Children of CHIPROM: Taiwo & Kehinde

(Kehinde, meaning: Last Born)

These two girls are twins, but I didn't even know that until a few weeks after I first got to Chiprom! They look completely different, but once you get to know them, their sisterhood becomes very evident.

(Taiwo, meaning: First Born)

These two girls have been at CHIPROM for almost 2 years, and they've gone from being shy to excited and bubbly 7 year old girls! Taiwo is a special case for praise to God. She was blind when she arrived at Chiprom, and within a few months, her sight was fully restored! God has his hand on these girls, and I feel so blessed to have known them.

My Going Away Party

Oh man, I have so little time left here. It's really bittersweet. I guess I always knew that, but its hitting me now. On Sunday, we had a "send forth" as they call it here. Everyone got together and the kids all shared reasons why they loved their Aunty Sierra. Needless to say, it was emotional.

They told me I was the best volunteer they've ever had. I don't know if they say that to all the volunteers, but it sure worked on me! It is REALLY hard to leave these kids. Everyone appreciated me, and then they sang "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow". We ate puff-puffs (Nigerian home-made Timbits) and drank Coke and watched Spongebob. It was a lovely evening.

I am going to miss these kids. I am going to miss the screaming at six in the morning, the wrestling matches in the sitting room, the dance parties when the power comes on... Canada is going to be a lot to get used to.

I am so excited to come home and see my family, but I feel like a piece of me is back with those kids. Saying goodbye to them was probably one of the most difficult things I've had to do in my life. Working with people, loving people like that... I've opened up my heart to be so vulnerable, to let them in. It hurts because I care so deeply. And that's what we've got to do. We've got to love like God loved us first.

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." (1 John 4:11-12, NIV)

That pretty much sums it up right there. Leave it to the Big Guy to have the right words to say. :)

Children of CHIPROM: Seun and Saye

Just this last week, we had a pair of twins join us at Chiprom. Their names are Seun (Shay-oon) and Saye (Shay-ee) and they're 3 weeks old. They are sooooo tiny. I thought Success was small, and now he seems like the chubbiest baby ever.

(Seun)

(Saye)

These boys are so small and adorable (although they do scream a lot). I'm praying that they continue to grow healthily, and that they bond well with the other children.

Children of CHIPROM: Sunday

Sunday is so awesome. He is known around the house as the Pastor, or just plain "Pastor Sunday". He loves to burst out into prayer at random times (but everyone always stops to listen to this 5 year old, because his prayers are just the best!)

He can be a handful sometimes (I won't lie to you). But I know I'm going to miss all of his crazy antics!

Painted Faces

On Tuesday, we had Democracy Day (which is basically a Nigerian Independence Day). The kids were home from school, and we were hoping to go swimming but it starting pouring in the morning, and was drizzly all throughout the afternoon.

Even though we didn't get to go swimming, I decided to surprise them and bring out my face paints! Everyone got painted, and we had Spiderman, Batman, monkeys and tigers all running around the house, proud of their new faces!

Children of CHIPROM: Samuel & Elizabeth

Well, if it isn’t Little Miss Sassy and Mr. Swag in person! These 6 year olds are always a riot. 

Samuel is constantly running around, showing off his kung-fu moves, wrestling with Isaiah and the other boys on the sitting room floor, and occasionally sits still enough to watch some Power Rangers on TV. He is full of energy, thats for sure! Occasionally, he'll cuddle up to me and sit still, but it only ever lasts for a few minutes, and then he finds some new task to keep him running around.

Elizabeth, or Elli as she likes to be called, is the sassiest little girl I have ever met. I figured these kids would have sass, but I never expected this much! She loves bossing people around, dancing and just strutting her stuff in her many skirts and dresses. Anytime I try to take a picture of her, she’s always got a new pose for me! She also knows exactly what she wants to be when she grows up: a hairdresser. Several times a day, she walks up to me (struts would be a better word) and says "lemme do yo hair". She's great!

These kids make the house so loud and crazy and capital-F Fun! 

My Birthday Party

 

My birthday party (now over a week ago) was amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better 19th Nigerian-style birthday.

It all started when the kids got home from school. The mommies had been cooking and frying food up all day long, and I had just assumed it was for future use... like preparing food in advance for the next week or something. Turns out it was for my party (!) and I only found out when the kids came home.

