Tuesday 9 December 2008

Counting our blessings

The past couple of months have delivered mixed blessings to Nixon. The hospital has been forced to make adjustments to our operations as a result of the departure of one of our doctors. This has resulted in making changes to our Out Patient Department (OPD) and Mobile clinic project. The hospital has to re-organise and move personnel who would otherwise be used on the Mobile clinic to the OPD to reduce the pressure on the remaining doctor. This has however opened doors to other personnel who otherwise would have been overlooked, to partake in the mobile clinic activities.
The changes also mean that others are improving the skills in OPD which helps the hospital operate effectively despite the shortage. It is obviously not an ideal situation but presently things are working relatively well - without any major hitches.


Last month the hospital received an unexpected blessing from an unexpected source. The hospital received a water pumping and purification system from a couple of engineers based in the USA.

Presently the hospital’s main drinking water supply is from a bore hole dug about four years ago. Other sources of water – not fit for drinking- include rain harvested water, used main

ly for washing and cleaning, and water from a swamp down the valley of the hospital property.

bore hole is also the only source of drinking water for the surrounding community and this places tremendous pressure on this source. So it was a real blessing when these engineers, who are natives of Segbwema, felt led by the Lord to donate a water pumping and purification system to the hospital. This enables us to pump water from the swamp into two large water tanks. The water would then be purified before being distributed for drinking. Unfortunately the pump they donated was not powerful enough to move the water from the swamp, up a steep incline into the collecting tanks; (they have promised to send us a more powerful pump when they get back to the US). Jim Keagy giving his testimony during worship



We have learned, and were reassured by, the many lessons of this blessing. A few are noted here:
proof that the underground water network from the swamp was intact and therefore could be used when the right pump was available.
the gift has allowed us to save a huge portion of the finances which would have been required to restore the water network system at the hospital.
it is a demonstration that God answers prayers and……..
miracles still happen.

As a Ghanaian, M is watching the elections in Ghana this month with keen interest. Our hope and prayers are that they pass off peacefully and that all the parties accept the final results without the shed of blood or for that matter any violence. God bless Ghana and Africa in general.

Sunday 7 December 2008

Anniversaries





This month is the month of anniversaries for our family. Little J is 3 on 4th Dec, M celebrates his birthday on the 7th whilst our wedding anniversary is also in December. As if that was not enough, J’s younger brother celebrates his birthday on the 9th, and yes - their wedding anniversary is also this month. Busy month for us all .......................
Little J enjoying herself at the party.



Joelle with friends at her birthday party












Joelle reading her birthdaycard from her friends



Happy birthday Little J and prayer from Mum & Dad is you grow up to be a wonderful woman and doing what the Lord has planned for you. Lots of Love xxxxx



Sunday 9 November 2008

Ringing in the Changes

The last few days has been very challenging for us all at Nixon. Sometimes in life we are forced, due to circumstances beyond our control to make adjustments to our lifestyles. At the end of October we lost one of our two doctors who decided to return to Freetown for personal reasons. This was a huge blow to the hospital but than as a hospital we have to regroup and move on. So far so good as the new circumstances has given others the opportunity to prove what they have to offer the hospital.







Little J getting ready for first day at last school.



The change has not passed LJ by either – she has now started pre-school after a false start. We originally enrolled her in a school on site – but which teaches mainly in the local Mende language. Of course that, together with a combination of other reasons meant that she could not settle down – for instance the school was too close to the house so she was always coming home but most importantly she found the medium of teaching, we guess – not ‘interesting’ and considering that all her friends were attending a different school did not help either. We had to succumb to the inevitable and enrol her at the present school – and yes she is really enjoying it.


Hurry up mummy - we're getting late!!!








Little J - ready for first day at new school
On a personal note Joanna received distressing news about her dad and has to make a sudden trip home to Jamaica. Thankfully her dad seems to be doing very well. Please pray J and Little J who are – after three days travel – now in the Caribbean.
Back ‘home’ here at Nixon we have the focus is primarily on re-organising ourselves to face the new challenges ahead. The new academic year started early October when nearly eighty (80) new students joined the school bringing the student population closer to nearly 160. This obviously has put a huge demand on the limited resources of the school. It is the first time that the student population has increased over 120.

Last week was Medical Sunday thanksgiving and all the students, together organised the thanksgiving day at the Main church. The theme for the day was “Work vs Profession”. It was a very good day with all activities on that Sunday undertaken by the students and staff of the hospital.

Saturday 18 October 2008

Pictures or rather lack of them

Hi everybody, have been at the internet cafe the pat one hour ttrying to upload some pictures but to no avail. The internet connection was sooooo slow everything just timed out. Will have another go to upload some pictures soon.
Keep on praying for us we've been facing some challenges of late but more in the next update.
God bless you all

AT LAST ………………………. A Place to Sit and Read

The last few months have been a very busy one for us. The key highlights of the past weeks include the opening of the new library for the Nursing School, starting refurbishment of one of the old buildings destroyed during the war and organising ourselves for the new academic year.

The rehabilitation of a classroom attached to the old for use as a library could not have come at a better time. Previously the library was housed in a small room next to the former classroom. The library was too small and it was hardly used by any of the students. However thanks to monies donated to the hospital by benefactors who visited the Hospital in April this year, the School has now rehabilitated a much larger room for use as a library. This has come at a very opportune time because in the last three weeks the Nursing School received a donation of books and teaching aids from a national NGO for their continued support.

We want to take this opportunity to thank Karen and Erin for their financial support towards the rehabilitation of the old classroom block, thus making it possible for this library project to proceed.
Also our sincere thanks go to Medical Research Centre of Sierra Leone for donating medical books and mannequins (teaching aids) to the school.

AT LAST ………………………. A Place to Sit and Read

The last few months have been a very busy one for us. The key highlights of the past weeks include the opening of the new library for the Nursing School, starting refurbishment of one of the old buildings destroyed during the war and organising ourselves for the new academic year.

