The Night Before

Dear Lord, bless our team, church and our family and friends who will be awaiting our return.

I Surrender All

All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee, my blessed Savior
I surrender all

by Michael W. Smith



Teresa Pompa

Faith Expressing Itself Through Love

With less than a day until our departure, we are sharing with you the final few summer reflections from our group. This one is from Marina Lynch, a member of the Faith Alive Hospital Team:

It is so hard to believe that I will be departing for Africa is just a few days. This summer has gone by even faster than in years past. Knowing this, I made a concerted effort to savor every moment. My family and I just recently returned from our annual trip to Walt Disney World.

Each trip is special and nostalgic of years past, as I often reminisce of the changes the children have made since our first visit in 2000. What first started out as an 18 hour car ride, with two toddlers and a baby has now grown into stroller-less late nights and fast flights. Where did the time go? It is bitter- sweet at times but I treasure all the memories with such joy. Looking back at the years past, this verse came to mind.

“ The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Galatians 5:6

When my children were much smaller, their bedtime routines would last for hours. It was a marathon event every night beginning at 5pm and lasting some nights until 9. I found myself many a night waking up in their beds with books scattered around me. Our nights consisted of long baths, lots of stories, prayers and the most precious discussions of God. We would talk about where we saw God in our day and share about the kindness we have witnessed in others. I would often get a litany of examples of goodness that they have bestowed on to others as well. I would remind them often that God reveals himself most perfectly in the love we have and feel for each other and in the love that we give.

When we love, we give freely, without expectation or reward. When we can truly love with out condition, we acquire compassion and humility and in turn, we know the heart of God more intimately. This has been my experience. As the scripture above states “faith expresses itself though love.” God is love and his love for us is expressed though the grace of Christ on the Cross. There is no greater love than this. For this gift of love, I am blessed and because I am blessed, I feel responsible to share Christ love and in doing so I feel a joy unlike no other.

My journey in faith has taken me down many roads. I have gotten lost from time to time, but the destination is always the same. The detours and roadblocks have given me strength to seek different paths and to learn from my mistakes; inevitably steering towards Christ, my destination. Now I find myself approaching the start of another journey in faith, to a place called Africa, to a destination called “Faith Alive.” What I desire to gain from this course, is not yet fully realized I am sure; but my hope is to bring hope, grow in compassion, understand the body of Christ more intimately, share my joy in the gift of salvation, so that ultimately, that joy in salvation may bring peace to all those who have little.

My prayer is that everyone involved in this ministry at home and abroad will be blessed with a greater understanding of love and service. More importantly, that the knowledge we receive from this mission will help in the service to those at Nativity and beyond. I am in awe of each and every person I have gotten to know in this ministry. Each one of you has a great purpose. I am excited to see where this journey will take you.

Many blessings.

Marina

Building on Progress & Relationships

With just a few days before our departure, we have one of our last installments in our special summer exploration series. This one is about one of our leaders, Alex Sidlak. He will be leading the Anawim Home Team on his second visit to Nigeria. In his words:

This summer, I’ve been busy working at Franklin Square Hospital in the Microbiology lab. When I’m not working, I’ve been trying to enjoy my last summer before I graduate – going to O’s games, the beach, tubing on the Gunpowder, and just relaxing by the pool.

I’m excited to return to the Anawim Home and build upon the progress and relationships we developed in the first two years of this program. I hope that our group will make a tangible impact with the various projects we have planned – rebuilding a wall of the orphanage’s compound, painting the children's rooms, and working on basic infrastructure improvements. In addition, after dealing with an inconsistent curriculum at the local school, we have organized lesson plans and workbooks for the children so that we can teach more effectively. I wish to give back as much as I received - in the lessons I learned and overall experience of my previous trip to the Poorest of the Poor Orphanage.

The current events in northern Nigeria where extremism grew from the distressing poverty of the region further confirms the need of this type of social work (of which we serve only a small part) in order to address the debilitating epidemics of Africa and the growing economic disparities, which even best those found in the U.S. I hope that our continued commitment to this organization develops not just into a temporary, yearly aid, but a significant, lasting contribution to complement the amazing work that these Nigerian nuns have built from basic foundations.

The Week Before

Our departure date is almost here! Tonight the NATIVITY: NIGERIA team gathered again. Travelers now have both their visas and passports. 50 lb. boxes were packed last week, mostly with vitamins, and one or two with some toys for the children. A few more bottles of vitamins and clothing were donated, and these were divided amongst the travelers to transport to Nigeria. The reflection journals to the travelers, and after triple checking the status of everyone's shots, immunizations and medications, it looks like NATIVITY: NIGERIA is ready to travel. Both of our team leaders, at Faith Alive Hospital and at Anawim Home, will have cell phones and laptops to communicate back home and share their daily experiences, so stay tuned for some very moving blog entries journaling the trip.

