DeRoos Drumbeat

▪••  •  • ••  • •  • •  •••        February, 2010      ▪••  • ••  • •▪  ▪▪  ▪•••  •  •▪ ▪

     Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Dear,

For those who drive, do you remember what it was like the first time you drove a car, a little scary mixed with a bunch of excitement?  Through some wonderful God-ordained circumstances, Les has now started to drive for the first time in Nigeria.  He says, this time it’s a little excitement mixed with a bunch of scary. :- ) We praise the Lord for His amazing provision, and ask for your prayers as driving over here is like nothing you’ve ever experienced.

“Blossoming Beauties” A Mother and Daughter Outreach:

The Nigerian women are very hard workers and yet have very few ways of just relaxing and enjoying themselves.  Their forms of fun are limited to child dedications, weddings, choir, or other church functions, or just helping each other do some traditional village chores while visiting their neighbor, i.e. cutting cocoa yam, shredding cassava, etc. 

Catherine has found a way for these ladies to have a get-a-way for a couple of hours.  In the form of a tea party, her vision and purpose are multiple.  These tea parties are meant to educate, entertain, and mostly encourage virtuous womanhood.  They are fed a light meal while being inspired to have an attitude of purity and contentment, faith and fortitude, enthusiasm and industry, heritage and home, and experience joy and friendship.  It is a real joy to bring laughter and joy and the gospel message altogether in these tea parties. 

Catherine has been busily preparing crocheted butterflies, while Rachelle is trying to perfect stove top sugar cookies with a homemade “sand oven” for their tea party entitled “Blossoming Beauties”.  This tea is targeted for mothers with their daughters, ages 7-11 and covers the topic of butterflies and what we can learn from them.  They will go home with a crocheted butterfly and items acquired from the activities in the tea. 

The “Blossoming Beauties” tea party takes place on Saturday, March 27 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.  We have 20 moms and 25 daughters attending.  Please pray for all these ladies coming to feel not only the love of Christ but go away feeling truly special.  We want to extend a special thank you to the helpers in the US, who did shopping and mailed the supplies and goodies to make this a reality and blessing for all involved.  

God did it again

We have struggled for a number of months with the issue of transportation.  Even when we first arrived, we had expectations to get a family vehicle.  Over the course of time, for one reason or another, it just was not falling into place.  Les even acquired a Nigerian driver’s license, but the purchasing and ownership aspects of a vehicle posed questions of trust, dependability, and security.  In early December we started to do some serious investigating for a passenger van, but once again it seemed like the door closed due to unforeseen circumstances.  Shortly after that, Christmas and the New Year preoccupied our time and attention.  All during this time we have been calling out to God for wisdom and direction.  In the first week of February, God answered our prayers. 

On Friday, February 5^th, a good friend visited us and offered an arrangement.  By profession, Collins has been a driver for public transport, and he used his Peugeot station wagon.  Over the last few months, unknown to us, he has sensed a call to the ministry and decided to pursue Bible College at a larger city.  He asked us if we would be interested in renting his car on a monthly basis.  For us this was a wonderful God-ordained solution to our transportation needs.  No one but God could have orchestrated this turn of events, and God only knew how to meet our short term needs without a long term purchase.  We will rent the car for a couple months while we are in Nigeria.  Once we leave for the US, the rental arrangement ceases, and when we return to Nigeria in the future the rental option is available to us once again.  Hallelujah!!!  

A Visit to the Hill People

          Les and Catherine traveled to a new area.  FAAGRIC was invited to Ugwueme (oogwoo emay) which translated is “hills have helped us”.  This people group lives in a mountainous area in the state of Enugu that is very remote.  Our presence constituted the first time a white man had visited for over a generation.  As is always the case, we were received with open arms and much excitement.  Word had spread to this area of a missionary family that is helping with education and training in the area of nutrition and agriculture.  This is by far one of the poorest and undeveloped areas we have visited.  No electrical power lines, no access to water other than in the valley streams, only winding single vehicle dirt roads carved with erosion.  We had no idea a place like this existed within a 40 minute distance of our own village.  Les actually drove there using back roads.  After about 25 minutes of travel (most of the time, we never left second gear due to the condition of the road) we crossed the state line and began our adventure of driving in the mountains.  We should clarify ourselves, for an Iowa couple they seemed like mountains, but if you’re from Colorado, they would be hills.  The village people have suffered years of rejection as their place is so remote that people and programs avoid them.  We see this as another opportunity to reach out in the love of Jesus, and we are really evaluating how to respond to this newest request.  For the time being, we hope to have a FAAGRIC worker visit the village once a month for classes.  We are also planning on asking the village people to select a handful of candidates who will travel to one of our current learning centers and begin the weekly training process.  It is exciting to know that FAAGRIC is now reaching beyond our own village and state.  May the Lord continue to open doors and direct our steps!

