Disaster

One week and a half ago, Peter and I were woken up at 5am by a phone call from a friend of ours in Freetown.  His house was being flooded.  A few hours later we would find out the depths of the tragedy that was unfolding.  August is the height of rainy season here and at 6am the rains caused a mud-slide that was wiped away the homes of thousands of people.  It also killed hundreds. As of yesterday, 493 bodies have been buried, with hundreds of people still reported missing.  There are three holding centers for the displaced with 250 unaccompanied children (can't find their parents).  It is reported to be the worst flood in Africa in the last two decades.  

Reading the stories has been horrible.  But on Monday afternoon we got a call that made it hit even closer to home.  We have a man who has been cooking for Peter and helping us with  various household things for the last two years.  Peter’s known him for many more years.  He called us on Monday to tell us that his son’s friends had called him because they thought he might have been one of the flood victims.  He wasn’t going to be able to come to work because he had to go down to the morgue and try to see if he was there.  He called that night to say that by the time he was able to get down there, it had been too dark to identify anyone, so he was going to have to go back the next day. 

Tuesday afternoon he called Peter, crying that his only son had been lost.  What do you say? How do you comfort someone who has just lost everything?  In Sierra Leone, most people don’t set up retirement accounts.  They invest in their children.  They spend their money on school fees and other things to help their children succeed, not only because they love their children and want them to do well (they do) but also because the better job their child is able to obtain, the better they will be able to care for them when they are old.  Because in most households men control the purse-strings, sons are usually in a better position to help than daughters.  Not always, but usually.  So not only did our friend lose his child, his only son, it’s like he lost his life savings as well. 

One of the saddest things that I keep hearing from the people here in response to this tragedy is “Please God, I know we’re wicked but please have mercy on us and stop doing this to us.  We have to start doing better so God will stop this.”  To be honest, one of the biggest things that I have struggled with living here is reconciling the Jesus and I know and love with the pain and destruction that I see every time I walk outside my house.  I don't know where the line is drawn between God’s intervention, sin, and natural consequences.  I know that this kind of thing had to pass through God’s hands in order to happen, but I also know that He is WEEPING with his people and His heart breaks along with my friend.  Statements like the one above just bring to mind thoughts of the gods of ancient Rome and Greece, needing to be appeased in order do do this or not do this.  That’s not the loving Creator that I know.  So I will wrestle with the tension, once again with how He could be loving, powerful, and still allow my friend to lose his son. I will once again imagine myself as Joseph, sitting in a prison cell, feeling the fullness of the injustice around me but recognizing that I have no idea what God is doing outside the walls.  The massive victory and salvation to come when the time is reached.  I will be frustrated with poverty leading to deforestation that allows hillsides to be weakened.  I will be discouraged by corruption that facilitates the ongoing cycle of poverty, and I will do what I can. 

Another missionary and I gathered up clothes, blankets and some money that we had here.  Marie brought me all of the money that she’d been saving.  We bought some foodstuffs that an organization involved in the rescue and displacement effort asked for and took it to them in Freetown.  There are a lot of things that I don’t know and don’t understand.  But right now, I will focus on what I do know, which is Jesus.  I will cling to the image of Him dying on a cross because that sealed for me, the proof of His love forever.  I know this life isn’t the end but we have the hope for eternity.  And I know that my job is to love Jesus and love the people He places before me.  So I’ll set my heart and my mind to that. 

Harnessing My Inner Rachel Ray

Yesterday I was feeling a bit nostalgic and reminiscing about the time I’ve spent here in Sierra Leone. I was laughing a bit, thinking about the different roles that the Lord has put me in since arriving here.  Roles that were COMPLETELY out of my comfort zone.  An ICU nurse, who’s patient population was usually over the age of 60 turned pediatric nurse in Sierra Leone.  An ER nurse who had seen exactly one baby delivered in nursing school turned OB nurse delivering babies in high risk situations in Sierra Leone.  Single gal with role models like Amy Carmichael and Mother Teresa, ready to blaze the trail and change the world by herself, turned wife and mother in Sierra Leone. 

And perhaps, the most shocking of all…….girl who’s cooking skills are legendary for always setting the burner on high and burning most things, adding chocolate chips to African food on accident, forgetting all the dry ingredients in a desert, among other things…..turned hostess in Sierra Leone.  That’s right. Five days after arriving in Sierra Leone we started receiving guests from the States and we've had visitors every day since then.  Our last ones left a few days ago.

Pastor Randy came to teach in the Bible Institute and we snagged him to preach on Sunday as well.  

Arlene is a nurse who came to stay with us for a few weeks.  I was in the office next door and heard screaming and wailing! I ran to see what was going on and it turns out they were just doing some hands on teaching and some of the Aunties were being VERY dramatic about their "wounds."  They were in hysterics.  :)

I love having guests. I love getting to watch people see firsthand what’s going on here. I love seeing people broken by the poverty and pain, while getting excited about the possibilities. A lot of our guests are people that I know from home so it’s fun to get to work together in a different context. That being said, now time for full disclosure. It’s also stretching for me because…..I’m a terrible, horrible no good, very bad cook.  And these peoples LIVES are in my hands!!  It might be a bit dramatic, but in my mind, one bad egg and these people are puking all over the place, confined to their bed and unable to do what they came here to do. And I was the one that gave them that egg!!

 

Frank is an IT specialist who came to train our teachers in the use of computers.

We are a full service organization! My dad even had some dental work done while he was here!

Not only is their health a concern, but so is their general ability to eat my food and receive the nourishment that they need.  I mentioned some of my mistakes above.  That is not an exhaustive list and I’m afraid that I’ve developed somewhat of a reputation for my…eh hem….notorious dishes.  I have five or six dishes that I’ve managed to learn how to make and generally avoid catastrophe.  However some of our guests stayed for six weeks so….if you know who they are, you might want to take them out to dinner when they get home.  Take them somewhere that doesn’t serve spaghetti, pasta or rice! 

And my toddler continues to be.....a toddler

I just love the way that God takes us in our weak areas and decides that that’s exactly where he wants us to serve.  It’s SO comforting to know that he doesn’t depend on my strengths or my abilities to accomplish his purpose. Because even with my six dishes, I still overcooked desert, served the same cabbage salad Every. Single. Night and burnt things.  Rachel Ray I shall never be.  But with His help, I can be faithful. I can be faithful with the things He’s called me to and leave the results up to Him.  No doubt some people have undergone some great sanctifying work after going through the trial of my cooking. :)