Hey it's Mike! Since Chelsea and I are here together in SL we figured we needed a new blog with a different name. So here it is:
www.mikeandchelsea.blogspot.com
Be sure to check this blog from now on and don't forget to leave comments, they are much appreciated. C ya later
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Rain!
Just to let everyone know, Mike and I are here! We arrived Friday night about 11:30pm by hovercraft. It was like being on a rollercoaster! The waves were really rocking it. We spent Saturday going to the market, restocking our malaria medication, and organizing our stuff. It has been wonderful seeing some of the people that I have missed so much. Mike is loving it. He keeps calling everything "tuff," and he is already speaking krio! There has been downpouring rain randomly, you never know when it's coming! When it does, take cover because it is like a bucket of water being poured over Freetown! Thanks for all your prayers. Thanks be to God for our safe travels and that we are finally here! Bye for now!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Wrapping things up
I hate computers!
I just want to apologize.. There will be no newsletter this month! I am having some technical difficulties..to say the least. I finished the newsletter, and now the computer refuses to allow me to see it or send it. On another note, as I said in my last blog, I have been living in the production room. Good news! I am very close to being done making the supplement.
The UMVIM team
The VIM team arrived early Saturday morning. They were supposed to have come by Friday evening, but the ferry got stuck on a sandbar. They were stuck out in the ocean all night. They got in Saturday at about 5am, slept until noon, then had to get on the road to Taiama. I felt so bad for them, but let me tell you they are troupers! I met up and travelled with the team to Taiama. Everyone arrived in the village in one piece..well almost everyone! The van's window fell out on the way, but the driver pulled over and picked it up off the road, no worries. I left the group Monday afternoon. They were at the Taiama Health Center working hard. Good news, the well that members of the Taiama community have been building outside the clinic is finished! This is a big deal, because now the patients waiting at the clinic all day will have water to drink. Most of the time, mothers walk for miles and are thirsty by the time they reach the clinic. Christiana, the head nurse, was so excited. She said to me,"Look Chelsea, now we can give our patients what they really need!" It still amazes me that something as simple as water is of the highest value for so many people in this world.
Leaving soon...
I am leaving with the team this Friday to come back to the U.S. I am back in Freetown wrapping things up at the office, getting last minute things done, and saying good-bye to friends I have made. I will be back with Mike in July, so it is only good-bye for 3 months. I am so excited about going back and seeing everyone I have missed and to get married, but sad to leave the people I have spent so much time with over the past months.
One of the greatest lessons I have learned while being here is to appreciate the time I have with the people I am around at the moment. It is difficult missing people, but it is even more difficult when you dwell on it to the point it hinders the relationship you have with the people you are around at the present time. I feel such freedom in knowing that God will care for the people that I will not have the opportunity to see for three months while I am away. It is amazing what peace I feel when I can get past being in control of my life and place it in the hands of God wherever that may take me.
I almost forgot!
I ATE MEAT ON A STICK!
I was really hungry coming back from Taiama on Monday, so I did it. I finally ate meat on a stick. Everytime I have been to Taiama, as I ride through Moyamba Junction there are always people out selling this mystery meat on a stick. I always told myself that was something I did not want to try.
So here is how it happened. I was on the road hitch-hiking to get back to Freetown on Monday afternoon. I was worried I would not be able to get back because I was leaving later than when public transportation comes through on its way to Freetown. So I was out in the road when a missionary I knew drove by and stopped for me. Tom and his family are missionaries with the Assemblies of God. He so graciously gave me a ride back. So as we pass Moyamba Junction he says,"Oh yeah we are at the junction! Who wants some meat on a stick." me- "no thank you" Tom- "Okay I will be right back with some for you" -as he jumps out of the truck... He comes back and says, "It's beef today!" So that is how it happened. You know what? It was really good! That was the first time I had had beef since December. I was just trying to be polite and taste a bite. Good thing I tried it. I am never passing by Moyamba Junction again without getting some good ole meat on a stick.
I just want to apologize.. There will be no newsletter this month! I am having some technical difficulties..to say the least. I finished the newsletter, and now the computer refuses to allow me to see it or send it. On another note, as I said in my last blog, I have been living in the production room. Good news! I am very close to being done making the supplement.