            If you noticed our weather chart at the beginning of the email, then you noticed that we have started to receive early season rains.  These rains have caused the farmers to start thinking about this years growing season, and as we start to prepare, we wanted to once again share with you the seeds that would be helpful for our FAAGRIC program.  Seeds can be mailed to the addresses listed at the end of the email.  Thank you for your willingness to help those who are less fortunate.   

Note: If you plan on mailing seeds to Nigeria, please notify us by email so we can make the proper arrangements for collection in our absence.

Crusade to Taraba State

          The final plans are now in place for the crusade.  We do appreciate the prayers dedicated to this outreach event.  Even as we write this, a Pastor friend has traveled to Taraba to set up the crusade and prepare local Pastors for the crusade.  We are told this area has a mixture of religions; some Muslim, some Christian, and some traditional pagan religions with animistic and witchcraft influences.  We are very excited and consider it a wonderful privilege to go and be able to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The crusade team will meet at our home on Sunday for prayer and finalization of travel plans.  Housing and food will be arranged, and we think our Nigerian friends have a good idea what we are able to adapt to in both categories.  If it is anything like other outreach trips, the aspect of the crusade is just one area of learning to be flexible and trusting in the Lord.  Les is really praising God for having an opportunity to travel with Josiah and Zachery.  The chance to serve the Lord together in this capacity, with his sons, is truly a dream come true.  We do ask that you continue to hold this event in prayer asking God to work and move in miraculous ways.   

Culture Corner

          Les has had his eyes opened with a new understanding of how to drive in Africa.  The two most important tools on a vehicle are the headlights and the horn.  As a westerner, the horn is usually only used to express your dissatisfaction with something or an occasional greeting.  However, the horn is used so much more over here.  One long honk says, “Move out of my way.”  One short toot says, “Do you need a ride?”  Two short toots say, “I’m getting ready to pass you.”  A perpetual sporadic honking says, “I’m driving very fast and I want to get somewhere, so look out.” 

The headlights are again used in unfamiliar ways to the western world.  Lights flashed during the day means to yield to oncoming traffic.  Usually this isn’t observed unless it is a big truck.  It can also be meant as a greeting if you recognize the oncoming vehicle.  For reasons that are very hard to comprehend, most driving at night is done with the bright headlights, and they will still flash them on and off to ask for oncoming traffic to yield.  Many cars drive with no headlights at night, which is why we are off the roads before dark.  A couple other driving tidbits; if people are showing you a fist and then opening their clenched fist to an open five count; they are telling you your blinker is on.  Finally, always drive realizing none of the road is considered just yours.  Goats, bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians, and oncoming vehicles have as much right to your side of the road as you do. And they usually will use it.  Now you know why Les said, “It’s a little excitement mixed with a bunch of scary.” 

YOUR PRAYER SUPPORT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US.  THANK YOU FOR REMEMBERING TO KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS!

In His Love & Service,

Les, Catherine, Rachelle, Josiah, Zachery, & Jonathan

DeRoos Drumbeat

▪••  •  • ••  • •  • •  •••        January, 2010      ▪••  • ••  • •▪  ▪▪  ▪•••  •  •▪ ▪

    Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Dear

Why do things just seem to be so difficult?  Have you ever asked yourself that question?  Life anywhere can be plagued with challenges and struggles, but life on the mission field seems to go far beyond normal glitches that come more than once and a while.

A Glimpse into our Lives

Recently Les and Catherine had to make a trip to a bigger city about 35 miles away from our village.  We had three main tasks we wanted to accomplish, visit a bank and close an account, visit the office of the Head of Service, and do a  blood test to check Catherine’s hemoglobin.  On the 35 mile trip to Umauhia, we counted a total of 16 police road checks.  Each check required coming to a complete stop and looking into the eyes of a policeman holding a loaded AK-47 or something equivalent. (The gun was usually pointed away from the vehicle) :)

 
Once into Umuahia, the first stop was the hospital and Catherine was screened for donating blood.  Since Catherine has had a history of anemia, she was taking iron supplements.  Certain symptoms started showing signs in her body that gave us a strong suspicion that she had an overdose of iron which is toxic.  The only way to quickly reduce the iron level is to remove blood.  We found out that people rarely give blood in this country because of the mandatory check for HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis.  There are many that don’t have enough blood to donate and are therefore turned away.  Some are given an incentive such as money for donating their blood.  So, blood donations are in short supply here. We had to take a special trip to Umuahia where there are such facilities that accommodated for blood donations.  They didn’t waste any time in getting Catherine checked and set up to donate her pint of blood.  Our stop at the blood lab was a pleasant surprise as we were in and out in about an hour. 

