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.
