Nazareth House Apostolate

The Jonah Fast

vicki — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:19:00 +0000

One of the practices at St. Simeon Skete is to observe the three day, Jonah Fast beginning at 12:01 AM EST on Monday, February 6th and lasting until after Vespers on Wednesday, February 8th.

Icon housed at St. Simeon Skete

The Jonah Fast, commemorates the three days that Prophet Jonah spent in the belly of the beast -the whale. It also commemorates the repentance of the people of Nineveh and is sometimes called the “Nineveh Fast”. It begins the Monday after Septuagesima – which is two weeks before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.

While the normal service schedule will be adhered to at St. Simeon Skete, the fast will be observed by refraining from food (and drink if they wish) from midnight until Vespers (or sunset) during these three days. If, for health reasons you are unable to do without all food during the day, we encourage you to at least refrain from something i.e. meat, fish, and dairy products during the fasting period. At the skete, fasting is considered abstaining from an otherwise normal activity for the purpose of spiritual pursuit. Usually people abstain from food, but may also abstain from other activities – in example – refraining from the media i.e. news, etc.

This is a special fast at St. Simeon Skete because life at the skete embodies the experience of being in the belly of the beast where one must live in the “darkness” of faith. – where one seeks answers; but is turned back to live with the questions that make the answers possible; where every good answer simply makes the question vibrate all the more. Just as supply cannot be separated from its source; the answer cannot be separated from its question – nor the question from the answer.

Whether you participate in the fast or not, now is a good time to prepare yourself for the upcoming Lent. The days peel off quickly and without preparation your Lent can easily slip by with no gains within. A good choice of preparation is to read the Book of Jonah as a prelude of the forty days of Lent. It is a beautiful story of repentance and fasting.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.

Jeremiah 36:9 In the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting before the LORD was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah.

Daniel 9:3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Joel 1:14 Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

Jonah 3:7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.

May those little feet grow to be the best they can be!

vicki — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:39:00 +0000

Tomorrow Baby Vicki will be three weeks old and to mark that date she will be making her first trip from Freetown to Kabala. Due to James malaria/typhoid illness (he has now recovered), the family had to remain in Freetown for a extended period. But now they are on their way to introduce little Vicki to her home in Kabala at the NHA Compound. There she will also meet her extended family – grandparents, cousins and all.

The Mansaray family is doing well – James is tired and weak, but recovering. Kadijah is healing; Vicki is thriving and so is Roo! The vitamins seemed to have replenished the iron in his system and we are hoping that it was a diet deficiency and nothing more serious. Lucy is healthy and continuing her studies in Freetown.

James and I have had a discussion, recently, over little Vicki’s feet. He told me that they were very tiny. I told him “no worries, I’ve made it through all my life with little feet, she will be able to stand on them” I asked him to send me pictures. As you can see her feet look perfectly proportionate.

✝

“By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green.

The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.” – Thomas Merton

“Be good, keep your feet dry, your eyes open, your heart at peace and your soul in the joy of Christ.” -Thomas Merton

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear, the sighs, and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” -Saint Augustine

Nazareth House Apostolate

www.nazarethhouseap.org

Its all about love….

The path

vicki — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:45:00 +0000

As usual, Nazareth House Apostolate

During a rainstorm, we noticed the letters N H for Nazareth House spelled out in the leaves of the trees at St. Simeon Skete

packs a whole lot of action into a years time;

Humanitarian medical supplies delivered to a clinic in Sierra Leone from NHA

2011 was no exception.

James mails packages to Sierra Leone from Taylorsville, KY

2012 is panning out to follow suit.

James receives the packages in Sierra Leone that he mailed in Taylorsville.

January is not yet over and NHA has welcomed this New Year with President Koroma in Kabala, said goodbye to our dear friend, Thomas Landess, welcomed baby Vicki,

Young boy at one the newest villages that NHA will give aid.

brought aid to new villages near Kabala, reopened the NHA School after the holidays and

St. Simeon Skete, Meeting of the Lord Chapel

continued the daily life of ongoing prayer at St. Simeon Skete.

James from Sierra Leone visits California

A year ago at this time, James was returning to Sierra Leone after his visit to America.

James during his visit to St. Simeon Skete.

While in America (his first trip outside of Africa),

James was able to

meet in person many of

those who have been with him through the struggles of rebuilding life after such a terrible war. His heart had already been touched by them, now he was able to meet and physically touch them.