Everyone got off the bus and ran upstairs to get changed into their party clothes. Someone let me in on the fact that I was having a birthday party, so I got changed too.

We all sat down in the sitting room and one of the mommies prayed for us. Even though it was in Yoruba, it was lovely (can I say that?) Then we sang worship songs, and then the kids sang me birthday songs. That was so incredibly special. I mean, a children's choir of Nigerian kids all singing for me? Who'd have thought I would ever experience that. (Not going to lie, I got a little emotional).

Then we ate our food, and had a dance party. During the dance party, I brought out some glow sticks from Canada that I had been saving for a special occasion. The kids had never seen them before, so it was pretty exciting.

I feel so blessed to be here with these kids.

Children of CHIPROM: Dupe

This is Dupe. She is so sweet, and so cute. She is always helping the younger boys with their homework, and often helps the mommies with washing the clothes. She is such a great helper!

When I first met her, the first thing I noticed about her was her laugh. It was this high, tinselly sounding giggle. She loves laughing, and she loves laughing a LOT! She is such a joy to have around the house.

IT'S MY PARTY!!

Hey! Hey, you! Guess what!

I'm 19 today! Oh my goodness, I am so old. 

God has been so gracious to me and blessed me with 19 wonderful years on this planet. I am only starting to realize now how big and beautiful and FULL this world is. I have so many people to know, and so many things to eat, and so many planes/trains/automobiles to ride...

To quote Willy Wonka, "I have so much time and so little to do... Strike that, reverse it."

This trip to Nigeria has opened my eyes to the vivacity and excitement of life, as well as the daily struggle it can be. My heart is being stretched to include a whole other set of little people. I only have 3 weeks before I'm back in Canada again, and I'm already feeling that melancholy, bittersweet feeling. I'm so excited to go home and see my family again, but I'm also so incredibly sad to leave these kids.

But I know that with the care they receive from this home, it will (most likely) raise them up into being solid Christian brothers and sisters. So I can see them once again in eternity. One can pray! That would be the ultimate birthday present. 19 new brother and sisters for my 19th birthday!

Children of CHIPROM: Favor

Hello Favor! This guy is one and a half years old, and is the sweetest thing around. He waddles around the house, following Ibukun and causing havoc. They are our resident trouble-maker buds! Sometimes he'll break away and run over to me to hug my legs. I'm really going to miss that!

He also has this habit of sucking his bottom lip like a soother. I don't think I even saw his bottom lip until the second week I was here! He is pretty darn adorable when he smiles, though.

{If you want to read other Children of CHIPROM posts, click here to go to the list of names.}

Nigerian Life: Thunderstorms

Hello all!

For the past few nights, Ibadan has been hit with some pretty killer thunderstorms. And I mean "rattle-the-windows-with-the-subwoofer-sound-coming-from-the-sky" thunderstorms. It's been pretty epic to say the least! (Although it's apparently completely normal. The only person who is shocked and amazed every time lightning strikes is me.)

Last night I decided to bust out my camera and start filming. I've never had such a good vantage point for lightning before, so the results (at least in my humble opinion) are AWESOME. In fact, capturing lightning on camera was on my bucket list.

See, right there? No. 36? Yeah, I can check that one off now. (Also note, apparently at some point I wanted to be a sailor. We'll see if that happens!)

I actually screamed with glee when I got the first shot. Dreams coming true here, people.

I had a few of the kids sitting with me on the top bunk in the girl's room, and we would count to three and then I would take a picture on "three". It was so fun to share all the "sky fire" with them! I'm going to remember doing this for a lonnnng time.

And my personal fave...

It was literally 15,000 times cooler than fireworks. God is such an incredible pyrotechnic!

(I also made a video. Enjoy!!!)

Children of CHIPROM: Isaiah and Esther

Say hello to Isaiah and Esther, the recently turned seven year old twins (on April 2nd, to be exact).

Isaiah is the oldest boy here at Chiprom currently, and he is the man of the house. I always see him separating the littler boys from fighting! And he is so cuddly, too. When he come home from school (even if he is the oldest guy around) he runs up to me and hugs me around my waist and just stares up at me. I love this guy.

