All About Abuja Ark

We sang the following refrain in church today. In the Igbo language, it simply says, "Thank you. God, thank you." There is power in its simplicity.

Ime...Imela
Imela, Chineke Imela.
Ime...Imela
Imela, Jehovah Imela

Add guitar, bongos, and a tambourine and you've got an idea of what it was like this morning at my church, Abuja Ark International.

Since our pastor relocated suddenly to South Africa, our church has elected a leadership team as the operating body, with different laypersons preaching and teaching each week. Some are missionaries, some are ambassadors, some are teachers, some are doctors. It has been encouraging, though, to learn from my brothers (and sisters!) as fellow believers. Apparently, I have a tendency to put pastors on pedestals and forget how much I can learn from those sitting in the pew (ahem, plastic chair) next to me.
There's a sign-up sheet that gets passed around each Sunday, and people sign up for responsibilities from teaching Sunday School to making coffee to leading worship to running the projector. I usually sign up for projector duty or the Scripture reading. Talk about being the elbow, knee, left ear, or ankle of the body of Christ!

Today was Communion Sunday (we celebrate twice a month) and the accompanying liturgy really stuck with me: The gifts of God for the people of God. The body of His only Son is offered as a gift to me--lowly me--who has been grafted into the family of God.
I chewed on that during the sermon, which was delivered by the Hon. Sekonte Davies, a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives and member of our church. His sermon addressed the lessons we learn from our children which we can apply to our relationship with God. Blind trust, easy forgiveness, willing openness, unconditional love, eager expectancy--these are all examples shown us by little children which we ought to mirror in our relationship with God.

Each quarter, our church selects a ministry to support with special offerings. This quarter, we're sponsoring an interfaith conference here in Abuja in April. The emphasis of the conference is on recognizing the common ground between the Islamic and Christian faiths and using that as a starting place for healthy and free discussion.
It is our prayer that this conference will bring together leaders from both faiths and bring about a mutual understanding and peace between the two groups, especially in light of the recent conflict in Plateau State, which is half-religious, half-ethnic in nature.

Abuja Ark is approximately 50% responsible for my sense of belonging, security, and well-being since arriving in Nigeria an astonishing 7.5 months ago (how has it been that long?!). It has truly been a place of inclusion, appreciation, community, and growth for me, and for all of that, I simply say, Imela, Jehovah, Imela.

Tough Stuff

I saw a dead body today.

Yes, I really did. We were driving home from school and we came upon this little accident between two cars (seriously, that's nothing out of the ordinary around here; we didn't even slow down). Then as we crested the next hill, we saw a throng of people trying to cross the highway and all these cars stopped on the sides--and even in the middle--of the road. There was tons of dust in the air, and as we neared what we all assumed was a collision, the driver started clicking with his mouth (a cultural habit that would translate to nonverbal "uh-oh" or "oh my gosh").

And then I looked just to my left and saw a piece of burlap covering a woman's body, but her head tie and her feet still showed from either end. Before I could even reach out to shield my young friend (the Alvin and the Chipmunks one) from seeing, she gasped, turned her face into my shoulder and burst into tears. I put my arm around her and felt my face twist into shock - I honestly couldn't believe what I was seeing.

You guys, it was surreal. The woman must have been hit while crossing the road, because we didn't see any cars for her to have been pulled from. And I know that nothing about this tragic accident has anything to do with me, but these were my immediate thoughts, and they're ugly at best:
1. I've seen worse on CSI.
2. I was expecting more blood.
3. Too bad I didn't see it happen.

It wasn't until after I thought all these perverse and disgusting things that I silently prayed, "God, have mercy on her soul" and got around to wondering if the woman had any children. You can't tell me desensitization doesn't exist.

This all happened about 20 minutes ago, so while I'm still processing it, this is the temporary conclusion I've reached: I think God has been protecting me from seeing things like this until He knew I could handle it. Which is why I was able to comfort my friend (although we instantly assumed our teacher-and-student roles in that moment) while staying glued to the side of the road.

Kýrie, eléison; Christé, eléison

Nigeria in the News

Thank you to all the people who have expressed their concern for me over the recent reports of murder and violence in Nigeria. I thank you for your expressions of loving concern and hope you will allow me to put what you've read into my own context:

1. Maiduguri is the city where the violence is occurring. This is in the state of Borno in the far northeastern portion of Nigeria. Yes, 4000 people have fled their homes in fear. Yes, hundreds of people have died, although most of them were militants.
2. The reason for this violence is religious in nature. The Islamic group involved is named Boko Haram and that means something to the effect of "Western education is sinful". Like many radical Islamic groups, Boko Haram fears the effect of Western ideals on their people and seeks to impose Islamic law across all of Nigeria. There's a pretty even split between Muslims and Christians in the north and south, respectively.
3. The leader of Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusef, was killed in police custody earlier today (it's already Friday in Nigeria). It is expected that with his death, violence should ultimately subside in the region.

4. Distances: Maiduguri is in the far northeastern corner of Nigeria. Abuja, the capital city (where I will live) is in the center of the country in the Federal Capital Territory. The state of Lagos (and the major city by the same name), is the other volatile region in the south, along the coast. I am some 430 miles away from Maiduguri and 330 miles away from Lagos. See map for spatial details.

I'm not attempting to allay fears. I am aware that Nigeria is a volatile place to live in these uncertain times. I'm not trying to paint a false picture or reinforce my own sense of false security. I am aware that I am moving to a dangerous place. I am also acutely aware that the Lord is my defender and that my life does not exist outside of his care and keeping. I invite you to stand with me in the knowledge that God's will is infinitely better than my own, and that he will protect me no matter where I go.