killing chickens, driving motorcycles, & a trip to the east coast..

Since having all of this time of "limbo" with not knowing when I'll be able to go back to Nigeria, I've had some time to think..well a lot of time to think, and I thought it would be fun to make some goals for myself (not completely related to ministry), some fun some not so much, for when I'm back. And I'm purposefully taking the risk that one of you will ask me about them by posting on here. So here goes...

My goal is to:

-kill, pluck, and dismember a chicken. I just feel like I'm not a real missionary/expatriate living in a third world country until this happens. Mind over matter, mind over matter...

EVERY part is used

-be able to cook perfect rice. This shouldn't be that hard. But I suck at it! I can't live in West Africa and not be able to cook rice!

Jollof rice is a very popular spicy dish

-learn how to drive a motorcycle. Not gonna lie, this one totally scares me but it needs to happen! And that doesn't mean I'm intending to drive in the ridiculously horrible African traffic, but if I have to in order to save someone's life or something, I'll know how.

See why I'm hesitant? Safety isn't a huge concern. 

-find someone to help me (more formally) learn Igbo (the language of the area I'll be living in). It sounds easier said than done. I need to find someone who is willing, has the time and patience, is consistent, and can help me learn in the way I need to learn.

-not be intimidated to speak the local language, even when I know I'll get it wrong. One thing I never anticipated was how humiliated and intimidated I would be to use their language. The nationals don't make me feel like that, in fact they are really encouraging and pleased when you try to speak their language, even when you do mess up. I really have no idea why..I guess I'm more self conscious than I thought. Boo.

Igbo is a tonal language with over 20 dialects

-learn the most effective way of washing clothes by hand, getting them clean, without rubbing my hands raw. If you have any useful tips, please let me know.

talk about a workout! 

I'm sure I will add to this list in the near future. Wish me luck! :)

Center for Intercultural Training     

                                              

Through a great opportunity and some fast work, I'm heading to the tiny town of Union Mills, North Carolina  this Saturday. I'll be taking a 2 week long, Second Language Acquisition course. 

Here is the course description:

"This course introduces a wide variety of skills for successful language learning. Participants will learn principles of effective language learning, practice language learning activities, and train the ears to hear and the mouth to reproduce sounds in other languages. They will learn to become pro-active in language learning and acquire resources to help master language learning. Participants will practice language learning methods with native speakers and receive planning guidelines on how best to approach language learning when on the field."

I'm really excited that all the details for this came together so quickly and I'll be able to use some of my extra time here to gain some skills and resources and meet some people that will be serving in places all around the world. And as an added bonus, I found out after registering that a former teacher from Bible school is teaching the Phonetics course as a guest teacher! It will be cool to see her and know someone there. 

I'd appreciate you keeping me in your prayers during my time away. Pray that I would get as much as possible out of the course and that it would be a refreshing and encouraging time away. 

Thank you for your part in my ministry and for letting me be a part of your life!

When is she leaving already!?

I'm laughing at my last post from 2 months ago with the title: "Visa Progress!"

Haha.

Since I'm moving to Africa and have already spent 8 months there, I should expect this kind of...time frame. For lack of a better term. "Hurry up and wait" would accurately describe my last 4 months. *Sigh*

If you read my last email update or talked to me a few weeks ago, you probably know that I was really struggling with what to do about my visa situation. At that time we weren't hearing any encouraging news that  the requirements for my visa were even being worked on at all or would be in the near future or at all. So in my fervent prayer on the issue I decided that I would wait one more week to see if we heard that they were working on my resident visa and if not, I would apply for a tourist visa (not ideal at all but would allow me to be there soon) and in 6-8 months I would be able to apply for a resident visa through APOH.

Such a headache over this little piece of paper!

 During the week's time I prayed that God would make it clear one way or another. Some of you prayed with me and I am so thankful to you. I got my answer just a few days later when we got an email from the president of the organization in charge of my visa stuff saying that he had instructed someone to start working on it right away (never mind the fact that we started this process in November! moving on..). So God answered my prayer: Wait here for your resident visa. Be patient and trust that this isn't a surprise to me and you'll still get there. Make the most of this time!

