Time & Mercy

My thoughts this week have been about mercy. Part of what we do as a team for Nigeria is to show mercy. We believe in giving mercy to the two locations in Nigeria that our church is active in. We try to reflect Jesus Christ's love to the poor, sick and suffering there.



I've had several conversations with friends this week about the words mercy, evangelism and leadership. Everyone seems to agree we tend to want to put labels on people. We want things in a box. It's easier for us to understand that way. The English language seems so limiting. Or maybe it's the connotations that always pop in our heads instead of the definitions.



Jesus Christ defined who He was. He knew who He was because he defined himself as God did, not how other people did. Other people tried to label Him. But this did not get in His way. He knew His mission. He knew God's purpose for Him - and it wasn't in a box.



Jesus was sent to us by God to be a blessing. He came to heal us - to give us LIFE. He did not come to curse us. He wanted us to live our lives to the full - to have joy in Him. Another new definition for me, from scripture study, is for the word blessing - "to be blessed". I was told it meant - "to be joyful in the Lord". We cannot be truly joyful without Him. We get mixed up on this stuff.



When our team traveled to Nigeria last year, we noticed how the people we met at the Anawim Home and Faith Alive were so joyful. They felt they were blessed because they were joyful in the Lord. We go to support and encourage them in this both spiritually and physically. We want to help them take their joy to places more remote than their own communities, where people do not know true joy.



There was the popular saying awhile back, even on bracelets, "what would Jesus do?" "WWJD" I remember the response - it's not what would he do - it's what did he do? Just look it up some would say. It's all there.



I'd think. It is?!



Well I've been learning that it is true. And what I've learned is:



He was not a go with the flow kind of guy. He did not wait for what was politically correct.



He saw people as His brothers and sisters. As if they were His own family.



He spent His time with the rejected, left out, feeling like they don't belong people. He came for them. He came to save the lost.



Anyone who has ever made a difference in my life has shown me mercy, including a lot of people at Nativity. Mercy, to me, was when anybody gave me maybe a little extra of their time. People who gave me encouragement and support. People who recognized the lost little girl. People who just knew somehow that I was feeling enormous pain. The list is way too long. These people were merciful, even if they don't see themselves that way. They were evangelizing, even though they would never think of it this way. They were definitely showing leadership by stepping out of the crowd, even if they never think of themselves that way.



A recent example - someone just gave me some time - someone who doesn't have a lot of time. He doesn't think he's especially merciful. He knows he's an evangelist and he is a leader. I have been told I have a lot of mercy. Yet here was this man at Starbuck's meeting with me. He listened to me, offered me support and encouragement and even connected me to other people for my passion to help the Nigerian people. I am no one in worldly success - in the "world's eyes" nor am I a best friend, yet he gave me the same time, respect and consideration as if I was a CEO. Remember our church's added value homily? It's one of my favorites. Can we treat people as if we know they will add value to our lives? Can we stop seeing people as "needy" and taking away from our time? Can we appreciate people who are not just like us and who are not already our friends? The Nigerian trip definitely helped me with this - on an every day basis.



I think I've learned what real mercy is.



Teresa Pompa

Team News

Wed June 17th

The Nativity Nigeria (NN) team met again tonight to keep fine tuning the logistics of the NN 2009 trip. To help build the connection between the children at Nativity and those we'll visit in Nigeria, the children attending Vacation Bible School (VBS) next week will be making toys to send with the NN team. Each child at VBS will make a stuffed, green turtle, and include a personalized message in a pocket sewn on the turtle. The children who attended Nativity's Whoobilation celebration also made bracelets to send with our NN travelers. We're also collecting vitamins - for both adults and children - during the 2nd and 3rd weekends in July after every Mass. We will send eleven fifty pound boxes with our 12 travelers - the 12th box will be filled with toys. Look for more information in the bulletin.

Our travelers are working on passports and immunizations, and will soon be filling out applications for visas. Flights are booked, and teams have been formed - one team will travel to the Anawim Home and another will head to Faith Alive hospital, while the "home team" helps with all the coordination efforts here at Nativity. Last year's NN travelers participated in some impromptu class room teaching and asked the home team to assist with that effort by gathering some lesson plans together for this year's team to take with them. The home team also helps by tracking lots of paperwork and information to be sure everything is in order for the August 1st departure. Our travelers will return on August 17th.

