Okay. Today is Holy Thursday. We're coming to the end of my stories from last summer's trip. I will post the last one next week. I could go on forever, but there has to be a period at the end of the sentence. For any of you who have spoken to me - you know I can be a rambler. When I'm excited or nervous, I talk too fast and ramble on. Although, I've been told I tell "good stories". I just need some processing time! I'm not the quick witty one.
I don't know if it's a good story or not, but I do have one to tell one day on my own blog, after my Nigeria experience stories. I would like for the story to be inspirational and give hope to people. It's about a little girl who never talked. Never said a word. She didn't think she'd have anything to say that anybody would want to hear.But that is another story. I thought I saw her in the eyes of the Nigerian children. Faith, hope and love hadn't fully entered her world yet.
One of my favorite parts of the day at Faith Alive was Discipleship Class. It was how we usually started the day as a team. The class was for young adults who wanted to learn how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. They studied the Bible. It was an amazing experience. The young people were so bright. They started the class together even if the teacher was not there yet. They would "praise sing". This means clapping their hands together to form the beat and just singing praise songs. It is very beautiful and unique. We were given the privilege to teach the class one day. We chose to speak on the Holy Spirit. Jason did a great job of being the teacher.
The classroom is this very small room. There is a chalkboard in the front and tiny benches for any visitors like us. The young man who was the teacher just put his head towards the ceiling as if he was talking to God saying, "One day it will not be like this. It will not always be like this". He had such trust that God would not only take care of them as they were, but that something bigger and better would be given to them by Him in the future. He said God gave this promise through His Son.
One day after class, the teacher let the students ask any questions they wanted. Well, let's just say some questions of all time came up. A young man was very honest when he asked (looking straight at us Americans) "Why do some of us have more suffering than others?". A man was sitting just outside the classroom (their was no more space in the room for him to fit). He said he was just visiting to listen. But suddenly he stood up and with a booming voice answered the question. And then just as suddenly he left.
"Who was that man?" our team asked. It seemed like the voice of God. We would learn later that it was Pastor Ben. Pastor Ben also ran the lab. You would find that to be common at Faith Alive. The staff with medical degrees also had theological education. Much of the staff perform double duties.
At Faith Alive, faith and medicine go together. There are so many unbelievable stories about the day to day activities in the hospital. There were so many talented and dedicated medical staff members. They need help desperately. Just your pair of hands will do. You do not need to have a medical degree to be of help there.
There is a support group for patients and staff every Sunday afternoon. I will never forget the two Sundays we participated. The first Sunday we had just arrived three days prior. The people gather and pray together on the first floor of the hospital. Pastor Estelle leads the support group and translates in English when needed. After much praise singing, anyone may stand up and give testimony. There was a man who stood up and thanked God for his illness. He said his illness brought him closer to God. And a woman stood up and said she knew God loved her and she did not "deserve" her illness. She was thankful to be alive and for her children being healthy. We would later find out her name was Comfort. Comfort brought great homemade donuts to our guesthouse one day.
On the last Sunday, a couple of days before we would be leaving, everyone from our team stood up, one by one, to thank the Nigerian people and to say our good-byes. I wasn't going to speak at first. I spoke the first Sunday. But I'll never forget my team's encouragement. Go ahead Teresa! Come on Teresa! You talk! I'll never forget my team. I spent two and a half weeks of one of the most awesome, yet stressful times of my life with them. Young and old - no, let's say older - were in this endeavor together. We ate, worked and lived together. How nice Jason and Paul were when I woke them up in the middle of the night because I heard "noises". Nothing was found at first, but the "noise" revisited. We did have a guest at the guesthouse. It was just a mouse who liked the Tootsie Rolls I had brought to give the children. That was not such a good idea!
The Nativity Nigeria Faith Alive team: Jason Hillis, our team leader, who brought his cultural and travel experience to the team, Pat Fowler, who is a nurse at Johns Hopkins, Paul Kowzan, who works at Stella Maris, Molly Laschinger, a premed student at Vanderbilt and Lauren Boyle, a lab technician, were all a part of "my experience". We laughed and cried together, and yes, got extremely frustrated with one another .... a couple of times :-) ! Sorry, God, for that.
I have so many memories packed into that two and half week period. The homecoming is a story in and of itself. Let me just say that after 20 some hours of airtime and waiting...there they were. My husband and two children, so happy to see me with a HUGE sign - "Welcome Home from Nigeria, Mom!" All I could think was God, You are an awesome God and how He had so blessed me. And now I think of - Yes Victory!
May all of you have a blessed Easter. It is such a beautiful tribute and celebration of "Victory" at our church - one of faith, hope and love. I pray that each and every one of you know of our God's love for you and any of you who are suffering, feel His healing touch.
"...But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord
Jesus Christ."
1 Cor 15:56-57
Teresa Pompa
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