Farewell from Jos...

I just wrote this on Facebook, I think it sums up things for me.

"It sure does suck to say goodbye (forever?) to the country and the friends that have shaped my life for basically the past two years. On the other hand, saying hello again to friends and family that will shape my future is pretty darn exciting... Feelings are funny."

Looking back on the past time I've spent in Africa, I've gotten to know some really great people from all over the world. Through the 6 months I was here last year, and the 10 from this year, it's been a rollercoaster of emotions. I left home in 2008 not knowing what I was getting into. Then I made a new home, and had to leave it after 6 short months. Going back to Canada was hard, as my heart was still in Africa. But God blessed me by opening doors for me to return. It's been a good 10 months, with dips up and down on the rollercoaster, but now I come to an interesting part in the ride, where I feel like I'm going up AND down. All at the same time... (which can be kinda painful).

I have to leave all the friends I've gotten to know here from the past 10 months. Canadians, Americans, Irish, English, Swiss, German, Scottish, Dutch, Nigerians (of course) and Africans from other countries like the Congo and Kenya... (did I miss anyone?) I've loved it. Getting to know people from other countries and cultures really does something to change you. By getting to know how another people groups, you realize how odd your own culture can be! Even this week when I tried to pay for my own bill at a restaurant, my Nigerian friend Safia and the other Nigerians with us were dumbfounded. I was the guest! How could I try to pay for myself?? Just shows you how little one can really learn of a culture even after a combined 16 months of living in it...

So I've had to say goodbye to a lot of these people, but as my roomie recently said "no one really says goodbye anymore. It's now 'see you on Facebook!'" Which is partly true (not everyone has joined Facebook) and echoes kinda what I'd written a bit about in my last post. Facebook makes saying "goodbye forever" a little bit easier to say since I'll be able to continue to connect with most of the friends I've met here via the virtual world.

Speaking of goodbyes, the church I've attended here had to say an unexpected and sudden goodbye the the choir leader. I didn't know him, but he's been a fixture at NKST the entire time I've been there. Apparently he'd collapsed earlier in the week and died a number of days later. I believe I posted this photo of him ealier.

As one who can't sing (without making everyone around me wish they brought earplugs), I've appreciated the choir as a great way to vicariously praise God through songs in a way I wish I could. I know he will be missed by his wife and son and it really goes to show how fragile life still is, and how lucky we in the West are. I've heard that it's thought he had suffered a heart attack, but that it's likely it wasn't diagnosed, nor was there appropriate equipment to deal with it. It made me think of my own Dad who had a heart attack a couple years ago. Thanks to a quick response of the doctors and some speedy stends, my Dad was in and out of the hospital within a matter of days. Think of the lives that could be saved across the world if only appropriate equipment and staff were available! I wish I had medical training (or the brains for it). I think I'd be working in the hospital here or somewhere else in a heartbeat. In fact, if you're of the medical profession, I highly recommend you spend some time in prayer about this. You could be used by God to save lives for people in a country without free or accessible health care, what a blessing!

I don't have a whole lot else to write today, I apologize. I've been pretty busy my last few days, saying goodbyes, packing and all that fun stuff. I'm off tomorrow morning for Abuja, then flying out tomorrow night. After about 24 hours of flights and layovers... Canada! woo! I'm pretty excited. Sucks I won't be able to get some tasty snacks like I've gotten here, like locust and dog meat... (ps, not my hand.)

Well, that's just about it from me! The next time anything gets posted on here, I'll be in Canadia! I still plan on keeping this blog updated, so check in every once and a while for some clever antidote and a photo or two! Thanks for reading, supporting and following!!

*edit*
ps! Some photos from my latest trip Farin Ruwa waterfall and to the EKA are up!

Facebook defence and an update/photos

I didn't know about Facebook until about my second or third year of college. A friend recommended it to me as a good way for me to post my photos of recent concerts we had been to. I had been a bit reluctant, but what was one more 'social networking' site? I already had a Windows Space, MySpace, Bebo, Hyves and several others whose passwords I've long forgotten.  So I signed up and became immersed in the world of Facebookery.

Ignoring the media's warning of the huge risks to sharing personal information (I like to live dangerously) I boldly displayed my personal information. (Who's going to want to pretend to be me, anyway?) Full name, age (even the year!), school and hometown were within reach of anyone looking. Bring it, identity thieves.

Several years, 392 friends (aren't I popular?), a couple videos, 357 photos tagged of me (a lot of them are from other people, I'm not THAT vain) and 82 albums later, I have a hard time thinking back to how life was in the BAF (Before the Age of Facebook). Facebook has always been keeping up-to-date, changing every few months to remain current in the interweb world. I'd say that's the main reason it hasn't gone the way of MySpace and its predecessors.

