Lack of clean water is the leading cause of death in under resourced countries. 1.8 million people die every year from water borne illnesses. That includes 3,900 children a day. We can help.
NATIVITY:NIGERIA will help provide clean water to two communities with whom we have developed close relationships over the past 3 years. We will undertake projects at both Anawim Home in Abuja and Faith Alive Hospital in Jos. Find out more by clicking the link below:
A holiday story from Pam Mercer, a Home Team member:
Missionaries from Anawim Home returned with tracings of feet and waist measurements for the boys of the St. John Bosco hostel. The goal was to send back a new outfit for each of the boys to wear to mass on Christmas Day, a true treat for them as they don’t get new clothes very often at the orphanage.
After estimating sizes, I headed off on my shopping excursion in search of warm weather clothing for the boys. As it was already late November, finding a selection of shorts ranging in sizes 8-18 seemed like a difficult task. I searched sale racks, clearance items and full price clothing without much luck. Everything was so picked over and choices were few.
While moving throughout the store I noticed shoppers carrying lots of items, most of it merchandized just for the Black Friday shoppers. Shopping for orphans in Nigeria and watching people toss “stuff” in their carts really emphasized for me how commercialized Christmas has become. I felt enlightened and filled with the spirit of Advent Conspiracy, but still had nothing in my cart.
I finally came upon a clearance rack filled with short-sleeved white polo shirts and enough in all of the sizes we needed. Still no shorts, but I was feeling better and decided to take the shirts and head off to another store.
I struck up a conversation with the gentleman who checked me out. He was from Lagos, Nigeria and blessed all of us over and over. He told me that Nigerians don’t worry about the weather and what they wear like we do here. He said pants would be fine instead of shorts, so off I went with a happy heart and tears in my eyes believing that I got in this man’s line for a reason—a divine reason.
Now my job was easy! I picked up 8 pairs of khaki pants, wrapped up the outfits for the boys and boxed them up for their journey to Abuja. When volunteering for this little task of shopping for boys a world away, I had no idea of the spiritual impact it would have on me in my own world.
On the days and weeks after my trip to Nigeria; people were constantly asking “What did you do?” Puzzled and overwhelmed at the thought of such inquiry my response would always be “Not Enough”
This statement still holds true today. I could never do enough, because when you find love in the truest and most pure sense, you can never do enough…
From the moment we landed in Nigeria until the day we left I was completely surprised by love.
In the poorest of nations, where people are suffering and dying from lack of food, clean water, and disease; one would think that you would be met with despair and heart break, but is stead we were met with love…the unconditional kind.
Nothing was ever asked of us, all they wanted to do is just give.
Never in my life have I experienced such an outpouring of generosity; it was quite stunning. Yet what surprised me all the more was the abundance of faith. Our friends were joyful, alive and thirsty to know how God transform lives, of their own and of those who have traveled so far to meet them.
They wanted to know “our stories”, who we were, where we came from, and how we came to know Christ. This longing to know us was critical to them; and as the days passed on our visit to Jos, we found ourselves facilitating their desire by leading worships services and prayer meetings. As the requests for us to do more of this type of Evangelization grew, the more we became transparent. For some of us, this came quite naturally and for others, opening up in such a fashion was different. Yet everyone managed to rise to the occasion and again, we were surprised by love. For not only were we sharing about our faith and our lives; we were creating relationships and building intimacy through our love for Jesus.
After the prayer meetings, the staff and many of the patients would come up to chat. I cherished those moments because it was in those moments that bonds of friendship were formed. We will never truly realize what kind of impact we had in those moments. It is a secret that only our Creator will know for sure, yet I am blessed for the glimpses He reveals, as they are a gift of knowing how His love works though us.
A gift…
His name is Segun [ Shegwin] Adeyanju, and in a crowd of small children, you’d never recognize him. He is a tiny little man, with a big heart and a humble spirit. Segun works at the Faith Alive Hospital in the Administration Department as an advisor of Children’s Services. He is the kind of person who gets lost in a crowd, small, quiet and shy. Segun accompanied us on visits to the Hwol Yarje School and the orphanage. On those first trips I didn’t even know who he was…he never said a word until after a prayer meeting at the hospital one rainy afternoon.