He was also provided a complete health screen by NHA.

Now today, a year later, he is back in Sierra Leone, struggling with a rather stubborn case of Malaria combined with an even more stubborn case of Typhoid.

He has just returned from opening a new village in need of NHA’s assistance, he has a new two week old daughter

and much more responsibilities added to his charge.

children in the newest village under NHA care

As they say in Sierra Leone “it no easy”; however, through the love, care and compassion of our supporters, NHA will do its best to lessen the load as best we can, not just for James but for all of those we serve.

I remember lamenting at the first of the year in 2011 “so much to do!” But now a year later, as I review the year, I think “Oh wow! so much accomplished!”

We kicked 2011 off in Chico, California attending the Pray Love Walk-a-thon sponsored by St Augustine’s Anglican Church. This was the catalyst for the campaign to retire the debt of building the NHA Compound, our center of operations in Kabala. We did, indeed, by the year end, retire the debt in 2011, which was one of our biggest expenses for the whole year. The construction was completed and our staff, James and Kadijah, moved in.

The move from Freetown all the way to Kabala was a difficult chore, one with its own expense, however, that too was accomplished through the assistance of NHA.

The NHA School (which is right across the street from the new NHA Compound) needed painting and the rooms needed to be divided in order to accommodate the need for more classrooms.

The Nazareth House Apostolate Teachers and Principal (January 2012)

Thanks to the support and generosity of all of you, this was accomplished before the start of the 2011/2012 School Year.

Another successful school year is well underway at the NHA School and we are very proud of our teachers and our students and the tremendous discipline of both.

James daughter, Lucy, with plans to be (a much needed) doctor, entered a private boarding school in Freetown where her she can excel in studies and preparation for medical school.

Her tuition has been paid for this year.

Every month (sometimes late but never missed) NHA was able to maintain the support of humanitarian aid to the families we regularly support in Sierra Leone plus random emergency needs that are presented to us. The teachers received their salaries ($100 per teacher per month) and the school continues to be maintained and in good operation.

Our monthly expenditure to provide for our staff, the school, the teachers, and care of the people in need – in Kabala, Freetown and area villages is $2,200 a month. We depend on our regular monthly donors to maintain this commitment.

__________________________________

Fire destroys the One Hut Village housing

NHA provided a new home for the One Hut Village

The newly constructed home for the One Hut Family. It has rooms with walls and everything

after a series of disasters destroyed their thatched hut not once but thrice.

________________________________

Clinics have been stocked and restocked with medications from NHA.

Many children were treated

for internal parasites (worms). We even cared for a snake bite… Lives are being saved.

Illnesses, labor and delivery and other medical situations that required hospitalization were paid for by NHA for several in need, including Kadijah’s expenses for delivery of Vicki

and Roo’s anemia diagnosis. (Remember James’ shingles, how painful that was)

So much accomplished. A review through the blog posts only hints at all that we’ve done together. Working together as a family, helping each other, caring for each other. Lives are being changed for the better, bellies fed, educational opportunities granted, love exchanged.

And all the while the ongoing prayer and stability rising from the work of St. Simeon Skete

keeps it all in prospective and generates the discipline to carry it all out. 2011 was a remarkable year.

And with the same perseverance, Nazareth House Apostolate in 2012 continues on the same path. Come join us….

its all about love…

Nazareth House Apostolate

185 Captains Cove Drive

Taylorsville, KY 40071

www.nazarethhouseap.org

Friday Smiles

vicki — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:45:00 +0000

(All photos on this post and on this blog are the property of the photographers and Nazareth House Apostolate - All rights reserved. They cannot be used for any purpose without written permission from Nazareth House)

It is all smiles for the Mansaray Family.

Papa James is bursting with joy that his youngest daughter has arrived

and is healthy

and that is beloved wife survived the birth

in a country where maternal mortality during delivery is very high,

Having malaria, enduring a long drive from Kabala to Freetown, it is amazing how well Kadijah is doing! Thank God.

Lucy is back at boarding school, unable to leave the school to be with her family, yet, delighted that her baby sister and mom are doing well. Lucy is all the more determined to study harder. She knows how much we need doctors in Kabala.

….and Roo…

Roo wasn’t sure what to think about all this and was being very quiet…

but now that he met his little sister

well..look at those eyes… they say it all

Baby Vicki has definitely met with his approval

At this post, James is working his way back to Kabala,

he has work to do and we have villages to care for.

