Dear friends and family,
I like the greeting that Paul gave to the brethren in Thessalonica. “ We give thanks to God always, for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of our God and father.” I Thess 1:2,3. In the context of our lives together, it bears repeating. We pray thanking God for you as you continue to work for the Lord grounded in faith, hope and love. May He keep us united in zeal for Him.
We give thanks to God for the safe passage of time as we close November, and look forward to the end of another busy year. We recognize each day as a precious gift and ask God for His grace to use it wisely for His purposes. I often feel frustrated at my lack of will and achievement, but strive to press forward to do more. May He continue to revive us.
I was honored by family and friends as we marked my 70th birthday on the 15th of the month. I told all of them not to spend money on me, as times are hard. But as they did for Nkiru, they did for me, spending money to make a cake, have a birthday breakfast of eggs, baked beans, and a rare treat of bacon, etc. Mostly family members came for the morning celebration. The children trickishly turned around on their way to school and came back to surprise me. I protested at money spent unnecessarily, but I was also glad that I have folks that genuinely love me and wanted to honor me in this way.
Of my 70 years here on earth, I have spent 36 of them in West Africa. It would be a very long letter if I were to tell how those years passed. I can tell you it was not in my plan, if I ever had a plan, to spend all these years here. Yet I believe that God had a purpose for bringing me here to Africa, first with my parents, and later with my own family. He has always brought people into our lives that seemed forgotten by others, and He has used us to save the physical and spiritual lives of others. Even if it is only one soul saved, it must surely be worth all the effort that it has taken to keep being here trying to serve others.
I recognize that the power is not from me. By my own, I should have died or left long ago. Been shot at, robbed at gunpoint, traveled countless miles on treacherous roads, so sick with malaria and typhoid, etc. that death seemed a welcome release, homesick and lonely in the midst of crowds, never really feeling that I belonged anywhere I went, and if I said any more you would think I am a professional whiner just like the Israelites. But a birthday gives us the chance to reflect a little on the roads we’ve traveled and give God His proper praise and thanks for what He has done for me. Not just me. All of us. I am still drawing breath this side of 70 because the Lord enabled it to be so. And I pray He will continue to find me faithful and useful. There is still so much to do.
Why am I still here? Maybe the story of Miracle and her baby can serve as a marker. Miracle, who is a single teenage mother, was standing on the roadside recently looking forlorn. My brother in law Ike stopped to show concern, and having heard her story, called Nkiru my wife and his sister. So Miracle came into our circle of influence. She was at a good boarding school in Lagos as a 9 year old when she got the news that both of her parents died in a car accident. The comfortable life she once had was gone in a minute, and so began a long history of exploitation and sexual abuse. She was locked out of her room the day she was brought to us, by the daughter of an older man who maintained her in exchange for the use of her body. She is a severe asthmatic, having almost died already in our presence. The minister Br. Ekpo and his family have been kind enough to house her temporarily until some other arrangement can be made. She is an intelligent young lady, and wants a better life than the short shift she has been dealt. She is attending one of the three skill centers we now have in place, with hopes she can be able to support herself and her child without having to be beholden to some man who just wants to use her. The best of all is her decision to submit her life to Christ, to have her sins washed away in the watery grave of baptism, cleansed by the Blood of Jesus, and committed to living a new life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Will she make it? The odds are stacked against her. But the miracle working God who led His children through the Wilderness is the same God we serve today. He knows how and why Miracle was brought to us. He knows the people He will continue to use to help nurture and strengthen her. It’s all in His Hands and plan. We are all just willing tools for the Purposes of the One who created and sustains the universe. Pray for her and the many like that surround us daily.
We hope you had a good Thanksgiving period. We did. My late wife was determined that we hold on to some of the memories of the past by making new ones. Each year gives us the chance to tell the story of the origins of this uniquely American holiday, and the reminder of how much we have to be grateful for. To me the best part of such gatherings is time spent together in the kitchen, and it took two hard days of extra work to make it happen. Extra funds were sent to cook the meal. We had over 40 gallons of soup that included 25 lbs of hamburger meat and lots and lots of vegetables. This was joined by lots and lots of cornbread, 45 lbs of bbq chicken, 300 hot dogs, lots of peanut butter sandwiches plus an equal number of tuna salad sandwiches. My sister in law gave us the biggest turkey I have ever seen and we stuffed it with pineapple instead of dressing. This was washed down by 20 gallons of tea and I can’t remember the rest. Well, except the desserts and one in particular.
There are certain things we don’t normally have, and sometimes other missionaries have a care packet sent and these things get shared around. A missionary family gave us some pecans last year, and we saved them for just this occasion. We had just enough for one pie, which was shared with just a few friends and family members. One of our new friends, a brother just escaping Sierra Leon, was one who of those who enjoyed the pie. Unfortunately he proved to be allergic to this foreign nut. He showed back at our house at 3:30 in the morning with severe symptoms. I thought it was an asthma attack, until he said this had happened once when he ate peanut butter. Nkiru and I launched out before 4 am to find somewhere that could help him. Fortunately he survived, but it was a close call. And believe you me, you do not want to be running around at that time of the morning here in Port Harcourt. So that was the end of the holiday drama. Thank God for granting us mercy and protection.
I don’t want you to think that just our family ate all that food. We had invited another children’s home to join us and at the last moment they couldn’t come. But maybe that was God’s plan. So many church members came, and others unknown to me as well. I just invited a small group, but was overrun by uninvited guests. We scrapped every bowl clean. Once again, God provided just enough and not too much. Just right.
Thanks once again for your kindness and support. You touch lives everyday and you won’t know the extent of your impact until God reveals it to you in heaven. Just know that you make a life and death difference, and not just in the physical realm. May the God of encouragement keep you with the strength of His joy.
Love,
Cliff, Nkiru and family
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