Sunday

Kaduna Conference
We  (along with Pastor Emmanuel and Pastor Bitrus)had a long drive from Jos to Kaduna on Thursday (300 km), most of the road was good pavement but tthere was one section that was rough. We stopped part way to visit with the Pridham sisters who have been ministering for 25 years at the Widow's School. It is very difficult living conditions, as compared to Canada and our prayers are with them. We met the school principal and staff. There are currently about 60 widows at the school but sometimes they have as many as 100. The widows range in age from 16 - 35 and they can spend as much as 3 years at the school learning basic literacy and a domestic skill such as knitting or sewing. These skills can translate into a means of earning some income in the future. The husband of the VP at the widow's school died 3 weeks ago and they are unsure of the families response. It is customary for the grieving family to take the children away from the wife and also to take any property or possessions that the husband may have purchased. Please hold them in prayer.
As we travelled we passed some very rugged terrain but people were still farming in spite of the rocks. Women in particular have a very difficult life, especially in the rural areas. We witnessed a lady carrying a very large container of gravel on her head at a construction site. Many women were searching for sticks and walked miles to find this only to have to walk back to their home or small village with wood for cooking.
The attendance at the Kaduna conference was excellent. Bitrus has hoped to have 30-40 people but in actual fact we had between 75-80. About 1/3 were pastors and another 1/3 church elders. They are desiring to become Peacemaking Churches. The violence in Kaduna finished a few years ago and the people have been living in relative peace.
Kaduna is a city 3 - 4 times larger than Toronto with no high rise buildings, a few 3 story buildings, no public transit, no street lights, no stop signs..........imagine driving in the city. The hotel was adequate but many amenities that we take for granted were lacking. We found the city to be vewry dusty and there was no breeze during our time there. The temperatures were in the mid 40"s . We were given a gift of fresh eggs by an elderly gentleman who had attended the conference. We were humbled by his generousity.

to be continued............