He came up to me and said “Are you Marina?” Surprised that he knew my name I said “yes”. He replied and said” I need your help.” Feeling as though I could never do enough, I fervently agreed to help. We set up a meeting for the next morning to discuss the details of a project he was working on.
Segun was working on a children’s outreach program that would provide support and counseling services to children who are affected by HIV and AIDS. The Faith Alive Hospital had received a donation of materials and supplies from AIDS RELIEF to launch the program but it lacked structure. The resources allocated to them for this program were very scarce and limited. Through quick thinking and organization, together we were able to develop a program that would increase the demographic to include teens and utilize the small resources that were given to be sustainable and renewable.
Dr. Chris named the project” The Faith Alive Angels” The program launched August 30th and on September 3rd I received an email from Segun. The program was a huge success with over 300 hundred families enrolled in and around Jos. He mentioned that other hospitals were coming to Faith Alive to learn and received training about the program so that they can implement the curriculum in their locations.
His message to me was filled with enthusiasm and gratitude and as I read and download the photos he attached, I was filled with so much joy and so much love. I had no idea what an impact this program would have and that he thought of me to share the success was humbling.
I often felt like the “Little Drummer Boy” in Nigeria….repeating the mantra in my head, “What can I bring to them? …What can I give?” and always feeling that it was never enough.
Upon returning all I could think of is how much I was blessed by the people I met. My friends in Nigeria changed me and they changed the way I look at life and living. They poured mortar on my foundation of faith and changed the structure of my path, narrowing the road towards home.
They never asked for anything only friendship and what we received in return was nothing but love. A love that was reciprocal.
A former HIV patient himself, Ashom is a Home-Based Care Team member who brings Faith Alive services to families and communities, who otherwise will not have access to this medical care and spiritual support
Amos Toye. You’ll see his name inscribed on a concrete plaque as you enter Faith Alive Hospital describing the hospital as a temple. He was instrumental in re-designing the architecture of the three-story building after the big fire in 2006 which gutted it all. Recovering and rebuilding from such devastation is always daunting, and even more so for this organization, considering they rely purely on donations. On the other hand, they are also blessed with people like Amos who offers his services for free without expecting anything in return.
Amos is an architect by trade. He also teaches at the local university in Jos, although during the time we were there, the professors were on strike which apparently is a common occurrence due to undercompensation of their work. He lives in the faculty compound where Dr. Chris and his family live too – very humble and simple housing facilities.
Our team first heard about him when we visited the farming community in Hwol Yarje. We learned about the school site where they were planning on building a permanent structure for the children who live there. When we asked who we should talk to about the physical plans, the staff said, “Ask Amos, ask Amos. He’ll give you a better vision.” As we come back to the Faith Alive premises, who do we bump into at the front gate but this tall friendly man with a distinct deep voice… it’s Amos! We were introduced by Erika, one of the American missionaries who have been there before. He graciously accepted our invitation to join us for lunch at the guest house and before we know it, he was sharing his story with us.
Several years ago, Amos was involved in an accident that left him with more than half of his body burnt. You can still see the scars and contractures in his hands. But he survived. Not just physically but spiritually. After miraculously coming out of another horrible accident as the lone survivor, he has since offered his life to God. He has surrendered himself to praise God and work for his glory. He has offered his architectural expertise to different churches as they build their own temples of worship. He is very grateful that he has been blessed with life and talent and he is able to continue God’s work through his hands, albeit scarred. As he shared his past, he showed his passion in what he does and for whom he does it. We are all humbled by the commitment he has to his work and to God and were inspired by the vision they have for the Hwol Yarje School – 13 classrooms to house primary to secondary levels, a courtyard as a center of activities, a teachers’ communal room, or perhaps even a dormitory for the kids. They envision a ten-year plan of building a temple of learning where the youth are afforded a good Christian education for a better Nigeria. It’s great to be able to dream big and be blessed with people to help them pursue it. With God’s grace, as they say, it can be done.
A Faith Alive Success Story “Blessing” her name says it all…
During the planning stages of our mission’s trip to Jos, I got to know Blessing through stories others have shared with me. Before our departure; I would often go the Faith Alive website and submerge myself with knowledge of the hospital and people who were affected by the hospital’s services. Blessing’s story intrigued me; so of course, I could not wait to meet her.
