END OF YEAR

As the year draws to an end, like most of us, it is time for us to take stock of 2011 and of our work here in Sierra Leone. 2011 has been a great year for us despite the challenges we've faced both at work and in our personal lives.

The year started with Michael starting his new role as the Co-ordinator of Health and Wholeness (H&W) desk with Methodist Church Sierra Leone - a new role with lots of opportunities and challenges.
The unit has scored some notable successes;
- with a little help from our friends we have received a donation of 40 ft container of medical equipment from Medical Bridges in USA
- secured the purchase of drugs from UK for Nixon Hospital
- organised scholarships for over 20 nursing students and 2 senior nurses to undertake a post graduate course in midwifery;
- with help of friends secured the placement of VSO volunteers to work at Nixon Hospital
-Started collaborative work with Methodist Church Ghana's Mission Hospital to help develop the capacity of the staff at Nixon hospital.

These are just a few projects that the H & W has achieved over the past year but the year has not been without the major challenge of lack of funds to run the desk. We hope this will be solved very early in the new year.

The church received a number of visitors during the year and amongst them was Rev. Stephen Poxon, who launched in February the celebrations of the Bi-centenary of the arrival of the first Methodist Missionary from the UK to Sierra Leone. The celebration climaxed in November with a church service and fund raising dinner. We were privileged to have in attendance the President designate of Methodist Church UK Dr Mark Wakelin and Dr Bunmi Olayisade Partnership Co-ordinator of the Africa Desk at World Church Office in UK, Rev. Christine Gillespie (from Leeds district) and Rev. Dr Wendy Kilworth-Mason.

Prof Goodall with Rt. Rev. Temple

From Joanna's desk she has seen the end of one module of teaching 104 students and now is preparing to teach the next module in March. This group has over 120 students but this time there will be help in the form of two newly qualified post graduate midwives who received a scholarship from the H and W department of the Methodist Church. In addition, we have started a partnership of upgrading our post graduate midwives at a well known and reputable obstetric institution in Freetown. This we hope will be the start of something great. Prof. Goodall taught 'Life Saving skills - and essential Obstetrics' at Nixon Hospital Nursing school during early December

The Elles ( Jo and Jan) have been very happy and healthy. Now 6 and nearly 2 years old they have been having a ball in the sun. Joelle is learning fast, now reading, writing and starting arithmetic. Play dates are numerous and can get a little overwhelming but it means the girl is popular ( as popular as a 6 year old can be). Janelle is yet to make her own friends but she is also yet to start school and so the real party girl is yet to blossom.

President of Conference (Rt. Rev. A. Temple (l) with Dr Bunmi and Paramount Chief of Segbwema - Chief Jajua VI

Ms Honney Panes -the VSO Nurse (2nd l) with President of Conference & Dr Bunmi

FAREWELL

Rev. Peter and Janice Clarke left Sierra Leone for the UK via Spain after two years at the Theological Hall (College). We pray Peter and Janice would have a good break before returning to the UK.

Prayer Points

Please pray For:

• God's wisdom as we contemplate renewing our contract for another two years - We are scheduled to finish our tour of duty in June 2012;
• Our work in Sierra Leone to make a difference in the lives of those we are privileged to touch
• Good health for us and the children
• Our partners who support us and make it possible for us to make a difference
• Us to exercise patience, wisdom and discernment with all the projects (personal and professional) we are to be involved with for the rest of this tour, so the glory will go only to God

Celebrations!!!

December is a month of celebrations. Joey's brother Junior & his wife Janice kick it off with their wedding anniversary on the 2nd, followed by Junior's birthday on the 3rd, then Joelle celebrates hers on the 4th. More to come - Michael, Joey's cousin Dean(Prof) and joey's niece Ruth celebrate theirs on 7th Dec followed by our wedding anniversary on the 11th. Done? No!!! Our wedding anniversary is then followed by Joey's junior brother Mark's birthday on the 14th. Whew!!!! Hope I have not missed anybody's - but of course the Big One is 25th, that of our Lord's which we all join in to celebrate. Not to be outdone little Janelle crowns it all in January - on the 9th, by which time everybody may be a little exhausted but for us it is very special.




Joelle's birthday banner at School


Birthday Girl




The birthday cake


Birthday girl with Junior Sis





Junior Sis Janelle - looking good



On the beach - just relaxing
















Sunset on the beach - Freetown lumley beach


















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Joelle's Birthday Cake with a slice 'gone'






Joelle enjoying birthday pizza with fellow pupils

THE END OF ANOTHER TEST..

And so the last of the project for this year is at an end and it was gruelling. Imagine doing practical examinations for 104 students (20 to 21 students per day for 5 days and then an extra day for the resit examinations for 14 unfortunates).....very long hours. In the end I was pleased to present a gift to the first 10 students with the highest grade throughout the module. It was unexpected and greatly appreciated by the students and the school management. Hopefully it would be seen as precedence for the other groups to do their best at whatever level – they never know when they will be rewarded.
Michael and the girls did well with the long days without Mummy. Joelle had a holiday not too much to her liking but she has to learn ( if she hasn’t already) that her expectations will not always be met and whatever life throws at her she needs to make the best of it – find the best of and enjoy as much as possible. For Janelle it was great just to be able to go for long walks to see the butterflies, goats, sheep and birds.....so simple (for now).



We are at the point where we can look forward to going somewhere we all like (not sure where yet), but just having the opportunity to be at that point of your life is amazing. We’ll keep you posted. However, before we are due to go on furlough I have to coordinate the project again for the next set of students early next year. It will be different because the school is due to have 2 of their workers back from their post basic midwifery training – so for the first time since we have started helping the hospital and school I’ll have some help. I will be preparing to hand over the ‘baton’ to these colleagues.... a milestone I am really looking forward to.


This journey reminds me of the first time we came to SL in 2007. The trip from Freetown to Segbwema was a long torturous 10 – 12 hours with mandatory stops at Moyaba Junction, possibly Bo and definitely Kenema before we even considered the ‘bone shaking’ session from Kenema to Segbwema. If one was very unaccustomed to this trip then an overnighter at Kenema was a definite must. We became very accustomed to this journey and could skip the’ Bo stop’ and didn’t need to overnight in Kenema. As young as Joelle was at the time she managed well with these long trips and even survived a midnight ‘break’ behind a broken down truck stuck in the mud. Now this same trip takes half the time. The roads are a relative ‘dream’ to travel on. We, of course, still have to dodge a pot hole or two on the Freetown to Kenema road but that’s paradise in comparison to what it was 4 years ago. So it is with the delivering of this module. With the first set it was a pioneering journey of discovery. The handouts were done over a shorter time and had to be at the literacy level of the students. It took a little time to work out the right level (and I’m still working at it) as the groups have been a mixture of some well read and some struggling to even read a sentence clearly.





Without this arrangement it would never have worked. This is more the reason I’m hoping the delivery of the module to the next set will even be easier as I hope the team will be enhanced by our 2 newly qualified post grad midwives. So, although I can say Set 36 is behind me, Set 37 (127 of them) awaits. I hope the report will be even better.