So, what's a person to do when they already quit their job in anticipation of leaving when they were supposed to?

It's hard to make out but my sweet co-workers did this on a huge window
at the coffee shop with the shape of Africa. They're the best!

Well first off, since I went through a travel agency there is no extra expense for me to change my travel dates. HUGE relief! (www.ministrytravel.com in case you're interested. I've gone through them many times and they are wonderful.)

At the end of January I spent 4 days in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area where I got to see many good friends. One friend even drove up from Austin to meet me there. I stayed with the Starlings where I got to catch up with a few people who share a love for APOH and it was such a fun time of reminiscing, sharing dreams, concerns, ideas, and encouragement. I attempted to help with organizing and packing the many many donations from sweet people in the states to take back to Nigeria.

How do I choose which books to take in my 150 lbs?

The rest of the time I've been intermittently packing, organizing, buying supplies, moving stuff to storage, reading, and  my favorite part, getting to spend quality time with so many friends that I definitely wouldn't have had the time for if I had left on my original date.

God's also been using this time to challenge me in many areas and encourage me in so many ways and through many people. He's used this time to show me that He's taking care of me through a couple difficult things and to increase my financial support. So all in all, although it's hard not to be there already, I can already see how God is using this limbo time for good. And so I wouldn't change it if I could. 

Thank you everyone for your prayers, encouragement, giving, and concerns. It's so felt and appreciated. I'm reminded that we are all a team. A team with the same goal: that the world will know Christ and that He will be glorified. No matter what part we have in that, God is getting the glory and I am just so in awe that He even chooses to use us at all!

*Since I will be here until the visa comes in (3 weeks minimum), I still have time to see you! Let me know if you would like to have dinner, get a coffee, have me babysit, whatever! :)

Visa progress!

I just wanted to quickly let you guys know that there is progress on the Visa front...finally!!

I would go into more detail but I should probably be sensitive to the fact that I'm at the mercy of a certain country's decision if I can live there or not and this is a public blog:) 

So, I'll just say that I'm so relieved that progress is being made!

Apparently I have been approved by the Convention to be "invited" by them and I'm just waiting to hear the rest of the documents and info they need. Today I got a whole bunch of things (certificates and the like) notarized and scanned that we will be sending to them and eventually I'll have to mail in all the actual documents to the embassy. 

Thank you for the prayers and I'd appreciate that you continue to pray that everything will be processed and communicated quickly, especially with the Holidays coming up. 

Thank you so much!

Prayer card rejects

So last week me and my dear friend Lindsey, who is leaving for PNG as a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators next month, decided to have an amateur "photo shoot" to hopefully get some good pictures of each other for our prayer cards.

Let's just say that I am:
a. not photogenic
b. really bad at posing (somehow I can make every picture look like those horrid pictures we had to take in middle school..you know the ones with your arms folded and your back against a prop?), and,
c. not able to take it seriously when people are taking pictures of me

So needless to say, we had a blast. And I thought it would be funny to post some of the rejects (which were many. not due to Lindsey's photography skills but because of the previously mentioned reasons). So here ya go!

           

This one is mostly funny because of our creeper in the background who offered to
take a picture of the both of us right after this...thanks man!

Oh ya, remember when I said I was bad at posing??


I wasn't kidding.

Lindsey is really funny

"I'm moving over there..to Nigeria!"

Well I won't torture you with more (so many more!)

I will just say that I'm thankful for Lindsey's patience and her friendship!

Now Lindsey is most definitely photogenic!:)

Burdened to pray for YOU

I have been convicted for a long time now about my prayer life. I believe in the power of prayer and know that it is a HUGE part of our walk with God yet it has been lacking so much in my life. 

At least the "pray without ceasing" kind. 

For some reason, I have been extremely burdened today to pray for people. Some God has just put on my mind, some I had already promised to be praying for and others have asked me to pray for specific things.

All this to say, if you have anything that I can be praying about (and not just today) I would really love to take it to our Heavenly Father. It can be the smallest thing or something really huge. He cares about them all and no matter what we're praying for or about it is bringing us closer to Him and building our faith. If you would feel more comfortable emailing it to me, please feel free to send it to:

 2.20gal@gmail.com or Brittni.Poore@urmyhope.org

October/November

Greetings!

