Africablog: Operation Classroom '07

Rick Chandler, a member of the OC January 2007 team, wrote the following on his return from Sierra Leone earlier this month:

All the months of planning, preparation and prayer had now culminated into our journey to Africa. We were all filled with anticipation for how God would use us in the days ahead.

On January 4th we flew from Indianapolis and arrived almost 24 hours later at Roberts Airport on the outskirts of Monrovia, Liberia. We stayed at the Methodist Compound in Monrovia for the first few days of our mission journey. Herbert and Mary Zigboo, United Methodist missionaries to Liberia were our host and hostess. Their ministry has made a huge difference, most recently in restoring the United Methodist Hospital in Ganta from the ravages of their long civil war. We also met with Rev. Dr. Anthony and Jennifer Dioh, whose ministry for healing and reconciliation is far reaching in Liberia. After several days we traveled to Freetown, Sierra Leone. We had the honor of having dinner with Bishop Humper. Saffa Koroma, the Operation Classroom school administrator and our host, had his personal aid, Abu showed us around Freetown. All of us quickly realized and appreciated how invaluable Abu was to us.

Time went quickly and on January 16th five of us returned to the U.S., the remainder of our group spent another week in Jaiama, Sierra Leone and returned to the U.S. on January 23rd.

Mission trips are about where God takes God’s servants to serve those in need. The phrase “those in need” causes me to pause. Imagine what it would be like to go to your hospital and at the most you find three physicians on staff. Many on the hospital staff have minimal training. Electricity is only an occasional thing, mainly from generators, so there are no electric fans, let alone air conditioning. Doors to rooms are kept open because of stifling heat and lack of circulation. There may or may not be running water which you will notice doesn’t appear clean! Do not expect a private room. Three or more patients will share a room in a space close enough for one to reach out and touch the other. A pet monkey may be tied to a tree. People may be doing their laundry with waste water from the hospital. Get used to the smell of people, urine, and the stale environment in general. This is where you have come to for yourself or your loved one to receive needed health care. Many, many more cannot even receive this minimal care. With such limitations, the needs are great. So as God has taken our mission team and many others before us and after us here to serve. One can only be humbled and grateful to offer some tangible hope for these wonderful people God has created.

These conditions are a reality in Sierra Leone and Liberia and they startle all five senses, six if one includes compassion, from mission visitors like us. Yet generally the people we encountered are upbeat, with a ready smile, genuine love in their eyes, and praise God for what they have. The irony is, many of us who travel to serve and have tremendous resources actually learn more about the value of life, including the celebration and depth of faith, from those who are poor, undereducated, and lacking in resources. Our God is an awesome God.

Nevertheless, progress is being made to help improve the quality of life in these areas. Support comes from the United Methodist Church, Operation Classroom, as well as other
churches from the United States and other countries. Help comes from mission teams who educate, fund, build, and share God’s love. For instance in Ganta, Liberia the hospital is comparatively clean and organized with better trained personnel including nurses, an eye surgeon, separate surgery suites, and a generally healthier hospital environment. Kissy Hospital in Liberia in the last two years has added an emergency/trauma building and a new surgery building dedicated to Joe and Carolyn Wagner, Operation Classroom. Plans for further growth at Kissy are being planned. Healing continues and we all are more keenly aware of God’s grace and love. God is good, all the time.

Peace be with you,
Rick Chandler, RPh.


Our mission team consisted of thirteen people of various talents:

• Don Griffith – team leader, St. Luke’s UMC
• Marilyn Griffith –team leader, St. Luke’s UMC
• Beth Borgerding, RN, St. Luke’s UMC
• Scott Semester, St Luke’s UMC
• Jan Nichols, World Missions Director at St. Luke’s UMC
• Chet Adams, St. Luke’s UMC
• Randall Strate, MD, Meridian Street UMC
• Bonnie Strate, MD, Meridian Street UMC
• Marchusa Huff, RN, Trinity Episcopal Church
• Rick Chandler, RPh, Carmel UMC
• Michele Tyring, RN, Speedway UMC
• Judith Trenary, RN, Forest UMC
• Mary Tinley, Rosedale Hills UMC

