Newest NetApper

Everyone who is Facebook friends with Little Chris’s daddy Daniel knows that his profile picture shows him standing proudly next to my husband Mark. Daniel’s shirt sports an LSI logo, representing the company where Mark used to work. However, the company NetApp recently purchased Mark’s division of LSI. It was only a matter of time before I had to bring Daniel a new shirt. Let’s see—will Daniel update his profile for the new shirt but without Mark, keep the picture with the old shirt with Mark, or Photoshop a combination of the two? It doesn’t really matter, because he considers himself the newest NetApper.

Toilets and Servant of the Month

After a few good nights of sleeping soundly, I am gaining my energy. I also decided that I do not have to do everything scheduled for the visitors from Church of the Nativity in Baltimore. They fit in well here, especially Jonathan whom the Nigerians affectionately call "Mr. President."

At yesterday's staff/family meeting, Nurse Caroline received the well-deserved and prestigious honor being "Servant of the Month." Each month, the administrative staff takes nominations for someone who has worked very hard. Once they decide who most deserves it, and barring any objections from any staff member, the winner takes possession of a trophy--and a little cash. Soon everyone is joking with that person; "When will you buy me lunch?"

Before lunch today, I delivered the daily health talk to about 100 patients. Me, someone who is not a nurse or doctor and even scored low in science. But here, I am qualified to talk about staying healthy. Someone suggested that I teach the patients how to properly use the toilet at Faith Alive. What?! Apparently some (many?) from the rural areas know only to use the floor and clean themselves with water (see small blue plastic pitcher in the snap), not toilet paper. Because demonstration is an effective way to teach, I quickly decided that I was not comfortable with that. So I chose to talk about mental health, about making sure that there is at least one person to confide your secrets and share your personal burdens, a person you trust who can also know your HIV status and not stigmatize you. In addition to that friend, and even more important, is the very best confidant--Jesus, who loves us unconditionally and earns my Servant of a Lifetime Award.

And Now It's Now

Ah, I can now put a few more thoughts together. It is quite a joy to take in everything—familiar smiling faces, the taste of Baba’s steaming meat sauce dish and the sound of Christians singing praises to God with an irregular clapping beat. How can it be that so much is the same while other things have changed? It is only growth I see as the children grew taller, the clinic expanded and new staff replaced some outgoing ones.

Because my brain is not thinking thematically right now, I will do what I used to do when our kids were young; we told about our days chronologically and always ended with, “And now it’s now.” After a filling breakfast of oatmeal with sugar and toast with peanut butter, I walked down the mostly disintegrating dirt road to the clinic. Along the way, I stopped to give neighbors snaps (photos) that I’d taken of them two years ago. We are not supposed to pass out candies or gifts or anything, but I like to give them photos so they know that I remember them, that they are important. Bridget the beancake-maker, a group of shoeless children near the Faith Alive Rec Center, and a liquor store man’s children squealed with delight to see their images from two years past.

Once at the clinic, Pastor Ben led a powerful morning devotion based on this month’s spiritual theme: Keep Your Eyes Upon Jesus. Everyone in the room kept their eyes upon Pastor Ben as he gave example after example of many distractions. I took notes because I will lead the devotion on Thursday; it will be a new set of patients so I can repeat many of his talking points (although not with his level of passionate engagement). I then went to Pastor Esther’s discipleship class and listened as she taught twenty young women, students of sewing and knitting, about the power of forgiveness.

When the girls went to their skills-acquisition classes, Pastor Esther and I talked about her wedding here on August 27. I knew that I would be a “Big Aunty,” but still do not quite know what that entails except that her friend took my measurements and will sew me a fancy green skirt, gold top and huge hat with “the family fabric” (versus the “friends fabric”). Wow1 I cannot wait to share in her wedding and show off many snaps.

Speaking of snaps, I hope to post some soon. It can take up to 20 minutes to post just one, and then only if the power does not “off” during that time. You see, I am already back to speaking like Nigerians, with off the light, on the gen (generator), not using many contractions and rearranging some words in my sentences. Soon I may be posting in Hausa, the local tribal language!