Hey friends! I want to give an update of these last couple months but also to share little bits of what is going on at APOH with kids and different ministries so you can get more of a whole picture with the ministry and have some specifics to pray for. If you're interested in getting email updates(which is more of a summary than my blog), send me your email address (you can email me at: Brittni.Poore@urmyhope.org). I'll try to be sending out those on a monthly basis.

Medical Missions Conference

Beverly Starling (founder/director with her husband of APOH), Susanna Daves (a long-time friend of the Starlings and recently called to go to Nigeria long-term!) and myself all met up in Louisville, KY for a 3 day conference put on by Global Missions. It was SO good! We got to choose 7 sessions to attend which was extremely difficult because there were so many good ones. We got to attend sessions including but not limited to: Diarrhea (ya, seriously), Nursing and HIV, Communicating with Muslims (which was taught by a Nigerian who receives weekly death threats for teaching the gospel to Muslims), Suturing for non-Surgeons, Infectious Diseases, Trafficking, etc. We also got to be in a discussion group about Community Health Evangelism, hear some great speaking, wonderful praise and worship, meet missionaries, students, and medical professionals from all over the world, and visit a ton of booths that represented everything you could imagine you would need living and ministering in a third world country. 

Besides the conference itself, it was just SOSO good for all 3 of us to be together! Bev had just the day before got back from Nigeria so we had a lot to catch up on as well as it being a time to share ideas, fears, and encouragement with each other. I'm so thankful for the time!

We received free housing from the sweetest, cutest, most in-love elderly couple:) They attend the (massive) church where the conference was held and have been housing missionaries and the like for many years. It's obvious they get a lot of joy from it.

Ministry opportunities abound through APOH!

Although the reason APOH exists is to provide a loving and Godly home for kids who don't have another option, it has become so much more that that. Living life there and taking care of a group of kids that represent different groups and languages doesn't happen without people paying attention and being interested in what you're all about. Building relationships and trust with the community is a given and through that many more opportunities have come up. Just to share a few:

-Joey has given lectures at a nearby University and we have been able to build relationships with the University students. Recently many of them came to APOH. They visited with the kids and the Starlings and brought many gifts with them. There is definitely opportunity for an on-campus student ministry.

-Bev and one of the APOH staff named Okey, were asked to come speak at one of the secondary schools--they were able to talk about God and many other topics in front of 400+ students!

-The Starlings have opened up their home in Nigeria to many different people at different stages in their lives(needing a job, waiting to be excepted into the University, etc.) including several young men who are interested in going to Seminary School.

-Many of the children at APOH come from villages farther north. These villages are much more "in the bush" than where we are and have a different language and culture than our area. The area is very influenced by Islam and Animism and as the children understand more about salvation and what it means to not be a Christian, they are concerned for their people and their need for a Savior. Obviously, we have an "in" with these people because the kids are from there. We plan on visiting around March with a U.S. doctor(most of them have never been to a doctor), supplies to put on a V.B.S. and the older kids. I pray that one day, these people will know the peace and life of putting their faith in Jesus. I'm also praying that the kids that are from these villages will always have a burden in their heart and be able to share the Gospel in a way they will understand.

L'Chaim B'Yeshua
This is the name of the Messianic Jewish congregation I went to this past Friday. I was invited there by a customer-turned-friend who is a member. I got to share about APOH and what I am called to do in Nigeria. It was such a privilege to be able to talk to the sweet people there and I was blessed by their generosity...not to mention a cultural experience!

