Triple AAA

Well if the three A's in Triple A stand for Abdul, Emmanuel, and Samuel- then we had the best AAA crew ever come rescue us. Last weekend the girls from the One-by-One team, a few of the older girls from JH and I decided we wanted to go swimming after church on Sunday. There is this large river about 10 miles or so out of town (on the way to Gondama Hospital) that we thought would make for a great afternoon swim. We piled into the Hilux (a four-door toyota truck) and began our journey out of town. This trip was going to be smooth- the road is all tar with only two rough spots. We made it to our place and drove down in- parked- jumped out and made our way down to the water. After looking around a bit we decided we didn't want to disturb the guys fishing (we later found out there were looking for diamonds) and that we would head to the other side of the river where we could even see a bit of a sand beach. Back up the hill to the Hilux, all pile in (some inside and some in the box) and turn the key- small engine noise and then a little pop and nothing. HHHMMMM- I pop the hood and just as we are about to look a couple men come walking up. I do admit that inside I am debating whether I want to admit we are having trouble or if I just wish they would walk by and then we'll deal with the problem. I need to let you know that I have received my fair share of marriage proposals while here and sometimes I just don't want to deal with it all. On our way in we had driven past these guys parked in a Hilux of their own and they had yelled "White woman"- hearing all of this often and not wanting to deal with it with all the girls with us I just kept driving- Well they came right over and the decision was made for me- now I would deal with it- whether good or bad.

To make a very long story short- they stayed with us for the next hour or two and helped us figure it out enough to get home- well more than enough as they were all mechanics to different extents themselves. Not only were they good at fixing our car- but they were also great entertainment. When they first introduced themselves they gave us fake names- this was because we had ignored them on our way in, but after spending some time with us they decided that we were worthy of their real names and even their phone numbers- so they can help us really fix the hilux. They gave Karen and I a crash course so that we would be able to deal with any trouble that might hit on the way home and we were soon off. Shortly after getting home I received a call from Abdul to make sure we had arrived safely. It was a fun afternoon- even if it was a bit unexpected.

Our AAA crew- Emmanuel, me, Samuel, Abdul and Karen. I have to say that God really was watching out for us. We could have walked down to that river- swam for a few hours and found all our problems (and there weren't just a couple) and been stuck with no one around to help. We could have even ended up finding some people but they wouldn't have had the knowledge these guys did- or been as friendly and fun. Especially with all the young girls with us- I am truly thankful for all the ways God provided for us and protected us- even on our little river swimming adventure. I will tell you the girls swam the whole time we were fixing the hilux (right along side the diamond hunters) and Karen was able to swim for a bit while I went into the town/village with the mechanics to get some things. I quickly ran into the river before leaving but will have to get some friends from here to go back with me sometime.

My African daughter/sister

Jordyn and I have each been to Africa three times and each of our trips have over lapped each others so we are always here together. I love that and cherish our time together. The part I love is that each trip we have spent time at the beach together.

Jordyn has now gone home, but I have a nice sunburn to remember our time together and for the first time in years I am burnt enough to peel- so I won't be forgetting my time there in the near future. My arms and upper body are dark enough that I do not need as much sunscreen- however I might have forgotten just how white my legs are and that my face always needs the spf 50. I think I have learned my lesson- at least for the next month or so.

Sallay and Sattu

Last year just before I left Sierra Leone I ran into a friend of mine at one of the smaller markets in Bo. She asked me if I would come with her to her neighbor's house because their children needed my help. On the way over I learned I was walking into a situation much bigger than myself. There were three children ages 6 and under. The father had passed (at the time I was told it was two weeks earlier but have since learned it was at least a month maybe two) and the mother had died that morning- her body was still in the home when I got there. Many relatives were at the home but no one felt they were able to care for the children. They all wanted me to take them to Jonathan's House- however it is not that simple. This is a good thing in someways because how does the government know that a place is safe for a child if they are not involved but in others it is difficult because dealing with any part of the government here is not easy and especially not fast. I arranged for some members of the family to meet with Social Welfare so start the process to have them declared orphans and let Social Welfare know that we were in a position to care for them if they placed them in our care. I then had all the kids taken to the hospital to be checked out and left the country not too long after.

