June 2000

A letter from the Crumleys
Hillcrest School
c/o P.O. Box 626
Jos, Plateau State
Nigeria

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Jos, Nigeria! The way our lives have changed this past year is witness to how God works in our lives. It was approximately a year ago that John read the ad of an opening for a music teacher at Hillcrest. A year ago, I did not think it would ever be possible to be here. Yet, God works in ways that are beyond our comprehension and we arrived here in late January. It was a very humbling experience to learn that so many people and congregations were praying for us during our inquiry and decision-making process. And then, to find that so many people in Nigeria were praying for our safe arrival as well, it was overwhelming. Thank you everyone.

Hillcrest's last day of school was June 2. Now that we have been here for four months and I have several band performances behind me, we are beginning to feel more settled. The adjustment period for all of us went pretty smoothly. We live on a beautiful compound on a hill that is full of flowering trees, fruit trees, various plants and flowers, and also many big rocks for JoAnne and her new friends to play on. Since there are children on our compound from Basel Mission in Germany and Nigerian children, JoAnne is learning to speak some German as well as Hausa. Children from one of the Nigerian families also attend Hillcrest, while those of another family attend a government school. Still another family's children cannot afford to go to school and they stay home. It is with these children that JoAnne has been a teacher of sorts, sharing her toys and books with them and speaking English.

Hillcrest School is about 2 – 3 blocks away. JoAnne has done very well finishing her first grade year here at this international school. She has made many friends of all ages from many different countries. There were about 260 children at Hillcrest this year attending grades 1 – 12. I have had the responsibility of getting the band program up and running again since last school year. Primarily, I have worked with the middle school children as well as a few high school students. It has been a great experience for me to teach these missionary children and some local children in this program. Most of the children are missionary children whose parents are doing various jobs on the mission field in Nigeria. Some of their parents live away or far from Jos and the children live at a hostel with their hostel parents. There are extended breaks that allow time for the families to be together. Other children are local children whose families can afford to send their children to this school and whose grades are good enough to be accepted. One such student, for instance, is the Plateau State Governor's son who is in JoAnne's class.

The classes I have taught include a beginner's band of seventh graders, an intermediate or middle school band of combined seventh and eighth graders, group lessons of all of the above, private lessons to high school students, and the cadet or sixth grade band. The children worked very hard these past few months to put together a nice band concert along with the high school and seventh grade choirs. A picture shows me directing some of the seventh grade Beginner Band outside at the Basketball Tournament held in March. I am very pleased with their motivation and desire to perform well using the talents that God has given them. Some extra eighth graders and high school students as well as a few adults joined us for a combined band portion of the concert. It was so nice to direct this larger band and have all these talents joined together to make music for the glory of God. I am looking forward to what we can accomplish the next school year. There are more children in grades 9 – 12 enrolled in band for the fall. And besides starting a new cadet band in sixth grade during first quarter, I hope to start a few fifth graders on some type of instruments later as instruments are available. Thanks to talented high school students and adults willing to teach some private lessons and lead band sectionals, we have a good start in building up the band program again.

On Sundays we usually go to the Jos EYN church English service at 8:30 a.m. Sometimes we attend the Hausa service at 10:00 a.m. that includes very lively African music from the various choirs. Patty has tried singing and even playing the instruments with a couple of these choirs. Most Hausa services have an attendance of about 700 and one is packed like sardines on benches that one can never get comfortable on. So, be thankful, those of you that have cushioned seats.

Patty and JoAnne had the privilege of helping one of our Nigerian sisters make groundnut oil from ground peanuts and then use the remaining "dough" to make kuli-kuli. Now, we can really appreciate the work that goes into this process, as we could hardly move the stick used to stir the peanut butter as the oil was being extracted from it. Also, it took much time to roll the pieces of dough into short "worms" about 6 inches long before they were already for frying in hot oil. Our arms were worn out in the end. The picture shows Sister Grace and Patty after the hard work was done and the equipment we used in the preparation of it.

We are in a country where in some places life has been the same probably since before the time of Christ. Contrast that to life in the larger cities where 90s technology has invaded a large portion of the population and the cities are light years ahead of the bush. We are thankful for computers here in Jos so that we can communicate with friends and relatives in the U.S. We are also thankful for our new friends who belong to other missions and are so willing to share their resources and equipment with us. We share a common goal to contribute to the Christian education of the students who attend Hillcrest School.

Some of the interesting things we observed when we first arrived include the way in which we
were greeted. People would say "you are welcome" and give a friendly smile and warm handshake with a slight bow and maybe a hand placed towards their heart. This is one custom that we really appreciate – the warm greetings in general. We only hope that we can learn to greet as well as the Nigerian culture does.

This summer we will travel to EYN headquarters near Mubi and greet some of the many EYN congregations in the northeast past of Nigeria, including the very large congregation in Maidugari, pastored by a friend we knew at Bethany Seminary – Philibus Gwama. On this trip we will also see much of the COB missionary history at Kulp Bible College, the EYN Comprehensive Secondary School, TEE (Theological Education by Extension), and the Mason Technical School, leprosarium, tamarind tree, rural health program and hospital at Garkida. It is important to our EYN brothers and sisters to know of the COB support for their programs and prayers for their country.

We are encouraged by the faith of the Nigerian people. Their sermons and prayers are very powerful and lead many to Christ in Nigeria. At this time when there has been much talk of Sharia law, and rioting in predominantly Muslim areas of the country, the Christian witness is very much needed. Please pray for Nigeria and the unrest that has occurred because of this situation. We pray for our Christian President Obasanjo and the government leaders as they deal with strong tribal and religious feelings as well as political corruption.

We wish to thank you for your continued prayers and support for us. Let us know how we can pray for you as well. May we all be aware of God's many blessings in our lives.

Blessings,

Patty and John Crumley, JoAnne