Esther is such a wonderful little girl. She loves being the mom, telling other kids what to do, what not to do, where to sit, etc. She loves feeding the babies, and carrying little Success around whenever she can. She wants so badly to be a grown-up! She is super cute.

{If you want to read other Children of CHIPROM posts, click here to go to the list of names.}

Projects

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to let you know some of the projects I've been working on recently. I was asked by the Chiprom President to create a blog for Chiprom because he really liked the way I've been using this one to communicate to a large audience. Of course I set all that up, and you can find that at www.chiprom.wordpress.com. I'm going to be putting prayer requests and news bits on there, and will continue to do so even after I leave, so there's a new way to stay updated with Chiprom!!!

We also had a carpenter come and build some book shelves to hang in the girls' room, and then the kids moved a bunch of books out of storage to the upstairs, where I sorted them and put them in their proper spot. The children were so excited to spend the afternoon reading! It rained, and everyone was stuck inside anyways, so it was quite a cosy day. There is also room for more books, so if you have any old books you want to get rid of, feel free to e-mail me at sierravanarragon@gmail.com  and we can figure out a way to send your books over to the kids!

I also was asked to hang up some mosquito nets in the kids' rooms. The carpenter who built the bookshelves also installed some nails above the bunk beds, and I spent my afternoon attaching nets. I've got to say, it makes the beds look really nice! This will help protect the kids from any further bouts of malaria. I've still got to hang them up in the boys' room.

So I've been pleasantly busy! I've been learning a lot about cultures, and God and myself in these past weeks which is wonderful. I've also realized that today is exactly one month until I'll be touching down in Canada. It amazes me that I've only got such a short time left, and I am so thankful for this once-in-a-lifetime trip that God has blessed me with. I think it's going to change my life...

Peace,

Sierra

Children of CHIPROM: Success

Ahhh, sweet Success. He is the newest addition to Chiprom, and he is an absolute doll.

No words. 

I mean, how perfect is that face? 

This little guy loves life. So much so that if he isn't being held by a living, breathing person while he is awake, he will scream and cry until he is. And when you are holding him, he's the happiest little guy on the planet. All the other kids love carrying him around with them, and I'm sure he loves it too.

AHH!! Cuteness overload!!!

{If you want to read the other Children of CHIPROM posts, click here to go to the list of names.}

Children of CHIPROM: Dolapo

Dolapo is an 11 year old girl with a heart of gold.
Her name means "rich woman" and although she may not be a millionaire, God has definitely blessed her with many rich and wonderful talents! She can often be heard singing around the house as she cleans up after the little ones, and also enjoys drawing and being creative. She's my artsy-soul kindred spirit :)

Right now, she is home with me while the rest of the kids are at school. She was unfortunate enough to get a bout of malaria, so she's been sleeping for most of the past two days. Pray that God will heal her up quickly, and that she can return to school soon.

{If you want to read the other Children of CHIPROM posts, click here to go to the list of names.}

Chiprom 7th Anniversary

Hello everyone!

I had a pretty awesome weekend, not going to lie to you :)

This past Sunday, we had the 7th year anniversary of Chiprom. So obviously we threw a party!

It wasn't very big by African standards, but there were about 50 people there. We sang some worship songs, and commemorated the wonderful 7 years we've been blessed with, and held a prayer for the next 70 years. God has his hand on this place, and even when there are struggles, it only teaches us to rely on Him more.

Then the kids sang! I helped them learn some of their songs, and then they also presented a play (something similar to the Good Samaritan). I was really proud of them.

And then we had the obligatory dance party, of course! I think I danced straight for two hours.. and my face was bright red, and everyone was sweating, and even though we were all pretty disgusting as far as appearances go, it was a great time. 

I really want to thank the Idowu's for all the wonderful work they've put into this place. Without their vision, Chiprom wouldn't be here. They spend so much of their time and money and energy pouring into this place, and the kids love them like their own parents. They have made my stay in Nigeria a blessed and exciting one, and I am so thankful for them!

