Dear beloved back in the UK and abroad if you are away for Christmas.
Merry Christmas from Joe and Sarah in Freetown!!!
We have been having a lovely time on our balcony eating good and listening to plenty of carols to muster up a bit of what we enjoy back home every year. Christmas is big here too, the taxis put tinsel in their front windows, which is dodgy as they are terrible drivers even when they have a full screen of vision.
Today is boxing day and a full on holiday party going on here too. The local beach was packed earlier with lots of people bringing sound systems with huge speakers, a generator and drinks for a good time. Also today is a really popular day for getting married here, there must have been about 20 weddings that we saw alone today. There were men on the backs of bikes filming speeding, crazy, horn bibbing convoys of 4×4 s through the streets, often with the bride’s head and vail popping out if the sunroof. Happy times all around and in amongst the poverty, people make the best of what they have and it is amazing.
Things on the building site finished nicely with our present to the team being a chicken dinner for about 34. The cook did a great job and finished on a half day and prayer of thanks for the time so far and the future of the project. We have over 17 000 bricks made with a value of about £6500 resale which is a really good push considering that we have built 4 completed cess tanks and another 4 on the way alongside everything else.
We have had the small mercy of something called the Harmattan, which they call the winter wind here, it’s a very fine dust storm that comes all the way from the Sahara, cooling the air at night and taking a couple of degrees off the thermometer in the day. The downside is the air quality is poor and it can feel very surreal, Like twilight in the middle of the day. The main thing is the humidity is noticeably down, Phew!!
Last week Sunday we had a shock as we drove down the main beach on the bike. One of the disabled guys who comes to the wed night meal went past us and motioned us to stop with a funny look on his face. I did not want to stop as he will always want to talk and I was tired, but Sarah said ‘something is wrong’. When we turned he was wheeling towards us with blood pumping out of his right had all over his wheel and it was serious. He had been hit by a motorbike on the main road which did not stop, tearing his finger open and severing the main vessel in his finger. I would like to say I knew what to do with this poor guy with claret pouring out of his hand but I personally froze a bit. The people around weren’t helping and we could not get him on the bike as his legs are shot and we needed to stop the flow of blood.
Sarah decided to wrap his hand in our towel and I tried to get a taxi that would take a man plus potentially a lot of blood in his car. One stopped and put the seats down in the back and spread the carpet from the boot down so the blood would not get on his back seats. A man from the beach said he would come and help, so in goes the man Aka ‘THE CHAIRMAN’ plus stranger in the taxi with his wheelchair hanging out the boot looking like it might fall out at any moment.
When we got to the hospital Chairman’s hand has stopped bleeding and apart from a couple of car crash victims that had been seen already, we were straight in! There is a problem now in the fact that Chairman has lost so much blood he just wants to lay down and not be treated and the staff are not to helpful with our man who doesn’t want to be treated.
So we leave him in their care with the man from the beach with our number as they say they have no beds and he cannot stay at the hospital once x-rayed and treated. Now Chairman’s home was in the slum that was knocked down 4 months ago and now sleeps rough, also you cannot get around in a wheelchair with one hand. Problemo!!?
So 3 hours later we have a guest for a few nights while he produces some blood and gets some rest. All the staff from Home Leone spent time with Chairman over the days and made him feel welcome then on Wednesday night left us into the care of some of the beach people. It all ended well and we will spare you the pictures of his finger unless you message us for them (morbid fascinations Catered for).
So we have missed all our family from New Hope Christian fellowship and Our families too this year. And we send you all our warmest love and Greetings as you are all often in our thoughts. We pray that the new year will bring lots of new growth and happiness here and there alike, and look forward to being back in the Spring.
Great to see everyone having fun this Christmas on Facebook
From here in Africa,
LOVE XXXX
JOE AND SARAH XX
Pictures:
1: Tom and Jerry cartoon afternoon on the projector. 2. Christmas day lunch at The George V memorial home for the elderly. 3. The work team on Bricks after the Christmas meal. 4. Sunset oat the local beach ‘tough job’ 😉
