Last Surgery

I had hoped to spend more time with administrative duties in my last couple of weeks, but there were a number of surgeries that needed to be done and only I could do. So needless to say, it has been busy for us up to the end.
On Wednesday, the 27th May, I operated on a nice elderly woman who desperately wanted to have her large tumor removed. We have been trying to get her medically ready for surgery, since she says she is 90 years old.
The surgery went well and she did very well after the surgery. We were all pleased. It was another major event as we finish up in Nigeria. I thank God that everything went so well.

Another closure event was a “Sendforth” dinner last night for the missionary doctors that was attended by all the doctors of Evangel Hospital. It was a very nice time. I received a couple of nice gifts and had the opportunity to thank the medical staff for being such great students.


Michael Mitchell, MD

Graduation Day

We have been quite busy as we prepare for departing Nigeria as well as all the end of school year activities. The most significant of these activities was Hannah participating in the Hillcrest School Class of 2009 Graduation tonight. There has been much preparation and celebration. Over the past weekend, we had a SIM Senior Tea where families and friends of the eight graduating SIM seniors gathered and we showed pictures of the seniors as they were growing up and then talked a little about them. Later Sunday we had a Baccalaureate service. We enjoyed wonderful music and a fantastic sermon by Dr. Bill Ardill, our general surgeon whose oldest daughter just graduated.
Today was a small and personal graduation. Twenty-three students graduated. All are going to universities around the world – Australia, New Zealand, United States, and Lebanon. A few were going to big name schools like University of Southern California and George Washington University. We have been told that this year’s senior class has been an exceptional group of kids. During the ceremony, each graduate was addressed individually with funny anecdotes and words of encouragement. We feel privileged that Hannah could be involved with such great group of people. We certainly have enjoyed being a part of this school community, which is diverse, highly educated, selfless, and very family oriented. Graduation was a wonderful event that helps bring closure to our mission in Nigeria.

Michael Mitchell, MD

Final Exam and Saying Goodbye

Final exams in Nigeria are very different from final exams in America, especially when you are saying goodbye to 71 students who have become quite dear to you. This past Friday, I gave my final exam to my students. It was quite the event, and I am very happy that my husband was there to be a part of it. (I had asked him to come and help me proctor the exam.)

The first order of business was announcements. By popular request, I finally gave out my email address. I am hoping to stay in contact with my students. Gifts were presented by me and by the students. The students had taken a collection and were quite thoughtful and generous in showing their appreciation to me. I got flowers and a beautiful wood carving of Africa that I am going to proudly display in a prominent place in my home in America. I also got a unique Nigerian gift: phone credit! (You buy little cards from street vendors worth a certain amount of credit and load it onto your phone - - no monthly bills.) Even more precious to me though were the words of gratitude and affection and prayers said on my behalf. They told me that I had been like a mommy to them . . .I have felt that way about them as well! That makes for an awfully empty nest as we part ways!

The second order of business was a final class picture. This time, I am surrounded by all 71 students (both classes). This picture will also be very proudly displayed in my home!

At last, we got down to the business of taking the final. Exams are very tense events in British system schools. And it is no wonder since they count as 70% of the final semester grade! I am very uncomfortable having so much weight resting on one test, so I gave a very predictable test with directions that are familiar to the students (they have seen them before on our regular quizzes throughout the semester.) Though the examination process is brutal, the grading scale makes up for it: you can have a final average of 40 and still pass the course with a D in the British system unlike our American system schools that allow for a final average of 60. Reconciling these two vastly different educational systems has been a challenge for me while teaching in Nigeria.

One of the most encouraging things to me personally has been the students who have communicated to me what an impact my teaching style has made on them. Some of the students will in turn go on to teach themselves or are already teaching. The classes my students are used to are very teacher-centred: the teacher lectures and the students take notes quietly. There is very little interaction. There is also very little assessment to determine the students’ level of knowledge going into the lecture and very little assessment to check for comprehension during and after the lecture. The idea of meeting the students where they are at, engaging in group activities, and involving the students, in general, is a new thing here. I am excited to think that I might be passing this on to my students.