There are many who refuse to 'hop on the Facebook bandwagon'. The most common reason I've heard is that it's because it's so 'impersonal'. I disagree. While a 'poke' doesn't compare to a hug or a wall post to a conversation, Facebook is as impersonal as you make it. I have a theory that if the nay-sayers were born in Alexander Bell's time, they'd be rejecting the phone as "too impersonal".  Or going back farther, they'd have rejected letters, Morse code and smoke signals. Each has had its era, each has been of use to society during its time. Just because there is almost always a more personal way to interact with someone, doesn't make it the best. For instance, if I heard about a friend's recent engagement, a phone call is more appropriate than me giving my buddy a big ol' smack on the lips. Not only would I risk a fist to the face, I'd be sure raise some questions in his fiancée's head. Not to mention my own girlfriend's. Overall, it's not always a good idea to be more personal.

Anti-FBers are quick to follow-up with the rhetorical question of: "Why not just pick up the phone?" I can think of a couple reasons. One, the phone is about half-way up on the hierarchy of personal interaction (below handwritten letters and well above the fist pump). And as I demonstrated above, jumping levels in the hierarchy is not a good idea. If someone made a comment that me laugh, I'm not going to call them, laugh, then hang up. If it's an old classmate's birthday, I'll congratulate them on Facebook. Chances are I don't even have their number, nor do I feel like risking an awkward "so, who is this??" conversation. (Don't let my 392 friends fool you, I wasn't all that popular in High School).  Sometimes being LESS personal is better. A written "Happy Birthday" will be received well. Making a long-distance phone call to someone I haven't seen since grad to say the same two words will be received with various degrees of curiosity, confusion, creepiness and court meetings about restraining orders. The second reason I give Facebook the thumbs up instead of the phone is distance. I haven't lived in the same area code as the vast majority of my friends for more than half of each of the last two years. Not even the same continent. Phone calls are all but out of the discussion. Same with mail. It takes months for me to receive any from home. Not a good option. Facebook is easy, quick and free (always a pro for those of use from Dutch heritage).

Facebook has more pros for me than just being easier and cheaper than other forms of communication. I regularly meet a lot of other people for only short periods of time. People come in and out of the mission/volunteer world for as little as a week. I get to know them, then they're gone. Facebook lets me keep in touch with them for years after. But not only the people I meet briefly, those I'm closely connected to are readily available on Facebook. A lot of my friends, church members and family are there, (even my Grandpa!) It's been an amazing way to keep in touch with many of the people I know and have come to know. Long live Facebook!

ps, to anyone not on Facebook who has read this and would like to comment, I fully expect a phone call.

Oh, and for anyone (not just Facebook users) I've posted some photos from Kurra Falls. To reward those of you who are my dedicated blog readers (hey Mom) enjoy some photos that have yet to grace the book of face!

On Saturday, the Strydhort's invited me along with them, their oldest daughter and a bunch of her friends to a place the mission world here calls 'the causeway'. It's got this name from it's Irish counterpart called the Giant's Causeway. I visited the one in Northern Ireland on my way home last year and you can see what it's like in comparison in my Ireland photos on the right. It's a similar rock formation. Way back when there was volcanoes in Nigeria, this lava flow underwent a fairly unique cooling and ended up in pillars varying in hight, but almost each one is six-sided!

There is a river that runs through here and a few neat waterfalls. One downside is that the water is quite dirty and brown, leaving behind a lot of dirt on the formations. But still very neat to see some unique areas of God's creation!

As we were leaving, a bunch of kids saw us and followed. I was in the back near them and one sneakily held my hand the rest of the way to the car...


I also went to the EKA last week, which was very cool. I'm far too tired to give you a play-by-play right now, so you'll just have to suffer through a few of my favourite photos from the trip. This first one you may want to open up larger to see the woman carrying a bucket...

So now you have a taste of some more traditional African sights!

ps, less than 2 weeks!!

hoo boy...

Time is really winding down now! I've currently got 21 days left in Nigeria before I make the 2-day trek back to Canada! Speaking of 2-day treks, I'm on one tomorrow with Niger State as my end point. I'll be travelling up with Jeremiah, who works with Water Wins, an organization that drills bore holes farther North where clean water is quite scarce and the terrain is too rocky for wells. I hope to be able to witness some of the work they're doing there and share it with you all! I've been to this area once last year for a few days. I was able to visit some of the villages and I really enjoyed it. This trip will be to about Friday or Saturday, long enough to enjoy, but short enough that it doesn't take up too much of my last few days.

I'm not sure what exaclty God has in store for me during these last few weeks, but I know He'll give me the strength I need to go through them. I'll miss Africa dearly, I've grown into Christ a lot while I've been here, and it will always hold a place in my heart. I actually find it harder to picture myself in Canada in this point than I do in Africa...

