Freecall Update

Back in May I posted about a poorly baby called Freecall (click here to see that post).

If we are friends on Facebook you might know that the Aunty who looks after Freecall was evicted from where they were living a few weeks ago when her landlord repossessed their place and knocked it down to make way for another building. This left Aunty, her daughter, and Freecall with nowhere to go and they ended up staying temporarily in an unfinished building with a leaky rook in the height of the rainy season! All of their belongings got soaked and Aunty was scared that Freecall would get sick again in that environment. Fortunately, through the generosity of kind friends, we were able to help them rent a room to live in.

I saw Freecall and her Aunty today – she is looking good! She’s put on weight since I last saw her and is much more alert and interested in what’s going on around her (she was especially interested in trying to eat the cross I wear!!). She has a bit of a cough, but apart from that she seems fine.

She’s seems happy and contented – and I loved spending the afternoon with her.

Baby Freecall



Freecall having malaria treatment

This is baby Freecall. She’s an orphan, her Dad died of Ebola and and her Mum died giving birth to her. She is around 9 months old but is the size of a 2 month old – she’s tiny.

She is being bought up by her aunt who is struggling to provide food for her. I recently put an appeal on facebook for financial help to provide formula for her and through the generosity of friends we are now able to get the food she needs. Unfortunately though, she was already malnourished and has recently been suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea and has lost the little bit of weight she had. Her Aunt bought her to see us last week and we took her to the Adventist hospital at Waterloo to be looked after by our great friend, Dr Koroma.

When the doctor saw her he admitted her straight away and diagnosed malnutrition and malaria - she was also starting to have convulsions and was very sick. She’s been at the hospital for almost a week and is has vastly improved since she’s been there. To start with she was very lethargic and hardly had the energy to cry…….now she is as bright as a button, very aware and hollers when she needs attention! She loves to be cuddled and doesn’t like to be put down. She is still having trouble keeping her food down and the doctor is investigating the cause of that.



Looking Brighter!

When I first met Freecall her aunt came to me to give her to me as she just couldn’t manage to provide for her. I can’t take her, I know virtually nothing about babies and I come and go to England regularly……it just wouldn’t be fair to her. Her aunt loves her and wants to take care of her and now that we are able to help with formula and her other needs she is happy to provide the maternal care that she needs.

Please, if you can, pray for this little one and send good thoughts and blessings her way – she’s had a tough start in life but with help we can give her a brighter future.

If you would like to give financially towards her medical bills please get in touch.

RIP Little One

I started writing this in December on the day that we lost Marwen, but I just couldn't write it and I've just found it in my draft posts folder........

 

(The photo here was taken two weeks before he died)

Early afternoon on 10th December 2015 our lovely boy Marwen passed away at home.

I went to see him at home to see how he was doing and desperately hoping that his Dad was over exaggerating how bad his condition had become.

His Dad wasn't exaggerating - Marwen was semi conscious, moaning in pain and his breathing was laboured. We talked about taking him to the hospital which was about a 15 minute drive away, but his Dad didn't want to move him. We tried to get a nurse or doctor to come to the house to give him some pain relief but that wasn't possible either.

I sat with the family all afternoon and at some point we realised that Marwen wasn't moaning anymore although his breathing was still laboured. He didn't wake up.......he never woke up again.

He slowly slipped away in our arms that afternoon.

I stayed with his tiny body while the family called 117 (the number that all deaths had to be reported to at that time) and made arrangements for his burial.

Less thank two hours after he died he was buried.

I'm heartbroken at the loss of this precious boy and I'm angry at the waste of a life that might possibly have been saved if treatment for him had been available here in Sierra Leone.



Marwan Update

After more than 10 trips to the hospital with Marwan and with still no treatment on the horizon, and the cancer getting bigger and bigger we took him to a priest locally who we had heard has sent children with similar problems abroad for treatment. We had to get a letter of referral from the hospital where he had been seen so the priest could send that and Marwan's scans to a hospital in Ghana to see if they will agree to treat him.

 

We have to see the priest again tomorrow to find out if he's heard back from the hospital in Ghana yet and if we get the go ahead then we'll have to move as quickly as possible to arrange passports and flights for Marwan and his Dad.

