January 2003

A letter from the Crumleys
Hillcrest School
c/o EYN Guesthouse
PO Box 626
Jos, Plateau State
Nigeria

Dear Family and Friends,

Over a year has passed since we last wrote. Sorry for the long delay. Life has been very full, to say the least, with Baby Johnathon. But nonetheless we can't imagine life without him. Big sister JoAnne is happy to have another sibling around especially after seeing so many big families in Nigeria.

Johnathon Crumley is the center of attention for Janet Tubbs, Mission Co-Coordinator in Nigeria, left, Rebekah Helsel, EYN Secondary School Teacher, center, and his sister, JoAnne.

A lot has happened this past year. Life at Hillcrest keeps our family very busy, and the time goes very fast when school is in session. JoAnne is in the fourth grade and getting a different perspective on Nigeria now with a Nigerian teacher. John has been quite busy at home with Johnathon and caring for the household as well as volunteering some time at Hillcrest tuning pianos, repairing instruments, doing elementary playground duty, and serving on the Plant and Finance Committee. His piano tuning and instrument repair has extended to some homes within the Hillcrest community and to Miango Rest Home and Kent Academy.

Patty Crumley is proud of the progress of her band students.

It has been another good year for my band program. Attendance in the High School Band topped off at 15 in spring semester; now there are 12. The good news is that there were at least several others who had put band down as an elective, but they couldn't get it put on their schedule due to other required class conflicts. Since Hillcrest is a small school, scheduling is a problem. I have been teaching middle school General Music as well this year, besides a sixth grade Introduction to Instruments class. This sixth grade class leads into a Cadet Band, or a beginning band of sorts. By the end of spring semester, there were nearly 50 in the band program overall counting middle and high schools. We'll see what the numbers bring by the end of spring 2003, after I have taught another Cadet Band class this semester. Though our numbers were smaller during the fall semester, the students have all really worked and improved their sound individually and as an ensemble. I am proud of their progress. The middle school General Music classes have been an extra challenge for me, but I have always liked variety. Now I can say that I have taught two different seventh grade music classes and two different eighth grade music classes. They have focused on choir music, some tone bells, music theory, and some music history. I guess what I like so much about this job is the different type of classes I teach, the students, and the Hillcrest community in general.

We can now say that we have spent three Christmases in Nigeria. Although one of the major drawbacks of this job is being so far from family, especially this time of year, we can say that we have enjoyed a different, but maybe more typical, Nigerian Christmas this year. We spent our Christmas in the bush village of Kwarhi located by Kulp Bible College (KBC) near Mubi. Our friends Hannah and Uli Bachmann with Mission 21, formerly Basel Mission, had us there for a Swiss/Nigerian Christmas as they are from Switzerland. Uli works with the Rural Development Program in EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria–Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). Hannah is a nurse/midwife. They have a seven-year-old daughter Mirja and another baby on the way due in May. JoAnne and Mirja play famously together as well as 3 other German girls who are also living there with their mom and dad who teach at KBC and are also with Mission 21. JoAnne is the oldest of these five girls with ages ranging from 9 to 3. Johnathon is the only boy and youngest at age 1-1/2, but he holds his own among all of the girls wanting to play with him.

I guess I would say our Christmas this year was the closest to a typical Nigerian Christmas because many Nigerians travel home to their villages for Christmas, and likewise Easter. These two times of the year are popular times for Christian weddings because family is often already together anyway. We started our Christmas Day by attending church Christmas morning at the Kwarhi EYN Church. There must have been at least 150 children besides all of the adults. Everyone was dressed in their Christmas best often wearing their new clothes and shoes. A Christmas drama is an important part of this service and this church had 20 to 30 in the cast. The actors portrayed a modern day version of the birth of Christ. After church, it is customary for the children to go from house to house wishing everyone a "Happy Christmas." Then the children receive a treat or sweet of some kind before proceeding to the next house. It reminded me a lot of Halloween at home but, thankfully, no "tricks," just treats! Many children came to our door before we went over to the Bachmann's house for Christmas dinner. The night before, on Christmas Eve, we had a special time with their family singing Christmas carols in English and Swiss-German, hearing the Christmas story in both languages, and exchanging gifts. With both our Swiss Christmas Eve and Nigerian/Swiss Christmas Day, this was a Christmas to remember.

Traveling back to Jos from this area is a beautiful trip. The way starts out very long with some bad roads between Mararaba and Little Gombi. However, it makes those who are riding along appreciate the beautiful scenery even more because we have to go so slow to go over many, many bumps. As we rode through the various villages, we could see the beautiful mountains and rock formations so typical of this area as well as the blue sky and some harmattan (fine dust from the Sahara Desert) in the distance. Here are a few more images of this road trip I hope one day you can experience: bundles of tall dried grasses recently gathered from the fields (used for roofing on many huts); rocks holding down the tops of tin roofing on various mud brick houses; pumpkins growing on rooftops; bunches of maize drying in treetops; various small and scraggly-looking trees of the African bush including palm trees and the monkey bread tree; small villages along the main road having their market day where it is quite busy and crowded with many people and animals; the "watermelon village" with its many stacks of round watermelons on both sides of the road; everywhere cars, overloaded pickup trucks, public transport vans, lorries, and motorcycles carrying two people or a large load such as a goat or large plate of glass; people walking in traditional dress often carrying a large plate or bowl on their head; various goats, chickens, occasionally herds of Fulani cattle and sheep crossing the road, etc., etc., etc. Doesn't it make you want to come and visit us? I shall always treasure our time here. It has been a most awesome experience for me.

We wish you all God's continued blessings on your lives as we begin the New Year. We pray for peace, albeit a fragile one in many parts of the world. I think since September 11, 2001 maybe we all have a better world perspective of how fragile peace exists each day in a large majority of the world. Until we meet again.

In Christ's service (the source of true peace),
The Crumleys
Patty, John, JoAnne, Johnathon

(Editor's Note: Sadly, one of the children that the Crumley family was with over Christmas passed away of complications of malaria in January. Johanna Hermann, daughter of Ann and Andreas Hermann, was 3 years old. The Hermanns teach at Kulp Bible College through Mission 21, formerly Basel Mission, a long-time partner in Nigeria.)