*TODAY I PURCHASED A ONE-WAY TICKET TO NIGERIA FOR FEBRUARY 11TH! Yay!*

Visa troubles

I am so thankful that I was able to purchase my ticket to go back with the Starlings, however, it's looking very doubtful that I will have my visa by then. I still haven't been able to send everything to Nigeria because I'm still waiting on the Nigerian organization that I'm being "invited" by to let me know what I need. Fru.stra.ting. Although it's not the "end of the world" if I have to postpone my departure date a little (it won't cost much if anything to change the date on my ticket thanks to ministrytravel.com *free advertising*), I would still love to be able to go back with everyone else. And because someone has to pick me up once I get into Lagos, Nigeria(it's still another plane and bus ride away to where we live), it would be a big inconvenience and expense to come back at a different time. And besides all of that, I'm so ready to be there! So it seems agonizing to have to wait even longer. But, God is in control. He's got me this far..a little visa trouble is nbd. :) Would you pray with me that everything would happen smoothly and quickly? 

HUGE answer to prayer!

Many of you have probably "heard" me mention a prayer request that someone would provide a car for me for Dec-Feb. Well, surprise, surprise...He provided a vehicle! I'm so thankful and somehow still in awe at His provision and the generosity of people. I shouldn't be. Thank you everyone who prayed with me about this!

The End!

If you've stuck with me this far, I'm very impressed! Thank you all so much for your part in "my"(Thankfully it's God's, not mine) ministry in Nigeria. Your prayers, emails, words of encouragement, money, questions, love, and support mean more than I could adequately relay. 

love family time on the holidays!

It's October! I absolutely love the fall, but I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. It has also been a little while since an update so here is a little of what I have been up to and where I am with support raising and estimated time of departure...

I did a lot of traveling in the month of September:

Me and a friend drove to Lawrence to see a good friend, help her unpack, and have
an awesome time of encouraging each other.

I got to be a leader on my church's first ever youth trip! We took the kids to a huge junior high conference 

at Ozark Christian College. The kids got to hear speakers talk about relevant issues, have awesome praise and 

worship, learn how to deepen their walk with Christ, and have some crazy play/game time. 

It was a blast getting to know the kids and leaders better and seeing some of the kids really 

consider going to a Christian college after they graduate and get excited about making Godly changes.

         I had the privilege of being in the wedding of some good friends from Bible school. 

       I was with them in Iowa for 4 days and it was such a good time of seeing old friends and 

          meeting new friends as well as helping out. So excited for them as they start their life 
             together after 4+ years of having a long distance relationship(she's from France). 

Also, this happened about 2 hours into my trip to Iowa. I was going 80mph

at the time, when I saw part of the tire fly through the air in my rear view mirror.

It was so. scary. I'm praising God that nothing worse happened and I was back 

on the road a couple hours later with a new tire. Thankfully nothing as 

exciting happened on the way back home!

I can't tell you all of the ways that God has been taking care of me through friends and strangers alike these last few months. Between cheap rent, a free vehicle to use this whole time, and generous giving...I am so not worthy and am so humbled and grateful for all of your support and prayers. 

I have been so challenged by those who are so quick to do what God lays on their hearts and I hope that the same can be said of me. 

 I can tell you that the longer I'm here and am getting more involved in things and getting to know people better, the more difficult it is thinking about leaving, BUT at the same time I am so anxious to be back there and dive into the ministries in Nigeria. I'm glad that my heart can be in more than one place. 

I am currently at 52% of my monthly goal, 71% if I include one-time gifts. I am so grateful! I am so close to my goal and it is only possible because of you and I do not take that for granted. 

Thank you for your part in making an eternal difference! 

So, estimated time of departure? I had originally wanted to be back by the end of this year, but, everything makes more sense to go back in Feb. The Starlings(founders/directors of APOH) will be in the states participating in a missions conference and it makes more sense to return when they do and that will give me more time to raise support. Plus, I can't say I won't be glad to be able to work with the youth group and build more relationships with my church family until then as well as spend the holidays with my family. So, February is going to be perfect! I'm talking to my travel agent right now so hopefully I will be purchasing a ticket soon!

:Prayer, please:

• Relationship building with the kids in the youth group and in my church as a whole
• That I could find a vehicle to use from Dec-Feb
• I'm going to be starting the visa process soon so prayers that it will be approved with no problems
• That my walk with Christ will continue to grow and that my trust in Him won't waver
• That I would be able to raise the rest of my support and raise up some prayer warriors

Please email or message me how I can be praying for you and if I can do anything to help you! I want to be a blessing to you too!