Chronologically, this post is backwards.
I proved today that I must take my doxycycline pills with food. I tried to take it a little before food because, to be most effective, you should take it on an empty stomach. For my stomach that does not work. I will leave that subject there. I had two breakfasts today.
I made the 8 AM English Service. Last week they had a combined English and Hausa Service. I was at the Hotel in A/C last Sunday recovering from Malaria. We you inside temperature is high and the outside temperature is the same you really feel miserable. I am lucky I can afford to go and rent an Air Conditioned room to recover. That is not an option for most Nigerians. They announced the adult attendance last Sunday at 2214 people. This Sunday for the English service they had the Evangelist who has been preaching at the Lutheran Youth Fellowship National Conference all week.
He was given a Bible verse to preach on and starting writing his sermon. Then he said God spoke to him and said he needed to speak on forgiveness. Which hapens to be the topic of one of his books. Mark 11:25 was his new text "Whenever you stand in praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." He spoke that both the prisoner and the guard are in prison. And the guard stays there for a long time while the prisoner serves his term and leaves. The person you go not forgive can move on but you stay in prison by not forgiving him. He also talked about rights and responsibility. It is your right for revenge but it is your responsibility to forgive. The service was long. Prior to his sermon we has special musical numbers by several people and more announcements. They do not have a bulletin so all the announcements are made at the beginning of the service. During offering I left and went to the Deaf service in the old Nursery School class room.
They had finished their service that started at 9 AM with Sunday School and were at the offering when I arrived. I give about twice as much to them as I do at the Cathedral. This more than doubles their normal offering. The Deaf have little opportunity in Nigeria. Even with a university degree it is hard to get a job. Today they had about 24 people.
I told them about the 10 year old Vietnamese girls from Minnesota who has convinced 45 or so of her friends and their families to donate $10 each to the Deaf Church Construction project. I had emailed back and forth with her a couple times. I asked her if she had a local church in Minnesota that Pastor Ruth could come to say thank you in person when Ruth comes to Minnesota in July (hope she gets her US Visa on Tuesday).
She responded:
These families have given from their scarcity.
This has inspired others to give from their abundance. One person gave $100 and then he said his late Mother talked to his heart. When she talks to him he says in cost him. This time he added $1000. He Mother is smiling in heaven. His contribution did not get processed until May 1st. It will be be distributed in June. April saw a total donation of $790 and so far May has $1010. Less the Go Fund Me operating and credit card fees they will send $725.83 to the Citizens Into Action bank account early this week. I will have my wife add in $938.52 for the May pending money and have it all transferred to the Church Construction Fund Bank Account later this week.
The following two pictures are the Congregation saying "Thanks" in the tin shed they are currently using and on the front steps of the Church they are building. They were very happy to that children in the US are concerned for them.
After taking these pictures we went back to the tin shed and the wanted to do a thank you dance also, But the internet is so slow it will take 4 hours to upload the video to You Tube and then link it here. I will edit this page and link the video later.
Going back to early morning. I got up took my pill and started the tea pot on the gas stove, then went to take my shower. My plan was to shower quick and have some Fruit N Fiber cereal before my stomach got upset. When I finished my shower and was headed back to the kitchen with a towel around my waist (not a pretty sight). As I got to the parlor I realized there was someone knocking at the door. I ducked back into my bedroom and grabbed yesterdays clothes and put them on quickly. It was Pastor Ruth. She had lunch for me. She said there were no restaurants open on Sunday so she made me some rice and a fish dish. Nigerian food portions are huge. This will be enough for four meals and I had leftovers in the freezer of the salmon spread and rice with vegetables from last night. After talking with Ruth for a short time I got my tea and got out oatmeal to make. By the time I made the oatmeal I had added an extra 15 minutes to the time between my pill and when I was planning to have cereal. I starting to eat the oatmeal after it cooled and as my stomach started to turn. Maybe some food will calm it down. As I was almost finished with the oatmeal the rush to the toilet was lost. After, some cleaning and changing clothes and re-showering I got out another pill and had the rest of the oatmeal and a bowl of cereal with the pill. Everything is fine. I a little of the fish and rice for lunch. Power went off at 2:30. Yakubus thermometer reads 103 and mine 98. It is hotter and sunny outside the the Sunshine State.
Youth Fellowship National Convention. (Youth are what we would call young adults. Mostly unmarried, from 16 to 30)
I have only visited the Youth Convention on my evening walks. One thing is a constant is the music. One evening while they were on break for supper the youth were jamming in the Cathedral. Like most youth they like their music loud with a good base beat. Future members of the Deaf Church.
