Photo!

Jeremy had the chance to upload a few pictures to the internet, so I get to show you some of the people I’m here with:

From left to right: Jeremy, me, Haley, Raymond (Faye’s boyfriend), Katie, Faye (our Servant Team leader).

So there we are.

Welcomed by the Mosquitoes

Famous last words… “You know, I really haven’t been bothered by the mosquitoes here.  They’re much worse at home.”

How things change.  Last Thursday, while helping one of the Lighthouse boys read, I had a splitting headache.  Later, when washing dishes after dinner, I began to feel a little achy in the joints.  “No problem,” I think to myself, I’m still getting used to living here and I just need to adjust a little bit.  By the morning, I do feel a little better.  I get up, go to Lighthouse, and begin the day like any other. By the afternoon, I’m getting chills and a fever  – Malaria had struck.

Malaria pills, I learn, don’t always keep you from getting malaria.  If you don’t have much nautral resistance, a little skeeter can still get you in trouble.  But, they do help make the disease less serious and more treatable.   And, really, my case of malaria wasn’t terrible – I wasn’t bedridden, and, other than the medicine’s side effects, I wasn’t too terribly uncomfortable.  The funny part is how soon I got it – Malaria usually takes over a week to become noticeable, so the first mosquito that saw me off the airplane must have given it to me – Jeremy joked that, at this rate, I’ll get malaria 17 more times before we go home.  I sure hope I’ve built up some resistance from the parasite now.

Here in Sierra Leone, malaria is as common as the flu – everyone gets it.  The WMF staff has all had it (in fact, Joe got malaria at the same time I did), and the locals here have had it innumerable times.  If anything, I can be grateful that I had malaria meds to take, a nice bed to sleep on, and the knowledge that I’ll be better in a few days.  So many people here don’t have that luxury.

But I’m better now, and I’m ready to get back in the swing of things.  Being cooped up while everyone else is still figuring out how to get around, speak Krio and spend time with the kids was hard – maybe even harder than the physical symptoms.

Shivering

Might as well take some time to talk about the other team members:

The oldest of our group, Katie, quit her job (which was exactly like Office Space, so she was happy to do it) and dropped everything going on to spend and invest in the kids here in Freetown. She’s very active in serving the poor back in her hometown of Omaha, eating meals and spending time with homeless people several times a week. She is an incredible example of a servant: she has a great heart for being with and among the poor.

Jeremy graduated from college this spring. He’s engaged to be married a few months after returning to the States, and his fiancee’s spending a few months in Uganda on a mission trip as well – I think it’s great to see a couple so concerned and active about serving the world. Anyway, Jeremy’s hilarious, has a thing for country music (he’ll put a little twang in any song he sings), and definitely keeps the mood light.

Haley’s taking part of her sophomore year in college to be here in Sierra Leone. Although at times she can be too competitive when playing board games, she has an incredible heart for God and what’s going on here. She’s a guitar player, has an incredible voice and a big smile.

And then there’s Faye, our Servant Team leader. After working in DC for a nonprofit organization, she went on a 10-day trip to Sierra Leone with some of the leaders of Word Made Flesh, and the rest is history. She loves having the ability to bring together people from the Western church and the culture and people here in Sierra Leone. She’s been here for 1 1/2 years, and is patient with us as we’re still getting used to the culture, how to get around, and any other concerns we have.

Getting Settled

It feels like I’m really getting comfortable here in Sierra Leone.  It still hasn’t set in that I’ll be here for the next four months, but I’m sure that will change as I learn more Krio and get to know the people here better.

Jeremy and I are staying downstairs with a young couple named James and Blessing.  They both work as administrators in different parts of town, so we rarely see them: we just met James for the first time 2 nights ago.  At first, I was a little worried about this lack of contact: it seemed strange to live in the same house with people we hadn’t even met.  Last night, however, James had the evening off, so we were able to catch up and introduce ourselves properly, and we saw that they are extremely friendly, open and welcoming.  Jeremy and I had a great time learning about their jobs, their experiences in Sierra Leone, and they loved hearing our observations about our country (James especially: he has a huge laugh that kept everyone else in the house from sleeping).