The UMVIM team
The VIM team arrived early Saturday morning. They were supposed to have come by Friday evening, but the ferry got stuck on a sandbar. They were stuck out in the ocean all night. They got in Saturday at about 5am, slept until noon, then had to get on the road to Taiama. I felt so bad for them, but let me tell you they are troupers! I met up and travelled with the team to Taiama. Everyone arrived in the village in one piece..well almost everyone! The van's window fell out on the way, but the driver pulled over and picked it up off the road, no worries. I left the group Monday afternoon. They were at the Taiama Health Center working hard. Good news, the well that members of the Taiama community have been building outside the clinic is finished! This is a big deal, because now the patients waiting at the clinic all day will have water to drink. Most of the time, mothers walk for miles and are thirsty by the time they reach the clinic. Christiana, the head nurse, was so excited. She said to me,"Look Chelsea, now we can give our patients what they really need!" It still amazes me that something as simple as water is of the highest value for so many people in this world.
Leaving soon...
I am leaving with the team this Friday to come back to the U.S. I am back in Freetown wrapping things up at the office, getting last minute things done, and saying good-bye to friends I have made. I will be back with Mike in July, so it is only good-bye for 3 months. I am so excited about going back and seeing everyone I have missed and to get married, but sad to leave the people I have spent so much time with over the past months.
One of the greatest lessons I have learned while being here is to appreciate the time I have with the people I am around at the moment. It is difficult missing people, but it is even more difficult when you dwell on it to the point it hinders the relationship you have with the people you are around at the present time. I feel such freedom in knowing that God will care for the people that I will not have the opportunity to see for three months while I am away. It is amazing what peace I feel when I can get past being in control of my life and place it in the hands of God wherever that may take me.
I almost forgot!
I ATE MEAT ON A STICK!
I was really hungry coming back from Taiama on Monday, so I did it. I finally ate meat on a stick. Everytime I have been to Taiama, as I ride through Moyamba Junction there are always people out selling this mystery meat on a stick. I always told myself that was something I did not want to try.
So here is how it happened. I was on the road hitch-hiking to get back to Freetown on Monday afternoon. I was worried I would not be able to get back because I was leaving later than when public transportation comes through on its way to Freetown. So I was out in the road when a missionary I knew drove by and stopped for me. Tom and his family are missionaries with the Assemblies of God. He so graciously gave me a ride back. So as we pass Moyamba Junction he says,"Oh yeah we are at the junction! Who wants some meat on a stick." me- "no thank you" Tom- "Okay I will be right back with some for you" -as he jumps out of the truck... He comes back and says, "It's beef today!" So that is how it happened. You know what? It was really good! That was the first time I had had beef since December. I was just trying to be polite and taste a bite. Good thing I tried it. I am never passing by Moyamba Junction again without getting some good ole meat on a stick.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Groundnut paste is coming out of my ears!
I just realized I have not posted on my blog in a while! There is really not a whole lot to tell. I am leaving Sierra Leone April 11, and I will not be back until July. So, I have been making enough supplement to last the Taiama Health Center until I return. 4 months is a bunch of supplement!!! I have been running around town picking up supplies, bringing them to my production room, making as much supplement as possible, then heading back to town for more supplies. The town is such a crazy place! No matter what time of day it is there are always so many people doing business. I like going to bargain for the price of supplies, because at the same time I am improving my krio! It is fun learning the language in such an active and practical manner.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Taiama visit
I was at Taiama healthcenter this last Friday for a follow-up visit from the previous Friday. The clinic has been so busy lately with graduates from the program! To be a graduate means the child has reached his or her ideal weight-for-height of over 85% for two consecutive visits. We graduated five children this past Friday, and the Friday two weeks from now we are expected to graduate about twenty children! Lucy and I are so excited!
Even though the clinic was so successful this visit, it was also a sorrowful visit. I found out that two of our patients died in just a one week time period. They were two little girls named Isata and Elizabeth. Isata contracted malaria along with it came a very high fever that they were unable to break, and Elizabeth passed away in the Bo Government Hospital from typhoid. When I first heard the news, I didn't know how to react. I had seen these two babies a week ago and they were improving on the supplement. Now they are just gone. I was able to go with Lucy and express our sympathy to the mothers. It really is a numbing experience. I mean, you know the high death mortality rates in Sierra Leone, but the numbers don't become people until you actually experience the deaths. The longer I am here, the more I realize the true horror of the state of medical care this country is in. These were just two children we heard about that were connected to the Taiama clinic. What is it like in the outlying villages that have absolutely no access to any type of healthcare? How are we letting this injustice continue? Please pray for the families of these two little girls and the other families that have lost children from preventable deaths.