They have a group of women who are cooking for them. I think they are the Yola Diocese Women's Fellowship. A lot of palm oil, onions, spices, tomatoes,beans and other things are consumed. During my evening walks I lap the compound three to six times. Each time passing by the women doing the cooking. We chat briefly usually mostly wisecracks and laughter. The aluminum pots are locally made. The women collect scrap aluminum, cans, roofing scraps, wire and whatever they find that is aluminum (mostly cans). When they have enough they take them to the local pot maker who melts them down for pots. They can small as a couple quarts to these large ones. I drink a lot of Maltina and contibute my cans to either Regina who lives in the round hut behind the Project Office or Yakubu's wife.
When dinner time comes that are long line of people going to the large aluminum pots for rice and various soups.
Saturday there was also a wedding reception in front of the Projects Office. The set up three tents and many plastic tables and chairs. It is a lot like American receptions except they have a Chairman (Master of Ceremony), different dances, lots of food and beverages. The local kids get on their best clothes and come to eat the leftovers collect cans and bottles and have fun. Regina's youngest had a lot of plastic straws the hooked end to end. I do not know what they were pretending but they were having a good time.
That evening on my trip around the wedding decorating company was packing up their truck. The ladies in charge were sitting on a large red coach that had been the bride and grooms throne during the reception. I stopped and asked them if they were going to put the couch up on top with the women riding in it. They laughed and she NO Way. Eventually, the couch, tailgate and spare tire were strapped onto the truck and somehow the ancient Peugeot truck drove off.
The batteries are almost gone. If I get power overnight when the internet is faster I will try to put up the Thank You Dance Video,
While I was typing this I got $390 of donations. One for a previous big donor and three more $10 from people with Vietnamese sounding names. I guess I should add in the link to Go Fund Me.
If the donation from the Danish Deaf Church arrives with what was donated through Go Fund Me, we should be able to finish the building and pews. With any extra we will to exterior landscaping, shelves in the storage room, furniture for the pastors office, buy a small generator for emergency times when the power is out and the main church generator is not needed (No light, No Talk). The church will be used for more than just a church. We hope it will be the center for learning and skills development for the deaf. Chairs and tables will be needed for seminars and many other things. These we have not concentrated on and just wanted to have enough to finish the church and get out of the tin shed before the rainy season.
As usual. I am publishing before editing. If you are first to read before I get the batteries recharge for the editing. Please forgive me spelling, grammar and stream of thought writing.
Never embedded a Widget before I hope this works
I proved today that I must take my doxycycline pills with food. I tried to take it a little before food because, to be most effective, you should take it on an empty stomach. For my stomach that does not work. I will leave that subject there. I had two breakfasts today.
I made the 8 AM English Service. Last week they had a combined English and Hausa Service. I was at the Hotel in A/C last Sunday recovering from Malaria. We you inside temperature is high and the outside temperature is the same you really feel miserable. I am lucky I can afford to go and rent an Air Conditioned room to recover. That is not an option for most Nigerians. They announced the adult attendance last Sunday at 2214 people. This Sunday for the English service they had the Evangelist who has been preaching at the Lutheran Youth Fellowship National Conference all week.
 |
| Panorama from Balcony. Saturday Night Youth Conference during offering. Most of the youth are outside. As the band plays they come in dancing their way to the front an place their offering in a basket. |
They had finished their service that started at 9 AM with Sunday School and were at the offering when I arrived. I give about twice as much to them as I do at the Cathedral. This more than doubles their normal offering. The Deaf have little opportunity in Nigeria. Even with a university degree it is hard to get a job. Today they had about 24 people.I told them about the 10 year old Vietnamese girls from Minnesota who has convinced 45 or so of her friends and their families to donate $10 each to the Deaf Church Construction project. I had emailed back and forth with her a couple times. I asked her if she had a local church in Minnesota that Pastor Ruth could come to say thank you in person when Ruth comes to Minnesota in July (hope she gets her US Visa on Tuesday).
She responded:
Hi Mr. Jay
Actually we don't go to church.
Most of us came from Vietnam and barely make enough money to live. At first they didn't want to donate at all. Then I remind them about Americans helped us many years ago. I asked them to help the Deaf Church from their hearts.
That's why you saw many $10 (better than nothing) on the Go Fun Me. Thank you Jay for helping people who are less fortunate. Best wishes to you and people in the Deaf Church.
Thank you from our hearts to yours.
Sincerely,
This has inspired others to give from their abundance. One person gave $100 and then he said his late Mother talked to his heart. When she talks to him he says in cost him. This time he added $1000. He Mother is smiling in heaven. His contribution did not get processed until May 1st. It will be be distributed in June. April saw a total donation of $790 and so far May has $1010. Less the Go Fund Me operating and credit card fees they will send $725.83 to the Citizens Into Action bank account early this week. I will have my wife add in $938.52 for the May pending money and have it all transferred to the Church Construction Fund Bank Account later this week.
