The Real Me

The 2009 Nativity Nigeria team met for the first time Monday evening. There will be 12 of us going this year around the first two weeks of August. There are also 6 people who will be helping the team domestically this summer. They are not going on the trip, but will be helping the team by performing many tasks from home.

There was a lot of excitement in the meeting! Everyone is looking forward to their experience. There are different age groups going on the trip as well as helping from home. I met some great people Monday night. I also recognized people from other Nativity ministries, as well as some others' last names. Hi Regina! I did not know your daughter was helping NN out this summer. Sorry, I couldn't resist doing that :-)

The trip destinations are the same as last summer. Half of the trip team will be going to Abuja to the Anawim Home (Poorest of the Poor) run by Sister Oreseo. The other half -including myself - will be going to Faith Alive Hospital and Community Services run by Dr. Chris.

For the first meeting we were just given some brief basic facts about the trip and what we will be doing. I will share more as we go along! There will be pictures of the new team members posted shortly.

Of course I am very excited to be given the opportunity to return to Faith Alive. I am hoping and praying that on this second trip, I will be able not only to learn more, but to help more. I want to be a better servant to the Nigerian people. The first trip was an overwhelming experience. It was almost an explosion of sensations. I needed the processing time before I could even think of blogging, let alone do it. I will strive this August to be able to take more in for the purpose of expressing my thoughts in this blog. I would like to post more personal stories of the Nigerian people. I will pray that I will begin my postings after our return much sooner than I did last year. I also strive to be a better servant in all ways. I want to see, hear and act as a disciple of Jesus Christ not only for the Nigerian people, but for our new team. I want to help our new team. I want to be there for them - not just for information - but to help them through the experience.

I want to share with you today how I felt like a failure to NN when I first returned from Nigeria last August. "What did I do to help?", I thought. I messed it up. We, as a team, were being looked at as the 'guinea pigs' for the future of the ministry. "What did I do or bring back of any use to our church?" My poor communication upon my return only confused matters more. Did anyone ever feel like the bumbling idiot? I'm not sharing this for any personal reasons. There's a real story in here.

After time and prayers, I thought different on this. Some of it has to do with being recognized in the NN blog. Most of it has to do with my friends' prayers. I know some people think of this as positive thinking and hindsight is 20/20. But I'm not a student of that school of thought. Mini-miracles really do happen in our own life if only we can see it or feel it. When we can feel some kind of connection with our God-given purpose - it's like when you get goose bumps for no reason. It's when we admit to feeling like failures and surrender ourselves to Him that we can really grow. We keep going over this lesson as human beings. It is not about us. We hope for more God and less of ourselves as we go on in our life.

It is important for us to see our real reflection in Him.I love this song.It hit home for me. I love these songs because they are like prayers you can meditate on (or even exercise to). Keep reading this blog and you will have a large inventory!

The Real Me
by Natalie Grant

Foolish heart
looks like we're here again
Same old game of plastic smile
don't let anybody in
Hiding my heartache
Will this glass house break?
How much will they take
before I'm empty?
Do I let it show?
Does anybody know?

But you see - the real me
Hiding in my skin
Broken from within
Unveil me, completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There is no need to mask - my frailty
because you see - the real me

Most of life is living behind a mask
so convinced to be the circus clown
I'm tired of the same old song and dance
living a charade, always on the raid,
what a mess I've made
of my existence, that You can love me even now
and still I see - somehow
that You love me just as I am
You're turning the tide of my life
into a perfect tapestry

Wonderful - Beautiful - is what you see
When You look at me.

Please pray for me and everyone on our team as we venture into this new experience together.

Teresa Pompa