This is our first blog in a very long
time. What can we say – we’ve been
busy. This is just an explanation (not
an excuse) as to why we have not posted for months now (maybe a year?!) What have we been busy doing? To make it
easier (and less timely) we will itemise the reasons:
1)
Packing and saying our goodbyes
2)
Catching up with family and
friends
3)
New country, new language - learning French
4)
Unpacking
Packing and saying our goodbyes – to Sierra Leone (Salone)
You can just imagine how much packing
needed to be done!! We started serving in Sierra Leone in October 2007. Joelle had just turned 2 years (she is now 9
years old). We’ve lived and worked
extensively in the east (Segbwema) and in the west (Freetown) of Salone. We
have had an addition to the family (Janelle – now 5 years old). And so in June 2014, after much prayering and
soul searching, we thought we had done our best. It was time to leave. So began
the sorting, throwing, giving away and packing. Doing all this after 7 years
was not an easy task!!!! Another difficulty was saying goodbye to some very
special people (at home, in the office and at school). We had made so many
friends. We had come to depend on so many (and they on us). It was like saying
good bye to family. But God was good (as
He always is) and the time flew. We actually managed to do all we had to
do. In the end we had packed nearly 30
boxes of ‘stuff’. This was to be
transported by road to our next station – in Benin. This has its own story…..
We said good bye to our home country of 7
years (all of Janelle’s life thus far). It was a difficult task. Then the
infamous Ebola epidemic ravaged the country in the beginning of July. It was so sad to learn of the suffering of so
many. We lost many colleagues especially
at the hospital. Those in school had to
halt their lives. We mourn and wept with
them. We also live in hope that this epidemic will cease very soon.
Catching up with family and friends – In UK and
Jamaica
This was always fun (and expensive but
necessary) especially since it meant travelling a lot!!!! In the UK we were well
received. We missed them all so
much. They missed us too as evidenced by
the mountain of mail we had to sift through! We had to catch up on graduations,
births and so many other stories. We had
to also do some shopping for those of us who are growing. This was always the less stressful part of
coming home to the UK.
 |
| Relaxing at our holiday hotel. |
It was not long after we had to jump on the
plane again to see family and friends in Jamaica (especially Grandma). This trip is done about every 2 years (10
hours to and fro on the plane) and it is sensible to maximize our stay by
spending a few good weeks just trying to get over jetlag, visiting family and
friends and catching up on Jamaican cuisine! And of course swimming in the
calm, warm Caribbean Sea. We all had a
great time and made some unforgettable memories.
New country, new language – learning French.
For our next tour, we felt led to serve in
the French speaking West African country of Benin. We loved the region (West Africa), we loved
the work (with the mission hospital) and we thought learning an entirely new
language should be relatively easy (especially after all we have previously
experienced). So in September 2014 we
arrived in Cotonou with great expectations.
We were warmly received. Hospitality is foremost here!! The children started their new school
(English International) within a week – they LOVE it!!! Then
the whole adaptation to the new culture began.
It’s very, very different! We had
to sort out our work permits BEFORE we could work – in Salone we could work
while the papers were being processed. We had to have a police check (from the
UK), health checks (Blood test etc. at their own Police hospital in Cotonou).
We were interviewed by the relevant authorities and had to maintain a valid
visitors’ visa (more paperwork) throughout the process. Lunch break in Benin starts at 12:30 and ends
at 3 pm. Then they work to 6pm. Nearly everyone does this (except a few
supermarkets). It was a lot to get used
to. The paper work took a while. We had to go to the Immigration Bureau to
submit AND to collect our documents. This needed to be done AFTER collecting
the children from school. They wanted to
see EVERYBODY. We were SHOCKED!
The waiting time, however, gave us a good
opportunity to start to learn the language at a reputable school (CE.BE.LAE). It was then we really learnt that ‘Francais c’est difficile’!!!! (French
is hard!!!). Or maybe the learner is slow? Anyway, it’s been 3 months (minus a
few weeks) and we have been able to communicate enough (still with the use of a
lot of hand signals). It’s hard to hear ‘je
ne comprende pas’!!!! (I don’t understand!) and to see the blank look on
the recipients’ faces. But we continue to try to communicate and continue to
hope that the language comes alive for us. In the meantime we have our support
personnel / interpreter (Brother Constance) who is nearly always there to
smooth the communication pathway.
Unpacking!!!!
Our 30 boxes arrived in November after
leaving on the last bus out of Freetown (to Accra) in August. It then had a very interesting journey
through 6 West African countries - Sierra Leone, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso,
Ghana, and Togo before arriving in Benin.
They took a short rest in Accra (Ghana) before we received them in Benin
in November. We are still unpacking!!!! But we think we received all we packed.
AND NOW…..
We received
a visit from Sister Bunmi – Partner Co-ordinator for Africa at the World Church
Office. Seeing her was good for us as we
had the opportunity of her ever listening ear.
We thank God for the support we get from our employers. The plan is to officially
begin work at the Bon Samaritan (Good Samaritan) Polyclinique in February this
year – armed with our language skills, support personnel and work permits!!!
The hospital is in Port Novo, so we will be many hours on the road travelling
to and from home in Cotonou.
Please pray:
-
For the people of Salone to be
free of this Ebola epidemic
-
Our language skills improve
-
As we start to officially work at the hospital in February, God will
prepare the minds and hearts of our co- workers as we work alongside them to
make the service more efficient.
-
For continuation of good health
( in body, mind and spirit)
-
For continuation of good
experiences at school for the children
-
For continuation of good health
( in body, mind and spirit) of our family members
-
For safety on the roads as we
travel to and from work and school
