Ebola Ambulances

There's a new thing in Sierra Leone - the Ebola Ambulance......

 

It used to be that the only time a siren was heard was if a vehicle was carrying a corpse........nowadays if you hear a siren you know it's an Ebola Ambulance

 

It gave me quite a jolt the first time I saw one......the driver and passenger both wearing white hooded suits and masks.......unfortunately now it's become an everyday occurrence.

When  a siren is heard people stop for a second to try to judge how close it is........then say 'Ebola' then carry on with what they were doing. If you happen to be driving and hear a siren you give way quick! I have seen a few parked outside residences, picking up patients or corpses.....they always draw a crowd - who stand and watch the proceedings from what they consider to be a safe distance.

 

During the 2 minutes silence on Remembrance Sunday the only sound to be heard was the Ebola ambulance sirens in the background - it was quite chilling.

Imagine how scary it must be if you or someone you love is sick and one of these ambulances comes - these strange looking people turn up covered head to toe with hooded suits, masks, gloves, goggles. The sick are put in the back of one of these ambulances and whizzed off - that could be the last time the family see the person who is sick if they succumb to the virus.

 

A couple of months ago we might hear one or two of these ambulances a day......now it's many many more - there are more ambulances in the country now - but there is also more Ebola

 

Where I was in the UK recently for a few weeks it took me a while to get used to hearing sirens again without saying to myself "Ebola" 

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace

Where there is hatred, let me sow love

Where there is injury, pardon

Where there is discord, harmony

Where there is error, truth

Where there is doubt, faith

Where there is despair, hope

Where there is darkness, light

And where there is sadness, joy

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console

To be understood as to understand

To be loved as to love

For it is in giving that we receive

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life

This is one of my favourite prayers and I was so pleased to see these words in the program for the Remembrance Day Service in Sierra Leone....I was also very moved when the military band played the music for the hymn 'Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace'

Children of the Blind

These children are all guides for blind family members, their days are spent leading their family member and begging on the streets of Freetown - they don't have the opportunity to go to school because looking after their parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle is a fulltime job.

 

Look at their faces, look at their eyes.....there must be something we can do to help them. Please join me in prayer that the Lord will guide us in finding a way to help them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

** Apologies if you are looking at this one a phone - I just can't get the photos to line up correctly for the mobile version.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"

Jeremiah 29:11

I love this passage, one of the Mission Direct volunteers shared it in devotions way back in 2010 and I've gone back to it many times since then (Thank you J if you are reading!!)

 

I think God every day that the plans He has for me have bought me to Sierra Leone.

 

Rice Distribution for the Blind

We have recently started distributing rice to some of the blind beggars of Freetown. They are really struggling at the moment as most people just don't have any spare money to give to them. They have no way of earning any money and so rely on whatever little is given to them.

 

We started with just a few, but it has grown quite quickly - last Friday we shared rice with 49 of the blind beggars and their families. We had shared out all the rice for the day - 600kg-  with the 48 that turned up, about 5 minutes after sharing the last of the rice a straggler wandered in.......oh dear, we felt so sorry for him but what could we do, all the rice had gone. He went away quite happy with the remains of our compound rice!!

 

We plan to continue with the rice distribution until this crisis is over.

 

If you feel this is something you are able to help with, donations can be made using the donate button at the top of this page.

 

Here are some of our blind friends: