This summer, Aldersgate's Youth Director Jeremy Poland and his wife Kristen went on a Mission trip to Nigeria. The trip was organized and supported by the Iowa Nigerian Partnership. Here are some notes below from Jeremy about their experience. For the PHOTO ALBUM click here.

From Jeremy Poland:

It’s strange sometimes how you need to go somewhere else to remember what it is you were supposed to be doing in the first place. While I was in Nigeria for the latter half of June, I was blessed to have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of how people live in a place that is, in many ways, very, very different from Iowa. And so, I thought I’d try to pass a bit of the blessing I was given on to you, by sharing what I’ve learned.

1. It is Good to go. Whether it’s to visit the people you don’t now across the street or across the world, it’s Good to reach out to our neighbors and witness how they live. Not only is this one of the primary duties God has given us, but it will always offer a new perspective of ourselves and how we picture God, if we’d let it.

2. Knowing helps loving. I once thought that the best thing I could do for the world’s (financially) poor was give them some money. And while I gave from time to time, I realize now that that certainly didn’t mean I loved them. In fact, after giving, there was even a time or two when I went to a restaurant to buy lunch, only to discover that now I couldn’t eat, because I’d dropped the last of cash in some offering plate. Then, I’d grumble all the way to the ATM at these faceless people who, in my mind, had done something akin to stealing my burrito. 

Of course, my the nature of my selfish thinking was brought to light when, while in Nigeria, I wanted to get a taste of this new fruit, called a kadenya, which I’d seen all of the children eating. And so I began looking for one lying on the ground. There were so many children who had already scoured the area that there seemed to be none left. However, a small boy saw me searching; and he eagerly tried to give me all those he had found. Many of the other children nearby squealed and giggled as they ran over to do the same. And for some of them, that was their dinner. 

Before I went, it had never occurred to me that those strangers on other continents might want to love me too.

3. Salvation is real. For those of us who grew up in America, we get so caught up in eschatological salvation (the last salvation, meaning after we die) that it almost never crosses our minds the things we’ve already been saved from. But think about it: not only do you already know that you won’t be dying of starvation in the near future, but you can even decide not to eat certain foods, simply because you don’t like the taste. You can practically guarantee that the water you drink does not contain any seriously harmful bacteria or parasites (and if by an off chance it does, there is a sea of lawyers that would love to ensure that you are both appropriately compensated for your troubles). Genocide is not on the list of your personal daily concerns. Even if you were to lose your home, there are organizations that will help you find shelter. If you are ever seriously injured, there are near-by hospitals that will treat you, regardless of whether or not you have the resources to pay for it. You have access to “free” public education, great institutions of higher-learning, and a wide array of scholarships, which help to save us from many forms of ignorance. And as much as you may not like any given president or particular legislative decision (it is, after all, your right), you still have to admit that our nation’s government has done a lot to protect us, even our faith. All of these are things we should thank God for; but these instances of salvation have not yet reached the entire world. As partners with God, we need to do something to change that.

4. Worship Matters.  Now there is certainly a lot of room to speculate about what sets the distinction between the third world and the first world nations; but I’m convinced it has at least something to do with worship. In America, the right to religious freedom, the advent of hospitals, the push for public education, the implementation of child labor laws, the abolition of slavery, the women’s suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, the formation of charitable organizations like the Salvation Army, and even public fitness facilities all had their genesis when people of faith recognized a need and worked together to do something about it. Faith is a very powerful force indeed, especially when people join in sharing it together. But for that to happen, it is essential that people congregate together to build one another up in their convictions, what they know and encouragement, so that their efforts might be consolidated for God’s glory.

I had the privilege to witness the power of worship in Nigeria, where people gathered together, praised God, and worked to make their hope a reality. It was exciting; it was uplifting; and it was relevant because the aspirations of their hearts in the sanctuary spilled out into how they treated their families, how (or even whether or not) they worked, the way they related to strangers and their neighbors, and how they were active in politics. I wish I had all of the right words to express what happened there; but I only know that that is one area where we could definitely learn something from our brothers and sisters in Christ across the Atlantic.

5. Giving is Living. Something that struck me like a revolution this summer, between Nigeria and my time in Appalachia, was how desperate people are to have something worthy to give. Here I was, attending these ‘Mission-type’ trips, expecting to somehow bequeath some unknown special something I had upon these “underprivileged” folks; but then I repeatedly found myself receiving valued treasures from people who were strangers before the summer began –whether it be a story, a pony-ride, a kadenya, an outfit, a delicious meal, or even the chance to be in a picture with someone’s monkey. One of the deepest needs humans seem to possess is the desire to share something with the world that matters. Think of those whom history considers great, be it Mozart, Mother Theresa, or Martin Luther King Jr. –these are all great givers. They had something to share with the world, be it music, faith, or their dream for the future; and we lift them up because we affirm that what they shared was necessary. This is no less true for them than it is for us and all of those starving people around the world who are eager to give, even if they have nothing more to offer than gratitude. Thus, we must share together in sharing –and may we thank God for the blessing of possessing something that matters.