Getting Ready for Sierra Leone.....Again

Wow, it's already halfway through February and less then 4 weeks until I go back to Sierra Leone again.......time is just flying by!

I'm going over to Freetown again on 15th March. Joining me on the Mission Direct in-country staff team will be Brian who I worked with over there at the end of last year and Tina, a new addition to the team. We'll have a week to settle in and get prepared for the 1st team who will arrive on 22nd March. During the time we're there we'll host 4 teams of volunteers who will each join us for just under two weeks. I will be staying in SL until the middle of June.

The next couple of week are prety much taken up with me getting ready for my trip. I can't remember which clothes I packed away and which I gave away just before I left Freetown in December - so I don't know what I need to buy clothes wise. I'm going to have a shopping day one day next week to try and get my clothes shopping done all on one go.

I've signed up for Weightwatchers Online who are giving a free two week trial at the moment. I lost a lot of weight with weightwatchers a few years back, so I know that it works. I'm hoping to lose about half a stone or so before I go away, which should be do-able in 4 weeks. I've put on weight since I left SL in December so I am bracing myself for the comments I'll get from our partners there: 'oh, haven't you got fat - you're even bigger than last time!!'. If I can lose a few pounds before I go I might not get quite so many comments!

The main project that we'll be working on during this outreach will be building the new centre for the City of Rest in Grafton. The City of Rest is a residential centre for people with drug/alcohol abuse issues or mental health problems. The teams in November started work on the site by helping to clear the land and making blocks for the perimeter wall.

Also posted at minklemar.com