Aba, Nigeria Thursday, November 20
By Marti Schneider, On location

Well, Don's in hot water . . . again! What I mean is, the hotel fixed
our hot water heater. We had only had just-warmer-than-cold water until
now. I had blamed it on Bob Folkenberg, whose room is across from ours.
I thought maybe he used up the water before we could get showers. But,
no, when I told the manager lady one morning that we had no hot water,
she said she would tell the electrician. The following morning Don must
have told her that we still didn't have hot water, because she and
another lady came bursting into the room to confirm that fact, since the
electrician had told her all was working right. But now we have hot
water after eight days. Showers do take longer now.

It is really, really hot and quite humid here. Feels like East Texas
in the summer before we had air conditioning. When Don has finished
preaching, his entire suit feels like it has been dipped in a bucket of
water and is hung up to drip dry. Actually, it is not dripping, but
it's just to the brink of dripping. It has remained in amazingly
good condition in spite of such abuse.

I just finished a load of hand washing. Don's white and sport shirts,
T-shirts, and khaki pants we send to the hotel launderer. They go right
into the laundry with the sheets and towels, I believe. The grassy side
yard of the hotel is actually the drying yard. The sheets and towels
are spread flat on the grass to dry. Don was rather startled to look
out from the meeting room we use in the mornings to see his pants and
plaid shirt lying on the ground in full view. The things come back very
nicely pressed and folded.

Don's topic tonight was about the Sabbath. "Jesus made the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is for me." For his final illustration, he asked me to find
five African women in African dress and headwear. Kandus Thorp made the
sixth person, and I made the seventh. Kandus and I both wore African
dresses. After I completed my special feature, I went out into the
audience and found the five. Then I told them I needed their help to put
on my African garb. They seemed so delighted. We shut the door so no
men could interrupt. Then I had five ladies-in waiting . . . unzipping,
zipping, tugging, pulling, tying the skirt and adjusting the overblouse.
Then I sat in a chair and two of the ladies began to work on my
headgear. It is simply a oblong piece of fabric . . . relatively wide,
too. After much tugging, pulling, knotting and adjusting the free
corners to give height I was declared beautiful. And, oh, did I turn
heads backstage! Everyone that passed had to do a doubletake. And the
audience applauded to see us in our African dresses.

Don was illustrating that which day one keeps IS important . . . just
like which lady he takes home to America with him is important. It must
be the one who owns the passport that reads Marti Schneider. The
audience did seem to like the illustration. And the ladies had fun.
Afterward we stood backstage and had pictures taken. Being with the
people is the best part of being here!

Pastor Ola told me that they received 20 phone calls today regarding
last night's sermon. The calls came from all over Africa . . . and they
loved Don's illustration with the children: Law, Sin, Grace, Saviour,
Preacher and Church. If you don't have Law, there is no Sin, so you
need no Grace, no Saviour, no Church . . . and the Preacher has nothing
to say.

Today Sister Daniel, the camera team, and I went across town. It took
40 minutes because of the roads. We turned down a very slow dirt road
and rode for 10 minutes. Our destination was the home of Emmanuel O.
Adaelu (A-day-lou). I had asked around some, Who is the most godly
person? . . . who comes to mind? I learned that it is Adaelu's Toyota
4x4 in which we are riding . . . and it is his driver. No one had told
me about this man though. First we drove up to a gate and honked the
horn. The gate opened and we could see a large factory with nice
grounds. The gatekeeper pointed down the road. So we backed out and
went further, turned in at the next gate. Two uniformed gatekeepers
opened the gate and we passed through. We drove up a long driveway
through very nice grounds to an enormous home . . . really enormous!
Brother Adaelu met us and ushered us into his living room (the third
room we came to). We had made the appointment the evening before . . .
and I had called to let him know we were almost there.

I told him my mission was to learn about "a godly man." "Tell me your
story," I said.

