I'm alive and well!

Hello, family, friends, and loved ones!

Big thanks to Mom for updating for me. This is the first opportunity I've had to use the internet for more than 30 seconds. It definitely is a luxury here in Abuja, at least from my perspective, since I really only go from home to school and back again. I am working on getting an international cell phone as my primary means of contact, and sending text messages are really really cheap from my end! It's the easiest way to communicate here - Jan's son Tom told me that it's more expensive to call a person sitting next to you in Abuja than to call from here to London! Texting is the affordable option, however.

It is a HUGE adjustment. Very little about my life now is similar to my life 2 weeks ago. But that is okay; the Lord is breaking me out of my box and I am experiencing a new life, a new home, and a new dependence on God, even for my daily bread. (No, really, my daily bread...my roommate Jan is on the Atkin's diet, so bread and carbohydrates are rarities at home, but I still buy them for myself!)

On that note, I am eating well. I am eating enough. I am satisfied. I am losing weight, but not dangerously so. Again, the Lord is preserving and sustaining me. This week, my roommate Jan and I went to the British Council building here in the Maitama area, where I had a Chicken Shawarma. The best way I have to describe it is like a burrito from Chipotle, with a thick, flat, Lebanese bread, chickens, onion, some more indeterminate ingredients, and about 5 times the spice. I'll be getting used the spice ASAP. Last night, Jan made us chicken wings fried in olive oil with cashews, green onions and mushrooms. It was delicious. You should be jealous. :)

I will never again take electricity for granted. I've already lost track of the number of times I've been without power in the last week. We have generators both at our compound and at the school, but even so, I've gotten used to feeling my way around in the dark. You know in that moment when the power goes out, when the lights go off, and Americans usually freeze, dumbfounded? Well, the Nigerians have absolutely no reactions whatsoever. They don't even blink. Seriously, it's just a part of their daily lives. And now it's a part of mine, too.

The Lord is so faithful. SO. Faithful. I love my home, complete with ants, fleas, spiders, and cockroaches. I love my fellow staff at ICS; they truly are a family that has welcomed me with open arms. I love the new culture I'm adapting to. I love the respect that everyone shows here: Muslim, Christian, Hindu, regardless. It's all about respect here.

School starts Monday. Please pray that the weekend would be fruiful work time for me. As it turns out, I'm adapting the existing curriculum for grades 6, 7, 8, and 9 and starting from scratch for 10, 11, and 12. We got new books this year, and I've had no training for curriculum planning. This is in addition to the standard lesson plans for each class (5 every day). But the Lord is equipping me. AMEN.

Blessings to you all from my little corner of Africa!

Arrival in Nigeria!

I (Audrey) am posting on Maggie's behalf.

Maggie arrived, as did her bags, in Nigeria on Saturday evening. Someone from the school was there to meet her as well as to lend a cell phone so she could call home to give a brief message of her arrival.

She called yesterday, giving me a little more information. Although her home has running water she says she's already lowered her standard of personal hygiene. She's already done some cooking and feels healthy at this point. With a quivering voice she said "I've never eaten so litle yet felt so satisfied."

Sunday morning her flat mate invited her to attend church. Maggie said that when she got into the car their driver was playing a Christian music CD. Sara Groves began to sing Maggie's favorite hymn, Come Thou Fount. Maggie said it was confirmation that God was with her and she was in the right place.

Her first day of school with the students is August 31st and is weighing heavily on her. She is unsure of books, supplies, etc. that she'll have to work with.

Internet is expensive and hard to come by. Both the school and her home rely on a generator for electricity. At this point Maggie does not feel she'll have internet access very often and hopes to get a cell phone of her own. Others have been gracious in lending their cells on the two occasions she's contacted us.

Maggie said it's going to take time to adjust to her new life...and the red ants that live in her home.

Final Goodbye

This is my last blog stateside until I am settled in Abuja. I am all packed, with 3 suitcases weighing in at 49.2, 48.5, and 48 pounds respectively. I also have a jam-packed carryon suitcase and a backpack!

My best friend Laura came over last night to assist with the packing endeavor. She ended up asking me all the tough questions ("Mag, do you really need this?" "Can you surivive without that?"), which was great because I was trying to take way too much. I halved all of my food supplies, which cut down significantly on weight, and will bring the rest at Christmas if necessary. It's amazing to me that when you get right down to the nitty-gritty, your perspective changes about what is really essential.

So here I am, 4 hours away from leaving for the airport. God is still faithful. I'm moving to Nigeria.

VISA

The doorbell rang at 10 this morning. My mom and I shouted "FED EX!" at the same time and I practically bowled her over to get to the door. My passport and visa arrived with 60 hours to spare! All systems are GO!