Paroikos

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Even though I am headed back to India tomorrow morning and not back to the US, it certainly feels like I am almost done with this particular segment of wanderings. It’s hard not to be a little excited to head back to a place where at least I have my own bed, however it also feels like we only just got started with the pastors in Togo. Having spent a week teaching, basically, “What is the Bible?” and the difference between the law and gospel, I won’t see these men again for over a year. Good thing Kossi is around in the meantime. (more…)

Saturday, August 28, 2010

The ministry is of course at all times and in all places difficult. It is hardly fair to say it is more difficult to be a missionary than say to deal with a married couple who simply don’t want to hear what you have to say to them. Different aspect of the ministry are simply difficult in different ways. Throughout this last week just as an example I have been attempting to teach in Togo. The people are not very well educated. They have difficulty with abstract thought. And most problematic of all I have to try to teach through a translator whose grasp of English is very limited. By no means am I a blaming Pastor Kossi, he knows far more English than I know French and works hard to learn more. But just as an example, I recently asked which of the four gospels was NOT written by the apostles? After ten minutes of getting strange looks and bizarre answers, I finally realized Pastor Kossi hadn’t heard the “apostles” part of the question correctly. Another time I spent a whole class, two hours, teaching just the starting basic idea of the difference between revealed knowledge and natural knowledge, after the class was all over I asked if there were any questions. One man raised his hand and asked, “What topic are we studying today?” But the Lord of course has a way of reminding us not only that there is hope, but Who is really the one doing the teaching. (more…)

August 25th 2010

Today I made it to Togo. What’s in Togo? Great food, French culture, and of course Pastor Kossi. I turned on the TV hoping, without much hope, to find English news. What I found instead: a small fat cartoon style drawn rapper singing about being fat, French soap operas, and Lizzie McGuire in French, jackpot. Good thing I didn’t come all this way to watch TV.

Tomorrow we begin a week of bible instruction with a few of the men from Pastor Kossi’s congregation that he is training to help him in the ministry. On Sunday Pastor Gideon will be coming from Accra Ghana to join us for the last half of the classes. It’s unfortunate he cannot be here the whole time, but he needs to work. We are going to be starting from the basics here with natural versus revealed knowledge, old testament versus the new, and or course law versus gospel.

I think I already mentioned once that I got in to a discussion last year with a couple people over what indicates human advancement. In other words when is it fair to say of a social community no matter how large or small, they are advanced, developed, modern, fresh etc. I have decided there is one simple test: Are the people willing, able and automatically conditioned to with patience QUEUE, ie stand in line. Some might argue this is a cultural phenomenon vacillating on the basis of historical and natural conditions. But then again there are people who are always turning lights off, even when it is dark out. Someday the world will learn it is good and enlightened to queue, AND it is good healthy and enlightened to have as much light as is reasonably possible. (more…)

Friday August 20th

One week after the burial of Pastor E. E. Essien.

Most of our mission trips are hectic things filled with preaching and teaching and traveling. When I visit the NCLC things are a bit different. In the NCLC since it has the Bible Institute where Patrick Udo and Edwin teach, preaching and teaching are not the focus of the trip though they are certainly an important secondary. Also since the NCLC is for the most part concentrated in the areas around Efa, there is not as much traveling either. Hence I can usually relax a bit, since I don’t have to repack my bag and climb up a mountain every day, and spend the time visiting with the pastors who often come to the house. Further down you’ll find a short update on how some of them are doing for any of you who have gotten to know them over the years. (more…)

The following as an excerpt from a letter written by Mrs. Edung E. Essien the wife of the late Rev. E. E. Essien, in which she describes the passing of her late husband.

When in April this year, he became weak and could no longer eat well, I tried getting him to eat, and he was not concerned about himself but rather kept telling me “I fell pity for you”. He sent for all the children, blessed everyone and gave every single child his/her role to play in the family. He elected the next head of the family, the secretary, the treasurer, and placed everyone in his/her right position. He told us that there are two songs that we must never fail to sing daily. The two songs are: (more…)

December 7, 1912 – June 7, 2010

The most Rev. Effiong Ekong Essien widely known as Rev. E. E. Essien was born on 7th December, 1912 to Mr. Ekong Essien Umana Akpan Ekpab of Ufok Nnung Ekpab, Ikot Mbiet and Mrs. Mary Udo Ekpo ( nee Adiang ) of Ufok Nnung Iboko Obio Udok, Ikot Udo Ese families respectively both of Anyam Efa, Efa, Etinan Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

At age 2, he lost his father mysteriously and was wholly looked after by Mary, his mother, who was quite an industrious and vibrant woman. Mary re-married and bore Papa’s younger brother, Pastor Eakin Robert Udo who died in 2008.

Papa relayed his experience that he was in the farm on one Sunday morning, and decided to take a rest after gathering the cassava tubers harvested by his mother, planted himself in-between the huge elephant grasses and was carried away as he moved gently and swinging to the melodious singing of hymns coming out of the Qua Iboe Church Choir. (more…)

Sunday, August 15th 2010

Whatever part of the first week wasn’t spent in getting to Africa was spent in preparations for the funeral of Pastor E E Essien. Funerals are generally a grand affair in Nigeria and many were keen to make sure that Pastor Essien’s was even more so. The “Celebration of Life” took all most all of two days to complete.

We began in the home of Pastor Essien. Here we all took turns coming in to view the body. Speakers with a microphone were set up all over the area surrounding Pastor Essien’s home, and on these speakers was announced whose turn it was, e.g. visitors, friends, close friends, extended relatives, etc. Finally the pastors of the NCLC came last and took his body out to the family where we then lined up and walked across the road to the church. When I say we, I mean it began as we but suddenly skipped to them as I was pulled out of line and told to go ahead and be inside the church waiting to receive the body when it arrived. (more…)

Tuesday, August 10

I arrived in Lagos and was heading out to the local hotel. As per normal about four or five people tried to help me carry my luggage, find a taxi, load the taxi, open the door, use the seat, close the window, etc. I knew I still had a few Naira ( Nigerian money ) in my wallet from last time I was in Africa so I thought that I would use that to give to the one man who actually did help a little. It didn’t look like much so I just handed him all of it and got in the car. When I got to the hotel later I looked in my wallet again, only to find the Naira was still there but the Nepali Rupees were gone. I’m a little curious what he did with it.

Other than that I have arrived in Lagos Nigeria without incident. And am Looking forward to getting to work.

I was expecting the weather to be very hot in August, since I am usually here in January or November and it is hot enough then. Nigeria surprised me and is actually much cooler, due to the fact that it is the rainy season.

-Matthew

After a few weeks back home, I’m stopping in Africa for a little over three weeks before returning to India.

Harvey

Week One – Funeral

Pastor E E Essien, who served for many years as the president of the NCLC, was recently taken home. His funeral is on the 14th of August and most of my first week in Africa will probably be occupied with preparation for his memorial service.

Week Two – NCLC

After E E Essien’s service, I’ll spend a week visiting the pastors of the NCLC with the new president Pastor Patrick Udo

Week Three – Ghana/ Togo

A quick stop in Ghana to pick up pastor Gideon and say hello to the members there, then on to Togo where we are planning on having daily pastoral classes for about a week, with those men training for the ministry under pastor Kossi Blewu.