Many of us are not in a position to travel to Nigeria to participate in this incredible journey firsthand. We live in a community with abundant blessings. God is calling us to share with the "poorest of the poor", to reach out to those in need. Take a look at the videos on our blog. Look at the profiles of our travelers and volunteers. We are men and women of all ages, in different stages of our lives. Join us!

Find out more by contacting nigeria@churchnativity.org

Betsy Good

Cross Country Partners

On our first trip to Nigeria, two years ago, we met a pastor and his daughter from a church in Fort Collins, Colorado. They were great to hang out with at Faith Alive Hospital and I vividly remember the pastor's floral shirts. Last August, we transported three boxes of vitamins which they collected at their parish, First Presbyterian Church, in Colorado. This year, the director of their program, Erika, contacted me again and said that they would be collecting vitamins. We will be able to transport a few boxes for them again this year and Erika will actually be at Faith Alive Hospital at the same time as NATIVITY:NIGERIA. (you can also follow her blog on the right side) This has been an awesome partnership between parishes on opposite sides of the country with the same goal: save lives in Nigeria. The parish in Fort Collins has been a great partner for the last few years and they have even helped to transport some of our Christmas Giving Program items in the past. It is always great to be able to work with other parishes who share our vision and it should be awesome to see them in Jos again!

Upon Reflection

As some of you may have noticed, we have made some recent changes to the format of our blog in order to add more, fuller, richer content. On the right side there are new sections about the blogs that we are following and videos about the places we are serving. Also, another new feature is the "Reflection" section. While both teams are in Nigeria, they will be using newly designed reflection journals each day. Both teams will have the same journals and now you will be able to follow along as well. Starting Saturday August 1, the reflection which each team is doing will also be posted in the Reflection section of this blog. Please join us in this path of self examination and exploration.

Sharing the Bond

In this case the bond that I am talking about is marriage. Nope, nobody on the team is getting married, well at least any time soon. People come up to me all of the time asking about NATIVITY:NIGERIA and what we are doing / how its going / everything you'd ever want to know about Africa. This past weekend, Maria (known fondly as MFK) forwarded me an email from a frequent visitor of Nativity who had heard about our ministry. He was getting married on Saturday and told us that in place of wedding favors, he and his wife were interested in making a donation in support of the work we are doing in Nigeria. He even wanted to give us some love at the reception and share what we are doing with his guests!

Needless to say, I was in awe of this gesture. We are honored to be included in one of the most important moments of his life. This display of giving serves as an inspiration to all of us. He and his bride have chosen to forego traditional material wedding favors, and give a life-saving gift to those in need. We wish Mike and his bride all of the best in their new life together!

Vitamin Packing & Pizza

At our most recent meeting, the team joined together to pack up all of the vitamins (and even some children's toys!) which we have collected over the past few weeks for travel. This is usually our longest meeting of the year, just because there is so much that needs to be recorded and cataloged for customs officials. However, everyone stepped up, including lots of members of our Home Team, and we did it in the shortest amount of time yet. Mary Stefanski headed up the project and we will be now be taking hundreds of pounds of multivitamins with us next week. The multivitamins are crucial for the recovery of patients who are suffering from HIV/AIDS and other ailments treated by Faith Alive Hospital.

Traditionally, this has also been a great bonding night for all of our teams. Gin Gin brought pizza for everyone, we had some tunes, and just hung out and got it all done. This is one of the great ways for the parish to join in our work and directly aid the people we work with in Nigeria. Thanks for your continued support and stay tuned for many more updates this week!

God Has a Plan & I'm Along for the Ride

As departure gets closer by the hour, we hope to give you an intimate picture of the team which will be representing Church of the Nativity in a few weeks. They will also be bringing back all of their experiences, thoughts, and emotions to you in less than a month. Before all of this, we want to help you get to know them better. This installment of our summer series is from Rob Devereux, a member of our Anawim Home Team in Abuja:

This summer has been an interesting one for me so far leading up to the Nigeria trip. I had my first experience doing missionary work this summer. We traveled down to the Mississippi Coast to help out people who still need relief after Hurricane Katrina. It was a great experience. When talking to the people down there, they call all of the other hurricanes that have hit the coast by name, but when referring to Katrina, they just call it "the storm." They still need a lot of help, and it was great to try to help where we could. Hanging drywall is tough work, though very rewarding. We got the opportunity to enjoy some of the local cuisine as well, which was quite good.