 

I've been very disillusioned......the staff at the hospital here just didn't care......the nurse who reluctantly changed his dressing was so rough with him and caused much more pain than was necessary. The doctor was much too important to give us any time and just kept sending us for test after test after test rather than just admit that he either wasn't able or wasn't willing to operate on the boy. (This is NOT the AHS Hospital at Waterloo that I usually go to - if Dr Koroma could have helped he would have).

 

I feel really sorry for the boy's Dad too - Marwan is all he has......he had a teenage son who sadly died earlier this year....and now he's having to deal with this.....I don't know how he'll cope if he loses Marwan too.

 

I spent some time with Marwan today and he seemed more perky than the last time I saw him - he's obviously very scared and in a lot of pain, but I had a wonderful cuddle with him and although he didn't talk to me he nodded or shook his head to answer my questions. He's a beautiful, wonderful little boy and I feel so sad for him.

I'm praying for him, please join me if you can......
I'm praying for a miracle for him
I'm praying he'll be cured
I'm praying we'll get good news from Ghana
I'm praying he'll be free of pain
I'm praying he'll get to go to school
I'm praying he'll grow up and have a family
I'm praying he won't die

Pneumonia, Cuddles and Cakes

I seem to have had a very full day today........

 

Yesterday I saw my friend Susan, the head mistress of the Hosetta Abdullah school for children with special needs.......I'd last seen her at the beginning of October just before I went to the UK for a few weeks, at that time she had been poorly for a while with a bad chest. When I saw her yesterday I was shocked by just how ill she was so I picked her up this morning and took her to the AHS Hospital at Waterloo today for my friend Dr Koroma to check her over. Dr diagnosed severe pneumonia and has admitted her. She didn't really want to be admitted but Dr Koroma insisted......and you don't argue with Dr Koroma!

 

We arranged to meet Marwan, our boy with the poorly eye, at the hospital with his father as they live nearby. I got to spend some time with Marwan without him having to be stressed by having his eye examined, or the dressing changed, or be poked or prodded. I still haven't heard him say a single word.....but I did get to enjoy a lovely cuddle when he overcame his shyness and decided to come and sit with me. He was wearing the pyjamas I bought him from the UK for him - I got them so he has something to wear if he's admitted to hospital, he looks so cute in them. Tomorrow I should  find out if it's going to be possible to send him to Ghana to get him treated.

 

I'm praying, praying and praying some more for healing for this lovely, lovely boy. As we left the hospital - me to go to my home and Marwan and his Dad to go to theirs - he waved me off and gave me a big smile - it was the first time I've seen him smile. I love that little boy.

 

Aunty (the lady who comes each day to cook for the compound) had the day off today, so my Sierra Leone family and I all sat out in the garden and chatted while they prepared the food and I made omelettes to keep us going. It was wonderful just not to have to be anywhere and to have the time to sit and enjoy each other's company.

 

After years of being in Sierra Leone I have finally purchased an oven! Until now I've got by with 2 ring gas burner - I'm the only one who cooks inside, Aunty and the others cook on a charcoal burner outside. I tested it out for the first time today, first with the omelettes which went down very well.......then I made some corn muffins, which look a lot better than they tasted.

I've decided that I'm going to try to reinstate a tradition my Mum had and cook cakes each Sunday when possible and share them with whoever happens to be around.

A Troubled Soul

I'm worried about a young man I know, he's had a very hard life up til now and I can't imagine what the future holds for him.

He ran away from home when he was aroud 7 years old and ended up at the ferry port where he carried peoples bags to earn some money. He would sleep on empty market stalls or in cars. He supplemented the money he earned carrying bags by pick pocketing on the ferry.

I first met him about seven years ago in 2008 - when he was probably around 12 years old. It's hard to tell his age as until the last couple of years he was always quite small and his mother can't remember when he was born.

I would always see him when I went to the airport to drop off or meet teams and I liked him. He was good company and we would chat while I was waiting for the ferry. I offered to help him get back into school and he seemed keen, but then he just disappeared.........his friends when I saw them were always full of his escapades, but I didn't see him again for a couple of years until.....

