Today we met Sister Clawson at the 7th Day Adventist Hospital to visit with the
American doctor and Sampson the physical therapist. This was our 2nd meeting with
Sampson and Sister Clawson's first. All 3 of us are in awe of this man. We learned that
he has been a therapist for 25 years and has never been associated with a hospital
before. He has always done home visits. So when we asked if he would do home visits
to Brother Doe he was quite accommodating. AND, believe it or not he only lives a few
minutes from the Doe compound. Plus, the American Doctor is willing to do whatever
is necessary to treat Brother Doe. The Lord certainly has had His hand in this.
Everything is coming together so nicely.
Cholena has gone to great lengths to find on-line medical equipment necessary to
stimulate Brother Doe's muscles and has talked to professionals who work with
paraplegics to learn what type of equipment we have to have. She and Gabby are
coming to Africa the first 2 weeks of August to help set up, orchestrate, and train nurses
who will be working for/with Brother doe. He comes home on the 19th!
We attended our first NGO meeting today. We were excited about it. It was
supposedly a meeting where all the NGO's in Sierra Leone get together and share
information on what they are working on so we can all help each other to do the best
possible projects for the African people and not duplicate each other's work. There
were no introductions and we learned later that there were at least 3 new NGO's
represented. The Ministry of Water for Sierra Leone conducted the meeting. I would
guess there were about 8 NGO's represented. The Ministry shared with us their goal
for the next year. One of the NGO's said "this is the same plan you presented last year".
They continued on. After the first woman made her presentation then a man made a
presentation. I was sitting next to the window that had a running generator just
outside of it so I could not hear anything.. I saw Don's body go rigid, he sat at the edge
of his seat and his face was harsh. The gift of discernment kicked in and Don saw
through the façade. After the 2nd presenter spoke two more men made presentations
and then they opened the floor for questions. When they acknowledged Don, he
bolted up. He acknowledge that we were there for the first time and he would like to
have clarification on something the 2nd presenter said. Don then asked if the presenter
was asking the NGO's to pay the salaries of the government employees and just
consider it a management fee. The man became very defensive and he talked until he
wasn't making sense. By this time it had become Chrystal clear to everyone what was
happening. I looked at the faces of the other NGO's and they were all straight with no
expression except one man who was laughing. The meeting ended shortly thereafter.
The man Don went head to head with got up immediately and left the room. Then two
very important NGO's (to us) approached us and want to have lunch so we can talk
about how to help each other. The outcome of the meeting for us was awesome. We
have a couple of projects that just came up that we have no resource for - until now.
Another tender mercy!
On the way back to the Mission Office, Don told me that the 2nd presenter told us that
he sent 2/3 of the staff to China on a "travel trip" and then he proceeded to ask the
NGO's to pay the salaries of the government workers and consider it a management
fee. But the truth was buried in the wording and presentation. This is what riled
Don.
Monday, July 25, 2016
July 5, 2016
This morning we were to pick up the Campbels to take to the Mission Home. Brother
Campbell arrived at our apartment and when asked where his wife was he told us she
would meet us at the junction. (Every intersection here is called a junction). So we
were driving down the road and Don asked Brother Campbell what his wife was
wearing today so we could look for her. His answer was "cloth". Don and I both burst
out laughing. And Don asked him what color her cloth was. His answer was "not green,
not red, not maroon". We again laughed and Don said "in other words, you don't have a
clue what your wife is wearing". Too, funny!
At lunch Don and I have been going outside and sitting on a park bench within the Mission Compound just to get away from the phones and drop-in people and the host of people coming into the Mission Office for business. We were sitting on the bench eating our lunch and I looked over at Don just in time to see a fly fly up his nose. He lurched forward put his head between his knees and he was snorting and blowing trying to get that fly out of his nose. He could not. After several minutes, he decided to pinch his nose and kill the darn thing. He doesn't know what happened to it because he never saw it come out and it did not feel like it was in his sinuses. Oh how we laughed.
