Its been over a month since Ive written and it also marks a little over two and a half months since we've labeled this town in Abuja our home, and its been three months since Ive said goodbye to all of you back home. A lot has happened in this time and so yet again, I will make ever effort to paint the best picture I can of all that is going on here. I hope your minds are attentive. Get your reading glasses if you need them, grab a sandwich if your hungry and hold the phone calls for just a moment, hopefully the kids are down their naps as well :)
Just a cool little side note- Ive been given my very ownw Nigerian name. Hausa here is one of the prodominet languages here and so a friend here has given me a Hause name. "Nanna" is my name and it means God Gift. I LOVE IT!! All the kids here are starting to call me "Auntie Nanna" its pretty sweet. Ok, on to other news...
Most of you that keep up with national news know that there was a bombing at the UN building here in Abuja about a month or so ago, and praise the Lord our team was safe and our home is a good distance away from the city. But the effects of the bombing hit close to home, there were members of our church that had family members there that day, and some lost loved ones and had others badly injured. And also,the UN building is where the needed immunization shots come through for the new borns and babies that cant afford them in the hospitals. The supplies that the clinic needs have not been replenished since the bombing, so please keep this in your prayers. Pray that the supplies would come in and that all the needs of the families and children that visit the clinic would be met. Praise God that He is our supply and in Him we have no fear, for He causes ALL things to work for our good and for His glory. Amen!
There are many of us on the team that are still fighting sicknesses, so please keep our health in your prayers as well. We have been visiting on a weekly baises the Abuja Childrens Home and its been a true blessing to go there. The Lord says that we are to visit the orphans and please for the widows, to love above all and to be vessels for His unconditional love. Pray that we would continue to empty ourselves so that we may be filled more with HIS love, and that Jesus would be revealed to the fatherless. The orphanage consists of both Christian and Muslim children, so pray that we would have more opprotunities to build relationships with the Muslim children.
Something we have grown to see here in regards to Muslims is that you can not convert a group of Muslims through some hyped up evangelical outreach. They are a devoted people to a distant god and they need one on one relationships. They need to see trust and truth together, they need to see love in action and they need to see what a real relationship with the Father looks like. They need to see real Christians living out real relationships with Jesus. Here in Nigeria they see how corrupt the so called "Christian" churches are, and so when you say you are a Christian, to them...its a joke. They see church leaders and pastors that are money hungry and seeking their own self glorification. There are the few churches here that truly teach the Word of God in all sincerity and long to see His presence and Name be glorified, but like I said, they are few. This is a country, a city filled with people that lack finances and jobs, they become easily decieved when they here false promises of God "blessing" them and meeting all their financial needs and giving them worldly riches if they "tithe to their church. We pray all the more for those false leaders and so called pasotrs that are leading God's people astray. Pray for God's revelation of truth to be made known not just amongst the Muslim community but the Christian community as well! back to the subject of Muslims, so they see what Christians are here an they truly think we are a joke, and I dont blame them. but praise the Lord His light shines bright and casts out all darkness. One of the members of our church is a Muslim convert and he goes out on Saturdays with us to evangelize and invite people to our Sunday services, his name is Alajaji- Yousif (spelling may be off) But he has explained to us, that mostly Mulsims are converted and SEE the truth of the gospel through one onone relationships and so with that, I say... Praise the Lord we arent here for a few weeks but we are here making Abuja our home! Some of the guys on our team have become good friends with the Muslim gatekeeper in our neighborhood, they have been spending time with him and its been amazing to watch, Yoshau thats his name, open up and become recieve them as brothers and friends. According to the Muslim religion,its a disgrace to shake hands with a Christian, let alone welcome them in and converse with them. So, praise the Lord for these open doors.
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| These are some of the adorable children we we to play around with!! |
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| SEND MINISTRIES TEAM NIGERIA 2011 |
I believe I spoke in my last entry about Muhammed, my little 13 year old Muslim friend. We have been building more of a relationship with him and his family, so please keep them in your prayers. We are hoping to visit their home and spend time with the family as a whole.
I know that this has been a lot of information, and I have to admit that I feel as though I havent even scratched the surface, there is just too much to share and words just dont do this place justice. We have been building relationships with the community in the church as well and helping build up the Children's Youth Ministry. I have been so blessed by the materials some of you back at home sent this way, a thousand times I say Thank You!! Also, big news...i have been asked to help kind of re-vamp the Childrens and Youth Ministry at the church. The Pastor has asked that I take my ideas and try to help build a structural program that can help the teachers and leaders as well as get more kids in the community to attend. Im pretty excited because I feel this is where my heart is at. I want to see this city and the people here have hearts for the next generation. So, one of my bigge ideas is to have a Youth Worker Training where we can help train up and get adults to see the importance of Children ministry. All Foothills people know that this is right up my alley :) Thanks to all of you back at home that have helped shape me and reveal to me Gods heart for His children. I am so thankful for Foothills ande the many thigns Ive learned from our amazing Pastoral staff and I was blessed to have spent the last few years in full time ministry. Danny if you are reading this, I hope you know that Ive been taking the things you have taught me and Im longing to pour them out to the people here in Abuja. Thanks for being a vessel for me!!
We still have a month and a half left here in Abuja before we head back to the States, we just had a church retreat and us on the team are leaving for 2 weeks to Lagos for a little R&R and to help serve at one of the churches there. Once we get back to Abuja, I know our time here is going to go by so fast. Pray for strength for our team, for God to be shining through and not our own selves. Pray that in these last weeks that the strength we draw on is from the Lord and his Holy Spirit equipting us. Pray that not a moment would be wasted here. Ive come to recognize how precious my time here is, and how much I long to see freedom and liberty for this nation. These are a beautiful people and everyday I am growing more and more in love then the last. Pray for joy inthe midst of hard times when I miss my family and loved ones, pray for my weaknessed to be made strong in the Father so that all the glory would be His alone. And pray that the Lord grants me more vision and clarity in all aspects of my heart and life. Pray that He would continue to stir up and reveal His plans in this life that I am living.
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to spend with me, if you're sipping on soem coffee or having a bowl of ice cream, have another for me!! Thank you for making this journey with me and for those of you that read all the way through and for those that will feel burdened to pray, its the greatest gift and most comforting prize to know that I, we, my team and all the people I have mentions and those that still may be nameless to you, the people of Abuja and Nigeria and the church as well, are being covered in prayer.
We still have some funds that need to be raised. So If any of you are feeling like you can give anything at all, I would be forever thankful. I put the address to SEND MINISTRIES in one of my previous entries, so please make your checks out to SEND Ministries and send it along or you can go online to their website and donate with a credit card. Either way...If you feel at all lead to give, please help us out. We still have some time here and I would love to see the ministry here flourish more! Pray for our financial needs to be met...God is our supply and I know He will provide!!
Blessings to you all and with my whole heart I say, I LOVE YOU!
Praise the Lord in all things and make His goodness known to all!!
Much love,
Rheanna
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