.....one day in 2011 I was walking through Kroo Bay when I heard someone call my name - it was my young friend. He had a big open wound on his head, one arm was swollen, bent and obviously broken - the other arm was attached to a police man. He was obviously in some kind of trouble, but was being taken for medical treatment. It was a very rushed meeting as the policeman wasn't much in the mood for chatting, but I told the boy I'd try to find him.

It took me a few weeks but I found out that he was being held at DEMS the children's prison. I got a lawyer for him and when the case went to court (he was accused of stealing a phone) it was dismissed.

I got to know the boy better and learned more about his past. He agreed to go to live at the Nehemiah boys home....but was only there a couple of months before he ran away.

He's had numerous small police cases over the years, then a couple of years ago he was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy (handling stolen goods). He was taken to the adult prison at Port Loco where he spent 8 months as a remand prisoner. When the case eventually went to court it was dismissed.

I visited him a few times while he was in prison, he was quite ill while he was there, I was hopeful the shock of adult prison would be enough for him to turn over a new leaf when he was released but he still keeps getting into trouble.

Twice this year he has spent time in the cells, once for fighting and once accused of theft.
Just this week he borrowed a friends motorbike and had an accident, luckily he's not badly injured but unfortunately he doesn't have a driving license so he's wanted by the police again now.

Aside from all the trouble he's been in he has a wonderful heart - he is so good with disabled children and not afraid of them the way that so many people are - he talks to them, plays with them and comforts them if they are sick. He's respectful to older people and he's fiercely protective of me. I see such promise in him, and it makes me so sad that other people just see him as a wannabe gangster and a troublemaker, when I know he can be so much more.

He's told me he wants to join the army - so I will look into that for him. I am out of other options for him for now and I really don't know the best way to help him. I do know that unless there is a change in his life he will end up either back in prison again or dead.

My Lovely Kids

I'm aware that my posts recently have been full of sadness and I don't want people thinking it's all doom and gloom here, so I thought I'd make a post about the kids I work with.

 

I borrow a school classroom in the afternoons to use as an office - most days I'll have anywhere between 2 and 40 of the kids come to visit me......I call them kids but some of them are young adults now!

 

They come because:

...they are sponsored students and need to discuss their schooling

...they don't have a sponsor and want me to find a sponsor for them

...there is a major (in their eyes) problem in their life and they think I can help solve it

...they are hungry and they know I always share lunch

...they don't have anywhere else to be

...they just want to come and spend time with me (my favourite reason!!)

...the list goes on and on

 

Some of these kids I've known for almost 10 years now, many of the younger ones I remember as newborns. We are comfortable with each other, if I'm busy they just come in and make themselves comfortable, chatting with the others, reading, playing, studying. When I'm not so busy we'll talk about anything and everything.....laughing, joking, putting the world to rights....I usually talk in English, and they talk in Krio so we can both improve our understanding of the other's language. If they are discussing something they really don't want me to know about they will speak in their tribal language if they share the same language.

 

At some point during the day I'll ask one of my visitors to go and buy some bread, usually 15 loaves, and we'll share a tin of luncheon meet amongst the bread and share it out with whoever has dropped by. We make up drinks of flavoured water and share them as well. What really impresses me is if there are any latecomers someone will immediately break their bread in half and share it and someone else will share their drink.

 

Today, one of the young men must've thought the place was looking a bit messy because he took himself off, found a broom and swept the whole classroom -- I didn't ask him to, he just thought it needed doing and so did it.

 

If one of them has a problem their friends will always speak up on their behalf and try to help them.

 

I love spending time with these young people, they are always (well, usually) polite, helpful, funny and kind, and I'm blessed to know them and be able to be part of their lives. They aren't the reason I came to Sierra Leone the first time, but they are the reason I am still here now. They are the reason we founded Transform Salone.

Me with a few of my lovely kids!!

How It All Started

When I first started coming to Sierra Leone I helped a few of the kids by paying for their school fees, buying them bags and getting uniforms made for them......then a few more kids came along......and then more. It got to the point where I was helping with the schooling of 11 children and the number seemed sure to grow. I realised I needed help and had the idea of a sponsorship scheme.

