A year ago Black Friday, these women became widows.

A year ago Black Friday.

There is a  hospital in Jos, Nigeria that is run by the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA). ECWA and Evangel Hospital were started by SIM missionaries, are now Nigerian-run and have a program for the Nigerian women that develop vesicovagninal fistula (VVF).

Through word of mouth, women with VVF hear about this free program that could fix their problem with ‘leaking’ (as they call it). The only cost that these women will encounter on their journey with Evangel Hospital is the cost of transportation to and from their medical salvation. Women from all over Nigeria travel into Jos in search of hope. Some save money for years, just to buy a bus ticket. Some hitchhike. Some travel miles by foot.

As soon as they arrive, they are well taken care of. The women are given a bed and food and for the first time since developing VVF, they are also given community. They are touched; they are loved.

In most cases, these women spend a month at Evangel. They spend their first two weeks on a healthy diet, they have their surgery, then spend two weeks recovering. During their stay, they are taught a trade (mostly sewing) and counseled by the female chaplains working at the hospital.

Most of the women who make their way into this program come from Muslim communities. Because of the clear preaching of the gospel, the care and concern they are given in Christ’s name and the opportunity to be loved for the first time since developing VVF, some of the women come to Christ, meeting Jesus as their Savior. In time, these women go back to their villages and become missionaries in their own communities, proclaiming all the things that Christ has done for them.

Upon their departure, the women are given a ceremony. In typical African form, there is singing and dancing, testimonies, and a meal shared together. The women are prayed over and commissioned into their new lives. During our stay in Nigeria, we were invited to observe one of these ceremonies. And in typical African form, “observe” meant “let the white kids participate.”

That is where we’ll find part three.

For more information, there is a Christianity Today article that talks specifically about this program.

My favorite part of our trip to Nigeria last November was, by-far, the coolest thing I have ever been privileged to share a part in.  As I stare at the immense amount of information, emotion and spiritual implications that I want to communicate with you, I’m quickly realizing that there is too much here for one post. I’ll be breaking it up into three. This first part may be a bit hard to read because of the nature of the terminology. However, knowing the terminology is necessary for the rest of our journey together. Buckle up.

Definitions
Fistula: A  permanent abnormal passageway between two organs in the body or between an organ and the exterior of the body.

Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF): An abnormal fistulous tract extending between the bladder and the vagina that allows the continuous involuntary discharge of urine into the vaginal vault.

Causes
Childbirth: It is often caused by childbirth (in which case it is known as an obstetric fistula), when a prolonged labor presses the unborn child tightly against the pelvis, cutting off blood flow to the vesicovaginal wall. The affected tissue may necrotize, leaving a hole.

Rape: Vaginal fistulas can also result from violent rape. This injury has become common in some war zones, where rape is used as a weapon against civilian populations.

Consequences
“Some experts suggest that in parts of Africa, as many as 3-4 women develop these fistulas out of every 1,000 births. Others estimate that as many as 2 million women worldwide are living with unrepaired obstetric fistulas. If left unrepaired, obstetric fistulas cause women to constantly leak urine and feces. As a result, they become social outcasts, causing them extreme hardship and psychological trauma.”

In laymans terms, most women with VVF have underdeveloped pelvic bones (mainly because of young age) and cannot birth their children. They concieve, carry their child for nine months and go into labor. After labor that can last up to seven days, they lose their babies. Because of the extreme pressure on their abdomen, the lining between their bladder and vagina tear, leaving a hole. Their urine no longer stays in the bladder as it should, but leaks out into the world and these women cannot control it.

Then they are placed under extreme emotional trauma. First, they smell and can do nothing about it. In some cultures, they are religiously unclean, left with no hope of reconciliation. Second, they are barren. Unable to concieve again, they lose value in their families and communities. Because of these factors, most of these women become outcasts of their societies. In most cases, they are divorced by their husbands. In more extreme case, they are locked up in a room and fed through a hole in the door.

In underdeveloped countries, where vvf is more common due to a lack of heathcare, these women have no hope. There is no hope of saving their children, their marriages, their lives.

Hope is what leads us to part two.

These are the words we were asking the students to not say to their families.

On Black Friday, while most of America was out shopping for holiday bargains, Jos, Nigeria was covered in the smoke of hatred. While our team was incredibly safe on the other side of town, we allowed the students to call home and inform their families of what the day’s events had unfolded. They were given specific things to say and not say and “political unrest” became the best phrase to communicate. There was no need to rustle mommy-feathers from the other side of the world, especially since everything was expected to be calm by night fall.

