Jos Bombings

We have spoken to our partners at Faith Alive Hospital in Jos, and everyone is doing fine. Although no one within the Faith Alive family was directly affected by the senseless bombings last Sunday at COCIN (Church of Christ in Nigeria), the area continues to experience unrest and destruction. We join with our brothers and sisters in Nigeria to pray for the peace and stability of the region.

Word of the Week

Each week, missionaries from the 2011 Nativity:Nigeria team will be reflecting on their experience and sharing a Word of the Week, or a word which exemplifies the mission to them. Check back each week to hear more about how Christ met our N:N missionaries during their time in Nigeria.

This week, Anawim Home team leader Gin Gin Diokno shares on her experience.
Word of the Week - Heartwarming
To me, the mission was remarkably heartwarming, demonstrating time and time and again the true essence of our collective humanity. From this, I saw exactly how Christ calls us to live. Summed up best in Matthew 25:35-36, He teaches...

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of me, you did for me."

Information Sessions

After all masses during the weekend of March 10th/11th, we will be holding brief Information Sessions for all those interested in learning more about Nativity's summer missions. Whether through the Anawim Home, Faith Alive Hospital, or Home Team, we invite you to serve in this year's mission team. Come hear all about Nativity:Nigeria 2012!

Nativity:Nigeria 2012 Applications

Applications for the summer 2012 Nativity:Nigeria team are now available on our website.
Check it out!

We will be hosting a brief Information Session after all masses the weekend of March 10 & 11, 2012. The above information sheet contains key facts about Nativity:Missions, or you can read more on our blog about both Anawim Home & Faith Alive Hospital.

Please submit all applications electronically by Sunday March 18th. Feel free to direct questions to nigeria@churchnativity.org.

Christmas Day Attacks

We were troubled to learn of the most recent attacks on five places of worship in Abuja and Jos on Christmas Day. We are happy to report that everyone at Faith Alive Hospital in Jos and Anawim Home in Abuja are safe. We ask for your prayers of peace and support during this difficult time for both communities.

Humbling & Life Changing

A reflection from Anawim Home Team member, Jess Brown, on her time serving at Anawim Home:

There is humbling evidence throughout Nigeria that God’s love and compassion shines through the simplicity of life. The daily works of Sr. Oresoa and the Sisters of the Poorest of the Poor are predictably modest and self-sacrificing. Without fear or complaint, the sisters live a meager existence, rising early each day for Mass, serving as best they can the needs of so many and giving of themselves in every awe-inspiring way.

It was heartwarming and almost discomforting to see the tears of joy and overwhelming thanks from Sr. Julie who had toiled in the kitchen to prepare our meals each day when our Anawim Team presented her with a simple set of knives which we had purchased for her in the city.

But it was in the eyes of the children that God’s grace was so evident. In some ways, their lives were so very different from mine and the friends that I have in the U.S. These children lived without the distractions of technology, without the comfort of regular electricity and running water, without the guarantee of a next meal. And yet, they smiled with dignity in the simplest of pleasures – receiving pencil sharpeners and erasers from our team, reading ethnically rich novels, playing soccer on the front lawn, performing daily chores, and merely sharing a conversation with someone who really cared about them in the moment.

Daily visits to the Infant Jesus School allowed us to share in the laughs and cries of the primary students. Sister Oresoa insisted that we teach the students American songs and games. The boys and girls welcomed the opportunity to learn the words “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little star” and “Jesus Loves Me.” They were eager to dance in a conga line, play “Duck, Duck, Goose,” or follow the directions to “Simon Says.” I was particularly honored to take part in their joys of graduation. For a week I shared laughs with the primary students while learning and practicing a cultural dance to be performed at the promotion ceremonies. My life-changing experience has truly taught me how similar we all are as God’s children in Jesus’ image. We all have hopes and dreams and fears and needs. We all desire to be heard and to be appreciated and to be hugged.

The mission efforts of Nativity reach well beyond the boundaries of Timonium and Abuja and Jos. I am forever grateful to my many family members and friends of all faiths and backgrounds who have supported me and the team in our journey. Without the prayers, support and contributions from so many who also believe in the awesome power of God’s presence across the globe, this experience would not have been possible for me. I am humbled and privileged to have had the opportunity to serve as an equal to all in the world, which is truly one family in God’s eyes.

Photos:
1. Graduation dance at Infant Jesus School
2. Conga line
3. Adrienne, Sister Julie, Jess, & Kathi
4. "Simon Says"
5. Nursery and primary school student with Jess
6. Dance practice

Grace in Action

A reflection from Anawim Home Team member, Kathi Rogers, on her time serving at Anawim Home:

Traveling to Nigeria has left me with many new memories and impressions. One of the most compelling lessons I learned was inadvertently taught to me by observing Sister Oresoa as she did her work. She likely is unaware of the silent lessons she taught me as I observed her tirelessly providing resources to the needy, regardless of the limitless need. Others may have become frustrated due to the overwhelming and never ending poverty in comparison the restricted resources and limited interest in helping.

Not Sister Oresoa. She continued to persevere, offering each person with whom she came in contact not only food or clothing, but equally important, she provided each individual a healthy dose of hope and kindness. One day, after being particularly saddened by the conditions, the overwhelming need and the recognition of the huge amount of people who were suffering in these conditions, the team discussed the reality of what impact our small group of missionaries could possibly have on helping the people we were serving. I was reminded of a beautiful passage based on a story by Loren Eisely, which a colleague once shared with me:

"There was a man who was walking along a sandy beach where thousands of starfish had been washed up on the shore. He noticed a boy picking the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. The man observed the boy for a few minutes and then asked what he was doing. The boy replied that he was returning the starfish to the sea, otherwise they would die. The man asked how saving a few, when so many were doomed, would make any difference whatsoever? The boy picked up a starfish and thew it back into the ocean and said "it made a difference to that one..." The man left the boy and went home, deep in thought of what the boy had said. He soon returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy thrown starfish into the sea."