I was first introduced to the NN program through a fellow small group member, blogger Teresa Pompa, who traveled to Nigeria last year. We were fortunate that Teresa shared her excitement and reflections with our group and in her blog entries. Hearing about the experience got me interested. I'm a divorced mom of three, but my youngest is heading off to college this fall. I've always been active in volunteering at my children's schools and in their extra-curricular activities. I'd done some ministry work with my kids as they completed their volunteer commitments, but hadn't really done much in the way of parish ministry. A couple of months ago, Father White challenged us to take the next step in our commitment to God and our Faith. Inspired by the call to action, I decided it was time for me to start participating in ministry at Nativity. Teresa's experience moved me to volunteer for NN. I knew I wasn't able to travel to Nigeria, but I've managed hockey teams, tournaments and trips for 20 years for my kids. I thought I might be able to transfer some of those organizational skills to help out with the NN team. I'm thrilled to be part of the team supporting the amazing volunteers who will make the trip. There really is something for everyone when it comes to ministry at Nativity, and I love the way Nativity's children have been brought in to the NN effort through VBS and Whoobilation.

Betsy Good

In Our Prayers

Today, we received word from Abuja that the father of Sister Oresoa, Daniel Selo-Ojeme passed away on Monday 6/8/2009. Sister Oresoa's father was a farmer and the High Chief of his tribe. He was about 86 years old. Last year the team that served at the Anawim Home met him and stayed a night in the family home about an hour from Benin City. He served his family, tribe, and country as a leader and an inspiration. We pray for the repose of him and his family.

To Be A Gardener

We are officially entering the summer season now. Schools let out - schedules change. Many vacations will begin.


I just want to tell everybody how well the NN team is doing. We had our third meeting last week. A Nativity parishioner, who is a nurse, spoke to us about how to take preventative measures against contracting illnesses such as HIV, malaria or tuberculosis. In general theses measures are the same that we take here in the U.S. - and it is all about good hygiene. A very good point the nurse made was that we need to realize that we can make others sick when we visit another country. Their systems do not have strong enough immunities to ward off our diseases.


I hope people will keep wanting to read this blog as our team meets and plans for this summer's trip to Nigeria. It is an exciting time for us and I hope you will want to share it with us.


The Church of the Nativity has inspired me. Stories of Sr. Oresoa have inspired me and Dr. Chris's story has inspired me. For me, a picture has been painted by our Church over the past year. Really - so much clarity has come to me ever since I first attended The Church of the Nativity which was @ 3 and 1/2 years ago. For me, the picture is about a mission - the mission of Jesus Christ. In a passage in one of her books, author Laurie Beth Jones states about Jesus, "Everything He did made a statement about what He saw His mission to be. He did not wait until He had the total picture. He did not wait until there was a cloudless sky... He took the canvas of his life and painted a message big enough, bold enough and bright enough for everyone to see."


Summer has always been my favorite season. The cookouts, the pools, the celebrations, the beach and getting to spend the extra time with my children. I know what I want to do this summer. I want to be a gardener this summer. No, not a gardener of flowers ( believe me, you wouldn't want to see my house's garden this summer). I want to sow seeds of another kind. Our team will be thanked so much by the Nigerian people. We will be thanked so much by our church's parishioners. But what I know from my experience of last summer - we will get back so much more than we could ever give. I realize now that what we did give, were tiny seeds that we had sown for love to be shown to the communities of the Anawim Home and Faith Alive. Last summer, our team had hoped the interest in this ministry would thrive in our church. This summer, I want my mission to be to keep planting tiny seeds,while also having the courage to paint a very bold picture - just like our church has done. You never know what will take hold and grow.

Gardener

by Ann North

Some of the seeds of hope

Planted tentatively in the fall

Have not come up

They lie stillborn and unrealized
Somewhere in the spring soil

Decaying

The strongest and best ones

Pushed up through leaves

And layers of cold, hard resistance

Right into clear blue air

And stand there nakedly green

Breathing

It's always that way with growing things

Never knowing at the start

Which will make it and which will fail

But the thing to hold fast to

Never to lose faith in

Is simply

Sowing

Teresa Pompa

We Can

Our NN team had our second meeting on Tuesday evening. Everything is really going well. The team is starting to get some really good ideas going and everyone is so enthusiastic. More people are involved this summer because of the implementation of a home team. It's all very exciting. It was and is the goal of NN to have more people not only aware of the program but who want to be involved in any way they can. As it has been previously stated many times, "you don't have to go to be involved...".


With that being said, I am excited to have the opportunity to return to Nigeria. Both trip teams look great this year. Ed King will be leading the Faith Alive team (the team I am on) this summer. He was part of the Anawim, "Poorest of the Poor" team last summer. Even though we were on different teams, I got to know him at the airport ( lots of waiting!) and on the very long flights. He was so helpful and kind to everyone. He will be a great team leader. Alex Sidlak is the team leader this summer for the Anawim team. He is also a returnee. He is a very nice young man. Please check out the recent posting of the pictures of all the team members - home, Faith Alive and Anawin Home.


