To There And Back

Constituents:

     Having just returned from my 5th trip to Sierra Leone, I was naturally super-pumped to regale you all with spectacular tales of adventure and missionary prowess. I soon learned that even I must buckle to authority from time to time. My schadenfreude notwithstanding, the current naval-gazing and self-inflicted government shutdown prevented me from communicating with all my Speed Demons. It's not generally known, but I receive a sliver of funding from the federal g'ummint; while this aids in underwriting this missive, it also temporarily prevented me from utilizing those funds in any way.
     Fortunately, my staff, comprised mainly of cowgirls and mermaids - working tirelessly to uncover a loophole (that's what they do) - has discovered a means by which I may continue my unsolicited musings, without running afoul of either our dear President or House Speaker. I have filed a brief with the United States Supreme Court, seeking an injunction, and immediate relief from this onerous prohibition. While I don't expect a speedy resolution at that level (or even an acknowledgement of my action), my legal team advises that I may proceed; as such, here we go.
<Editor's note: as demonstrated in Speed's disjointed opening ramble, this will be a long one; you may wish to take a bathroom break at this juncture.>
  This year's team consisted of 5 travelers, 2 of which were first-time visitors to Sierra Leone. This is CrossPoint's 7th mission trip to our village, Maboleh, in the north-central part of the country. While there, we typically focus on 4 areas: Spirituality, Education, Medicine & Economics; while we touched on all these areas, this year's main objective was to paint the village's primary school - inside and out, and gain an idea of what it would take to build teacher's quarters on land adjacent to the school. 

     The primary school, pictured here, was built sometime in the 1980s, and likely had not been painted since. Our plan was to purchase the paint and supplies needed, and hopefully enlist some local assistance with the painting itself. After several days of travel, meetings and planning sessions, we began the project. Our goal was to finish painting in 4 days and accomplish this within the budget we'd agreed to before we arrived.
     As everyone knows, selecting and obtaining the raw materials and tools for any project is the first important task. Naturally, I was placed in charge of this effort; with our driver Edison by my side (make no mistake, I was Tonto to his Kemosabe), we drove to the frenetic maelstrom that is the central marketplace in Makeni, our home base while in-country, and the nearest source for these items. While there, I essentially broke down and cried like a little girl, because I couldn't understand a word of what these folks were saying expertly negotiated the best possible price for each of the items on our list. I did however, make a life-long friend in Lamin, the owner of the "hardware store". He too, now knows me as Speed.

     Upon our return to the village, we immediately set to work. First, we had to mix the paint. Now, understand, it isn't the Home Depot we'd just shopped at. We had purchased a bag of colored "emulsion", which, when mixed with a generous amount of water, produces a thin broth of colored liquid. That wasn't the only difference however; we decided to forego paint poles and stirring sticks (hello, we're in the freakin' jungle) and simply crafted our own from the surrounding bush. The purchase of ladders was unnecessary, for the same reason.
     We also saw no need to spend extravagantly on paint trays - opting instead for large bowls that, when not conscripted for industrial use, serve as the family's food mixing/serving containers!
     Unsurprisingly, I dawdled as much as I could to avoid having to actually do any painting at all led the effort to begin painting. In short order, our entire team was equipped with paint rollers affixed to long sticks, submerging said rollers in the paint bowls, and painting the South end of the building, like we knew what we were doing. This action not only impressed the, by now, dozens of onlookers, who saw no reason to withhold comments, suggestions and critiques of our efforts, but also served as apparently the funniest thing they'd ever seen in their lives. Jocularity abounded.

