuring out how to quickly convert niara into dollars to see the value of something. For example, when we saw a packet of Koolaid (which we usually pay 10-20 cents in the states) for N150, we realized that we would have to pay over $1 for it. Nah, not going to happen.