 

The one thing I got asked for more than anything else was to help children with their schooling......and many of the volunteers who came on two week mission trips with the charity I was with at the time (Mission Direct) wanted to help the children they met - so, with the support of my Regional Director at Mission Direct, I started an education sponsorship scheme. It grew and grew and took more and more of my time until I decided it was time to leave Mission Direct to focus on the sponsorship scheme.........that's when Transform Salone was born. Since setting up Transform Salone we have expanded the sponsorship scheme to include vocational training for young adults and school leavers.

The first four boys that I started helping are all still in the scheme, three of them are now in senior school. The other boy dropped out of the scheme for a couple of years due to family problems, but he restarted in primary school earlier this year.

We now have over 70 students who are fully sponsored for their basic education or vocational training. If it hadn't been for the boys (I should really say young men) in the photos below I doubt any of it would have happened.

 

Here are the first four boys I started helping all those years ago:

 

And here they are now!

 

These four boys are fortunate to be sponsored for their education, but I know many, many other children and young adults who desperately need assistance to allow them to continue in school or progress onto vocational training. If you would be interested in sponsoring the education of a child or young adult please get in touch by following this email link and I'll send you some more details about the scheme.

Popped Out For Sugar

I was chatting to one of our sponsored boys the other day about his family life, working out who was related to who in which way.......

 

.....he has a younger 'brother' who is really his nephew.......

 

I've known the nephew since his Granny (our boy's mother) bought him to me when he was sick as a baby. He was really very poorly and for a while we weren't sure he would make it - I'm happy to say he's as strong as an ox now and in the third year of primary school.

 

Anyway, I asked about the nephew's mother - I've never met her and I was wondered what had happened to her. It turns out she disappeared when he was sick, around the time I first met him, she said she was going out to buy sugar one day and just never came back - none of the family have seen or heard from her since.

 

It sounds like an old joke doesn't it? But it's not....it's really sad. Another boy in the family was taunting him one day, saying "I've got a mother, where is yours?", so he went and asked his Granny who his mother was......she told him that she's his mother now.

Life Isn't Easy For 'H'

One of our sponsored girls came to see me a couple of days ago......I'll call her 'H' here.

 

I've been chasing up the students that need to write letters to their sponsors. H came to see me at work and after the usual greetings I told her I needed her to write a letter for her sponsor - she started crying and said she couldn't do it......

 

I know that H hasn't had an easy life, she was abandoned by her mother when she was young and her father isn't really interested in his children - when she lived with her father she had to do all the work in the home and cared for her younger siblings from when she was very young herself.  For the last few years H has been living with her friend's family - but over the past few months she has been made to work for the family more and more. She had to do most of the work in the house as well as go out selling water and when she was in the home they had started to be unkind to her. Her friend's mother had made it clear that she didn't want H living with them anymore, until eventually a couple of weeks ago she threw her out.

 

H had nowhere to go - some nights she was able to stay with a friend, but some nights she had to sleep on the streets.....which is no place for a vulnerable young lady. She was very scared and very lonely. She told me her heart was hurting too much to write to her sponsor. We wracked our brains trying to think of somewhere she could stay - but there was just no-one who could or would take her in. She couldn't stay on the streets - it would only be a matter of time until she was taken advantage of or abused. She is around 20 years old and a sensible young lady, so I told her to find out how much it would cost for her to rent a room.

 

I'm very happy that we were able to rent a room for her and tonight that's where she will be sleeping! I've told her that unfortunately I can't afford to furnish it for her, but she isn't worried about that - she's just happy that she has somewhere safe to stay. Her plan is that when she is settled that she will have her younger sister come to live with her - her sister is currently staying with another family in their area. I hope and pray this will be a new beginning for H, somewhere she can feel safe, take care of her sister, finish her education and have fresh hope for a bright future.

 

I have always been so impressed with H - despite the difficulties she has had she has always valued her education and worked hard. She is an honest, hardworking, decent girl. She has been one of out top scoring students year after year. Next year will be her final year in school and after that she wants to train to be a nurse.

 

It cost me about £52 to rent the room for her for a year......not a huge amount to most people who will read this blog......but a totally unattainable amount to H.

 

H is going to write a letter to her sponsor this weekend......