The rehabilitation of a classroom attached to the old for use as a library could not have come at a better time. Previously the library was housed in a small room next to the former classroom. The library was too small and it was hardly used by any of the students. However thanks to monies donated to the hospital by benefactors who visited the Hospital in April this year, the School has now rehabilitated a much larger room for use as a library. This has come at a very opportune time because in the last three weeks the Nursing School received a donation of books and teaching aids from a national NGO for their continued support.

We want to take this opportunity to thank Karen and Erin for their financial support towards the rehabilitation of the old classroom block, thus making it possible for this library project to proceed.
Also our sincere thanks go to Medical Research Centre of Sierra Leone for donating medical books and mannequins (teaching aids) to the school.

HIGH AS MOUNT EVEREST OR LOW AS THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA?

I must say it has been a very good experience to see how another country’s system is managed and decisions made. We have come with the influence and experience of other systems and have tried not to compare a developed versus under developed county’s system, or the influence of western influences in an African context. I guess it is more of doing the right thing versus allowing the wrong thing to happen without question.

We have been living here for nearly a year and have experienced things that make us want to go uh hum! Instead, we make a mental note and push on. We have read (and some have done dissertations on the subject) of corruption, but when is it corruption? And when does it become the right thing to do because sometimes one is faced with intractable situations that need to be solved in a different way. As Christians it is usually very easy for us to compartmentalize ‘good’ and ‘bad’ but sometimes life is not that easily demarcated. In many of our societies bribery and corruption are regarded as necessary to ease the burden of bureaucracy or in order to get things done and it is therefore important that we do not view all things from the lens of right or wrong. After all, to quote a well respected writer on corruption “one cannot condemn a Jew from bribing his way out of a concentration camp”


As Christians our hearts should bleed for those who are put in such a situation, either by illness or deficiencies in our systems to the extent that they are left with no option but to ‘give a little’ in order to enjoy the benefits that should be rightfully theirs as members of a particular society or community. We are all placed in situations where we have the power to influence the lives of others and our prayer should be that the Lord will give us the wisdom to do so in a humbling way to hopefully serve as an example worth emulating by those who may not know the changing power of Christ. It should not be our lot to dictate to others the standard at which they should practice

Nevertheless, we will do what my grandmother always said ‘….if you know better, then do better…’ We are convinced that God has brought us here, and He will keep us. If all we are going to leave behind is the mark of some sort of improved standard, then so be it. In God’s strength and time we will see.

Your prayers are effective. We are plodding on in the name of Jesus. Our focus is on higher ground and in Jesus’ name we will not falter nor fail.

Saturday 9 August 2008

Inevitable Change?

Sometimes we forget this country has just come out of a decade-long civil war. The people are so peaceful and sharing. Some, however, have come to depend on foreign NGOs and it is now the responsibility of the church and other civil society organisations to help to change this attitude. The task is to teach a sense of independence, to realise they can stand on their own and enjoy the benefits of this beautiful country.

The Church, through its development office, is working with a number of villages and farming communities to create and implement long-term plans with the goal of sustainable development. They recently gave rice milling machines and other equipments to the farmers. This will enable them to add value to their produce and give them the opportunity to increase their potential yield – and thus their income.

We are happy to report an update on our own farm project. Although we are in the height of the rainy season, this is the best time for managing the farms. We have been having thunderstorms (with some very scary lightning episodes!!) which have caused serious damage to some houses in the surrounding villages. The hospital has started harvesting the groundnuts planted earlier during the year. Already the first plot has yielded nearly 10 bags, which is likely to decrease when the nuts are fully dried. The workers have started harvesting the second plot, so hopefully the final yield should be about 15 bags. We are hoping all will be pleased with the efforts.

The irony of this time of year is despite the heavy rains it is also the time when food is scarce. People may only have one square meal per day. The belief that - one hasn’t had a proper meal if they haven’t eaten rice- is proving to be a big challenge. The favourite brand of rice is most often imported and therefore more expensive – a classic problem. The government has of late mounted a publicity campaign to educate the population on diversifying their diet. The local cassava is (in M’s opinion) the best in the West African region. Maybe they will ‘discover’ this.

As a family we are about to complete a year’s service and would begin to review our activities. We can see some obvious changes but there are still many challenges that seem to be insurmountable and we are heartened by the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho. It took 7 days of marching around the walls before they eventually came down. We are confident that probably we have only just started ‘day 1’. We live in hope that the ‘walls’ we face would eventually come down and have started thanking God for the change that is inevitable.

WITHOUT VISION, THE PEOPLE PERISH……

Since our return from Ghana it has been a very interesting time. The hospital has seen some changes – for the better – as the financial aspects have held up in such a way that we are looking forward to paying the end of July salaries from income generated by the hospital – a big and significant achievement.

The school will soon have the large classroom renovated as the windows and doors are in the process of being added to the building. Also, one of the rooms will be renovated for use as a library by the students – with tables and chairs to facilitate studying and reading. We are excited about this venture, as we look forward to welcoming a new set of students in October.

The obstetrics module has seen the students enjoying the hospital practical placement and presently on their village placement in the villages. There is evidence of improvement in the writing skills of the students and it has really encouraged J to continue with the struggle. She is now attempting to record and put in some order the outline of the course which can be used as a guideline for future tutors.

Most of these nursing students will be challenged by what they face in the placement communities as this is the first time in almost five years since students have gone out on an obstetric village placement. However they should take heart because of the courage shown by the nurses in charge of these health units. These nurses are (in many cases) young women in charge of health units with a target population of more than 8000. They are in charge of helping to maintain the health of these people, many of whom cannot read or write, have no access to media, or have never been to school. So their job is more to do with teaching health. They have to win the respect of the people, and to do this they have to work closely with the elders – the Chiefs, the Village elders and the Traditional Birth Attendants. They also have to become apart of the community, as they live and work within the village and need to respect the superstitions that prevail using wisdom to know which practice to laud and which to discourage. Our students have a great and important job, and part of J’s job is to encourage them in their pursuit, as they strive to become trained community health nurses.

M’s job is no less extensive, as he tries to identify and work out the ‘kinks’ in the hospital system (and try to institute the changes). These ‘kinks’ may sometimes be very high and deep. Initially they may look like systemic problems, but when investigated may even be the effect of higher managerial problems. A change agent’s job is not easy, but it’s a necessity if we need to move forward.

