November 22nd From Nigeria

We are doing well in Nigeria. Have a great Thanksgiving today with your family and friends. We are definitely thankful that you are thinking of us and praying for us.

First I have a few pictures from our journey here Sunday and Monday too.

We arrived at our gate in Atlanta with plenty of time.

The flights between Lagos, Nigeria and Atlanta are always full. This time of year, many Nigerian mothers are on their way home to escape the cold. I have talked to some of them and they spend some time in the US helping their children take care of their children, but the cold weather drives them back home. Who can blame them?

Many of them are elderly and need assistance inside the airport and boarding the plane. In 2012 there were 17 wheelchairs waiting to board the flight. Sunday they set a new world record of 25! The Delta ticket agents and airport personnel handled it all very well.

We had the quickest flight over that have ever had. They used to advertise the flight as 11 and 1/2 hours. Now they say it is 11 hours and 5 minutes. We must have flown in the jet stream Sunday night. The flight took 10 hours and 10 minutes! I  will take a faster flight any day.

We zoomed through immigration, fought our way through baggage claim (All of our bags made it) and then breezed through customs and the rest. A few minutes after we went outside, Bro. Shobanke and the welcoming committee arrived to collect us.

This was our first picture on the road after we arrived.

These taxi vans are a common sight in between Lagos and Abeokuta. It is common for someone to be standing in the open sliding door on the passenger side. This one had a guy standing on the bumper at full highway speed. No one even looks twice.

This is part of our welcoming committee at the airport. They conducted us safely to our hotel and carried all of our luggage into the room. Thank you, brothers!

We had a great first day in Nigeria after and very good first night's sleep. Some of you may remember that some years we struggle mightily trying to sleep while we are here. Even those years, we usually sleep well the first night after being up 36+ hours. It is nearing bedtime here as I type this so hopefully and prayerfully this will be the year of great sleeping.

We spent the late afternoon and evening Tuesday at Bro. Shobanke's house with some of his children, Pastor Kuye and others. It was a wonderfully relaxing visit with our friends. We enjoyed a great meal with them too. May God bless them for their hospitality and kindness toward us.

We did sleep Tuesday night, but not as good as we would like and not near as good as Monday. Hopefully, we do even better tonight.

Wednesday morning we were up early and traveled about 3 hours north to preach one service at a camp meeting during the day. I preached the night services of this camp meeting back in 2016 and we happen to be here at the right time again. 

A few days ago Pastor Isaac asked Bro. Shobanke if I would be willing to drive up for one service and I consented. He knew it would be a lot of time in the car for one service and it was. We were driving a total of 7 hours plus a 45 minute stop at KFC in Ibadan. That was definitely worth it!

KFC in Ibadan

The Nigerians are resourceful people. We have seen people on the motorcycle taxis carrying a lot of different things. We have seen them with kitchen sinks, ten-foot pieces of conduit, lumber, mattresses and many other things. Wednesday we saw this below.

I guess this man was delivering a big truck tire. Clever.

That was pretty cool! 

We made it back to Abeokuta by 5:30 Wednesday evening. Minister's Conference begins Thursday morning by God's grace.

Thank you for praying for us. I will check in again as time and connectivity permits.

Davy