Lisa

A Tense Ending to a Sweet Year

No, not tense in the way you think . . .today was my last regular class day at JETS, and we finished out the year discussing grammar tenses. It was a fun class where the students shared some of their habits and regular activities (you use simple present tense to talk about those things as well as to express general statements or truths.) I learned all sorts of new things about my students as they shared using the present tense: many love to read, many of them pray regularly (which isn’t too surprising since they are seminary students), one thinks about a certain girl named Nancy all the time, and my student who cannot hear even told us that he eats gwata everyday! (Gwata is a vegetable soup thickened with grits.) I also learned a Nigerian proverb as one student shared a truth that uses present tense: When lizards lie prostrate on the ground, how do you know which ones’ belly is aching? (Hmmm . . .I think something got lost in translation on that one.) It was a great last day of class!

We ended our class time together with a photo session. Included you will see pictures of both my first hour class and my second hour class. Also included is a picture of Nehemiah and Kingsley, two students who kept me on my toes with LOTS of questions!

Even if I should come back and teach in Nigeria 40 more years, these students will always have a very special place in my heart. I am going to miss their warmth, their sincerity, their friendliness, and their ability to enjoy each moment to the fullest. My students have treated me with such respect and gratitude for every little thing I do. Though the living conditions here are hard by American standards, the joy that comes from teaching and interacting with my students far outweighs having no water, inconsistent electricity, and no air conditioning.

Lisa

Dinner with the Ibrahims

Just a little bit ago we had dinner over at the Ibrahim’s (a Nigerian family on our compound) house. After sitting and talking to Gwakmon and Victor for about 15 minutes we finally got to the meal. We had pounded yam, a vegetable soup, and a traditional Turok (the name of the tribe that Gwakmon is from) dish. The dish looked like a brown soup with carrots and peas mixed in at first glance. Once Gwakmon took a ladle full out of the pot I realized that it was no normal soup. It was made with tapioca flour so it had a sticky texture. Also we ate two chickens named Princess and Precious that were given to Emily as gifts when she visited Gwakmon’s village for a wedding. All of the food besides the pineapple we had for dessert and the pounded yam were quite spicy. Throughout the meal Lilian, the mother of Victor and aunt of Gwakmon kept speaking in Hausa to me and Camille to try to teach us the language. We could barely understand even what kind of questions she was asking. Unfortunately due to schoolwork I had to leave a little early. Still, it was a fun Nigerian culture experience.

Sterling (16)

Final Friday Night Potulck

Last Friday night we had our final SIM potluck at the Fretheim’s house. The whole experience was quite special because it was the last potluck that we Mitchells and the Taits would be attending. After eating the delicious food that was provided by the different families around Jos we had a short worship time. Being the only drummer around I played bongo for the worship songs while the Sampsons sang and played guitar and keyboard. Then came the farewell testimonies and skits for the Taits. We have not known them for long but we have known them long enough to know that the amazing things people were saying about them were all true. Next came the prayer, we split off into groups of 2-3 to pray for the Taits, us, and other people that needed praying for. After a few minutes of small group prayer we all came together and prayed as a whole. Hearing the things prayed about for us was encouraging and touching. It is extremely encouraging to know that even though we have only been a part of the Jos mission community for a year we have people thinking about us and praying for us. The Friday night potlucks are just one of the things that we will miss most about Nigeria.

Sterling (16)

Final Honor's Recital

Last night was the final honor’s recital at Hillcrest: an evening featuring the jazz music of George Gershwin and others. The event was just as elegant and classy as the first one last semester. Heidi Tolar, the Hillcrest teacher and wife of Coach Jay Tolar, did an outstanding job organizing and decorating for the event. She was also a participant herself, playing several piano pieces very well.

I haven’t said much about my other teaching position. I teach brass players at Hillcrest School on Thursdays. I have prepared and performed pieces a couple of times now with highschoolers, Heather Ardill on trumpet and Jessica Strydhorst on trombone. Once a week, I also teach the middle school trumpet players, and we are working on an ensemble piece for seven players right now. I can hardly wait to perform a Renaissance piece by Gabrielli at the final concert next month!

Never did I think when I was practicing and competing on trumpet in high school that I would be teaching young trumpet players one day in Africa!