Garage Sale Part 2

Thanks to everyone who donated to or shopped at last Saturday's garage sale, we raised...(drumroll here)...$674! That's $174 more than we raised at last year's sale to benefit Faith Alive. Unlike the prior week, the shoppers came out in full force. What a joy to see them arrive in pickup trucks, vans and SUVS, hop out and scour the unpriced treasures. "How much do you want for this?" they asked. I sized them up (sorry, profiling) and responded with a deal they could not refuse. Note to anyone else hosting a garage sale: it's much easier to wheel and deal than spend hours putting on price tags.

To those of you who donated time, items or prayers, Faith Alive's founder and coordinator Dr. Chris says: “You all continue to encourage us over here in Nigeria with all you do in various ways even with lots of burden facing us as a nation that we can together make some difference in the lives of others especially the less privileged. Thank you for being part of Faith Alive family.” Amen.

(For you regular readers, sorry that I'm behind on my spiritual themes. I hope to catch up soon, especially with May's theme about "Fiery Trials.")

Garage Sale Part 1

Wow--last Saturday the sun shone, the neighbors reconnected and the garage sale shoppers...well, they had their pick of dozens of sales in Fort Collins. Great for them, but not so much for us sellers. So, I plan to hold another sale this Saturday from 8am - noon and, like Uncle Sam, I need YOU to shop and donate items. If you have clean items in working order (no clothes or electronics more than two years old, please), you can bring them to my house this Friday between 5-8 pm. (If you need directions, feel free to email me at erika.faithalivenigeria@hotmail.com.) I'll have a greeting card for the Nigerian Faith Alive family for you to sign and some snacks and beverages for you to enjoy. You'll also get first dibs on the brand-new Waterpik showerheads (great Father's Day gifts, by the way).

If I were a cheerleader (and twenty years younger!), I'd don a green and white uniform (Nigeria's colors) and shout: "Give me an F, give me an A, give me an I, give me a T, give me an H, give me another A, give me an L, give me another I, give me a V, give me an E. What does it spell? FAITH ALIVE!!!!!!!”

Come on, Northern Colorado team, let's do what we can to support our favorite Nigerian hospital and raise even more than we did at last year's garage sale. They're in dire need of some supplemental lifesaving AIDS medications for their increasing number of AIDS' patients.

(Anyone know why Uncle Sam looks so mad? Personally, I respond better to a smile and words of encouragement.)

96 Tolls

I don't know what it is about the month of June, but this is the second one in a row for me to bury a grandmother. My two grandmothers lived well into their 90s and even spent the last few decades of their lives in the same senior living complex. While I will miss both of them, I am confident that they are enjoying heaven after living as Christians.

As I posted last June, I like to compare American traditions with Nigerian ones. I’m told that funeral specifics vary between communities, tribes, cultures, and religions. A lot depends on if the deceased person is an adult, young man, baby, or religious person, and the cause of death. For example, last fall I was in an African village when gunshots erupted. After I dropped to the ground, Dr. Chris reassured me that the shots went into the air as a tribute to the village chief because of his honored position.

While there will not be the sound of gunshots (God-willing!) at my grandmother's funeral, the church bell will toll 96 times (one for each year of her life on this earth).

(Photo is me with my grandmothers a few years ago. The one on the left passed away last week and the one on the right passed away last year.)

Good News for Goodluck

The long-awaited day came and went yesterday with no news of violence in Jos (although I heard reports of two deadly bomb blasts--one outside Abuja and one in Bauchi). The situation in Jos is good news not only for Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's inauguration, but also for the people he leads in this most populous African country.

I haven't heard yet from Dr. Chris yet if we have the "okay" to send visitors to Faith Alive Hospital this summer. Due to security issues, I probably won't post the information here but will contact this summer's planned trip leaders directly once I know. Safety first, or the good ole' physicians' oath, "First, do no harm."

New Email

I'm not sure when it'll be up on the official www.faithalivenigeria.org website, but my new email for all-things-Nigeria is erika.faithalivenigeria@hotmail.com. Please use this account if you need to reach me about Save-A-Life specifically, Faith Alive generally or to talk about travel or donations. You're still free (and encouraged) to leave comments on this blog. I've heard from some of you that it takes too many clicks. Sorry. Some day (that proverbial someday), I hope to switch over to wordpress.com. Do any of you have advice about Wordpress?

Travel to Nigeria?

Many people are asking when they can travel to Faith Alive and the answer is...we still don't know. Dr. Chris Isichei, the hospital's founder and coordinator, has said all along that we need to wait until after the election and then swearing in (or is it a re-swearing in?) of the country's president on May 29. We apologize that this makes it difficult to plan your travel, especially if you want to visit soon. Your safety is our biggest concern. When Dr. Chris gives the "okay," I'll let you know. Until then, you can bridge the ocean with your thoughts and prayers.

"I Do"

"Do you, Erika Nossokoff, accept this position to be the one for you, inspired by God, until death do you part?"

"I do...wait! I don't know about the death part..."

So, my husband Mark is pleased to announce that his wife will be the new U.S. Coordinator for Faith Alive-Nigeria. You may now...well...clap for her. And pray for her, too, as she'll need God's strength and power to do the role well, a role that Sally Barlow has done wonderfully for about a decade.

Enough of the formality. Let's eat some cake and share a toast!