Last Friday, at the dedication ceremony for the House of Hope, a duplex that will become the home of two Jaiama Secondary School teachers and their families, Marilyn Griffith paraphrased a powerful idea from Dr. Chuck Dietzen, the founder of The Timmy Foundation. Marilyn told the 400 or so assembled students, teachers, and guests:


I had spent the day before getting to know many of the Jaiama students who receive Operation Classroom scholarships, and almost all of them wanted to be doctors or nurses. But because of the state of educational and economic opportunities, those dreams may or may not come to fruition. When Marilyn was speaking, I was struck by the immensity of the trauma that has occurred in both countries, the strength of spirit that has carried our friends so far, and the dire need for healing after so much prolonged conflict.

But I wasn't the only one who understood that Marilyn's words were important on that hot and hazy January morning. In the picture above, I captured a young man writing down the sentiment to save forever. I had actually forgotten about this picture and I "re-discovered" it this morning when I woke up at 7:00am West Africa time -- which, sadly, is 2:00am Indiana time. (So much for not experiencing jet lag!)

This photo encapsulates for me what our trip was about -- our African friends want to work hard and they just need a little help, which we can provide in many forms. They need our presence and our service; they need some funds; they need our prayers; and they need our encouragement.

Zap me an e-mail (sssemester@yahoo.com) or track down another member of the team to learn more about how God might be waiting to work through you to serve someone 6,000 miles away. And take a second to write down Dr. Chuck's and Marilyn's words -- remember, they're just as applicable in downtown Indianapolis as they are in upcountry Sierra Leone.

To keep things a touch simpler here, I've uploaded my photos to HP's photo service called SnapFish. You may have already received an invitation from me via e-mail to see the pics -- if not, click here to go to my photo album.

Over in the album you'll find pics from both Liberia (about 70 pics) and Sierra Leone (about 220 pics). I'm having trouble uploading the pics to go along with the blog posts below -- if I can get it all figured out, I'll add the photos with the corresponding stories. If I can't, I've gone ahead and captioned the photos as well as I can over on SnapFish so you'll know which picture goes with which blog post.

I'd love any comments or feedback -- let us know which photos touch you, which you have questions about, and which you might want copies of!

Greetings!

The team arrived at the Indianapolis Airport just after 11:00 p.m. this evening -- we made it home safely and were greeted by family and friends.

Again, thanks to all whose prayers of loving support kept us going throughout the trip. More info -- and lots of pictures -- coming soon! (After some sleep!)

We're stuck in Asterda, and the "m" key on the computer I' on sticks. So any tie you don't recognize a word and have no idea what I ean, try putting an "m" in there soewhere.

Anyway, our flight fro Brussels to Asterda was delayed and, hustle as we ight, we didn't ake it to the connecting plane on tie. So we're on Plan B -- leaving Asterda at 3:30p.. and arriving in Indy around 10:20 p.. We're going to try to call everyone to let the know, but in case we iss soebody, if you're a friend or faily eber who has e-ail or phone access to our rides hoe, we'd appreciate any extra support you ight provide!

We're entertaining ourselves in the airport...our 5-EURO lunch vouchers got us a snack, and we're aking our way to our gate for boarding soon. Life is good -- we're all safe and healthy and just looking forward to being Back Hoe Again in Indiana.

Until then,
SSS

We've made it safely to the Lungi Airport in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and I've purchased 30 minutes of internet time for one last update before we make it back to the States!

The last couple days have been awesome. We spent some more time at the beach yesterday, and then we had dinner at the home of Etta and David Nichols. Etta coordinates the Children's Ministries for the Sierra Leone UMC, and one of her projects -- a radio program that reunites youth separated from their families during the Sierra Leonean war -- is sponsored by both the Youth and UMW of St. Luke's.

During dinner, we had a great presentation by a young (ages 4 to 10) singing group called Kids of Grace. They sang a terrific song that goes, "The God I serve is an international God, a national God, and a local God. He sees and knows everything that happens on Earth. My God is a faithful God." Pretty awesome for such young kids!

