I needed a little more time to work in my room this morning, so Osas came by at 11am so we could go on some visits. Mr. Horchak has a great deal of work he needed to do to prepare for the International Ministerial Conference this coming weekend, so he decided to stay at the hotel and work. I think everyone understood.

Our first visit was to Mrs. Beatrice Iyamu. As I’ve said before, Mrs. Iyamu, who is 85, is blind and nearly completely deaf. But her mind is as sharp as ever! Once she knew who I was she started telling me the ages of my children and our grandson who lives with us. When I first came 8 years ago she asked when we each were born, and she apparently keeps a running tally going in her mind. She told me how old I am also! She is amazing!

And before we left she sang several hymns for me. She may no longer have perfect pitch (which she might have had when she could hear better), but there is no doubt which hymn she is singing, and she certainly knows all the lyrics! She is a special lady, and as with all the brethren over here, I am going to miss being able to visit with her.

Our next visit was with Mr. Bobdrick Aduke. He first became associated with the WCG in 1969 and was baptized in 1971. With the unsettledness in the Church in recent years, he has drifted here and there a little, but said he knew he needed to get back to the Church and the Truth, and he’s been attending steadily for 6 – 9 months now.

He told me much of his history, and all the reading he does. A copy of the Five Tools for Spiritual Growth was sitting on his shelf as well as several other booklets COGWA has produced. And he has very well-worn copies of The Good News Magazine from 1982-83 that he has read numerous times, underlined sections and highlighted.

He is now retired, and like so many now, is struggling to afford what is needed for daily life. This is a common theme I hear all over, as the prices for everything are on the rise, but real wages are not.

Our third visit was to the Aghimien family shop, where Osas’ mother and sister are there working. It is little more than a smaller shipping container, but they’ve rented it and worked it as a shop for nearly 40 years, selling some hardware and building supplies. They have the Benin City version of Lowes!

Just as we arrived the dark and threatening skies opened up in a heavy downpour. The young lad who helps with the store was busy scrambling for a few minutes as the storm threatened to blow away tin sheets and other lighter items. Quickly things were battened down, and we all sat inside along with a customer who got caught in the shop when the rain hit.

After about a half our of conversation (and gratefully cooler air blowing in) the rain stopped and we were on our way to our fourth visit of the day.

Because the rain came so hard and so fast, and because there is little if any drainage on the streets, street flooding made us change our route to the flat (apartment) of Mr. and Mrs. Augustine. We still had to drive through some, but not the really deep water. At one point I was concerned about water coming in through the bottom of the car door, but it didn’t quite get that high.

Mr. Augustine drives a small bus as a taxi, shuttling people all over Benin City. They have three daughters from about 17 down to 11 who benefit from the FOI scholarship program for education. School fees are mandatory if children are to go to school, and many families can’t afford them. Investing in the future of these children by helping them gain an education now is very important. All three are “A” students, and all three have plans to go into nursing after they finish senior high school.

By the time we finished it was time to return to the hotel – which still included navigating some flooded roads. Osas dropped me at the hotel and then went to get his wife and return. The two of them along with Enosa and Blessing Iyakopolo are in the International Leadership Program, and we need to make up for the class we were unable to have yesterday because our flight was delayed so long. But they were all delayed getting to the hotel because of flooded roads along the way. Obviously this is a common problem here!

When they all arrived, we discussed some local needs, and then Mr. Horchak presented a class on video, and provided them with a thumb drive containing other classes and the ILP Newsletters. After some good discussions it was time for them to begin their trips back to their homes, where they hoped to arrive before it got completely dark.

Neither of us were terribly hungry, so we both ordered something light and ate in our rooms. I called my bride, did a little more work, and crawled into bed for my last night in Africa.