Africablog: Operation Classroom '07

Sorry for the delay in posting! We made it safely, all our baggage arrived, and we are all happy and -- for the most part -- healthy.

The flights were super. Everything was on time, and on most of the flights we had room to spread out. Many of us caught up on sleep on the ride over, and some of us played cards and other games in the plane. On arriving in Monrovia, we slowly made our way through customs and the chaotic baggage claim area and then hopped on the bus for about an hour to get to the United Methodist Compound where we stayed for three nights. The compound is right on the beach, so we could hear the ocean, but because the beach is used by squatters as a bathroom area, we aren't supposed to go down there. Luckily, there's a spot on the roof of one of the compound buildings where we can get nice sunset pictures. While we were up on that roof, the kids from the next-door compound saw us -- Randy, Chet and Rick took one of our soccer balls over to play "football" with them. It turns out the next-door compound was actually abandoned and those kids are squatters, too.

Our first morning, our medical teammates went to JFK Hospital, the state-run medical facility in Monrovia, for tours and orientation. They'll go back on Thursday to conduct workshops and other continuing-education opportunities for the staff there, and also to work in the clinic there.

While they were at JFK, five of us (Scott, Jan, Chet, Mary, Don) went to New Georgia UMC to help with a Children for Peace program. We were expecting 300-350 kids for this day of music, games, and playing. Well, 500 kids showed up, and we did our best to help keep them entertained and well-fed. If you've never been in a 50-foot-by-60-foot room with 500 kids playing kazoos, you haven't lived. (Put that on the list of "areas for improvement" for next time!) We did our best with the balloon animals, too -- we'll have to thank Rich for the training when we get back.

Because we didn't get to play all our games and use all our stuff on Saturday, we were recruited to help with Sunday School the following day. (Yay!) So while half the team worshipped, our half played with the kids some more. Coloring was a hit -- Thank you, Kathie Clemenz! And we handed out neon plastic cross necklaces and bracelets that say "Jesus Loves Me". Overall, our time with the kids was great...many, many pictures to come! (Be sure to ask us about seeing the Liberian president on the adventure to church Sunday morning.)

After church, we were delighted to head to the beautiful home of Rev. Anthony and Jennifer Dioh, Operation Classroom coordinators in Liberia. I first met Anthony and Jennifer last April, on the day of the UMW Rummage Sale...they were in the parking lot looking for Marilyn Griffith and I took them into the Great Hall to find her. The St. Luke's UMW went out of their way to make Anthony and Jennifer comfortable, and when we visited their home we saw many of the furniture items that the UMW so graciously gave them. It was a joy to see how proud Jennifer was of her home -- and it was truly beautiful! The furnishings, t-shirts, and medicines all were shipped in a shipping container that left in May. Ask us about opportunities to volunteer at the Lapel warehouse for future container packing parties!

On our way back from Anthony and Jennifer's we stopped at a tailor and a couple of our team members did some shopping. We also got a tour of downtown Monrovia. You can certainly see the effects of the war -- many buildings are still burned out and bullet holes are still visible in the sides of buildings. We also saw several young ex-combatants, who had had their arms or legs amputated due to the war. Families seem to be finding ways to cope after years of conflict, developing a "normal" routine after a long time of anything but "normal."

Sunday night was an adventure for me. I experienced the West African version of Montezuma's Revenge, only apparently in West Africa it goes both ways. I thank God for Don and Marilyn Griffith who served as parents-in-place here...Marilyn had all kinds of medicine and other stuff that I needed. (Mom, you were right about Marilyn -- she's awesome!) Once I got my tummy calmed down, I slept in on Monday morning, and was delighted to be interrupted by lots and lots of caring teammates checking on me. :) While I was sleeping on Monday morning, the team went shopping and internetting.

We had a flat tire on the bus, so we had to wait to come to Ganta on Monday afternoon, rather than Monday morning as planned. Don and Marilyn told us the ride to Ganta would be bumpy and long. But in my opinion, it was much better than I expected. Of course, I got to ride in the Ganta Hospital pick-up truck with air-conditioning while the rest of the team rode in the un-air-conditioned Compound bus. (So I guess my being sick paid off! And for the record, I'm back at 100% now.)

The road to Ganta was filled with villages along the way -- it was fun to see the people going about their daily routine of cooking, playing, working, etc. TONS of pictures to share! After a late dinner, West African Montezuma struck again -- other teammates, this time. We remembered to bring Sprite with us, as well as lots of Immodium and Cipro, so we're on the mend.

This morning (it's 10:30 a.m. local time now), we're at Ganta Hospital. The medical folks are doing their thing: Randy and Bonnie are in the Out Patient Department; Michele, Judy, Beth, and Marchusa are doing educational workshops; and Rick is in the pharmacy. Jan and I are wandering around, taking photos and collecting stories. And Chet is in the carpentry shop, where ex-combatants are learning vocational skills. Don and Marilyn are meeting with Victor Tyre, the Hospital Administrator at Ganta.

We'll be here in Ganta for another 24 hours or so, and then it's back to Monrovia for our flight to Freetown, Sierra Leone. We'll give more updates when we are able to! We are grateful for the prayers of support and encouragement of all our friends and families back home. We can't wait to share with you what we've seen and learned so far!