I have done the usual summer stuff like trying to stay active. Whether it is running, playing tennis, working out, or swimming whenever possible. Of course my dog Mugsy had to get in on the action. I am going to miss him while I am gone, as I have just found out that he has heart disease and might not have long to live. My mother will be watching him while I am in Africa, so he will be in good hands. I have learned through this experience, to cherish the moments that I have with him, and with everyone for that matter. We know not the hour nor the day when someone won't be here any longer.

I am definitely getting excited for the trip, and the opportunity to serve God's children is something that I am very eager to do. I am looking forward to the opportunity to try to help out in Abuja however I can, though I am sure that I will end up receiving more spiritually than I give. I am pretty sure this will be a life changing experience, and I am up for it. God has got a plan, I am just trying to go along for the ride.

Some Time to Grill

This past Sunday, all of the ministers of the NATIVITY:NIGERIA team met for some grilling, potluck, and fellowship. We had all of the participants as well as lots of family members (even some nieces and nephews!). The Pompa's were gracious enough to host everyone and do some serious grilling. Gin Gin even showed up with a cake with our new logo on the front of it. This is something that we have continued to do each year and has been an awesome way for all of the families to get to know each other in the few weeks before we head off to Nigeria. We even had some alumni stop in and hang out for a bit which was great. The upcoming two weeks will certainly be a sprint as we lead up to our departure on August 1st, but this was an awesome way to take some time to relax and hang out as one big team.

The Spirit Is Leading

Our summer series has certainly taken off in a very cool and exciting way. This one is from a member of our Home Team, Tina Borden:

I learned about the programs in Nigeria when I met Dr. Chris and his family at a gathering in his honor this spring. His programs in Nigeria and the spirit behind them are blessed. I would love to experience the work at Faith Alive and Poorest of the Poor center, but could not spare 2 1/2 weeksto travel. Bob was kind to invite me to participate as a home team member of Nativity's trip to Nigeria this year. What an inspired and creative group! I am not a member of the Nativity parish and did not know how dynamic you all are! The Spirit is leading here and I'm grateful to help out.

Are We There Yet?!

Please join us for another installment of our ongoing summer series. This one is from Dr. Gin Gin Diokno, who will be traveling to Faith Alive Hospital in Jos. She is in the front row in the pink floral shirt in the group shot above. Some thoughts and updates from Gin Gin:

Last month I reached my 232^nd dive, along with 20 other diving buddies in the beautiful island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean. It is always a magical experience when you see the underwater world and swim with the fishes and turtles or whatever you may encounter down there. Tropical rains, sunny skies, good food and great friends – what more can you ask for in a vacation! As I come home to Towson, I try to get back in the rhythm of my marathon training. The NCR trail is a favorite route especially on my weekend long runs. And while I jog along with the dog-walkers, bikers, and faster runners, I get in my zone. Random thoughts happen - between grocery lists, a new recipe I want to try or the packing list for the Nigeria trip (including a portable scrabble and maybe Harry Potter Half-Blood Prince book). Lately, with Aug 1 fast approaching, I can’t help but get excited and think more and more about our ministry. I’m just looking forward to meeting Dr. Chris, seeing first-hand what Faith Alive is all about, immersing ourselves in the community and be a part of it all. As I said, tropical rains, sunny skies, good food and great friends- what more can you ask for! I bet after we settle down on our first leg of the flight, we’ll all go: Are we there yet?!

More Valuable Than Gold

I think the NN blog has exploded! I love all the stories and pictures being shared. I didn't want to leave my last posting on the topic of fear. On a previous posting I said I wanted to be a gardener this summer. I guess I have sowed seeds (God through me) but just differently than I had first thought.

I would like to share with you a daily devotional that was given to me by Diane Blattner after she read my last posting. Diane and Bill Blattner brought the Nigeria program idea over to our church. They are awesome people. Bill is an HIV/AIDS specialist/researcher who personally met Dr.Chris while at a conference. Diane started the Hope for West Africa Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that contributes to both locations that Nativity is visiting and had visited the past two summers. One hundred percent of the donations to Hope for West Africa will fund projects serving people infected and affected with HIV/AIDS. The foundation works in partnership with local charities to serve those in need and to establish a personal relationship with the founders of each organization.

This is from Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life.com How God Builds Your Faith - Difficulty

"This means tremendous joy to you. I know even though you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident - it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold." 1 Peter 1 -6-7

Rick Warren explains that when God gives you a dream, He'll urge you to make a decision, but then He will allow a delay. He says that God does this in order to build your faith and mature you to be prepared for what is to come.

Somehow it has taken a while for this ministry to mature and grow. This is why I so believe our church is following God's will. With our Pastor's guidance, I believe those of us involved or who cared, prayed us and are still praying us through our journey. I am so excited to be part of the team and for what God has in store for us in the future.