Bishop JC Humper also joined us for dinner, and his remarks were especially poignant. He said during his trips to the US, when he returns, he sometimes tells only the bad news of what he saw. But he encouraged us to share both the bad news AND the Good News that is happening here, in real time, in real life in Sierra Leone. "Tell them about the bumpy road," Bishop Humper told us, "so that they may appreciate the smoother one that is coming." Also very awesome!

We're all booked and checked in for our return trip. The plane is scheduled to leave in a couple hours, and then we'll have about 27 hours of travel time before landing in Indy a little after 4:00 on Tuesday afternoon. Should be a long trip, full of well-earned sleep...we're just looking forward to the air-conditioned airplane cabin! :)

God bless you and your families who have kept our team, the people of Liberia, and the people of Sierra Leone in your prayers for the last few weeks. We are grateful for your support and love, and we can't wait to share with you our photos and stories!

Until Tuesday...all our love! ~SSS

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:

• 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!

After another half-day of workshops on Saturday, the group spent some time in downtown Freetown, visiting local favorite Crown Bakery for lunch and then doing some shopping. Some of our team members proved more attractive to the local vendors than others...Rick was a real hit with the ladies selling stuff!

When the group got back from that excursion, there was a wedding reception taking place in the courtyard at the Hotel 5:10. The guests were dressed in their finest clothes and there were all kinds of colorful decorations and celebratory stuff. They had music and toasts and speeches and more music and then -- just like that -- it ended right at 7:00 and everyone left! My brother's wedding reception went on until the wee hours of the morning -- I don't think we'd have been able to get everyone to leave the premises at exactly 7:00 the way they did here!

We attended church on Sunday morning at Bishop Baughman UMC, home church of Operation Classroom's Sierra Leone Coordinator, Saffa Koroma. The service was more similar to our own style of worship than the worship last week at New Georgia UMC in Liberia. And we got a great lesson in church fundraising from a man who went up and down the aisle in church soliciting support for a rural congregation. ("Who will give one bag of rice?" etc.) Many members of our team were moved to support this effort, and we have it on good authority that two cows, one named Bonnie and one named Randy, are on their way to the rural church as we speak.

After church we engaged in the time-honored, solemn, and faith-focused mission tradition of Beach Day. :) Sierra Leone has a beautiful and (unlike Liberia's) clean coastline, so we headed out to the beach for the afternoon. We had a great lunch and played pool at The Atlantic, a Lebanese-owned restaurant on the beach and then we picked up and headed to Check Point Kona, a beach bar. Some of us took a leisurely beach stroll while others spent time relaxing in the sun or did some shopping once the local merchants heard the Americans had arrived. Marchusa got a really cool wood carving, and others picked up some nice postcards.

We spent last night back at the hotel, doing some pre-return debriefing, since part of the team is returning home today. Eight of us will continue on to Jaiama, but five of us are flying home this afternoon, getting into Indianapolis on Tuesday afternoon. We'll miss the part of the group that's leaving, for sure. A big chunk of our medical folks are taking off, and our most seasoned international traveler (Jan) is also in the group that's returning!

This morning, we've already ventured into Freetown and had breakfast at the Crown Bakery; then we visited the super-crowded United Methodist Secondary School for Girls in Freetown. The UMSSG is the academic home of 1,406 girls and they're all crammed into about a dozen classrooms. They have a morning session and an afternoon session, but still, my calculations put that at an average of about 50 per classroom...and those classrooms are not big. We'll have more to report when we return about ways the UMC in Indiana might work to help support the UMSSG in Freetown!

We'll spend the rest of today helping the returners make their way to the airport and then prepare for our own long, bumpy trip up to Jaiama, leaving early Tuesday morning. We'll spend a few days up in Jaiama, then head back down to Freetown for the weekend and head back to the U.S. one week from today.

Love and prayers from the whole team to our friends and family. Those who are returning today will have many stories to tell...those who are returning next week will miss you just a little bit longer and be home soon.

Wow!

We've spent the last two days at Kissy Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Kissy Hospital is a UMC hospital in a busy part of Freetown -- they serve thousands of patients in a year and offer a wide range of in-patient and out-patient services.

