Brethren families revisit mission sites in Nigeria.

A group of 24 from the Baldwin and Good families traveled in Nigeria for two-and-a-half weeks in late December to revisit sites important to the families' mission experiences. The trip was coordinated by former Nigeria mission worker Monroe Good and son Dave Good, grounds coordinator and men's soccer coach at Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind.

The group included Ferne Baldwin, a Church of the Brethren missionary who worked in Nigeria with her late husband Elmer for 18 years 1944-62, and her three daughters, their spouses, all of her grandchildren and two of their spouses, and two friends of the family; and Monroe and Ada Good, who were Church of the Brethren missionaries in Nigeria from 1952-64 and 1984-88, and three of their four children and two spouses, two grandchildren, and the spouse of one grandson. The Good and Baldwin families are linked by marriage.

The trip was made "to show their children and grandchildren where they lived and grew up," said Tina Rieman, a grandchild of Ferne Baldwin. "It was really special to be able to share it with our adult children, who can identify with the unique feelings we had growing up there," said Dave Good. The group visited Hillcrest School in Jos, where mission children attended boarding school, and villages where family members lived--Garkida, Marama, and Shaff--as well as the headquarters of Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) and the EYN secondary school and Kulp Bible College near Mubi.

"Those of us in the younger generation really appreciated seeing the older generations in the places they lived for so many years," Rieman commented. "We heard so many stories. One day we sat in the living room of the first home my grandparents lived in and heard Grandma share stories of life in the 1940s. Her eyes and many of our eyes were tear-filled as she shared the emotions she felt as she took her baby daughter to the hospital with meningitis, not sure if she would survive or not. This was just one of several such stories and spoke to us of the pure dedication of the Church of the Brethren mission of providing a better life to the Nigerian people, in spite of the risks and dangers of being there."

"It was neat to hear Grandma speaking fluent Bura again," she added. "The Nigerians have such an immense respect for their elders and seemed very impressed that she was speaking their language!"

Besides reconnecting with their past, the families also wanted to contribute something to the people family members had served. Since 1988 Monroe Good has returned to Nigeria numerous times with workcamps and tour groups sponsored by the General Board or Atlantic Northeast District, and he and Ada Good spent a month in Nigeria preparing for the family trip. The families held a week-long workcamp at EYN's Madu Bible School in Marama carrying stones, mixing cement by hand, and pouring a cement floor for two classroom buildings. With the help of around 100 Nigerians including 27 cooks and many children, the group "also built a library building for the Madu Bible School from the foundation up to just above the windows," Rieman said. The children "were just interested in what was going on and ended up working harder than some of us!" Workers included Madu Bible School students, members of the Marama church, and representatives from districts across EYN.

Rieman said that the group was well received by EYN as former missionary families, and that EYN members were touched that they had come to visit. "Heartfelt gratitude was expressed over and over by EYN members for the work of the early missionaries in education, construction, health care, and in the church," said Dave Good. "Many give credit to the Church of the Brethren mission program for their quality of life and as the primary reason so many EYN people are in leadership positions across Nigeria today." Good added that "the EYN church seems to be a dynamic force in such things as working against corruption, educating about HIV/AIDS, and improving communication and cooperation with Muslims in their communities."

"The church in Nigeria is alive and well!" Rieman said. "They send greetings to the Church of the Brethren here in the US." Good added, "The Baldwins and Goods give thanks to their Nigerian brothers and sisters for sharing so much warmth, graciousness, friendship, and Christian love."

Source: 2/2/2005 Newsline
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