At lunch Don and I have been going outside and sitting on a park bench within the Mission Compound just to get away from the phones and drop-in people and the host of people coming into the Mission Office for business. We were sitting on the bench eating our lunch and I looked over at Don just in time to see a fly fly up his nose. He lurched forward put his head between his knees and he was snorting and blowing trying to get that fly out of his nose. He could not. After several minutes, he decided to pinch his nose and kill the darn thing. He doesn't know what happened to it because he never saw it come out and it did not feel like it was in his sinuses. Oh how we laughed.
July 4, 2016
She's a grand ole flag. . . Happy Independence Day! I made red, white, and blue deviled
eggs for the Mission Office. They were a hit. WE are very grateful for the land we love!
Friday, July 8, 2016
July 3, 2016
I made red, white, and blue deviled eggs to take to the mission office tomorrow. Our
4th of July celebration will be "small small" but it will be commemorated. "Small small"
is an African term that means a variety of things but mostly it means Just a little, a little
bit, minor, easy, gentle, slow etc.
I went to church at the PVA today and Don went with the missionaries to Kossoh Town. Don came to pick me up at the PVA and was met by a man who said to him, "We don't want to be like one of the nine lepers who Christ healed. We want to be like the one who came back and thanked Christ for healing him." He then profusely thanked Don for the new roof on his home. The beginning of the rainy season is upon us and he has a dry home. The Church is doing a great work here in Africa. Thank you to all those who contribute to the humanitarian fund.
We had an awesome quote in our Sunday square from the Soden family. It was from Cholena and it reads "Go out and preach the Gospel. If necessary. . . Use words". Neal A. Maxwell.
And Eric asked the question: Do you have air conditioning? Yes, we do have air conditioning. The church takes very good care of us. We have a/c in our apartment (when the generator is on which is only during the times we are home) and we have a/c in our church truck that we drive and when we work in the office at the mission home we have a/c. Being the humanitarian couple, we are out quite a bit, but it sure is nice to get into a vehicle that has a/c. We only have electricity when the generator is on. So the refrigerator and freezer have limited abilities. But, we are so grateful to have a refrigerator. We have a washer and dryer that don't work but we are grateful to have a washer and dryer. We have limited water, but we are so grateful to have water. The rainy season is upon us so the hand-dug wells and boreholes are beginning to recharge.
I went to church at the PVA today and Don went with the missionaries to Kossoh Town. Don came to pick me up at the PVA and was met by a man who said to him, "We don't want to be like one of the nine lepers who Christ healed. We want to be like the one who came back and thanked Christ for healing him." He then profusely thanked Don for the new roof on his home. The beginning of the rainy season is upon us and he has a dry home. The Church is doing a great work here in Africa. Thank you to all those who contribute to the humanitarian fund.
We had an awesome quote in our Sunday square from the Soden family. It was from Cholena and it reads "Go out and preach the Gospel. If necessary. . . Use words". Neal A. Maxwell.
And Eric asked the question: Do you have air conditioning? Yes, we do have air conditioning. The church takes very good care of us. We have a/c in our apartment (when the generator is on which is only during the times we are home) and we have a/c in our church truck that we drive and when we work in the office at the mission home we have a/c. Being the humanitarian couple, we are out quite a bit, but it sure is nice to get into a vehicle that has a/c. We only have electricity when the generator is on. So the refrigerator and freezer have limited abilities. But, we are so grateful to have a refrigerator. We have a washer and dryer that don't work but we are grateful to have a washer and dryer. We have limited water, but we are so grateful to have water. The rainy season is upon us so the hand-dug wells and boreholes are beginning to recharge.
July 2, 2016
I invited the four young men missionaries over for a pancake feed this morning. Oh my
goodness! Did they ever eat. I was given a recipe for German pancakes and I made two
9X13 pans of that and then I made the tried and true "Sister Warnick's Wheat
pancakes". I also scrambled a dozen eggs. Even the two African elders chowed down.
They were definitely full when they left.
