Orchestrated by God

My two main prayer requests were simple . . . that I would gain the images (via photo and video) that would most glorify God, and that I would be guided by His plans instead of my own.

I knew that I would be traveling to Nigeria for the purpose of gaining several different stories (on video) to share with churches back here in the States . . . primarily to gain prayer support for the Christian personnel serving overseas and their ministries among various people groups. But I had made absolutely no progress on one of the stories before I began my travels. My only contacts weren't returning my emails or phone calls, and I was all set to drop that particular video segment. Deciding to wait until I got to the field . . . I put it on the backburner. But the catch was that we desperately wanted to get this footage! You see, our stateside Woman's Missionary Union is having a prayer focus this year specifically on Nigeria. And I have heard such wonderful things about the Nigerian WMU and the many ministries that they're involved in. What an encouragement and a challenge for the women in the States to see what the Nigerian women are accomplishing on a totally different continent! I planned to do anything in my power to get the story. But that was initially my problem. I tried for months to contact the Nigerian WMU. I even emailed and phoned others here in the States and in Nigeria to help me in my quest. Everything failed. Now comes the good part! God was waiting on me to allow Him to work. Yes, He allowed me to be His vessel, but it was by using His power instead of my own.

Let me explain. As I said earlier, I began the trip with no leads. A few days after arriving in Nigeria, I was finally able ~ with the help of some new friends ~ to arrange an interview with the Nigerian WMU President. I (and the group I was with) left the city as scheduled for "the bush." Unfortunately, the WMU president would be arriving in the city the day after we left, but she was willing to meet us in the bush on her way to the city. Whew! Confused yet?
Anyway . . . the appointed time arrived. Minutes passed and then hours. She didn't arrive, and the sun was slowly moving closer to the horizon. Once darkness arrived then all would be lost. There was no electricity, and we were dependent on the sun's light for the images to be clearly seen on video.

As we were waiting, I struck up a conversation with the Nigerian pastor (Joshua) who was assisting us with our various projects while we were traveling through the bush. Because this gentleman was unfamiliar with the reasons for us wanting to cover a story on the Nigerian WMU, I began to explain. Joshua expressed his disappointment with the probability of us losing the interview opportunity. What I said next probably shocked me as much as it did him. Typically (when in the States) I would get totally stressed out and a little upset about things not going according to schedule ~ especially when I was the producer directly responsible for the outcome! Instead I replied with, "You know, I'm not worried at all about her not showing up. I know that people have been praying for me back home, and I just need to trust in God's plans. If she doesn't show up for some reason . . . then that just means that God must have something better in mind. And His purposes are far greater than mine."

Joshua just looked at me (speechless) for a moment, and then he began to tell me how important it was for me to get that particular interview. He proceeded to explain about how much good is accomplished by the Nigerian WMU. In fact, since his father died when he was very young, he and his mother had very little money to spare. When God gave Joshua the desire to become a pastor, he had no way to pay for his seminary education. That's when he encountered the blessings from the WMU. They not only paid for his entire education, but they also provided for his daily transportation. Joshua knows that God is sovereign, and he believes that the WMU was the chosen instrument used to accomplish His purposes. Joshua firmly believes that without the assistance from the Nigerian WMU, he would not be able to serve God in the capacity that he's in today. (And Joshua's doing some incredible work for the Lord all over the country!)

Wow! Talk about a story. I realized right away that as Joshua was talking, I wanted to pull out the camera and capture his passionate words. Hearing women of the WMU state what they do is okay, but hearing a recipient of their ministry efforts tell about how his life was changed is more than I hoped for! (Needless to say, he was willing to tell me everything again on camera, and we were able to tape everything before the sun set! Not to mention that we were also able to get some cover footage over the next several days.) And get this . . . early the next morning as we were preparing to head out to some new villages, the WMU President showed up . . . just as the sun began to rise. She (and her entourage) were traveling the day before and got a flat tire! They had to stop somewhere overnight and then continue their travels the next morning. She didn't expect to actually be able to see us, but she was more than willing to be interviewed anyway.

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but our God is sooo awesome!!! If this lady had arrived on time then I never would have heard Joshua's story. I've been reminded that I need to always be flexible and adaptable. My plans cannot always remain firm, and the Lord's plans are always better. And He used YOUR prayers to illustrate this. Only through your willingness to lift my requests up in prayer was I able to wait on God and gain the images that He desired for me to get. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! :-)

The Bush

I know, I know . . . it's been way too long since I've updated y'all on my Nigeria trip. Suffice it to say that I'm back safe and sound, but I've been running around "like a chicken with my head cut off" trying to get everything accomplished now that I'm back in country.

I've had many people lately ask me about "the bush" in Nigeria. What is "the bush?" Well . . . it's exactly what it sounds like:


You know, when I think of Africa . . . I often think of the many wild animals that roam the land. Hmmm . . . maybe other parts of the continent, but definitely not in West Africa. There's very little water, and unfortunately most of the animals have either migrated or been served up for dinner. (We often saw people hunting for rats or other small animals that are still around . . . in the hopes of finding their next meal.)

One thing that definitely still stands out in my mind is the attitudes of the people. In spite of the lack of food and water or the dry, hot, dusty climate . . . they were so happy with their lives and content with their lifestyles. Everyone we encountered greeted us eagerly and with a smile. I've heard so much about the danger and the crime, but God must have really protected us as we traveled, because we really didn't experience that side of Nigeria. Quite the opposite in fact, and I would readily return -- in a heartbeat!