It was our first full day at Faith Alive hospital and for most of that day, we traveled as a group touring the facility and getting to know the staff. As our day came to an end, we all looked forward relaxing and sharing a meal together.
Tired, dirty and jet lagged, we headed down Zik Avenue toward our flat for supper. As we traveled along this trash infested route, my heart sank, for in every direction we turned; we could not help but notice the poverty and the desperation of the town’s people trying to support themselves by selling anything and everything they could.
The entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well along Zik Avenue and every block had a small business of one kind or another.
In the midst of all this commerce, there was one small business that stood out in particular. It was the Faith Alive Sewing School Annex and this is where I first met Blessing.
Her name says it all….
She has a smile that lights up a room and wherever she goes; her radiant light goes with her. From leading discipleship classes to mentoring young women at the Faith Alive Sewing School; Blessing’s faith and joy for living has inspired those who follow in her footsteps. Her spirit is infectious and her willingness to give and change the lives of women and children at Faith Alive is nothing more than beautiful. It is truly an example of God at work.
Her past is tragic, but her come-back is triumphant. After losing her husband to AIDS, Blessing became an example of the stigmatization of AIDS in Nigeria. Alone with two baby boys, she was exiled from her family and was left for dead on the streets to survive without means of support.
Blessing traveled to Jos which was about 4 hours away by car, to seek the help of Faith Live and Dr. Chris.
Upon meeting Blessing, Dr.Chris knew there was something special about her. After several weeks of treatment, Blessing was enrolled in the social services sewing school program.
Faith Alive’s approach to treatment and healing is holistic; it embodies the whole person, mentally, physically and spiritually. From before and after faith-based counseling for HIV testing; to job training and transitional housing, every need of the patient is addressed. The life change for the patients at Faith Alive is overwhelming. And the gratitude they express as a result of spiritual change is evident from the moment anyone steps foot on the hospital floor.
Blessing is a shining example of that kind of gratitude. Her faith, her appreciation and her strong desire to give back was noticed. After several months of treatment and job training; Blessing was chosen to be the first Faith Alive patient to participate in transitional housing program. After one year of living in transitional housing center, Blessing graduated from the Faith Alive Sewing School and now runs her own shop where she employees other graduates of the Faith Alive School.
During my visit at Faith Alive, I got to know Blessing in a very special way. There wasn’t a day that passed that we did not see each other. I would walk down Zik every afternoon, and would pass her shop. I can still hear her voice calling my name in “pigeon English” …”Hello, Marina” come and see what I have made for you”….I would stop in promising myself to only stay for a moment, but those moments always ended in hours. We talked about our lives, our children and about our faith in Christ.
As the days got closer to my departure back home, I could see the sadness looming in her eyes, she would say to me” If I came to America, you would be my best friend and if you moved to Jos, you would be my best friend.”
On our last day, she and her two boys made a special trip to our flat to say good bye. While she was there, she had given me a small gift, a necklace…she had said to wear it and always remember her love and friendship.
Tears filled my eyes as I write and for many reasons. Easily, I could conclude this little story with a litany of things that I taught and educated the women of the sewing school on, but to me, what happened with building a relationship was much more profound.
I traveled to Jos, with the most sincere desire to give and what I got in return was so much more than I could have imagined. I have a friend named Blessing, who I pray for every day and who in turn, prays for me. Knowing that I have inspired hope and touched a life in friendship is just a taste of the joy my savior has for me.
It goes without saying, Blessing is a blessing and the joy that I have received as a result of our friendship will be with me for always.
My prayer is that this simple little message will inspire others to support the Nativity Nigeria mission and all its efforts to improve the quality of life for the women and children of West Africa.
Give and rejoice.
Christianna came to the Anawim home in Gwagwalada in the spring of 2009 when she was pregnant with her baby, Joseph. She is one of triplets, and it was her two brothers who helped her to make the decision to come to Anawim. Christianna’s faith and spirituality are truly remarkable. Watching her during Mass, daily prayer, and simple daily activities can be described in no other way but moving. She does everything with God, for God, and by God, and she does it with conviction.
