Members of St. Augustine’s Choir Visit LASUTH, Sing, pray, donate to patients

Members of St. Agustine’s Choir ministering Christmas songs to patients of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) when the group visited the hospital recently.

Members of St. Agustine Choir ministering Christmas songs to patients of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) when the group visited the hospital recently.

Members of St. Agustine Choir Visit LASUTH, Sing, pray, donate to patients

On Saturday, December 8, 2018, members of Saint Augustine Choir visited the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), while there they visited various departments and prayed, sang Christmas carol for the patients; distributed gift items and also donated cash gift to some patients. Some of the choristers interviewed shared their experiences just as they called on Nigerians from all walks of life to show love and touch lives especially during this season. Below are the excerpts of the interview:

Tell us why you are here today

Mrs. Uzoezi Ugbechie, Choir Mistress: We came here to share the tidings of the season, sing with the patients to bring joy to them and those taking care of them, pray with them and believe God to do the rest. We are here also to give the little we have to them.

So what and what have you given to them?

We have given to them toiletries, food items, and cash gift to some of them.

Is it because your members have so much and that is why you decided to do this?

As a society in the church we have decided that every year we have visitation such as this. Last year we went to an orphanage home and two years ago, we visited Krikri Prisons.  We have been going to places especially this season to share the tidings with those who are faced with challenges. We may not have much, most of the times we contribute within ourselves, whatever we are to gather, we take out some cash for cash gifts and use whatever remains to buy other gift items such as toiletries, food stuff, beverages etc.

Next year we will plan same and we will start at the beginning of the year to gather something so that we will able to have some reasonable and impactful. We don’t just want to go to places and begin to share peanut.

This year and last year which one is better?

Well, compared to the previous years, I believe God has blessed us so much this year.  We normally used what we have from our dues and levies but this year we decided to make additional contribution amongst ourselves to add up to what we made from dues and levies. To be frank with you in comparison, this year is better that two or three years ago.

What is your wish/prayer to them?

I pray that may this season of great tidings bring healing, miracles, blessings so that it will indeed by a joyous season for them.

Tell us what motivated today’s visit to LASUTH by members of St. Augustine Choir?

Blessing Modupe Umebali: Chairperson, Welcoming Committee: If you check, this is Christmas period and for us members of St Augustine Choir, we are not only singing; even though we sing, our singing is about spreading the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is Christmas season; we want to bring the tidings of Christmas season to people.  We want them to feel the presence of our Lord Jesus because he says he is coming soon, and aside singing Christmas Carol to the patients and those taking care of them to enliven their spirit and soul, we are also here to pray with them, give them gifts and  pay the hospital bills of some of the patients.

What motivated us is that as Mother Theresa said: “If you cannot feed a nation, feed an individual” because the Lord says those who help the needs are doing his will.

For us what we are doing here today is a way of saying God, we appreciate the life we are living; we appreciate all you have given to us; it’s a way of returning glory to God for all that he has done for us.

There are many Nigerians out there who are very rich but lack the spirit of giving. What is your advice to them?

To our well meaning Nigerians, they should use their wealth to support and help the needy among them.  It is not about getting wealth, it is not about living big, they should try and bring their three “Ts” – Time, Talent, and Treasure in making impact in their community.

They should create time to visit hospital like this, visit motherless babies homes, the orphanage homes, the destitute centres, widows and the elderly people homes among others. They should go there and touch lives and they will even get more money and become more blessed. I believe by the time you use what you have to invest in the life of the needy, there is a way God blesses, there is no how an individual or a person, whether you are rich or you are not even too rich, by the time you believe in giving because to me, I believe when God blesses you, do not raise your standard of living but raise your standard of giving.

It is important that all Nigerians especially the well-meaning Nigerians should imbibe the culture of giving. You don’t need to be that rich before you give, but what you need is to have the spirit of giving, when you have the spirit of giving, you will be able to give and touch lives.

So I want to encourage Nigerians to go out especially during this Christmas season to show love and touch lives.

