A letter from Miriam Copp

EYN Secondary School
C/O P.O. Box 626
Jos, Plateau State
Nigeria

The first day of June has brought with it plenty of rain, which we have been needing and praying for. So far, the rains here at Kulp Bible College haven't been good enough to get all the planting done. Needless to say, we welcomed the rain today with open arms.

We are a month into the last term of this school year at the EYN Secondary School. This week we are preparing for the entrance examinations coming up this Saturday. The teachers will go out Friday and Saturday to various EYN centers to conduct the examinations consisting of Math, English, and General Knowledge. Then in August, we will go out again to conduct the interviews for those students who passed the exams. Hopefully by September we will have a new incoming J.S.I.(Grade 7) class of about 80 students, putting the total number of students at 279.

The school is growing both in number and in status. I continue to hear praises about EYN's school wherever I go. The other day someone was telling us that a man was willing to pay N100,000 ($1,000) for his child to go to the school and would also kick in N50,000 for the person who saw to it that his child was admitted. Whether this is true, I don't know, but the fact remains that the school is making a name for itself.

A big reason why the school is growing is because it is succeeding in ways some of the government schools are not. The teaching staff here is a dedicated group of individuals who are interested in the success of the school and the church. Many of the teachers left government teaching jobs and higher paying salaries to come teach at the school.

The school still has its troubles, especially since it is only three years old. The big project now is to build and supply a science lab and library, which is needed for our oldest class that is beginning Senior Secondary (grade 10) next year.

I am continuing to enjoy my students and to also learn from them. Before our holiday in April, the students had to pay N20 for an immunization. Since I help with student health, I was assigned to collect the money. A few students didn't have it but promised to bring it next semester. So I agreed but asked them to sign an IOU promising to pay the money back. One of my students said to me, "Miss Mimi, in Africa our word is good enough." Feeling like I betrayed my belief in them, I crumpled up the paper. In May, they came back to school with their N20. Now things don't always work out so nicely. Sometimes money lent is money you will never see again, but in this case, the boys reminded me of the importance of your word and the power it can hold if you keep it.

In January, a group of people came from the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, and Nigeria to participate in the Church of the Brethren/EYN/Basel work camp. For 2 ½ weeks they worked on constructing a boys hostel for our school. I had the opportunity to travel with two friends from this group and two Nigerian friends to Futudou, a village sitting on the top of one of the eastern most mountain ranges in Nigeria. As soon as we started our 1 ½ hour hike up to the village, I loved the place. Once I finally got to the village I was in awe. The hike was hard and hot, but we took our time and made it to Futudou before the intense heat of the afternoon. The entrance to the village was lined with cactus that gave way to hand built stone walls that outlined the pathways through the village. At one point, the path was so narrow that we had to stand against the wall to allow the cattle to pass one by one. We proceeded to walk through the village and out into an open field. At this point, it was really hot and I didn't want to leave the cool village but I continued to follow our guide. We continued up a slight incline toward a small EYN church. We crested the hill and then there was the most breathtaking sight I have seen since being in Nigeria. A part of it's magical effect was that I wasn't expecting it. One moment I was out in this dry, open field and the all of a sudden I felt like I was on top of the world. In every direction, I could see forever. I stood there amazed looking out over the mountains to the east into Cameroon and to the North was Finger Mountain jutting up into the sky. We soon spotted a lone Mango tree where we found much comfort under its shade. I will always remember this moment and the feeling of complete contentedness.

I was so captivated by the beauty of this mountain; this village, with its terraced hillsides, its intricately made stone walls, its pathways curving throughout the mountainside, that I had to come back and visit again. So about two months later, a friend of mine and I went to visit and stay the night. Around 5:00 PM that evening, one of the villagers walked along with us through the village. The sun was starting to set, some women were collecting water at the natural spring, and other women were gathered around a huge boulder near the church. I got lost in thought as we made or way through the village with our guide explaining how they used every tree, fruit, leaf, plant, and nut for something, from food, to shelter, to medicine, to body decorations for cultural dancing. I felt a sense of peace that I cannot compare to anything in my life. As I marveled at the close relationship between the people and their natural surroundings, I wondered if I would want to live a life like this.

We were very lucky, for the night sky was filled with stars and the bright moon. Annelies and I started to quietly sing songs collecting water outside our room and soon many children had gathered to listen and then to share their own songs. Well, I have not moved to Futudou. My life style here at KBC remains very different from there. But as I continue to think about what simple living means, I am reminded of this very special place and I'm thankful for the diversity of life and the richness it adds.

By the time this letter reaches you, I will have been here a year. It's been a year full of new and exciting things, as well as many challenges. There are many questions I struggle with each day as I live here in a different culture. I wonder about my western influence here in a place where it is sometimes seen as a superior way of living. I wonder about the culture of the people here. Will it be preserved or forgotten on the road taking Nigeria to higher and higher technology? I have been encouraged when the girls at school sing about worshiping God, "who is not from America," "in an African way." Also by the words of one of my students who responded to a teacher's remark in a debate that "this is not the west, this is Nigeria and we have our own ways of doing things."

I also struggle with trying to find a comfortable ground between helping people and not feeling like I'm simply being used for my money in a place where a big monetary gap separates me from those I live with. I have no answers and I don't think there are any easy answers. So I take each day as it comes, trying to do what feels right and enjoying the people who have come to mean so much to me.

I would like to thank the people I know as well as those I do not know for your letters and support. They are all much appreciated.

Love and Peace from Nigeria,

Mimi