What a week!

We are back safe and sound as many of you have heard. I thought I would fill in some of the details of our week for you:

On Wednesday, Michael, Emily and I left with our driver and 2 other Nigerian doctors for an ENT conference about 9 hours away. The bad news is that it turned out to be really 12-13 hours away. Ever traveled cross country on a two lane highway with huge potholes, no roadmap, and few road signs? We had some good laughs because we had to stop and ask for directions so many times. By the way, there were no roadmaps because there are none to buy!

The conference was worthwhile for Michael to attend. Several Nigerian residents are now eager to come observe him for a month or so to further their training. Michael is excited about training more doctors to do surgeries that he alone is doing in Nigeria right now.

While in Ife, we got the message that rioting had broken out and that Sterling, along with all the other missionaries, was being evacuated from our compound. There was really not anything we could do so far away, except pray. And that was the very thing to do! That is when we first made our family and friends aware of what was going on. We thank you for your prayers and ask for your continued prayers as things are still not back to normal here in Jos.

We finished out the conference and then Saturday morning headed for home. I am amazed at how the Lord provided in advance for us personally: our Nigerian travel mates went through the 2001 Jos crisis and were a wealth of knowledge and advice to get us home safely reunited with our children. They also had families they had left behind in Jos during the conference and understood our eagerness to be with our family. They very wisely suggested, however, that we delay our return and overnight in Miango (see previous blog for Miango Rest Home.) They even suggested routes that they felt were safer. The Lord knew our need and made provision for it even before the fighting ever broke out. And we just thought we were giving friends a ride!

We are all in our house now. The kids and Michael are even unwinding in front of a movie.

I would have to say the highs of this week so far for me would be: in Ife, seeing unusual lizards and a massive bat population flying around, having a bonding experience with our Nigerian acquaintances who are now friends . . .witnessing our driver Alphonsus eat his first American hamburger at Miango and spending a significant amount of time with him (as he is a newer Christian) . . .seeing God’s faithfulness firsthand in our time of need amidst the rioting . . .reuniting with our kids and having a special time of prayer and worship with all of the other displaced missionaries before heading back home.

One low: realizing that our hotel in Ife that had inconsistent water and electricity was the best hotel in town and the one that all the other conference attendees were trying to switch to! Oh well, we will get a real vacation one day!

LIsa

Jos is calm for now

Lisa, Emily, and I just made the 12 hour trip back from the other side of Nigeria but we were advised to not come into the city just yet. There was shooting this morning, but since then things have been quiet.

The newspaper reports at least 50 people including 2 high ranking generals were killed in Jos yesterday. No white people were reported injured. Sterling had a scare when a crowd of people gathered around the van he was evacuated in and started pounding on the windows. They just sped on. Since then, the kids have been having an extended party with a bunch of other teenagers at a hostel for the boarding students.

We are currently staying at the Miango rest home (see entry in October). It is very peaceful here. We plan on joining the kids and going home tomorrow if all remains calm.

Michael Mitchell, MD

Worried about the birthday boy

We have been in the city of Ile-ife, Oceanic State, Nigeria, 500 kilometers and a 10-12 hour drive away from home in Jos. Lisa, Emily, and I have been attending the annual meeting for all Nigerian ENT surgeons. We just found out about the riots in Jos this morning. Sterling has been evacuated from the hospital compound where we live to a safer compound where Hannah and Camille have already been staying. We hear that one pastor in Jos has been killed and his church burned. The emergency room at Evangel is receiving many injured patients. The missionaries are prepared to evacuate to an outlying city if necessary.

We are choosing to stay here for now, since we would not arrive home until after dark. We will be heading home to join the rest of our family tomorrow.

We pray that peace will prevail and that the violence will subside quickly.

Michael Mitchell, MD

Riots In Jos

Today is my sixteenth birthday and unfortunately we have school off for the day. Election Day was yesterday and the results came out the opposite of what the Muslims wanted. Consequently there is rioting everywhere in the city. My parents and Emily are off at a medical meeting near Lagos so I am staying on the same compound that I usually do but with my friend Jacob Naatz. We went out into the football field in front of our house and we could see large pillars of smoke coming up from fires in various places of the city and all the while gunshots were going off from all around. The fires and gunshots all seem to be a mile or so away but the danger is still there. As my friend Jacob says “Since we don’t have ‘snow days’ here we have to make up for it with ‘riot days’.”

Sterling (16 as of today!!!!)

Final Day of Class

Today I taught my last class for the semester. My students will prepare for their finals next week. I will resume Jan 19th with not one class, but two. I look forward to getting to know a second group of students!

I thought you would enjoy seeing a picture of my students and the classroom. If you click on the picture, it will blow up bigger so you can see more detail.

The student I had asked for prayer concerning, Tikikus, so far has survived the car wreck. Unfortunately, there were some issues going on before the crash that were aggravated. He left the hospital, though not fully recovered. He is missing and his parents are very worried. You can continue to pray for him and his family.

Lisa

A Peaceful Retreat

We had a nice relaxing hike this past Saturday. Our friends, the Taits from New Zealand, took us on an afternoon stroll through the hills and rock formations west of town. It was quite fun and relaxing. We have had quite the week with the senior play, water shortage, Lisa preparing for finals, and Michael preparing for his presentation. It was nice getting out in nature. The wilderness here is a lot like the foothills of the Sierra Nevada of California, though there no wild monkeys in California . It was a needed little break.


We are back to the mayhem. Tomorrow Lisa, Emily, and I leave for the city of Ife, a seven hour drive away. I will be attending a national meeting for Ear, Nose, Throat doctors. It will be quite interesting.
There was no active blasting that day at the gravel quarry, so we were OK.

Michael Mitchell, MD

Hannah Goes to Broadway

Well , … not really. But she has a part in the annual Senior Play at Hillcrest School. What great fun! The entire senior class of 22 students was involved in some way with the production of Neil Simon’s “Fools”. Hannah plays the part of Yenchna the Vendor. The setting is a late 19th century Ukranian village whose citizens have been cursed with stupidity and no love. A fresh young school teacher comes to the village to try and educate the population and break the curse. He subsequently falls in love with the doctor’s daughter. There are many animated characters with a lot of comedy. Hannah’s Yenchna passes off flowers as fish and umbrellas. The part of playing a ditzy lady comes quite naturally to Hannah. She is fabulous. In fact, all of the kids do a great job of acting and delivering the punch lines. It has been a source of entertainment for the entire ex-patriot community here in Jos – even for those who have no children. Last night the house was packed.
I like what Gareth Mort, the director, writes in the printed program, “And the question that may jump out at you from amid the mayhem of this crazy play is: Would I be willing to go to an out-of-the-way village and try to make a difference?”
Michael Mitchell, MD

Hannah, in pink, with her friend Caroline (Mishkin the Mailwoman)