That is why we have to be constantly reminded as human beings how precious our time and life here on earth is. And I do believe our time here on earth is a preparation for our time in eternity. It matters what we do here. It matters what kind of life we live - what type of husband or wife we are, parents of our children, friends to our loved ones and family. Basically to me, it is proven over and over again - it is all about our personal relationships with one another.

I am looking forward to serving at Faith Alive again this summer. And I can't wait to see friends I made last summer - Dr. Chris, Blessing,Daniel, Naomi, Mercy, Pastor Ben, Pastor Estelle and the sweet little boy I previously posted about and so many others. Comfort, I hope you will come again to the guesthouse with your great homemade donuts! I have a picture in my mind of arriving at the airport in Abouja last summer - of Dr. Chris and Sister Oresoa waving to us from the other side of the airport line. A rush of excitement went through our team, even though we were very tired. I know it will happen again this summer and we will hear again "You are Welcome!" many times.

The pictures posted are my son Christopher (middle), Kevin Lynch (left) and Nate Lynch (right). Kevin and Nate are the sons of Marina Lynch who is also going on the trip to Faith Alive this summer. Our sons attended River Valley Ranch together for a week. The ranch is beautiful. The other picture is of the ranch's outdoor worship area. The cross is tree limbs extended in the air by wire over the gorgeous countryside.

Teresa Pompa

Excited Support

This summer experiment to get everyone to know our team members better has taken on a life of its own, which is awesome. Today's is from a great member of our Home Team, Pam Mercer:

After attending a dinner at the Pompa’s home in honor of Dr. Chris and his family I immediately became interested in working with the NN mission team. While I didn’t feel ready to make the trip, I wanted to help this worthy cause in any way I could and support those who are going. Upon learning that the mission this year has a new focus that will continue into Advent back at Nativity I became even more excited and enthusiastic.

I am continually amazed at the level of commitment by the Nativity parishioners, especially the youth and have so much admiration and respect for those who have decided to make this mission trip. Blessings and a safe and spiritually fulfilling journey to everyone!

Vitamins Roll In

We got a great turnout the last two weeks to our vitamin drive for the patients at Faith Alive Hospital. Bags and bags of vitamins were brought in this weekend and have started to be catalogued and organized. We also have some boxes coming in from friends of ours in Colorado which should be arriving this week. This week, they will all be weighed and boxed for air travel at the beginning of August. When it is all separated, taped, and packaged, it looks like we will be taking over 500 lbs of vitamins to Jos with us in two weeks. As always, thanks for your continued support. Again this year, all of these small donations will make a huge difference in the recovery process for the patients at Faith Alive Hospital.

We Are All the Same

More from our summer series on members of our team. This one is from Becky Zawodny, a longtime friend and a member of our Anawim Home team:

This has been such an exciting summer! I graduated from Johns Hopkins University in May with my MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) and then a few weeks later I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to France with my family. The six of us spent 5 days traveling from city to city in the Provence region of the country before taking a train to Paris for a few more days. Not only was it a spectacular educational experience (as well as a relaxing one!!), but it was also a rare opportunity for my entire family to spend some time together. Although we do all currently live under one roof, everyone is always so busy that sometimes you forget to stop and smell the roses. I felt so lucky to have that time to be with them, laughing about old memories and making new ones.

But of course that was only one week of the summer. I also went on (and survived!) my first camping trip, and in my "down time" I've been doing a variation of Applied Behavioral Analysis with a very special little girl who has Autism. None of this, however, has kept me from trying to prepare myself for what lies ahead in August. I have been interested in social justice and human rights issues for as long as I can remember, and have had a particular interest in the African continent since taking a class on global poverty at Villanova. For quite a few years now I have jumped at every opportunity to travel somewhere new in order to address the issues faced by those who live there, and through my experiences I have learned a great deal about myself and the world.

Since I decided to apply for the trip I've gone through a wide range of emotions, from the exhilaration I felt when I first picked up the application to the anxiety that sometimes sets in when I try to focus on the reality of what it truly means to be a servant. But when I think not only about what I will be doing, but also about the group I am so blessed to be doing it with (a group that includes my sister and younger brother!!) I can't help but feel excited about this adventure.

When I was in India during my senior year of college, on another service trip, one of the most wonderful people I have ever met, "Mother Betsy," said something that will stay with me forever. She said, "We are all the same." I spent so much time reflecting on that because it just made so much sense. We are all the same. We are all human. So those are the words of wisdom I'm taking into this trip. I may not know what to expect, and on the surface I may not seem to have a lot in common with those I meet, but I do know what it means to be human, and I think that's a pretty good place to start.

More Vitamins!

A reminder that this weekend before all Masses we will be continuing our collection of multivitamins for Faith Alive Hospital in Jos. Please see the previous post for specifics. This will be the last weekend as they need to be packed and labeled for travel this week. Thanks for your continued support!

