Please Pray!

Sorry it has been so long since our last update! As you might have guessed your prayers are being answered and we are starting to find our place in BRiCC! It is amazing to think about all the things we have been able to get involved with in the last few weeks. 

One of our biggest blessings has been finding a national church that is both incredibly welcoming and inspiring. Jeremy and I were invited to share with their youth fellowship (by a coworker at BRiCC) a few weeks ago about waiting for a mate, dating and marriage. This was a humbling and stretching experience for us. Today, we returned for church, the pastor asked Jeremy to preach a short sermon on May 18^th. Please pray that God would give him an encouraging word for this church which has stood strong in the midst of a M* community as salt and light longer than any other in Jos. When we asked how we could encourage the pastor, he asked for prayer and support as many of the church members are now too afraid to return to the community, impacting how many pastors they can have and how many missionaries they are able to support. Another ministry worker then spoke up saying that it is now too dangerous for the pastor to continue living at the parsonage within the church walls and they are trying desperately to raise support for a new home for him as well. This is the cry of the persecuted church! God has already protected it miraculously from bombings and we know that he will not fail them now. Please pray that he will meet their needs as they trust him.  

Things at BRiCC are also going well. The soccer matches that BRiCC is sponsoring have started and the final will be on May 9^th. A Christian Band that Jeremy has befriended has agreed to play before the final match and he is helping to organize that concert. Please pray that God would give him wisdom and resources as logistics here are very difficult.  Jeremy has also been asked by a friend to help a small church outside of the city by teaching their musicians more about music. Please pray that he would be able to find the time and transportation to make this happen. 

Tomorrow the women’s health education program that Katie has been involved in planning will begin with a trauma healing class. Please pray that God would bring in the women he wants to attend as signups have been low. There is a certain group of women within the community that these classes would be extremely beneficial for. We have approached them, but they are hesitant to attend because many are illiterate. There are many other ways that the enemy could use to discourage them from coming. Please pray that nothing would stop them from coming! Please also pray for all those involved in teaching the classes that their information would be clear and easily accepted by all who attend. 

Katie is also excited about the possibility of helping the women’s skills coordinator to collect the stories of women who have already gone through the baking and cosmetics program at BRiCC. Success stories are such an encouragement here and will help attract more women to become involved in programs that not only help them personally, but help to build relationships that bring peace to this still broken community. 

Please also pray that God continue to align our hearts with his will for BRiCC and Jos in general. We are so humbled by and excited about what He is doing here! 

Celebrating with some of BRiCC's newest graduates

From Jeremy

This week flew by, BRiCC has a course for unemployed women to learn skills; cooking and cosmetic making, such as lotion and soap. So this week was the end of their classes and we were able to test out their products. The cooking techniques they are learning rival those of American standards. They have a man and a lady that teach them how to cook cake, meat pies, spring rolls, and many other things with good hygiene and good quality ingredients. This is all taught on traditional ovens over coal fires. With these classes there are also relationship building exercises and the women learn how to cooperate with different people.

Katie has started working with women that want to speak English and she meets with several ladies throughout the week and speaks with them. They are also teaching her Hausa, and she has said that she is learning more Hausa than they are English J. Katie received a gift from one of the students the other day (see photo) called Baken Ido (hard e on the Ido) literally “black eyes” these grow on trees and you crack the shell and then suck on them and they taste like strawberries, they also have a very hard seed in the center of them. It is amazing how God can use something as hard as a pebble and create life out of it! Kind of like me hard exterior soft and loveable inside :)...

There is also a possibility that I (Jeremy) could join a group on a weekly or biweekly basis to play music and sing at a transition house, I am going to try and get a local band to come and play a concert as well, please pray that they would be willing to do that. The transition house is a great ministry that works with children (mainly boys) that were orphaned or sent away from their families for differing reasons.

Life in Jos

Life in Jos has many ups and downs. Some of our biggest ‘ups’ are the relationships we are developing. The tight knit community of missionaries here (from at least 3 different organizations) has been a huge help and encouragement to us. We are also starting to develop relationships with the people who visit BRiCC to learn new skills, English and just to build relationships. It is so humbling to realize how much we are learning from the people around us, from basic things like how to bleach fruits and vegetables to more important things like how to build relationships and live more like Christ. 

We are deeply touched by the faith of both the missionaries and nationals here as they worship God in churches guarded by men with guns and metal detectors. This is real faith, to continue to build life and strive for peace in a city still scared by violence. Please pray that we would continue to learn from those around us how to be more genuine believers.

 

As with any venture that is worthwhile, we are also seeing challenges. Building relationships and trusting people is not always rewarded with mutual respect. Our hearts go out to those around us who have been affected by widespread corruption, but still find the strength through Christ to treat others with love and forgiveness. 

God is doing amazing things in Jos and in the hearts of his people! We are so encouraged to hear about the dreams of those from the M*lm community He is calling to himself through relationships built at BRiCC. Please pray that Katie will be able to develop deep relationships with around 10 M*lm women she is beginning to practice English with. Also, for wisdom as Katie helps to plan a women’s health seminar with a few nurses that has the ability to improve the lives of many in the M*lm community. Jeremy is beginning to get involved with planning a presoccer match concert that will help get BRiCC’s name out into the community. Please pray that God will give him wisdom to plan this and to encourage the members of a Christian band he is getting to know. Jeremy’s humble heart and quick progress with Hausa is opening up a lot of friendships for him in the M*lm community. Please pray that he will have opportunities to share Christ’s love with those who so desperately need Him. 

These are some Nigerian dancers who came to entertain a short term group that stayed on our compound

This is our neighbor's dog hoping Katie drops her chicken