Friday, August 15, 2008

Safe Return to American Soil...

Well after over thirty hours of travel all members of the group have returned safely. We will post lots more information in the coming weeks and months but just wanted to post that crucial update. Off to feed the new elephant and take the first real shower in weeks...

- Bob "shocking that im still awake" Barczak

Monday, August 11, 2008

Almost there...

Hey Nativity!!
It's hard to believe that the trip is almost over! Two weeks certainly does fly by fast. The Jos Crew had another exciting weekend with a great Support Group meeting on Sunday. The Support Group meeting here at Faith Alive is an entirely unique meeting. The group begins with songs and dances, and most times, visitors are invited up front to display their own dance moves. This occurs to both those who are willing to dance and those who are unwilling, hahaha!
This past Support Group meeting was especially touching, because the patients asked our group to get up in front of the entire congregation and share our experiences of the past two weeks with them. The group did amazingly well, and we even were asked to lead prayer after the meeting. It was a great time to put our Hausa lessons to the test.

Today, our group got to experience something new, when we assisted the Home-Based-Care Unit with one of their visits. During these visits, volunteers travel with doctors and other Faith Alive Staff to the homes of HIV / AIDS patients who are too weak to make it to the clinic. On today's visit, we helped the staff apply a plastic cover to a villagers' hut that was leaking. After the visit we were excited to hear to how great the patient was doing. She was able to walk around the village, and wasn't even originally at her home when we arrived, because she was visiting her sister a few villages away. This was great news, because a few weeks ago, she had to be carried everywhere she went. This just goes to show the great work that the doctors and Faith Alive Staff perform on a daily basis. On a random yet exciting note, one of the nurses here in the clinic, gave birth to a little girl today!! Congrats!!

The Abuja Group also checked in recently with us, and they are having many of the same experiences. This past week the group traveled to an outlying village, and helped in HIV outreach. While there, the group helped organize the villagers for testing, and helped to record the results and status of each patient. They also had some exciting news to report this morning, when one of the teenage mothers gave to baby boy. We are looking forward to hearing more form them, and will report back when we get more information!!

Hopefully we will be able to blog once more before leaving on thursday. We miss you all and will see you soon!!

-Jason and the Jos Group

Friday, August 8, 2008

First Week under the belt

The Jos group spent another exciting day at the Faith Hospital today, assisting other doctors, helping in the Lab, and observing TB care. The morning got off to a great start, when our group was asked to share and lead the Discipleship class. For Discipleship class, the teacher selects a Bible passage which explains a general theme. For today's class, we selected to read Second Acts: Chapter 2. We talked about the Holy Spirit and how it is essential for those desiring to be a disciple. The class really enjoyed the selection, and had alot to say after our lesson. The class learned that disciples use the Holy Spirit to spread the word of God, and that when you speak about God it is the Holy Spirit empowering your words. The selected passage also discusses the importance of one language, the word of God as told by the Holy Spirit. We used our own experience of Nigeria to help hammer this point home. Nigeria as a country has about 280 languages within its borders. This makes communication very difficult for its own people at times. We as American volunteers, also do not know Hausa (the local language) fluently either, making communcation very difficult for us as well. In this way, since we are both adhereing to the word of God, we are speaking the same language, that of the Holy Spirit. The class loved the lesson and has asked us back Monday morning for another class.

Back in Abuja, the Orphanage group has been working hard around the Compound helping the Sisters with many of the chores around the Orphanage. One day, the group hauled Chicken and bags of rice to shelter for storage. The group has also conducted various forms of Outreach. For example, today the group helped weigh and feed many small and malnourished children in the neighborhood around the Orphanage. Yesterday the group helped feed a leper colony in the afternoon. The food given out, is prepared by the Sisters at the Compound, and later delivered to the various communities. The group wants me to report that the 4am wake-up call has been rough each morning, but that the group is faring well and enjoying their time.

Well as we speak, Jos here is getting rocked by another rain storm. We have experienced rain, thunder and lightning, atleast every day. On that note, we'll talk with you later! Thanks for reading!
-Bless
Jos Group

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Seeing the sites

Yesterday and today have been so busy! Wednesday we started our day with a staff meeting and introduced ourselves to everyone at the hospital. Afterwards, our group led a Discipleship Class. We talked about God's love and how it's important to share that love with those we are serving everyday. The class was amazing and so full of questions about God and America. A couple of us went to the TB clinic and observed how they ran their day. We also visited the nurse's station and the laboratory. Things definitely run differently here than in the US for those of us who work in the medical field. Everyone was so grateful for our help and were as eager to learn from us as we were from them. In the afternoon, we went to the satellite sites in Kafanchan and Bakin-Kogi. They are trying so hard to get everyone tested and spread education throughout the community about HIV and AIDS.