Boiling Water - 2 Months Later

After 2 Months

The young boy who fell onto a pot of boiling water back in March is back at school!!

Here is a photo of how his back looks now, compare that to how it was before when it first happened and as it was healing:

 

The day after it happened here: Boiling Water

After 12 days here: Update Boiling Water 

After 3 weeks: Boiling Water Burns - Healing Well

 

As the Ebola situation has vastly improved in the country his family decided that he should return to school and he resumed schooling about 3 weeks ago, he's in Class 5 of primary school. He goes to a school less than 10 minutes walking distance from my house so I'm able to keep a close eye on him. He often pops up to my compound at break time with his friends to see if there is any lunch or biscuits going.

 

Thank you everyone who covered him in prayer and positivity.



The Stages of Healing

 

This and That

This last fortnight has been a funny couple of weeks - schools are supposed to be opening in a few weeks, but many parents don't want their children to go to school until there is no more Ebola......and for the ones that are going back we are waiting on the schools to start enrolments and publish their book lists. I've been checking with the schools every couple of days, because I'm at the point now that I can't do anything else on the sponsorship side of things until we know for sure when the schools will reopen.

The main topic of conversation here at the moment is the Vice President first being expelled from leading party, then going into hiding and requesting asylum from the US Embassy, then being sacked! Who knows where that's going to take us!! There is quite a lot of upset about it all, I just hope and pray that however it is resolved that it will be done peacefully.

A young man that I've been helping for a few years with his schooling is working on a burial team - to say I'm worried about him would be an understatement. Not only is there the danger associated with the job, but he's also being shunned by friends who won't go near him since they found out about his job. Ah, I feel for him. It's such a brave move for someone so young. I an praying that he will remain safe from the virus.

The new Ebola case numbers are still fluctuating daily, it's definitely a lot better than it was in November/December, but it is not over yet. I have seen two burial teams in the last few days collecting corpses - it's such a shocking, scary thing to see.

 

Sierra Leone is to be locked down for 3 days from 27th March, with everyone staying at home. Teams will visit each household in an effort to identify any unreported Ebola cases.

I've stocked up on groceries - Aunty won't be coming during the lockdown so I'll be cooking for myself. The shelves were quite bare by the time I got to the supermarket, but I got some basics......definitely enough to see me through to the end of the lockdown. I swapped my empty cooking gas cylinder for a full one, got plenty of phone credit and topped up on drinking water - I'm all set!!

I'm getting the spare rooms ready in the hope that friends will visit later in year......once we've seen the back of Ebola. When I rented the compound I had at least seven people who were planning to visit, who understandably had to cancel. I fully understand that people are unable to come at the moment, and I think that's sensible......but it has left me with a slight worry about how I'm going to cover the rent when it is due in August. I know that God will provide, but sometimes......when I think too much it does worry me. I have at least four friends who I know will visit as soon as they are able, so I'm getting their rooms ready.

 

I had a nice catch up with Mr Sullay, my former driver - he doesn't change and he always makes me laugh! We've spent so much time together over the last few years that we know each other so well and have grown to be good friends. We had a wonderful time catching up as, although we often talk on the phone, we'd not met up for a few months. One big worry he has at the moment is that he's not working - something that will hopefully change in the near future.

 

If you feel able here are a few thing I'd appreciate prayer for:

• People will cooperate with the lockdown and it may signal the beginning of the end of Ebola
• The schools will reopen only when the time is right in a way that is safe for the students
• The country will remain stable and peaceful as political issues are dealt with
• My worries about the rent for the compound my be eased
• My young friend on the burial team and all those doing this dangerous job - that they will stay safe and not be shunned
• That Mr Sullay will find a job so he can provide for his family

Boiling Water Burns - Healing Well

I could hardly believe my eyes when I went to see how the boy who fell in the boiling water was getting on - he is healing so well! These photos were taken three weeks after he had the accident.

He is still in a bit of pain, but nothing like it was initially. The doctor has continued to visit him at home to change the dressings and clean the wounds and to provide pain killers.

I was so worried that the burns would get infected, but between the doctor and the boy's mother they have done a good job of looking after him.

 

His family have decided to keep him out of school until September when he will be going into Class 5 of Primary school.

