Cow transport in Freetown

This week a taxi like this stopped at the hospital, blocking our entrance. Four men got out, came to the back of the car where hooves were sticking out, and pulled a fully grown cow (like the bovine in the photo) out of the boot. Without a glance back at us they all walked off together!

Large tumour taken from patient's abdomen?

No this yam (incomplete) and these chickens were 'gifts in kind' from patients who came back to say 'thank you'. One patient travelled three days from neighbouring Guinea to say thanks.

Village Chief and local midwife undergoes fistula repair

Sally Jusu (centre)aged 50 was forced to get into a Mercy Ships vehicle and come to Freetown for surgery by her children, the only ones aware of her problem. Two weeks later she phoned them to say “You can tell everyone I am well now, I not ashamed anymore.”

For 25 years gracious, dignified Sally had managed to conceal her fistula problem and remain village chief. She used to fast from water on official meeting days, and would keep meetings short, so she wouldn’t have to leave and change herself!

After recovering from her surgery she agreed to speak about her experience on 17th November at a conference on maternal health for chiefs from all over Sierra Leone. She met the wife of the president!

Krio “small, small”

Helen has been asked to preach in church in February on the ‘Women’s ministry’ day.
Through constant daily use in her work she has gone way ahead of Dave in the language.

Krio has a lot of words that are now outdated in modern English, such as: make haste; yonder; cutlass; gentry (wealthy); copper (cash); tote (carry).

Krio is easier to understand than to speak, as you may appreciate in the following phrases taken from the Gospels: una for wideawake (be alert); oneword (unity); Jizos en in lanin boy den (Jesus and his disciples); den aks Jizos bot di day for pray en blow (they ask Jesus a question about the Sabbath); di married uman we den ketch pan fri life (the woman caught in adultery); Jizos tel di breeze en di swelin for steady (Jesus stilled the storm); Jizos swe one fig tik (Jesus cursed a fig tree).

Management takeover by ‘Freedom from Fistula’

Ann Gloag’s (Scottish businesswoman and philanthropist) organisation (www.freedomfromfistula.org.uk/), which does similar work elsewhere in Africa has just publicised their takeover of our centre from a management point of view at the end of this year.

Our fistula and paediatric clinic work is more of a long term service, which has a very different emphasis from the urgent relief work that Mercy ships focuses on. Mercy Ships will however still be directly involved in supplies and other ways. It would be nice keep the Mercy Ships name, which has a hugely positive image in this country.

We will be sorry to lose some of the spiritual heritage of Mercy Ships, and the centre in Texas, and the many fine people who support and visit here, but we do see the benefit for the women and children of ‘Salone’ of management that is focussed on the medical work.

Please pray for those making decisions, and may our centre bring honour to God. The physical rehabilitation centre ‘New Steps’ has not yet found a parent to take them over.