I didn't hear anything about them while I was gone and about a week after coming I found my friend Isata in the market and asked her about them- hearing what she had to say was very difficult. They had tried to go through the process with Social Welfare and their families- but here in Sierra Leone the mans family has the decision making power. The children were in the care of the mother's family for sometime- but it was an elderly sick grandfather who was caring for them. They desperately wanted the kids to go to a home to be cared for but the father's family would not let that happen so that is the final decision- even if they do not step up and care for them themselves. One of the children's Aunties from out in the village came in to see them just the day before I saw Isata and saw how sick the children were and wanted to take them to the village with her- though she didn't have money or the access to the medical care needed. She did decided to take the older two but the youngest was just to sick so she left her with the elderly aunt of the dad. (This Aunt- Nancy had been caring for the littlest one- Sallay for the past few months since the grandfather- mom's dad- had gotten sick). Isata took me to the mom's family and I met with her sister Massah who I had talked with before I left. She took me to Sallay and what I found was difficult to see. I have tried to upload this photo three times and though it is the correct way on my computer it keeps flipping sideways when I upload it so just turn your head to look at it.

This is Sallay. She is almost 3 yrs and I know it is a bit difficult to see in the photo but she is very malnourished. The evening I saw her she was a bit despondent and very week- we gave her some plumpy-nut and even formula that night to get something in her but had to wait until the following day to go to Social Welfare. We were able to talk with some of the dad's family as well as the mom's and it was agreed that everyone involved wanted us to take the kids. There is a hospital here called Gondama- it is a hospital that still has doctors from MSF- Doctors without Borders- and it is a free hospital- especially known for caring for malnourished children. The family knew they could take Sallay there but no one was willing to go with her- they did not want to take the time it would to stay with her until she was healthy. It was hard to see. I was holding Sallay for some time and she was just so limp- her body mostly bones- her back bones and ribs all showing clearly and when she lays down it was even more pronounced. It is a difficult situation to approach as these are their children and yet- they are literally dying. We (Pa Conteh and Pst. Ibrahim were with me at this point) talked to them as kindly as we could to explain what we could do to help them and that if they were willing we would go with them to Social Welfare in the morning- along with the children and try to do what we could to help them.

The next morning two of the children arrived- Sallay and her 4yr old sister Sattu along with the elderly Aunt and their uncle (the dad's brother). They had talked and decided that this was what they wanted. We all went to Social Welfare as soon as it opened and after looking at the children they knew they wanted them to be placed in our care. Sattu is not as malnourished as Sallay- but she was suffering from chronic malaria, severe scabies, ring-worm, stomach worms, and a few other things. As soon as we left SW we went straight to Gondama. We were seen almost immediately and after checking Sallay over she was taken straight to the hospital and admitted. She will be there for some time as it takes awhile to treat malnoutrition. I have been to visit her several times now and she does seem to be doing better though it is so hard to see progress at this point. The doctors tell me she is moving along well and is on to stage two. Stage three moves her onto another place and then she will soon be able to come home. I will admit that I am a bit nervous about that part. I know that even when she gets here Sallay will still have a long way to go and though I want her to be in a safe loving place- I also want her to be as healthy as possible and I feel being with the doctors as long as possible gives her that chance. She is also still a bit afraid of me (kids her age seem to have a fear of the Pumois- whites) and since I haven't had but a few hours with her she is not yet ready to fully trust me.

As for Sattu she came home with me that day and is now at the home with us. She is doing remarkably well. By the end of the first day she was quite attached to me. We have had to work on that over time since I am not able to be with her all the time and she needed to get used to the rest of the staff and kids. It was hard to have her be upset but I can see now how much she needed that as she now runs around and plays with the other kids very well. The day we arrived home I took her into the hut- washed her, gave her clean clothes and then we ate lunch together. It was amazing to see the transformation in her in even just that one afternoon. She started playing with me, smiling and even laughing a full belly laugh. One struggle we have is that she only speaks Mende and though I am learning it is not enough for her and I. We will both continue to learn each other's languages and I am sure we'll be communicating well in no time- though I do think we more than manage even now. Over the first week we saw many effects of the malnourishment in Sattu. She had many twitches and her coloring was so poor. Her strength was just not there is so many ways. To see her today- you would never realize what she had been through. God is so good and I know he has been watching over these little ones. I feel so blessed to get to be a part of their lives now and I pray we are able to not only help there health but that we will also be able to show them love and especially Christ's love. They are precious little ones and I want them to know that without a doubt.

