Refugees waiting for the storm clouds to subside

The storm clouds are churning in Jos. We hope it is only a threat. Currently there is a curfew from 6:00 pm until 8:00 am. That has slowed things down at the hospital. There were no new admissions to report on Thursday morning and only one on Friday. No trauma. Still the rumors have been churning and there has been concern for renewed violence in the streets. The injured in our hospital wards have all been Nigerian young males. We have heard no reports of attacks on white people nor have they been a target to date.

As a precaution, we, as well as many other families, have left Jos and are currently staying at the Miango Rest Home, a Christian retreat center 50 kilometers outside of Jos. On Thursday morning we retreated to this peaceful place. The kids are having a great time hanging out with friends.

Today, Lisa and I led a pack of 25 teens and young adults on a 2.5 hour hike. We trekked through little subsistence farms, unaccessable by vehicle, where strong young men were tilling the soil by hand. Small crops of cabbage, pepper, and tomatoes were growing. The snake of pale skinned explorers wound its way through rock and field to a jutting boulder formation overlooking the valley. Young raggedly clad children were waving at us from a distance. Some in our group were shouting in Hausa the long greetings customary for Nigerians, "How was your night? How is your tiredness? How is work? How is your family? How is your home?" The Nigerian children were excited to see the gathering of so many white people in the fields where they work. We are told that they find it somewhat comical, since the idea of hiking for fun is so foreign to them. Earlier in the week, we took a Nigerian surgeon with us on top of the volcano (see pictures from Oct blog). The 45 year old surgeon said he had never been on a hike nor had he ever bothered to climb a hill just for the view. He was exhilerated and vowed to come back with his children.

Our stay here has been peaceful and we are feeling rested, as much as we would rather be home and back working as was our intent in coming to Africa. Clearly, we are not in control.

The rumors continue. Still it is not safe to return. Sallah is the Muslim holiday to be celebrated tomorrow and Monday. The celebration involves large prayer meetings. We hope that temperence will be observed by both Muslim and Christian extremists. Once, the holiday is over, we suspect we will be able to return home. Meanwhile we continue to pray and play while the storm clouds threaten destruction 50 kilometers away.

Michael Mitchell, MD