The following two pictures are the Congregation saying "Thanks" in the tin shed they are currently using and on the front steps of the Church they are building. They were very happy to that children in the US are concerned for them. |
| Thank You and Applause being signed. |
After taking these pictures we went back to the tin shed and the wanted to do a thank you dance also, But the internet is so slow it will take 4 hours to upload the video to You Tube and then link it here. I will edit this page and link the video later.
Going back to early morning. I got up took my pill and started the tea pot on the gas stove, then went to take my shower. My plan was to shower quick and have some Fruit N Fiber cereal before my stomach got upset. When I finished my shower and was headed back to the kitchen with a towel around my waist (not a pretty sight). As I got to the parlor I realized there was someone knocking at the door. I ducked back into my bedroom and grabbed yesterdays clothes and put them on quickly. It was Pastor Ruth. She had lunch for me. She said there were no restaurants open on Sunday so she made me some rice and a fish dish. Nigerian food portions are huge. This will be enough for four meals and I had leftovers in the freezer of the salmon spread and rice with vegetables from last night. After talking with Ruth for a short time I got my tea and got out oatmeal to make. By the time I made the oatmeal I had added an extra 15 minutes to the time between my pill and when I was planning to have cereal. I starting to eat the oatmeal after it cooled and as my stomach started to turn. Maybe some food will calm it down. As I was almost finished with the oatmeal the rush to the toilet was lost. After, some cleaning and changing clothes and re-showering I got out another pill and had the rest of the oatmeal and a bowl of cereal with the pill. Everything is fine. I a little of the fish and rice for lunch. Power went off at 2:30. Yakubus thermometer reads 103 and mine 98. It is hotter and sunny outside the the Sunshine State.Youth Fellowship National Convention. (Youth are what we would call young adults. Mostly unmarried, from 16 to 30)
I have only visited the Youth Convention on my evening walks. One thing is a constant is the music. One evening while they were on break for supper the youth were jamming in the Cathedral. Like most youth they like their music loud with a good base beat. Future members of the Deaf Church.
They have a group of women who are cooking for them. I think they are the Yola Diocese Women's Fellowship. A lot of palm oil, onions, spices, tomatoes,beans and other things are consumed. During my evening walks I lap the compound three to six times. Each time passing by the women doing the cooking. We chat briefly usually mostly wisecracks and laughter. The aluminum pots are locally made. The women collect scrap aluminum, cans, roofing scraps, wire and whatever they find that is aluminum (mostly cans). When they have enough they take them to the local pot maker who melts them down for pots. They can small as a couple quarts to these large ones. I drink a lot of Maltina and contibute my cans to either Regina who lives in the round hut behind the Project Office or Yakubu's wife.When dinner time comes that are long line of people going to the large aluminum pots for rice and various soups.
Saturday there was also a wedding reception in front of the Projects Office. The set up three tents and many plastic tables and chairs. It is a lot like American receptions except they have a Chairman (Master of Ceremony), different dances, lots of food and beverages. The local kids get on their best clothes and come to eat the leftovers collect cans and bottles and have fun. Regina's youngest had a lot of plastic straws the hooked end to end. I do not know what they were pretending but they were having a good time.
That evening on my trip around the wedding decorating company was packing up their truck. The ladies in charge were sitting on a large red coach that had been the bride and grooms throne during the reception. I stopped and asked them if they were going to put the couch up on top with the women riding in it. They laughed and she NO Way. Eventually, the couch, tailgate and spare tire were strapped onto the truck and somehow the ancient Peugeot truck drove off.The batteries are almost gone. If I get power overnight when the internet is faster I will try to put up the Thank You Dance Video,
While I was typing this I got $390 of donations. One for a previous big donor and three more $10 from people with Vietnamese sounding names. I guess I should add in the link to Go Fund Me.If the donation from the Danish Deaf Church arrives with what was donated through Go Fund Me, we should be able to finish the building and pews. With any extra we will to exterior landscaping, shelves in the storage room, furniture for the pastors office, buy a small generator for emergency times when the power is out and the main church generator is not needed (No light, No Talk). The church will be used for more than just a church. We hope it will be the center for learning and skills development for the deaf. Chairs and tables will be needed for seminars and many other things. These we have not concentrated on and just wanted to have enough to finish the church and get out of the tin shed before the rainy season.
As usual. I am publishing before editing. If you are first to read before I get the batteries recharge for the editing. Please forgive me spelling, grammar and stream of thought writing.
Never embedded a Widget before I hope this works
I really like all your descriptions Jay. Let me know about the money transfer. Love, Sally
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