Reflections

       It's been 3 1/2 days since our return and already I miss Maboleh and Sierra Leone. Oh, I don't miss all of it; here are some things I don't miss: warm drinks, no milk, dust, dust, dust, part-time electricity, wads of nearly worthless currency, and what seems like 38 different languages that I understand nearly nothing of. Regardless, the openness of the people, the joy of the children in the villages, and the acceptance that we Oportos feel, more than offsets the few inconveniences we encounter.
     During our stay, we were able to begin several construction projects; the first of these was a new latrine for the village. We helped dig the pit, carry concrete blocks, and purchased the materials to construct the facility itself - pics below....

   

       We also set about repairing & refurbishing the church parsonage - more pics.....

     Finally, and most importantly, we laid the groundwork for our biggest challenge - rebuilding the church in the village. here are some pics of the current structure:

     Our time there was also spent on two other aspects of village life, the school and the medical clinic. The school is located at the southern end of the village. It has 4 rooms and a rough, open-air structure with a thatch roof that handles the overflow of students. There are about 240 (give or take) students; some of the rooms are so crowded that 2 classes are held simultaneously - one class facing one way, the other class facing the opposite direction. Here are some pics of the school and the teachers:

     The government run medical clinic is at the northern end of the village. We were able to donate a suitcase full of bandaids, bandages and other medical supplies - including medecine. here's a pic of the inside of the clinic and the nurse in charge - also, check out their ambulance:

           There's so much more I could write about and provide pictures of, but the post would be unmanageable. I'll try to make more pics and videos available to anyone who's interested; maybe just best to end with a few pics of the kids; the last is my friend from the last trip that received my Hope For Zoe bracelet..........

..... and the team.