Candy, candy and more candy!!!

I am enjoying all the candy and goodies my friends brought from Chicago. I was shocked when my friends said one of the large suitcases was for their stuff and the other one was for me!!! The 5 pound bag of Jolly Ranchers was sweet. Thank you so much to all you at home who contributed to my goody bag. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.....

THE FACES OF AIDS

"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter." Proverbs 24:11



What do each of these women and children have in common? They are all living with HIV/AIDS. One scary reality is that we see more young women and children than any other group. Women are at much higher risk for HIV than men, and often times get HIV from their husbands.
Pray for James (above) and his mom Joy. James came back from living in the village with his grandma for the last 7 months, and has lost much weight. He is at risk for dehydration and infections.





Jehovah Shammah (above) is still fighting for life. He is currently increasing in weight and stable. Although still extremely malnourished his prognosis is good. We thank God for his divine healing and for saving this precious one!!

LIFE IN AFRICA

village women and children
People selling fruit by the roadside
Flat tires are a part of daily life
A baby pig wandering about
Young girls selling fruit by the side of the road. When you stop your car, they all flock to try and sell fruit to you.
A woman selling bananas on her head, a common site here in Nigeria
A dirt road behind Spring of Life

HIV Testing

Each person who comes in for HIV testing meets with a counselor who shares their test result with them. Those who are positive receive encouragement and hope through Jesus Christ. Those who are negative are also given education on how to prevent HIV and avoid risky behaviors.
Yams are a staple to the Nigerians diet. These women dance in with their yam offering to the Lord. I am always amazed at how they can carry heavy things on their heads.


Our team traveled to the annual women's fellowship conference where thousands of women in church leadership gather to worship the Lord. We tested most of the day on friday and for 11 hours on saturday. It's merely a finger poke and the result is ready within minutes. We tested over 850 people that weekend. The bad news is that there was a 4% rate of HIV among these women. Needless to say there is still so much work to do in the area of awareness and prevention.

The Nigerian women all wear matching outfits and love to dance and sing praises to their God!!! We sat up on the stage and listend in awe as ten thousand women sang banging the drums and lifting their voices to the Holy one.

THE DEAD SEA

Salt deposits on the rock in the Sea

Enjoying floating in the Dead Sea. It was the
strangest feeling, I felt like I was floating
in a pool of oil.

Old Joffa in Tel Aviv

Religous Jew in the market




The place where Jonah was swallowed by the fish
Overlooking Mediterranean

The Sea of Galilee

Communion together at the Sea of Galilee

A flock of sheep and cows grazing along the hills
The city of Tiberias in Lower Galilee


Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

ONE LIFE AT A TIME

"Deliver those who are drawn towards death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter."

Proverbs 24:11


Her name is Harira and she is young Fulani woman from a village far away. Her parents brought her to Spring of Life a few weeks ago in a hopeless condition. Her frail thin body was in dire need of medicine to slow the progression of AIDS. When we weighed her the scale read a mere 57 pounds. After talking with her about what it meant to have HIV, Harira burst into tears and said that she had gotten HIV from a blood tranfusion and didn't know what to do now. Her parents also broke down in despair. I knew they were desperate. I knew I had to help them. Harira is a muslim and at the end of our discussion I asked her if I could pray for her. She didn't refuse. I prayed over her for God to save her and grant hope and peace in HIM.
Harira has been living at the hospital these last weeks and coming to ARV clinic. Praise God we started her on ARV's two weeks ago and she is doing really well. I come to greet her every day and have seen obvious improvements. She has gained a few pounds and has a bright smile and a new hope for living. I am so happy at her progress and know God will do big things in her life. I shared the precious gospel with her last week at clinic, and she said she wants to be with Jesus but doesn't know if she will go to heaven. I gave her a new testament but neither she nor her family can read. Her father said he would get someone to read it for them. Please pray that God would radically change her heart and save her! Also pray that her family would be touched by the truth of God's love and mercy.
I got my first marriage proposal from Harira's father a few weeks ago. He has a few other wives but didn't mind me being the third. He has offered 1oo cows for me! All I had to say was that I am worth more than 1,000 cows! He also asked me for a lock of my hair to take back to the village. I suppose it's a good luck charm to him. Life is intersting here, never a dull moment!

Village Outreach

Recently a team from Jos went on an outreach to a village a few hours away. It was an amazing experience. Hundreds of people anxiously awaited our arrival and were lined up for hours to get medicine. It was the perfect time to talk with them about AIDS since I had a captive audience. I stood on a table in front of hundreds who gathered and shared basic information about HIV/AIDS. I also shared about the hope that can be found in Jesus. It was incredible and really cool to see so many there. We had two clinics over the weekend and saw over 600 people total. It was crazy!!! We showed the Jesus film late one evening and many came to saving faith that night. We pray for this village that many who professed Christ will grow in their faith and become passionate followers of Jesus!

ARV clinic

Many people have come for ARV clinic to get free drugs. Before we started this new program we were seeing only 8-10 people at wednesday clinic. Last week we had over 80 people total for the three clinic days. I pray for boldness to share the gospel with those who are desperate to hear it!!

BLINDTOWN

Every week city ministries goes to the slums of Blindtown where a majority of people here are blind. They bring a mobile clinic with Community health workers and doctors who give basic medicine that saves many lives. I will never forget one woman I met that day in Blindtown. She lay dying in fetal position on a cement floor; the smell of her own feces permeated the air. I fell to my knees and prayed over her that she would come to know Christ. I heard she died later that night. Sometimes when I think about the despair and hopelessness of people here I am overhelmed. I am so thankful to know the Love and peace of the one and only true God. May that always spur me on to have compassion for those who have yet to discover the riches and pleasure of knowing Jesus Christ!



