One of the older students feeds the pigs, which are an important source of food and income for the school.
Two boys attend their daily chores at the grinder; the boy in the front has only one arm.
Children crowd into a room for Sunday School. The fair-skinned children seated on the right are albinos, and are considered outcasts in Nigerian society.
Nigeria
In
spite of possessing Africa's largest oil reserves, Nigeria remains one
of the continent's poorest countries. It's international debt of 30 billion
dollars (US) is roughly equal to the estimated amount of wealth stolen
from the country by corrupt leaders. About one-third of the population
lives in poverty and one out of every four workers is unemployed.
Nigeria is considered by some to be the most corrupt nation in the world, if not Africa. Anyone connected to the Internet has received "spam" from computer-savvy Nigerians, who find it more lucrative to run scams than find honest work.
Granted independence from Britain in 1960, the federation of 36 states struggles with cultural and ethnic differences. The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria's northern half is predominantly Muslim while the south portion is considered mostly "Christian". Muslim leaders from the north have used force and violence to retain political control; twelve northern states now enforce Islamic law.
Persecution of Christians is widespread throughout the country. The sudden death of the brutal military ruler, Abacha, in 1998, ended the reign of strong-handed Muslim rulers. Democratic elections the following year brought Olusegun Obasanjo, a committed Christian, to the Presidency. His efforts to bring about change while endeavoring to preserve national unity have been met with strong and many times violent opposition from the former ruling elite.
Divided by religion and gutted by corruption, Nigeria provides plenty of opportunities to show God's love, grace and mercy. Ministry of Mercy (MOM), started in 1992, is one such place. Located about 100 miles south of the capital, Ministry of Mercy (MOM) is a combination home/school/medical clinic for about 300 of Nigeria's least, last and lost children. Crystal Gosnell began serving at Ministry of mercy in July of this year and represents Liebenzell's entrance into this new mission field.
Most of the children at MOM school would have died if they were not rescued. Some of them are at high risk for medical reasons such as AIDS and polio. The MOM population includes epileptic and gutter children, orphans, those with physical and developmental handicaps, a few elderly and albino children (outcasts). The ministry's primary goal is to bring the Gospel to Nigeria's less privileged ones.
The MOM school provides primary education (grades 1-6). Last year a rough draft of curriculum standards were written for the school, however, there still remains much work to be done to develop the curriculum and to train teachers. In addition, older children attend boarding schools and need financial support to continue their education. In the next 4-5 years, tuition for these students will consume the largest part of MOM's finances.
Feeding the MOM family remains the biggest
challenge for the leadership. Orphaned babies are brought to the school
regularly and financial support is needed to buy milk for these little
ones. MOM also supplies milk for a number of babies in other villages
whose parents want to keep their children but cannot afford to feed them.
Several months ago, an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus occurred in Nigeria. Because it is so difficult to protect domestic birds in rural areas, the leaders decided to eliminate the risk by getting rid of their large flock of chickens. While it may have been a safe decision, it also eliminated an important source of protein in the diets of over 300 orphaned and disabled children who live there.
When the ministry has the funds, protein-rich foods can easily be purchased. For example, for about $30 US, MOM can purchase enough eggs to provide one a week for each child for about a month. A single cow can also provide a large amount of meat; the staff would like to have the funds to purchase one per month.
The school's equipment is not large enough to farm many acres. Most of the farming work is done manually. If a manager for the farm can be found, the school would consider getting chickens once again.
With many children and adults living
this close together, different diseases emerge. In addition, many of those
who come to MOM have preexisting medical needs, both short term and chronic.
A hospital/clinic building is almost complete; the school is awaiting
delivery of some promised medical equipment. Full-time permanent staff
and a regular supply of medicines are now needed.
The staff of MOM firmly believes that children are fertile ground for the seed of the Gospel to fall on. By planting now, they hope the seed will grow to a lifetime of bearing fruit.
Ministry
Needs:
• Teachers, grades 1-6, for the MOM school.
• Medical staff for the clinic (at least one doctor and two nurses)
• Funds for food, construction of the school and medical supplies
Prayer Requests:
• That each and every child would come to know Jesus
• For additional staff to help out in the work
• God's provision for daily needs, especially for food and medicine
• The educational needs of older children (grades 7-12)