One of the great people we met is a young woman named Kadie. (We pronounce it like "caddy" -- her full name is Kadiatu.) Kadie is the person in charge of the nutrition program for new and expecting mothers at Kissy Hospital. Two days each week, she sees more than 50 moms and their young kids -- to make sure the moms are properly educated and the kids are properly fed.

Kadie also oversees the production and distribution of benemix, a nutrient powder that can be made into a porridge that the little ones will eat. Kadie and her assistant Mohammed grind rice, beans, fish, benny seeds (like mustard seeds), palm oil, iodized salt and other ingredients for the benemix using a grinding machine provided by the UMW at Tell City UMC. We got some great pictures of the machine -- and Kadie asked us to thank everyone for their support and assistance. We spent a lot of time with Kadie, learning about her program and what it might take to make it even more effective -- we'll have a full report on our return, but expect lots of opportunities to make a big difference at a relatively small cost!

We also met a young woman named Henrietta, who works at the Kissy Friends program, an HIV/AIDS testing and counseling program. The Friends program provides HIV drugs for anyone who tests positive for the virus, along with food so that the patients may take their drugs appropriately. The stories that Henrietta shared and the HIV/AIDS statistics from Kissy Hospital's annual report tell us that there is a LOT of work to be done on this issue...again, a full report when we get back!

This morning we talked with Ruben, the Hospital administrator, and Dr. Dennis Marke, the medical director. They shared with us their plans for the future -- for building on the hospital's successes and potentially growing through the construction of an emergency unit and a self-contained guest house. While there are a number of decisions to be made and parties to include in the discussion, the vision for Kissy Hospital's future is one of hope and courage, and we are grateful to be affiliated with these medical professionals and their facilities.

This afternoon, a bunch of us are going into the downtown area of Freetown for internet access and shopping. A handful of us are returning on Monday, while the rest will hang out at Kissy Hospital on Monday and then head up to Jaiama (our most remote stop on the trip, I believe) on Tuesday. As far as I can tell, we're back to 100% on the health-o-meter...at least everyone is back to standing upright and walking around! We may have turned the corner on this tummy trouble after all.

We remain full of gratitude for the prayers, support, love, and encouragement from friends and family at home. We remember you in our prayers, too! We'll do our best to keep you posted and updated on our progress...blessings on you until the next post!

Our last stop in Liberia was a trip back to JFK Hospital in Monrovia. The medical folks did workshops for the nurses and nurse aides, and then we all joined them for a farewell luncheon.

We had a terrific trip from Liberia to Sierra Leone. Our flight was only one hour delayed! And once we got on the plane, it was a delightful 40-minute hop from Monrovia to Freetown. The flight was not very full at all, so again we had the opportunity to spread out and relax. We were quite impressed with the flight attendants of the local airline (SLOK), whose safety instructions and other announcements began, "Distinguished ladies and gentlemen..." We certainly don't feel all that distinguished after eight days of intermittent running water and electricity, but the thought was nice!

A week ago, when we landed in Monrovia, the airport exit procedure was a chaotic, crowded adventure. But when we landed in Freetown, exiting the airport was a breeze -- we had official porters to help with our luggage and clearing customs was a snap. We had planned to take a helicopter from the airport to our hotel (the airport is on a peninsula across the bay from downtown Freetown), but we opted instead to take the ferry across the bay. (For those potential Amazing Racers keeping track, we might also have taken the hovercraft across the bay.) But the ferry was the right choice -- we were almost the last bus onto the boat, and it left within 5 minutes of our boarding. We passed the 45-minute trip with Cokes and Pringles -- truly, a delicacy! -- in the bar of the ferry. Once we landed and made it past the enterprising pickpockets (talk to Michele about her soon-to-be-patented shove-and-glare technique), we made it to the 5:10 Hotel, operated by the Sierra Leone Teachers Union. (It's called the 5:10 Hotel because it was dedicated on the 5th of October.) We have running water (most of the time), electricity (most of the time), and even CNNinternational (sometimes).

We've continued to meet lovely people and make new friends. We miss our friends and family a lot, but we'll see you all soon and we're looking forward to sharing with you the stories we've gathered.