Now onto the bank visit; when we finally closed the account and walked out of the bank it took over 2 ½ hours.  The procedure took two types of letters of request, visiting four different bank employees, verifying Les’ identity, and receiving Gestapo type scrutiny as he spoke with a high level bank employee about closing the account.  We would never have guessed that it would take over twice as long to close an account at the bank vs. doing blood work and donating blood.  We do appreciate the checks and balances, but sometimes in Nigeria’s banking system we get the impression the right hand seldom knows what the left hand is doing.  

Unlike the bank incident, the visit with the Head of Service was short and very friendly.  We were in and out of her office in about ½ an hour.  Our main goal was to invite her to our FAAGRIC Awards Ceremony in April and let her know we are still busy in Abia State with our agricultural/nutritional faith based work.  She thought that we had left the country, and was very pleased to see us.  She remains very excited about FAAGRIC’S program and will try to speak to the Abia State Commissioner of Agriculture to encourage a greater level of state government participation with FAAGRIC with a hope to involve some youth service programs.
When the car rolled into our compound almost 7 ½ hours after the trip began, we all said a prayer of thanksgiving for the safe, successful, and productive day.  We knew that God had truly been with us on the trip!!  

It is that time of year again!!  Faith Agriculture gears up for another planting season.  We wanted to share the needs we have for seed as you consider how the Lord can use you to help us with the FAAGRIC program.  We can give you a couple different options.  Above is a list of seed that you can use to help determine what seed will be helpful for our agricultural needs.  We have learned a lot at our research farm over the last four years.  This list has proven to not only grow very well, but the interest and marketability of the produce is also very good.  The other option would be to help by giving money.  This year we have purchased some heirloom seed in advance so we can get the seed shipped in a timely fashion.  Whether you want to buy seed, or if you desire to help in a monetary way you can mail your gift to Laborers With Christ, using the address at the end of this email, or drop the seeds off at Les & Carolyn’s place in Alta.  Please designate money for Seeds of Faith.  We want to thank you for your willingness to take a few extra hours of your time to buy seed, and sacrifice a few extra dollars of your budget to reach out and help others in need.

Culture Corner

          Greeting another person in this culture can get a little complicated.  There are many factors involved that determine how and when a person is greeted.  For example, a woman should always speak first to the man when greeting.  If a man and woman are together, first the man is greeted and then the woman.  Another consideration is age; a younger person should be the first to extend a greeting to an elder person.  Terms of endearment are usually used.  If a younger man addresses an older man the word “sir” is used.  If a younger woman addresses an older woman the word “aunty” is used.  The exception to this rule is in the case of spiritual leadership.  A pastor and his wife are considered dad and mom.  Often when Les walks along the main road, since he is known as a spiritual leader (missionary), he can be addressed as “daddy” or “dad”.  It was a little strange the first time a woman of about 40 years of age called him “daddy”.  The other thing that is a little odd to us is that women can be referred to as “sir”, especially in church and government.  One time Les and Catherine were walking together and Catherine asked Les, “why do they only greet you?”  Les responded that we are both being greeted as “sirs”.  They would say, “Good morning sirs.” 
Fortunately we are given a lot of leeway because of our cultural ignorance.  Although there may be a right way and a wrong way, we find a big smile and a “good morning” works well no matter what the order, sex, or age may be.   

              
 Living and Learning in our Family

          One surprising fact that we have encountered is how prevalent the Jehovah’s Witness are in this part of Nigeria.  Although we have friends who are Jehovah’s Witness in faith, and have many involved in the FAAGRIC program, a recent encounter has stirred our family to know what we believe and why we believe it.  Zachery and Josiah share more in their own words. 

            “Our first encounter with a Jehovah Witness (JW) here was a lively scene. We were debating that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were three different personalities but none the less the same person (1 John 5:7).  While they were debating that Jesus was a god but not the True God that Jehovah was. The conversation went no where and we were just using well known verses like John 1:1 and such since we didn’t have that much info about their beliefs. Well, we were very naïve in the area of the JW’s doctrine so we decided to ask a friend, who is a Bible College graduate, if he had any books on JW’s.  The next time he came he brought just the thing we needed…JEHOVAH WITNESSES ANSWERED VS by VS.  This book had all the verses that JW’s normally bring up when they do door to door evangelism and how YOU should respond using scripture verses and examples…as well as describing all of the other little teachings they have (i.e. not receiving blood transfusions, not celebrating B-days, there is no Hell just inexistence, etc.) After getting this arsenal of information we couldn’t wait for the next JW to walk into our compound. Unfortunately for us, I guess we had scared them away and they haven’t come back, regardless of the invitations we have sent them. This really stirred up our hearts to expand our knowledge to other cults and to ‘be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear,’ 1 Peter 3:15. As followers of Christ our job is to reach out to those people who have either never heard of Him, or are living in blindness trying to fill the emptiness in their hearts. Even if in the end our witnessing doesn’t bring one person to Christ, we have nonetheless obeyed His commandment to ‘…preach the gospel to every creature…’ Knowing fully well that, ‘…every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.’ And that it is, ‘God that giveth the increase.’”

