Go and Give

From Teresa Pompa of The Faith Alive Hospital Team in Jos:

Hi everyone! The Faith Alive Team is doing very well. At Thursday afternoon's staff and prayer meeting our team was asked to stand and tell our story of how we became interested in coming to Faith Alive. We each stood up and talked and introduced the next team member. I was amazed how well everyone did! Each was unique, but each person spoke of how God was part of the story. Dr. Chris was very thankful that we shared with his staff. He said we each need to understand each other's stories. The worship music the staff performed was very beautiful. They even did a couple of songs that our church knows like "Our God is an Awesome God."

I've been spending most of my independent project time in the Social Services Area. I've been helping out in counseling and attending discipleship class with the sewing class ladies. I love the Social Services Area. Pastor Esther is a counselor and also teaches the class. I remember her from last year, she is very compassionate and always has pearls of wisdom. The little boy I made friends with last summer is gone as his mom has moved on from the sewing class but there are new children for me to make friends with.

Our team has many stories to share from this trip with with you and we are only halfway through it! We are all touched and in awe of this place. There are many improvements here for the people since last summer as the third floor of the hospital is finished. There is an OBGYN clinic and even a staff cafe.

Yet there is still so much to be done. There is still so much need. Some of us are seeing a kind of poverty that we have never seen before. But there is much hope for tomorrow.

After yesterday's staff and prayer meeting Pastor Ben came over to talk to some of us. Pastor Ben is a wonderful man and a gifted preacher. He said we have to understand that every day is a gift and that every day is different, what we might not have today we could have tomorrow. He said we must realize that happiness and peace are not based on circumstance. Our circumstances do not define us. God is in charge. Paul praised God in prison.

Pastor Ben spoke to us of the missionaries that came to Nigeria in 1904. He said the word mission means to go and give. Yes, the missionaries brought money and material possessions that were very needed. But mostly he saw what they brought to be spiritual because they came and cared and prayed for them. What they did is they left their comfort zone, like Jesus left His comfort zone of heaven when He came down to us. Pastor Ben thanked us for leaving our comfort zone to come to Faith Alive. We were very touched by this. We went off to dinner thinking how thankful we are.