Thank you to everyone who has lifted him up in prayer - please pray for his continued recovery

 

Update - Boiling Water

I called in to see Alhaji, the boy who fell in boiling water yesterday. A local doctor has been coming regularly to change his dressings, so the family decided against taking him across town to the hospital to try to get him admitted there.

 

The burns are looking so much better than I expected and the boy himself is in much better spirits and doesn't seem to be in so much pain - although his mum told me he screams the house down when the doctor changes his dressings and he even tried to run away when he saw the doctor coming yesterday!!

 

Alhaji was able to sit with us while I chatted with his parents and he's able to move around much more than he could a week ago. He even walked me part of the way back to my car when I left!

 

Honestly, I'm amazed at how well it is healing - thank  you so much for all the prayers for this young man and please keep them coming!

 

He needs some more medicine - his Mum is going to get the list from the doctor for me tomorrow so I can get what he needs. I'll be seeing him again once I have the medicine he needs and will continue to check on him every couple of days.

A Day of Two Halves

Today has been an interesting day.......

 

The First Half

This morning I was invited to meet some UK medics that have been working in Sierra Leone and talk about why I'm here and what I do here. I was SO nervous, but I think it went well. They were all really nice and a few people were interested in sponsoring students - which is fantastic!!

 

People tell me that I'm brave to come here, but really my risk is minimal and I feel I have to be here with the people that I've grown to love over the years.

The people I met today are amazing, they have chosen to come here, to help rid us of this sickness, possibly putting themselves at risk, to help perfect strangers.......it restored my faith in humanity to meet people so selfless.

 

After my short talk we all had lunch and I had some time to chat and catch up with an old friend that I'd not seen since 2008!!

 

I'm going to help them by distributing aid that they have collected but were unable to share out.

 

The Second Half

This afternoon was a totally different kettle of fish........I went to the house of Alhaji the boy who fell in boiling water over the weekend (click here to see the post about him). The doctor who had promised to visit did come after I'd left yesterday, and was due to return again this morning, but still hadn't arrived by 3pm.

 

Alhaji was pretty much the same as yesterday, still in an enormous amount of pain - but even so, when I arrived  he stood up to say "hello aunty". He wasn't dressed today, but rather had a sheet draped over his shoulders which I think is probably better for him.

 

I decided that it would be better if I went to the hospital first without the boy to see if there was a chance of admitting him, rather than put him through the pain of the journey unnecessarily. When I got to the hospital they told me that it was now an Ebola holding centre. I carried on into town to the big government hospital and found the children's ward - they told me that if we took him there they might be able to admit him.

 

I've also called Doctor Koroma to ask him to advise me what he thinks will be best for the boy - hopefully we'll be able to talk in the morning.

 

I'm hoping that tomorrow we'll be able to either get Alhaji admitted to hospital or work out a way to ensure he gets the treatment he needs at home.

 

On a side note......some things I don't think I'll ever get used to, nor do I want to - when I drove past the mortuary today there was a hearse with a team of people in full PPE unloading a body.........Ebola may be on the wane, but it's still very much here.

Boiling Water

One of our sponsored boys had an accident yesterday, he was visiting his friends and he slipped onto a pan of boiling water. I was visiting near where he lives today and some of the other children came to tell me.

His burns are really bad - his Mum took him to the hospital yesterday and they dressed the burns, but they couldn't admit him as the hospital isn't taking admissions due to Ebola. A doctor had said he would visit them at home today to check on the burns, but up until 4pm he still hadn't arrived and the family can't get through to him on the phone.

 

I'll talk to his Mum tomorrow and if they still haven't been able to contact the doctor I'll take him to the children's hospital and try to get him admitted there.....I think the children's hospital has reopened.

 

I'm worried that if we can't get him admitted to hospital that the burns will become infected - as you can see gauze has been put over the burns but they will get dirty so easily. It's going to cause so much pain to get that gauze off!!

The majority of the burns are on his back, but he also has them on his heads, arms, and bottom.

Please pray that we will be able to get treatment for him, and also that he will heal and be relieved of the enormous pain he is in.

