Dear Theopholis

Sound like a letter from the Apostle Paul? This time it’ll be a greeting from an American missionary family to someone I met recently at Faith Alive. They haven’t seen each other for at least 15 years, but Theopholis showed me two of the family’s photos that he’s carried with him all that time. The reason: they brought him to Christ.

He said he wanted to write them a letter sometime, so I handed him a piece of paper and pen and said “why not now?” With the help of Google, I located the family and am sending the letter with Theopholis’s photo and contact information.

Never underestimate your long-term influence in someone’s life (hopefully for the positive!). Who might be carrying YOUR picture?

Thanks For The Condoms

How often do you hear that? Well, I did today from a Nigerian friend who works at Faith Alive. She’s grateful for the visitors who brought over thousands of condoms this summer. They’re being given out to prevent spreading HIV/AIDS. Did you know that even a married couple who are both HIV+ should use them? They have different strains of the virus and need to keep from cross-contaminating.

The condoms were among other medical supplies donated by a generous non-profit called Heart To Heart International, based out of Kansas City. I received two pallets of boxes this spring from that organization and many friends helped transfer and itemize the contents into about 25 50-lb boxes (the luggage weight limit for airlines). The photos above show the packing process.

Snow in Nigeria?

Of course not, but a few feet of the white stuff IS falling in Colorado. It reminds me of the story Dr. Chris tells of the first time he saw snow. He was in Minnesota on a fellowship at The Mayo Clinic when he got up one morning and looked out his window. The only thing moving was snow -- no people, no cars, no activity. My first thought would be “who’s going to shovel the driveway?” or “is school cancelled?” His first thought had more dire consequences. “Has there been a military coup?” In American that would be equivalent to Chicken Little’s panic that ‘the sky is falling!’ Fortunately it was more like ‘Cloudy With a Chance of Snowballs.’

(Photo is me shoveling in winter 2006 after a deep snowfall.)

Healing from Malaria

My heart is sad, yet hopeful. A dear friend at Faith Alive has been sick with malaria for five days, and was even too weak to answer the phone when I called a few days ago. She’s a single mom with two boys, so the girls from her shop have been taking care of her (doing her wash, probably helping her with food, etc.). Oh, how I wish I were there to make some soup and hold her hand.

The hopeful part is that there’s medicine to treat malaria, which strikes nearly everybody there on a regular basis. The question isn’t ‘have you ever had malaria?’ but ‘when was the last time you had it?’. I’m in awe of how much their bodies can fight a variety of major diseases – they are definitely survivors.

Please join me in prayers for healing, for her and for others.

From Victim to Victor

I’m on a quest to hear how people have gone from being a victim to being a victor. This week I went to a conference for Victims Advocates (I’m one with our local police department) and heard from a number of people who’ve turned their traumas into triumphs. They‘ve redeemed their traumas by using what they learned to help others in similar situations.

It made me think of some of my dear friends in Nigeria who’ve done the same thing. It’s been a long process for them, but they share a few things in common. All were surrounded by people who believed in them. All leaned into their faith in Jesus Christ to transform deaths into resurrections. And the hardest thing of all -- they all (eventually) forgave their oppressors.

I invite you to weigh in on this – any thoughts about moving from victim to victor?

Rec Center Opens!

An email excerpt from Dr. Chris reads: “On the 7th of October, we dedicated the Faith Alive Car Park and Recreation Center to meet the needs of children in the neighbourhood and our orphans whose ministry of Angel Kiddies Club we also launched… This recent event has been the most amazing as I watch children enjoy themselves and be ministered to by some of our staff…THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE IN THE PAST AND ARE STILL DOING FOR THE HOLISTIC MINISTRY OF FAITH ALIVE.”

Bayside Church in Granite Bay, CA provided the vision and support for this land about a block away from the clinic to be used for neighborhood children. God is expanding that to include a high school that’s requesting to shoot a Christmas Carol video there (which I hope to post on this blog at a later date)! I can’t contain my excitement and feel confident that this will be a favorite ministry for Faith Alive international visitors!

Appreciating Water

Did you use any water today, and did you think about how you got it? If you’re in America, you simply turned on a tap to brush your teeth, wash your face, flush the toilet, make some coffee or tea or just drink it plain, take a shower, wash a load of clothes, water your plants, etc... If you’re in Nigeria, chances are high that first thing this morning you or a family member first took a few buckets outside to GET the water. If you’re fortunate, you got it from a well. If you’re not, you walked a ways to a muddy, infested stream that’s also used for sewage.

When I’m in Nigeria, I’m thankful for those who buy bottled water for us to drink and brush our teeth, and daily fetch water from the well just outside our apartment. If it's a cold day, we boil our water on a gas stove for a comfortable bucket bath or steaming cup of tea. We resourcefully use one bucket of water for our bath, and then wash our clothes with it before using it to force-flush the toilet. There isn't a day there that I don't appreciate the water.

As I'm using water today, I'll be mindful of how precious it is.

(Photos: neighbor boy at the well, water buckets in our bathroom, and friend washing her hair in Nigeria. Note: there is plumbing but no running water.)