May 7 – May 15, 2021

Imala Diary, Continued.

Further news of building ‘Peace Village’ in Imala, Ogun State!

Greetings again, from our new site for Fulani work in Ogun State, Nigeria! I’d like to call the ten acres allotted for the school, outbuildings, guesthouse and clinic, ‘Peace Village’!

James 3:18. ‘Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness’.

That’s the promise on which we base this new work and our entire ministry. We are seeking a harvest of righteousness, and God will grant it to us, in Jesus’ Name. AMEN!

Clearing the site and building – with bees!

The bulldozer manager, with machine and driver, finally arrived on the site, five days late! The manager wanted me to pay extra because it took them four hours to drive down the long, dirt road to the school site! But he had already seen the road before he agreed to come and do the work – he knew how remote our place is – so I gracefully declined paying him more money! Fortunately, he saw the logic and there were no further requests for more pay!

The driver did a great job, even when the work began with a serious attack by a large swarm of bees! The first we knew about the attack was when we saw the dozer speeding away from the area the driver had been clearing, onto an adjacent field! We watched in surprise as the driver leaped down from his seat and ran crazily across the field, swatting at his head and shoulders with the jacket he’d been wearing, running all the way across the field and disappearing into a nearby stand of trees! Two of our team immediately ran after him, located and brought him back, wiping at his face and head where he had been stung multiple times. Poor guy. I’m just so thankful he was not allergic to bee stings! The driver came across another beehive a couple of days later, but this time recognized the signs early enough and left the place alone. A local man was called upon to smoke out the bees and then burn the trees where they’d had their hives. Sad, but there was no choice – it was either the bees or us!

The bulldozer, manager and driver did a really great job. Building sites for the staff, teachers’ quarters and clinic, for the school and playgrounds, and for the guesthouse are all cleared and ready for action! The roof is going on the staff quarters today and the walls are being raised on the teachers’ housing. As soon as the teachers’ rooms are built, we are all going to pack our things and move into those rooms while we build the school, which will take time as it’s large and of a unique design which we’ve not tried before.

Because the site is so remote, we’ve had a lot of challenges getting building materials delivered there. The first attempts at bringing blocks down that long and winding dirt road ended in disaster; many blocks broken and unusable. So, we’re now molding our own blocks! We’re also going to invite two welders from Abuja to come and make all our doors and windows at the site. We’ll buy the materials in Abeokuta; deliver them ourselves to the site and pay the welders labor only. This will save money and time and guarantee good work, as we’ll be there to monitor it.

The school bus/boat: The Good Shepherd!

Another bit of good news is, we’ve bought a big boat for the school! A school bus/boat! Many Fulani children live across the river from our site, children we’d like to invite to join us in this new school. Life jackets will be needed; I’ve asked friends to begin thinking about raising money and bringing over the jackets. We would greatly appreciate your help with this – please contact me for information on how you can be a part of this project.

Both the new school AND the bus/boat will be named ‘The Good Shepherd’.

SFA Partners Dr. James Rose and Dr. Gary Maxey visit the site!

It’s been such fun having James and Gary nearby, to talk and plan with men having similar passion and plans to develop this area for Kingdom use! James has been to our site twice; Gary came for the first time yesterday! I felt so happy, showing them around the place – explaining the layout we have in mind. The stunning, 180 degree views of the river and wetlands were of course the grand attraction; I cannot stop thanking God for gifting SFA with this amazing location! It was fun showing James and Gary the boat landing and pointing out several local African birds – James took a little video of us standing by the landing and photos of a Lapwing complaining loudly in a nearby field. I believe we were too close to her nest!

Because of the amazing and beautiful location, James is planning to annex a retreat center and prayer garden to our site, adjacent to our future guesthouse! I love this plan and look forward to the special times of fellowship ahead.

What more can I say than, “Thank you Lord. Thank you. Thank you. All praise and glory be to your wonderful Name.”

In 2015, when I was seeking guidance from the Lord on whether or not to return to Nigeria, He gave me these verses from Psalm 37. I have the place marked in my Bible as ‘Huge Promise on Staying in Nigeria’!

‘Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.’ Psalm 37: 1-4.

AMEN!

LOTS of blocks made, and ready to build!