20 January 2007
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (and Helicopters and Ferries and Buses...)
The Blogger software isn't loading here on the computer, but I've got lots to share since my last post was Monday! So I'm trying the e-mail version...we'll see how this goes!
Here's the update on the adventure so far...
On Monday, once the group of five left lunch, we were sitting at Crown Bakery and overheard that the helicopter (Plan A for the Freetown-to-Lungi-Airport journey) was not running. So, they shifted to Plan B, exemplifying our recently adopted motto, "This Is Africa" (or "T.I.A."). They made their way to the ferry, the only other option for getting to the airport. Luckily, the team made it to the airport in time to catch their delayed flight back and it all worked out. Be sure to ask Don about the ferry preacher and the adventure back to Freetown (bus? taxi? ferry? a little of each).
Tuesday was the big, big travel day. We were ready to go at 8:00am, because we knew the trip up to Jaiama was going to take about seven or eight hours, on really rough roads. We ultimately made it out of the hotel complex at 12:25pm -- T.I.A.! -- and made our way to Jaiama.
Okay: imagine the longest road trip you've ever been on. Now, make the temperature in the high 80's, and make it on the worst road you've ever dared drive your car on. You're about half-way to the challenging conditions on the Raod to Jaiama! The trip was great, though -- luckily we were in an air-conditioned van. We made it safely and were welcomed by a huge group of teachers, staff and students from Jaiama Secondary School. We had a bit of ceremony and introductions, followed by a great dinner in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Sandy. (Mr. Sandy is the principal at Jaiama Secondary School.) After dinner and some more ceremony, we made our way to the Kono Hotel, where we'd be staying for the next few nights -- running water and electricity...a pleasant surprise!
On Wednesday, we worked hard in the Jaiama compound. A brief tour helped us turn two-dimensional maps and photos into a real-life picture, and while we were at the clinic, the paramount chief and some elders (kind of like the mayor and community leaders) stopped by to officially and ceremonially welcome us. They gave us the extremely generous and considerate gifts of (a) Le 100,000 (~$35US), (b) one 50-kg bag of rice, and (c) one goat. The process of receiving the gifts was remarkable, as a very specific protocol was followed -- first the chief spoke, then the pastor of the local UMC church spoke, then Saffa spoke, then Don accepted the gifts on behalf of the team. Our visit was something of an historic event, as we believe we're the first mission team to visit Jaiama since 1989, and we were honored by the paramount chief's personal visit and his ongoing interest in the work of the team and our joint commitment to the success of the secondary school.
After lunch, we got to spend some time on our actual mission for the trip -- the medical folks worked at the UMC Health Centre at Jaiama and the rest of us hung out with the school staff and students. Dinner at the hotel was great -- even in the Middle of Nowhere, pizza can turn out pretty good! The Kono Hotel is owned by Lebanese folks, so the one TV channel we got featured years-old American movies with Arabic subtitles. So: TV, not so good. Pizza, quite good.
On Thursday, I got to spend some great time with the kids at the school. I interviewed about 20 students from the junior secondary school classes (like our middle school or junior high). The good news is that if all the kids that want to be doctors and nurses turn out to be doctors and nurses, Sierra Leone will be set in about 20 years! Our job is to make sure that we have enough support -- financially and spiritually -- for these kids so they can stay in school and make it to realizing their dreams. Fifteen of the 20 kids want to go into medicine, and almost all of them said they chose medicine because they want to make Sierra Leone a better place to live, and they want to serve their country's people. Awesome! More info on how YOU can be a part of this important process when we get home...
Friday was another big ceremonial day, and what was planned as a two-hour ceremony starting at 9:30 to dedicate the House of Hope became a three-hour ceremony starting at 11:00 -- T.I.A.! There were representatives from the chiefdom, from the clinic, the secondary school, the primary school, the local UMC church, the regional council of churches, and all kinds of dignitaries there.
The House of Hope is a duplex staff house that was recently built on the Jaiama Secondary School compound. Since Jaiama is so remotely located, it's important for the school to be able to provide housing for staff and their families -- if staff were responsible for finding their own homes, they might just as soon choose to teach at a school in a bigger town. So, since the war, many staff have been housed in classroom buildings...recent building projects (sponsored by St. Luke's, the European Union, the chiefdom and others) have shown great progress on this front, and the House of Hope is one shining example of this positive momentum. We've got terrific pictures of the house and the two families that will live there -- can't wait to share them with you!
After the dedication ceremony and a quick lunch, we made our way back toward Freetown. Since we weren't leaving until the afternoon, we decided to stop half-way, in a big city called Makeni. The hotel we chose was right next door to a local sports stadium -- where, we learned the hard way, a musical concert was taking place. All night long. :) So, we decided to grin and bear it -- This Is Africa, after all -- and most of us did OK and managed to get a little bit of sleep.
We made it back to Freetown about 2:00 this afternoon and made our way to Crown Bakery for lunch. A special guest on our trip to Jaiama was a Congolese UMC missionary named Rachel Muembo, the wife of Dr. Eugene Muembo of the Kissy Hospital. Rachel works out of the UMC House in Freetown and helps to coordinate UMC health programmes in Sierra Leone. She was a wonderful ambassador for us, a gracious hostess, and a beautiful new friend. After lunch today, Rachel introduced us to her great family and showed us their lovely home.
We did some shopping after that and then we headed up to the internet cafe, where I am writing to you right now. Chances are, this'll be my last African update -- here's what to look for once I'm back in the States on Tuesday:
We remain grateful for your prayerful support and encouragement through e-mails and other communication. We thank God for delivering part of our team home safely, and we hope you'll join us as we pray for them and the people of Sierra Leone and Liberia!
