Doing
MORE with LESS
in Nigeria
The one thing that I am continually reminded of each time I visit Nigeria and the good people at West Africa Theological Seminary is this:
These people do MORE with LESS while those of us in America do LESS with MORE.
Having said that, I am not condemning anyone - but merely stating a reality that always impacts me greatly each time I am here.
I have now returned home, but want to update everyone on my 'too short' weeks at WATS.
The seminary has been working for the better part of 4 years to improve Library Services. WATS has one, if not the largest Theological Library in West Africa - with over 50,000 volumes. However, they have been operating off of the old card catalog system. In addition, WATS initiated a DMIN program in January of 2014, and has a significant need for electronic or digitized data. In September and November of 2014 we were able to install a Server and the Network of the eLibrary and a small number of digitized 'e-books' and other resources.
The mission this trip was primarily two-fold. (1) Continue loading in approximately another 1,000 digitized - ebook resources; and (2) Continue with the Library in bar-coding in all the books in the WATS Library preparing for the transition from the Card Catalog system to a web based system called Evergreen.
E-Library
I was assisted by a team of several individuals as we uploaded @ 700 items into the eLibrary. The team will continue to upload - headed by Abimbola David. Here are a few pictures of our work in the eLibrary.
These people do MORE with LESS while those of us in America do LESS with MORE.
Having said that, I am not condemning anyone - but merely stating a reality that always impacts me greatly each time I am here.
I have now returned home, but want to update everyone on my 'too short' weeks at WATS.
The seminary has been working for the better part of 4 years to improve Library Services. WATS has one, if not the largest Theological Library in West Africa - with over 50,000 volumes. However, they have been operating off of the old card catalog system. In addition, WATS initiated a DMIN program in January of 2014, and has a significant need for electronic or digitized data. In September and November of 2014 we were able to install a Server and the Network of the eLibrary and a small number of digitized 'e-books' and other resources.
The mission this trip was primarily two-fold. (1) Continue loading in approximately another 1,000 digitized - ebook resources; and (2) Continue with the Library in bar-coding in all the books in the WATS Library preparing for the transition from the Card Catalog system to a web based system called Evergreen.
E-Library
I was assisted by a team of several individuals as we uploaded @ 700 items into the eLibrary. The team will continue to upload - headed by Abimbola David. Here are a few pictures of our work in the eLibrary.
WATS - Library
Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky has been very instrumental in assisting WATS to upgrade it's entire library. The library at the seminary has been using the card catalog system for many years. With the help of ATS they are now moving to a web-based library management system. That is the good news! The 'not-so-good' news is that they must bar-code into the computerized system ALL the volumes currently in their library. So the work has begun. Once this task is more than half way completed, the library will then be able to use the Evergreen System for it's circulation.
Elizabeth Kanu, The Head Librarian and some of her staff and other volunteers are assisting with the bar coding process. Some pictures of this process are below. As an aside: If you or any you know of would be willing to travel on a missions trip to WATS and assist with this process - please contact me at: his.rivers@gmail.com
Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky has been very instrumental in assisting WATS to upgrade it's entire library. The library at the seminary has been using the card catalog system for many years. With the help of ATS they are now moving to a web-based library management system. That is the good news! The 'not-so-good' news is that they must bar-code into the computerized system ALL the volumes currently in their library. So the work has begun. Once this task is more than half way completed, the library will then be able to use the Evergreen System for it's circulation.
Elizabeth Kanu, The Head Librarian and some of her staff and other volunteers are assisting with the bar coding process. Some pictures of this process are below. As an aside: If you or any you know of would be willing to travel on a missions trip to WATS and assist with this process - please contact me at: his.rivers@gmail.com
Visit with 'Children' and Friends
I was also privileged to visit with two of our 'adopted' children and their families - as well as spend some time with two of the Master's students who lived through the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone and are now back at WATS. These people are living examples of Doing MORE with LESS.
Timothy Jide Moye and his wife Antonia are serving as the Administrator of Glory Christian Ministries in Lagos, Nigeria. He has been with WATS for many years - first as a student and eventually serving in several roles including Chief Protocol, Urban and Wholistic Ministries, Director of Personnel, and a part time lecturer. The Moye's are great Godly people.
Chude Minkiti and his wife Faith serve as Pastor and Headmaster(s) of an Anglican Church and Humble Light School. After graduating from WATS with his Master's degree, Chude and Faith started a school in their home. Chude also planted an Anglican Church in a structure he built beside his home. The church now runs around 40 - 50 and there are over 80 children in the school. (from 8 months thru 3rd grade.
Joseph Karoma and Joseph Allen are two friends I first met a little over a year ago. They both have been sent missionaries from Sierra Leone to northern Nigeria - for the past six years or so. In the spring of 2014 they began a Masters program in Intercultural studies at WATS. In June they returned home to Sierra Leone - just in time to be right in the middle of the ebola epidemic in that country. They were surrounded on all sides by people dying from ebola. One of the Pastor's under Joseph Karoma's supervision died. As they told me, it was only by God's protection and grace that neither of them or their families contracted ebola. Finally, in January, they had a week where they could leave the country - and they were able to get out, and back to Nigeria.
I personally covet your prayers for each of these three 'families'. There are many more at WATS of course, that also are in need of support and prayer. Once again I have been struck by the fact that no matter the personal struggles of any of our lives, there are ALWAYS others to whom God would have us BE the RIVER of His love and grace to their need.
I was also privileged to visit with two of our 'adopted' children and their families - as well as spend some time with two of the Master's students who lived through the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone and are now back at WATS. These people are living examples of Doing MORE with LESS.
Timothy Jide Moye and his wife Antonia are serving as the Administrator of Glory Christian Ministries in Lagos, Nigeria. He has been with WATS for many years - first as a student and eventually serving in several roles including Chief Protocol, Urban and Wholistic Ministries, Director of Personnel, and a part time lecturer. The Moye's are great Godly people.
Chude Minkiti and his wife Faith serve as Pastor and Headmaster(s) of an Anglican Church and Humble Light School. After graduating from WATS with his Master's degree, Chude and Faith started a school in their home. Chude also planted an Anglican Church in a structure he built beside his home. The church now runs around 40 - 50 and there are over 80 children in the school. (from 8 months thru 3rd grade.
Joseph Karoma and Joseph Allen are two friends I first met a little over a year ago. They both have been sent missionaries from Sierra Leone to northern Nigeria - for the past six years or so. In the spring of 2014 they began a Masters program in Intercultural studies at WATS. In June they returned home to Sierra Leone - just in time to be right in the middle of the ebola epidemic in that country. They were surrounded on all sides by people dying from ebola. One of the Pastor's under Joseph Karoma's supervision died. As they told me, it was only by God's protection and grace that neither of them or their families contracted ebola. Finally, in January, they had a week where they could leave the country - and they were able to get out, and back to Nigeria.
I personally covet your prayers for each of these three 'families'. There are many more at WATS of course, that also are in need of support and prayer. Once again I have been struck by the fact that no matter the personal struggles of any of our lives, there are ALWAYS others to whom God would have us BE the RIVER of His love and grace to their need.
RIVERS NOT RESERVOIRS
7982 Hillcrest Trail
Jonesboro, Georgia 30236
BLOG: www.hisrivers.org
EMAIL: his.rivers@gmail.com
7982 Hillcrest Trail
Jonesboro, Georgia 30236
BLOG: www.hisrivers.org
EMAIL: his.rivers@gmail.com
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