ABA, NIGERIA Thursday, November 13 1:30 a.m.
By Marti Schneider, on location

What words could describe this day?

Busy (What an understatement!)
Problems, solutions, miracles (Exciting!)
Unbelievable rain (It is supposed to be the dry season.)

This morning we met for orientation with the guest speakers and many of
the local team members of the outlying evangelistic sites. Everyone has
questions about dress, sermons, equipment, translating, site
preparation, and just plain living (Where can we buy an umbrella? Is
there a supermarket?)

Although a team has come from Lagos to prepare the meals for the team,
we are having difficulty deciding where the meals will be served. They
prepare the food near the conference office, but our meetings are at the
hotel some distance away. Getting the entire team across town is a
problem, especially when the vehicles don't come to pick us up on time,
or they drop us and go away again. Time is precious!

We are discovering that even though English is known here in Nigeria,
while we speak the same words, we pronounce them so differently that we
may as well be speaking a different language. We understand some of the
problems faced at the Tower of Babel. We have to be persistent until we
know communication has actually taken place . . . and then we get some
good laughs at ourselves and lack of understanding. It took me four
tries to understand the simple name, Grace.

There are a number of key players here in the preparation work — Bob
Folkenberg is the director of Global Evangelism's Nigerian Evangelistic
Meeting known as “Visions of Victory.” He is presenting the
orientation to the speakers. Then there are a number of talented
individuals, deputies, who carry various responsibilities — Benny
Moore, Wes Oleford, and David Dobias. Kandus Thorp is here representing
Adventist Television Network. She is making sure that the work is
progressing at the stadium, equipment is working for the uplink,
translation is set, and even that the stadium is ready.

One problem she has been struggling with was the moving of a huge bank
of lights that were waiting to be installed at the stadium by the
government. One set of lights had already been planted. The other huge
pole topped with lights was lying on the track right in the space where
the stage was to be set up. For days the local ministers had been trying
to get it moved. One crane had broken down in the process. Kandus jumped
into the fray, contacted the stadium management, the crane company.
Finally, Dr. Frank, an influential Nigerian layman who has come to Aba
just to offer any help that is needed, went to the crane company. "No,
there is no one to operate the crane," they said. He went to find an
operator. Finally, Dr. Frank had to sign a statement that if something
happened to the crane operator, who was not experienced on that
particular crane, he (Dr. Frank) would completely finance the college
education of all of the man's children. Kandus, who was present, said,
"The crane began to creep its way down the busy streets." She determined
that she would not leave the sight of that crane but that they would
convoy all the way to the stadium. Don and I arrived just as the bank of
lights was being moved the last few meters. Persistence, faith that God
would protect, willingness to put himself on the line for God's work,
and God's mighty power working among men . . . it's worth being in
Nigeria just to experience this.

And yes, even though the conference president had declared that there
would be no rain during this time of year, the rains pounded the
pavement about 12:30 pm while we were in meeting . . . a reminder that
it could rain just like that on Friday evening or Sabbath morning! It
has, in fact, rained every day so far . . . and Anita Folkenberg said
that six days of rain had been predicted on the Internet. We are
praying for another miracle, for dry weather, since every meeting is
being conducted outside.

Don and I didn't go to the conference office for supper tonight. We
need some quiet time to study. Although our "grocery" suitcase has been
found and is on its way, it has not yet arrived . . . and we've not been
able to find a supermarket. We went to the restaurant here at the hotel
. . . a simple room, waiters who don't speak English very well, and not
a lot of selection for vegetarians. But it was quiet. There were no
other patrons. We asked for two pieces of toast with marmelade for each
of us, and reveled in the solitude. Don had gone to the nearby bar to
get us a Fanta (orange pop) when one of the servers said, "You're Don
Schneider, aren't you?" And one of the waiters in the restaurant, a
pretty young lady, came over to tell us that she had seen us on TV last
evening. She hopes she can come to the stadium.

While we were at the stadium late this afternoon, Don and I got to
playing and laughing with some youngsters. He said, Help me say "Happy
Birthday, Bob!" So they practiced it a couple of times very quietly,
then he called Folkenberg's attention. And all the young men and boys,
which had suddenly grown to a sizeable group, shouted out, "Happy
birthday, Bob!" They were delighted with his response and very proud of
themselves. Before I knew it I was completely surrounded by these kids
. . . 10- to 16-year-olds. One young man was saying, as earnestly as he
could muster, that he wanted to know about the Bible and Jesus. Some of
the others started laughing, and he shut them up with a sharp word. I
told him to come to the stadium at night and Don would share the story
of his father's changed life that brought happiness to their entire
family. He said, I want to be here. The press of kids was getting
pretty tight, when Nigerian Union President Joseph Ola called me to come
to talk to him and the kids made a path for me to get out. Brother Ola
was concerned for my security. But being with the people is the most
exciting part of being here! They are so open and friendly. I wish for
you all the same opportunity we are enjoying.

It's long past bedtime . . . and a new morning is coming.

Good night,

Marti