We had a fun evening. Today is Geneba's birthday. I made her some cookies "that do not have chocolate" at her request and then took her, Bob, Michaella and Amy the two Doe Children and Amy is Michaella's friend out to eat for chicken and chips. (Chips are French Fries). Don got Michaella to arm wrestle with him and she couldn't even begin to be competition so Amy joined her and the two of them were no competition. But there was a lot of laughter. And that was what was needed. July 2, 2016 - Saturday
We had a fun evening. Today is Geneba's birthday. I made her some cookies "that do not have chocolate" at her request and then took her, Bob, Michaella and Amy the two Doe Children and Amy is Michaella's friend out to eat for chicken and chips. (Chips are French Fries). Don got Michaella to arm wrestle with him and she couldn't even begin to be competition so Amy joined her and the two of them were no competition. But there was a lot of laughter. And that was what was needed. July 2, 2016 - Saturday
July 1, 2016
43 years ago today I was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints. A joyous day!
We went to Lungi today and met with Dr. Sesay at the Bai Bureh Memorial Hospital. Oh what a sweet man he is. He is truly a disciple of Jesus Christ - a very good Christian man. We have all the information we need to put in a project for him. He needs 5 pieces of equipment and we are going to work hard to see that he gets them all or at least the most critical.
It rained all day. When we left the hospital is was raining cats and dogs. We were driving down an asphalted road that was full of huge potholes that were filled with water and you could not tell how deep the potholes were until you were in them, and much of the asphalt was gone on the edges. We came upon a woman with a baby on her back and I exclaimed "oh my goodness that woman has a baby on her back". Don slammed on the brakes and rolled down a window and invited her in. She looked over at us with a look of true distraught on her face. She quickly got into the truck. She had just come from the hospital with her sick baby. We had just eaten our lunch and I had a half a sandwich left and handed it back to her. She fed her baby part of it and she ate a little of it. Brother Vandy was with us and he tried talking to her in Kreo asking her where she lived and would take her home. She responded and I asked Brother Vandy what she said. He laughed and said, "I don't know, she only speaks Timney" (I am not sure I spelled that right). He laughed because I am forever asking Don to tell me what someone (Including Brother Vandy) has said even though they have said it in English. Brother Vandy just realized what I deal with. Anyway, we got close to a market and she asked to "be dropped". She then stuck her hand out and asked for 2,000 Le (.40 cents) for "food and drink". Don gave her 5,000 Leones (.90 cents) and told her for "food, drink, and transportation". She took the money, said "thank you", and got out of the truck in the pouring rain. Brother Vandy said, "she will not get transportation. She will buy food."
When we got home Geneba needed a 50 Lb. bag of rice for the Doe home and Africell (the security guard and handyman for the complex) needed to go and get diesel for the generator. So we loaded them up and went to the street market and got the rice and then on to the gas station to get fuel. The Jui Junction Market was across an extremely busy street from the gas station but I told Geneba I wanted to get her something for her birthday which is tomorrow. I asked her if there was something she would like to have that I could buy for her. She got so excited and said "shoes". So Don took us across the street to the market and Geneba and I went shoe shopping. She found within 10 minutes the shoes she wanted. They cost 15,000 Leones ($2.50). She was thrilled with them. I asked her if there was anything else she would like to have. She said "I haven't had a new dress in many years". That was all I needed to hear. So we went down thru the market and found a tailor who had a huge variety of material. She picked out the material and the tailor is going to make her a dress. The material was 72,000 Leones ($13.00). I also found a piece of material I liked and I will have a dress made, too. When we got back to the compound, Geneba got out of the truck and leaned back in and said, "thank you, I am so thrilled". My heart melted. I did so little, but it was not little to her. We take so much for granted. We are wealthy beyond measure compared to the people of Sierra Leone.
We went to Lungi today and met with Dr. Sesay at the Bai Bureh Memorial Hospital. Oh what a sweet man he is. He is truly a disciple of Jesus Christ - a very good Christian man. We have all the information we need to put in a project for him. He needs 5 pieces of equipment and we are going to work hard to see that he gets them all or at least the most critical.
