We hope that you enjoy our blog as we share news, pictures and an insight into what God is doing. Please feel free to drop us an email or comment. Thanks!
December 27, 2014
As we near the end of another year we always rejoice! Joyful to be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. We hope you share our jubilance, taking some time off and traveling for (or hosting) Christmas. I’m sure that you’re happy that you made it through the year.
Our joy this year was having friends like you who prayed for us and supported us and helped us to return from the USA back to Nigeria. It was a year ago when we felt God’s nudge to return to Nigeria and the past four months have been affirming.
Family
As you may have heard, Gabi had to have an appendectomy a few weeks ago. Thankfully it was discovered before it caused problems and that the same doctor who helped Kyle’s leg to heal (Dr. Lee back in 2012) was able to help our family again.
Because of Gabi’s surgery and recovery she was exempted from taking exams, but Zion fervently studied and successfully endured the week. His commitment to playing soccer slowed down after tournaments with his school and another with a local team.
Hillcrest still is central to our lives and we are often all together on campus. Kyle has enjoyed teaching and coaching the Middle & High School students - he even leads 9th grade boys discipleship. Ann has found her role with member care at the school rewarding. Although she is considered (less than) part-time, she finds herself busy with many issues and individuals.
Sports Friends
Kyle continues to lead the various Sports Friends (SF) projects in West Africa (Ghana, Senegal, Niger and Nigeria). At the just concluded Basic Training in Nigeria, the leaders from Niger came to observe the new material and to discuss their upcoming plans. Then, Kyle travelled to Ghana where he met five key denominations who desire to partner with SF. Finally, he met up with the Senegal leaders and the SIM director to discuss their forthcoming programs.
Giving
We don’t expect everyone to donate but if you are able here are two ways to help!
Update: Sports Friends (SF) “Coaches Campaign”
- Our mission account Abts with Sports Friends of SIM in West Africa. This goes to our monthly/annual needs.
- Directly to the general Sports Friends of SIM project. This goes to help national endeavors -Coaches Campaign, Camp Scholarship, etc (see below for update).
Update: Sports Friends (SF) “Coaches Campaign”
Thanks for supporting our 2014 Coaches Campaign - to help support 1,000 coaches. We are down to our final days and many have donated, but you can still help! Learn more:
Check out our FaceBook page, comment and share the campaign SF-Facebook Page
Watch & share our latest video “Peacemaking with Soccer” (www.vimeo.com) & another about one of our great SF coaches, "Senla"
Watch & share our latest video “Peacemaking with Soccer” (www.vimeo.com) & another about one of our great SF coaches, "Senla"
Pray - that God would stir the hearts of many people around the world to support and develop our coaches.
Give - Either through online donation (sim donor.com), send a check to (SIM USA) or ‘Give a Coach’ (download "SF Christmas Postcard")
Give - Either through online donation (sim donor.com), send a check to (SIM USA) or ‘Give a Coach’ (download "SF Christmas Postcard")
Uneasy Calm
November 2014
There continues to be bad news coming out of Nigeria.
Many of you probably heard about the suicide bombing at a local high school (about 200 miles from our town) - related story @ BBC.com. Prior to this atrocity there has been consistent news coming out of that area of Boko Haram terrorists taking over small towns and villages - driving the security forces out. The cease-fire was a farce and now, instead of releasing the 200+ kidnapped girls they have taken over the town (see also BBC.com).
So, as we approach the end of 2014 and look towards 2015 we are facing an uneasy calm. There is peace in our specific area but nearby there is tension, bombings and threats.
Yet, next year there will be elections in February (State and Federal). Many are asking, “How can Nigeria conduct elections with the instability affecting over 3 million people?” Many are talking and pointing fingers, but we hope that government will rise up to the challenge and restore order.
So, as we approach the end of 2014 and look towards 2015 we are facing an uneasy calm. There is peace in our specific area but nearby there is tension, bombings and threats.
Yet, next year there will be elections in February (State and Federal). Many are asking, “How can Nigeria conduct elections with the instability affecting over 3 million people?” Many are talking and pointing fingers, but we hope that government will rise up to the challenge and restore order.
Family
On the home front, we have enjoyed being back in Jos, Nigeria. The kids have been excited to get back in the flow of life at Hillcrest school with their friends and studies. Gabi played intramural soccer with her middle school friends, but also enjoys playing volleyball with adults from the greater Jos community. Zion played goalkeeper on the varsity team and was thrilled to start in the Championship match - which they won 3-2!