In our line of work, there is no “family leave”.

The Needs don’t stop, the work is ongoing.

People like this little “lucky charm” toddler are depending on us.

They depend on you and I to lend them the hand. If you haven’t already committed to a monthly donation, please consider doing so today.

Through your generosity, NHA has given help to many, but the light of each new day uncovers more that need us.

We can’t fulfill every need, but with your help, we can help many – bit by bit, person by person AND put a smile on their face.

After checking on the latest new villages, James will return this weekend to pick up his family once Kadijah and Vicki are released from the hospital.

Please pray for him as he travels the roads of Sierra Leone, road travel is not safe. Drivers are wild and the roads bad.

Its all about love….

Nazareth House Apostolate (NHA)

185 Captains Cove Drive

Taylorsville, KY 40071

Note: For those of you in America who have noticed the earrings already in Vicki’s ears. This is Africa, its a different culture and ears are pierced at a much earlier age than in USA. This has been part of their culture from the beginning.

NHA presents: VICKI ANN MANSARAY

vicki — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:57:00 +0000

Nazareth House Apostolate, St. Simeon Skete,

Fr. Seraphim and Vicki Hicks

and proud parents,

James and Kadijah Mansaray,

together with

siblings – Lucy and Roo

announce

the arrival

Little Miss VICKI ANN MANSARAY

Kabala, Sierra Leone

Glory be to God!

Your prayers have been very reassuring

your love has showered us all

Thank you all!

James message on Facebook reads:

“Counting on what you’ve done for me, my family and Sierra Leone as a whole i name this newly born rose as Vicki Ann aka SPECIAL to show my love and appreciation for you Mama Vicki. You are one in a million, keep up the good work with Nazareth House Apostolate.. we all in salone loves you.”

I can assure you that Grandmama Vicki is quite ecstatic over this arrival PLUS it was a year ago on this day that her last granddaughter was born.

Dear “Special” we all wish you the best, know that you are never alone – you are always bathed in love.

God bless you little one!

And Kadijah, Oh My Gosh, traveling from Freetown to Kabala, arriving and delivering all in a span of less than a days time…….. “You are one strong mama!”

We are so proud of you! Godspeed, heal fast.

Thanks to all of you who gave special attention to this pregnancy, especially the ACW of St Augustine in Chico who paid the hospitalization, Esther de Laix – for the supplies for Kadijah (see Esther, Little Vicki is wrapped in Roger’s blanket gift) and the many others who generously provided for this birth to be a safe and healthy one.

Nazareth House Apostolate

185 Captains Cove Drive

Taylorsville, KY 40071

www.nazarethhouseap.org

This Weeks Full Moon brings a full week for NHA

vicki — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:49:00 +0000

Nazareth has had a full range of emotions this week.

Seraphim especially enjoyed his conversations with Tom

The week began with the passing of Thomas Hilditch Landess, a dear friend to Seraphim and I and to Nazareth House Apostolate.

Lucy in Sierra Leone sending condolences for the family

James and his family in Sierra Leone have not been able to meet Tom Landess or his family, but they know them well and have been friends for years.

Roo especially, since Tom’s wife, Mary Beth has always had a special nitch in her heart filled with Roo.

And Roo loves her. The bond is there – no need to meet face to face, the heart travels across oceans and bonds the two.

The news that Tom dropped the body this week hit us all hard, including the Mansaray family. They, too, share the loss and grieve with the family.

And as one friend passes another one arrives.

In the middle of the night I receive this text that James and family have packed into a car and made the long trip from Kabala to Freetown. Kadijah ‘s fever is worse and with the baby nearing time for delivery they thought they could find better medical attention in Freetown.

I received word at 4:24 AM this morning that James wife, Kadijah has given birth to a baby girl – her name is Vicki.

We will keep you informed and send pictures as we get them.

God bless you all, Nazareth House Apostolate truly is a family … We love you all.

The heart of Christmas keeps beating in Salone

vicki — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:31:00 +0000

Christmas has come and gone on the calendar but in our hearts it remains all year,

A Christmas gift was given in Fairleigh’s honor. It will be used to help in Sierra Leone

or at least it should.

Its important that we try not to let the world’s craziness

steal it from out of our heart. Remember those in need everyday, not just during Holidays. Your compassion, your love expressed brings happiness.

