The two day old baby looked so tiny in the middle of the full-size ICU bed. The whole left side of her head and her left eye were swollen and bruised, with scratches here and there. Now and then she would stiffen and shake—convulsions probably due to her head injury.
Little Hannah was born on a Saturday night in "Blind Town," the area in Jos where many of the blind people, mostly beggars, live. It's a regular community of its own, with customs, rules, and its own chief. Though Hannah's seventeen-year-old single mother was not blind, she did live there. ...continued
Over the last two weeks I have been at a loss for words to explain situations and resulting emotions here in Jos. Fortunately, as a mission community, we have been given an official statement...a statement that I pray will bring you to your knees, lifting prayers to our Heavenly Father.
"Please be in prayer for the healing of three SIM missionaries who experienced a very traumatic armed robbery on the evening of October 16. Pray for the mission community in Nigeria to know the best ways to protect their members. Pray for discussions with security agencies on ways to improve security. We need God’s grace to be wise in taking practical steps to protect our staff, and at the same time calm rest in God’s strong protection."
A few days ago a friend (who had no idea what has been happening here) sent the following article by John Piper. The message has provided encouragement as we continue serving here. Too good not to share in its entirety!
Matthew 10:16 "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."
When Jesus sends us to bear witness to him in the world, he does not send us out as dominant and strong, but as weak and seemingly defenseless in ourselves. The only reason I say 'seemingly' defenseless is that it is possible that, since all authorityť belongs to Jesus, he might intervene and shut the mouths of the wolves, like he did the mouths of the lions that surrounded Daniel. ...
...
This brings us to the dilemma that has faced many faithful witnesses: When do you flee from danger? And when do you embrace it and witness through it?
see the entire article on John Piper's website. It's well worth reading.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 November 2007 )
John and Nancy Sawyer (Lower bandwidth version)
Written by Mike Blyth
Friday, 19 October 2007
John and Nancy Sawyer have worked in Nigeria for 25 years. Until the past four years, John was teaching at Hillcrest School and Nancy was involved in nursing and administrative work. In the past four years, though, they have both been working with House of Hope, an urban ministry program helping children at risk, mainly homeless boys. As well, in the same ministry, John and Nancy support the care and education of children of Nigerian ("national") missionaries.
John and Nancy Sawyer have worked in Nigeria for 25 years. Until the past four years, John was teaching at Hillcrest School and Nancy was involved in nursing and administrative work. In the past four years, though, they have both been working with House of Hope, an urban ministry program helping children at risk, mainly homeless boys. As well, in the same ministry, John and Nancy support the care and education of children of Nigerian ("national") missionaries.
This short (8 minute) video tells a bit about those children and what the House of Hope is doing for them. The YouTube version works best with a high speed connection. If you have trouble viewing it, click pause and wait until it completely loads, or you can see the low-bandwidth version.
Last Updated ( Saturday, 24 November 2007 )
Moses
Written by Erin Rigsby
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Moses
Moses was involved in the occult and his life was in danger. In Nigeria, if someone is in a secret society, they may get possessed by evil and kill people. As a result, the people in Moses' village became afraid of him and threatened to kill him, so his mother brought him to Gidan Bege about four years ago. Moses is now a kind-hearted, patient and obedient boy. He loves Jesus and wants to be a pastor when he grows up.
Yesterday he came to me because he really wants to see his mom. One of the boys, DanLadi, was going to visit his own mother and Moses wanted to join him, because they are in the same village. Moses' mom, however, has said that his life is still in danger and that he cannot go visit her right now. When "Uncle Alex" was explaining this to him, tears fell down his cheeks. Not being able to visit his mom? Because people are afraid of him? What? It is difficult to understand. And yet, that is reality for him.
Moses is now part of our family. He is loved by everyone and strives to follow Christ. But, a child needs his mother. Pray for us as we are the mothers and fathers to these precious children.
Erin Rigsby is an SIM nurse working with the homeless and disadvantaged children at "Gidan Bege", or House of Hope. See herblog and website for more information.
The two day old baby looked so tiny in the middle of the full-size ICU bed. The whole left side of her head and her left eye were swollen and bruised, with scratches here and there. Now and then she would stiffen and shake—convulsions probably due to her head injury.
John and Nancy Sawyer have worked in Nigeria for 25 years. Until the past four years, John was teaching at Hillcrest School and Nancy was involved in nursing and administrative work. In the past four years, though, they have both been working with House of Hope, an urban ministry program helping children at risk, mainly homeless boys. As well, in the same ministry, John and Nancy support the care and education of children of Nigerian ("national") missionaries.
