Future Arsenal Players?

Congratulations to Faith Alive's U-13 soccer team for winning second place in a Plateau State tournament. Can you recognize the boy standing in the front middle of the photo? He looks like a combination of his mommy and daddy.

Spiritual Theme: Wait for the Harvest

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. (James 5:7 NIV)

Who likes to wait? Nobody that I know, and definitely not me. We’re spoiled by this lightning-paced, technological age. If something doesn’t happen right away, it’s easy to get disappointed, or worse, to despair that it will never happen.

Pastor Ben at Faith Alive in Jos, Nigeria reminds us that God doesn’t follow our calendars. We know from the Bible that there is a time for everything. In HIS time, God made everything beautiful, and in HIS time, He sent his son to die for our salvation. How quickly we forget.

How long should we wait? Until we get what God promises us in the Bible. Abraham and Sarah waited for their promised son and they got him. Simon waited for the promised Messiah in the temple and saw him.

While we’re waiting, it’s good to beware of trials and temptations. Like Ishmael, it’s best not to manipulate things before their time. Sarah pressured Abraham to have Ishmael and the result was sorrow and pain. 

“Many people,” Pastor Ben says, “because of lack of patience to wait have made a shipwreck of their faiths. They decide to take shortcuts and jump through the windows as they lack patience to cue through the main door.”

Instead, he encourages us to look for God’s blessings during the waiting period. We can come to know God better, deepen our maturity, and prepare far greater testimonies when God does provide the harvest.

Pastor Ben ends by saying, “He who made the promise is faithful. It is never too late for God. His delay does not mean denial, so wait a little bit more. Do not give up; hold to your confession and confidence in Christ.”

In other words, live as people who believe in God's faithfulness. .

(I recommend the book pictured above for anyone who's in a prolonged period of waiting.)

Water, Driving and Catering

What do a borehole (for running water at the rec center), a driving school, and a catering school have in common? All three were new at Faith Alive last month; staff offered prayers and raised minerals (soda pop) during the dedications.

Enjoy the photos, courtesy of Pastor Ben!

International Coordinator

With Olympic athletes competing for gold in London and activists gathered in Washington, D.C. last week for the International AIDS Conference, I’m thinking globally. It’s a good thing, too, as I live into my new title with Faith Alive Foundation-Nigeria: International Coordinator.

I’ve been FAF-N’s U.S. Coordinator for more than a year, a role I gladly inherited from Sally Barlow, one of Faith Alive’s first and most committed supporters. She is now the President of Faith Alive USA, Inc., a 501c3 with Russ McCahan as Vice-President and Executive Director. His role is networking with people around the U.S. to build support for FA USA, Inc. that supports approved projects at Faith Alive Foundation-Nigeria. He’s also now doing some of the things that my position used to do, like arrange Dr. Chris’s travel in the U.S.

To alleviate confusion between Faith Alive USA, Inc. and my role as someone who reports directly to Dr. Christian O. Isichei, he changed my title to more accurately reflect what I do. My most clearly defined role is coordinating visitors and medical supplies from around the world to visit the Faith Alive hospital in Jos, Nigeria. Like most jobs, however, the “…and other duties” takes most of my time and effort.

Petition WHO for HIV Treatment

This post's title isn't a question. Instead, it's a reference to the World Health Organization. Dr. Art Ammann, President of Global Strategies for HIV Prevention and extended Faith Alive family member, urges all of us to speak up for people around the world who are HIV+. Simply click on TreatAll.org if you agree with this statement:

"I want WHO treatment guidelines updated now so that all HIV infected women, men and children can be treated, regardless of CD4 count or clinical status, as recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in April, 2012. HIV infected people in poor countries are deserving of the best recommended treatment. It may cost more now, but it will cost a lot less later. Millions of HIV infections will be prevented, millions of HIV-infected individuals will not progress to AIDS, and millions of children will not become orphans."


Dr. Art says, "We need your help with an issue of justice and equity. In April the US Department of Health and Human Services revised their HIV treatment guidelines to state that all HIV-infected individuals should be treated. This will benefit hundreds of thousands of individuals in the US but for millions of people in resource poor countries it won't help unless the World Health Organization (WHO) changes their guidelines too. They have not done so for over two years and have no plans to update their guidelines for another year. WHO guidelines restrict treatment to individuals who have more advanced HIV infection. This makes no sense and it means that millions of poor and disadvantaged HIV-infected individuals including women, pregnant women and children will go untreated, advance to AIDS and have HIV infected babies. The epidemic of HIV infection in children and the associated HIV orphan epidemic affecting millions of children could end if all HIV-infected women were treated with antiretroviral drugs."