 

 

Romans 15:13

'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit'

Romans 15:13

I love this verse. The first time I went to Sierra Leone I was broken after visiting St George Foundation,  We visited there on the final day of my trip and I had met James and he had touched my heart (James is the boy who died of rabies this year).When I got back to my hotel room that night I couldn't stop crying so I got on my knees and read the bible.  I picked up reading where I had left off the day before and this was what I read. It was just what I needed and as I read it I knew I had to share it with James. I copied this verse out into the front of my bible and left it to be given to James. I though a lot about James after I returned to the UK, and then had a lovely surprise when he called me on my birthday - he'd found my birthday and contact details in the bible I left for him. We stayed in touch from then on until he died.
I believe that God showed me that verse that day to help me through what I was finding a tough time,  and also so that I could share it with James.

On The Ground

On the Ground - isn't that a strange saying? People ask me how are things on the ground and I see news articles from reporters on the ground.......it strikes me as a strange phrase......anyway.....I was lost for a title to this post and thought it would do the job.

 

The appeal for rice to help families through the lockdown is going well - so far I've been able to purchase and deliver 24 bags of rice with the money donated! So many families are being blessed by the rice being purchased with these donations and it will help them so much during this difficult time. Many people here live day to day......the money they earn in a day is used to buy food for the next day, there just isn't any spare to be able to save or stock up. I will continue to collect donations for rice until the crisis here is over.

 

I had two very different experiences in banking institutions this week. First I went to the bank where my account is held to try to sort out internet banking. I had to wash my hands on the way in, but once inside no-one seemed at all concerned about body contact with others - I was pushed, pulled and jostled as I waiting to be seen. When I finally got to the front of the queue I had to ask the lady behind me to back off as she was leaning right over me trapping me against the counter....it wasn't pleasant!!

After this I went to another bank to pick up a Western Union - this place couldn't have been more different. All the staff wore gloves, which is sensible but must get so uncomfortable. The customers were all spaced out and everyone was keeping to their own personal space.

I've had no electricity at home for over a week now, I saw some NPA workers in the area today so hopefully it will be fixed soon. I have a car battery that I use to charge my phones when the power is out, but I used the last of the juice in that three days ago....so I'm writing this camped out at the nearby Hotel 5/10 pinching their electricity.

 

One of the sponsored girls came to see me because she wasn't feeling well. She had been vomiting, she had a high fever, her body was aching - she thought it was malaria, I was scared in case it was Ebola. I wanted her to go to get tested, but she refused, in the end all I cold do was give her some money for medication. Thankfully she has recovered now......it was malaria after all.

 

One of our sponsored boys list his Grandmother recently - she had bought him up and he is devastated. We're trying to find somewhere for him to live as there are people ready to move into the place he shared with his Granny. I'm hoping we can find a nice family for him to live with.

 

The number of  'ebola ambulances' to be heard is increasing, a few go screaming by each day. When the kids are in my office they rush to the door to try to get a glimpse and to see which where they ambulance is going.

 

I think I mentioned in another post that my British Airways flight was cancelled, BA have cancelled all flights to and from Sierra Leone until next year. They were very helpful in the BA office in town and have transferred me onto a Brussels Airlines flight for the same day that I was due to fly with BA.

 

I'm worried....

I'm worried about leaving,

I'm worried how my Salone family will cope with the lockdown.

I'm worried that people will think I am abandoning them

I'm worried that once I leave I may not be able to get a flight to come back

I'm worried in case I'm sat next to someone who is sick on the flight

I'm worried that I might get a high temperature and get detained

I'm worried that when I get back to the UK that people will be scared to be near me

I'm worried that I won't be able to act like everything is normal....when for me at the moment it is anything but

To summarise......I'm worried

I'd appreciate your prayers xx

 

Mohamed's Mum

One of the sponsored boys, Mohamed, got a call telling him his mum had died. He went with his brothers to the village with a white lappa and scent so the body could be readied for burial. When they got to the village his mother was alive, sick but definitely alive!!

 

Can you imagine what this young man must've gone through? The pain of losing his mother, the relief to find her alive, the worry that she's sick......

 

A friend in the UK recently gave some money to be used for medical issues and out of this I was able to pay for the lady to be treated...... I'm praying that she will recover