Our ewu project has sat on the back burner for a number of months. In communicating about this project, there was an excitement yet a caution in the counsel from one Nigerian brother to another of its implementation, which gave us unclear direction on how to proceed.  These complications caused us to take a little more time to evaluate and pray for God’s wisdom to understand the cultural implications.  We also were dealing with the growing pains of how to deal with the growing number of locations and lecturers to accommodate them.
  For those who need a reminder of this project, we wanted to find a creative way to help families help themselves.  We thought a female goat and the kids that would follow would be a great way to generate income for the family, and fertilizer (manure) for the garden.  Goat meat is very popular, and their reproductive cycle allows for two births in a year.  Our intention is to collect a total of two female kids from a recipient when the kids have been weaned.  These young goats will be given to new qualified recipients and the same conditions of the project will be passed on to them.  So this will be a self perpetuating project.  This next month we will launch the project and we do have 10 goats that will be placed in the hands of needy families.  Thank you to those who have given to this project.

Date set for Crusade to Taraba State

          We have set a date of March 4th thru 7th for the crusade in Taraba State.  Right now our plans are to travel the day before the beginning of the crusade.  We are told it will take a full days travel (approximately 10 hours) to reach our destination.  Les, Josiah, and Zachery will all travel and be involved in the crusade.  It is very important to have this whole trip, crusade, and our family covered in prayer.  Please pray especially that the Lord goes before us and prepares the way, and for safe travel during this time.  Pray, as well, for those who stay behind while three of the men have temporarily left the household. 

You may have recently heard of more violence and brutality between Christians and Muslims in central Nigeria located in Jos.  It is not clear how many were killed or whether or not they were Christian or Muslim.  There were reports of both Churches and Mosques destroyed in the area that the clash took place.  We do want to assure you that we are not going anywhere near the area that has been impacted by this recent bloodshed.  These are some difficult times for many countries, and we do ask that you please keep Nigeria in your prayers!

 Preparing for a Return to the USA

          Due to a number of factors, some foreseen and others unexpected, we are preparing for a return trip back to the USA.  One of the biggest factors is the success we see here with the FAAGRIC project, and the ownership shown by the Nigerians.  We recognize their capable hands, and we are now sensing that they are ready for the next phase of handing over the project.  Knowing we can stay involved from a distance with regular visits, gives us the freedom to evaluate some other opportunities and potentially expand our ministry to new areas both in Nigeria and regions beyond.  Our plans are to return to the USA in the middle of April.  We will be in contact with Churches in the days and months ahead as we begin to plan our schedule for sharing what God is doing in Nigeria, and what we are sensing for the future.  

      
THANK YOU FOR YOUR REGULAR PRAYER SUPPORT.       

              BELOW ARE A FEW NEW PRAYER ITEMS!!

In His Love & Service,
Les, Catherine, Rachelle, Josiah, Zachery, & Jonathan

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DeRoos Drumbeat

▪••  •  • ••  • •  • •  •••        December, 2009      ▪••  • ••  • •▪  ▪▪  ▪•••  •  •▪ ▪

  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7

Dear Brethren,

            As 2009 winds down, we trust you look forward to the New Year.  God’s amazing presence and blessing has been upon our family in so many ways this past year.  We truly look forward to 2010 and know our God will be faithful to carry us and allow us the grace to endure any obstacle that may be in our path.   May He continue to light the way before your path, and show Himself to be the God, like no other.  He truly is worthy of our praise!!                

Beloved, it’s too hot to go Christmas Caroling

The month of December brought a new focus for our weekly village evangelism.  Every Saturday afternoon we have been involved with a few members of a local Church.  The strategy is to walk through parts of the village and sing using a battery operated loud speaker.  After “caroling” we preach a salvation message.  One of the factors that stifle our enthusiasm is the heat. Our weather through the month of December has been very warm.  These high temperatures, sometimes in the upper 90’s, can really make it miserable to walk around for a couple hours on village paths.  In spite of the inconveniences it is a blessing to know we are sharing the Word of God, and making a difference for His Kingdom.   

One of the blessings we have witnessed is to see the hearts of other believers for their own people.  One lady walked with us and the whole time she balanced a loud speaker on her head as she sang and even preached.  It is hard to say how far we walked that particular Saturday, but she wore that loud speaker as if it was a hat, showing no signs of inconvenience.    

The Gift that keeps on Giving

          This past year of ministry has included almost 40 new decisions for Christ, and over 20 who recommitted themselves to Lord.  Recently Les had the awesome blessing of praying for a young man to receive the gift of salvation during a morning service.  Of any gift that could be offered or received during Christmas time, we thought this was the best by far.  Samuel began visiting church after we had visited his home on a Saturday during our regular evangelism time.  It is such a joy to see the Lord bless the fruit of our labors.  We are now praying in earnest for Samuel’s wife as she has not joined him in attending church.  We do believe it will be just a matter of time before the whole family comes to know Jesus as their Savior.  Please pray for Samuel and his family.            

