Send Off & Blessing

Please join us at 10:30AM Mass at Church of the Nativity on Sunday August 1st as we pray for the NATIVITY:NIGERIA team that will depart on the morning of August 2nd. The team will receive a blessing from the parish and we will pray together for our work over the next few weeks.

Bringing Vitamins to Faith Alive Hospital

This week, the NATIVITY:NIGERIA teams sorted and packaged over 300 lbs of vitamins and pain relievers for Faith Alive Hospital in Jos. These were collected by Church of the Nativity parishoners over the last two weeks and will be delivered to Dr. Chris Isichei at the airport in Abuja. Each summer, Church of the Nativity parishoners have generously donated vitamins for this hospital. NATIVITY:NIGERIA has donated over 1,500 lbs of vitamins over the last few summers, providing necessary medication for those recovering from treatment at Faith Alive Hospital. The vitamins are distributed by the hospital staff to those who are malnourished or whose immune systems have been weakened by treatment. Thank you for your continued generosity!

Reflections

"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)

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 on the Reflections page daily as a way for friends and family to join in the reflection and study being done by our team members in Nigeria.

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 over 1,200 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 17-18 and July 24-25 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 2011 or later.

Children Reaching Around the World

As in past years, the kids at Church of the Nativity's Vacation Bible School created a craft for the children at Anawim Home in Abuja. In the past, the children have made small stuffed animals to be distributed to children at Anawim and in the community. This year, the kids decorated reusable cups for everyone at Anawim Home and those served by the Sisters throughout Gwagwalada. Throughout the past year, Nativity has partnered with Anawim Home to provide clean, fresh drinking water to all of their residents and at satellite locations. The children also made small fleece blankets for the children and infants. This gives the children attending Vacation Bible School an opportunity to participate in Nativity's international mission as well as reach out directly to the children at Anawim and continues to be a popular part of kids' week.

Team Update

The NATIVITY:NIGERIA team has been meeting weekly for the last two months in order to fine tune everything for our mission trip in August. To continue the strong relationship between the children at Nativity and those at Anawim Home, the children attending Vacation Bible School last week made toys which will be distributed by the team. The children who attended Nativity's Whoobilation celebration during Advent also decorated dozens of cups for the community. This is based around our on-going water initiatives in the communities of Jos and Abuja. As in past years, NATIVITY:NIGERIA will also be collecting vitamins during the 2nd and 3rd weekends in July after every Mass. Again, Nativity's generous parishoners will send hundreds of pounds of vitamins to assist those at Faith Alive Hospital and Anawim Home. More details on this project will be available in the coming weeks.

Our team members have submitted their visa applications and is in the process of getting all of their immunizations. Flights are booked and excitement is growing by the day. The team will be going on retreat at the beginning of June and completing final preparations. The photos above are from some of the team building events they have been participating in over the past few weeks. Stay tuned for more updates as the trip gets closer. Thank you for all of your continued support!

Clean Water in Kaduna

NATIVITY:NIGERIA has just received word from Sister Felicitas and Sister Oresoa that a new borehole has been drilled and is now producing clean water at the Anawim Home in Kaduna! Kaduna is a satellite site of Anawim Home, which is based in Abuja. This site increases the Sisters ability to serve more members of the community. The photos above show some of the work done during drilling as well as children from Anawim Home retrieving clean water from the borehole. Clean water is the basic necessity of healthy living and we are excited to work this the Anawim Home on this project. NATIVITY:NIGERIA is committed to providing clean water for our partners at Anawim and this is another great step in that relationship.

Anawim Home Medical Care

Following their trip to Anawim Home in Abuja last August, Becky, Sarah, and Danny Zawodny returned to the United States touched by the work of the Sisters and the children at Anawim Home. They told their story to their family and friends, who made the commitment to fund medical care for children at Anawim. Recently, Sister sent the above photo of some of the children whom the family has helped to clothe, educate, and heal. Currently, Becky directs NATIVITY:NIGERIA team development and reflection components. The Zawodny family continue to be a strong part of NATIVITY:NIGERIA and we are grateful for their support.

Kaduna Security Fence Progress

As previously mentioned in our Clean Water in Abuja post, NATIVITY:NIGERIA is also funding a security fence at the Anawim Home satellite site in Kaduna. At this site, the Sisters of the Poorest of the Poor care for orphans as well as the mentally ill of the community. The photos above were recently sent to us by Sisters Felicitas and Oresoa and show some of the progress taking place on this project. This is an exciting development as this now provides a safe, secure environment for the Sisters to serve the community of Kaduna. We will continue to provide updates as the become available. Thank you for your continued support!

Anawim Home Team Begins Preparation

This past week we started meeting with our new NATIVITY:NIGERIA Teams for this year. We have a new Anawim Home Team, but are not sending a team to Faith Alive Hospital this year. NATIVITY:NIGERIA also has a new Home Team for this year, including some previous members of Anawim Home and Faith Alive Hospital Teams. Please see the names of those on the Anawim Home Team as well as information on our Faith Alive Hospital relationship to the right. We will continue to update you on the progress of the team in the months and weeks leading up to its departure in August.