Everything was calm(er) by nightfall, but the following morning smoke clouded the horizon once again. We had learned news of continued fighting, an angry Nigerian army, more deaths and a refugee camp.

A tiny ray of light had emerged, in the middle of anger and death stood a people grieving and recognizing their great need for help. This refugee camp would be where we spent our next three days in ministry.

Within that tiny ray of light, another war was being fought. A war that could not be fought with guns and knives; a war between flesh and spirit. While surrounded by 1400 refugees, I found myself in a surge of emotion and for the first time in two years I did not want to be in Africa anymore. If you know me well, you can imagine the shock that followed that thought.

This is from my journal on November 29th: “Lord, please remove any emotions and desires from me that are not of you. Please give me wisdom and discernment in decision making and the ability to see past myself. Help and guide me to love well today. Lord, have your way with me. Father, I pray that you would protect me from sin and the lies of Satan so that I would have the ability to discern good from evil. Father, give me your heart.”

Unfortunately my desire to come back to the states had also morphed into something else. Through the grace of God, I was able to discern the difference between my longing to go home and a lack of desire to be obedient.  While I never really “came-to” with a self-driven yearning to minister to the refugees, I desired more than anything else to bring honor to Christ and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, was finally able to see past my own nose.

I walked away from that 48-hour time period in awe of how God had abundantly answered prayer. I was given a great gift that Saturday afternoon: clarity. For years, I have been pursuing Africa all while praying for clarity from God. While in Africa, through a turn of events that rocked a nation, the Alpha and Omega answered that prayer. The God that created the heavens and the earth, the God that saw fit to redeem mankind through death on a cross, the God that is above all things and holds all things together answered my piddly prayer for clarity. This almost blows me away more than the actual clarity I was given.

The best way to finish my tale is to allow you into my mind for a while. I leave you with two journal entries:

11/30/2008
November 29, 2008 was the second most impactful day of my life. Second to _____, no other day has pushed  me, stretched me and tore me apart more. As I realized that I wasn’t one with Africa anymore, part of me died. My African dream  has been a safety net, an “unmovable” force in my life. Something that took three years to build up was torn to pieces in a matter of days.

Oh, but underneath that temporary safety net we find another. One that is not swayed with the weather of life. One that is eternal. Jesus Christ. The mourning process for Africa has subsided for the evening and I am left with Christ; the Completer of my faith, the Joy of my salvation, my Peace, my King.

During the group debriefing tonight, I was reminded of where the Lord has placed my passion. While I yearn to see lost souls come to Christ and feel privileged to play a part in God building His Church, I am really excited and impassioned by the sanctification of the believers around me; discipleship.

12/3/2008
We leave today. Our home for two weeks is no longer a home, but a place we stayed in that one time we went to Africa. We drive from Jos to Abuja this afternoon and tomorrow we fly from Abuja to London. London to NYC.

Leaving is bittersweet. I do love Africa. I don’t love it enough to move here without the guidance and protection of a husband. In a way, part of me died here. I’ve had to grieve it and bury it on these plains. Part of me will always be here.

John B. was right. You can’t take a donkey, put him on a plane and expect him to be a race horse when he lands in Tokyo. If I had no passion or desire for relief-type work in the states, why would I have one here? I do think that this trip has revealed a lack of compassion in me; I need to be praying for more. Secondly, I need to pray that God would continue to grow His ordained passion in me. Discipleship and college-age women are something that God-alone has given me a fervor for. I wouldn’t have known it if I had not come here with LIFT. This passion for discipleship has been here all along, it just took a trip to the other side of the world to see it.

Some people have rocks or momentos to remind them of major life-events. I have more than a rock. Every time I see smoke in the sky, I am taken back to the time when the Peace of the world answered prayer. Every time I see a war movie or hear of political fighting I am reminded of the emotion that comes with severe, harsh pruning. I will never think of Black Friday the same way.

The title of this post is exactly what these pictures are. The soundtrack is provided by the students of LIFT 20; Let us Adore became our theme song of the trip.

Cheers!