"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. HE saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having hope of eternal life!"


Titus 3:4-7

LONDON IN 8 HOURS

On my way to Nigeria I had a 12 hour layover in London and was able to tour the city seeing everything from Big Ben to Parliament and the London Eye. We ended up at All Souls church where the pastor preached on Psalm 91. How perfect that he mentioned Nigeria and not fearing "the lion or the cobra!" I know God ordained me to hear that message, and I praise Him for encouraging my heart with the truth of His powerful word. God knew exactly what I needed to prepare me for the rough road ahead. I will never forget how His peace poured over me that night.

Mighty to Save

Father,
Thank you for sending your son that I may have life in you—you have died so that I may be here in Nigeria to share my life and your love with these people. May I live for you in all things and for your glory----to make you known among Nigerians.
MAY YOU SAVE MANY NIGERIANS THROUGH MY WITNESS AND LIFE HERE IN THESE NEXT 2 YEARS………I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU FIRST LOVED ME.

This picture is Ladi with her children Jerry and Kyauta (means gift) taken a few months ago. The children are now orphans, and Ladi's sister Ruth is caring for them.


Above is a journal entry from September 8, 2005. As I consider Ladi's salvation within the last few weeks of her life I am thankful to have been a part of her life. Loving and caring for Ladi has been one of the most rewarding and amazing experiences in all my life. The vision of Ladi's face and the music that she sang from the depths of her soul will be etched in my mind forever! She also cried out for everyone to hear, "Jesus Saves, He is power!" One night I stayed at the hospital until 1 a.m. with Ladi and we sang together. But after singing awhile I stopped for a moment as I pondered her condition and the appearance of her badly burned body. I couldn't help but burst into tears. When Ladi saw me gazing at her and crying she looked right into my eyes and said, "aunty Susan don't cry, don't cry!" Even in the midst of her suffering she was worried about me. It was precious! That's how Jesus was moving in her to love others and comfort them with the comfort God had given her. The last time I saw Ladi I told her to cling to the cross; that only Jesus knew what she was going through and even though her family had rejected her that nothing could separate her from God's love! Then I kissed her hand and forehead, and with our hands clasped together tightly I said goodbye for the last time. I will never forget her and the impact she had on my life. Words aren't enough to describe the mighty power of Jesus to save her and how He brought Ladi and I together in spirit. If God called me back home today I would be satisfied because being a part of Ladi's life was enough! But I know He is not calling me home now and so I press on toward the goal and continue to strive to make Jesus known! When things are difficult and I feel I can't say goodbye to one more person from AIDS I will remember this moment and persevere. God is my strength of my heart always!!

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!"

Psalm 73:25-26

The Valley of Vision

"LORD, HIGH AND HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory."

Ba abinci

In hausa it means "no food."I hear this phrase every single day no matter where I go. Whether walking down the street or in the market many people are going hungry. Muslim children roam the streets begging for money and with their hands to their mouths they repeat "ba abinci, ba abinci!". I see young children crawling on the street begging. Some of them intentionally mamed at birth so they can be permanent beggars for life. These children don't ever see the money except only to hold it in their hand for a while. At the end of the day they hand over what they have begged for to their master. I am constantly reminded of how I take for granted the simple basic necessities of life like food, clean water, and money. Everyday I see the faces of those in despair, and hear the cries of the desperate, destitute and needy. Words can't describe the hopelessness and poverty that permeates this city. How can I help those in need??? Should I just give them the gospel and walk away? I can't possibly walk away because I see Jesus' face and it is His example that leads me to love these people. Even when I don't want to give I remember that God has called me to serve and to share my life so that others might see HIM! Today one of our clients found out that her husband died from AIDS. She herself is positive and growing sicker by the minute. With little immune system left she is trying to fight this deadly disease and failing. Meanwhile she has shrunken down to a mere 90 pounds. She mentioned she had not eaten any food today and appeared hungry. I had some biscuits in my bag but hadn't eaten yet and wanted to save them for later when I was hungry. I gave her a soft banana that seemed unappealing to me but kept the biscuits hidden for myself. Over the next few minutes God kept pricking my heart to give the biscuits to her. I rebelled for the first minute then realized how selfish I was being. I gave her the biscuits but still felt like it was a sacrifice. I am thankful for how God shows me my sin and is slowly refining me so graciously. I am always amazed at my wicked heart and yet God still loves me and forgives me. I pray that next time I see someone who is hungry I will immediately give without thinking about myself. Oh that my hearts instinct would be to give selflessly. May God continue to scrape away my sin and make me more like HIM.


The Valley of Vision:

"THERE IS NO TREASURE SO WONDERFUL AS THAT CONTINUOUS EXPERIENCE OF THY GRACE TOWARD ME WHICH ALONE CAN SUBDUE THE RISINGS OF SIN WITHIN: GIVE ME MORE OF IT!"

Challenge Compound

Above are my neighbors-all single people working in various ministries in Jos. From the left: Susan, Gay Lynn, Niki, Brian, Kevin and George. We have a ton of fun together and they make me laugh all the time........That's key here.

Above is the Challenge compound. We all have single apartments that have been made so nice for us to live. I am thankful for all the preparation that went in to making this place feel like home.