Blessed

Another installment of our summer series to help you get to know our teams better. This one is from an awesome member of our Home Team, Betsy Good:

Each year, our summer officially kicks off with our annual family reunion. I'm one of 5 girls, and there are 15 cousins in the next generation (and counting, since the youngest sister has yet to contribute!) My mother lives in northeast FL, in the same neighborhood as one of my sisters. So that's our gathering spot - we all descend at once, from MN, MD, and NC, filling up empty bedrooms, air mattresses, and sometimes a hotel room or two. This year, we started summer a little early, celebrating my youngest son Tim's graduation from Loyola Blakefield high school. Lots of family members joined us for the momentous occasion to celebrate with Tim (and make sure I didn't fall apart!). Loyola does such a beautiful job making this a special event, opening with a Baccalaureate Mass the night before, to put things in perspective and highlight the importance of God in this wonderful event. The following morning, the boys walked through "the hollow" on campus and took their places to accept their diplomas. It was an incredibly moving and exciting day. Soon we'll head to SC to watch one of my neices graduate from boot camp, where we'll meet up with much of the family again for a few days. This weekend, my twins , Dan and Katlyn, turn 24, so another reason to celebrate and gather. I'm holding on to these precious events and the opportunities to be together as a family.

In reflecting on my summer, I'm reminded how blessed we are. We have food, fresh water and shelter readily available. We're fortunate to be able to vacation with family and travel to be together. My children were blessed with the opportunity to attend wonderful schools, and we travel easily and comfortably throughout our community to take care of our daily needs and entertain ourselves. Our NATIVITY: NIGERIA team will soon visit with orphaned children, who don't have families to take care of them. They'll visit a hospital, where patients face serious and terminal illness and worry about the fate of their families if they don't survive. We have so much that we sometimes take for granted. It helps to put it all in perspective. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to work with the NATIVITY:NIGERIA team this summer. I am moved by the faith of Dr. Chris and Sister Orsesoa, who dedicate their lives to serving others. In light of such giving, my efforts pale in comparison, but being part of this mission as a member of "the home team", has really inspired me. It's a small start, but one that has deeply impacted my Faith and relationship with God, and inspired me to keep trying to do better.

Summer will end early for me this year. On August 19th, the car will be packed with Tim's things and we'll head west to Miami University of Ohio, where he'll begin his college experience. Two days later I'll be on my way back to MD. I'm excited for his new adventure, and to hear about his successes and challenges, but I'll be counting the days until Parents' Weekend! In the interim, there's lots of summer left to enjoy and I very much look forward to hearing all about this year's NATIVITY:NIGERIA trip.

Called Back

Throughout the remainder of July we will also be including some posts about members of our team (Abuja, Jos, & Home) and what they have been up to. The posts will probably include some of what they have been doing this summer as well as how they are feeling leading up to the overseas trip in August. Honestly, these could go anywhere, so we will bring you along for the ride and see what comes of it. It is certainly an experiment for us as writers and for you as readers. The first of these was posted the other day by Teresa Pompa, a minister returning to Faith Alive Hospital in Jos this year. This one is from Ed King, who traveled to Anawim Home in Abuja last year and will be leading the Faith Alive Hospital team this year. I'll let Ed take it from here:

Since I'm retired, this Summer looks a lot like the rest of the year except it's warm outside. Actually, I have been busy with travel - visiting a daughter and her family in North Carolina and took a rather nice vacation to the Berkshires with close friends to enjoy some museums and Summer stock. We were also able to celebrate fathers' day with our entire family (all 17) as my Marine son-in-law had just returned from his second deployment in two years. And of course there was mowing the lawn, working out at the MAC, catching up on some needed mulching and landscaping, and just last week cleaning and painting our rather large deck.

I'm returning to Nigeria this year in answer to the call to once again serve God’s Poor. I am particularly looking forward to working along side Dr Chris and the dedicated staff at Faith Alive hospital in their ministry in Jos, and can't wait to see Sister Oresoa with whom we had the distinct privilege and pleasure to serve last year at Anawim Home in Gwagwalada.

Coming Down the Final Stretch

Above are some pictures from last night's crazy meeting. The meeting ran a little long once we got all of the visa stuff figured out but such is how it goes right before departure. After a call for assistance from our friend Sally in New Mexico, we got everything sorted out. All of that is off to the Nigerian embassy at the end of this week for processing. We also had great guest appearances from Dan Florea, who we affectionately call our "well guy," and Lucas Busko, resident video genius. Dan has helped us wrap our hands around a possible water and well project for this Christmas. We also have a cookout coming up which should be a great way to relax as a team and decompress a little bit before everyone departs (pictures included of course). Apparently Sarah makes some bangin lemon squares which I'm personally pumped about. The teams really seem to be coming together in an awesome way (three teams are joining into one great one). Also, we are making an effort as a team to post some more things about what everyone has been doing this summer and how they are feeling heading into this overseas ministry experience. One of those, by a leader, Ed King, will be posted this afternoon and we ask you to stay tuned for more. Also, we will be continuing the vitamin drive again this weekend after all Masses and are looking for another great turnout. See you all soon!

