February 1, 2012

This has been a very busy few days since our arrival in Kamakwie last Thursday evening. Bud, Jack & Karen headed for Freetown early Sunday morning to meet the new med students and instructor coming from WVU for one month. Because the car was in Freetown, I chose not to go to church since I would have to walk (Actually, Bud told me in no uncertain terms, NOT to go!  Glad to have him looking out for me.)  I stayed here and had my own little worship service which was fine. 

Have had some challenges getting kerosene refrigerator to work properly, toilet to flush, etc. (just all part of life in Sierra Leone J). Currently everything seems to be working well, and I have been able to hire someone to help with cooking, cleaning, and laundry. No, I do not have all this assistance in the U.S.; however, one must go to the market daily to purchase meat, etc., clothing is all washed by hand, and cleaning is another whole adventure! Therefore, I am very grateful to have this help which frees me to study and prepare for the Nursing Assistant class I start next week.

While down at the hospital this morning, I was with the team making rounds and one of the patients was told she must have a below-the-knee amputation. You can imagine how much shock and grieving goes with that kind of announcement. I was able to pray with the lady and make arrangements for the chaplain to visit her.

Bud, Jack & Karen are returned from Freetown last evening…they are exhausted, however, they were able to purchase the things that were needed. 

FYI, our camera was stolen somewhere on the trip from the airport to the hotel on our night of arrival. We weren't sure until Bud went back to Freetown and checked all the places it could possibly have been left. We are sad about that but hope that some folks coming out in February can bring us another one...it just seems wrong to be in Sierra Leone without a camera!!

We finished selecting the applicants for the NA Program this morning, and this afternoon I met with the RN’s at the hospital to get their perspective on things that need to be taught in the program.  Meredith Thornton, an RN who is here on short term will be helping with the program, so that is a blessing. It is delightful to work with Brimah Samura, RN and Coordinator of the Wesleyan Health Care Facilities in Sierra Leone. He went to Kamakwie Primary and Secondary School, and with the guidance and nurturing of one of the missionary couples, he is functioning very effectively in his current position. Thank God for His faithfulness.

Till later! 

Blog # 1 - Sierra Leone Saturday, January 28, 2012

This has been quite an eventful week since we arrived at Indianapolis about 10:00 am on Tuesday morning. It was a relief to check all the baggage and not be charged any overages. The flights were essentially as smooth as they can be on a long flight; they are always tiring but we experienced no problems for which we thank God.  We arrived in Freetown on Wednesday evening and finally arrived at the Guest House about 1:30 am. It felt very good to stretch out and sleep. We got some money exchanged on Thursday and did a minimal amount of grocery shopping in Makeni. The road from Freetown to Makeni is all paved; however, the road from Makeni is extremely rough. I can’t think of a road in the U.S. that is comparable. One is totally “all shook up” upon arrival in Kamakwie. We all welcomed a nice meal at the home of Tom & Karen Asher when we arrived and then on to bed in our home for the next six months.

In London, we met Jack & Carolyn Dillon from Michigan who will be in Kamakwie for a couple weeks. Jack will be helping Bud with the electrical work and water pumps trying to determine which problem needs to be tackled first. They will head back to Freetown tomorrow afternoon with Dr. Karen Asher to purchase further equipment needed to make the necessary repairs. Karen will be meeting four 4^th year medical students and their instructor who will spend a couple months a Kamakwie Wesleyan Hospital (KWH).

Karen took Carolyn and me shopping in Kamakwie this morning and introduced us to several of the shop keepers primarily so we can see what’s available here and to know which shopkeeper carries which items. It also helps me know which items must be purchased in Freetown so I can keep a running list for when someone goes to Freetown.  Bud is going with a list of groceries and household items to purchase while he is there.

Pray that Bud will recognize his limitations as he works outside in this heat all day each day. It involves a lot of walking over rough terrain. He does come home at lunch and rests about one hour. This is theoretically the cool season, and it does cool down a lot at night which makes for very nice sleeping; however, it still gets quite hot during the day.

I have not been down to the hospital yet since I am trying to get cupboards cleaned, etc. to “set up housekeeping”. Hope to have that completed before I head for the hospital on Monday morning. I have been able to empty all the suitcases and get our personal items organized and placed in their “homes”. It’s good to get that completed!

It’s been fun to start getting acquainted with Jenny & Katelyn the 3^rd year med students, and Lorena, a newly graduated teacher who has also been living in this house. Bethany is a nurse who will be here about 3 more years, and I have talked to her quite a bit. She spent a couple terms in Zambia working at Jembo and Zimba, so it was fun to talk to her. Meredith is a nurse who graduated from IWU last April, so it was fun to finally meet her…I hope to get to know her much better in the weeks following. Emily is another nurse whom I have just met and will get to know better also.  We will be feeding the teacher, med students and instructor 2 – 3 evenings per week, so I am hoping to be able to hire someone to cook for us fairly quickly since I will be at the hospital all day most days. However, we will enjoy having the guests for dinner and it will give Tom & Karen a break.

We thank God for His leadership and provisions as we begin this journey.