We met on Tuesday night with the heads of the Ganta school and hospital to discuss their needs and figure out how we can most effectively support their work. We asked some questions to help us refine how we approach the Operation Classroom packing parties and other supply drives in support of what's going on here in Liberia. They specifically expressed a need for literature from African authors -- this may be an important focus for our stateside efforts in the future!

Our final day in Ganta was terrific. We started the morning with a double set of devotional time -- one with the kids and staff at Ganta School (where we gave them some sporting equipment and other fun stuff) and one with the hospital staff (where they gave us each a beautiful hand-painted watercolor by a local artist). Bonnie conducted a continuing-ed workshop for nurses, aides, and nursing students, and others either assisted with the workshop or toured the hospital. While we know we could do so much more on a longer stay, we feel good about the relatively constructive impact we're making in a relatively short amount of time.

As we were loading up to head back to Monrovia, a group of locals gathered around the bus and we got to touch base with some of the kids and others we had met the previous day. It was great to see their smiles and shake their hands -- we'll teach you the West African handshake when we get back.

We hopped on the bus from Ganta around 11:15 a.m. and made our way back toward Monrovia on a long, but safe, five-hour trip. Once we arrived in Monrovia, we spent some time in the Red Light District -- although it's not the kind of red light district you might be thinking...it's the area of town (the only one that I could see) that had actual traffic lights, so there was, in fact, quite a bit of traffic! We actually got through it more quickly than I expected we would, and we were home in time for a nice shower and nap before dinner.

Our anticipated friends from the consulate were unable to join us for dinner last night, but we brought other friends with us. One of the folks we've met this week is a United Methodist missionary named Sue. She works through the General Board of Global Ministries, the mission arm of the UMC, and will be heading up to Ganta to stay for a couple years. (She arrived in Monrovia the same day we did, and has just wrapped up a six-year mission stay in Afghanistan.) Other friends who joined us included Anthony and Jennifer Dioh (our dear hosts here), Mary and Herbert Zigbou (who have been in Ganta for many years but who are taking a one-year sabbatical starting in February), and -- perhaps most important -- Isaac, our driver, who has faithfully ferried us from place to place safely and on time (from a West African perspective). If you're traveling to Liberia, you should definitely stop by the Royal Hotel and try the hummus -- really, all the food was quite good and we all had a great time at dinner.

HEALTH UPDATE: Most of us are feeling great! Those who still have tummy troubles are in good hands and should be OK for our flight to Sierra Leone this afternoon.

This is my third attempt to post today. Electricity outages have interrupted two previous posts already, so I'll have to make it quick!

Our team is already a close-knit group and we have managed to share lots of things -- personal information, goals, dreams, illnesses... We seem to be passing around a little bit of tummy trouble, some of us feeling it more harshly than others. But we're in good hands with doctors Bonnie and Randy Strate! The men are feeling the sickness more than the women are -- hopefully we'll all be back to full health sooner rather than later.

Yesterday, the team was in full force with the continuing education workshops at Ganta Mission Hospital. Over 40 people attended Judy and Michele's CPR workshop, at least that many attended Rick's workshop on PO/Parenteral Something Something, and Marchusa's workshop -- the title of which I can't even guess! -- was also very well attended. We drove to the Guinea border yesterday afternoon, and some team members did some shopping at the Ganta leprosarium. After we had devotions with the Ganta School -- where we presented them with a soccer ball and some other sporting equipment -- and with the Ganta Hospital -- where they presented us with beautiful paintings -- we're back on schedule. Bonnie's doing an educational workshop this morning, some of the team is taking a tour, Michele and Chet and I are internetting, and by 1130 or so, we're all heading off on the five-hour trip from Ganta back to Monrovia.

Tonight we're having dinner with someone from the US Embassy or the US Consulate or USAID or something. I'll be sure to give you an update once I know who we've actually had dinner with! Then tomorrow, we're off to Freetown, Sierra leone!

Please keep our safe travels in your prayers. We're having a terrific, fun, and meaningful time here, and we're eager to share what we've seen, heard and learned when we get back.

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!

When we're in West Africa, it may be easier for me to send an e-mail post to the blog, rather than logging into the Blogger editing system. So when I do that, this is what it'll look like. Basically just like every other post, but it'll ask if you Yahoo!? at the end. :)

The packing party went great tonight, and I think we're all very excited about the trip, and we can't wait to get over there. I'll post more when I have a chance...now I'm off to sleep!