Prayer points:
Prayer warriors, please continue to pray for us along the following:
- Maintaining physical health, increasing spiritual (wisdom) and the emotional strength needed to deal with the systemic issues that many times feel and look bigger than us.
- Pray specifically for M as he has been suffering from a knee problem that is not healing as quickly as we had initially hoped;
- Heavenly protection as we travel during this rainy season on roads that maybe treacherous;
- Direction and guidance as we write a number of project proposals for the hospital;
- Wisdom as we seek a nursery teacher for Little J, and the other children on campus;
- God’s grace as the Managements of both the hospital and the school devise new intervention strategies that may help change some of the situations we face here.

We miss you all terribly, but God is with us all and is in control of all our situations – whatever we maybe going through. We also remember in prayer all our relatives and friends who have been going through some difficult situations. Be strong in the Lord; continue to trust in Him and He will continue to pull you through. Remember God ‘will never leave you nor forsake you’.

Friday 4 July 2008

REFLECTIONS – 8 MONTHS

We are currently on a break in Ghana as we took the opportunity to witness the wedding of one of our very dear friends. He can testify to the wisdom of waiting on God as He reveals the fruit of His favour. It is a reminder to us all that if we wait on God He will deliver at the right time with the right person. Those of us who have lived in the institution know how important it is to make the right choice, as this decision is usually for life and can otherwise feel like a ‘life sentence’.

For NY and his wife, we wish them all of God’s richest blessings as they begin their journey.

We have tried a new route of getting to the airport – first, the helicopter (very fast, but very expensive - $100 US/ per person); second, the ferry (relatively cheaper, but it can take between 2 to infinity hours – especially if they suddenly decide not to run for the night); and recently, the hovercraft ( also very fast, but expensive - $60US/ person, and not very organised- they tend to lose pieces of baggage…to other persons). We are yet to try the easiest, but least attractive option - the road. We were told it’s in a very deplorable condition. But what’s worse than the old Segbwema road!!!!!!!! It makes us think twice about travelling.

As we rest and eventually relax, it is a good time to reflect on the past 8 months. It has been very hectic, but we have seen so much change. The general main road network has improved as the government has contracted the project to an Italian company. The process has been impressive and it gives a positive feel of ‘development’.

The hospital has been managing its daily activities (however challenging), on the revenue from patient’s fees – but continues to need help with the monthly salary. It is a good position though, as it has proved that (with some other sustainable projects), the hospital can eventually survive without much assistance. Some other projects are in line for review, for example, the Mobile clinic and the fees for Children’s ward.

The second year students have completed the theoretical component of the obstetrics course and are now on the wards for the practical component. They are looking forward to going into the villages for 4 weeks and then to the public health aspect of the course. It has been challenging for all as the teaching method was vastly different from the usual as they were required to do loads of reading. The final exams will have an ‘oral’ component, a vast change from the norm. We are confident they will rise to the challenge.

We are slowly becoming seasoned West Africans. Little J is nearly totally Sierra Leonean as she has grown accustomed to having rice for breakfast, talking mainly Creole (and a little Mende) and playing with her many friends in the vast compound. We are all very used to waking up and expecting to see the sun, with the exceptional overcast day. It’s very hard trying to remember what it was like living in London.

One day we must go back for a visit.

We must thank all our friends who have put in place facilities to continuously help the Nixon cause, whether at the hospital or school level. We request the prayer warriors to continue to pray for strength and vigour to continue to perform at the level needed to keep the work going at a pace which results in some form of positive change. It’s not easy having to continuously be on the look out for possible agencies who need convincing (with the help of attractive proposals). Also, to teach at a standard against all the resistance and see the students rise to the challenge is very encouraging. We ask the prayer warriors to not only pray for the teachers but also for the students who are pursuing the course under some very tough situations.

Friday 9 May 2008

The Board

Last Saturday marked another milestone in our time here. The hospital Board met for the first time this year on Sat 3 May, and we were faced with the challenge of co-ordinating all the papers required for the meeting, organising the logistics of the meeting for 14 board members (only 8 attended in the end), whilst ensuring that our reports were also ready.
Thankfully, all went well and some key decisions were taken which would help us in planning the future of both the hospital and the nursing school.


The hospital has had, for the past three weeks, the privilege of hosting a medical student and her mum, from Texas USA who chose to do her medical elective here. It was for us an opportunity for our work to be reviewed and assessed by an outsider, as they have shed a different insight into our work here. She helped with our mobile clinic and had some very interesting experiences. On two occasions, the villagers presented her with two chickens and other foodstuffs as gifts.
J & Little J with Erin and Karen


There have been a few challenges in the past two months. The pump on our only well that provided us with good drinking water broke down, and now our main generator - which supplies electricity to the hospital, has lost a few crucial parts – so most of the hospital is without electricity at night. We are relying mainly on portable generators to provide us with electricity to selected homes. Thankfully, most of the operations are done with the help of portable generators. The pump by the way, was fixed a couple of weeks ago so we are doing ok with water - but still no pipe borne water yet. Hopefully that would be resolved pretty soon.
Please pray that we can get sponsors to help with the provision of basic utilities such as water and electricity.
God bless ya all.
On the No 2 River beach - splashing around.

The Pink Lady




The last few days have been interesting. Little J has suddenly taken a liking to the colour pink. Nothing pleases her more than putting on her pink clothes – especially a particular pink trouser!!! She goes to bed and even dreams about (we hear her calling out for ‘the pink’). I know pink is the ‘accepted’ colour for girls – oh she’s a little lady now- but why she has this obsession has beat us all. I guess we all go through some kind of phase like this. We don’t know how long this obsession would last and we don’t believe it would go on for long but we are glad it’s nothing too negative.

As usual, our lives are very, very hectic. The past month has been very exciting as the hospital farm takes shape. To see all those groundnuts beginning to sprout, covering the hospital land with a blanket of green plants…..as we were blessed with rains a few days after they were planted. The professional farmers among us have advised that to achieve the best crop, planting should be done by the second week of May. We seem to be on track, as the last batch of seeds would be planted before the end of this week.
Notice how even on the beach J still has JA on her mind.

