Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria (part 2)

On Sunday morning I waited for my ride to the Anglo-Jos church of Christ.  The school arranged for me to worship with them and preach that morning. The person who was supposed to pick me up did not come.  Solomon Agu, the director of the school came to check on some others Sunday morning and offered to take me to Anglo-Jos.  He introduced me to some of the members, made arrangements for my ride back to the school, and he left to worship with the Ring Road church where he serves as an elder.

The Anglo-Jos church meets in a house owned by one of the brethren.  The meeting house is a small wooden one-room building about the size of our Annex kitchen without the cabinet storage, sinks, and closet.  All the people present that morning could not get in the building so they stood by a window and listened.

Following services the men wanted to meet with me for a few minutes.  I was given a drink called a Malta and some vanilla wafers.  The Malta is a vitamin enriched drink made from malt and molasses which the Nigerians enjoy cold on a hot day (which is about every day).  While I drank the Malta and ate the wafers we “talked.”  The discussion was about their need for a building. They truly need a bigger meeting place for they are already bigger than the building’s capacity.  People will not stand outside in the rains that come in the rainy season.

The men told me they own property for a building a few miles away from the present site.  After our meeting they took me (by Volkswagen Beatle) put to view the property.  It is in a good location with enough room for a suitable building and room to grow.  A building with seating for 100 people will cost about $3000.00. I took a picture of the men and the property and prepared to go back to the school for lunch.

Before taking me back they wanted to stop for five minutes and talk with the wife of a member who lives a few doors down from the property.  Our five minutes lasted forty-five minutes.  We discussed the nature of the church, the fact Jesus built only one, how the New Testament describes the worship that pleases God, etc.  She assured us she will be worshiping with her husband at Anglo-Jos.  Before we could leave she wanted to give us a drink.  This meant she went down the road to a store to buy them.  After she returned we all had a Coke and talked for a  few minutes about her family.  When I finally arrived back at the school everyone else had left for lunch at some restaurant.

After several stops trying to find the group, they decided to take me back to the Bishop’s Quarters.  We arrived right behind the other Americans who were well fed. Fortunately for me someone thought to get me a dinner to go, rice and chicken in a hot sauce (curry maybe?).  It tasted good, and it felt very good to finally be free from the front seat of that Beatle.

—Denny