We praise the Lord that we are back in Nigeria. We have waited longer than normal to write this prayer letter because once Lydia’s visa was approved, we went full steam ahead with getting tickets, packing, and getting back to our field. We praise the Lord that we were able to come back to Nigeria in the middle of June.
All I can say is thank you to everyone who prayed for us regarding our travels. The visa paperwork for Lydia went much faster than we were told that it would, and we were able to get tickets just before a significant price jump happened. Shortly after we bought tickets, most airline prices doubled.
For anyone receiving this letter who wants to contact me over the phone, my U.S.-based number has changed. I was hoping to transfer my old number and continue using it here, but that did not work out. My new U.S. phone number is 207-809-0799. You can call/text me at that number with no international fees. Just bear in mind the time difference, because although I would love to hear from you, I may not answer your call immediately if it comes in at 2:00 in the morning. 😊
While going soul winning in an area near our church, we met a lady named Abigail at her home. Due to time constraints, we couldn’t witness to her then, but she said she would come to church. Nigeria is the same as many of your areas in that many will promise to visit church, but few actually follow through. However, to my surprise, she came to our midweek service with her two youngest daughters. Due to something that came up, she needed to leave the service early before we could witness to her. It seems clearly that the Devil is actively trying to keep this spiritually hungry person away from the Gospel. Please pray as we follow up and witness to Abigail; pray that she and her family will be saved soon.
Please pray for the health of our family. There are many diseases and germs here that, having freshly arrived, our bodies are not used to yet. In the short time we have been back, Emily has gotten malaria and typhoid combined and recovered. As of the writing of this letter, our oldest daughter Emma also has malaria and typhoid. We praise God that we have access to medicines that treat these diseases, and Emma seems to be recovering well. We are also grateful that Lydia has been perfectly healthy, although she has difficulty sleeping in the hotter temperatures. It all shows us how much we need to learn and adapt yet. We know that your prayers help sustain us as we serve the Lord here in Nigeria.
That all the world may know,
Caleb Christiansen