Sallay and Sattu do have an older brother. He is still in the village with an aunt and Social Welfare feels his health is fine and for now he will not be placed in our care. As we go through this process with Sallay and Sattu- if it is determined they are to stay with us more long term then he will come into the picture at that time. Please pray for these kids as well as the staff at JH. One more prayer request- having Sallay at Gondama and visiting her there has given me the chance to meet MANY more children in much worse conditions. Going back into this ward the first time- I saw some children that I could not even believe were still here. Sallay looks HEALTHY compared to them. These doctors and nurses are doing the best they can and are really making a difference in many children's lives but it is a long and difficult process and something that is hard to really comprehend how children can get to such a state. It is not like anything I have even seen on TV and I know we have seen a lot. Please pray for wisdom and knowledge for these doctors and nurses as well as for peace and comfort as this is not an easy job.

We also have 3 other new children at the home that I would like to introduce you to soon.

Sattu has just come into my room. I wish you could here her- she says "Mommy Christie" then laughs and runs out of the room waiting for me to chase her- then seconds later she is back. I had better go play with her for a bit. I hope it won't take long for Sallay to be joining her in the laughter and fun.

One-by-One

It has been SUPER busy with two teams from America here for the past 3 weeks. It has been great having them here, but I do think I may sleep for an extra day or two once they leave. This team with me in the photo is called "One-by-one". They are trying to make a difference one person by one person and I can say that have certainly done that. We are in Freetown now as they will be flying out tomorrow. I will miss them but am so thankful for the encouragement and support they have given me.

Still here

It has been crazy around here. I have so many things to post about but not the battery or the time, so a quick run down it will have to be.

- Monday as my mom said I traveled to Kenema for JK's birthday. He had to work for the day so that left me being able to spend it with my dear friend Theresa (Tenneh) She is actually not Amy's age- she is older than me, married with one child. I think she is 32- but I did say she is a lot like Amy and me. (with those nice delays on the phone and my mom's fine hearing- sorry mom- I can see how it got a little mixed up) I have missed her and truly enjoyed some good girl time with some deeper conversations. Also she is teaching me to be a better African cook. I have built a pretty close connection with this family and all the people staying with them (Tenneh and Reuben have only one child, but with his brothers- friends- and some children who have lost parents- there are 9 other people who live with them) It is always a great time with them. One of the older boys is on a local football team so we went to watch his game in the afternoon. It was quite funny because at one point during the game a small fight broke out between two boys right near me. All the players on the field just kept playing (as they should) except Renner who ran right over to me to make sure I was fine- even though we were with about 10 other people I knew. They do look out for me. That evening JK and I went out for dinner and found this GREAT place. I wish it was in Bo. You can even get sandwiches- those of you who know me well know that is really my favorite food. So yeah- sandwiches, burgers, chicken, spaghetti, even pizza- though I am sure it is not PIZZA- are on the menu. It was a cute place and very friendly. It'll be fun to return again. Some of these teams here are going to be staying in Kenema so it'll be a fun place to take them. JK and I had a large meal- chicken, salad, bread, french fries, drinks all for $10. Anyway it was a really fun time and I look forward to being able to go for a full weekend as I left early Tuesday morning.