A special thanks from Lucy and Roo for the money sent to them.

Zachary and Brittany sent money for Roo and money for Lucy to buy something for themselves for Christmas.

Like any child, Roo bought a small toy, but then he bought himself some clothes with the remaining money.

Lucy received some money from Loretta to use for school. She needed a calculator, socks and shoes, which she was able to purchase with the money.

Both Lucy and Roo are grateful for the thoughts, prayers and gifts.

Roo is especially proud of his clothes, he’s sporting his new favorite new shirt in this photo.

Thank you to everyone for your support! Your donations are the gifts that keep on going,

changing lives, bringing smiles….. its all about love.

6 January 2012, The Feast of Epiphany

vicki — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:12:00 +0000

Epiphany (the word meaning “showing forth” or “manifestation”) is one of the oldest Christian Feasts in the Church Calendar.

Most people associate this feast with the coming of the magi or Wise Men to bring gifts to the Christ Child in Bethlehem.

But there are other manifestations of God’s Presence that are also celebrated on this day. In the Eastern Church, the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, and another celebration is that of the miracle of Jesus changing water into wine, the Wedding at Cana. Because of these customs, in many churches water is blessed today.

On the last day of Christmas, we begin our Epiphany preparations at St. Simeon Skete.

In the back of the Skete’s barn, Seraphim has made space for a workshop.

It is his hope to establish a woodworking shop in order to maintain and tend to the work around the property as well as construct icon stands, etc.

In the barn, Seraphim begins making the Epiphany Cross. As he works he stresses that it is “vitally important that in making the Cross that you fashion the vertical beam first before the horizontal.

If you don’t have the vertical beam right, no matter how hard you work at the horizontal beam – it will never work.” he further explained “This is the same with the spiritual life: If you don’t have the vertical beam (represents your relationship with God) right, your horizontal (represents your relationship with man) will not work, it will not be right.”

Last evening, for us it was time to take the Christmas Tree down (before sunrise the day of Epiphany).

Today began as usual – walking over to the Chapel in the darkness of the wee hours of the morning.

The moon is beginning to set and lights the path.

6 Jan 2012, Moon at 93% full

Upon reaching the Chapel I meet Seraphim and enter into the ongoing stream of prayer.

Seraphim’s day begins earlier; he has been in the chapel now for hours.

After Lauds (Morning Prayer) we begin the Liturgy.

As is the custom at St. Simeon Skete on Epiphany, during the Offertory, the water is blessed and will be used as Holy Water for the coming weeks and months.

The font at the entrance to the Skete is filled with the Holy Water.

The Epiphany Cross is placed in the offering basin along with our rosaries. (At the skete we offer our beads that hold our prayers at every Mass)

The Cross is then blessed at the Altar.

Later a special procession is made to the nearest river (about a 15 minute hike through the woods for us at the skete) and the Cross is tossed into it, making all waters Baptismal Waters as the river carries the Cross from tributaries, to streams, to rivers, to oceans.

Following Mass as the sun rises, St. Simeon Skete keeps the tradition (Eastern Europe, Baltic Sea to Mediterranean) of blessing all the entrance doors on the property.

God’s blessing is then asked to be upon the building and all who dwell on within.

A piece of chalk is first blessed with holy water and the inscription is then written above the doorway.

20 + C + M + B + 12

The three initials stand for Christus Mansionem Benedicat – Latin for “May Christ bless this house”, although they also stand for names traditionally given to the Wise Men: Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. They are enclosed by the numerals of the current year.

All doors of the Holy Trinity Kellia have been blessed for 2012

After Seraphim completed blessing all the doors of all the buildings on the Skete’s property, he began his journey,

carrying the Epiphany Cross through the woods to the river.

Saying the Jesus Prayer and the Rosary along the way

he stops to bless the entrances to the St. Arsenius’ hermitage hidden in the woods, and the newly found St. Elijah’s Cave.

Upon arrival at the river bank, Seraphim said the Service for Placing the Cross in the Water adapted from Office of Baptism.

After placing the Cross into the River, thus rendering all waters Baptismal, Seraphim recited the Luminous Mysteries.

Taylorsville Lake, Taylorsville Kentucky

Tonight, after the last Office of the day, we will remove the Nativity Scene from the Chapel although the Season of Epiphany will remain through four Sundays.

