We made it finally! We had an uneventful trip to Abuja. After staying up to 12:30 am, we took our 26 boxes and suitcases to the airport the morning of 7/28. We had some concerns since many of the workers at Lufthansa had gone on strike on 7/27. The warning was that Frankfurt would be most affected. Our worries were allayed and we arrived at Abuja, Nigeria one hour early. Dr. Cindy Anthis, wife of Dr. Joel Anthis, was there to receive us. Customs clearance was a breeze.
During the four-hour layover in Frankfurt, Hannah, our 17 year old daughter, connected with us as planned. She had spent 4 weeks in Germany for her part of the exchange. We are one happy family again.
Our first night was at a guest house in Abuja. We traveled on the morning of 7/30 from Abuja to Jos. Normally there are multiple security stops along the way, but this time we drove through without a single stop. The seasoned missionaries on the van were quite surprised.
We arrived to our home here on the Evangel Hospital compound. It is very large and grandiose appearing from the outside. Looks can be deceiving however. The home has been vacant for several months and has never been lived in by a westerner. We as westerners and especially Americans are rather spoiled and have different expectations for cabinets, sanitation, plumbing and cleanliness. Though there is much room inside, we have had to work a little to get some electricity and plumbing issues worked out. Apparently there has already been much preparation to get the house ready, and for this we are greatly appreciative. It would have been untenable without the hard work of Kim Sampson and many other people here on the compound. Now, 36 hours after arriving, we have mostly clear water running from most taps. Most of the toilets are working. We have electricity to most outlets most of the time. We do however still have a short list of bugs (and mice) to work out. But things are looking brighter.
I will visit the clinic tomorrow. We still have to do some shopping and start preparing our own meals. We have one house helper hired. We will need more to keep this large place clean and functioning. We need to get a van for our family soon. I am not looking forward to driving where the size of your vehicle determines ride of way and and a customary distance between vehicles is inches. Driving in Nigerian traffic is exciting to say the least.
Michael Mitchell, MD