-I arrived back in Bo and started moving into my hut. I'll post photos soon. It is so nice. I do admit to having to change a few things and knowing me you know how hard it was to ask at first. I mean they did this great thing for me and I wanted to change it- they were so understanding and love what I have done. My room was a bit dark so I asked what it would take to put another window it- $13. Let's do it. I would like a screen door on my room as well $17. Painting in my room and the bathroom- $15. Some shelving in my room and the bathroom $5- (they even used the extra wood to make wooden hooks (5 on a board) to hand on the back of my room and bathroom doors) After moving the bed, wardrobe, and desk that I had in to the room, hooking up my battery operated fan to the canopy thing, attaching my nice battery light to the wall- it is now what they like to call "small America". I am very blessed and love my new home. The place is so cool and there is a great breeze at night. Now I just need some furniture for the sitting room and a few other things. Maybe Karen'll help me when she comes- we talked about playing "design on a dime" and I have to say that if we used what they say is a dime on that show ($1000) I would truly be living in the lap of luxury. One thing we are working on is wiring the hut for a generator. This would be a big thing for me and I am looking forward to it.

-After moving in I had to get all the rooms ready for the teams that are coming. Wednesday I went to visit my MN friends in Bo #2 and received 10 boxes of books and games and such- it was great and we are going to really be able to do some fun things. I love giving books to the kids in the villages. On my way home from them I ran out of fuel- but don't worry I managed to somehow coast into the fuel station- but I had no money with me. I knew this as I realized I was running low (the gauge doesn't work- I could just feel it but the way it was running) so I went to my "usual" place knowing they would borrow me the money. As I was there I did look into my wallet and in some little secret compartment I found the 15,000 Leones I needed- well actually it was a few more than I needed but... As I was fueling up I got a call that the team was here. Now this is where life gets TRULY busy.

-It has been none stop for me since the team has arrived. There are 9 people here now and on Monday Joe and I will travel to Freetown to get 7 more. I still have some of my office and home duties but also have become host to the teams. Driver, getting things from town, nurse, sharing my room as well as hut... it is fun. The hard part is that almost every member of the team has been sick at one point. I know it is not easy to be sick far from home. So "small America" has had someone in it 24 hours a day since Wed. Kayla- the team leader is also sick so that makes me interim team leader as well.

- Last night we went to a village near the farm (oh and Dad I spent part of the last two days at the farm- coming along well. LOTS of crops growing- fruit trees- I see the pineapples in them as well as bananas that are already producing- large pepper farm, cassava- so much more. They even have a fish pond now stocked with over 200 fish- Harry misses you and Haja made us some more Benny Cake). back to the village near the farm- we went to show the Jesus Film. It was in Mende and to see them watch the film- it is truly a special thing. I love how every time they see Jesus on the film they clap and cheer. When miracle takes place they cheer again. They were truly involved and moved- as was I.

- I have so much more to say but have to get to my meeting and then to town. Soon I pray I will be able to share the things I would really like to with you.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support- especially through these next few BUSY weeks.

Posted by Karen

I talked with Christie and she has been so busy she hasn't had time to post. Also, the electricity has been intermittent and the solar charge only lasts a short while, so she hasn't been able to post for a while. So I will try to update you all on some of her activities. She has just moved into the beautiful hut that was built for her and the team members while she was in the States. It has two bedrooms, a bathroom and a front sitting room. She LOVES the sitting room because before whenever people came to visit her (which sounds like all day long) they all had to sit in her bedroom. Now she has a place to entertain her guests (whether it is the youngest children or someone from off the compound) and she is thoroughly enjoying the sitting room!
The first team from Iowa has arrived so things are a bit hectic around there now. She is enjoying seeing everyone and they will accomplish a lot while there. It is always fun to have the teams there and the children and staff love that time together. Christie is also getting her first suitcases with this team so she will be able to do a little more of setting up her home. She was able to send some suitcases with these two teams so she carried more of her essentials with her.
Christie did take an overnight off the compound this week and stayed with a family in Kenema. Theresa is Amy's age and it was fun to just talk girl talk. They prepared meals for 5 or 6 instead of 80 so Christie enjoyed that. They also went to a game, which Christie always loves. JK and Ceek don't always root for the same team, but they enjoy the comaraderie of the sport.
Ceek has added duties this time, so she is adjusting to those. With the teams there for the next 5 or 6 weeks it will all be different so pray for her and the whole crew as they all minister together. It is an exciting time, and can be an exhausting time as well.
Thanks for your continued prayers and support!