August 21, 2007
Dear family, friends, and supporters of Faith Alive Hospital in Jos, Nigeria,
Sanu! Greetings from Jos, Nigeria!
It’s hard to believe that more than three months have passed since I returned to Nigeria and the Faith Alive Hospital. We have worked through the first successful turn over of power from one administration to another since Nigeria has become a democracy, through a nation-wide labor strike, and through the continuing lack of running water in Jos, as well as the usual sporadic electricity situations. In spite of this, the Faith Alive family of servants and volunteers has been immensely blessed by God. Faith Alive has been experiencing a huge growth in new clients – averaging 3,200 new clients each month since I’ve been back in Jos! That’s in addition to the approximately 2,500 clients receiving monthly anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for HIV and an average of 8,300 repeat out-patient clients being seen monthly for a variety of medical problems. The constant congestion in the clinic can be stressful at times, but everyone helping at Faith Alive has pitched in and given extra effort, time, and love as they serve some of the poorest residents of Jos and the surrounding villages. I feel so honored to be part of the Faith Alive family as they continue to bring comfort and healing to those in need.
The main reason for this letter is to give each of you the opportunity to be part of an exciting project that is about to begin at Faith Alive. Most of you who have visited Faith Alive have also visited Kafanchan and Bakin-Kogi, two of the village areas near Faith Alive. The rest of you have heard the stories and seen the pictures of the many patients who travel almost two hours to come to the Faith Alive Hospital from these villages for medical care or ARV treatment. This past year one of the families in Bakin-Kogi donated a large plot of land to Faith Alive with the hope that one day a Faith Alive satellite clinic will be on the property. Each person that has visited Faith Alive from Fresno First Baptist Church (FBC) has been deeply touched by the needs of the people they have met in Bakin-Kogi and Kafanchan, and has felt God speaking to their hearts to provide help. As a result, we are asking others to join us as we begin a project to bring free medical care to these two villages. Phase one of the Bakin-Kogi/Kafanchan project will include the construction of a duplex on the donated property. Faith Alive will then be able to station a doctor or community health worker (similar to our physician’s assistants) in Bakin-Kogi. He will live in one part of the duplex and see patients in the other part. This will be such a great help to the community, allowing them to receive care and treatment closer to their homes instead of having to undertake expensive transport into Jos. The cost of building the duplex is only $34,000.00. Donations that have already been made have totaled $17,000.00. We are hoping that you will consider making a donation towards the balance of this cost. There are two ways that you can do this. We would like to invite you to attend a celebration on Sunday August 26th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall at FBC at 1400 E. Saginaw, Fresno, California, 93704, where you can hear more about Faith Alive and the satellite clinic plans. The event is being held in honor of the life of Reverend Sam Lawanson, a long time member of FBC who was from Nigeria and who taught school in Kafanchan many years ago. Let me encourage you to come and enjoy some light snacks and hear the stories of those who have visited Faith Alive. Your tax deductible donation would be welcomed at the celebration. If you enjoy good Christian music, there will also be a special Night of Praise beginning at FBC at 6:00 pm that you are welcome to attend. If you are not able to attend this special time of celebration, you can also make a donation by sending a check payable to Fresno First Baptist Church (at the address noted above) and designating it for the Faith Alive House of Hope. If you have any questions about this project do not hesitate to telephone Pastor Bryan Hitch or FBC’s missions coordinator, Jessica Pitman, at 227-8476. Our goal is to have raised the entire $34,000.00 by the end of September. Please consider being part of this important project.
Thank you for your support and prayers as together we work to bring hope, healing, and love to those suffering from the affects of poverty and HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.
May the grace and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ be with you all.
Biana Grogg, Deputy Executive Officer, Faith Alive Foundation, Jos, Nigeria.