     Thankfully, it wasn't long before the villagers took over and completed the bulk of the project. It was truly gratifying to witness their willingness to pitch in to complete a project that will ultimately benefit their children and village. Their spirit is infectious; <TRUTH ALERT!>I wish I could be more like that. The balance of that day, and most of the next was spent working and joking alongside these men, many of which I've known for several years now, and I consider my friends.
     I'm pleased to report that the painting project was completed in 2 days, and came in at about 75% of the budget we'd established for this effort. This included the expenditure for food and small gifts for those who helped with the work. The finished product looked far better than I'd though possible, given the tools and products with which we had to work. The school now has a fresh coat of paint - inside and out - and the children seemed overjoyed with this. The finished product is above.
     The rest of the trip, both before and after the painting project, was also extremely productive. We were able to come to an agreement with the Village Chief, whose family owns the land upon which the planned teacher's quarters will be located (pictured). We also arranged to have that land, as well as the school property surveyed, so a clear title (something that's a foreign concept to those living in the bush) can be established. We've also received preliminary cost estimates for the construction, that we've brought back to our larger committee for consideration.
     We also paved the way for the delivery of a hammer mill; this is a machine that the village's Women's Agricultural Project (WAP) will utilize to process the crops they're growing, such as cassava and ground nuts. Since the spring, the WAP has produced 8 large sacks of ground nuts, most of which will be used as seed for next year's crop.
     We were fortunate to be able to sample the first harvest of these nuts; man, are they good. The look and taste is similar to Spanish Peanuts. We are helping pioneer women's agro-economic efforts in the village and surrounding area. It's really neat to see.
 
 
 
 
 
     Other activities during our time there included a visit to the UMC Secondary School in Makeni, where we sponsor 14 students - selecting the best 4 graduating from 6th grade (2 boys, 2 girls) in the Primary School in Maboleh each year. These children and their families understand that the best way to raise the standard of living is through education. Of coeval impact is the focus on education female students; this is not a universally accepted concept in the third world. We also provided a laptop to the school's Principal, a donation from one of our committee members.
     A truly special moment came during our visit to the village's medical clinic, located at the furthest end of the village. This is a government-run clinic that suffers from a desperate lack of supplies, medicines, and equipment. We had presented the nurse with a suitcase of medical supplies and she was describing her typical day - which, that day, included the birth of the village's newest resident.
     The baby boy turned out to be the son of one of the guys in the village that I've become friendly with. We were permitted to see the mother and son, and told pictures would be all right - so here it is. Here too is a picture of my friend Abraham and his other son.
     There were many other things that we were able to accomplish, but none have the potential to be as fruitful as our meeting with the newest missionaries assigned to the Sierra Leone Conference of UMC. Kip and Nancy Robinson are veteran missionaries; having been posted in various other African countries, they have a great feel for what it takes to get things done there. They've already been of great help in organizing transportation and assisting us with our building plans. Their value to our future efforts cannot be overstated. They were kind enough to offer their vehicle and driver to assist our return to the airport, the day of our departure.
     While in Sierra Leone, we typically stay at a guest house. During our past 3 trips there, we have stayed at the Women Of Hope (WOH) guest house in Makeni. This is an organization focused on helping women with social, industrial, medical and spiritual struggles, providing whatever assistance is needed. They do great work; here's a link to their website: http://www.womenofhopeinternational.org/about
The manager of the guesthouse is Rebecca. She takes care of all our cooking, cleaning, and general babysitting while we're there. She's become my Sierra Leone wife (like I need another one?), and in addition to everything else, makes a mean hot sauce.
     Our time in Sierra Leone ended after 8 days, but we still had some adventurin' to do. We had about a 12 hour layover in Brussels, Belgium, so we decided to leave the airport, board a train, and go into Brussels to explore. What a beautiful old city. We got to see it wake up early on a Sunday morning; so naturally, we had a breakfast in a little restaurant that featured many delights - among them, a real Belgian Waffle. Wow! Now I know what my friend Special Ed was complaining about prior to our 'yak trip earlier this year (see previous post dated 07/03/13).

     Suffice it to say, I wish we'd had more time to spend in this city, but I'm certainly grateful for what we had. Sullenly, we returned to the airport, boarded our 7 1/2 hour flight, landed in D.C. and motored home - arriving about 10:00pm, a mere 36 hours (40, if you include the time differential) after we'd left Makeni to head for the airport in Freetown.
     So now, about a week and a half later, my jet-lag has diminished but my memories remain strong. Sierra Leone has a strong pull on me and likely always will. I hope to return as often as possible, but my recent spate of unemployment semi-retirement jeopardizes that. Perhaps I will be awarded a large out of court settlement by those in Washington, to forestall my near certain victory in the Supreme Court. Messrs. Obama & Boehner, the ball is in your court. Veni, vidi, vici.........