Some of you may remember, I went to Nigeria with the LIFT Discipleship program as their photographer. The LIFT director wrote this upon our return home and I though it was a good setup of what I’ll be writing about eventually. We experienced some pretty unusual things for a short-term vision/mission trip:

Jos, Nigeria: November 21 – December 2, 2008.

After eating turkey and stuffing and having a wonderful worship service of giving thanks for all the Lord has done and shown our group for the first week in Nigeria, we awoke the following morning to see the horizon darkened with smoke and hear riotous chaos and gunshots.  The results of the local political elections in Jos were the fuel to another wave of religious violence to the epicenter of the Muslim/Christian animosity in Nigeria.  Muslim youth initiated another time of terror for Jos, similar to an outbreak in 2004, and its darkest waste of human life back in 2001 just days before 9/11.  Although this crisis received very little international attention compared to the terrorist attack in India, it was no less of a tragedy with an unofficial count of over 400 deaths, many more injured, and many homes and businesses burned. We could see many people fleeing from the senseless violence trying to find safe shelter after their houses and neighborhoods were burned.

After a week of helping in various orphanages, our itinerary for ministry changed from assisting with medical outreach to a village an hour away to the refuge camp that formed across the lake in front of where we were staying.  Over 1,500 demoralized and fearful people, many of them now widows and orphans, found refuge at the United Nations campus that is now being used for Drug Enforcement Training for Nigeria.  Our LIFT (Leaders in Further Training) team of 19 students and staff joined the Pro Health International medical staff to treat both physical and psychological trauma that resulted from the terror and killings that happened on the other side of the city.

What was intended for evil and destruction, the Lord faithfully turned to good.  The team of over 40 Christians worked long hours to serve both the Muslim and Christian victims by providing medical treatments, medications, minor surgeries, HIV/AIDS education, prayer and evangelism, and other capacities.  College students kept the children occupied with games and songs complete with hand motions as there was much waiting in long food lines three times a day.  New shoes and shirts were distributed and a hundreds of children participated in multiple mini games of soccer and basketball.  About 30 widows received a monetary gift to help with their transition back to life after the riots.

Through only God’s hand allowing access, we joined with Peter Sorenson’s African Prison Ministry and again, Pro Health International to spend a day in the Jos prison showing God’s love through medical care, prayer, and evangelism.  There is no better demonstration of the freedom Christ brings from the chains of sin than with inmates condemned to death row who know Jesus yet walking in the joy and hope He brings.

Much was done in a very short time to provide relief to people in desperation.  Over the last five years my focus has been long-term sustainable community development and transformation for effective ministry among the poor.  The Lord has humbled me once again to show me the vital importance of using 5 loaves and 2 fishes to bring immediate physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual relief to people broken and hurting.  I can honestly say that just as Jesus purposed 12 heaping baskets of fish and chips to increase the faith of each of His previously doubting disciples, we also saw how He could use any of us if we just give Him all we have and trust Him to multiply it.  This is the kind of math no school can teach us – only that learned by being His disciple.  My prayer as we left the broken and charred neighborhoods of Jos is that we would grow in faith from the bounty of His fruit that we witnessed and that Jesus would again provide full baskets in the lives of those left still having to put their lives back together with the help of the local churches and ministries.  Despite the onslaught of waves of evil in this world, God’s love always prevails, overcomes, and sustains.  It is the Rock that cannot be moved and the Kingdom that continually advances to replace this broken world of sin.

We learned so much from our dear Christian brothers and sisters from Nigeria as we worked alongside them and observed their passion for Christ, patience amidst trials, overflowing generosity, and service to the needy.  Thank you Ardills, Iko, Esther, Juliet, Paul, Josephine, Ajan, Tony, the rest of the Pro Health Team and all the staff who have given themselves to work tirelessly with the many orphans at the Gidan Bege (House of Hope)  homes.

As I look out on the cold snowy landscape here in Speculator, remembering all God has done these past two weeks across the Atlantic in the most populous African nation, I will conclude with this last thought from our theme song (Let Us Adore) that has been so relevant this whole semester, especially in Nigeria.

“HE IS OUR GOD – THERE IS NO ONE ELSE!”

–Tim Trezise, LIFT Director

This is video 2 of 4. There are some pretty cool stories here; I promise they’re coming.

This is one of four videos you’ll be seeing over the next few days. I had to put these together for the Hood, so I’ll share them here too. I won’t be doing much explaining just yet; I must gather some more thoughts and find time.