J is also busy with her Obstetrics class and sorting out the community placement for her students, to be done by June. How do you arrange placements for 39 students at 7 or 8 Primary Health Units (PHU), when they can accommodate only 2 or 3 (max) students per week? This has to be done in a space of 4-6 weeks. It is proving to be a challenging task but she is relishing the challenge.

We are planning to have a break in June to attend a wedding in Ghana of one of our best friends. This would hopefully give us time to recharge our batteries and most importantly to review and reflect on keeping to God’s direction as we yield to His promptings. It can be very difficult as we try to find solutions to some of these issues – trying to remember that the work is not ours’ but the Lord’s. Our prayer is to find the time to seek God’s face intently and reflect on what we have been doing as we seek answers to the daily issues.

Please pray for God’s continued guidance, for spiritual renewal and physical rest; emotional and mental stability as we continue to have the peace of mind to enable us to endure the challenges we face.

Saturday 12 April 2008

Pictures -where we live




J and Little J in front of the house. Little J's head just about visible.











Defunct water tank which used to serve the hospital before the rebels decided to take pot shots at it









Nice flowers - all over the campus but no one could tell me the name.






Little J admiring a catch made by our next door neighbour - the Principal of the nursing school from the river nearby.



The dining area - a bit clutered but very nice.





Little J chilling with a drink and watching movies.
Little J enjoying a 'ride' back -
after one of our regular evening walks

Friday 11 April 2008

Pictures and more




Little J with the girls next door working on their ground nut farm















Janet, Little J and Gbese





This is where we live - J and Little J in front of our house



It is the farming season and everybody started. Little J has even got involved.

Wednesday 9 April 2008

A Tribute to worthy Professions.

It takes so much to try to change someone’s life for the better – this is what the medical, teaching and managerial professions try to do. J has been coordinating and teaching the obstetric module for the past 3 weeks and it has proven to be a real challenge. She is forced to use all her qualifications – from management to nursing to exercising the patience of a parent!!! The first test is due in a week and this should give an indication of how much the students have understood. Resources, easily accessible in a developed country, are proving to be a logistical nightmare here. For handouts to be done (which may be at least 2 times a week), ink cartridges needed for the hp photocopier can only be had from Freetown ( a 7 hour journey one way) and because of the cost they cannot be bought in bulk
The students are of different educational levels. In addition, there are not enough textbooks to go around for the thirty or so students who are doing the module and so to make everyone happy, notes have to be written on the board, the students allowed to copy these notes, then read (aloud by the students) and explanations given as necessary. So, it feels a little like teaching primary school. At least with this method the spelling and pronunciations are correct. Its hard work, and it makes dusty (from the chalk), muscle toning, (from the cleaning of the board) work.
The doctors have agreed to help with lecturing the medical topics, which allow J some time to concentrate on organising the practical aspect of the course. The 8 weeks originally organised for community (village) experience are reduced to 4 weeks. These extra 4 weeks will be spent on the ward, health centres and the under five’s clinic. The very tricky part is to work out transportation to and from the health centres for 10 students at a time. Back to the drawing board……..
Prayer warriors, please remember the students and the lecturers in your prayers. Pray for the information to be taught in such a way that learning takes place – especially with such a practical subject.
Pray for affordable resources and for on-time supplies.
Pray that the plans for the practical aspect of the course fall into place and that the community supervisors (the Maternal and Child health aides) will be welcoming and approachable.
As usual, God is in control.
With every blessing,
Michael, Joanna and Little J.

A Tribute to worthy Professions.

It takes so much to try to change someone’s life for the better – this is what the medical, teaching and managerial professions try to do. J has been coordinating and teaching the obstetric module for the past 3 weeks and it has proven to be a real challenge. She is forced to use all her qualifications – from management to nursing to exercising the patience of a parent!!! The first test is due in a week and this should give an indication of how much the students have understood. Resources, easily accessible in a developed country, are proving to be a logistical nightmare here. For handouts to be done (which may be at least 2 times a week), ink cartridges needed for the hp photocopier can only be had from Freetown ( a 7 hour journey one way) and because of the cost they cannot be bought in bulk
The students are of different educational levels. In addition, there are not enough textbooks to go around for the thirty or so students who are doing the module and so to make everyone happy, notes have to be written on the board, the students allowed to copy these notes, then read (aloud by the students) and explanations given as necessary. So, it feels a little like teaching primary school. At least with this method the spelling and pronunciations are correct. Its hard work, and it makes dusty (from the chalk), muscle toning, (from the cleaning of the board) work.
The doctors have agreed to help with lecturing the medical topics, which allow J some time to concentrate on organising the practical aspect of the course. The 8 weeks originally organised for community (village) experience are reduced to 4 weeks. These extra 4 weeks will be spent on the ward, health centres and the under five’s clinic. The very tricky part is to work out transportation to and from the health centres for 10 students at a time. Back to the drawing board……..
Prayer warriors, please remember the students and the lecturers in your prayers. Pray for the information to be taught in such a way that learning takes place – especially with such a practical subject.
Pray for affordable resources and for on-time supplies.
Pray that the plans for the practical aspect of the course fall into place and that the community supervisors (the Maternal and Child health aides) will be welcoming and approachable.
As usual, God is in control.
With every blessing,
Michael, Joanna and Little J.

The Farm---

The farming season has really arrived and this is characterised by the numerous ‘back’ gardens that have suddenly materialised on Hospital land. Almost every hospital worker has a piece of land ‘allocated’ to them over the years and suddenly these have been turned into gardens. Even little J has got on the act of farming and joining the next door neighbours in clearing and sowing their groundnut garden. I understand the most popular crops to sow at this time would be groundnuts, cassava and maize.


