Our "Walka" Adventure

    
This past Saturday, Zach Adams, Martin Koroma, Marvelous Sudu, and the Ringmas went on a hike over the hills and through the bush (yes, the "going on a lion hunt" song went through my mind:).  The day began with delicious pancakes, jam and tea at our house, then a short drive to the Sudu/Phiri compound, our starting point.  Our plan was to just follow the trails and see where they led.  We started out along the same trail we hike a couple weeks ago, but soon headed off in a different direction.  We met several people along the way who were collecting firewood and working their farms.  After some time, we had to grin when, feeling like we were deep in the bush, we heard, "Naomi! Jacob! Maria!"

     After walking over a few hills we saw a bouldered mountain top "calling out" to us.  So, Martin, our fearless machete-weilding leader hacked our way to the top.  The vista was beautiful, and so was the breeze.  But I couldn't help but wonder how much more beautiful it would be if the forests were not all burnt down. The boulders were fun to play on, and provided entertainment Colorado style.

     From the top we saw a road that led back into town, so we decided, that after a little snack break we would bush-whack our way down to it to make it even more of an adventure.  The going was good and we were feeling like safari exlorers when all of a sudden Maria and Marvelous burst out crying and scratching their bodies.  The rest of us quickly followed suit (with the scratching at least).  Our bush whacking had released the spores or pollen of a dried up plants here that causes painful stinging and severe itching.  The more you contact, the worse it is.  Maria and Marvelous got it bad.  It is called Qurenn (coon-YEN-yah).  Unfortunately there is nothing you can do, you just have to wait it out.  Rubbing dirt on it will help a little though, which we did.  So on we went, the sooner out of the bush the better, with crying kids and grabbing handfuls of dirt along the way.  We made it to the road and after about 15 min the stinging subsided to just itchiness, and a while later that was gone too...but not the memory. 

     What a sight we were, ash and dirt covered whitemen and peekins.  We provided much entertainment on our return trip through the town.  When we finally made it home, and downed a couple water bags, one of us commented, "Well, you never know what an adventure is going to bring, and that was one we won't forget."  To which Jacob replied, "Was?  We're still on the adventure!"  Amen, I tell God tank ee.

-Ella

Maria's "Journey" Assignment for Grade 6 at CCS

Hi guys,

I miss you all lots, but right now I am going to tell you about my Journey.  So here is how it started:  I woke up on Sunday, January 1^st, 2012.  After getting dressed I ran upstairs to help bring all 10, yes 10, suitcases outside. 

We ate some food (chop, as they call it here), and went to the Struyks to pick up Anita.  When we got to the airport we brought in all of our bags and waited.  When we were waiting, Al Peck showed up and so did Clarence Braam. 

My dad (otherwise known as ‘Mister Joel’) tried to take a battery pack on the plane but he wasn’t allowed so we gave it to Al to take home to his house.

When we got to Vancouver my Uncle John, Uncle Henk, and Aunty Charlene came to pick us up from the airport.  We stayed in the Vancouver area for about 5 days, then we went back to the airport to get on the flight to go to London.  We took the night flight so we were supposed to sleep on the plane, but that was hard.  When we got to London, it was light out and we flew right over top of the London Bridge.  We were going to be late for our flight to Freetown but when we got the to the BMI (British Midland International) ticket desk the flight was delayed by 2 hours. 

They felt bad so they gave us a voucher to go buy something to eat.  We got pizza and cold milk.  It was so good (that is the last time I’ve had pizza in a long time)  When the two hours was up we went back to the ticket desk and they told us the flight had been delayed another two hours.

When we finally got to Freetown, Zach and Belali were waiting for us.  We had to take a ferry to get to the actual city of Freetown.  When it was time to get off it was quite interesting.  There was honking and beeping as everyone on the ferry tried to get off.  You had to turn you vehicle all the way around because there is only one entrance to get in and to get out.

The next day was sooooooooooo very much super hot. We went to the supermarket to get some groceries and the store was air conditioned!  But that turned out to be a bad thing for Naomi and I.  We got heat stroke and when we went into the cool air we started puking.  A lady that worked at the store ran out after us with two water bottles, one for me and one for Naomi.  That helped a lot!

When we were on the road there was so much to see and do and eat!  We stopped at a home for the disabled so that Zach could get his two shirts that he had left there.  And when he returned he brought with him oranges!  They eat the best way ever here!  You either bite or cut the top off the orange, then you suck out all the juice.  when a pit (seed) gets in your mouth, you just simply spit it out of the window.

If you are wondering what it looks like, there are palm trees all over.  It is very dusty and hot.  There are fires burning all the time so it is very, very smoky.  There is garbage all over the place: left, right, up, down.  It’s just everywhere.

School here is quite different from school there.  I am in JSS I (grade 7), Naomi is in class 2 (grade 2), Jacob is in class 5 (grade 5). 