J&J Steps Up

A great story through the words of one of our ministers, Dr. Gin Gin: "Pharmaceutical companies like makers of Tylenol have donated medicines for other countries in need and package them intended for medical missions. About 6 or 7 wks ago, I requested free Tylenol samples that I was hoping I could put in our vitamin drive. When I followed up with a phone call, apparently the order was not put in so I asked the customer service person what they do for donations for mission trips and she directed me to this organization. That was a blessing after all! When I saw that they have OTC (over the counter) medicines already packaged and all. It also included toothbrushes and bandages that are made by Johnson and Johnson. " They are sending us two large boxes of supplies which should be arriving in the next week. Check it out at: www.map.org

STOP !

I was at the pool today watching my children in the water. We have had such beautiful weather this summer. I love the sound of a pool. It is like white noise if you listen closely - kids laughing, splashing water, lifeguard whistles... I love the smells too - chlorine, sunscreen & french fries. On a beautiful day like today,the sun makes diamond like reflections off of the water.

I have not been taking advantage of this beautiful weather this summer. This has been a very different summer for me. I have been running around and things - great things and not too great things have been happening. I feel like someone has pushed a speed dial in my life and I can't get the speed under control.

My two beautiful children are now two fighting-each-other tweens. They are not paying attention to their required reading lists from school. They are very happy to be asked on many friend visit days and overnight stays. We have constant new telephone calls at our home. Of course, these calls are not for my husband or me. Is it time for their own cell phones? - that is whole different topic. Anyway, they are talking a lot but just not to Mom. They are asking Mom for "alone" time. They are growing. They are growing too fast and Mom wants to say "stop"!

It just all seems to be going so fast this summer. I feel like screaming "doesn't anybody know I am leaving for Nigeria in three weeks?" Something inside me snapped today as I was watching my children in the pool. I got really afraid. I thought - why am I doing this - leaving the children for two and a half weeks. My thoughts began spinning. They were going faster and faster and faster. I started to hyperventilate. I was starting to have a panic attack.

Thankfully, when I get going like this, I know it is time for ME to STOP. I know I need to stop and pray. I need to get quiet. I need to listen to Him. So this evening I did. Yes, I am going to Nigeria for two and a half weeks this summer. Mom may have been feeling a little distraught but my kids are taking it all very well just as they did last year. My husband is so supportive and took such good care of them last year that I think they are actually - well maybe - a little looking forward to fun days with Dad.

This evening when I prayed I realized that my fears are distractions for me right now because the only one upset is me. I know why I am going to Nigeria. I know why I want to go back.

The children's version of our adult homilies at Time Travelers are good for adults to listen to sometimes. The verse repeated over and over again at VBS this summer was "Fear not !", "Fear not !" I think I need to remember this one myself.

Teresa Pompa

Sister Oresoa Returns!

As some of you may have known, Sister Oresoa has been traveling for about the last two weeks preparing for the funeral of her father in Benin City, a few hours drive from Abuja. This morning I talked to Sister briefly on the phone and she has returned to the Anawim Home in Abuja. After a few attempts, I heard her familiar loud but warm voice (through the modern wonder that is Skype). She initially thought that I was calling her from the airport (as if we were in Abuja)! She was ready for us to be there. In her normal cheery tone, Sister made it clear to me that "I have alot of work for you all to do" in Abuja and Kaduna, the site of one of Sister's other homes. I could tell that there was sheer mayhem going on around her and people running by but she was her normal calm self. From what I can gather, there are more people than ever living at Anawim Home, including more children and mothers than ever. It was apparent that she was anxiously awaiting our arrival in early August. Above,

I have posted a few pictures of Sister Oresoa from last year; the first depicts her and Alex Sidlak distributing the bears made by the children of Nativity at VBS last year to children at a leper colony; the second shows her with Andrea DiGiacomo and Glenn Wood (and corn!) after traipsing through a the farm just before harvest time. See you soon Sister!

