The last quarter of school has begun!
From Global Lutheran Outreach missionarie Joshua Wareham (Serving in Jos, Nigeria)
Educating Global Disciples of Christ
The third quarter has ended and the fourth has begun. The year is going by so fast it seems as though I have only been teaching here for few months…well it has been only a few months here in Nigeria, but it does feel like yesterday that I was packing my things not knowing what to expect when I got here. God is great! He brought me here and has carried me through the ups and downs and has seen me through the beginning of this journey here at Hillcrest.
Luna is getting huge and is off the bottle. She now enjoys salads and fruits. Her horns are starting to poke out through her hair.
This last quarter we finished reading the books War Horse, The Giver, and The Diary of Anne Frank. These books were great to teach because the books bring up controversial topics that the students need to critically think about and apply what they have learned to create a dialogue in the classroom from their perspective in Christ’s word. These topics were sometimes tough to discuss, but they are important to have so that they can be effective in sharing Christ’s word in a loving way.
For spring break some of the missionaries in Jos went to a game reserve called Yankari in Bauchi State. It has a beautiful warm spring that constantly flows even in the dry season. It is interesting to see this spring full when a huge river dries up this time of year.
Life Giving Water. John 7:37-39
On our way to Yankari, I saw many interesting things. I saw families of four or five riding on one motorcycle. I saw people sitting in the open trunk of a Honda civic with their feet dangling a few inches from the going 60 mph down the highway. I saw people walking on the side of the road with some sort of good to sell or keep for themselves miles from the nearest civilization. The most interesting thing I saw though on the drive to Yankari was how dry the landscape was. There was not much green to be seen except in some trees. The rivers were nothing but sand and any movement on the ground kicked up a small cloud of dust. It is truly its own sight to see and experience. I could not imagine Yankari would be much different, until I saw it.
This is the warm springs at Yankari.
When we got to Yankari, the first place we went was the spring, and it was a magnificent sight! It shouldn’t be there; but there it was, flowing water emerging from beneath a giant rock, the beginning unknown to us, and the end unseen. The water was a deep blue, teeming with plant and animal life, yet clear enough to see everything in it. It gave the plants in the area sustenance and the animal life around it the thirst quenching satisfaction of water in the driest of times. This spring keeps the life around it alive.
It was an awesome experience to have and see, but after looking at the two photos above one can get a picture of what life is like with and without Christ. In this world we are all wandering down the dry river searching for some water to quench our thirst of meaning and purpose. Sometimes we stumble upon a dirty puddle that we taste and drink. It seems to quench our thirst for a moment, but in the end causes us to be more dehydrated and sick; full of sin. We continue to taste test these dirty waters in life because it always seems good in the moment. It is what we think will quench our thirst for a complete life; and If we continue this in the dry river, we will die. God knew this was our situation. He knows we only want to search the dry river because “we know best”. God sent the Holy Spirit to stop our search in the dry dead rivers of man to guide us to the life giving water of Christ and His word. He wants us to have an abundant life here and be with Him in heaven. He says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink…Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
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