Ann & Kyle have been busy with their duties at Hillcrest school - Kyle leading the athletic department, teaching PE, coaching, etc and Ann leading staff member care. Ann finds herself busy in meetings - formal & informal - offering a listening ear, accompanying staff to an appointment, etc. She was also invited to return to a security committee and she’ll provide a female perspective. Too, she has returned to being an advisor on the committee for the missionary retreat center (Miango Rest Home), which provides a place for missionaries and indigenous leaders / organizations to conduct retreats &/or rest.
Sports Friends
Kyle has been busy compiling the Annual Reports & Planning for the four West African nations - Senegal, Niger, Nigeria and Ghana - see our new short video @ Sports-Friends.org. It was exciting to see the reports of what happened over the past year - over 40,000 youth are participating from over 1,500 teams (from almost the same number of churches). The plans for next year are extremely exciting too as we build on such a strong foundation.
Family
On the home front, we have enjoyed being back in Jos, Nigeria. The kids have been excited to get back in the flow of life at Hillcrest school with their friends and studies. Gabi played intramural soccer with her middle school friends, but also enjoys playing volleyball with adults from the greater Jos community. Zion played goalkeeper on the varsity team and was thrilled to start in the Championship match - which they won 3-2!
Ann & Kyle have been busy with their duties at Hillcrest school - Kyle leading the athletic department, teaching PE, coaching, etc and Ann leading staff member care. Ann finds herself busy in meetings - formal & informal - offering a listening ear, accompanying staff to an appointment, etc. She was also invited to return to a security committee and she’ll provide a female perspective. Too, she has returned to being an advisor on the committee for the missionary retreat center (Miango Rest Home), which provides a place for missionaries and indigenous leaders / organizations to conduct retreats &/or rest.
Sports Friends
Kyle has been busy compiling the Annual Reports & Planning for the four West African nations - Senegal, Niger, Nigeria and Ghana - see our new short video @ Sports-Friends.org. It was exciting to see the reports of what happened over the past year - over 40,000 youth are participating from over 1,500 teams (from almost the same number of churches). The plans for next year are extremely exciting too as we build on such a strong foundation.
Pray:
- Pray for that the Ebola virus will be fully contained in Africa.
- For the Nigerian authorities to get control of the terrorist struggle in northeastern areas where Boko Haram continue to cause mayhem.
- For Zion & Gabi to continue to grow strong in school and their faith.
- Pray for Ann as she balances her tasks at school, home and with the committees.
- For Kyle and Sports Friends projects in the various nations as they use the tool of sports to develop communities.
Pray:
- Pray for that the Ebola virus will be fully contained in Africa.
- For the Nigerian authorities to get control of the terrorist struggle in northeastern areas where Boko Haram continue to cause mayhem.
- For Zion & Gabi to continue to grow strong in school and their faith.
- Pray for Ann as she balances her tasks at school, home and with the committees.
- For Kyle and Sports Friends projects in the various nations as they use the tool of sports to develop communities.
Preparations for Departure
July 2014
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Greetings dear friends and family!
Today welcomed us with crisp blue skies and coolish temps. Living in Wisconsin has reminded us the fickle nature of the weather here. We do miss the (almost) daily beaming sunshine and warmth of Nigeria. It is hard to realize that in 8 weeks we plan to have our feet firmly planted on Jos soil. Dismantling our newly set-up home makes it feel like our lives have been turned upside down once again. We are reminded that we are responding to answered prayer about whether to return to Nigeria or not. Because many have asked if I (Ann) am ready to return, I want to tell you that I am.
Our time in Wisconsin has been healing and has allowed our family to become actively involved in our communities (school, church, neighborhood, family) without being "on" most of the time. It gave our kids the opportunity to understand & experience life in their "passport country", making friends in deeper ways. We are particularly thankful for the "hands-on" love and care we received from our families, Elmbrook, Brookfield CRC, Brookfield Christian School (BCS), dear friends (including the gang from the DAs office!) as well as those praying for us in all of our transitions (especially the kids) and those who have given us financial support when our future was not clear to us. Your widespread and creative ways of loving and caring for us has made it possible for us to get to a place where we could even make decisions and recover from our depleted selves.