That's all for now -- more updates soon!
Here's the update on the adventure so far...
On Monday, once the group of five left lunch, we were sitting at Crown Bakery and overheard that the helicopter (Plan A for the Freetown-to-Lungi-Airport journey) was not running. So, they shifted to Plan B, exemplifying our recently adopted motto, "This Is Africa" (or "T.I.A."). They made their way to the ferry, the only other option for getting to the airport. Luckily, the team made it to the airport in time to catch their delayed flight back and it all worked out. Be sure to ask Don about the ferry preacher and the adventure back to Freetown (bus? taxi? ferry? a little of each).
Tuesday was the big, big travel day. We were ready to go at 8:00am, because we knew the trip up to Jaiama was going to take about seven or eight hours, on really rough roads. We ultimately made it out of the hotel complex at 12:25pm -- T.I.A.! -- and made our way to Jaiama.
Okay: imagine the longest road trip you've ever been on. Now, make the temperature in the high 80's, and make it on the worst road you've ever dared drive your car on. You're about half-way to the challenging conditions on the Raod to Jaiama! The trip was great, though -- luckily we were in an air-conditioned van. We made it safely and were welcomed by a huge group of teachers, staff and students from Jaiama Secondary School. We had a bit of ceremony and introductions, followed by a great dinner in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Sandy. (Mr. Sandy is the principal at Jaiama Secondary School.) After dinner and some more ceremony, we made our way to the Kono Hotel, where we'd be staying for the next few nights -- running water and electricity...a pleasant surprise!
On Wednesday, we worked hard in the Jaiama compound. A brief tour helped us turn two-dimensional maps and photos into a real-life picture, and while we were at the clinic, the paramount chief and some elders (kind of like the mayor and community leaders) stopped by to officially and ceremonially welcome us. They gave us the extremely generous and considerate gifts of (a) Le 100,000 (~$35US), (b) one 50-kg bag of rice, and (c) one goat. The process of receiving the gifts was remarkable, as a very specific protocol was followed -- first the chief spoke, then the pastor of the local UMC church spoke, then Saffa spoke, then Don accepted the gifts on behalf of the team. Our visit was something of an historic event, as we believe we're the first mission team to visit Jaiama since 1989, and we were honored by the paramount chief's personal visit and his ongoing interest in the work of the team and our joint commitment to the success of the secondary school.
After lunch, we got to spend some time on our actual mission for the trip -- the medical folks worked at the UMC Health Centre at Jaiama and the rest of us hung out with the school staff and students. Dinner at the hotel was great -- even in the Middle of Nowhere, pizza can turn out pretty good! The Kono Hotel is owned by Lebanese folks, so the one TV channel we got featured years-old American movies with Arabic subtitles. So: TV, not so good. Pizza, quite good.
On Thursday, I got to spend some great time with the kids at the school. I interviewed about 20 students from the junior secondary school classes (like our middle school or junior high). The good news is that if all the kids that want to be doctors and nurses turn out to be doctors and nurses, Sierra Leone will be set in about 20 years! Our job is to make sure that we have enough support -- financially and spiritually -- for these kids so they can stay in school and make it to realizing their dreams. Fifteen of the 20 kids want to go into medicine, and almost all of them said they chose medicine because they want to make Sierra Leone a better place to live, and they want to serve their country's people. Awesome! More info on how YOU can be a part of this important process when we get home...
Friday was another big ceremonial day, and what was planned as a two-hour ceremony starting at 9:30 to dedicate the House of Hope became a three-hour ceremony starting at 11:00 -- T.I.A.! There were representatives from the chiefdom, from the clinic, the secondary school, the primary school, the local UMC church, the regional council of churches, and all kinds of dignitaries there.
The House of Hope is a duplex staff house that was recently built on the Jaiama Secondary School compound. Since Jaiama is so remotely located, it's important for the school to be able to provide housing for staff and their families -- if staff were responsible for finding their own homes, they might just as soon choose to teach at a school in a bigger town. So, since the war, many staff have been housed in classroom buildings...recent building projects (sponsored by St. Luke's, the European Union, the chiefdom and others) have shown great progress on this front, and the House of Hope is one shining example of this positive momentum. We've got terrific pictures of the house and the two families that will live there -- can't wait to share them with you!
After the dedication ceremony and a quick lunch, we made our way back toward Freetown. Since we weren't leaving until the afternoon, we decided to stop half-way, in a big city called Makeni. The hotel we chose was right next door to a local sports stadium -- where, we learned the hard way, a musical concert was taking place. All night long. :) So, we decided to grin and bear it -- This Is Africa, after all -- and most of us did OK and managed to get a little bit of sleep.
We made it back to Freetown about 2:00 this afternoon and made our way to Crown Bakery for lunch. A special guest on our trip to Jaiama was a Congolese UMC missionary named Rachel Muembo, the wife of Dr. Eugene Muembo of the Kissy Hospital. Rachel works out of the UMC House in Freetown and helps to coordinate UMC health programmes in Sierra Leone. She was a wonderful ambassador for us, a gracious hostess, and a beautiful new friend. After lunch today, Rachel introduced us to her great family and showed us their lovely home.
We did some shopping after that and then we headed up to the internet cafe, where I am writing to you right now. Chances are, this'll be my last African update -- here's what to look for once I'm back in the States on Tuesday:
- Pictures -- lots of 'em
- Story updates
- Observations from the rest of the team
We remain grateful for your prayerful support and encouragement through e-mails and other communication. We thank God for delivering part of our team home safely, and we hope you'll join us as we pray for them and the people of Sierra Leone and Liberia!
That's all for now -- more updates soon!
