Tim's Daily Nigerian Times (Day 9)

March 1, 2008 – Day 9

We were all looking forward to a well deserved weekend away from the hospital. Again we started the day with a French toast breakfast with warm syrup. Kingsford (Bill’s driver), came by to pick us up for a day of local shopping.

We dropped into an art shop and some fabric shops prior to lunch. Kingsford was a masterful shopper providing us with much needed savings. The shop owners didn’t have a chance when he started in with his strong-armed negotiation tactics. They have the brightest fabrics with the most vibrant colours here. All the local women wear them fabulously. After spending our cash, we managed to save enough for lunch at the Net Café. Not surprisingly, the internet connection was down again and Pauletta’s academic prowess was slowed by the lack of communication. We made a couple of other quick purchases prior to heading back to the guesthouse.

We had to say farewell to our fearless IVU leader Catherine as she had to return to the U.S. Again, Ezekil was kind enough to drive one of us back to Abuja to catch her return flights. And then there were five…

Bill returned to the guesthouse to take us to the local school’s carnival for the elementary students. Hillcrest School has approximately 250 students(K through 12) and the grounds were impressive for such a small number of students. They follow the California curriculum and many of the students (both missionary and local) carry on to college – either Nigerian, American or European. This private school certainly provides a good education and multicultural experience for all who attend. The carnival, put on by the high schoolers, seemed to hit the mark with all.

We then returned to Bill’s house (on the Evangel Hospital grounds) for another meal. We were very happy to spend the afternoon and evening meal with his 4 kids and his wife Dorothy. After some chili, we had a pleasant conversation with the 2 of them. Bill had told us a little of his surgical experience, but we were all impressed by Dorothy’s good work. There isn’t room here to explain all of her exploits, but her most recent projects - Seeds of Life(to feed the widows and orphans) and recycling wedding dresses(including hers) to give the widows a chance to get back on their feet are worth mentioning. After a fascinating and insightful evening with Jos’ “power couple”J, Bill was kind enough to return us back to the guesthouse.
Tim’s Lesson of the Day:
“It’s true that one person can change the world”

Tim “Blogman” Davies


~Catherine deVries