BACKGROUND ON NIGERIA
Nigeria is located on the west side of Africa, about 15 degrees above the equator, right where the hump comes out to the left, on the Gulf of Guinea, across the Atlantic Ocean from America. Nigeria is about the size of three Wisconsins, but with the population of more than 1/2 that of the United States. Since the Sahara Desert takes about the northern 1/3 of the country, that means that there are 150 million people in a space the size of Wisconsin and Minnesota. There are people everywhere we go, many, many people. Most of them are very, very poor. Although there are many churches, of many kinds, there are many thousands of villages where the Gospel of Jesus Christ has never been preached. Both Joshua and I went to minister in villages where no white person has ever ministered.
TRAFFIC
The death and accident rate in Nigeria is reputed as being the worst in the world. One of the reasons is because many of the people believe that if God does not want them to die, then they don’t need to drive safely, fix the brakes or tires, or wear a seat-belt. And if God wants them to die, being careful will make no difference. Many Christians think this way, and, so, are careless.
There are no punishments to enforce pollution laws, so the air is filled with exhaust and factory smoke, the smoke from burning fires and from sand and dust blowing in from the dessert. There are almost NO police or soldiers to enforce traffic laws, so the roads have turned into a madhouse where survival of the bully driver and the loudest horn becomes the law. Car jackings and armed robbery happens too often. Practically every trip to Africa, we have seen dead or dying people along the roads, vehicles on fire or newly overturned. But the road-blocks where soldiers or policemen hold people at gun-point until they pay adequate ransom, this has almost disappeared.
ARMED ROBBER(S)
Did you hear that we became involved with armed robbers on the night bus we rode across the southern part of the country, a distance about like from here to Chicago? There was a bridge out, between Benin and Aba, but the robbers had removed the sign diverting the traffic to the other lane, which drove a line of vehicles into a dead end, we heard the shot that injured the first driver, ahead of us, but we had an armed guard with an assault rifle with us, and I believe that, and God, broke off the attack. We brought the wounded driver of the big truck ahead of us into our bus and were able to make our escape, leaving the large truck to the robbers as booty. The people on our bus, who did not know the Lord, became insane with fear, but those of us on the bus who are on our heavenly Father’s lap, in His arms, and under His feathers, were totally calm in the midst of gun shots and screams. I will say that I was praying God’s judgement upon any one who would try to hurt or harm. A little excitement, but no one on our bus was hurt. The wounded man lay at our feet and Joshua and I alternately laid hands upon him, believing for a total recovery, in spite of the blood. We thank the Lord for His continual protection and provision. Amen.