Culture Corner

          When one lives in the rural areas of a less developed country, some things just do not receive the same attention as in the urban areas.  A big difference, which is very noticeable to us, is how people are just allowed to exist without proper help.   Ndo ara, which is Igbo for mad people, are allowed to roam freely in this culture.  Some can be dressed well, but suffer from mental breakdowns or schizophrenia.  Others can be filthy, almost nude and talking and laughing to themselves as they walk along the road from market to market to beg for food.  We realize there are a variety of reasons for the mental illness, sometimes physical and other times spiritual.  Whatever the reason, we try and reach out in the love of Jesus and help them understand that they are loved.  Our next door neighbor is a good example.  Eto will walk into our compound and just stare into our living room window.  Fortunately he is very friendly and usually just asks for money to buy food.  We have spent time in prayer and shared the gospel with him, but his mind just isn’t a 100 %.  No one is really taking care of him and he walks all over the village begging for daily sustenance.  It is hard for us to comprehend how people are left to fend for themselves, or in some cases, dropped off like an unwanted animal and discarded as useless and inconvenient to have around.  Our heart goes out to them, and hopefully as we are witnessed giving food or sharing the love of Christ, others will sense the need to treat them with dignity and respect.  Eto came to our door on Christmas Day and asked, “How we would do Christmas for him?”  We gave him about a quart size bag of uncooked rice and said God bless you!  We have noticed in the past that he doesn’t like the way we prepare food?? He walked away and said, “I’ll see you in the evening”.  Keep Eto in your prayers, and pray for his divine healing.           

 FAAGRIC keeps growing

                 The Lord continues to bring more and more people to the FAAGRIC program.  The first week of this month we launched another learning center.  We have four different locations that meet once throughout the week.  The picture below is of the people of the village of Imbala.  When we shared at our first class in Imbala, one of the topics we discussed was the value of moringa.  Our total time of sharing lasted approximately three hours.  After we dismissed we started to drive out of the village.  As we looked out the window we saw people literally attacking a tree along the road.  When we got closer, we realized it was a moringa tree and a number of people were taking branches of leaves after hearing the lectures.  Imagine the excitement of learning about something that is both nutritious and valuable.  On top of that, they find out it is readily available in there area.  What 30 minutes earlier was just a tree now turns into something that can increase health and offer a potential means of income for the future.

(If you look close at the picture, Catherine is located in the bottom middle of the group pictured.)  We have now hit a plateau.  We simply cannot be at all the learning centers at the same time.  We are trying to train and prepare more teachers, but it all takes time, and some of the nutrition material is not easily grasped, partially due to falsely ingrained cultural mindsets (e.g., fruit is not food).  We are also sensing the need to work ourselves “out of a job” as we know our time to return to the US will come sooner vs. later.  We will share more about that in next month’s DeRoos Drumbeat.  Another area of outreach is our one day nutritional seminars.  We have realized that the nutritional information is very interesting to the villagers, and since we have introduced new fresh garden alternatives in the market, there is more and more hope for diet adaptation and interest in learning how and what to eat to increase health.  During these seminars we have a wonderful opportunity to share a salvation message and offer an environment to touch lives in a spiritual way.  We have two seminars planned for the month of January.   

Still planning on a Crusade Trip to the North

            Some have expressed questions about our plans for a crusade trip to Northern Nigeria.  We are still very excited about having an opportunity to be involved in a crusade.  However, we are hearing of more and more warnings for expatriates in Nigeria.  As we plan and prepare over the next couple of months, we do solicit your prayers.  

2010

            Our family wishes you and your family a wonderfully blessed, healthy, and God pleasing

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US A WONDERFUL YEAR OF WORKING IN THE LORD’S VINEYARD; WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND PRAYERS.

In His Love & Service,

Les, Catherine, Rachelle, Josiah, Zachery, & Jonathan

DeRoos Drumbeat

▪••  •  • ••  • •  • •  •••        November, 2009      ▪••  • ••  • •▪  ▪▪  ▪•••  •  •▪ ▪

   And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  Luke 2:12-14 

Beloved,

            What did our Thanksgiving look like??  Before leaving America, Catherine had spent time dehydrating a number of things for special occasions.  For our Thanksgiving dinner the girls cooked up rehydrated broccoli, rehydrated mushrooms, instant mashed potatoes with sautéed onions and rehydrated jalapeños, homemade stuffing, and a turkey substitute that was vegan.  All this with no oven!  This may not compare to your celebration, but for us it was a blessing and a taste from home…kind of.    

How does God do that?