We are struggling to get the hospital farm off the ground due to lack of manpower. We were counting on hiring casual labour to clear, plough and till the land for us but with everybody busily involved with their own farms casual labour has not been easy to come by. Our efforts to rent a tractor to do the ploughing were also not successful. The only tractor in town has no mechanical attachments – but we keep trying. The good news is that all the hospital grounds-men are keen to help with the farm so we may have to mobilise them to till the land for the next few days to keep the elephants grass at bay.
We have earmarked three plots of land for groundnuts, cassava and maize and my fear is if we do not start the task now we may miss the rains. Michael’s agricultural training background is finally coming into good use.
The farms are a crucial plank in the strategy to generate extra income for the hospital. Already one of our initiatives have started bearing fruit – sorry for the pun. We have managed to produce nearly forty (yes 40!) gallons of palm oil from the fruits harvested from the palm trees on the hospital land. These were previously been harvested by all and sundry for their personal consumption. The dilemma is whether to sell the palm oil now, when prices are low or to hold on until the price goes up later during the year. Financially we could do with the money that would be realised from such a sale. The understanding is we could realise about Le100, 000 to Le150, 000 if we were to sell now. This can buy us about 18,000 tablets of Paracetamol, which would last the hospital for about 2-3 months. This is how relevant this project is to us, however if we were to wait until later during the year we could double the price. Decisions, decisions, decisions!!! That’s life.

The last few weeks have been a strain on us as a working couple. Especially when we reviewed the progress the hospital has made against how much more work is left to be done. We felt overwhelmed and to be honest - pretty dejected initially. We however realised how blessed we were to have the support of some key personnel in the hospital. They have helped us to navigate the hospital through the maze of challenges facing it, and helped us to avoid some tricky situations. That review really gave us hope and joy, and to cap it all a sermon on the radio one Sunday morning summed it all up. The preacher referred to how God is attentive to all our cries even when we feel overwhelmed and are despondent. He is always there for us (See Ps 18 v.6) – and that helped to put the spring back into our steps.

Thank you for all your prayers and we are grateful because we do feel and know that God is in control and it is only because so many of you are praying for us. We are very humbled and grateful for that. God bless you allM, J.& Little

Saturday 22 March 2008

News Letter - A Reflection on the first Six Months

Its being six months since we arrived at Nixon, and they have been lifechanging.
The last three months have given us a deeper understanding of some of the issues facing the hospital. For instance, access to health facilities is more complicated than just the lack of money to pay medical bills, or lack of good roads to the health facility. It embodies also cultural orientation and beliefs and the role of key influencers within the community. Making health services available to the population therefore involves getting the cooperation of all the stakeholders involved.

The beginning of the year saw the launch of an outreach programme via a mobile clinic to two of the surrounding villages, by the hospital. Considering some of the issues highlighted above, this was not a small achievement. We had to work with the paramount chiefs of the two villages involved – and to involve various specialist people in the hospital to stretch their time and commitments further to cover the outreach programme. This programme is very important to the hospital as it increases accessibility of health services to the surrounding areas. The mobile clinic is on Wednesdays with visits to the villages on alternate weeks. Not only does it enable the hospital to reach and treat some people who may not otherwise have access to health services but also it gives the nursing students field experience and an opportunity to put into practice some of the knowledge taught in the classroom.

There has also been a considerable improvement in our drug stock levels and this is due to a combination of reasons. As reported in the last newsletter we continue to receive considerable stock of drugs from the Christian Health Association of Sierra Leone (CHASL) at reasonable cost. This has helped us stretch our budget considerably as compared to purchasing on the open market. In addition, we have managed to secure considerable stock of drugs from the District Medical Stores- again at considerable low prices. This has reduced the pressure on us as it contributes significantly to our key objective of delivering quality health service to the community.

In January, another doctor from the UK joined us for a six-month assignment period. This has been a real blessing to us at the hospital because it has eased the work pressure on the two resident doctors considerably. This means a doctor is able to join the mobile clinic every week without reducing service provision on outreach days.

In February, Mike King, Team Leader of the Africa desk at World Church Office in the UK visited us at Nixon. This gave us an opportunity to discuss some of the issues – both personal and work-related - with him. Mike was able to access and ascertain the key role that Nixon plays as a health provider to the community.
Dr John Cochrane also visited in February though with different objectives. Dr Cochrane and his church in Redbridge (and together with some Friends of Nixon in the UK) have supported a Community Health Based programme run by the hospital for the past couple of years. This started as a pilot project to improve community health through public health education. He was in Segbwema for a review of the programme. Another key objective was to help map a way forward for the programme and explore avenues for funding the Community Health programme when the funding for the pilot project ceases.

In February, the pump on the only source of drinking water on the campus broke down. This has placed considerable stress on the provision of water not only to the Nixon but also to the surrounding community as a whole. The good news is that we have managed to locate a technician who can fix the problem – but the cost of repairs is proving a financial challenge.

The Nursing school received a boost from a local NGO when it received funding for the award of scholarships to10 students of the school. The school however is in need of a number of teaching materials – both for the classroom and practical teaching on the wards. An appeal has been sent out to WCO for help in securing some of these teaching materials.

The staff and workers of both the hospital and the nursing school have made considerable progress, but there is still a lot more to be done. The biggest problem facing the hospital is how to increase income streams. The low patient numbers coupled with the inability of some patients to foot their medical bills continue to pose financial challenges to the hospital.
In addition, the lack of running water and electricity pose their own unique challenges.

The rains are about to set in and we are told to expect the worst. Impassable roads, coupled with an influx of all kinds of creatures – termites, caterpillars, frogs which in turn attract the snakes etc. etc. and of course the good old mosquitoes. The mossies have not been a major hazard to us though we live close to a swamp - maybe because we sleep under nets all the time. However, Little Joelle suffered a serious bout of malaria in February. We are very grateful to God that we had 24-hr access to doctors specialising in treating malaria. It made a great deal of difference to us and we will always be grateful.

Despite all that has been said, we are actually all looking forward to the advent of the rainy season since it marks the beginning of planting and all that goes along with farming. Even for us at the hospital, this could mark the beginning of an exciting time because for the first time the hospital is considering branching into farming as part of our strategy to reduce our dependence on one source of income stream. We have earmarked a number of plots of land on hospital site for farming purposes and we are all looking forward to the rains.