It rained all day. When we left the hospital is was raining cats and dogs. We were driving down an asphalted road that was full of huge potholes that were filled with water and you could not tell how deep the potholes were until you were in them, and much of the asphalt was gone on the edges. We came upon a woman with a baby on her back and I exclaimed "oh my goodness that woman has a baby on her back". Don slammed on the brakes and rolled down a window and invited her in. She looked over at us with a look of true distraught on her face. She quickly got into the truck. She had just come from the hospital with her sick baby. We had just eaten our lunch and I had a half a sandwich left and handed it back to her. She fed her baby part of it and she ate a little of it. Brother Vandy was with us and he tried talking to her in Kreo asking her where she lived and would take her home. She responded and I asked Brother Vandy what she said. He laughed and said, "I don't know, she only speaks Timney" (I am not sure I spelled that right). He laughed because I am forever asking Don to tell me what someone (Including Brother Vandy) has said even though they have said it in English. Brother Vandy just realized what I deal with. Anyway, we got close to a market and she asked to "be dropped". She then stuck her hand out and asked for 2,000 Le (.40 cents) for "food and drink". Don gave her 5,000 Leones (.90 cents) and told her for "food, drink, and transportation". She took the money, said "thank you", and got out of the truck in the pouring rain. Brother Vandy said, "she will not get transportation. She will buy food."
When we got home Geneba needed a 50 Lb. bag of rice for the Doe home and Africell (the security guard and handyman for the complex) needed to go and get diesel for the generator. So we loaded them up and went to the street market and got the rice and then on to the gas station to get fuel. The Jui Junction Market was across an extremely busy street from the gas station but I told Geneba I wanted to get her something for her birthday which is tomorrow. I asked her if there was something she would like to have that I could buy for her. She got so excited and said "shoes". So Don took us across the street to the market and Geneba and I went shoe shopping. She found within 10 minutes the shoes she wanted. They cost 15,000 Leones ($2.50). She was thrilled with them. I asked her if there was anything else she would like to have. She said "I haven't had a new dress in many years". That was all I needed to hear. So we went down thru the market and found a tailor who had a huge variety of material. She picked out the material and the tailor is going to make her a dress. The material was 72,000 Leones ($13.00). I also found a piece of material I liked and I will have a dress made, too. When we got back to the compound, Geneba got out of the truck and leaned back in and said, "thank you, I am so thrilled". My heart melted. I did so little, but it was not little to her. We take so much for granted. We are wealthy beyond measure compared to the people of Sierra Leone.
June 30, 2016
43 years ago today I was baptized. 43 great years filled with tender mercies from God
and much forgiveness. Such a wonderful blessing.
I got bit by some kind of a bug on my leg and have a huge knot that is bright red. You can see where the bite is. It does not hurt or itch, yet.
Had a good day at the office but Don was so cranky. We have more to do than we can get done and it just catches up to us after a while. We just have to take a deep breath and prioritize. We are going to Lungi tomorrow to get the hospital some equipment and to visit with the Military Base on their trade school idea. They tried to give our transporter their plan but the transporter refused to take it because it did not include the school ideas they wanted for the women. Women are the low man on the totem pole and are not treated well by most men. So for them to want to do something for the women is awesome. June 30, 2016 - Thursday
I got bit by some kind of a bug on my leg and have a huge knot that is bright red. You can see where the bite is. It does not hurt or itch, yet.
Had a good day at the office but Don was so cranky. We have more to do than we can get done and it just catches up to us after a while. We just have to take a deep breath and prioritize. We are going to Lungi tomorrow to get the hospital some equipment and to visit with the Military Base on their trade school idea. They tried to give our transporter their plan but the transporter refused to take it because it did not include the school ideas they wanted for the women. Women are the low man on the totem pole and are not treated well by most men. So for them to want to do something for the women is awesome. June 30, 2016 - Thursday
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