We have seen it, felt it, and experienced it, but we don’t really know how “it” can happen.  Our weather has now officially changed.  It’s not like the temperature has dropped 50 degrees in one day or anything like that.  However, it is a very noticeable change in the atmospheric humidity.  How are we so sure?  All our doors that had swelled with moisture during the rainy season now swing freely and close easily and this happened almost over night.  Our nasal passages and lips are drying out.  Clothes hung out to dry will dry in a matter of an hour or so.  In the past it would take 8 to 10 hours.  Such a drastic change denotes a switch in the air masses.  All rainy season, our wet humid weather was caused by the air mass Equatorial Maritime, which originates from the southwest or gulf area.  Now the air mass has shifted to Tropical Continental (why or how? we do not know) and the weather’s origin is the north-east (Sahara Desert).  The fact that they can shift so quickly is the amazing phenomenon we are now experiencing.  God is so marvelous!!    

Another reason we feel Blessed

          As the dry weather and hot season is ushered in, the rainy season now is finished.  For many in the village this means it is time to start the regular routine of collecting water.  There is nothing like municipal water in rural Africa, and unless one owns a cistern to “harvest” rain water, when the rain is gone (it could be 4 – 5 months without any rain), it is necessary to walk to rivers, streams, or government wells.  Hundreds of villagers set out on the morning walk for water. Most of the time we see teenage girls walking with containers balanced on their heads or pushing wheel barrows that contain plastic containers.  Some of these carriers will wait in long lines and travel up to 2 or 3 miles depending upon their location in proximity to a good water source.  We praise God for our home and the large cistern that the owner built a number of years ago.  It is such a blessing to know we will have plenty of water right at our finger tips.  (If you remember our last trip, we were rationing water due to seriously low water levels.  During our year in America, the cistern and water collection system was repaired.)  Already, we have had people come to us and ask if they can draw water from our cistern.  We simply share that it is not our water or cistern, and they will need to speak with the owner when he comes back to the village.  Recently one of our neighbors asked us to save our laundry water so she could recycle it for her own laundry needs.        

Culture Corner

          Imagine having a traditional ceremony such as a wedding, baby dedication or even a funeral and only one type of food is served!!  In this part of Nigeria that is the case.  Les recently attended a traditional marriage and the father was telling him about the pressure to serve the right food and large amounts of it as well.  He said that if he did not do the right thing culturally, food- wise, the people will say that he is just throwing away his daughter. People expect to have their fill of traditional Igbo food.  If they cannot have cassava, rice, and a stew over the rice, then the occasion was not successful.  Serving anything else, like fresh fruit or something like coleslaw, first of all would be rejected as food, and secondly would be taboo in this culture.  We have learned through interaction during our nutrition lectures that the simple definition of food in this part of Nigeria is whatever makes your stomach feel full, (rice, yam, gari).  Therefore, fruit or salad is not food!  In general there is very little variation.  A while back we were sitting around as a family with a friend of Rachelle’s who was over.  For discussion’s sake I asked the question, “If you could have any food right now, what would it be?”  There were a variety of answers as each of us drooled as we expressed our desire for a favorite missed food.  When it came to Rachelle’s friend, she said, “Rice of course”.  The short answer said a lot about the people we live with.        

Update of FAAGRIC’S Growth

          This last month we launched another learning center.  We have three different locations that meet once throughout the week.  The picture is of the people of the village of Umauku.  It is a joy and blessing to see the interest and  

witness the enthusiasm as the missionaries come to discuss nutrition, agriculture, and the Word of God.  The first week of December we will expand to our fourth village.  So far we are able to rotate our visits personally as we have installed teachers at the learning centers.  We can foresee an upcoming challenge as we need more teachers, but we do have a number of excited Christian students who will be willing to serve in that capacity as they gain a better understanding of the material.  Although we have clearly communicated our purpose and intentions to every group, we are still faced with mindset challenges. One older woman asked us, “Will my certificate allow me to be able to go to America with this training?” Another question we get asked a lot is, “Will this certificate be useful for future job placement?”  God only knows what opportunities may or may not open up in the future.  Our hope is that the things they learn both physically and spiritually will have a greater impact than they could ever have by traveling to America or getting a job.

Trip to the North Postponed

          Due to some last minute concerns on transportation, our crusade trip has been postponed.  There was some anxiety with regards to travel and having a chartered vehicle vs. public transport.  The Nigerian brothers who sponsored the crusade did not have enough money to get the proper type of transportation to ensure safe travel for all involved.  It was decided to reschedule the crusade for early next year.  Josiah and Zachery have also expressed interest in being involved, so it is likely LWC will help with transportation costs to allow for more passengers and proper and safe transportation.  Please keep this in your prayers as we continue the planning and promotion of the crusade.

We wish you a Merry Christmas!!