Let's make a statement NOW during the International AIDS Conference this week in Washington DC.

Celebrate!

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness; 

come before him with joyful songs.

                                            Psalm 100:1&2 

What a pleasure to share worship with Dr. Chris yesterday at my home church in Fort Collins, Colorado. He preached at two services in the morning about life's ups and downs, weaving some of his life's experiences with the biblical Joseph's, and reminding us that God is always with us.

In the evening, he joined over 100 people from the community to sing and dance (well, only a few of us were dancing--the rest must not have been comfortable jumping up and dancing African-style to the beat of Daniel Bushrah Sesay's band!). Thinking back, I probably looked ridiculous, but I couldn't stop myself. I just had to share in Dr. Chris's joy! 

Two amazing, local young women (Ingrid and Steph) talked about recently meeting, accepting and loving the brothel women in Jos, Nigeria. Dr. Chris followed Steph's powerful testimony with his own confession of passing by these women as if they were invisible. God opened his eyes and today he sees them for who they are--beautifully created in God's image.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the evening so meaningful. Sure, there were a few sound glitches and we didn't follow the schedule exactly. We'll say that's because we wanted you to experience a little of Nigeria. A go-with-the-flow, electric worship. 

All in all, we praise God for a wonderful Nigeria-in-Colorado day! 

(Top photo with Pastors Rich McDermott and Cindy Frost. Middle photo with Dhari Dull. Bottom photo of Daniel Bushrah Sesay and band members.)

Article in Today's Coloradoan newspaper

Fort Collins church buys Nigerian brothel to build hospital, rebuild lives

Buying an African brothel was not part of a local church’s strategic plans. But the opportunity arose earlier this year, and now more than two dozen commercial sex workers have support to change their lives.

Rich McDermott, senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Collins, visited the Faith Alive clinic in Jos, Nigeria, five years ago. Since then, more than 30 others from his church and Fort Collins also have traveled to Jos.

“Not in my wildest dreams did I think that one day our church would help buy a brothel there, but our Nigerian partner helps us think outside the box,” McDermott said.

Dr. Christian Isichei, Faith Alive AIDS Clinic founder and coordinator, wanted property to build a teaching hospital and dormitory. When he learned that the brothel was for sale, he asked his international partners for help.

Before Isichei can renovate the building, his staff is mentoring the 19 young women who live and work in the brothel as well as women who live in villages with their children and rent space at the brothel.

“It is a terrible fact here in Nigeria that women, even some university students, think that prostitution is their only option to make ends meet,” Isichei said.

“Buying the property proves to me how negligent I have been to some neighbors,” Isichei said. “No one cared for these women, including myself, but it took God to draw our attention to these people also created in his image like you and me.”

Isichei’s staff is taking six months to build trusting relationships with the women who have until this December to find other income.

Faith Alive is offering them various jobs at the hospital, as well as free access to the clinic’s sewing, knitting,  computer, catering and other income-generating classes.

“We encourage the women to access all of our free medical and social services that include testing and treatment for HIV,” Isichei said. ”We hope that some may even choose to enter the healthcare profession.”

So far two women have expressed interest in different careers. The lure of instant cash in large sums on a daily basis may be too strong in a country where most people survive on less than $2 a day.

Isichei said, “Some day, when the teaching hospital is complete, it will testify that anything, and anybody, is worth redeeming.”

As for the church, McDermott said, “Dr. Chris is one of the most courageous and inspiring people I’ve met. He does very much remind me of Mother Teresa whom I met about 25 years ago. His vision is much bigger than most people’s and it really challenges and attracts many people.”

Want to help?

Dr. Christian Isichei, founder and coordinator of the Faith Alive Hospital in Jos, Nigeria, will speak about buying the brothel, from 7 to 8 p.m. Sunday at First Presbyterian Church, 531 S. College Ave. Before his presentation, participants are welcome to enjoy a free dinner as well as music provided by Daniel Bushrah Sesay and his African band. For more information, visit www.firstpresfc.org or call (970) 229-0936.

Click here to see the article in The Coloradoan.