"Evangel Baptist Church and School..."

Since we arrived in Sierra Leone in February, we have been attending a church in a town named Waterloo.  The area where the church is located was one of the largest resettlement camps that was used during the war.  It is predominately a Muslim area where the church is located. 

As part of the outreach to the community, two years ago the church decided to start a school that is connected to the church.  Today, the school has about 600 elementary students and 300 secondary students. Bear in mind, the church sees this as a ministry and does not charge tuition.  Because of the quality of the education they provide, they have students applying from all over the Freetown area. 

As part of our community services on board the ship on Thursday nights, the crew gives offerings for local ministries.  A few weeks ago, we did an offering for the school and church combined.  Last Sunday we presented the School Administrator and Pastor with the crew's offering.  It was a very touching time.  Especially since the School Administrator had just made a plea for money for a new building for the secondary school.

Right now, the elementary students go to school in the morning and the secondary school uses the same buildings in the afternoon.  The government of Sierra Leone is going to pass a law that requires all students to only go to school for a longer time each day.

This law places the school in a difficult position since they do not have enough room for both the elementary and secondary students at the same time.  Pastor Daniel said they were petitioning the government for more funds to build a secondary school.

We were invited to come and visit the school on Thursday.  It was a very humbling and overwhelming time.  I was so surprised to see how crowded the classrooms are, but yet the students are excelling.  The students are required to take government exams to graudate to the next level i.e. elementry to Jr High, and Jr High to High School.  All of the secondary students who took the test passed.  This is very unusual for a school to have all their students pass.  It is a great testimony to the dedication of the teachers and the congregation to support the school.

This is the level 1 and 2 classroom...(yes there are this many children in the class!)  In this classroom some students have to sit on the floor.

These are the level 4 and 5 students.  They have no room in the buildings so they are in a shelter outside.

Some of the elementary students....

Some of the secondary school students...

The village chief giving a speech...

Touring the grounds where they can build a new building....

Enjoying the children...

The High School Principal, Village Chief, and Mike

We were given a budget to help improve the school.  Supplies for improving buildings and giving them more school supplies would cost the church just over $2000.00 USD.  To many it is not a lot, but to the people of Sierra Leone where the average wage per day is less that $5 US it can seem insurmountable.  If you are interesting in helping the school, please contact us at m.d.jacobsen@juno.com

"God's Artistry..."

We have seen some incredible sunsets while we have been here in Sierra Leone.  This is just another example of God's amazing artistry!

"My Helper..."

On the ward, we have had some patients who have been with us for awhile due to the type of surgery they are having.  This young fellow had plastic surgery for burns he had from a fire.  He has become my helper.  Sitting in my chair while I am away, putting stickers on the nurses papers, just standing by me and colouring...it is a precious time with him.

"The Saga..."

 It started out to be an ordinary day...but really are there any ordinary days with Mercy Ships?  Unexpected events are not unusual...they range from an amazing surgery with a patient... to generator tests...to forklifts falling in the water....

Yes, you read that correctly!  A forklift ran over the edge of the dock and was wedged between the ship and that edge of the dock....

Until the ships moved-in went the forklift.  So, the port graciously brought over a TEREX to help to try to lift it out of the water.

With cables hooked up, they moved the TEREX over to the edge of the dock...with the crew lined up on Deck 7 watching the events...

But alas, it was getting too dark and the TEREX was unable to resurrect the forklift.  So, the forklift spent the night at the bottom of the ocean.

In the morning, the port brought over a larger crane to pull out the forklift.  It was such a sad sight!

Thanks for our wonderful divers for helping to retrieve the forklift!

"Teenage Thoughts..."

10 Reasons why Living on a Ship is Better Than Living on Land

by Alisia Jacobsen

1. You get to see your friends 24/7
2. If you have trouble in a class you can find a teacher any time
3. You learn about different cultures
4. You learn different ways to say one word
5. You pay $0.75 for a one shot frappachino
6. You become friends with people from all over the world
7. You experience different foods (whether you think it's good or not is your choice)
8. You get the opportunity to work in almost any department on board
9. You get to celebrate different holidays from different countries
10. If you break a bone you don't have to wait an hour for a cast, there are doctors everywhere on the ship!

 

 (So her friend did a counter attack...)

 

So in the counter attack of Alisia's "10 reasons why living on Ship is better then land" I (Lara) am going to write about why living on Land is better than living on the ship...

1) No UHT milk/milch! - This is milk that has been heat treated so that it can withstand higher temperatures and not expire, but it leaves the milk with a nasty after taste.