Today was a get down and dirty type of work day. We went out to the Howl Yarje farm with the Support Group and helped farm while the Naval Academy group helped lay concrete flooring at the school. We spent the day spreading fertilizer on the corn crops, pulling weeds, and digging some trenches between the rows. It took a lot of time, dedication, and sweat but it was a lot of fun to spend time with Comfort and a few other people from the village. Afterwards, we sat and had lunch with everyone and took pictures of the various animals. It was absolutely beautiful out at the farm and it felt so good to get our hands dirty and really help out where no one had previously gone out to help. The day is over, and we are back at the hospital dirty and tired but satisfied with our hard days work. God Bless!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

August 5th 2008

On Sunday we attended a support group for people diagnosed with HIV. It was a very powerful experience. Hearing these people testify their love for life and for Jesus even though they were afflicted with this terrible disease was extremely moving and motivating. You can definately feel a presence in this place and in these people.
On Monday we began our first day working at the hospital. I was very busy. They began the day with morning devotions where the people that show up early enough get to pray and get inspired for the rest of the day. Each of us were encouraged to find our own niche. We had a choice between, Attending discipleship classes, working in the pharmacy, making rounds with the doctors, and counseling.
At the end of the day on Monday all of us attended a Hausa lesson. It was very interesting to learn a new language that we really have never heard before. For instance "Ina kwana"= Good Morning. "Sai anjima"= See you later. "Sanu"= Hello and "Allah yayi maka Albarka"= God Bless.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

The first couple days...

JOS CREW (@ Faith Alive Hospital)
Hey Nativity!!
We finally got a minute today to us the internet and we wanted to quickly update you all of our progress here in Jos. We arrived in Nigeria on Thursday evening unscathed and happy, but definetly a little tired. All of boxes of medication reached their destination and survived Customs. All of our donations are now currently being used for great causes! Thank you!

Our entire group of 11 stayed in a Guest House on Thursday evening in Abuja, because Dr. Chris decided it was too late to drive the Abuja Crew to the outskirts of the city. Here in Nigeria, it is safer to travel during the daylight hours and travel at night is not recommended. After waking up on Friday, the Orphanage Group was dropped off at their site where they began working and interacting with the children at the Poorest of the Poor. On Saturday, the group traveled to an Area called Benin, to visit with the family of Sr. Oresoa, the founder of the Poorest of the Poor. They are having a great time with the children, and have been spent alot of time singing and teaching them praise and worship songs.

As for the Faith Alive Group, we left the guest house in Abuja after the Orphanage Group, and began our drive to Jos (about 3 hours). After arriving in Jos, we ate lunch with staff from Faith Alive and met other volunteers who will be working with us at the Hospital. One group of 12 volunteers are from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, and all of them are here for the first time. On Saturday, we attended a Cultural Ceremony with lots of dancing and singing, and many of us were selected to impress the audience with our own American dance moves and songs. (Paul and Jason will not comment! lol) The rest of the afternoon was filled with storms and rain, which cancelled most of our other plans for the day.

Right now, it is 2:30pm in the afternoon on Sunday here in Jos, and we are getting ready to attend the Support Group meeting, where we hope to get footage for a video documentary of our trip. I would liek to say hello to my family, and pass along my love! We are all having a great time and are all moved by the people of Jos. We have been treated with great kindness and generosity, and I continue to be amazed by their joy and compassion for strangers. Their happiness and joy are truely contagious! We are in good hands!

-Jason

Somethings the group members would like for me pass along:

Teresa: The people have been amazing. Their kindness and generosity are astounding and the food has been enjoyable aswell. She was also impressed by the church service this morning, which we attended at St. Louis Catholic Church. She would like to pass along her love to her entire family, especially to Tony and the Kids. She also says don't worry about her, she is doing very well!!

Paul: Mom, Dad, Maureen, and Aunt Angie
Im doing great! This trip has completely surpassed my expectations. We have been welcomed with open arms. They definately weren't kidding about it being the rainy season. As im writing this blog there is a terrential downpour going on outside. Love you all see you soon!

Molly: To all my family and friends
Just wanted you to know that I am doing well! The people I have met here are amazing and I really don't have words to describe this place. It is awesome! I am looking forward to starting work in the hospital this week. Don't worry about me I am doing great and even have tried some of the food here! Love you all!

Lauren: things are going well here and the food is awesome! Its taking time for my stomach to agree with it though. The people here are astounding to me...everyone is so friendly and absolutley lovely. The children absolutely blow my mind. All they want to do is hug us and hold our hands and have us take their pictures. I think when it is time to leave I will miss them horribly. I love you mom...stop worrying everything is terrific. I miss you, Tawny, and Kaylea very much and can't wait to give you all big hugs. I miss you Matt and I promise to keep in touch and let you know everything thats going on so you'll stop worrying too. All my love always!

Friday, August 1, 2008

Just a little arrival update...

Hello All! This is Kristin, blogging from Maryland, still. Just wanted to let you know everyone arrived safely and the team is heading to Jos today. The Abuja team has already made it to sister's place and everything is a-okay! Be sure to leave them lots of comments-they mean a lot when they are able to check them!

They will post very soon, I'm sure. Probably closer to evening, Nigeria time, because that is when wireless internet is most available.
-Kristin :)