On the other hand, I'm very excited to be going home. As much as I recommend long-distance relationships (and I actually do. Just not necessarily 10 months...) I'm pretty pumped to see Julia again. And family and friends too, I guess...

It's been a great time. I recommend everyone get out of their comfort zone and culture to experience a different way of living. Trust me, living with intermittent electricity, unfamiliar faces, unknown languages, undrinkable tap water, a military-enforced curfew and all the other fun stuff here can change a person for the good! I don't think I'd recognize the Trevor from 2 years ago! The funny thing is, as different as things are here, I still haven't been able to get away from Dutch Bingo...

That's about it for now, I'm sure I'll come back at the end of the week with plenty of stories and lots of photos! For now, here's a couple shots of an abandoned building some of us explored and a more colour-filled photo. The building was initially started 25 or so years ago with the intent on being a Sheraton, but I've been told that due to money problems, it's remained crumbling since then. I wish I had an entire day to spare (and my tripod!) to spend taking photos in this place!

This is it from the top corner.

And this is looking down one of the many shafts...

And this is a deck of Dutch Blitz...

Just over a month left.

Time is winding down. Slowly at times, quicker at others. But either way, I only have just over a month left in Nigeria.

A month seems like a long time. Until you start to plan it out. All the Sundays are already taken care of. Then there's a 5 day trip to Niger state I'm hoping to do. As well as travelling early to Abuja with friends. All the goodbyes I've got to schedule, as well as other events... this all adds up and a month quickly fills up and whizzes by.

I'm looking forward to going home. For the people: my family, my friends, my church, Julia... For the food. For the electricity. For stuff working like it's supposed to. For the ease of things. For the less hectic roads.

But I'm really going to miss this home. For the people. Nigerians, coworkers, friends... There has been such a community here. For example, this week I've yet to eat dinner in my own house. And don't have plans to until Saturday, when other people will be bringing food. I love this community. A lot of it is the mission community. Everyone loves to take care of each other. If someone is visiting from out of town for a few weeks, he/she will be fed and housed every day. We regularly meet to have discussions, for potlucks, holidays... One of the few things you can rely on in Nigeria is the people.

I hope to be able to mirror that when I get home. To be a part of a community. Not just a member IN it, but a part of. That if I was missing, people would notice. This isn't just a hubris thing, but that I'll be using my God-given gifts and talents to others' benefits. That other people would be gaining from what God's given me. That I recognise that God has not only given me what He has so that I could benefit, but that everyone around me could as well.

As for when I return, that's also filling up pretty quick. I fly from Abuja on the 21st, landing in Toronto in the afternoon on the 22nd. That leaves me one whole day before Christmas Eve to get over jetlag. Then on the 26th, Julia and I will be boarding a bus to St Louis to go to Urbana, returning sometime on the 1st. Overall, it's going to be pretty busy! Hopefully I get over the jetlag quickly and can work out to visit as many people as I can. Don't get offended if I can't see you within the first couple weeks of my return!

Anyway, if you're intrested, there are more Facebook photos. These are from when I went to Lafia and Kano. Enjoy!

Some photos

Hey all, I've posted a couple Facebook albums. One from Yankari (back when Julia was here) and one of an aqueduct hike I've done a few times over the 'seasons'. It's neat to see the differences after the rains... Links are on the right!

If I can't remember what I've written on here...

I figure you probably don't remember either. So if your memory is better than mine and I repeat things, I apologize.

A bunch of us recently went to Farin Ruwa (White Water) waterfall again. The weather was a lot better this time around (even though it DID rain - quite odd, considering rainy season is over) and we were able to stay more than five minutes at the falls. We went in the hopes that we could find somewhere to set up camp and spend the night. We packed our stuff, left before 8 in the morning, picked up wood on the way there and drove the 3 hours. The paved roads are bad enough, it's the dirt ones that take forever to drive on. Even if it is a LOT of fun to drive on! I managed to convince Matt to let me drive the dirt road on the way back. Whatta guy! It's a lot of fun to drive a 4x4 on roads deeply scarred from rainy season. Plus driving through a few streams as well.

The last time we went, we took a bus, which wasn't as 'agile' over the rough roads and led to us walking an hour to the falls. This time, thanks to a couple 4x4s, we were able to drive right up to the 'entrance' of the falls (a small hut put up back in the days that Nigeria had real tourists). We walked the last few minutes along a path whose sides were littered with old benches (again, from back in the touristy days).

It was a lot of fun exploring around the falls and the rapids. Dustin, Matt and Steve all went for swims, but I didn't feel like risking parasites and having to take meds in a few months just in case. So I followed the water down a bit along the rocks and got some cool views of the falls.