 

2) Next Day deliviery - When on land you can order things off the internet and have them delivered to your door the next day whereas on the ship it could take months to get here.

 

3) Better Internet - On land you can use Youtube, Download music, videos and shows

 

4) Can get away from Work - We live at work here, no matter where you go, your work colleages are always around and always wanting to ask a question

 

5) Malls and Shopping - There are no Malls and no shopping centres on the ship for obvious reasons.

 

6) My Own Room - Here on the ship families and many singles have to share a room.

 

7) Up to date Movies and Music- We are so behind the time that we have not seen movies or heard music that have come out over a year ago, let alone know about them

 

8) No Privacy - Everyone on the ship knows your buisness and you know everyone elses, this might be due to the fact that the walls are so thin and if you move in one room, they will hear you in the next.

 

9) Silence is golden - There is always a machine running or someone talking or some music playing everywhere you go.

10) Social Life - We, the youth, have decided that we do not have a social life. If we lived on land there would be places to go, people to see and places to do things.

"Tithe..."

The first two Sundays of the month, at church, are set aside for the giving of tithe and death benefit funds.  The members of the church come to the front of the church and present their tithes.

I am always touched by this action.  In a society where the average wage is about $5/day, church members faithfully present their offerings to the Lord. 

They hold up their tithe offering up to the Lord and the pastor prays a blessing over them.  The church members do this with joy in their heart and in their actions....

"Ship Kitty..."

Since our cat Shadrach died almost 2 years ago, Alisia has been pining for a new cat.  Well.........the other night she decided to come home with a "Ship Kitty".  There are a couple of these stuffed cats on the ship in different cabins.  So now, until we leave, we have an addition to our family....Welcome ship kitty to the Jacobsen Family....

"Try Again..."

Every six weeks, there is a long weekend where Friday is a ship holiday.  We decided to take it easy and go to the beach, again.  Since our last beach experience basically was a day of on and off rain.  We thought the rainy season was over, so we should be able to have a nice day at the beach...all started out great...

Mike and I just before we relaxed in the calm warm waters of Bureh beach.

Joshua trying to play his Nintendo DS, but the sun is too bright...

Alisia drawing in some shade...

Even the local dog found some respite from the sun under Mike's chair....

Then we notice the sky....

And the rain fall and falls...a torrential down pour...

Fortunately the roof of the hut is covered in tin foil and plastic-for the most part keeps out the rain...

Except where Joshua is sitting...Nathanael is catching drips from the ceiling that are falling on Joshua, who once again, is under his towel....

Finally the rain ends and we are able to enjoy the beach again....

"Abdel's kids..."

On Saturday, Mike and I were invited to visit one of the Day Worker's houses and meet her "children".  Abdel and Prince have been married for just over two years now. 

When she agreed to marry her husband Prince, she agreed also to raise ten orphaned children that he had already brought into his home.  With the sponsorship from a couple from Norway to fund the orphange, Prince and Abdel have done a wonderful job with the children.  I use the term "orphanage" but in reality they are a family. 

 Abdel and Prince have no biological children of their own but they, along with the help of two Aunties, have embraced these children as if they were their own.  We had a marvelous time with them.

The outside of their 4 bedroom flat-the fourteen of them share.  They are looking at renting the second floor in Novemeber so they can bring a few more children into their home.

Looking down their lane.  I was so impressed with the neatness of their area, which is rather unusual for Freetown.

They have no TV or video games.  But the children share what they have, colouring books, board games, cards etc.  They interact and play with each other just like siblings.  What a marvelous ministry Abdel and Prince are involved in!

This young man aspires to be president one day.  The young lady desires to be a doctor.

"Sahr Dauda..."

Sahr Dauda and his buddy sat with both legs in casts and bandaged in front of them. A look of gleeful anticipation lighted the faces of both boys. They were waiting for the hallway to be clear enough to begin their wheelchair race in the hall of the hospital ship, the Africa Mercy. The volunteer surgeons had straightened the legs of both boys. Since it would take many weeks for their legs to heal, they had plenty of time to hone their racing skills while they built their friendship.  

Sahr was born sometime in the mid-90’s in a village near Koidu in northern Sierra Leone. Whether his legs were horribly misshapen at birth or were the result of a congenital disease is not known. Below his knees, his legs angled out and bent back at the shin. His ankles were parallel to the floor, causing his feet to hug the floor at an angle. Walking was difficult and painful. 