We have lots of neighbour kids that are like always at our house.

Well, good-bye for now.  See you in June!

Maria Grace Ringma

Jacob's Recent Letter to Grade 4/5 at CCS

Dear:  Class (and Mr. Buxton and Mrs. MacDonald)

I hope you guys are having fun!  The school here (that we are attending) goes to J.S.S. 2 (grade 8). 

First day of school.

After school most days me and my neighbourhood friends go out looking for lizards in houses that are getting built or not lived in.  We catch and release at least one lizard.

There is peanut butter here but you have to get it in Makeni or Freetown.  Most likely Makeni because it is about a two hour drive.  But Freetown is maybe six-seven hours long. 

We did not bring his shirt from 'cocky' Canada ...

Not as many people come to our house anymore.  But still about five people are here when someone is here.  Well, except for one little kid named Travis.  He comes pretty much the second we come home, and he announces is arrival “ello!  ello!  ELLO!,” its really funny.

Travis.

From: Jacob
P.S. (mostly for Benjamin Mantel)  we see two monkeys twice a day.
P.P.S. I am on page 124 in Jump Math on Feb. 1. How far are you?

Food Security.

We took a short drive to Malaforia, a village about 3 or 4 kilometers north of Kabala.  The road was horrendous - Ella even covered her eyes at one point - about as bad as some of the decommissioned logging roads near Terrace.  Daniel K. Koroma, director of CES (Christian Extension Services), had some bananas given to him, which he wanted to pass along to us.  The chief of Malaforia, wielding a machete, made quick work of the string of bananas, which is now hanging in our house (in a big long string, so as to slow the ripening and give us plenty-plenty bananas for a while).

With the Chief of Malaforia, a villager and Daniel K. Koroma.

Maria with the top part of the bananas, which broke off from the rest.

Food security (bananas and otherwise) is a real, pressing issue in the Koinadugu district of Sierra Leone.  CRWRC has been working in various areas to promote sustainable agriculture.  One innovative approach has been their introduction of oxen to plow fields.  As strange as it may sound to our ears, having beasts of burden pull a plow is a pretty  novel concept here.

Daniel K. Koroma, our banana source and, more importantly, head of CES (Christian Extension Services) reports:

CES participated in all NGOs showcase in food security late November at Kabala Community Centre and it may interest you to know that CES got the highest recognition by other NGOs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.


Mongo Bendugu oxen farmers in action.

We displayed pictures of our oxen, ploughs and grain stores with our farmers in the farms. We were invited to the Koinadugu Agro Cultural Show held at Kabala from Thursday 1st December to Saturday 3rd December 2011. 

Training of oxen in Karawani.

It may also interest you to know we were recognized and awarded a certificate of merit as the only NGO recognized on work oxen and seed bank projects in the Koinadugu District.



Oxen farmers with a bumper harvest in Mongo Bendugu.

Here is a scanned copy of the certificate. We know this award is because of your support to the Agricultural Program.

Thanks, Daniel and CES Team.

Naomi's Letter to her CCS Grade 2/3 Class

[We] Have Been to the Mountaintop ...

For what it's worth, our house is just to the right of where Ezekiel's watch would be (on his left hand) - of those three houses, ours is the bottom one.

I've Been to the Mountaintop is, of course, the popular name of the last speech delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr., April 3, 1968. The next day, King was assassinated. 
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm

In light of the Memphis Sanitation Strike, King calls for unity, economic actions, boycotts, and nonviolent protest, and challenges the country to live up to its ideals. At the end of the speech, he talks about the possibility of an untimely death.  And he speaks about the Mountaintop.

 

We took a stroll up the hill (mountaintop) behind our friends’ place recently and enjoyed a feast for the eyes.  It was inspiring.  We were accompanied by Ezekiel Sudu and his son Victor, Martin Koroma and Zach Adams.  Under the 4 PM African Sun, we found ourselves sweat-covered and dust-saturated in no time.  But, it was a mountaintop experience that was well worth the pilgrimage.  And mountaintop experiences often lend inspiration when it is difficult to gain perspective from life in the valley below.

 

Sometimes people ask (sometimes those people are my children, sometimes they are Ella or me), “What are you doing here?”  There are lots of reasons.  Some of them are good; some selfish.  On good days I like to think we would say, “Because we somehow think it is the right thing to do with what God has entrusted to us.”  I think we (Ella and I) feel close to these words from King’s speech. (Without seeming overly pious or lofty; rather these words are convicting.):

And you know what's beautiful to me is to see all of these ministers of the Gospel. It's a marvelous picture. Who is it that is supposed to articulate the longings and aspirations of the people more than the preacher? Somehow the preacher must have a kind of fire shut up in his bones. And whenever injustice is around he tell it. Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, and saith, "When God speaks who can but prophesy?" Again with Amos, "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Somehow the preacher must say with Jesus, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me," and he's anointed me to deal with the problems of the poor."

