What's Behind the Wall?

I had thought about doing this post before Bernie passed away , and of course, last week was a hard week. We feel her absence every day when we come home and she isn't there to meet us. But, I know the kids are at least beginning to understand what happened last week. Jeremy told the Sunday School class today that Bernie went to Heaven to be with Jesus. Then he continued to tell the other kids in the class that Jesus is special because he takes all the pain away and Bernie can run and play now. Those were two things she just couldn't do when she was here. So,I think all in all, we are adjusting okay here.:) As for the picture of the wall above, what do you think may be behind that wall?

Take note of the razor wire on top of the wall...can you see it? The small square cut out in the gate ( in the first picture above) is the window the security guard will open to look at you and determine if you can have access to the school before opening the huge gate. After coming back here after being gone in the U.S. for six weeks, I could see some parts of Lagos with fresh eyes again. I realized that there was razor wire everywhere to keep people out. It occurred to me that yes, even at Elizabeth's school, there is barbed wire surrounding the school wall so no one can get inside ( except the parents and teachers, of course).

I know some of you may be looking at these pictures and thinking " What is she thinking sending her daughter here?" ( This is not the school Jeremy is attending...Elizabeth s too young to attend that school) I know the playground doesn't look that great and there is barbed wire around the school. As a matter of fact, there isn't even a sign to say that the school is even there. ( This is for the safety of the children) But, the school is great (Elizabeth was on a waiting list to get in since last March), and like most things in Nigeria, playground equipment is hard to get. So, many times, the play equipment is used for many years before it is possible to replace it.

I realized when I was taking her to school early last week that if I was in the U.S. there would be no way in h$%# I would ever take her to a school surrounded by barbed wire. It is funny because after a while, you almost don't even notice it here anymore...you just see it everywhere. It was my "fresh eyes" which made me realize once again how different my life is here compared to the life I would be living if we were still in the U.S.

But, Elizabeth is happy here and the teachers are absolutely wonderful. She has a teacher from Australia and another teacher from India. In addition, there are two Nigerian assistants to help out with the kiddoes and that adds up to a whole lot of fun!!!:)

I guess it just goes to show, you really can't judge a book by its cover...who would have known that so much fun was going on behind a huge wall covered with razor wire?:)