Going Global

Our blog has transformed itself over the past few years into an awesome way to share the stories of the amazing people whom we work with as well as a way to interact with our supporters. Recently, we began to look more closely at who was hanging out with us on our blog every day and week and the results have been very interesting. We have found that we have followers around the country and around the world. And this is only over the past three weeks! We are going to keep an eye on this moving forward and keep you all updated (I would love to reach all fifty states and all seven continents). The map above shows where we have had visitors from in the last week and a half. Over the last three weeks we have had visitors from seven countries and sixteen states! We love that we are able to join people together from around the world who are passionate about the work that we are doing. Through you, this blog has become a valuable meeting place and stream of information and we ask you to please share your stories with us and with others around the world!

Countries who have been hanging out:

Nigeria

Italy

United Kingdom

Kenya

Malaysia

Australia

United States

Jumping through the states:

Maryland (including Fort Meade & Fort Washington!)

Florida

New York

Colorado

California

Virginia

Delaware

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

Tennessee

North Carolina

Wisconsin

Kentucky

New Hampshire

Alaska

Georgia

Washington, DC (kind of a state)

Because We Are

Faster? Extremely. Cheaper? No question. Greener? You bet. In this case, it is a newspaper that a recent college graduate is intrigued by but couldn’t afford everyday unless the guy before him left it on his seat on the train. Instead, I turn to the online version. In today’s New York Times there is a fascinating article written by a well-known “Guest Columnist.” Whenever I see an article with something as vague as “Africa” in the title I am naturally skeptical. Having served on the continent more than once, I scoff at the idea of talking about all of the problems of Africa in one fell swoop. It’s like writing about fishing on the entire East Coast in three pages. Rhode Island fish are different than those in Florida. Aside from commentaries on current political visits, music, and the need for more aid, there is an interesting idea for moving forward. Bono writes: “Amid poverty and disease are opportunities for investment and growth – investment and growth that won’t eliminate overnight need for assistance, much as we and Africans yearn for it to end, but that in time can build roads, schools, and power grids and propel commerce to the point where aid is replaced by trade pacts, business deals, and home-grown income.” This gave me pause for reflection and reminiscing on this July afternoon. This seemed like a great broad stroke to me (as much as I hate those). It is a view from the sky of the moving parts and the goals of the future. We zoom in to two small cities in the western horn of Africa to serve in the best way we can, wholly. The article closes by using a word used by Desmond Tutu: “ubuntu” : I am because we are. As a ministry and as a parish we are indeed investing in the members of these communities. As we continue to grow, our relationship with the people of Abuja and Jos grows exponentially. We are investing in them with time, money, goods, services, and most importantly: hearts.

B

Vitamins!

Background: Every year, NATIVITY:NIGERIA organizes a Vitamin Drive for the parishoners of Church of the Nativity. A little background first: due to current airline regulations, each minister who will be traveling to Nigeria this August is allowed to bring two pieces of checked baggage with them. As in the past, these ministers will only be checking one personal bag and then will check a 50 lb. box of vitamins, which will be transported for Faith Alive Hospital in Jos. Over the past two years NATIVITY:NIGERIA has collected, transported, and donated hundreds of pounds of vitamins to Faith Alive Hospital. The only completely free hospital in Nigeria, Faith Alive Hospital uses these vitamins to aid in the recovery and treatment of patients.

This Year: Beginning this weekend, July 10/11, and continuing through July 19th the NATIVITY:NIGERIA ministers will be collecting vitamins in the Narthex before all weekend Masses. This means multivitamins, children's vitamins (please stay away from the gummy ones as they melt), supplemental vitamins (calcium, vitamin B, etc.). Also, feel free to drop them by the Parish Office throughout the week.

Rules: While we would love to take any and everything, there are some rules that we must follow for the safety of future patients as well as due to customs regulations. All items must be factory sealed (no opened bottles or leftover pills). All items must have an expiration date of Dec. 2009 or later.

Each year, this has been an awesome way for Church of the Nativity to get involved on a very real, grassroots level. Parishoners have always been extremely generous and we look forward to providing this much needed donation to Dr. Chris and Faith Alive Hospital each year. Thank you in advance for your continued generosity and support of this ministry and those whom we serve.

Prep, Prep, Prep

July 8, 2009

The Nativity Nigeria (NN) team gathered in the cafe tonight. Our travelers have received their immunizations and other shots, obtained their passports and tonight they applied for their visas. We're so fortunate to have Tina Borden capturing all the critical contact information for our travelers, and tracking all the important data on passport numbers, whose gotten their shots, etc. Mary Stefanski is spear-heading a vitamin collection from parishoners, and made a special appeal to our Vacation Bible School (VBS) attendees with a creative brochure in keeping with the program's theme. Nineteen bottles of vitamins were received from the kids. Collections of vitamins will also take place after weekend masses over the next two weekends. The "education subcommittee" pooled resources to put together some great lesson plans and worksheets to help the NN travelers in their teaching efforts. They focus on basic language, writing and math skills for young elementary school grades. These extra resources will help our NN team deliver some great educational sessions during their visit. Bob reviewed some of the important things for travelers to pack, and some tips were shared on where to find or get "great deals" on these items. The team is starting to collect small toys to give out as gifts to the Nigerian children. The enthusiasm is growing - the whole team is excited about the trip and all that our NN team has to offer. Departure date is approaching! We meet again next Wednesday night at 7pm.