I had a lot of response to my prior posting about "feeling like a failure". Many people have shared with me that they have felt this way or are feeling this way right now in one way or another. I want people to know that I do know how hard it is to give right now. Some people don't have enough to even take care of themselves. NN is not really about money. Of course we welcome donations to be able to help the Nigerian people in this way. Our church has an exciting idea for Advent this year. It is about water. It is about clean water. And everyone should have clean water. More about this later. But time is also a way of giving, even if it is just from home. One of the NN goals is to build a personal relationship with the people of the Faith Alive and Anawim Home communities. Whatever you can do is important - in your family, neighborhood, community and beyond. For me, it is always about a personal relationship.

It is also important to me to know I can make a difference as just one person. Don't listen to the voice in your head that tells you this is not true. This is the wrong voice. We need to remember that we are the anointed children of God. He has plans for us and they're better than the ones we come up with on our own. If we can just believe in our heart that because of Jesus Christ, we are already victors.


For anyone who is older - you are not done yet! I realize I am not going to the rocking chair just yet! All we have to do is move a little put of our own safety zone to take a step towards God. And from my experience - He will meet you there - wherever that is. God presents us with so many opportunities in our own life to follow Him, but fear keeps us from moving. Of course we will fail sometimes. It is okay. We just don't want our life decisions to be based on fear. Some of us have been told all of of our lives what we can't do. We are told by the world things like we are too quiet, too shy, too loud, too nice, not nice enough - whatever! For me now, our God is a "can do". It's about inspiration and believing that you are a child of God, not about breaking his rules. We are all part of His great master plan, like a single instrument in a large orchestra. There is a pastor I heard recently who said, "Don't die with the music still in you. You can go farther than you think - no matter what hardship you've gone through or how long. God has put seeds of greatness in you." This pastor asks us to call back the seeds inside of us - call back the relationships we have given up on - and to call back the dreams we've pushed aside.


And to the young members of our NN team - what a blessing to be doing what you are doing with your lives right now! Please keep listening to God's call.


Please pray for our church's Nigeria team - that we may realize that we are a team, and that God can work through us to help one another - just like the different parts of our body. I like learning the origins of the words in our English language, many of which are Greek. At mass Sunday, we were told how the word mass actually comes from "mission - to be sent". The word member comes from the Greek word milos - meaning "to be one part of a whole body".


"In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."
Romans 12:5



Teresa Pompa

The Home Team of Timonium, MD

Betsy Good

single mom of twins - Dan and Katlyn (23) and Tim (18)

Nativity parishioner since 2002

occupation: insurance industry

favorite ice cream flavor: chocolate chip

Pam Mercer

occupation: RN, nurse educator at GBMC

husband: Andrew

two daughters: Claire (9) and Allie (6)

Nativity parishioner for four years

enjoy golf, reading and relaxing at the pool

favorite ice cream flavor: Baskins and Robbins pralines and cream

Mary Stefanski

age: 18

school: University of Dayton

status: single, no children

I like to listen to music and going to concerts. I love to help people out.

I love watching and playing sports and meeting new people.

I also love to read.

favorite ice cream flavor: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

Tina Borden

I am married with no kids and three dogs, flat coated retrievers

I work in Healthcare IT for a company in Towson

my hobbies are my dogs, agility and yoga

I love frozen yogurt - chocolate

Ken Tesi

age: 67

I have three daughters and five grandkids (three boys,two girls all in single digits two in months)

I am retired from the insurance industry

I currently teach Spanish at the Community College of Baltimore County.

My work took me all over the world and I have lived in seven different countries.

I cannot make the trip to Nigeria this time, but I'm willing to support the traveling members in any way I can.

This team of ministers will be helping run lots of things from here in Timonium, Maryland. There are some more ministers on this team and their pictures will be added soon!

Sisters of the Poorest of the Poor in Abjua, Nigeria Team

Becky Zawodny

Sarah Zawodny

Charles Daugherty

Danny Zawodny

Rob Devereux

age:27

single

server at the Dogwood Restaurant in Hampden

will be attending the University of Baltimore in the fall

interests: playing sports, living and loving life and serving God

favorite ice cream flavor: banana walnut chip from Sylvan Beach

Alex Sidlak

Faith Alive Hospital in Jos, Nigeria Team

Gin Gin Diokno

age:42

single

no kids but lots of nephews and nieces

sports medicine physician/pediatrician

besides sports, love to scuba dive, run, quilt and cook

favorite ice cream flavor is purple yam and coconut

Teresa Pompa

occupation: started out as an accountant; ended up as an accounting supervisor for the City of Baltimore Commission on Aging. I decided to be a stay at home mom and have been one ever since

married; husband - Anthony

children: Christopher (12) and Sophia (11)

love being a minister for the Church of the Nativity

enjoy reading, the ocean and any celebration

favorite ice cream flavor: Rita's gelati

Marina Lynch

age: I am 37 years old (yikes!!)