I am enjoying very much the food we’ve had so far.  I suppose its closest parallel is Cajun food in the States: usually particular sauces over rice for every meal.  It’s spicy (although they are cooking our meals with fewer peppers), but very tasty.  So, dishes like Ground Nut Soup, Cassava Leaf or Potato Leaf are common dishes.  I love spicy food, so I think I’m going to be well-fed while I’m here.

Over the past few days we’ve met most of the people we’ll be working with for the next four months.  On Saturday, we had our first experience with the Kroo Bay Good News Club, the weekly VBS that is held in one of the poorest areas of Freetown.  As we were walking down to the church where it is held, we noticed that every Sierra Leonean on the street, young or old, called at us with the same name: “Alay alay.”  I asked one of our leaders what that meant, and she said it came from a song they taught the kids that had a line “Alle alle, alleluia,” and apparently, that name stuck – to the program, and to us foreigners that come to help there. 

When we arrived at the church, we were immediately surrounded and mobbed by kids.  Dozens would run up (yelling “Alay alay” at the top of their lungs), grab our hands, give us hugs, and stay around us until we went in the church.  Our involvement with Kroo Bay is limited: it is run by a lot of the kids from the Lighthouse, along with some other local Sierra Leoneans.  They sing, perform dramas, and give brief talks for the kids to enjoy and learn.  Like any other group of kids, they’re easily distracted, prone to fighting, and not paying attention.  So we stood at the sides of the room watching over the kids, breaking up fights and making the kids pay attention. 

At the end of the time they passed out hardboiled eggs to each of the kids as a nutrition supplement, and then we went into “first aid” mode.  Over the past week, the kids got little cuts and scrapes (as children are wont to do), but the combination of poor living conditions and lack of care makes these cuts extremely dangerous for infection and disease.  So, we clean their wounds, spray it with Bactine and penicillin.  It’s great work there that keeps the kids healthy and teaches them about God, and everyone in the neighborhood seems to appreciate the work.  People would stop of us on the street, smile and shake our hands, and say “alay alay” warmly. 

 I am extremely excited to get to know the kids in the Lighthouse program (the group of teens Word Made Flesh is supporting and discipling).  As of right now, however, I feel severely limited by the language barrier.  However, I have two things that I hope will help overcome this language barrier: I can play basketball, and I’ve learned how to play draughts, a variation of Checkers.  So, until I know enough Krio to really get to know the kids, sports and games will have to suffice.

I am seeing a big difference between this trip and any trip I’ve had before overseas.  Previously, when I’ve gone to do service, we had clear goals and tasks to accomplish, and we knew when they were done: we would construct a roof or driveway, dig a hole, build a house.  Here, the results are far less apparent: this is a much more relational experience, and the rewards (and challenges) will not be so clear-cut.  I’m used to the immediate gratification of seeing the results of hard work, so this long investment into relationships – with all their added pain, brokenness, and discomfort – is an entirely different animal.  With great risk comes greater reward, and I’m excited and expectant to see what God is waiting to teach me throughout this time.

I’m here!

After a long couple of days of traveling, I have arrived safely in Sierra Leone.  We got in around 10:00pm last night, got through customs with no problem, and then took a brief helicopter ride across the bay to finally arrive in Freetown.

 I haven’t really spent much time in the city yet, but I just wanted to let you know I am here safe & sound.  I’ll have more to report on what I’m seeing and learning when I have time to actually see and learn it.

 I’m putting the links of the other members of my team here, so you can read up on what they’re seeing on their blogs.

If you want to be a part of my email “newsletter” I’m sending out (hopefully at a regular interval), send me an email at EFLange AT gmail.com

so what is this place?

Time is short – I board the plane at around noon on Thursday. Before I go, I might as well give some background information on Sierra Leone.

A single step

Welcome to this new blog dedicated to my time in Sierra Leone. I am extremely excited and very much ready to go.

I’m all ready to go: I’ve got my tickets, visa, immunizations, and support all figured out. Hopefully in the next few days I’ll lay out some info about Sierra Leone, what we’ll be doing, and my feelings about the entire process. But, right now, I have to get going.