Arrival in Nigeria

Our teams have landed safely in Abuja! They will be meeting Sister Oresoa and Dr. Chris at the airport shortly. Both teams will stay at Anawim Home in Abuja for the night before the Faith Alive Hospital Team travels to Jos in the morning. The team of 10 is bringing over 500 lbs of vitamins and medical supplies for these locations in addition to the backpacks designed by children at Vacation Bible School, children's toys and school supplies. We will post updates and pictures here as often as possible and we ask for your continued prayers and support.

Photos:
1. Tyler, Jess, Adrienne, & Joey on flight from Washington, DC to Frankfurt.
2. Jonathan, Kathi, Adrienne, Bill & Gin Gin in Frankfurt

Departure

The team departed from Church of the Nativity at 11AM this morning and will be headed to Washington DC before departing for Frankfurt, and then Abuja. Everyone got some breakfast, got all of their gear packed, made some last minute checks, and said goodbye to their families. After praying together, the teams headed south to begin their journey.

Photos:
1. NATIVITY:NIGERIA Missionaries: Jess Brown, Brian Crook, Adrienne Brooks, Bill Baird, Kathi Rogers, Tyler DeVan, Gin Gin Diokno, Joey Barczak, Emma Baird, Jonathan Sanchez
2. Jonathan Sanchez says goodbye
3. Faith Alive Hospital Team: Brian Crook, Bill Baird, Emma Baird, Jonathan Sanchez
4. Anawim Home Team: Jess Brown, Adrienne Brooks, Kathi Rogers, Gin Gin Diokno, Tyler DeVan, Joey Barczak
5. Loading vitamins and luggage
6. Christy Oberst & Joey Barczak
7. Megan Koren, Jonathan Sanchez, & Christy Oberst
8. Kathi Rogers & Adrienne Brooks
9. Home Team organizes loading of vitamins and medical supplies

Join in Reflection

All NATIVITY:NIGERIA team members have been given a Reflection Journal, which they will be using in the days leading up to their departure to Nigeria, during their time there, and upon their return. This will also facilitate a daily group discussion and reflection based on the following topics:

• What did you see today?
• Where did you see God today?
• What did you personally reflect on using your Reflection Journal last night?

The scripture and questions used in the Reflection Journal will also be posted under Reflections daily as a way for friends and family to join in the reflection and study being done by our team members in Nigeria.


"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reset on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Send Off Mass & Blessing

Please join us at 10:30AM Mass at Church of the Nativity on Sunday July 24th as we pray for the NATIVITY:NIGERIA team that will depart on the morning of July 30th. We ask for your continued prayers and support throughout our time in Nigeria.

Vitamins Pour In

We got a great turnout over the last two weeks for our annual vitamin drive for the patients at Faith Alive Hospital in Jos. These vitamins serve as a critical component of the treatment for those receiving anti-retroviral HIV/AIDS medication. Dozens of bottles of vitamins were donated and will be sorted, cataloged, and packed over the next week. Once the donations are all separated and packaged, our teams will be taking over 500 lbs of vitamins to Jos at the end of July. Thank you for your continued support generosity again this year. All of these donations will make a huge difference in the many lives at at Faith Alive Hospital.

Retreat & Reflection

This past weekend, the Anawim Home Team & Faith Alive Hospital Team joined together for a day of retreat, reflection, and fellowship. The afternoon was filled with team building, personal testimonials, and prayer. It was an opportunity for the team members to be together outside of a planning session and simply learn about each other. Led by our Missionary Development Team, this is one of the most important events in the last few weeks leading up to our teams' departure at the end of June. Thank you for your support and we ask that you continue to keep all of them in your prayers.

Vitamin Drive for Faith Alive Hospital

As in past years, NATIVITY:NIGERIA will be transporting multivitamins collected by the parish to assist patients at Faith Alive Hospital in Jos. Dr. Chris has described this as one of the hospital's greatest needs. The vitamins provide patients with weakened immune systems additional nutrients they may not have in their diets. NATIVITY:NIGERIA has donated over 1,500 lbs of vitamins to Faith Alive Hospital over the past few summers and will send hundreds more this August.

If you wish to participate, please bring your vitamins to Church of the Nativity during the weekends of July 9-10 and July 16-17 and look for a team member in a NATIVITY:NIGERIA shirt.

Please note the guidelines below:

• All vitamins must be factory sealed.
• All vitamins must be over the counter. No prescription medications.
• No children's vitamins.
• No gummy vitamins.
• No liquids.
• Expiration date January 2012 or later.

Children United

As in past years, the kids at Church of the Nativity's Vacation Bible School, Pandamania, have created a craft for the children at Anawim Home and Faith Alive Hospital. In the past, the children have made small stuffed animals with messages inserted in pockets to be distributed to children at Anawim and throughout community. This year, the kids tie-dyed drawstring backpacks for the children at Anawim Home as well as those served by Faith Alive Hospital throughout the Jos community. The picture above will also be included with a note from each child. This provides the kids attending Vacation Bible School with an opportunity to participate in Nativity's international mission as well as reach out directly to the children at Anawim and Faith Alive Hospital. Year after year, this continues to be a popular part of kids' week!

Photos: Children at Church of the Nativity's Vacation Bible School

Faith Alive Hospital Update

The following is a message on the status of the HIV/AIDS program at Faith Alive Hospital, from Dr. Chris Isichei, founder, recently provided through Hope for West Africa Foundation:

"I returned from a trip [for training at the Haggai Institute] and met with our team yesterday over a decision to halt fresh enrollment of newly diagnosed HIV cases into our program whether ARVs [Anti-Retrovirals] or Care [due to U.S. funding cuts]. We were however advised to refer to certain sites that still have vacancies.

On my first day back to work, we had about 15 new cases most insisting they will not go anywhere but rather die in Faith Alive. We had no choice but to accompany them to the various places we referred them to and assured them that they will continue to be part of Faith Alive family. We will follow them up to the end wherever they may be. This helped to some extent. I have insisted that pregnant women and children be excluded while I work out something for them….

It has dawned on me with bleeding heart that with this God given vision, I will have to watch and see some persons turned back from specifically ART [Anti-Retroviral Treatment] services but I pray that the follow up program instituted by the U.S. government will still allow us impact them for Christ. God bless."

Church of the Nativity and NATIVITY:NIGERIA continues to keep Faith Alive Hospital and the people of Jos, Nigeria in its prayers.

Preparation Continues

For the past two months, the Anawim Home Team and Faith Alive Hospital Team have been meeting weekly for fellowship, preparation, and reflection leading up to their departure in August. Airline tickets have been purchased and vaccinations have been started as months and months of preparation turn into a few short weeks. We ask for your continued prayer and support of our teams.

Photos:
1. Faith Alive Hospital Team
2. Anawim Home Team
3. NATIVITY:NIGERIA Missionary Team