Even though the clinic was so successful this visit, it was also a sorrowful visit. I found out that two of our patients died in just a one week time period. They were two little girls named Isata and Elizabeth. Isata contracted malaria along with it came a very high fever that they were unable to break, and Elizabeth passed away in the Bo Government Hospital from typhoid. When I first heard the news, I didn't know how to react. I had seen these two babies a week ago and they were improving on the supplement. Now they are just gone. I was able to go with Lucy and express our sympathy to the mothers. It really is a numbing experience. I mean, you know the high death mortality rates in Sierra Leone, but the numbers don't become people until you actually experience the deaths. The longer I am here, the more I realize the true horror of the state of medical care this country is in. These were just two children we heard about that were connected to the Taiama clinic. What is it like in the outlying villages that have absolutely no access to any type of healthcare? How are we letting this injustice continue? Please pray for the families of these two little girls and the other families that have lost children from preventable deaths.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Electricity!
I remember when I was young the electricity would go out in our house maybe once or twice a year, and it was so exciting! It would usually happen during a storm when lightening struck a power line. My mom, sisters, and I would sit in front of the window with candles and watch the storm. Such happy memories... In Sierra Leone, for the past eleven years, there has seldom been electricity in Freetown. I was talking to my landlord's wife, Mrs. Assad, about the problem with electricity here. This morning she was explaining to me that since the war, during which the power lines were destroyed, most of Freetown has had absolutely no electricity. In our area, the Assads would have electricity about twice a month. Anyone who can afford diesel relies on generators for power. Most people use lanterns and candles. Walking home at night in the busy city feels so strange, because the roads are dark except for car lights and candles from the street vendors.
Upland of course doesn't ever have electricity. Bo and McKennie do, but it is also unreliable like Freetown. Since December the National Power Authority (NPA) has been much better! I have had electricity in my apartment almost every night! It is so exciting to be able to do simple things like cook dinner, take a shower, and brush my teeth with light. It is funny to think that now I dread the power going out when during my childhood this was such a treat! Now that I know what it is like to be without electricity, I realize how fortunate I am when I do have it.
Upland of course doesn't ever have electricity. Bo and McKennie do, but it is also unreliable like Freetown. Since December the National Power Authority (NPA) has been much better! I have had electricity in my apartment almost every night! It is so exciting to be able to do simple things like cook dinner, take a shower, and brush my teeth with light. It is funny to think that now I dread the power going out when during my childhood this was such a treat! Now that I know what it is like to be without electricity, I realize how fortunate I am when I do have it.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Learning and Growing
A few months ago I read a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer entitled Life Together. Something I read in it really stuck with me, but at the time I wasn't sure why. He explains that being a christian, makes being in the presence of the community of believers an uncommon luxury. I really didn't understand what he meant by that. Now I think I know what he is saying. For Bonhoeffer, he was imprisoned for many many years by the Nazis. So of course, having the opportunity to experience the body of Christ must have been a rare occurence. I have been thinking about how I knew God was first calling me into the ministry. It was a gradual call, but I always felt it strongest among Christians who loved, supported, and encouraged my growth in Christ. I realize now that God was using these times to strengthen my faith, to give me a strong foundation for the many times in life where I would be without this supportive community. Times when I would be "in the mission field."
I have begun to redefine what it means to be a missionary. My job right now is to direct the Peanut Butter Project in Sierra Leone. I am a christian, so I am a missionary at all times no matter what circumstances I am in. I am not to dwell on missing the times of fellowship with family, friends, and mentors, but I am to trust that the community of believers is doing their job at being God's example to the world. I have to think about the here and now of what God is calling me to do daily. Of course this is enough in itself! I am to continue understanding the true meaning of love. The true power of Christ's perfect love as he died for us. And when I do have the opportunity to be with those who share my faith, then I can enjoy it with the knowledge that God is strengthening and preparing me for the work ahead.
I have begun to redefine what it means to be a missionary. My job right now is to direct the Peanut Butter Project in Sierra Leone. I am a christian, so I am a missionary at all times no matter what circumstances I am in. I am not to dwell on missing the times of fellowship with family, friends, and mentors, but I am to trust that the community of believers is doing their job at being God's example to the world. I have to think about the here and now of what God is calling me to do daily. Of course this is enough in itself! I am to continue understanding the true meaning of love. The true power of Christ's perfect love as he died for us. And when I do have the opportunity to be with those who share my faith, then I can enjoy it with the knowledge that God is strengthening and preparing me for the work ahead.
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