So he began: "I was born a Seventh-day Adventist. And my mother was
born a Seventh-day Adventist. It was my grandmother Elizabeth Nwauhiara
who first learned this message."

As he began to tell me about his grandmother, I decided that she was a
very remarkable woman.
She was a lay leader in the Anglican Church which she had founded, St.
Andrew's Church, where her name is still displayed on the wall. It is
in their home village of Umuakpara. (KP pronounced as a strong P or
B).

She was an active missionary for her Anglican faith. She preached to
everyone she could find and influenced them to join her church. She
spoke not only Ebo, but also Hausa and some English.

She was a trader. One day while she was at the market in Port Harcourt
buying fish, she heard some American missionaries preaching at the
waterside. The topic was the Sabbath day! She listened intently! She
noted all of the Bible quotations, then she studied the texts. She was
convinced that the seventh day of the week was the Sabbath of the Lord.


But now she had a problem! She felt that she had led many people the
wrong way. She had led many to worship on a different day from what the
Bible instructed! It really bothered her! What was she going to do?

On Sunday, she went to the pastor and asked to speak to the
congregation. He thought that she wanted to make an important
announcement as usual. Instead, she opened her Bible and asked the
members to copy down the Bible quotations that she gave them. They
diligently wrote.

Then she said, "You study the texts during the week. Next Sunday we
will talk about what we have read." Many read them; some did not. Even
the pastor read them.

The following Sunday, Sister Elizabeth talked to the congregation about
the Sabbath and asked them to follow her to change . . . to begin
worshiping on Saturday. Some listened! Some opposed! But it did not
stop Sister Elizabeth. She simply established a NEW congregation in the
very same village.

She always carried her Bible with her. She always shared her faith.
She was known as a pillar in the Adventist Church in Eastern Nigeria.
Many people attribute their relationship with Jesus and the Adventist
church to Grandmother Elizabeth.

She trained all of her children to be God-fearing Adventist Christians
including Mary, the mother of Brother Adaelu. And she converted Elder
Adaelu's father before the two were married. (Brother Adaelu's
father, Josiah, by the way, lived to be more than 120 years old.)

"So, Elder Adaelu, tell me about your own experience with Jesus," I
urged him.

He said, "I learned about Jesus from my parents. Then, when I went
to school, it confirmed to me that my parents led me right."

The Adaelu's are the parents of eight children, seven still living.
All seven of these children are Christians, active in the Adventist
church. Several of his children are chemical engineers working in the
family business. Two of the daughters are married to doctors, one of
whom owns a hospital in town. One son is in his fourth year at the
university.

"Tell me, Brother Adaelu, tell me about your walk with Jesus," I
continued questioning.

He said simply, "I love Jesus with all my heart."

With reluctance and expressed with great humbleness, he told me about
his evangelistic undertakings and his support of evangelism. Whether it
is the purchase of a large tent from America, or planting churches and
establishing church buildings in the community, or providing for the
needs of the Adventist work in Nigeria, he is involved!

"What do you get out of it, Brother Adaelu?" I asked.

"It gives me great joy! We shall soon leave here. What is not given
for God's service may not be put to proper use!"

"And your children? Do they agree with you?"

"They, too, believe in sharing God's bounties with others."

"Sister Clara . . . Mrs. Adaelu, do you have a testimony?"

""God has been so gracious and kind. He has been piloting us," she
said quietly.

Brother Adaelu declared, "We have depended on God all of our lives.
And as long as God gives us life, we have more to do."

His wife and a number of his adult children had entered the room.
After we finished the interview, they served some refreshments. We
prayed together, touched juice glasses one to another in celebration and
joy, and chatted for a few more minutes before taking our leave. They
sent us home with a large basket filled with various sparkling juices,
crackers, and cookies, nuts, etc.

Sure, it's a lot of work to go out and get the stories . . . but I
wouldn't miss it for anything. Wish you could be here too!

It's nearing midnight! We'll talk again tomorrow.

Good night,

Marti