John 14:6

'Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'

John 14:6 NIV

This bible verse means a lot to me, it is the verse that led to to Christ.

Years ago I was on a train going through London when I saw the words "I am the way and the truth and the life" emblazoned across a building.  The words stayed with me and when I had the chance I looked them up........then forgot about them.

A month or so later it was Easter and the film Jesus of Nazerath was on TV, I heard those words again "I am the way and the truth and the life"

I started an Alpha course and I think it's during the first session on the video I heard Nicky Gumbel quoting "I am the way and the truth and the life"

Why did I keep seeing and hearing this, what did it even mean? It was popping up all over the place. It kept hearing it in my head, finding it on my mind.

Anyway, the long and short of it is, that hearing it on that day at the Alpha course made me decide that I would really give Alpha my best shot. That night I went home and started reading the New Testament,  I finished reading it the week the Alpha course finished......by which time I was ready to give my life to Christ.

"I am the way and the truth and the life" those words mean so much to me........funny thing is whenever I've been on a train in London since then I've looked out for that building with those special words.....I've never seen it again.  Did I imagine it? Has it been removed?  Was it there just for me to see? Who knows.......but I do know that those words have changed my life.

Being in the UK

I've been back in the UK for two weeks now and it's not been an easy transition.  I feel guilty for leaving my Sierra Leone family behind.  A lot of people have commented that I must have been pleased or relieved to get out of Sierra Leone.....well no, I'm not, I feel terrible about it.

I'm still shocked that there were no checks or information given when I came from Sierra Leone first to Belgium, then onto the UK. The flight was full, and any one of us passengers on that flight could have been exposed to Ebola, any of us could start having symptoma and be spreading the disease.

I will get the all clear from Ebola on 1st October. I'm not particularly worried as I'm quite confident that I wasn't exposed to the virus, but even so when I feel a bit hot, or get a headache the first though that comes to mind is that it could be ebola.  It is always with me in the back of my mind, like a black cloud looming on the horizon.

I'm still avoiding touching people. When I pay or take change in a shop I try to do so in a way that avoids touching the hand of the other person. I avoid brushing past people in the street or in queues. It is good not to have to be washing my hands all the time and I no longer smell of chlorine or dettol but I kind of miss that!

The three day lockdown helped to identify many new cases of Ebola and since then Port Loko, Bombali and Moyamba districts have been isolated because of the surge in cases. Other hotspots have been quarantined. 

While I'm in the UK the best thing I can do is raise awareness about the situation in Sierra Leone and continue to collect donations for rice for families to help them get through this crisis. Donations can be made using the DONATE button at the top of this page, please consider giving £13 for a 25kg bag of rice.

I travelled back to the UK to attend a family wedding,  but unfortunately they felt that having me there would be a risk to other wedding guests so I wasn't able to go. My husband took me away that weekend to Torquay to cheer me up and we had a lovely time, so we returned again the following weekend.  This weekend we are going to stay in a B&B in Buckfastleigh and we are planning to spend our time geocaching on Dartmoor. It sounds like the food at the B&B is going to be great, so I'm defiantly looking forward to that. 

Buckfast Abbey

The past two weekends we have visited Buckfast Abbey, a place where I feel great peace.  I'm looking forward to staying so close to Buckfast Abbey this weekend and to attend a service there. 

We don't get much opportunity to take holidays, so we've decided that when I'm in the UK we'll get away for weekend breaks as often as possible.

I have setup office in my husband's showroom so that I don't have to work from home. It works well and means that we get to see more of each other while I'm here.

Obai

I'm in daily contact with Sierra Leone. Unfortunately Obai wasn't able to keep his hospital appointment for his eye because the hospital was closed after a patient tested positive for Ebola. A nurse friend is going to keep an eye on him and if it starts to get worse again she'll get more medication for him.

When his grandmother died Obai had to leave the home that he'd shared with her. For now he's staying with another family in the same area.  I'm hoping this will work out and turn into a long term solution. His mother is alive but unfortunately it's not possible for him to live with her. He misses his grandmother terribly.

Please keep Obai and the people of Sierra Leone in your prayers

James 5:12

'But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation'

James 5:12 NIV

It's never fails to amaze me when someone will ask me for something, then the next time I see them they'll remind me that I promised to do whatever it was they asked for.........I know that can't be true because I don't make promises........as it says in James I let my yes be yes or my no be no.

People who know me well know that I don't make promises. If someone asks for something and I am able to help, just saying yes is enough, there is no need for promises.

Lockdown & Rice

Rice Delivery

By time the lock down in Sierra Leone started on Friday the 19th of September 2014 we had purchased and delivered 135 bags of rice, that's a total of 3375 kilograms of rice!

The day before the lockdown the price of food increased dramatically, by evening time some items were seven times their usual price. The streets were crowded with people trying to stock up on food for the lockdown.

During the lockdown 92 dead bodies were discovered and a number of new cases of Ebola were identified.  More than 20,000 people made up small teams to carry out the house to house visits.  The teams educated households about Ebola and each household was given a bar of soap and a sticker to show they had been visited.

Thank heavens the lockdown was peaceful.

The staff at the Waterloo Hospital were released from quarantine on 17th September, but only had one day of freedom before the lockdown started. They are waiting to hear when they will be allowed to reopen the hospital. 

The need for rice is still very much apparent so I will carry on taking donations for rice and providing them to the families that need them most.  If you would like to make a donation to purchase rice you can use the donation button at the top of this page or contact me for alternative ways to donate. If you use the PayPal button to make a donation there is no charge if you send it via your PayPal account,  if you use the option to donate by credit or debit card the charge is 3.4% + 20p.



Sticker Showing Household Has Been Visited by Ose to Ose Team



Galations 6:9

'Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up'

Galatians 6:9 NIV

For various reasons I have been having quite a difficult time since I returned to the UK from Sierra Leone.......to the point that a couple of days ago I found myself wondering why I bother.  At just the right time I was given this verse. It reminded me that I am not doing this for myself, nor even for the people I work with......I am doing this because I believe it is what God wants me to do. I will continue to try to help the families that I work with in Sierra Leone and I will return to Sierra Leone as soon as I am able.

I will not give up.