Despite the challenges at the hospital, we still take time to enjoy the country and its beautiful scenery and beaches. We had the opportunity during Easter to visit the No 2 River Beach on the Freetown peninsular. This was a treasure trove. The beach has miles of incredible white sand and calm clear waters. It was just amazing. We were invited by a local man to take a canoe trip up the river, which empties into the beach – hence the name – to see a waterfall and wild monkeys and birds but we turned down the invitation for another day.
The country is so beautiful and we continue to discover ‘gems’ just round the corner. It is easy for one to miss such beauty amidst the tremendous challenges and difficulties that are glaring us in the face but we are grateful to God that He continually gives us the wisdom to sit back, reflect and relax whilst enjoying the beautiful world He has created all around us. One cannot fail to notice the rolling hills, gorges and rivers of Sierra Leone as one drives along. The beauty is outstanding.



Apparently, this creeper flowers once every two years. Unfortunately, we don’t know its name – so any suggestions?

Picture courtesy of Mike King (Africa Desk, WCO)

Friday 21 March 2008

Pictures from Freetown


Pictures of Freetown Bay taken from Leicester Peak. Leicester Peak is the highest point in Freetown where all radio & TV masts are located


Clouds over the Bay

OF SERVICE, SACRIFICE AND CELEBRATION - HAPPY EASTER!!!!! Part 2

Prayer warriors, please help us to thank God for the rains, the relative coolness of the weather and the hope of a good crop of fruits.
Pray the preparation of the farm project goes well and that we will get our crops planted on time.
Pray for continued good health for our families, friends and ourselves. For those needing encouragement and reassurance, for whatever reason, pray that God in His infinite wisdom will give the peace that passes all understanding.
Pray for Little J to continue to enjoy the socialising of her daily routine, and it would bring about positive growth, in the absence of a formal structure.
Pray for direction, discretion, patience and wisdom to be our portion, especially with J about to coordinate the obstetric module at the end of March and M continuing to manage the hospital with all its many challenges.
Pray for peace to continue to reign in the Nixon camp – here and abroad – and that all who set foot on the compound will feel its immediate effect.
We love and really, really miss you all. Keep the faith – we are already six months (and counting) in the assignment. Nothing goes on forever.
HAPPY EASTER!!!!!
With all God’s richest blessings
M,J and Little J.

OF SERVICE, SACRIFICE AND CELEBRATION - HAPPY EASTER!!!!!

For us, this is the best time in the Christian calendar. Jesus is alive!!!!!!!!! and we live in hope – esp. when we have to deal with the finicky ness of humans. We know that one day it will be all over – Alleluia!!!!!!!

So, Happy Easter!!!

With Easter comes the hope of a break and the visit to the beach in Freetown. Little J is really looking forward to this break, and to tell the truth, we the adults are also looking forward to the break. It means a 7-hour journey on some difficult roads for us, especially with the onset of the rains, but we have heard that they are working on them, so it shouldn’t be as bad as our first journey.

It is hot and sticky during the day, but we are happy to report the nights are not as humid as we were warned. We have been having a few scanty days of rain and this seems to be the reason for the relative coolness of the season. Also, it seems the rains may have started early, and the farmers are scrambling to get their planting in on time. It’s wonderful to see the land being transformed from bush to cleared area to, hopefully, something edible. As M had reported, the hospital is hoping to embark on a farm project, and the land is being prepared for groundnuts, cassava and maize. We look forward to a feast.

In the meantime, the mangoes are coming!!!!!!!! The trees are full – although we thought, there would have been more fruits. The ones I’ve ‘eyed’ are good enough and I’m sure there will be more than enough for all. The children have started to pick the green mangoes, which they mix with salt (yuck!....could never get my tongue around that combination!), and knowing them they might even add a little pepper to give some oomph!. I’ll be patient for the real thing.

The breadfruit trees are also yielding a few fruits. We have already sent the scouts out to keep an eye for the ‘fit enough for roasting’ kind. Patience….patience, that is the key. Now only if we had some ackee and salt fish, mmm…………..it would be perfect!!!
We have found a way to make bammies, from gari (for the Jamaicans – just picture the bammy stage. Gari is the product of the cassava just before the baking stage for bammy. It’s the ‘powder stage’ which is then baked to produce the cake) which is a delicacy here. Gari is eaten here (and in Ghana) just as it is, by adding water to make a doughy kind of stuff. However, we have realised, if we put it in a hot frying pan with some oil and press it into a cake – presto!!! we get……BAMMY!!!! Or as close to it as possible. Thanks to my mum – who suggested we try, our diet has been enhanced with this introduction. We are even more blessed as the lady who helps us explains that they call it cassava cake and she is happy to make it when we buy our gari. So, a little piece of Jamaica has arrived (or as M would insists – West Africa is the mum to the West Indies. He’s right -we just do it better!!)

Since my last sighting of our friend the snake, I have not seen another. Yet we know they are there…we just pray they stay in their corner and we will stay in ours. With the rains approaching, we have been told to expect more sightings. Lord, please keep them far in the bush – and nowhere near the house!!!! We have precautionary measures in place anyway with a gate to the veranda and main house in place. We have a rule and practice to keep them closed at all times. We think that’s enough.

Friday 7 March 2008

SNAKE!!!!!

It’s been nearly six months and the fact nearly forgotten until last Sunday morning. It was an amazing sight – a little longer than an earthworm and 3 times the width. But the creature was the exact colour of the soil and when it curled itself under the shrub, blended in so much that the little boy who ran after the shouts only recognised it when it decided to move. Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And scary………… but, as usual God knows us intimately (esp. when J was mentally packing her bags to catch the next flight). The first lesson at church was from Numbers v which talked about the bronze snake and anyone who was bitten by the poisonous snakes had just to look at the bronze snake and be healed. Of course, those who know the Bible know that the bronze snake represents Jesus on the cross. J felt encouraged, but is now busily walking with her eyes fixed to the ground!!!!!!!!!!