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Here's the latest plan...subject to change by the Holy Spirit, travel challenges, weather, etc.

• January 4: Leave Indianapolis. (Flight plan: Indianapolis to Detroit to Amsterdam to Brussels to Monrovia)

• January 5: Arrive in Monrovia.

• January 6: Children & Peace Program (wherein Jan Nichols and I dazzle all with our balloon-animal-making skills). Team members with actual skills visit JFK Hospital.

• January 7: Church, planning, and sightseeing

• January 8 - 10: Upcountry to Ganta - workshops, etc.

• January 11: Ganta or Freetown

• January 12: Freetown

• January 13: Kissy Hospital: Workshops & dinner

• January 14: Church, sightseeing, and dinner

• January 15: Workshops, five of us leave Freetown and return to US. The rest stick around.

• January 16 - 21: The remaining time will divide between Freetown and Jaiama. (It's 8 hours by van from Freetown to Jaiama! We'll rely on Operation Classroom staff in country to tell us where we need to be and when.)

• January 22: Leave Freetown

• January 23: Arrive in Indianapolis

We are coming down to the wire, with final preparations and last-minute reminders flying! I've gotten our songbook completed -- just need to copy them tomorrow at the church. Tuesday night is the packing party, and we're getting all our second suitcases packed with medicines or -- in my case -- toys and games.

I've learned that once we arrive in Liberia, we may have internet access, and I *may* be able to update the Africablog while we're in action! I'm hoping to send an update when we arrive safely, and then a couple times throughout our trip. I'm guessing we'll have less opportunity to update in Sierra Leone, but we'll do our best!

I've been praying a lot about what this trip means for my own call to God's service. My ministry -- my response to the call serve God and God's people -- has jumped back and forth in tone and focus between fiercely local-community-oriented to grandly world-focused to empoweringly facilitation-of-others-oriented. I'm struggling with the work we have to do here in Indianapolis, while at the same time knowing how much work there is to do in Sierra Leone and Liberia. I hope you'll pray for the people of central Indiana as you pray for the people of West Africa; and pray, as I do, for guidance and clarity as I discern God's call and determine the logical (and, yes, the illogical) next steps for me.

I love you and thank God for your support and encouragement. Until next time...

Here's a story on Yahoo!News about the conflict diamond trade and how -- even now that Sierra Leone and other countries are more politically stable -- poverty reigns and conflict diamonds are still being traded.

I'm thinking about seeing Blood Diamond this weekend...I'll be sure to post if I think it's worth your two hours and eight bucks.

As I learn more and more about the mission field we're entering and the people we'll be meeting, I'm struck by the way that economics, politics, justice and faith intersect and I wonder how our team will respond when we're face-to-face with the reality of life in West Africa. I'm expecting the experience in Liberia and Sierra Leone to be quite different from my experience in Ghana. I simply pray that God will keep my heart, eyes, and ears open to God's people and to the opportunities that present themselves to us.

When I went to Ghana three years ago, I had an ideal experience. I was originally scheduled to be there for three weeks...once I got there and realized how much fun it was going to be, I extended my stay an extra few weeks. It's a decision that cost me a big chunk of change in airfare re-booking fees, but it was the best possible thing I could have done. I made great friends, had a ton of fun, and deepened my relationship with God in a way that I could never have imagined.

So when Marilyn Griffith explained that she and her husband Don would be leading a trip in January '07, it was a no-brainer for me to be a part of the team. Marilyn and Don had visited Liberia and Sierra Leone in January of 2006, and they brought back pictures and stories that brought back to me all the reasons my trip to Ghana was so great. I was hooked!

But as the trip developed, it became clear that the specific mission of this mission team would be, shall we say, outside the realm of my expertise. Most of the folks going on this trip are either doctors, nurses, or construction experts. Sadly, despite the best efforts of my father, my Scoutmasters, and the faculty of Indiana University, I am neither a medical professional nor a construction expert. So I had agreed to the trip but had no idea what role I might play!

