The Agwuocha Family: The Trip Part 2

Well it has been some time since the return of my husband and daughter from their trip to Nigeria. Life lately has been at full speed and has hardly provided me a chance to update you on the rest of the trip. Barnabas and Amara took a domestic flight to the village. They made it safely which is huge since the track record for aviation safety is not so great in Nigeria. Amara got to meet her cousins, aunts, uncles and most importantly her grandmother. This reunion was bittersweet as the hugs from Amara brought joy, but the ones from Barnabas brought the tears. Amara brought much joy to everyone as she loudly sang with her cousins teaching them all the "Frozen" songs. She played and played and played. She ate the native food more often than the food I packed for her in the suitcase. She fit right in. Barnabas had the opportunity to bond with his family, to follow up on his late brother Jude's children and wife (Chinyere), to work on updating some maintenance on the water well system, to pass out all of the donations that you all gave, and to support the family during this time of loss. God was faithful. He allowed the family to have that sweet time together to grieve, love, and heal from so much heartache as they have lost two family members in the last few years. As their time together wrapped up, Barnabas made sure to bring Amara home looking a little more African. She definitely got a tan but her hair was too cute for words. She was a real trooper and traveled like a pro.

As a mommy, I read the Nigerian news every night while they were away. The news was very daunting. Gods hand of protection surely was upon my family. Nigeria is currently suffering from major terrorists attacks which heated up just about the same time as this trip. We made some decisions as to which city to fly into and which mode of transportation they would take from the city to the village. We considered one option that would have placed Barnabas and Amara directly in the path of the first major event which was a suicide bomber at a bus station in Abuja. This blast killed over 70 people. I thank God for his intervention from putting my family near that situation. Our hearts ache for the girls who have been kidnapped and for the families that are suffering. When we spent a year living in Nigeria we lived in the northern region and have friends who have been directly impacted by this terror. We ask you to pray for the safety of the people of Nigeria and that God would protect our family there. The future is uncertain but we are committed to loving the people and doing all that we are called to do. I am so thankful my husband and daughter made it home safe and sound and am so thankful that God did great things. Enjoy a few pictures below. I will do a separate post on the funeral.