We can all lean from this philosophy by contributing in some way, everyday, to someone who appears to be struggling. Whether it is a smile to someone who appears downtrodden, serving the needy in Nigeria, or anything in between, a kind gesture that serves to provide dignity and kindness to any individual on any given day, CAN make a difference. We may never be aware of the effect our positive action might have on any particular person, however what I learned in Nigeria is that grace is in the action, not necessarily the outcome.

Faith Heals

A reflection from Faith Alive Hospital Team member, Bill Baird, on his time serving at Faith Alive Hospital:

Faith Heals! I describe my experience in Nigeria as humbling and an incredible experience in faith. Our trip to this amazing African town of Jos, Nigeria and Faith Alive Hospital was, as I expected, a true test of my boundaries. I told my daughter Emma that this trip we were taking was "routine" for her given her previous mission experience but was way outside my comfort zone. Emma broke those boundaries down in her presentation at a morning devotional at the hospital (through a Hausa translator in front of dozens of patients and staff) that she challenged us to "open the eyes of our hearts". She said we needed to not limit our view of life and the people around us through the myopic, critical view of our eyes but with the compassion and love in our hearts. It was this perspective that would give us a clear view of the people around us, the needs that they have and a clear path that God had provided us to him.

It was through this heart centered view that I saw God in Dr. Chris, Pastor Ben, Goddy, Greg, Pastor Esther, Joshua, Daniel, Blessing, Ezekiel, Vanessa, Ibrahim, the children and so many others for the joy, care, love and commitment they brought to their work and to all they came in contact with. Through this view, God was in my teammates Emma, Brian and Jonathan as we shared our experiences each day in our time spent together, our reflections and our prayer. HE was present in our kindred connection to our partners at Anawim and in our faithful connection to the Home Team and our Nativity parish. God was even in the simple greeting we received everywhere we went, "You are welcome!", and they meant it. The eyes of my heart were opened. Faith Heals!

Anawim Home Children

A brief reflection from Anawim Home Team member, Joey Barczak, on his time at serving with the children at Anawim Home.

My most rewarding experiences in Nigeria were those that involved the children of Anawim Home. Whether it was going with them to school, playing soccer in the afternoon, playing cards at night, teaching them computer classes, or simply spending time with them, the children always got an immense amount of job from anything you put forth. They relished any little bit of time or yourself you were willing to give them and they truly made the trip a special one for everyone on the Anawim Home team.

Serving the Destitute

A reflection from Anawim Home Team member, Gin Gin Diokno, on her time at serving with the Sisters of the Poorest of the Poor:

Destitute: (adjective) without the basic necessities of life. That’s according to the Oxford dictionary. In Nigeria, the word comes alive in the most raw representation I have ever witnessed.

For the Missionary Sisters for the Poorest of the Poor, the word is reserved for a certain group of people. They are not only lacking basic human needs like water, food, clothing and shelter; they have been the forgotten members of their society. These people, mostly adult men, have mental illness severe enough that they are not able to keep up with basic activities of daily living. They usually end up roaming in the streets looking for day-to-day sustenance. At times they become violent, thus the rationalization for keeping them chained in closed quarters. The more unmanageable ones are shackled to heavy pieces of logs which again gives a new meaning to restraints. I saw one young man strong enough to drag his log as he shuffled towards us. They are confined within a small compound of dark rooms. Mattresses seemed optional. Their mental problems are usually treated with traditional medicine which include herbal preparations and idol worshiping, at least from what we’ve seen. They are allowed to move more freely when they show improvement in their conditions. If they are able, they help with productive tasks like stripping leaves from stalks of palm to make household broomsticks. As elaborate as I can describe this unfortunate scene, there are no sufficient words Oxford can lend me right now to capture the stench of poverty and loss of human dignity.

Knowing I grew up in a third-world country, one of my team members asked me at one point if I have seen poverty like this. I have been to a community where they literally live on a landfill and sustain themselves with whatever they can scramble out of this “smokey mountain.” I thought I have seen some of the most destitute, but not until now. During our end-of-the-day reflection, one asked “Where is God in all these?” There was just silence. How can one attempt to even answer that question? There is one thing I know for sure I took away from this surreal experience. I saw God in the dedicated work that Sister Oresoa and her community of humble servants do. Her own family has taken a few of them to their home, sheltered them, and allowed them to work on their farm. Once a month or so, the sisters visit several of these compounds (take note there are around 15 in her own hometown alone) and share some of these basic needs. That day, we handed out plastic bags of rice, water and hard-boiled eggs which were very much appreciated. She prayed, sang and danced with them. She gave the caretakers encouragement for trying to do their job with the meager resources that they have. Her presence gives them hope that they are not totally forgotten and that somebody out there still cares.

That afternoon was probably the most intense and challenging part of my Anawim experience that I felt compelled to write about it, bordering on catharsis. It might have hit me in my gut but with it is a greater awe of Sister Oresoa’s commitment to truly serve the poorest of the poor and how much more love she still has to share. This difficult day of ministry just reminded me it always has to rain before you see a rainbow.