Did a lot of shopping this week at Balagun Market and another smaller market for missionary apartment items. Balagun is enormous...would take 3 or more days to walk through even without buying anything. It is packed with people, stalls and moving vehicles squeezing through narrow passageways. Items that are carried are on people's heads...usually women's heads. After making our purchases, it took 7 women with 3 large boxes balanced on their heads to carry everything to our car...quite a caravan!
We love Skyping with our children and had a double dose with Shireen as we talked to her again on her birthday this week.
This week we had missionaries depart and arrive. At the departing missionary dinner the missionaries shared their testimonies and talked about what their mission meant to them. One missionary said, "I am free from guilt, free from shame, free from sin because of our Savior." This was quite touching. Another said, "The Book of Mormon brings tenderness to my heart."...Interesting way to express his feelings.
Spent a long day training and interviewing new missionary arrivals. We were very impressed with their enthusiasm and spirit.
No end to missionary excitement...We were called one night by some panicked missionaries who had two snakes in their apartment and didn't know what to do.
This week our mission helped in training nurses, doctors and caregivers how to care for newborn babies. Five medical people came from the States to lead this training with missionary assistance. The infant mortality rate is very high here because medical people have not had sufficient training in newborn resuscitation, etc. This is part of the Church International Humanitarian Outreach Program.
A hotel where we stayed in Akure. Looks great from the outside, but not so good inside.
A papaya tree
A cattle yard near our mission office (15 min away). Seems as many people in the yard as cattle.
Another hotel. Loved the name - "His Grace Hotel and Suites"
The restaurant we have told you about: Seven Eagles Spur
Penny's Fajita dinner
An unexpected downpour. Streets were really flooded.
Balogun, Lagos Island shopping for missionary needs.
Penny and local shop keepers.
Women transporting our purchases; seven women in all. Mostly kitchen goods.
Penny following the transporters through a very narrow street/alley
Ready to unload the goods.
Hi Browns... That's quite a shopping trip you went on. Did all your purchases fit into the car, or did you have a trail of heavily laden women following you back to the mission home? Miss you guys!
ReplyDeletewe can't thank shireen enough for keeeping us all in the loop! the pgotos & updates are fantastic--the photo of the papaya tree looks professional--it looks & sounds as if you are having the most amazing & satisfying time--despite some logistical bumps in the road...keep up your health, spirits & good work--we love you & can't wait to hear everything on your return... deb&jim schreier ps: it did look like you'd need a van for all those big boxes,,,
ReplyDeleteWe talked to a couple who served in Ghana a few years ago. Our daughter Julie's husband's grandparents. They loved Ghana and agreed that Nigeria is a more difficult mission. They had Nigerian missionaries in their mission.
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog and am thrilled about it, I've just caught up on all your postings. Wow, your in a different world! It looks like you are happy and doing incredible things there...I wouldn't expect anything less. Please keep the postings coming, it's great to have a glimpse of what you are experiencing.
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
Melanie Richardson