Six months……..and its still interesting. J is now about to start coordinating her 6 months obstetrics module. She is yet to visit the surrounding villages where the students are to get their practical experience. This is all due to red tape and protocols etc. which soon will be resolved – we hope.
M is busy trying to get hospital and the administrative aspect of the school in a running routine, in addition to chasing funds, coordinating reconstruction ( and construction) and basically helping to get Nixon back on track. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible. Just little things can frustrate – like the slowness of everything here. A phone call is not enough
(although it can be expensive). It needs to be followed up by a series of phone calls and emails and more phone calls and lots of prayer and waiting – not easy at all.
Little J has recovered well and her appetite has improved. She also seemed to have fallen into a routine and we are pleased to report she is officially fully potty trained!! She is now into colours (although not quite there yet) and have been going through her alphabet cards on a regular basis. So, we think she is right on track.
So, prayer warriors, please continue to thank God for Little J’s recovery. Continue to pray for health, strength, discretion and wisdom. We are well and busy with the work. As usual, God ‘does not do boring’ !!!!!!!!! Pray for our friends and families to stay healthy and safe. Pray for the time to go quickly but at a pace that is manageable.
We love and miss you all.
With every blessing.
M, J and LittleJ.

Monday 25 February 2008

……..and the inevitable happened…..

A few of you might have heard …………….. Little J is now officially an African. Last week proved to be a very testing and trying time, as she had what we thought was malaria. We think we have come out stronger and wiser for the experience, but would not want to go there again!!!!!

Little J had symptoms of malaria which lasted for seven days. It lasted this long because she refused to take the medication – even after holding her down and pouring it in with a syringe. She has proved to be a headstrong and determined patient and we have gone through some very, very long nights. We have told her being headstrong and determined are good traits, but not at this age when she cannot be reasoned with. She eventually went through (or was bathed by) a whole bottle (100mls) of Calpol, 2 regimes of anti-malarial (for treatment) and countless number of paracetamol tablets. She is now battling an upper respiratory tract infection, which we are sure will pass without ill effect (she is being ‘bathed’ with antibiotics). It was a very different experience, but one which we have learnt many lessons, of which we will try to share:
- God is in control at all times, especially when it seems so unlikely
- Family ties need to be maintained at all cost – they are the ones you may need to call in the middle of the night for reassurance, advise and prayer!!!!!!!
- Never, ever think the devil is in control. Superstitious people may say or suggest this, but the God we serve is larger and stronger than all the superstitions.
- Hold on to the promises of God esp. when exhausted from the battle and the night seems longer than normal.
- Live a moment at a time – trying to think of the next task/ challenge ( which may never come) will only prove to wear you down more
- Parenthood is the most challenging but rewarding profession that one can undertake. Parents need to be proud of our status and embrace it with an open heart – God is there with us every step of the way. We are special people!!!!!!

We became stronger as a family through this trial, and now I understand what the Bible says about trials leading to perseverance and perseverance to character, and character
hope etc.( Romans 5 v 3,4). Only trials can make us stronger in Christ.

We have tested our degree of integration in the Nixon community. So many people have prayed for us on so many different occasions and on a particular day, the whole school population that attended the chapel service that morning walked to our house to pray for Little J and us. It was touching and moving. We felt a part of a large family, and we will never ever have to wonder what they think of us. We are no longer outsiders.

We have also tested the health provision here. We were blessed and pleased to have the choice and advise of 3 doctors (all Sierra Leoneans but with different specialities – one a GP based in England working with us for a short period). They were accessible even late at night and we realised we are in a relatively better position than if we were in London – no GP would have left his house to visit a sick (feverish) child. We would have had to wait until morning to make an appointment, or bundled her up and rush to the A&E in the cold night. We counted our blessings even more when we were reminded that one can get sick anywhere, but it seems Nixon is the place to be when malaria strikes!

Now we are well (a bit tired and also battling the symptoms of ? flu). We are slowly getting back in the routine of things. We are reminded this can happen again – and we will have to start to use our mosquito repellents more often. The consolation is that if it strikes again, the symptoms should not be so intense, as the body would have the memory to fight. We are hoping this will not be for a very, very long time.

Prayer warriors, please help us to thank God for Little J’s health. Now she needs to start eating better to increase in strength. Pray for the blood of Jesus to cover us all wherever we are. Pray for our doctors and nurses to continue to use discretion and wisdom in their daily consultations. Pray also for us to have discretion, wisdom and strength to continue the mission journey.
We miss you all, but know that God is with us all. We are connected because of His blood and we feel we have ‘… the peace of God which passes all understanding….’ (Phil. 4 vs. 7)

With God’s richest blessings,
Michael, Joanna and Little J

Monday 18 February 2008

Another Milestone – We are Mobile

No, not that irritant that makes one accessible to everyone irrespective of location or time of day. Instead, I mean our outreach mobile clinic, which is now operational. Praise God!!!

The beginning of February marked another chapter in the ‘life’ of Nixon Hospital. The hospital re-started its outreach programme to surrounding areas after a 17-year break. Nixon Hospital previously used to run a number of outposts before the civil war. It was a vital service to the communities that the hospital served at the time. It was another way of making the hospital’s services available to a greater percentage of the population. In a country where road and communication networks are very rudimentary, access to health care can be very difficult and mobile services are usually one of the best options for reaching the public.

Also, another doctor has joined us albeit for a 6-month period, but this has increased the number of doctors to 3. In a country where the flow of medical personnel is ‘out’ rather than ‘in’ this is a welcome addition. The new doctor, who is a native of this country, has taken to the task like ‘duck to water’ even though he has been based abroad in the UK for the past 27 years where he practised most of his medicine. We are really grateful to God for the additional resource and help that he has brought to the hospital. This is because his presence makes running the mobile clinic less taxing on our present doctors.
The clinics are running presently in only two villages and our plan is to extend that to about 10 more by the end of the year depending upon availability of both financial and human resources. Our prayer is that God would open the windows of heaven and provide us with financial resources to enable us achieve this objective. Prayer warriors, please kindly make this a prayer point.

We have also had a bit of bad news. The handle on the only well that provides the hospital with good drinking water was damaged due to overuse. We are therefore without drinking water within the hospital campus but praise God there are other sources in town. It is however imperative that it gets repaired as soon as possible since the surrounding community depends on the well for good drinking water. Our major problem is finding the financial resources to repair the handle. Again, we are trusting the Lord for His provision because repairing the well would mean diverting badly needed resources that otherwise would have been used for looking after the patients. Our hope and trust is in the Lord. Please pray for us as we have sent off an email to an international organisations asking for financial help to repair the well.