Many of you might be wondering if I have seen little Chris. Well, I saved the best for last on this post. At first he was shy, but then warmed up to the Shrek toys and now does not want to leave my side. He “helped” me unpack my luggage yesterday, carefully placing each item in my dresser and asking, “What is this? What is that?” We opened my umbrella (it is the rainy season here); he turned it on its side and started to twirl it and sing “round and round and round it goes…” which I think is probably a song he has heard Barney sing. Priceless. And what a beautiful scar on his chest, a visible reminder of God’s faithfulness.

Ah, I am tired. There is SO much more to say, but this is already a much longer post than most people’s attention span for blogs. Please know that I am safe and sound and appreciate your continued prayers for myself and for the entire Faith Alive family. And now it’s now.

Safe and Sound

I'm here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, back in Nigeria at Faith Alive, my home away from home. I'd like to write more, but honestly I'm can't even put a cohesive paragraph together because I am so tired. Dr. Chris told me to rest when I arrived and I didn't listen--I couldn't fathom sleeping not going straight to the clinic and seeing everyone. Hopefully I'll write more this week.

Nagode (thanks!) to everyone who's praying for me and for Faith Alive.

Pants?

What should visitors pack when going to Nigeria? In addition to a passport, anti-malarial medication and a flashlight, apparently females should take skirts—and the longer the better. This headline appeared yesterday in an online Nigerian newspaper (Vanguard): “Why We Barred Females From Wearing Trousers in Offices—Plateau Government.” The reason? It’s part of a campaign against “indecent dressing.”

This reminds me of one of my visits to the Faith Alive Hospital during 2009's hot and humid rainy season. Sitting on a bench in my khaki pants at a morning devotion, one of the more conservative staff members said that women should not wear trousers. I think he directed his admonishment to the stylish young women staffers at the back sporting slacks and jeans, because he looked at me and said something like, “Our visitors sometimes wear trousers; they are cold here and need to keep warm.”

Regardless of the temperature, I think there won't be any more sisterhood of the traveling pants for me.

Dr. Art

Yesterday I had the honor of sharing a meal with Dr. Arthur Ammann, President of Global Strategies for HIV Prevention. His professional bio is lengthy and includes describing, in 1982, the first cases of transmission of AIDS from mother to infant and the first blood transfusion AIDS patients. He’s received many awards including the United States Surgeon General Award for Research and the United States Public Health Service Fellowship Award. However, he holds highest esteem for me because his visit to Faith Alive in Jos, Nigeria about six years ago to train birth attendants in PMTCT (Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV) grafted him as part of the extended Faith Alive Family.

Even though Global Strategies is focusing their current efforts on Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, I invited Dr. Art to visit Faith Alive again. Maybe he’ll take me up on this offer because he said something like, “I need my Chris and Mercy fix.” Dr. Art holds both Dr. Chris Isichei and his surgeon wife Dr. Mercy in highest regard—quite a compliment from an expert in HIV with extensive exposure to healthcare, good and bad, in Africa. I can relate to his pull toward some of the best living examples of Christ on earth healing God’s beloved children holistically.

Cheers for the ongoing and mutually-beneficial relationship between Dr. Art and Faith Alive!

(Click here to watch a powerful short video about PMTCT.)

Spiritual Theme: Be My Witness

What is a witness? As anyone who has ever watched a crime show or been in a courtroom knows, a witness is someone who sees or experiences something and can legitimately testify to its valididy. Basically, we believe someone if they've actually witnessed something and didn't hear about it secondhand.

This month’s spiritual theme at Faith Alive is BE MY WITNESS. It’s based on Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This means that we need to tell others how we've seen or experienced God's presence, and we're to start by telling those close to us--even as close as our own churches. But wait. Aren’t our churches already holy and filled with love? Pastor Ben at Faith Alive says, “No! It is worldliness, hatred, envy, jealousness and all kinds of evils we find in the church of today. We therefore have to start afresh witnessing of Christ’s love, holiness and righteousness right in the church, our homes, and societies and across board to the ends of the earth. Sometimes we are deceived by assumptions and carried away by familiarity and the outward appearance of those close to us or in our inner circle that we tend to look far away with the issue of evangelism. But Jesus is saying we should look and start within the circle.”

Before pointing a finger at our churches and other people, however, we need to remember that three fingers are pointing right back at us. Are you filled with holiness and the love of Jesus Christ? If so, be His witness and tell your story to others. If not, ask God to bring someone else to share their story with you. Together, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will keep God’s story alive.