His Nigerian name is Ogoegbunem Isichei. His first name means “my kindness will not destroy me”. But we all know him as Dr. Chris. Dr. Chris is the founder of Faith Alive Hospital and the Faith Alive Foundation. The meaning of his name does describe him. He is very kind and he believes his kindness in serving has made him stronger by bringing him closer to God.
Dr. Chris is a small wiry man, who would not be noticed in a crowd. But once you get to know Dr. Chris, you will never forget him. He has a huge heart and a smile to match. Our whole team fell in love with him. Dr. Chris is married to a wonderful woman named Mercy. She is not only his marriage partner; she herself is a surgeon and serves at Faith Alive Hospital. They have three children – Emily (9), Prince (7) and Joseph (5). They live in a simple house just like their neighbors. They do not ask for comfort for themselves.
Dr. Chris’s story is a powerful one. He was born into extreme poverty. His father was a carpenter and his mother a housekeeper. When he was a young man, Dr. Chris made a vow to God to help his people out of poverty. He believed that by being a doctor, he would be able to reach the most people. From the poorest of the poor to the President of his country – all of his people at some time would need medical care. He thought this would be the best way to accomplish the mission he knew he was called to do, and that was to tell people the good news of Jesus Christ. “There are people who never go to church,” he says, “but most people need a health care institution even if it is where they will die.”
He struggled through medical school and upon graduation; he decided to give free counseling and medical care to his people. He visited the U.S. and was very inspired to follow through on his plan. He tried fundraising and only raised $330. He thought what would this do? He says he heard God answer him, “I have given you all the resources you need.” So Dr. Chris obeyed. In June 1996, he literally put a table and chair in the middle of an empty space – he sat down – and people started coming. At first they came to him for any problems they had and he did everything he could to help them. Mostly, he believes he told them about Jesus Christ and prayed for them. Eventually his dream of a hospital grew. He inspired many of those he helped to become volunteers and help build his dream. Hope had been given to those who previously had none.
The Faith Alive Foundation uses scripture (NEH 2:20) to help explain what happened: “The God of heaven will give us success, therefore we His servants will rise and build”.
Faith Alive Foundation funds the Hospital (now a three story structure) and a Social Services building for counseling and job training. There is also a home-based care unit that reaches out to those who can’t get to the hospital. And now there are three satellite clinics that also reach out to the more rural areas. HIV has now become the most common disease of his patients. Dr. Chris says that these patients are usually the poorest and most vulnerable in that society – women and children. All of these services are provided free of charge and are funded completely by donations. Their motto is “Investing in and infecting lives for Jesus Christ our Savior”.
Dr. Chris believes in treating the whole person with compassion and loving care, both physically and spiritually. He is amazed himself at how fast Faith Alive has grown. He says he is humbled before such an awesome God, for how could any man do this? For him, to see Faith Alive is to see God at work.
A reflection upon her time at Anawim Home from Becky Zawodny:
What does it mean to be an angel? Maybe that seems like a silly question- we all know what angels are. Angels are God’s messengers. He sends them to protect us, to show us the way. Angels are sent here for us.
There has not been a day so far in my life that I did not believe I had a guardian angel watching over me. On good days and bad, normal days and the days when I feel like I’m lucky to have survived, I have always believed that it wasn’t just me by myself. Some days it comes from my family, other days from friends, sometimes strangers, and often just divine providence, but always from somewhere. This is something I have never doubted. I never doubted it, but I also never looked at it from the other angle.
Then I went to Nigeria. It was Sunday, August 2, our first day there. We had just arrived at the Anawim Home in Gwagwalada. We were tired, it had been quite a while since any of us had showered, and we had no luggage. Things had been a bit of blur so far; getting from the airport back to Anawim, talking to Sister and taking in the scenery, thinking to ourselves, “Wow, this is it. We’re here.”
Our first stop once we arrived at Anawim was a small sitting room at the front of the complex where most of the nuns live. We sat down, and Sister opened our visit with a prayer. I don’t remember the exact words, but she said something along the lines of: “Lord, thank you for sending us these angels.” Angels. She called us angels. I have always believed that there were angels watching over me, but never in my life had it occurred to me that anyone thought of me that way, especially someone I had only just met an hour before. Immediately I asked myself if she had really just said what I thought she said. Angels?