I hope you people back home had a wonderful weekend, but I don't know if anyone can top having a dance party with Nigerian children for two hours. :)

Peace,

Sierra

Children of CHIPROM: Glory

Glory is a 12 year old girl with a heart after God, which is the most awesome thing ever. I mean, she came up to me one time and asked me if I could explain God to her. I told her I'd try to answer her questions, but I didn't have all the answers. She then asked "Well, who is God's dad? When was God born? What does heaven look like? When I die, how will it feel?" and about a million more questions similar in nature and just as hard-hitting.

She's a smart one!

I love her curiosity to know more about God, and her excitement about her questions. I often can't get all the way through my answer before she has two more questions spilling out!

She is one amazing kid. And obviously, I love her to pieces!

{If you want to read the other Children of CHIPROM posts, click here to go to the list of names.}

Sickness :(

So, sorry for the lack of updates. I've been slightly sick/ slightly without internet. But mostly sick. Since last Friday (the 13th) I've slid headfirst into a terrible cold. I'll spare you most of the details, but basically it's really a nasty head cold. Add heat on top of that, and you can see how its hard to find relief! However,    Mr. Idowu took me to the local pharmacy and bought some Amoxocillin for me so I can fight it off better. Before that I was just pumping Vitamin C and Advil into my body, but he said that wasn't enough. "If you're not from Africa, it will only get worse," he said. So we got the antibiotics.

(This is me after I took my meds. So obviously the fact that I am vertical means I was feeling better. Also, check out my dress! The angle doesn't really show the length, which is to the knee.  And also note the wall of friends and family behind me. I just stop and stare when I miss you guys :) )

This past week has also been a holiday, but we've really just stayed home all week, preparing for school and hanging out on the cold tiled floor (at least I was. I embraced all things tiled whole heartedly.) I'm really thankful that I got sick during this week because it has been cool-ish, and the kids have been home so I haven't felt lonely and sick. And now I'm getting better. PRAISE THE LORD!!

Also, we received a new little boy yesterday. His name is Success and he's 8 weeks old. I don't have any pictures of him now because he's always crying if no one's holding him. I'm going to have to time this one  well :)

Thank you everyone who prayed for me! I can now officially say I am on the mend.

Peace,

Sierra

Children of CHIPROM: Joshua and Michael

{Michael}

Joshua and Michael are the youngest twins here at Chiprom currently.  They are 4 years old, and love to play all the time.

Michael is the sweetest little boy you will ever meet. I taught him what butterfly kisses are, and now if he's ever sitting besides me, he will lean over and give me some on my cheek. He is so gentle and kind, and it just makes everyone love him. He's always the life of the party when visitors stop by, singing "Father Abraham" at the top of his lungs while doing over-the-top actions. He's just a great kid!

Joshua is a great little protector. One of the mummies brought her baby grand daughter to the home for a few days, and Joshua loves her to pieces! Anytime she sat on the floor, Joshua was right there next to her to make sure no one accidentally stepped on her. He also loves to ride his bicycle out front and often has races with his brother and Kehinde to the bottom of the driveway. Whenever he sees me in the morning, he runs straight at me with his arms outstretched, ready for a big bear-hug.

These boys are such precious gifts from God, and I love them!

{Joshua}

{If you want to read the other Children of CHIPROM posts, click here to go to the list of names.}

Pen Pals

Before I left for this trip, I had a little girl named Roni ask me if she could send a pen pal package with me to Chiprom. Of course I said YES!! What a great idea!

Today I sat down with two girls (Joy and Dupe) and explained the whole thing to them and they were super excited. They sat and wrote out all about what they like to do, and who their siblings are and asked questions about Canada. I'm going to be sending the letters on Monday!

(Roni, Dupe (Dook-bay) is on the left, and Joy is on the right. They both really really wanted to write to you, so I hope you're ready for two pen pals!!)

I have also been e-mailing my Dad (who is an elementary school teacher-librarian) and he said that the grade 1 class at his school would love to write letters back and forth with some the kids here. Of course I said YES!

So Ms. McCan's grade 1 class? Here are the letters I helped some of the kids write. Write some of your own and e-mail them to me, and I can show them to the kids, and maybe we can start something!

The kids writing are Taiwo & Kehinde (twin girls), Samuel & Elizabeth (twins), Isaiah & Esther (twins) and Sunday.

I think its so cool that these kids can write back and forth to each other. I feel blessed to be a part of this international community!