Security

We have a fine group of security at JCCM. Two watchmen come each night at 6pm. They are Brima and Munda. They stay through the night until Pa Ben comes at 7am- he is then on duty each day. I have to say that I love each of them and am thankful for what they do at JH, however I definitely see a lot more of Pa Ben. He has been a great influence on the kids. You can often find Pa Ben sitting at the gate with his Bible open on the chair next to him. He is willing to have the kids come sit with him and you will find even the little ones wandering down to visit Pa Ben. (or as Patrick used to call him- "uncle gate man").

One of the things I personally appreciate most about Pa Ben- is that he is a good buffer for me. We even joked about him hanging a sign on the gate: If you are here to see the Pumoi (white) for a job- she doesn't do the hiring. If you are here to see the pumoi for money- she is not the one to give it out. If you are here because you want to date the pumoi- she is not available. If you have any other reason please see the security and he will deem if it is acceptable.

He really does ask everyone why they are here to see me and will even have my good friends sign in at the gate when they come. If he is not sure who they are and does not agree with their reason for visiting- he will send them away. If he finds it might be a good reason he will come find me first- leaving the person at the gate. I appreciate this greatly as it would be very difficult to get a break otherwise. I am also not so fond of all the male attention and would rather have Pa Ben deal with that.

To show just how tight our security is Pa Ben even screens all the animals that would like to enter. Just last week he decided that the following visitor was not welcome- not only was he not welcome (well to be honest I have no clue if it is a male of female but...that is beside the point)- I guess it was also the last trip this fella would be attempting to visit JCC or any other place.

I have seen a few cobras during my time here- 3 of them on our compound. (2 were babies and one was a large one- but 3 in the time I have spent here off and on since 2006 is not as many as it may sound like). This one was very large. The largest I have seen, though I hear there are some larger. So you could get a small idea of it's size I had Bockarie come stand by it. Bock is a 17 year old boy from JH. He is about my height- so you can see that this cobra was no small worm. (Though speaking of worms- I also saw a worm that looked like it was from some reverse world where the small things are huge. It was almost 2 feet long- I am not lying. Looked exactly like our earthworms only greatly enlarged. It also would spray water like a sprinkler when you got close to it- no messing around with these things here)

You can all rest assured that our security here at JCCM are doing their jobs. I for one would not be very good at this job so how blessed am I that we are all one family- each doing our part to work together. For now I will leave Pa Ben to his gate and will stay inside a bit further.