So in the past few weeks, Don and Marilyn have done a great job helping me feel like I actually do have something to contribute to the team's work, and I feel like what I'll be doing is significant. I'll get to help with a Children for Peace program in Liberia. And then I'll get to know a bunch of the students and faculty in Jaiama. One of the big, exciting things we'll be working on is a video about what we're supporting in Jaiama: building projects at Jaiama Secondary School, scholarships for the students, and ongoing supply needs.

I'm going over there to hear the story, so I can tell the story. I believe that God has led us all together to do great things through us, and I just feel like it's the right thing to do.

Later this week, Warner Bros. releases Blood Diamond, an action drama starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly. They were on Oprah today, too.

It seems that our trip coincides with a real upturn in awareness of what went on in the 90s and what's going on today in Sierra Leone.

I pray that what we do will complement the efforts of others around the world to tell the story and make things better in partnership with the students, staff, and families of Jaiama Secondary School and the people of the area.

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Days until the 12/14/06 Indy West District Operation Classroom meeting: 10
Days until the 01/02/07 packing party: 29
Days until the 01/04/07 departure: 31

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Fundraising left for me to accomplish: $1,170.00 due December 20

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Immediate tasks that I'm responsible for:

• Secure a borrowed video camera
• Create songbooks for the trip
• Figure out a Children For Peace program with Jan (including, apparently, the fine art of balloon-animal-making)

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In a few days, the challenge of packing and unpacking and repacking will begin. Figuring out how to get the suitcase as close to 50 pounds without going over is like some Alice-In-Wonderland-on-The-Price-Is-Right nightmare. I'm glad I've got the rest of the team to lend some support and guidance as we navigate that process!

My preparation for the Africa trip continues...hard to believe that a month from now we'll be up-all-night preparing for the trip. The clock at the top of the page just keeps ticking away! I give thanks to God that our flight leaves Indy at 1:30ish in the afternoon on our departure day (Jaunary 4th) so we don't have to be at the airport until 10:30 or so! This means I might actually get some sleep the night before!

One of the books I've been reading to prepare is a book called Blood Diamonds, by Greg Campbell. It tells the story of the diamond trade and the events and ideas that led up to the conflict in Sierra Leone. It is at times horrifying, but it gives great insights into the history and culture that have led to the situation we'll encounter on our trip.

The area of Sierra Leone we'll be visiting is pretty much right in the middle of the diamond mining area of the country. There's a lot riding on the success of Jaiama Secondary School, which was virtually obliterated during the years of conflict. If the school is able to rebuild and get back to its prior capacity (and contribute to the tradition which led to the area being known as "The Athens of West Africa"), then word -- and hope -- will spread like wildfire all around Sierra Leone. Jaiama is kind of the "If they can make it work there, we can make it work anywhere" proving ground -- and I, for one, am excited about the opportunity God has placed before us to rebuild hope there, so hope can be rebuilt all over the country.

FUNDRAISING UPDATE: I've got about $1,170 to go, and a short time to get there. Final payments are due on December 20, so I hope you'll forgive any second (or third!) requests that I may have made...this trip is hugely important to me, and I'm going to work my butt off to make it happen! I love you and thank God for the opportunity that you can help provide for me and for the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Thanks for asking -- great question. There are three ways you can participate:

• First, pray for the team's safe and meaningful trip. This is the single most important thing you can do! Zap me an e-mail (sssemester@yahoo.com) or leave a note in the comments section if you'd like a list of the folks going on our trip.

• Second, if you haven't had a chance to consider a financial donation to the mission, now's the time! As of right now, I'm still responsible for raising about $1,200 -- so any gift from $10 to $1,000 will be appreciated! Either track me down and put some cash in my hot little hand, or send a check. (If you want to write a check, make it out to St. Luke's UMC, put West Africa '07 on the memo line, stick it in an envelope with a note that it's for my participation on the work team, and mail it to: St. Luke's World Missions, 100 W. 86th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46260.)

• Third, keep checking back here for updates and information about our trip before, maybe during, and certainly after.

I thank God for your interest in this program and our mission. I pray for your health and safety and for the success of our team's visit to Sierra Leone and Liberia in January 2007!

