An American Holiday in a Foreign Country

Thanksgiving was quite an interesting day. It began by spending a half an hour crying because I missed home and wanted to be with my family. But don’t worry, I got over it. I then enjoyed breakfast with Mama Angie and her sisters who were visiting for the wedding. It was nice to spend time with a family, even if it wasn’t mine, it was still nice. We then spent the afternoon at the beach(not many people get to say that, do they), which was quite lovely. If you can believe it, we actually did have a turkey dinner. The US Embassy put on a Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, and bean casserole. It was an interesting night, meeting other Americans who are here. Many of them work for the embassy or the UN so we really haven’t had much contact with them. I ended the day with talking to family back home which was a nice end to the most different Thanksgiving I’ve had in my life.

Make Way for the International President

Written November 20, 2006

The past ten days have been spent catering to the needs of the international president, Chris Clark. Yes, Daddy Chris has been here, and so we have been very busy with all the activities that go on while he is here. He arrived on Friday, Nov. 10. Saturday we had a baptism service for new believers and some of the children from the home that have reached the certain age where we believe they understand the commitment they have made to Christ. Sunday was a Thanksgiving program at the school. Now this is not like our Thanksgiving, here it is basically a fundraiser for the school and they also give thanks for all the good work going on in the school. I believe this derives from a British holiday. Monday was full of meetings and then Tuesday we took the long trip to Banta where we had another baptism service(more on that below) and an official opening of the new skills train center where young people learn different trades such as tailoring, weaving, tye-dying, etc. On Thursday, we made the trek back to Freetown. (During this time, Sarah was sick in the hospital) Friday was spent with Sarah and she was discharged and we went home from there. The rest of that day was spent helping the country director prepare for her daughter's wedding. Saturday we attended the wedding! Sunday there was a consecration ceremony for all the staff of COTN. And today we are sending them back to America and taking a long nap! WOW!
Okay, now I want to share some of these things in detail. The baptism service in Banta was amazing. Here we were in the bush of Africa baptizing people from a remote village in a river. What an experience! The glory of the Lord is beyond our comprehension. I wish I was more eloquent with my words so that I could paint this picture for you, but we were standing there at the bank of this river, as men and women from all ages were going to the river to be baptized all the while singing Mende hymns.
Yes, Sarah was in the hospital. It sounds a bit scary but she’s fine now. She ended up having malaria, typhoid and a bacterial infection. I know all these things sound awful but here they are not that uncommon and so the doctors were able to treat her and she is recovering quickly. People were actually joking that she really wasn’t sick; she was just faking so that she could get the presidential treatment at the hospital.
We are now adjusting to normal life again. Mama Angie(country director) allowed us to take the week off. Mostly for Sarah, but I also felt that I needed to recuperate after Chris Clark left. Next week we will resume school and our in-service training.

War Stories

I wish I could tell you that all the stories, books and movies about genocide, rebel armies, and civil unrest where just stories, but thatsimply isn't true. As much as I don't want to hear stories of the war, I know that I must, because these people did not see the war on TV or in a movie, they saw it with their own eyes, heard it with their own ears, and felt the pain of losing their loved ones. And for this reason I listen because in order for me to know and understand the people, I must see where they've come from.
This week Sarah and I had the opportunity to hear Aunty Chris's story of the war. Aunty Chris is a Registered Nurse who works for COTN training health animators who provide healthcare in the villages, teaching health classes in the school, and working with the mothers in the malnourished baby clinic. She also serves as a mentor, mother, grandmother, friend…
Aunty Chris is also blind. During the war she and her children had to hide in the bush for 2 months. There she contracted an infection in her eyes and by the time the war was over the infection had progressed too much and the doctor's said there was nothing to be done. Ahh, what this woman has experienced: going from village to village, only to be rejected; escaping the rebels, only to be found by them again; finding family members only to lose them.
And yet in the midst of this there is hope, for "where there is life there is hope." Aunty Chris
And so she praises Jesus everyday because she is alive. Aunty Chris has been such an encouragement to Sarah and I. It is so common for us to see people who have been physically effected by the war and given up. But despite her blindness, she is making a lasting difference in the lives of the people in Banta Mokellah. She is an inspiration and we spend many hours discussing issues that plague this area, brainstorming solutions and struggling to learn Mende while doing so.