Just recently Kyle and I both wondered when our lives had become so frantic (my word). We are amazed at those of you who hold jobs, keep up with kids going every which way, maintain a household and are able to do extras on top of it. Those who do this alone: whew... WELL DONE all of you! Life here is full of so many choices, possibilities and opportunities that I simply marvel at the focus people are able to keep. As I feel our lives "uprooted" I am tempted to feel discouraged or frustrated and then I am reminded once again, that this is one way God is responding to a prayer I have murmured for years. It has long been a desire of my heart to live simply and hold on loosely to "things".
Things have always been my distraction from living more fully. LIFE is Christ's gift. Jesus said "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10b) Letting go is a process that I will continue to learn throughout my life but as I unclench my hands (from whatever they're wrapped around) I am able to open up my hands to whatever gift God wants to put in them.
Zion: We proudly celebrated Zion's promotion to High School on June 7, along with his 21 spiffed-up classmates who formed the 50th graduating class from BCS. The ceremony held special meaning for me as I recalled my graduating class of five in 1978! I thought of those who had a vision, prayed, toiled and have seen their efforts blessed and multiplied over the past half century. It was a special year for Zion and the class who shared the sweetness of their last moments together (fully) as a group and a sadness as they parted ways. Zion looks forward to a couple more soccer tournaments and then is very excited to go to a camp with his oldest friend Hunter from Nigeria who will be visiting WI for the first time ever.
Gabi: She ended the year very well and jumped right into socialization. Over the course of the year, Gabi has gone along to visit Joe (a friend of a classmate's mom) who was diagnoses with ALS. He lives on a lake and loves the energy of the girls. Recently it was his 51st birthday and they girls brought a special cake and one painted a picture for him. It's been so great for the girls and Joe. Gabi is beside herself with excitement about her dearest friend Sarah who is coming to spend time in Milwaukee, and see her house, meet her friends. Sarah and Hunter Fretheim grew up with Zion and Gabi in Nigeria and we will be living next to them when we return to Jos. Their whole family are dear friends to us Abts and are a big reason we can return in confidence that we'll not get burned out with them next door.
Visit our blog: ABTStract.blogspot.com
Kyle: I am excited to return to Nigeria. Ok, i’m also a bit fearful going back to a country that is in the midst of tension and unrest. Of course, we feel safe as expatriates but pray it will cease entirely. I will return to the Sports Friends role but this time instead of leading Nigeria (which is in the capable hands of Ishaya Inuwa) I will guiding Senegal, Niger, Ghana, Nigeria, etc as I am the West African Coordinator. I am thrilled to be leading such great people as they establish the project of using sports for evnglsm and dscplshp. I will also be the Athletic Director at Hillcrest School, where I will oversee classes and sports development for grades K-12. Busy? Oh yeah!
Ann: As I review the past few months, I see that my work has truly been a gift from God. Once I realized I wanted to clean houses again, I was able to find a couple jobs on my own and then a friend became sick and was unable to provide services for her clients so I have been "filling in" for her, an ideal amount of work. It's not easy to fall back into the able arms of God, trusting Him in all the variables & possibilities of life, yet it's where I truly want to be: free-falling into His open arms.
I will be working with teachers at Hillcrest school who are not sent by a mission organization but are hired directly by the school. I'll provide orientation, physically assist in setting up, shopping, assess ongoing needs, liaise with the school and make sure they are updated on security issues. Speaking of security, many have expressed concerns with our return to a country that is often in the news lately. Much of the violence happens in the North and we are in the middle belt. The expatriate/mission community in our area is not part of any issues at this point and has not been targeted. We were saddened that after a couple years without incidents within Jos (our town), a few weeks back two bombing incidents took place, killing many people. Most of you heard about the 200+ girls who were kidnapped and still not reunited with families. This was many hours north of Jos but these things all indicate that there is many factors at work to destabilize the country and prayer is needed.
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Finally
More on our discombobulated state. Kyle leaves for Senegal tomorrow and while he's gone, I'll be doing the packing / sorting / donating / tossing / selling thing again (I've had several offers of help). It should be an expert by now but not so. Once we get to Nigeria, we have a house ready to stay in, with furniture and most things we'll need. This is HUGE - since we'll be starting our work within days of arrival. We're thankful that we know the house and family who lived there, but will not be returning. So they agreed to sell us all their things in a lump sum, which is our "start up costs". This cost is separate from our monthly support and we need to raise this amount. Costs to start-up there is much greater than what it is here (no Goodwill).