Tell us your experience having gone through some of the hospital wards today

Emmanuel Aganu, Secretary, St Augustine Choir:  Today has been awesome. We have been able to touch lives. Am so happy for what has happened today because if you don’t go out to see things, you may not know how things are out there and you will not be able to appreciate what God has done for your. It’s only when you go out like this and see what other people are going through that is when you will begin to be appreciative.

What I saw today has made me to understand that God has been so faithful to us. That is why it is necessary to touch the lives of those that are going through one form of problem or the other and make their lives better in whatever little way you can. You may not be able to change the world, but the little you can do will go a long way in making things better.

So what is your message to other Nigerian?

My message to other Nigerians is that God has blessed us Nigerians: as individual and as a country, it is necessary to bless other people too with this blessing that we received from God by reaching out to others especially the needy because the Bible says it is more blessed to give than to receive.  May God bless us as we reach out to touch people’s lives especially in this season of celebration. Christmas marks the birth of Christ. It is a period to show love. It is a period to give gift; a period to put smiles on the faces of the sorrowful.

To corporate organizations and individuals who have been involving in humanitarian services, I encourage them to do more and to those who have not yet started, I beseech them to borrow a leaf from those that are already doing it to do so in order to better the lives of the less privileged people in their midst and give them a sense of belonging. Those that are fortunate should know that the position that they are now is by the grace of God, not because they work too hard. If you have been blessed by God to be where you are, it is good that you return the glory to God through people who are needy and are looking up to for help.

People should know that the joy of Christmas is not in building houses or buying new clothes or cars but in how many lives you can impact or touch. So as we celebrate this Christmas, may we learn to touch lives of those who are in need or in problem so that the world will become a better place for all of us.

What brought you here today and what do you have to share with us regarding today’s event

Valentine Leonard, Provost: Today’s experience has opened my eyes to so many things. We decided to come here and show love to the patients who are going through challenges and excruciating pains; to see how we can put smiles on their faces because so many of them here are passing through a lot of problem and difficulties.

Apart from giving cash and some gift items to them, as a choir we decided to come here to pray and sing with the patients to see how we can make them happy to underscore the importance of this season.

St. Augustine Choir is a non-profit making organization and you are here to assist the patients and also to make them happy and feel the sense of belonging. So what is the government at various levels doing in the area of ensuring the well-being of her citizenry?

Our government has a lot to do. If you are out there, you will not know what those who are in the hospitals or prisons are going through. It is when you visit these places that you will know that those people are really going through a lot of problem.

I want to use this opportunity to call on government on various levels to, from time to time, visit our hospitals and prisons to see what the people there are going through as this will help them when they are formulating policies and developing programmes, they will take cognizance of what these people are going through and make policies that will take care of their situation as well as give them a sense of belonging.

Federal government should revisit its project that are basically directed to the masses and make it large enough to take care of all Nigerians especially the needy. Today a lot of Nigerians are living in abject poverty and can hardly take care of their basic needs not to talk of taking care of their health.

This is a period of Christmas and Christmas is a season of showing love. I want to use this medium to call on others to show love especially the rich among us. Use your wealth to impact your immediate communities.

What lesson(s) have you learnt today and what do you have to tell others?

Mr. Andrew Elabor, Chairman, Programme Planning Committee: It’s such an adventure to come to a place like this because some of us we don’t appreciate our life but when you come to a place like this, you see things, you see people who are struggling to live a normal life, that will give you cause to appreciate your life.  Today I have seen abandoned children; children in incubator; children who are struggling to find their health. I have seen mothers going through pains.

I am using this opportunity to call on government of the country to embark on more projects that will impact the lives of the masses positively. We know the government is trying but much still need to be done.

If you are out there, I know we all have a good heart, there are people out there who need our help; just reach out to those people who are struggling to live everyday life and offer a helping hand. You may not be a super rich and it is not necessarily that until you have million before you begin to think of assisting others in need, the little you given can go a long way in saving a soul.

If you can work, if you can sleep, you can eat and everything goes well with you, there are people who are struggling to make these things happen for themselves so why not reach out, the person might be your next door neigbour, who knows?

Below are other snapshots from the event