As we go about our daily activities at Nixon, we are challenged every day to live as Christ would and to make decisions which can be both emotionally and professionally taxing. How do you deal with difficult and sometimes life threatening medical conditions when the patients have no ability to pay the medical bill, albeit a very small fee? Nevertheless, in all of this God has shown us His faithfulness when we have trusted Him to provide for us in such difficult times. As a mission hospital, our number one priority would be to show compassion and understanding and this sometimes means undertaking medical interventions even when we know that the patients may never be able to repay their medical bills. Saving lives through affordable and accessible medical care is our main objective and we thank God that despite some difficult cases we have not turned any patient away because of their inability to pay their bill.
For us as a family our lives are beginning to take on a regular pattern. We the adults leave for morning devotion at 7.30 am with the nursing students at the hospital chapel. Of late Little J has been waking up early – about 7 am and insists on going to chapel with us. Maybe this is just her way of spending as much time with us before we leave for our respective places of work – Michael to the office & Joey to the classroom. In respect of our daily routine, we are grateful to our house helpers who help us with Little J and with the house keeping, thereby enabling us to focus on our jobs here at the hospital. We consider this yet another blessing from God to have found very dedicated and trusty people to take care of our daughter and our home.

Little J is really flourishing and have made good friends here with some of the children on the campus. We have still not being able to find a teacher to help her with her development so mummy helps her with her alphabets and colour identification. She has recently taken a great deal of interest in trying to identify various colours. Presently the phrase ‘what colour this?’ is a constant one in our home.

Just to end I recall a recent devotional piece I read about how the efforts of one college student changed the lives of a whole family. This is because he showed compassion to one man which led to him and his family accepting Christ. This started a chain-reaction, which led to a change in the lives of a whole generation who dedicated their lives to Christ. The bible verse that talks about not despising the beginning of small things comes to mind. Our prayer is that God would find our work worthy to be used to touch the lives of others.

Tuesday 29 January 2008

A New Year begins

This is the first opportunity to update the blog since the New Year. Already the 'newness' of 2008 has begun to wear a bit thin and we have now settled nicely into a routine here in Segbwema. Joey started teaching nursing to the second year nursing students at the beginning of January. In addition, she has had to assist in marking exam papers for the first year students - 54 in all. The year started on a very positive note for the nursing school. A non-governmental agency (NGO) has awarded full tuition scholarships to 10 students - a very welcome gift considering students struggle to pay their fees.

With regards to the hospital, we have initiated plans to start a mobile clinic to a few of the surrounding villages in order to increase access to health services to a greater percentage of the population. These are really exciting times for the hospital because it marks another important stage in our vision to make health services accessible and affordable to as many as possible. During the initial visit to the first village, we had the privilege of sharing the health concerns with the villagers who were very clear in their minds of what they expected from the hospital. It was pleasing to notice that the village and its surroundings not only had a feel of home (Ghana) about it but also had a number of breadfruit trees - so it could have passed for a setting in Jamaica.

As a family, we have now settled into a routine with the help of our neighbours, friends and house helps. Little J is still struggling to come to terms with both her parents leaving home at 7.30am - first for morning devotion and then to our duties ( whether teaching or overseeing). This is a huge change for her as she was used to spending most of the day with her mum and now she has to contend with a child minder. Despite the changes she is getting on very well, enjoying her friends, the weather and the atmosphere. Our prayer is that this experience would enrich her life for many more years to come.

Joanna has found teaching a challenge - with long teaching sessions and a mixture of Sierra Leoneon and Jamaican. Considering however that the classroom is only a few walking distance from the house, one cannot really complain. There are 40 students per class and they are taught in 2 groups, so the same topic is taught two weeks in a row - which in some way is a blessing. It affords the opportunity to rectify any mistakes or misunderstandings during the second week, and makes for a richer more detailed information to be provided on the hand outs given to all.

For those of us who love football, this month of January is a feast - with the African Nations cup in Ghana. I was very delighted and overjoyed when Ghana won their opening match. I wish I was in Ghana then but managed to savour the atmosphere in Ghana by watching the game live. People in Sierra Leone are very passionate about their football and enthusiasm for the games have not waned a bit even though SL is not represented in the games. Most of them support Ghana, which is great for Michael.

That brings me to the issue of the weather and football. Listening to the BBC world service's commentary on football matches in England gives you the impression that we are not doing badly here at all. Presently the weather is very dry during the day with the harmattan winds from the Sahara but the nights are really cool, even cold sometimes and which makes for a good night's sleep. The understanding is that this is the best part of the year in S/L then it gets really hot during match before the rains set in from March ending to late August so we are enjoying this change very much.
To end we just would like to say we are very grateful to God for all that He has been doing here at Nixon and in our lives. Changes are taking place albeit slowly but we can see progress in our respective work which is really down to the grace of God and for this we are grateful to all who are praying for us. Please continue your efforts and we are very grateful. God bless you all.

Wednesday 9 January 2008

Yet More Pictures

On the beach at Lumley- Freetown
Hospital laboratory


Enjoying few moments of quiteness at the hotel in Elmina - Ghana
Pictures of Mum and daughter enjoying bonding time on the beach in Freetown.
Picture of the hospital laboratory. Desperately needs equipment to increase the utilisation rate - which is presently only about 25%.

More pictures at last!!!












Pictures showing different aspects of life in Sierra Leone. Top left is the remains of the old hospital theatre destroyed during the war.
Middle pictures show clouds gathering over Freetown bay. Other pictures show Dad and daughter on the beach in Freetown - just enjoying the sea.
Righton top of the world. This is not unique to SL - ery common in most African countries - including some parts of Ghana


Friday 4 January 2008

pictures?

Despite numerous attempts to upload pictures I have been beaten by the system. Connectivity is so slow uploading pictures would require a whole day - at this rate. We live to fight another day. By the way the only picture that uploaded was that of the President of the Methodist Church Sierra Leone receiving the books that some of our friends in Britain donated to the Nursing School.

Pictures - as promised