Baby Sao

In early May Helen (and Dave) received an urgent phone call. “’Ellen you mus’ ‘ep me! I go for die. Las week di police tek me to Kenema. Den say if I no pay de money for me operation dis Friday I go prison. DO YA please ‘ep me. I go DIE!”

Baby Sao is an intelligent woman of about 35 with six children. At the end of last year her seventh delivery went on for days, ending with a rush to hospital 30 miles away to save her life. Her elderly widowed father (as her husband is demented and she had no siblings) organised transport, blood donors and borrowed £140 (half an annual working wage) for the Caesarean section.

The operation saved the life of Baby Sao and her baby, but there was no money for drugs and her abdominal wound became terribly infected. After several weeks she was taken home to die, leaking urine from a wound the size of a plate.

At just that time the Mercy Ships 12-seater vehicle that drives round the country picking up patients stopped in her village. Tom French, the nurse looked at her and he and Francis, the driver put her in the truck, and brought her to Freetown. Dr Dave found her desperately ill. Her abdomen was widely open and he could pass a probe ten inches inside her. He prescribed strong antibiotics and changes of dressings three times a day. Over the next six weeks in the hospital her wound gradually closed and wonderfully, the urine flow ceased. She was back from death a second time.

The baby became the darling of the hospital. In time Baby Sao got involved in the patient rehab activities which Helen helps run. As she had learnt simple reading and numbers from her school-going children Helen trained her to operate a telephone business from her home. At last she was discharged, taking her baby, a large black phone and a charger.

Five months later the man who had financed her operation came up and said. “You are making big money from that telephone, so you can pay back your loan.” She replied, “But I have only earned a small amount (£30), and I am feeding 9 people.” He said, “Pay me in full or I will ask the police to charge you.” The man was within his rights to ask for the money back, but didn’t understand the circumstances. The police came and said, “You have four days to pay the full amount. If not you go to jail.”

So Baby Sao called and told us the news. Helen then told Florence (see lady in blue), the hospital counsellor, with whom she works closely. Florence said “My sister is the senior officer at that same police centre!” She called her sister and had the whole story confirmed; also that if the man pressed charges Baby Sao would be in prison indefinitely. She would have no one to feed her and might die and orphan her 7 children.

Dave & Helen had funds from UK to pay the bill, but how to transport it safely to Kenema 300 miles away? Florence offered, and that week-end spent 20 hours in a rickety minibus on bumpy roads to deliver the money to the creditor. Baby Sao’s life was saved for the third time!

More ‘Crossing the River’ (see article in April)

Over the last 6 months your chance of crossing the river from the national airport to Freetown without incident was less than 50% in our experience.

This week some friends arrived in the evening from UK on the BMI flight. They took a taxi two miles and boarded the 500 man ferry. They waited over two hours and then the captain announced that there were still spaces for 15 cars in the ferry, and so “it would not leave till the next morning…..unless someone was willing to pay the fares of the empty spaces!” Indeed there was someone with the money and a sick child who couldn’t wait, so my friend was spared the night on a ferry seat.

Two weeks ago other friends who were travelling on to USA, one of them to his wedding in 7 days’ time. They bought tickets for the hovercraft and waited 3 hours to board. After 3 hours, under pressure from 20 passengers the captain announced that “the hovercraft had been damaged in a collision and would not be going.”

So the 20 got into taxis and crossed Freetown to the ferry port. At the port they heard that a president had chartered the ferry. No motor boats were available that night and the only remaining way was a large canoe with an outboard. The waves were rough and it was late, so they came back home. They waited two more days with us until the next available flight.

Fatmata

Fatmata has an amazing story of suffering and of God’s help and healing spanning the last four years. She gave birth to a stillborn child in June 2004, after several days in labour. Immediately after the birth she could no longer walk because of damage to the nerves in her leg. Worse still she found she no longer had control of either her faeces or urine which passed from her uncontrollably. Her husband didn’t want a woman in that condition and returned Fatmata to her family where her aunt took her in with her three children. Gradually she recovered her control of faeces. Her leg however was still not functioning well and the family decided to take her to the local ‘medicine man’. He proceeded to make cuts in her leg and pour medicine in, to restore her strength. She still has visible scars.

After two years of misery someone from a local church told her to go to Freetown to the Mercy Ships Clinic. She made the six hours journey, and was admitted for surgery, which was partially successful. Over the next two and half years she has been admitted four times having for different procedures to put her right. At the same time the physiotherapist worked on her weak leg and she is now able to walk perfectly.

On each visit she would attend the hospital devotions and listen to the stories of Jesus that the counsellor told. She also observed the staff praying with each patient, encouraging them to believe and pray to Jesus who is the only healer. At the time of her final surgery she felt she needed to cry to this Jesus and ask him to heal her, which he did. Since then despite her family’s opposition she has made friends with the pastor and his wife of ‘Deeper Life Church’ and attends regularly. She has declared that she will never ever forsake Jesus.

Do’s and don’ts’ at the port

The engines in two of our vehicles were wrecked after only 30 thousand miles thanks to the extremely steep and rough hill outside our house. A benefactor arranged for replacement reconditioned engines to be shipped, and also for a mechanic to fly out when they arrived and put them in the vehicles.

To clear goods for Mercy Ships at the port we usually pay an agent a very generous fee, which provides an efficient service, and things can be delivered the day after unloading. On this occasion in the name of economy we chose ‘cheaper’ agent.

6 weeks later, and innumerable phone calls, many emails, and a yet to be finalised increased price the engines arrived at the hospital. The visiting mechanic was already well into his week’s visit and it was only through several direct face-to-face meetings that the strings of promises turned into reality.

Remember:
1. Penny pinching is not always an economy
2. Africans prefer the face-to-face approach

Relief and celebration is shown on the faces!

Mango season

For four months in West Africa it’s mango season. Ripe mangos can be knocked off the plentiful large trees and eaten for free by anyone. And are they delicious, sticky and mouth-watering? And are there over 14 varieties of size, colour and flavour. One’s called the paraffin mango! And can they be made into jam, chutney ice cream, crumble………., not to mention fruit salad every evening?!