Heaven High

Jos,  01/19/ 2012

Over the weekend the Nigerian Government reinstated half of the former gas subsidy, and as a result the national strike and protests have been called off. Things are almost back to normal. We thank God! We now have permission to travel and will do so in a few days, still finishing up on last minute details. Jos, situated on a 4800 foot elevated plateau, is a beautiful place. Yet, everyone was complaining because the temperature actually dropped down to 47 degrees F. a couple of days ago. That sounds good to you I’m sure but for those of us who have lived in Africa and are now living here will never again adjust to the temps you are experiencing now.  Andy and Linda Horlings, one of our long term missionaries,  have a wonderful garden and we want to share some of it with you. Like streams in the desert, in the midst of conflict God is faithful and refreshes us.

The Sermon on the Mount reminds us again and again that God is in control of our lives Matt. 6: 25-34. Further, we are commanded to be proactive as an alternative to worry verse 33 “But seek you first his kingdom and his righteousness”…. The kingdom for Matthew is the reign of God through Jesus in our hearts. The kingdom is in our hearts and God’s righteousness, Jesus,  is in our hearts. It’s the Gospel: repentance, turning away from sin and turning to the righteousness of God (a  Jesus like life) as we see it in the Sermon on the Mount. When we turn to God and away from the world all the things God knows we need are given to us (v.33b). “Therefore, (pointing back to verse 33) do not worry about tomorrow”.

Traveling Mercies

We have been so concerned about the security situation that we have not written anything about our trip. Our flight from Grand Rapids to Newark N.J. was smooth and uneventful for which Gremar was particularly thankful. As you know she is not fond of challenges either on the road or in the air. For the first time we had to pay for one of two bags that were allowed to go free in the past. We had a five hour lay over so we had plenty of time to enjoy a great lunch over looking the skyline of New York City. Next, onto Frankfurt, already an eight hr. flight but we had an additional hour layover because a strong tail wind would cause us to come in too early for the allotted window for the time of arrival. We flew United / Continental, also an uneventful trip but for an international flight verily Spartan.

In Frankfurt we had a four hour layover as well. Security was tight and the airport was crowded. Our gate was closed off until one hour before the flight but all the other gates near us were open but every seat was taken. A large number of people sat on the ground looking at a couple of hundred empty chairs but they would not open it until 11:00, one hour before the flight.  Perhaps that was due to our destination, for whatever reason we’ve never experienced that at an international airport.

When we finally were on the plane ready for take off there was a delay due to weather, it was very dark and windy. We did finally take off but from the get go it was rough. The pilot seemed to be manipulating the throttles to try to smooth out our assent. The higher we went the rougher it got. This was an Airbus 300, a big airplane but the weather threw us around like the little planes I used to fly. Gremar was in a panic and the Nigerians on board started to call on Jesus out loud. At that point Gremar assumed that we were on our way to see Him. I was trying not to laugh because to me it did not seem that bad. None the less things got a little exciting. After all that it was a smooth five hour flight to Abuja.

Things went smoothly at immigration and customs, a little more security and more questions about our luggage but in the end we breezed through the gate to the van sent to pick us up. We stayed at the Paniel Apartments, very nice: air, hot water, TV, and a comfortable bed.  They allow missionaries to stay free if they have extra room. We thanked God for a good trip and a great place to stay.

The the next morning the four hour road trip to Jos was uneventful, a Nigerian Mom and her two daughters who came in from the US rode to Jos with us. We are now settled into the Mountain View Guest House. Things are very quiet in Jos and we are safe. We were able to get our TLT manuals duplicated and spiral bound. When it is safe to travel we will head out for the area where we are working. Pray for us, for the Church, and for this country.

Today four of Karo’s children came to see us. Karo and Halima were a Fulani evangelist family we worked with 20 years ago.  Karo died of TB about 15 years ago. When they were infants I had the privilege of baptizing three of the teens we saw today. God is Good!

Hi Everyone: We thank you for praying for us, for the church, and for the people of Nigeria. Things are calm and travel around Jos is normal but light. We have internet access and are in a safe place and all our missionaries are safe as well. We hope to travel to our place of work soon. Thank you for your concern and for praying, God is Good! Case and Gremar