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BLAST OFF
We are about to blast off again
for Nigeria. Our departure date for another four year term is
August 2. We will be flying from Baltimore to London and then
on down to Kano, Nigeria. We will stay overnight in Kano at
the ECWA guesthouse and then drive down to Jos the following
day over a "hard" 4 ½ hour road.
What does it take
?
So, what does it take to get there from here? Well, we
are now in the "buying" mode - getting what we think we
will need for the next four years in terms of personal
toiletries, clothes, games, books, medical equipment, and so
on. It takes a lot of forethought but our experience in
Nigeria and Liberia has helped.
In June we move into the
"packing" mode and begin to pack the boxes we will take
as excess baggage. We cannot ship our personal goods so take
everything with us on the plane. This is expensive but at
least we know it will get there.
July means returning the
many things loaned to us and packing the personal items we
will keep here in storage. We will need to have our address
changes sent, bank and financial arrangements in place, and
say the painful good-byes to friends and family. Bill's
parents will come to Maryland for a week in July to help us
take care of the girls and mediate the "packing
wars!"
Support
Bill will work at the Baltimore
VA Hospital until the last week in July. In August when we
arrive, we will be back on full support with SIM. Support we
have received this year has been applied toward our medical
and travel expenses and been instrumental in helping us
purchase the clothes and supplies we need to return. Thanks to
all who have so faithfully supported us. Please let us know if
you would like to be a part of our support team and we will
send you more information.
Language study
Upon our return, we will
begin a 5-6 month Hausa language study program. Although we
learned the basic Hausa greetings, we will be more effective
in our ministries when we have a better command of the
language. We appreciate your prayers as we tackle this tedious
but important task.
Family
Marie has started reading and is
excited about starting first grade at Hillcrest School when we
get back to Jos. Dorothy will teach them Kindergarten in
Jos.
SIM-ECWA
The
relationship between SIM and
the ECWA church has been evolving and
changing. This year has been rocky and there has been serious
tension and misunderstanding on a number of issues. Pray for
healing, resolution and reconciliation in this matter.
Furlough
We thank the Lord for a good
furlough. We have traveled thousands of miles, spoken to
dozens of groups, eaten lots of ice cream and visited most of
the McDonalds on the East Coast of the United States. Thank
you for your encouragement, hospitality and love shown in many
different ways. We look froward to getting back to the work
God has called us to especially with the confidence we are
backed with your prayers and support. Please send us a note
(e-mail is best <ardill@simjos.sim.org>) or come
visit us - we always have a guest bed and can quickly thin
the soup!
In His care,
Bill, Dorothy and Marie Ardill |
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