I went on this trip because I believe in justice for all people. I believe that we are all human and deserve to be treated with dignity, and it is through this core belief that I find my faith and my spirituality. I see God when I serve. It’s as simple as that. And, as much as I do go into every project, every mission, with the goal of service in any way possible, I also always go in realizing that those whom I serve are angels in my life. They show me God.
I don’t know if it’s humble or selfish that I never thought of myself that way—sure, there is humility in not thinking highly of yourself, but had I put myself in the shoes of those I was serving, wouldn’t I have realized, or at least wondered, how they thought of me and my role in their lives? I guess it doesn’t totally matter now. What does matter is that now I do know. Now, hopefully, we all realize what we are to these people and what a huge responsibility that is; a responsibility and an honor.
The Nativity : Nigeria mission has grown over the past few years, from a little sprout of an idea, to something that is bigger than any of us. Water. We have set a goal to provide the people of Nigeria with water, the source of life. Does that make us angels? Who knows? I freaked out a little bit when sister first called us that—like I said, it seems like such a huge responsibility. God sends angels to protect. He sends them to save. And someone called us that.
Now that I’ve been back for over a month and have really had time to reflect, though, I have realized that whatever you want to call us, we have had that very same responsibility ever since we took up this mission. Ever since we decided to adopt these people into our lives we have made their welfare of concern to us. Now I guess I just see it more clearly. Now being called an angel isn’t quite so scary.
The people I got to know in Nigeria, both the ones I met there and the ones I came with, are all angels in my life in some way. And when I think about what that means to me, I now cannot help but to become absolutely overwhelmed with joy at the realization that maybe I, too, have affected someone the way so many have affected me. Angels are all around us.
At Faith Alive, they have come up with a very good system in taking care of HIV patients. Once a person is “enrolled,” aside from getting all of the necessary demographic information, hospital record numbers, lab numbers, etc, etc, he or she is assigned to a Team. It consists of a doctor, a nurse and a TSS or treatment support specialist. He then follows up with this team on a regular basis, depending on the severity of his condition. When the staff found out I have a background in pediatrics, they immediately welcomed me to join Team E, the kids’ team, although I found out later that they see adults and out patient cases too to share the load.
There is a stark difference between medical care in Nigeria and underdeveloped countries versus the U.S. Lack of financial resources and technological advances are real challenges they face daily that impact the quality of care they receive. By the same token, this environment demands the health care providers to become even more resourceful and practice “practical medicine”. A lot of unnecessary tests are avoided. I saw somebody with low back pain and another older woman with shoulder pain, both of whom would probably earn prescriptions for Xray and MRI if they were seen in my sports medicine practice. This time, it was back to basics.
Another hurdle is the patients’ awareness of HIV and AIDS. A common theme in the team approach is continuously educating them about these conditions. Telling a 16-yr old new bride how not to contract the virus. Going over medication compliance with a mother who has left it up to an 8-yr old girl to remember taking her 3 anti-retroviral drugs. Explaining to the recently diagnosed mother that her newborn is healthy but was exposed and that you can’t tell for sure if the baby is HIV positive until she’s 18 months old. How they deal with these struggles day in and day out give me pause on how much impact they have in the communities they serve.
I do believe that they even have more lasting impact due to the population they serve - the children - the future and hope of Nigeria. It was an honor to be embraced by this team realizing they know much more about HIV than I would in my lifetime. As much as the staff was very proficient in the English language, most of the patients I encountered weren’t so. After one language-barrier-laden visit, this Mom got up after tying her infant to her back. I thought she said “thank you” but it sounded more than that. She told our nurse that she was very grateful; that even though I did not speak Hausa and she did not speak English, we still understood each other and she thanked us a second time. We exchanged smiles and I gave her two thumbs up; clearly she understood and she gave me a nod of appreciation. That was a rewarding Team E day for me.
A reflection from Gin GIn Diokno of the Faith Alive Team:
They say when you fall in love, you think about that person day in and day out. You can’t wait to see him again. You only want to do things to make him happy. If that’s the case, then I have fallen in love.
