R & B's Happenings

Where we've been and what we are doing.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Returning to Nigeria after 36 years!!

We were excited. After 36 years, we were returning to the area in Nigeria where we had startedout as missionaries in our early married life. As we travelled from Jos toward our first destination, Mkar, we were amazed by the changes that had occurred since we left. The winding laterite road that we once travelled between Jos and Mkar had been improved and straightened into a presentable (but dangerous) two lane highway.

Highway from Jos to Makurdi

As we travelled, we recalled the washboard roads, rainy season mud holes and sharp curves on the escarpment. All were gone. We did, however, observe how the population had increased. Areas along the road that used to have few people were much more crowded with farms, towns and even a couple of large cities. In the past, we seldom encountered cars and lorries. Now, large semi trucks and trailers seemed to be everywhere.

Our home (a.k.a. Mkar University Guesthouse)

We had come to Nigeria to lead a library seminar for the administrators and librarians of CRWM’s partner church seminaries, universities and Bible College, and other evangelical missions, to help them develop modern 21st century library/information centers. In order to make sure that we had a realistic understanding of the current status of their libraries, we spent almost two weeks “down bush” beforehand finding out about their specific library situations and problems.

Reformed Theological Seminary Library

In the 1960’s and early ‘70’s we had worked for eight years at Mkar Teachers College which is now the University of Mkar.

University of Mkar (formerly Mkar Teachers College)

As we approached Mkar, our curiosity became even greater as we thought about the eight years we had spent there. What was the new university like? What changes had been made on the campus? Were the privet hedges I so carefully planted around the campus still there? What about the rock lined pathways I had so carefully laid out? Did they still exist?

How about our home? Although we had heard before we arrived that the house we had lived in for eight years was being used as the University’s guesthouse, we wondered if it had deteriorated, as is true for many tropical buildings that are not maintained. It was in remarkably good shape in comparison to the other mission staff housing of years ago. We felt like we had returned home! And we did, in a sense. It was great to sit in our “own” living room, eat in our “own” dining room and sit on our “own” verandah again.

After spending a couple of days at the University of Mkar, we began a tour of the other CRWM partner church institutions of higher learning: The Reformed Theological Seminary, Reformed Bible College—Harga, Veenstra Theological Seminary-Lupwe, Veenstra Theological Seminary—Donga, and Wukari Jubilee University. The Vander Steen’s travelled with us, and we had an enjoyable time together. We were warmly welcomed every where we went.


Consulting with the RBC-Harga faculty in their new library building

During our thirteen day tour, the only other white people we saw were three of our mission personnel who were making a car exchange with us. This entire area, which once had more than thirty mission families, as well as other expatriate NGO and government folk, now seldom has any white visitors. Times have really changed.

While at Veenstra—Lupwe, an older Nigerian man was present as I was looking at their new library building. After a short time he said to me, “Do you recognize me? I was once one of your students at Mkar Teachers College.” He had retired from government service, and now was volunteering at the seminary. He made sure that I knew he still knew all my teaching mannerisms. Yes, he did look old, and it made me wonder about myself!

Surprise greeting from one of my former students of 40 years ago

Later on I met another former student who had been in my African history class more than forty years ago. He gave me a copy of an excellent book he had written on the history of the small ethnic group to which he belonged. It was not an easy task to research and write the book since very little of the group’s history had ever been recorded. I was impressed by his scholarship and once again felt good that perhaps I had been a bit of an influence way back then.

After we returned to Jos, we went to work on the Library Seminar. We were pleased that thirty-nine administrators and librarians were present. All seven of CRWM’s partner church libraries were there along with several other evangelical mission libraries. In addition, several participants represented government colleges and universities. In the seminar, administrators and their librarians worked together to make real progress in developing 21st century library/information centers in their institutions.


Library Seminar Participants

They began to more fully understand the necessity of having excellent information age library/information centers to support and enhance the education provided by their institutions. Perhaps, even more importantly, several attendees set up an informal networking arrangement to share and help each other, and discussed the possibility of establishing a Nigerian Christian Library Association.

Our trip had all the elements of an unforgettable mission adventure: returning to the area of our mission work in our early married life, feeling the warmth of the hospitality we received at all the partner mission seminaries we visited, having a successful library seminar, meeting former students who continue to have a heart for serving God, seeing how the humble teachers college where we had once worked is now a formidable university, witnessing the growth and maturity of our church partners, and observing the dedication of its pastors and seminary faculties gave us a clear understanding that the work we had done some forty years ago had been worthwhile.

2 Comments:

At 7:24 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks alot for the great post
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At 10:56 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Enjoyed this. Gbenda la doo!
Thanks for the pictures. Ken Baker. Harga resident between 62 and 82.

 

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