Day 73: This Is It. The Place Where It Will All Begin.

I love having a day to sleep in, but it seems that every week I wake up the same time on Saturday that I would have on Tuesday or Thursday. This particular time I woke up to Dr. Chris’ voice at the front door telling Biana some story with the word “arrested” and “bail”. I heard a bit of scurrying around and both voices left after a couple of minutes. Obviously it was going to be impossible to fall back asleep so I decided to make myself useful and used up the rest of my pancake mix for Adrie and myself. We had a good breakfast while we talked about our families at the table and tried to figure out what was going on at the Clinic. With no power and no desire to turn on the generator I spent the next couple of hours doing one of my final loads of laundry, cleaning my room, and figuring out what is going home with me. It was very relaxing.

 

            Biana came back just before lunchtime and filled us in on what had happened. Apparently a couple of people broke into Faith Alive last night by cutting away one of the steel bars on the back windows and shimmying inside. They went upstairs and broke into Joshua’s office where they stole three laptops, a digital camera, and some other tech equipment and came down through the ceiling into the accounting office where they took another laptop, checkbooks, and important financial documentation. Some other locks around the Clinic had been tampered with but unsuccessfully mastered. Thankfully they did not make it into the pharmacy where all the ARV drugs are stored (the most common thing stolen in health clinics. They can be sold for high prices to people who desperately need them.) and did not make it out with the cable modem from Joshua’s office. Biana believes it is someone who knows the Clinic layout fairly well since they knew exactly where to go to get the most valuable items. Other offices and store-rooms were untouched. The police also clued into that but unfortunately thought the two most suspicious subjects were the security guards on duty. Dr. Chris spent the morning bailing them out. I don’t know how much damage was done overall, but I do know that this will be an interesting last week of my trip. They are going to be making some drastic changes in regards to visitors, supply storage, and security issues.

 

            We got another knock at the door only this time it was Doris and Morning Star to brighten our mood! All the white women took turns holding the baby and talking to Doris. They are such precious people, I love it when they come over. Biana taught Morning Star how to click his tongue and he spent most of the time smiling and baby-babbling rather than fussing or eating. Pastor Ben came a little while later and thanked Adrie and I for our time here in Jos. It was really special to hear what he had to say about what we have meant to his personal family along with the Faith Alive family.

 

            After Ben and I had our talk last week we have been trying to find a time to get out to the mountainside that he prays on. So he hired a taxi and we all piled in for a ride to the outskirts of Jos. The driver pulled in to a large grassy field and we all got out to trek up to a large pile of rocks. (I cannot describe how good to felt to walk through grass, stickers, and weeds again. With the added bonus of climbing some massive rocks I felt like I was at home!) We made our way up to the top of the boulders and looked at our surroundings. It was one of the most beautiful places I have been. The big grey rocks sit in the middle of some beautiful amber fields with hardly a building in sight. A small house with a cornfield sat to one side and a few other buildings were off in the distance. A panoramic view of larger mountains are the distant backdrop wherever you turn. What really caught my eye though was the tree. I climbed down the rocks and walked through the tall itchy grass a way to sit on a large flat slab further away to get a better view. It is the most perfect tree I have ever seen; an umbrella of leaves, an L-shaped branch connected to the trunk, and an ample amount of shade. As I sat there looking the wind picked up and blew across my face and hair, making my skirt ripple to the side. Emotion welled up inside of me and I started to cry. Not because of anything sad, but because I know this is the place. Pastor Ben and I both know. Someday there will be a retreat center there and I have to believe the two of us are going to be a part in getting that done.

 

            After sitting and thinking and talking to God for some time I picked myself up and headed back up to the top of the rocks. Ben grabbed my hand and we walked for a bit before coming back together to pray and take a final look for a while. I know I’ll be back to that overlooked field. It has huge plans ahead of it.

 

            Returning home we were all very tired. Morning Star finally fell asleep so Ben’s family went back to their flat while we got ready for dinner. We ate and talked, one of our last meals together for a while, and headed upstairs. The colder weather has FINALLY set in so I decided to heat water for a bucket bath (rather than my normal mountain lake temperature) and got nice and clean. When I got out Naomi had shown up so we spent another good time in our living room with friends. She has some great stories about taking care of Dr. Chris’s kids and is always up for sharing funny moments in her life. I really hope she ends up coming to the States for grad school...

 

            I am now content with my typing, freshly bathed, utterly exhausted, and full of joy.

 

            I love this place.