Looking around the room during our meetings, I'm continually impressed by the commitment of our young adults to ministry. Many of our NN team members are (or nearly are) young enough to be my children. I was raised as a practicing Catholic. I went to Catholic school from first grade through college. I don't recall any of my friends making that type of commitment in their 20s, and I know I was pretty focused on my own life rather than ministry. Our team leaders are young men who not only volunteer their time but commit to leading the charge. It's a lot of responsibility, and they handle it like pros. Three of our young travelers are siblings and I love that they're sharing this experience as a family. I find it so inspiring to see such commitment to Faith and Ministry in all of our team members, but especially the young people. It fills me with hope and makes me want to be a better person and a better Christian. It reminds me why I wanted to be part of this team, even though it's not always easy to get to the meetings.

Periodically I've mentioned the NN project to my kids, either to say where I"ll be for a couple of hours one night, or to share something exciting about the NN project. I think the casual mention of ministry is paying off; yesterday my nearly 24 year old son called to say he wanted to get involved in volunteering in the community. Like many young people today, he's not practicing his Faith formally. We talked about opportunities that would have particular meaning for him, and we plan to embark on the journey together. What a bonus to know that my son is answering a call from God (whether he acknowledges it or not!) and we'll enjoy the experience together. With my youngest heading off to college in a few weeks, God knew I needed some extra "bonding" with my older kids! I'm having a bit of trouble transitioning to an "empty nest", especially as a single mom. It really is true that it's in giving that we receive. With just a few hours of ministry over the last couple of months, my Faith has been strengthened. I am filled with Hope and Awe as I witness God working through my fellow NN members. As Father White told us, surrounding ourselves with "Friends in Christ" really does help with the journey toward hearing God's call and figuring out how to move closer to Him.

Stay tuned for more exciting news about NN, there's more to come!

Betsy Good

Lots of Children and Green Turtles

We had a great time at church last week! I wanted to share my VBS experience - Crocodile Dock with all of you. All of the children (hundreds) who participated, really did ROCK at the Dock! There was so much excitement, singing and dancing.



I want to tell you about the turtles that were made that we are taking to Africa for the children there. Sue Zawodny and I were station leaders for crafts. I want you to know how lovely the children were. They were told they were making comfy critters and were given fluffy green turtles to stuff. We wanted them to know that God cares. It was explained how the children in Africa, where we are going, have very little - not only toys, but food, clothes, electricity and even clean water. There was a pocket on each turtle for the children to put their own special message/note. For those too young to write, we asked them to put in signs or symbols of love. I saw a lot of hearts, sunshine, flowers and crosses. We explained how the children in Africa could hold the turtles and be reminded that someone cares - that God cares about them.



When the children prayed, they closed their eyes tight and their little faces were squeezed up to God! It is so awesome to be reminded of children's innocence. They do want to know about God. They have so much love to give! I'm so happy the NN team will be taking the turtles to the children in Africa. The whole week was wonderful and I am grateful that I was able to be a part of it.



I joined the Children's Ministry (I am a Time Travelers Crowd Minister) right after returning from Nigeria last August. I was so moved by the children in Africa and I just thought - children - I want to help in this ministry. It has brought many special blessings, joy and new friends into my life. I will be taking the wonderful experience of this ministry with me when I return to Nigeria this August. We can make a difference. Our church can make a difference in the children's lives there.

Sara Groves is a young woman who is a contemporary Christian music artist. Her music tells the spiritual journey of her life. She is now involved in helping the children in Africa. I can remember a story she told at a local performance that I attended about four years ago. She was touched by the life of her Aunt Esther,who was unable to have any biological children. Here's the story:

Esther
by Sara Groves

I have a picture of Esther and David
She is a young bride and he is a soldier
They didn't know then that David was dying
They couldn't have children
Alone with a life time, Africa called
She went for the first time, it grew in her heart
All of the children, so many children

Now Esther has 2.4 million children
She writes us and asks us to pray for them all

She's compelled, she's compelled by what she's seen
And she tells us, she tells us do anything you can
To help, oh please help, there's so much to do
And I'm just Esther

She visits her homeland, she fights with her words
She comes to the courts of the kings of the earth
Who don't understand their inherited power
To answer her question



Please remember how much we have to be thankful while celebrating this weekend.

Teresa Pompa