I have been a member of Nativity for four years and serve as the Children's Liturgy Emcee for the 10:30 and 12 noon masses

I am the mother of three amazing kids, Kevin, Nathaniel and Charlotte Lynch,who I love more than life itself

I am an esthetician, make-up artist, spokes model and former nursery school teacher

My interests include: creative writing, competitive running, hiking, nature and music

My passion in life, above all things is Jesus...to know Him, understand Him and serve Him in every area of my life

favorite ice cream flavor: Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia

Rob Douglas

age:40

software engineer at the Space Telescope Science Institute

married; no kids; cats Cassie and Obie

spend free time running; training for marathons

favorite ice cream flavor - anything with nuts and fudge

Greg Strouse

Ed King

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 I had the distinct privilege and pleasure to serve last year at Anawim Home in Gwagwalada.

Age: 66 (just a number)
Occ: retired US Government (Medicare) Program Manager and Retired US Army Officer.
Married for 44 years to my wonderful wife Mary. We have three grown daughters and nine grandkids, ages 5 to 14.
Interests: Volunteering, serving in Nativity ministries, working out at the MAC, fishin', spoiling G-kids, and dodging Mary's to-do lists. Favorite Ice Cream: Cherry Garcia

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

From Rescued to Rescuers

Hello again NN blog followers. I'm so glad some of you are following and reading this blog. All glory goes to Him. I did not want to do this at first (as usual!). Then right before Lent, I felt "compelled" to post stories to the NN blog. This is not "Teresa's" blog. It is the NN blog. I don't know about Teresa's blog yet. Right now I hear Him telling me "Focus on this for now".

What a beautiful Mothers Day we were all blessed with. I feel like my children are my heart walking outside of my body. How I prayed so long to be a mother. As many of you know, my children are adopted from Russia. They are a daily challenge :-) and an inspiration to me.

Which brings to mind my past story about the parents who chose to leave their daughter out in the village to die. These were not mothers I met at Faith Alive. The Faith Alive mothers I met were wonderful. I've gotten several questions on it - especially about the mother. The questions were "How could any mother do that?" "There is instinct to motherhood and that story is just horrifying."

Well yes, it is a horrifying story. And I believe there is a true instinct given to us by God to be mothers. But there is evil and there is free will. I think even though these parents were absolutely desperate and starving, they chose an evil solution. Any of us would die to save our children's' lives. What caused this evil choice? No food? Or no knowledge of Jesus Christ?

It would have been a temporary solution to give them more food. Believe me I DO believe in this! I just finished reading a book by Gary A. Haugen entitled "Just Courage" and it explains this so much better than I ever could. He is the CEO of International Justice Mission (IJM) that believes that the fight for justice should be at the heart of all Christians. The author says its understanding that evil is the root of all injustice in the world. All of the points of view he expresses are supported by Scripture. It is hard not to agree with what he is saying. The author calls for all Christians to get out of our "safe havens" and step into the adventure and truth that Jesus called us when He said "Follow Me". The author says this was a call to action! So for the author, the call was to other countries that do not have our democratic form of government. He reminds the reader that there is still horrifying corruption going on in other places around our world. This book helped me so much to define what I already felt inside. Would I be willing to risk danger even though I am a mother? Would I risk danger for a neighbor? Love thy neighbor as yourself !? I won't get on a soapbox. The author says it all too well. Please don't refrain from reading it if your call is not in the missions area. I think the author explains our faith better than almost any other scripture based book I've ever read.

Here's an example. "In different times and in different ways,our heavenly Father offers us a simple proposition. Follow me beyond where your own strength and competencies can take you, and beyond what is affirmed or risked by the crowd - and you will experience Me and My power and My wisdom and My love... He says His power is made perfect in my weakness, not in my strength. And that when we get this when we know we have been rescued out of the darkness so that we can be the light of the world...we can move from being rescued to being the rescuers."

I sometimes saw the desperate need in the eyes of the Nigerian people as they looked at me. There is nothing else like this look. The children ran up to me sometimes just because they could tell I was an American. They think the United States will save them. They think so much of our country. We have helped them. But we are not to give the honor and glory to the United States. Even though this is a great country and it is a blessing to be born here - we are not the saviors of the world. Jesus Christ is. He works through us as individuals to be the light of the world. As rescuers , we are to give the honor and glory to Jesus Christ. To me, this is what helping others is about - it is what missionary work is about. It is not about imposing our faith on others. It is about transforming the life of others and our own as we know our strength comes from Him. As we serve the needy and suffering, we recognize we are all God's children, even if they do not know it yet. When those you are helping (and even people who just observe) see your actions and you claim who your real savior is, it transforms lives.

Everyone who applied to NN is still waiting to hear if we were accepted and what the new trip team formations will be. I'll keep you posted!

Teresa Pompa