The 12th Day of Christmas

vicki — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Love and Greetings from Nazareth House Apostolate.

Tomorrow is Epiphany.

Time goes so fast, it won’t be too much longer before we are in the Season of Lent.

We want to take this opportunity to slow down

and look at the faces of the people that are being served in Sierra Leone by you through NHA.

When you make a donation, these are but a few of the people that are the recipients of your love, your care, your compassion.

To them, you are a ray of light amongst the dark clouds in their lives.

When they see James coming, they know you are there, too.

They know that the bags of rice, or medicines or whatever the needs are – they know they are provided by you.

It brightens their day and their existence.

Though Christmastide ends this evening, may we continue to live on carrying the spirit of great love, selflessness and humility that came to us swaddled in a manger that first Christmas.

We cannot stress enough that Nazareth House Apostolate relies totally on God as he expresses Himself through our supporters’ prayers, compassion and generosity.

You are a vital part of our lives here at the Skete. You are prayed for each and every day (you need to know that we are praying for you when your day is consumed with frustrations or filled with delight – we are with you). In this prayer we are in unity with Christ and with each other.

Our work at the skete generates the mission work in Sierra Leone, its a two-way street – one needs the other. St. Simeon Skete (prayer) is the cornerstone of NHA and the work in Sierra Leone, the extension of it. It is important that the Skete is maintained, for without its work, the mission cannot be sustained.

We continue the hope of reaching a minimum of 1000 donors giving at least $25 per month. This really isn’t an unobtainable task when you consider the amount of people in the United States. When you consider that many of us have acquired over 300 friends on Facebook, its not hard to imagine spreading the word and making this a reality. It is very possible. To date we have 31 regular monthly donors. We depend on them and on the one time, occasional donations to make possible the good work that is not OUR work but that of an apostolate. And those of you involved in NHA know its much more personal than teamwork – its a family. Join us today.

Send donations to:

Nazareth House Apostolate

185 Captains Cove Drive

Taylorsville, KY 40071

or make donations thru the website

www.nazarethhouseap.org

via the Paypal Donation Button

Thank you.

Christmastide: Day 11

vicki — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:30:00 +0000

As usual, the Nazareth House Apostolate supporters, workers, and recipients; both children and adults, do what they do so well - and teamed up to demonstrate what LOVE is all about.

It is always amazing to watch people come together to make things happen.

People from one side of a country to another, from one side of an ocean to another, all walks of life, all capabilities… all blended together to hold each other up.

Its all about love, and when love is truly orchestrating our actions – astonishingly wonderful things can happen.

At the time that the Sunday School Class in Portland, Oregon was preparing candy canes and greetings for the children in Kabala,

the Anglican Church Women of St. Augustine’s Anglican Church in Chico, California were sending medications and extra funds for the work of Nazareth House in Kabala.

And while they were doing that, down South in the Carolinas, The C.S. Lewis Center and St. Theodore’s Anglican Chapel were Fasting for Africa as a fundraiser for the work of NHA.

…and all the while individuals and families are donating.

In Kabala, everything came in at the right time – money, necessities and Christmas Candy Canes. Once we, in America, ship over to James in Kabala, then its time for them to what they do so well – distribute to those in need.

And with love and the same abundant zeal that began in USA… the work is done.

By the time the candy canes had arrived, the NHA School had already closed for the Christmas Vacation – (yes, in Sierra Leone it is still called Christmas Vacation and not Winter Vacation).

No problem!, James knew exactly what to do. He thought of the Blind School.

Candy canes are a gift that do not have to be seen -

they are a gift for many of the senses -and with someone to help you remove the wrapper its even better.

So James packed up the medications from Chico,

as well as supplies bought from funding from Columbia, South Carolina along with the candy canes from Portland, Oregon

and headed out to the School for the Blind.

He was also equipped with the means (from donations) to provide needs depending on their necessity to those at the Blind School.

And back at the NHA School in Kabala, if you look closely at the little guy holding up the thank you sign for the candy canes,

you’ll notice it is ROO.

Another bit of team work accomplished, Roo was critically anemic just last month, however, fast action sending vitamins and IRON from our headquarters in Kentucky has proved effective and we see that energetic smiling Roo once again.

As you can see,

TEAM NAZARETH has managed to spread the love again.

So on this eleventh day of Christmas,

we give you love – lots of it – from all of us at NHA.