Is it safe to live in Yola and Jimeta, Nigeria? It is not as safe as it used to be.
I and my family are safe. We live in a compound that has guards and that is nice. I feel safe in our compound, in our apartment. I don’t like how our guards make fun of my children when we go out of our apartment, but it feels safe. I also keep my family inside most days for dawn and dusk because of malaria ridden mosquitoes. We are safe and feel that Heavenly Father still wants us to be here so we continue being here and learning to love the people and place.
Please only look below the fold if you really want to know more. If you are my family, you might not want to read.
First off we are grateful that we do not hear everything that happens here. Not long after the gubernatorial elections last year we started hearing about violence in our town. I was riding home from the school one day in the evening (I had gone to a cooking class). The guards at the gate hearing that we were going to Jimeta warned us that there was shooting going on at the Jimeta market in case we were headed there. We were not, but then about a week later we heard that a van had been left in the round about closest to our home. The van was thought to have explosives in it and the round about was closed off to traffic. We were also told by neighbors that other shootings had been happening.
This semester we have learned about that there have been shootings in churches in our town and there was a peaceful demonstration against Americans (that was the most disturbing things to me since I am an American. I guess is it good that we are often mistaken for Europeans.)
Then this week I was followed as I and my two kids walked to a nearby farm to get eggs. The man waited outside the farm for us and then followed us back home. That was really scary.
We are safe, but we are disabused of the idea that we have come to a very safe area of Nigeria. I hope that you will still come if you feel called to do so since I know that God will help all those who do his will, just as he has helped and been with us. I just needed to share some of the things that I have learned here because when I was looking into moving here I could get no information. This is some information.
I and my family are safe. We live in a compound that has guards and that is nice. I feel safe in our compound, in our apartment. I don’t like how our guards make fun of my children when we go out of our apartment, but it feels safe. I also keep my family inside most days for dawn and dusk because of malaria ridden mosquitoes. We are safe and feel that Heavenly Father still wants us to be here so we continue being here and learning to love the people and place.
Please only look below the fold if you really want to know more. If you are my family, you might not want to read.
First off we are grateful that we do not hear everything that happens here. Not long after the gubernatorial elections last year we started hearing about violence in our town. I was riding home from the school one day in the evening (I had gone to a cooking class). The guards at the gate hearing that we were going to Jimeta warned us that there was shooting going on at the Jimeta market in case we were headed there. We were not, but then about a week later we heard that a van had been left in the round about closest to our home. The van was thought to have explosives in it and the round about was closed off to traffic. We were also told by neighbors that other shootings had been happening.
This semester we have learned about that there have been shootings in churches in our town and there was a peaceful demonstration against Americans (that was the most disturbing things to me since I am an American. I guess is it good that we are often mistaken for Europeans.)
Then this week I was followed as I and my two kids walked to a nearby farm to get eggs. The man waited outside the farm for us and then followed us back home. That was really scary.
We are safe, but we are disabused of the idea that we have come to a very safe area of Nigeria. I hope that you will still come if you feel called to do so since I know that God will help all those who do his will, just as he has helped and been with us. I just needed to share some of the things that I have learned here because when I was looking into moving here I could get no information. This is some information.
I also want to mention that since I wrote this post I believe that I will not have to walk to get eggs at the farm anymore. I mentioned to the lady that owns the farm that I had a problem and what it was and she suggested I call her and she would have someone bring the eggs to my home. I am so grateful and feel blessed for that kindness. Joy
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