          Our family hopes and prays you have a wonderful time of celebrating the birth of Christ.  Christmas and all its planning, shopping, preparation, and partying, can overshadow the true significance of the “reason for the season”.  While commercialism and big business try to push Christ out of the Christmas picture, may you and your family take the time to find a way to draw close to the now risen Savior as you celebrate His birth.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP IN THE MINISTRY GOD HAS ENTRUSTED TO US!              

In His Love & Service,

Les, Catherine, Rachelle, Josiah, Zachery, & Jonathan

-•• • • •• • • • • ••• September 2009 -•• • •• ••- -- - ••• • • --

There was in a city a judge, who feared not God, and regarded not man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest she wear me out by her continual coming.
Luke 18:2-5

Greetings to you from the country of Nigeria!

He-lo'…he-lo'…he-lo'? Are you hearing me?

Dear Brethren,

            What does a person do when there is hardly any form of recreation to help pass the time?  After all, although we are missionaries, a little down time is good once in a while, especially for the young adults in the family.  We do have a lot of natural entertainment you will see as you read this months email.

Family Fun –

      Lots of singing while working (our family loves to sing).

      Bible discussions and prayer times together.

The Guys may play ping pong - (played on a makeshift table, a piece of plywood 4ft. x 7ft.), finger football – (flicking a paper triangle wrapped up in duct tape), dominoes – customary playing in addition to domino derby, or domino bowling, and we also enjoy doing imitations of family and friends. J J 

Once or twice a week -: 

At night, reading a missionary biography book as a family for 30 min. to 1 hour.  Watching a Godly family film every Friday evening huddled together on the couch and floor in front of the laptop, while enjoying a local available snack and beverage.

Mother and daughter will slip quietly into another room to read a book aloud. Creating different meals to break up the menu monotony, and enjoy watching their Nigerian friend, Ngozi (which means “Blessing”) dancing Nigerian style.

Dad, we have guests!

Our housing in Nigeria has opened our eyes to a whole new world of wanted and unwanted guests.  In this culture, it is perfectly acceptable for neighbors to walk right into your home and as they enter they say something that sounds like kpom-kpom (bong bong – when saying the “b”, suck in air).  Other types of “guests” we have are rats or mice (unwanted) in our kitchen that we rarely see but hear, and geckoes in our living room and bedrooms (wanted), because they eat the mosquitoes.  Our bathroom and kitchen can also have large cockroaches (unwanted) during the dark of night.  A while back we found a house snake coiled behind a door.  Les thought if it killed mice, it was wanted, the girls voted unwanted.

 Just a couple of nights ago just before retiring for bed, our back court area and the outside of our walls were covered with army ants intent on finding something to eat.  These are not the kind of ants that will destroy any living thing in their path.  They are, however, ants that would swarm if they sensed any danger, and there mechanism of offense was using pinchers which were painful depending on the size of the ant.  We even had some get into Les and Catherine’s bedroom.  Since God was looking out for us, we were not yet in bed and with a little help from fire and bug spray, we were able to convince the ants that there were better places to look for food.  The next day a Nigerian friend asked what we use in the US to take care of ant attacks.  Ant attacks in Iowa??...ha!  No way!

THEY’RE BACK!!  We thought we had gotten rid of those army ants, until just the other morning we heard a scream coming from the courtyard.  There was a mad dash to see what was happening.  Upon coming on the scene, Rachelle was hopping on one foot with the other sandal left behind trying to get inside the house.  She had been in the process of hanging up laundry to dry, not realizing she had stepped right into a circle of army ants.  Before she had time to even get back to the house, she had these ants attacking her!  It was quite a sight.  Hopping on one foot, slapping herself, screaming, and laughing all at the same time, she managed to get to a place of safety.  Her brothers came to the rescue to pick the stubborn ants off.  Once again…it just had to happen to one of the ladies. J  The ironic thing about this is that it turned into a source of entertainment for the boys as they purposely would try to get bitten by these ants, which literally draw blood by their small pinchers. 

The Weather is Changing

This past month while many of you experience a cool down in your seasonal temperatures due to fall weather, we have experienced a warming up as the rainy season starts to come to a close.  We are ready to do away with moldy shoes and mildew smelling clothes in the closets, for dryer days and higher temperatures.  It is kind of a trade off as the heat will stop the molding of things, but the higher temperatures in the evenings makes for poorer sleeping conditions.  We are learning to be content in all circumstances, especially those of which you have no control.                                    

Missionaries, Medical Doctors, or both?  

          The more we lecture about nutrition and serving a God who has fearfully and wonderfully created us, the more we are looked to as “experts” who have all the answers about health, sickness, and disease.  We are very quick to express our lack of credentials to field any questions in the area of medicine, yet we continue to have people seeking us out who desire advice or want to have their questions answered.  Added to this latest trend are a number of people whose lives have been positively impacted by the nutritional information we suggest at our FAAGRIC lectures.  God’s mighty hand and His ability to use our presence in the village to further His gospel and bring glory to His name never cease to amaze us.  We thought you would like a story that gives you an example of what we are talking about. 

