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LIFT 18 Mission to Nigeria
God greatly blessed our return trip to Nigeria, West Africa with LIFT 18. On November 25, we  left CAMP-of-the-WOODS to fly out of JFK that evening. After arriving in London the next morning, we were able to travel into the city for a day of sight-seeing! The highlight for many of us was walking into the breath-taking St. Paul's Cathedral as their choir was singing Christmas carols. They sounded like angels and we were struck by the holiness and beauty of our Lord communicated by the incredible setting. What a great send-off to begin our trip to Africa!
 We arrived in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, around 6 am on the morning of the 27th, where we were met by Peter Sorensen and Dr. Iko Ibanga. It was great to see them again and to feel safe and secure as we made our way through customs and security. After a chance to clean up and eat breakfast, our two weeks were off to a very busy start as we then drove to our first prison! Despite the jet lag, we enjoyed the chance to minister to inmates who probably hadn't had visitors in a long time. An evangelist shared the gospel after a praise group led worship, and then we were able to distribute food and soda to everyone - the best meal they would eat all year! Throughout the course of the week we went to four different prisons, providing physical and spiritual nourishment in each one. It was rewarding to s ee LIFT students step out of their comfort zones and make the effort to strike up conversations with the prisoners - as well as the guards - and take advantage of this opportunity to share the love of Christ with people whose daily lives bring extreme pain and suffering. It was also a blessing to be able to work side-by-side with an incredible team of godly men from South Africa and the U.S. who ministered to us as much as to the inmates! Each night we met with them and talk about areas of our lives that needed healing and restoration. Their wise and loving counsel touched core issues and helped many students begin to turn the corner toward victory in various struggles. God used those evenings to bring lasting change and to enable us to be a more effective team for ministry.
 During the afternoons of that first week, we were privileged to be a part of the first-ever effort to bring Upward Sports to a third-world country! Upward is a thriving sports ministry in churches all throughout the U.S., and we were happy to be able to contribute in a small way to this exciting project. The volunteer coaches who ran the week-long soccer and basketball clinics were men and women from local churches, so we were able to join in the fun with drills and scrimmages, encouraging the kids to work together and have a good time. After all, "Everyone's a WINNER!" was their big cheer at the end of each day! We were also glad to see how attentive the kids were to their coaches each day when it was time to switch gears and  talk about Jesus. In our opinion, Upward Nigeria was a great success and could end up changing many lives for the Kingdom.
At the end of week one, we bid a sad farewell to our South African team and transitioned from prison and sports ministry to medical outreach with Pro-Health International. We spent three days with a team of doctors providing free healthcare to a village on the outskirts of Jos. It was so funny to arrive there for the first day of the clinic and watch the children run away in fear as they witnessed white people up close for the first time! Their reactions quickly changed, however, and after just a few minutes, they warmed up to us. Though none of our group was very medically  trained, we enjoyed helping out where we could, counting pills for the pharmacy, cleaning tools for the dentist, giving eye exams with the optometrist, counseling patients waiting to be seen and even helping in the operating room ("theatre"). There was also plenty of time for playing with the scores of children who would be there all day, every day. It was hard to pack up at the end of the third day and know that there were many people who we were unable to help, but we were thankful for the chance we had to make a difference in some of the lives of these hurting individuals.
The last days of our time in Nigeria were mainly spent visiting dozens of children who had been abandoned, orphaned or just kicked out of their homes. Thanks to the Ardill fa mily and the work of City Ministries, these boys now have safe places to live, food to eat, a chance for education and people who love and care for them. Most importantly, they have relationships with our Lord and Savior! Many of them talk of their dreams to become pastors, worship leaders and even missionaries when they finish school. It was such a blessing to get to spend time with them, listen to their heart-breaking stories, and see the hope and joy that radiates from their faces. We were also able to visit the boarding school for children of Nigerian missionaries, which was a highlight once again. Though their lives seem very simple for Western standards, they are all so happy for what they have - not a complaint from anyone. We have a lot to learn from kids like these, with their trust in God to provide their needs and to protect their parents as they labor to bring the gospel to dangerous parts of the country.
 It would take pages to cover our vast array of experiences during the brief two weeks, and God will surely continue to use this time in the lives of each LIFT student as they return home and process everything that happened. Once again, we left Nigeria knowing that regardless of what we were able to contribute, we were taking away much more. The love and hospitality of the people we met is unlike almost anything one finds in America. Their amazing faith in God to truly work and change lives, heal diseases, provide food for a care center with 100 former street boys each month - not always knowing where it will come from - and so many other cases, is far beyond the faith of most people in our land of plenty. We praise God for the chance to return to Nigeria and thank those of you who helped to make this trip possible through your prayers and financial support.
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