It's time to play ... WHERE'S! THAT! COUNTRY!!!???

Sierra Leone and Liberia are on the West African hump -- kind of the western "shoulder" of Africa. If you look at the African bulge (western side of the northern half) and follow it from the bottom (southern) coast of the bulge west, Liberia is the country on the corner where the south coast turns north, and Sierra Leone is the country immediately north of that.

With more information straight from the CIA's handy World Factbook for those of us who are new to West African geography, here are the basics on where we're going and the situation we expect to encounter...

LIBERIA (January 4 to January 11 or so)

History: Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE assassinated President William TOLBERT (1971-80) and ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule followed by a prolonged civil war, in which DOE himself was killed. In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of intermittent fighting and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF to power.

Size: Slightly larger than Tennessee

Population: About 3 million

Religious Orientation: 40% Christian, 40% Muslim, 20% Traditional/Animist

Official Language: English

Where We'll Be: Monrovia, the capital. Ganta, way up-country past Gbarnga.


SIERRA LEONE (January 11 or so to January 23)

History: The government is slowly reestablishing its authority after the 1991 to 2002 civil war that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The last UN peacekeepers withdrew in December 2005, leaving full responsibility for security with domestic forces, but a new civilian UN office remains to support the government. Mounting tensions related to planned 2007 elections, deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present challenges to continuing progress in Sierra Leone's stability.

Size: Slightly smaller than South Carolina

Population: About 6 million

Religious Orientation: 60% Muslim, 30% Traditional/Animist, 10% Christian

Official Language: English

Where We'll Be: Freetown, the capital. Jaiama, way up-country near Koidu.

The Hull Freedom Trail is an initiative of the City of Hull in the UK. They'll be travelling to Sierra Leone, arriving in March, to deliver five 4x4 SUVs to give to NGOs working in the West African country.

This video shows what I'm guessing is the worst of the worst of Freetown: children living in a dump. I'm not sure what we'll experience when we get over there in a few weeks, but I have faith that God will show us what we need to see so that we can help others see.

From my other blog on November 18:

The trip to West Africa (Liberia and Sierra Leone) is about six weeks away!

We had another great orientation meeting last night, and we're down to the nitty gritty. Making serious plans about who's in charge of the suitcases, who's in charge of lunch or devotions on which day, etc. We're having a "packing party" on January 2, and then we're off to Liberia on January 4! We'll make it to Sierra Leone about a week later.

I'm going to be the music leader for the trip, which will entail brushing up on guitar and creating a songbook for our team to use. I'm also going to be interviewing a lot of students and faculty at the remote school where we're going, so we can come back and tell the story to other United Methodist churches in our district (about 60 churches between Indy and Terre Haute). We hope to be able to support the scholarships, supply needs, and capital projects for the 400 students at Jaiama Secondary School, which is in the Middle of Nowhere, Sierra Leone.

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From my other blog on October 26:

Planning for the Africa trip is in full-swing.

Looks like I'll be bumped up from second-string story-teller into the big leagues, now that our dear friend Rosemary Brown is unable to join us for the trip. I talked with Don and Marilyn yesterday and learned more about what I, specifically, will be doing to contribute to the mission of the group.

In addition to helping with the children's peace activities in Liberia, I'll be working in Sierra Leone to learn about the needs of our friends in Jaiama, so I can come back and share their struggles and their joys. You know, so many of the others on the work team have actual skills (medical/pharmacy training, construction background, counseling experience, etc.), and I felt intimidated that I don't have any real-time applicable skills to speak of that might translate into an effective contribution over there. Now, I'm really excited about the opportunity to use the gifts that God gave me to communicate the need by articulating a clear vision and enrolling individuals and families to help us realize that vision.

I've still got about $1,800 to raise, but I'm doing my part and trusting God with the heavy lifting to get me over there. (Insert self-deprecating "heavy lifting" joke here.)

My prayer is that God will allow us to see how we can work together in loving support to reach our shared and individual dreams for the future. I am grateful for opportunities and friendships that have powered me into the place where I am today, and I continue to give thanks as I seek out new opportunities and friendships to advance my personal mission and to realize God's purpose for me.Amen