I’ve fallen in love with a special place called Jos and a farm called Hwol Yarje. This is our story.
People in this farming community do not have access to clean potable water. Yes, that is still the grim reality even in the outskirts of the city of Jos. Children did not have access to school. Dr. Chris and Naomi, later joined by Amos, the architect, told us about the history of how the temporary school structure came about. We entered the three classrooms adorned with simple posters of alphabets, letters, and drawings hanging on the aluminum walls. We walked a few paces further, and there it was: an empty lot full of promises.
In front of us was a football field of grassy untended land, surrounded by a low hollow brick fence, waiting to be dug and built upon. This is where 200 plus kids can comfortably sit on their desks learning not just about Science, Math, Reading, Social Studies, English but also their Christian Faith. This is where girls and boys will gather to sing to their visitors at the top of their lungs in unison:
You are welcome to Faith Alive Community School
You are welcome to Faith Alive Community School
You are welcome to Faith Alive Community School
You are welcome….
This is a place where they can play in the courtyard during their recess breaks. This is where they can have a library and read to their hearts’ content. This is where young girls like Blessing can pursue her dream of becoming a nurse someday, and her classmates can dream of becoming a judge, or a doctor or a pastor. They will learn that with the efforts of their community hand in hand with Faith Alive partners and their hard work studying their lessons, nothing is impossible. This is where children will dream big and pay it forward.
This opportunity fell on the Faith Alive Team’s lap and everybody embraced it. I felt this was our higher purpose. No commitments were made except the ones we made to ourselves that we will make it known that this is a special place. We can make a big difference in this community, in the lives of these children and their future. We saw hope in those children’s eyes. A clean well will meet a basic human need for these people. A school will further feed their minds and their souls.
I joined this trip with an open mind and an open heart. I guess you find love when you least expect it. God works in wondrous ways.
A reflection on some of the people she bonded with at Faith Alive Hospital from Teresa Pompa:
The first story I would like to share with you is about a touching experience form this trip. Many people touched my life and inspired me once again. But this day of our trip stands out in my mind.
I consider it a blessing that I was able to return to Faith Alive this summer. There were events in my personal life that could have deterred me. But I prayed and persevered. I’m so glad I did because of the amazing experience. I learned much more about Faith Alive, got to know some of the people better and mostly was able to experience this trip with the Faith Alive team. It was special to see them fall in love with the Faith Alive Family like I did last year. I feel privileged to be part of this team.
The most special day we shared together was when we went back to the Faith Alive Community School, Hwol Yarje – which is in a temporary structure. Even though school was not in session, the teachers gathered all of the children to greet us. Some were dressed in their “Sunday best” clothes. They were so excited about our visit. They sang songs to us that they had practiced. There was such hope in their eyes. This village had nothing before Faith Alive came (read Rob’s previous posting for details) – no school, no health care, etc. Even though these things are in a primitive state – it is something, a start and Faith Alive is striving to improve the quality and provide even more. High on the priority list is a source of clean water. Most of the children wear the donated clothes from the Faith Alive “clothes bank”. The children live in mud huts in the surrounding area. One little boy was all dressed up in an American outfit, from his cap all the way down to his shoes. He kept following me and touching my blonde hair. Another boy was dressed up in a suit that was way too big for him, but he was proud nonetheless. There was a look in the eyes of these children. Yes, they were joyful that they now had a school, but there was something else that I can’t quite name. Their eyes seemed older – wisdom was reflected. I’m sure it’s hard for these children to trust. Some of us cried when they sang to us. Dr. Chris was with us and I saw him get emotional.
Our team experienced something unique that day. We all shared a passion to help the water situation and make a permanent school happen. This was real – not some article in a magazine. We hugged the children, played with them and listened to their dreams. It was a very emotional day for us.
So, we not only saw need in this situation, somehow we think we saw God’s will in it too. The children have come back in my mind since I have returned home. As I’m so happy to be home and I’m getting my children ready for their wonderful schools, I will pray for the children of the Hwol Yarje temporary school:
Dear God,
Please keep the children of Hwol Yarje safe.
Strengthen them as they go through their daily struggles.
Comfort them when they cry.
Give peace to their families.
Let them know You are always with them.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