After exploring around the falls for a while, we went back up to the cars for some lunch. That's when we noticed the ominous dark clouds approaching. After a while the wind picked up so we quickly decided that heading back now was a better option than camping in a potential rainstorm. We packed up then headed back as the rain started to come down.

Apart from this, not a whole lot else has been going on. I'm learning more about the computer I've been working with with the aim to teach most of the Beacon of Hope staff to be able to take over and continue when I leave. I'm still hoping to go to Urbana with Julia in December, but still have to figure out HOW to get there. And how to afford it, heh. For those that don't know, Urbana is a huge mission conference held ever three years since the forties. This and the last one was held in St. Louis. Last year had 22,000 attendees (told ya it was big!) and this year I'm sure will be similar. The conference itself will be awesome (goes from the 27th to an hour after the New Year bell tolls) but it'll also be sweet to meet up with some friends of mine that will be there too. If we go, we'll be able to check out what's going on in missions around the rest of the world and hopefully open some new doors and learn a lot! You may be aware that I return on the 22nd. Which doesn't leave a whole lotta room to even get over jet lag or see family and friends before I'm off for 5 days to the States. And throw Christmas in there and it gets even tighter... But it'd still be worth it.

Last week we went to a different water fall, called Kurra Falls (not sure what Kurra means) and it was cool too. It didn't have much of a straight drop, but was still very impressive! Keep an eye here for some Facebook photos (eventually). To tide you until then, here's a dragonfly...

Also, here's another photo from Farin Ruwa. So close to the bottom there's a constant mist, which tends to coat everything. For example, even a camera lens...

 Well, that's it for now...

Back from Lagos!

Well, after waiting at Lagos airport for more than 6 hours (ugh) I made my way back safe and sound 'home' to Jos. I was in a part of Lagos called Agege. It's in Northern Lagos (aka, nowhere near the cool skyscrapers and sweet beaches on the coast) and it more resembled Jos, albeit a MUCH busier and MUCH more heavily populated. And much more expensive. I'd tell you how much I had to spend on a pack of cookies, but I'd be telling you in Naira and a lot of you wouldn't understand. But for the few of you... 600 Naira for a regular pack of Hob Nobs. Crazy!

Lagos was okay otherwise. I did some training with some of our partners there, teaching them how to properly implement and complete the surveys, as well as how to enter the data once the surveys are complete. For the rest of the time... I read.

and read...

Which is never a bad thing. I finished two books! The Three Musketeers (first novel I've read in... I can't remember how long) and The Art of Prayer. Both were good, in their respective categories. The Three Musketeers reminded me how much I love reading novels, while The Art of Prayer reminded me of how little I know of prayer, use prayer, make prayers or even believe in prayers. Not coincidentally (I've given up believing in coincidences) in Lagos was the first time (from what I can recall) that I've instantly been given what I've prayed for. During some of my ample time to kill, I had been mulling over what's too come in my life. Leaving Africa. Going home. No job. And the many other life-altering happenings that are due to occur in the near future. After thinking about this stuff for a while, I had become overwhelmed with an overbearing sense of panic. I'll have no job! That means no money! That means no future! That means... and on and on in my silly human logic. But then I prayed. I lifted all these fears to God... and He took them from me! I was left with such a calm and peace that I unashamedly say I almost cried. God's got all my future in His hands. And I wouldn't want them anywhere else!

At the airport, during my super long wait, I started reading a book I borrowed from Dustin called The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. This is a type of book that when I read it, it severely shrinks my hope of ever writing a book (a secret fantasy of mine). In this case because someone smarter, funnier and with a lot more knowledge of the Body of Christ under his belt has already written something smarter, funnier and to do a lot more with the Body of Christ than I ever could. The book is brilliant. I've been meaning to read it for a while now, as several other people I know have read it and recommended it. I'm three chapter to the end right now (I'll be sure to let you know if I have a change of opinion after reading the rest) and read everything but those three chapters that day. Couldn't put it down! He speaks so clearly of how we as Christians are to live as the Body of Christ. I couldn't find ANY Biblical argument myself for anything he was saying. Money, materialism, war, death penalty, violence... I did nothing but laugh at his jokes and agree with him. It makes me all the more wanting to go to Urbana this year, since he's one of the speakers. Another fantasy, just not so secret...

I'm excited to finish the book but I'm more excited to be following in the path God's set for me, a path that I know won't be easy, but it's the path He's laid out, He's guiding me on, He's lighting up, He's giving me the strength for... what in the world do I have to worry about anyway?

Nada!

Now here's a couple photos for your viewing pleasure!

An pleasant breakfast accident.

I took very few photos in Lagos but here's a (blurry) one that gives you a feel for how packed it is there.

On the airplane safety card. Apparently in the event of a crash, they recommend a wing dance party...