            About two weeks ago, Sunday (our farm manager and FAAGRIC student) came to explain that a woman just had recently showed up at his house.  Christie Simon had been suffering from MS.  Her speech was difficult due to losing control of her tongue.  Obesity plagued her and strong heart palpitations slowed her.  She was stooped over and had lost the use of her left arm, and barely managed to get around.   Facial blemishes afflicted her, and she received sneering actions and jeering comments from those who saw her.  Her family located outside the village had basically abandoned her and sent her back to her father’s home because of her illnesses.  She had spent so much money going from doctor to doctor, and given treatment after treatment all to receive no improvement.  Christie shares that she feels the Holy Spirit told her to go to Sunday’s home.  Sunday said he thought he could help her but she would need to follow his strict rules.  He shared the principles he had learned in Catherine’s Physiological Nutrition class.  She agreed.  She came daily to Sunday’s house to receive the produce he was growing on his farm.  She offered payment and he took nothing.  All he wanted her to do is testify of what God had done for her and share at our FAAGRIC classes.  Within one week she noticed great improvement.  On the 28th of September, now almost a full month later, we met her personally to hear her testimony.  She looks and feels like a new person.  She told us, “God has placed you here just for me…you have saved my life.”  Now a blemish free complexion, freedom of motion and speech, strength and health throughout her body, and she has lost many unnecessary pounds.    Everyday she goes to Sunday’s house dancing and praising God.  She is so full of joy of what God has done, and we are grateful to God for His amazing and mighty ways.  We give Him all the glory, praise and honor.  What a mighty God we serve!!     

What does a Sunday Service look like??

to the men’s side (men and women sit on opposite sides of the church) almost in the front of the church to be seated as a family.  In about five minutes time, it became apparent that some men in front of us felt we should sit in the way front. So men were asked to shift around and make room for us in the front row.  We were then ushered to the front row to be seated a second time.  It doesn’t matter how much we insist to sit in a regular spot like anybody else, they are not happy until we receive their respect.  In the next two hours, there were three different offerings (they dance up s-l-o-w-l-y to the front where the offering box is), a child dedication, a thanksgiving offering, some singing, prayer, and a special greeting from the Bishop of the Methodist Church in this District.  

Now was the time for the morning message, and due to time, it was shortened to 45 minutes.  There was one more offering for the Pastor and his wife as they would be accepting another call and the congregation was encouraged to show them their appreciation.  Now three hours or more since our arrival, they had a closing prayer and the service ended.  Immediately we were ushered into the parsonage for a traditional Nigerian meal.  Ewu (you have never tasted anything like this and it is hard to describe it for you, but it is a shredded cassava with castor oil, palm oil, onions, African oil bean, and some other ingredients that don’t smell too good), with garden egg (a small eggplant variety), followed by rice and stew (an oily tomato sauce poured over the rice), and a few small pieces of chicken and goat meat.  By the time we arrived back at our home which was a short distance walk from the church, we noticed the time was a little after 2:00pm.  It is typical that if we visit a church, the Pastor and his family will invite us to their home after church for a meal.  Recently we attended a local church and the wife of the Pastor was preoccupied with some other commitments.  They sent us home with two big yams each weighing about 3-4 pounds and a live chicken, and said, “Please accept this as your meal from us.”              

Culture Corner

          This interesting aspect of the culture is something we have been experiencing all along during our stays in Nigeria.  However, it was just recent that we learned there was a name for the unique and somewhat odd (at least to Americans) practice.  They call it “morning singing” and it is the practice of getting up at 4:00 am and walking around the village and singing Christian hymns or preaching at the top of their lungs.  This can be done at regular intervals.  For example our next door neighbor whose home is about 20 feet from our open bedroom window, gets up once a week usually on a week day and shares in Igbo to any and all within the hearing of her voice.  To be honest we have mixed feelings, Bible passages come to mind like Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” and Psalms 98:4, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.”  What a commendable way to show ones passion for the gospel!  On the other hand we think of Proverbs 27:14 “He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him”. We can not be certain just why this is done, after all we do nothing in comparison in the US to proclaim our faith to Jesus Christ in this manner unless it is having a star on our home during Christmas time.  Yet what would happen to a person that decided to go around with a loud speaker at 4:00 in the morning singing “Great is thy Faithfulness”?  What a difference it makes depending on what culture one is from.  For us the final word is how we are challenged to evaluate our commitment and dedication to the cause of Christ.  May this little story challenge you as well to daily pick up your cross and follow Him.                   

THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFUL PRAYERS.              

In His Love & Service,

Les, Catherine, Rachelle, Josiah, Zachery, & Jonathan