His mother fled shortly after his birth, possibly to escape being labeled a “demon” for giving birth to a child with such deformed legs. Sahr’s father was killed by rebels during the violent civil war in Sierra Leone. The young boy was supported by his stepmother for a while. He wanted to go to school, but there wasn’t enough money for that. Instead, his stepmother wanted him to use his disability to beg in the streets. He refused to do that and ended up becoming a street kid anyway. Occasionally his stepmother would let him stay with her.

Essentially homeless and without love and support, he was drawn to a man who was training local teachers to include the disabled in their schools. This man showed a fatherly interest in Sahr, encouraged his desire to go to school, and even arranged for him to have a wheelchair. But he was unable to fully support Sahr because he was struggling to support his own family.

A radio announcement alerted Sahr’s stepmother that a Mercy Ship would soon be docked in Freeport. An advance medical team was scheduled to be in their area to hold a preliminary screening for potential patients with problems like Sahr’s. She took him to register at the government hospital for the screening, and he was among the first to receive a Mercy Ships appointment for surgery.

When they got to the transport vehicle, however, Sahr’s stepmother told him she wasn’t able to be his caregiver. Without a caregiver, Sahr would not be able to have his surgery. Digba, a woman who was accepted for a surgery of her own, agreed to be his caregiver. She traveled with him to the ship and stayed in the HOPE Center as he awaited his surgery. When Digma went home, Mariama, the mother of his buddy Tamba, became his caregiver.

The volunteer doctors performed two complicated surgeries to repair Sahr’s legs, using pins that will help his legs become straighter as he grows. Sahr was delighted to be a Mercy Ships patient. For the first time in his life, his needs were being supplied – a clean hospital bed, three meals a day, caring nurses and state-of-the-art medical care from some of the world’s finest surgeons.

He also thoroughly enjoyed the many weeks he spent recovering at the HOPE Center, making friends with the other children. After surgery, he would bounce on his hospital bed, slapping his hands on the mattress. When asked why he did that, he would respond with a big grin, “I’m just happy to be here!” 

Several weeks of post-operative care were necessary to help Sahr learn to walk on his newly straightened legs. The physiotherapists worked with him on exercises to build his lower leg muscles and to train his knees to face forward without collapsing into each other. Much of this was painful, but he accepted it with gratitude, while building relationships with the medical team working with him.

After about five months, it was time for Sahr to leave. But no one would be waiting for him back in his village. He needed the security of a home, the love of parents, the opportunity to attend school – the provisions of life. The Patient Life Department, concerned about his future, located an orphanage started by Mercy Ships crew members. The Mercy Orphanage agreed to provide a loving home for Sahr. He will have a mother and father, as well as several new brothers and sisters. Also, he will attend a local private school, thanks to a scholarship donated by a couple of Mercy Ships volunteer crew members.

Friends recovering at the HOPE Center gave him a grand send-off as two Mercy Ships Land Rovers filled with crew members from Patient Life and other concerned departments drove him to his new home. The children, including his new bunk-mate, Sheku, welcomed him warmly.

Somewhat at a loss for words, Sahr said, “Thank you. It’s fine here. I like it. Thank you.” But his jubilant smile revealed the joy in his heart as he waved goodbye to his Mercy Ship friends and began a new life.

Story by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Tom Bradley, Debra Bell, and Liz Cantu,

"Saturday..."

On Saturday, we decided we were going to take a chance on the weather and go swimming at a local pool.  It did not turn out as well as we thought.  It rained for most of the morning and gave us a break right around lunch time.

Joshua spent most of the day in the pool, despite the rain...

An electrical box, out in the rain...hhmmmm

Alisia did not want to brave the rain and the pool so she bundled up and watch Youtube all morning!  (That was a treat for her since we cannot get Youtube on the ship!)

When we saw this second bank of clouds coming in after lunch, we decided to head back to the ship....

"Ferry..."

Thanks Sarah for the photo....

You have heard many stories and see pictures from me about travelling in and around Freetown.  This is just another mode of transportation here.

This is the passenger ferry that goes from the airport to the Government Wharf.  Unless you want a ridiculously long drive to the airport on land, this is one way to get to and from the airport.

The ferry ride is roughly 45 minutes and when the ferry docks and the wharf, chances are it will "bump" into the dock.  It can be rather amusing watching the people on the ground motion the captain of the ferry to move in the other direction.  Inevitably though, it runs into the dock when pulling in.

Travelling around Freetown in never uneventful!

"80's Day..."

On of the many great things about the Academy aboard the ship is the Spirit Days.  Friday was the 80's Spirit Days...Now growing up in the 80's it was really very amusing to hear and see Alisia and Joshua talk about what 80's clothing looked like and then apply their knowledge to their clothing...I think both kids look really great!

Joshua

Alisia