 

We know that we have not gotten – and will not get - this right all the time.  But we also have a sense of persuasion from another part of the speech, where King talks about The Good Samaritan:

And so the first question that the priest asked -- the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

That's the question before you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to my job. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" The question is, "If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question.

Throughout the speech, there is a wonderful prophetic analogy.  Moses, leader of the Israelites, is followed by the people because of (among other things) the prospect of life in the Promised Land. Before they reach it however, Moses is informed by God that he will not allow him to enter into the land and that he will only see it with his eyes.

"Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo... There the Lord showed him the whole land... Then the Lord said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... I will let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."

—Deuteronomy 34:1-4

King, the gifted preacher and orator, delivers such a stirring Kingdom vision here in his conclusion (and elsewhere), which is all-the-more potent given his assassination the following day.  I would make no comparisons to the cost that King incurred to our own; not in a million years.  But I do think that Dietrich Bonhoeffer is right, there is a cost to discipleship.  King:

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop.

And I don't mind.

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

And so I'm happy, tonight.

I'm not worried about anything.

I'm not fearing any man!

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!

"I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."
Psalm 121

Mountaintop experiences can give us "mine-eyes-haves-seen-the-glory-of-the-coming-of-the-Lord" perspective and vision.  I think this happens when we meet God - in public worship, through close communion with others or in creation (literally ON a mountaintop). In one of C.S. Lewis' Narnia books, The Silver Chair, Aslan says this:

• I give you a warning. Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly: I will not often do so down in Narnia. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances.

[That's the end of the sermon.  But here are some more picture-words from the trek.]

Rev. Ezekiel Sudu and Victor Sudu

More 'life' on the moonscape:  The fires on the hills opposite our house (in the pictures you might have seen from a couple weeks ago) took place here.

Emerging flowers amidst the scorched earth.





 



Pineapple!





Naomi, living on the edge.

Martin Koroma and Zach Adams enjoying the view.

Daily Routine - Ella

Note: Ella wrote this on the weekend, but due to some generator issues at the office and a trip to Makeni yesterday, I am just now able to post this.
Yesterday marked three weeks in Kabala already, and, being creatures of habit, we are slipping into a new routine.

Naomi is our early riser now, and the first one to sleep at night. So our day begins just before seven. It has taken a while to get used to the sounds of night here. Our house is situated on a hill and all the sounds from town and the houses around us drift up to us. In fact, the quiet we are used to in Terrace doesn't begin until 4 or 5am. So for the first week or so mornings were tough. I don't notice the noise as much anymore and only roll over now when the dogs are fighting it out. We fall asleep to the sounds of the bats(I can identify them now that we had one in our room), and wake to the birds.

Breakfast consists of bread and peanut butter or cereal, bananas, and milk with tea and a daily vitamin (plus anti-malarials on Thursdays). By the time breakfast is finished the first few kids getting a ride with us to school have arrived so it turns into a "hurry up, get dressed, brush your teeth, did you fill your water bottles? Jacob you still aren't dressed? Get going!" So far we have managed to get out the door by 8am. Everyone piles into the pickup, inside and out, and we head off to school. There are usually 11-14 of us. The CRC bus.

  At school, Naomi is in class II, Jacob is in class V, and Maria is in JSS I. I also spend the day at school. So far I have been there whenever the kids have, but I think that will change. A few people have asked what my role is at the school, myself included, and it is slowly coming together. The plan right now is that I will spend a week with each of the teachers at the school in their classrooms. During that week I will observe, encourage and try to be a support for the teacher. This past week that meant modeling reading aloud to the class, teaching a math lesson and a reading comprehension lesson, and discussing ideas for time management, reading strategies, lesson planning, and teaching methods. I have felt very welcomed in the school and given privileges that staff don't even have. The principal, JT Koroma, has even made a point of giving us fruit or North American veggies everyday so far.

The resource "room."

 

School ends at 2pm for Naomi and Jacob, and 2:30pm for Maria. Many kids (18) have clued in to the fact that Joel comes to pick us up with a pickup truck, and they all hop in the back, and bang on the roof when they need to get out. When there are no safety rules, common sense takes over and life becomes quite simple.

By the time we get home Adama, our cook and house cleaner, has prepared dinner and hung laundry out to dry, so we get to relax and play games with the neighbors that show up, or read. Joel usually gets back from the CES office by 4:20pm, and we try to eat by 5pm. Then the neighbors show up again and more games are played or adventures taken around the house, or walks in the neighborhood.

We usually head inside around 7pm when it gets dark to wash up, do our JUMP Math, and read or watch part of "The Blue Planet". We found the DVD set here when we arrived, and we all enjoy it. After that, the kids head off to bed, we read a little longer and then turn off the generator and head to bed ourselves.