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Forward
May 2014
As we continue to move in the forward direction we remain encouraged. We are excited as we prepare for Nigeria and being more involved with Hillcrest School. In the coming weeks there will be much to do: final health check-ups, finish classes, pack-up USA house, attend SIM training and raise final funding for Nigeria.
Many of you have been hearing about the “bad” news in Nigeria. Car bombings near the capital and kidnapping of 200+ girls from their school. It’s unfortunate that the negative items get the world’s attention but such events have been developing over time as a result of corruption and depravity. It will continue to occur (as it does anywhere) until minds and hearts are transformed by the Truth.
PIC: SF Nigeria team with EMS leadership
Sports Friends
Kyle is excited to be near his Sports Friends (SF) team - especially his Nigerian colleagues. Recently, there has been some great developments. First, the French translation is nearly complete and that will launch Basic Trainings in Senegal and Niger. Next, Ghana continues to shine as Ben and Josiah train leaders and coaches while also working with strategic denominations. Finally, Nigeria perseveres in developing leaders and strong networks. Networks that include indigenous mission societies like EMS, which SF has trained over 1,000 of its missionaries and is actively bringing transformation in many “unreached” locations.Family
Gabi and Zion have been eagerly anticipating summer after being cooped-up indoors. They enjoyed most of the Winter but with the mention of Spring they knew that Summer was near. They are ready to play soccer, ride bikes or just be outside. Gabi is taking guitar lessons from Kyle’s former bandmate (Dan Johnston) and has joined the BCS track team. Zion continues to improve on the Baritone Sax and play goalie with Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club.Ann has been extremely busy cleaning houses and scanning items for resale. All of this started slow but has increased and recently has been out and about daily. She has enjoyed her Women’s study at Elmbrook and being together with Kyle in a neighborhood study group.
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Marching into April … No Joke!
MARCH 2014
We will not believe that Spring is finally here until all remnants of Winter is melted away! We enjoyed spending our first “full” winter in Wisconsin, but our heated car seats and shovels can take no more.
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| PIC: Ann, Rev Jauda, Kyle |
The majority Ann’s immediate family will be in town this weekend to celebrate her parent’s 50th Anniversary. It should be a great time to celebrate and reflect. Kyle’s parents have been active with our kids by combining activities with their cousins (Corey & Julie) who live nearby.
PRAYER
- To prepare for Nigeria (kids finishing well at school, parents prep for house & school in Nigeria, raise our full support).
- To enjoy time with family and friends before saying “good-bye”.
SPORTS FRIENDS
We continue to be involved in the development of Sports Friends (SF) in West Africa. The leaders in the Senegal and Niger are busy translating materials into French so they can commence full training. Ghana and Nigeria are committed to building effective partnerships with communities and denominations.
Year End Review: www.sports-friends.org/en/media1/downloads
Prayer Sign Up: www.sports-friends.org/signup
- Research the organization by visiting their website to know where they work and who they represent.
- Research accreditation of the organization by going to ECFA http://www.ecfa.org/membersearch.aspx or see them at BBB.org (Better Business Bureau)
- Do a general Google search of the organization in the news by typing in search box, “[Organization Name] News”
Thank You!!!
FEBRUARY 2014
Your continued thoughts and prayers serve to encourage and sustain us.January 2014 was a busy month. Ann and Kyle attended SIM-Go in Charlotte, NC as part of joining SIM. Then, Kyle travelled to West Africa for Sports Friends (SF) training – Nigeria was host to 20 SF staff from USA, Kenya, Niger, Senegal and Ghana.
As we endure (with many of you) the brutal winter we are excited by God’s guidance and provision. Zion and Gabi continue to enjoy school and maintaining their good grades. They both persevered through the basketball season despite learning and competitively playing for the first time.
Finally, the recent Coaches Campaign raised funds for 905 coaches! That is over $65,000 towards developing new SF coaches around the world. As SF develops in new and strategic locations your prayers and support are appreciated.
Finally, the recent Coaches Campaign raised funds for 905 coaches! That is over $65,000 towards developing new SF coaches around the world. As SF develops in new and strategic locations your prayers and support are appreciated.
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