Sunday 21st April
Met with Yankoh, one of my the two men with no arms that I leant 1 million Leones to in January. He had successfully repaid all the million and had come to ask for more money. I went through his numbers and they had made 3 sales trips (I think) and agreed with him that after all the outgoings they had about 2 million they could sell. He said they needed more money as they now had the wrong type of stock for the season (I think like if you try and sell T shirts and shorts in M&S before Christmas.) He had to go and catch his bus so not sure I really understand but clearly they have a business and repaid all the money. Working with each such person would be time consuming but the principle to make small loans in this way clearly can work.
Call from Gwen saying make sure you work through the ministry of lands before you put any money out. Of course I have made a payment and doubt creeps in. Have I made the right decision? I will know this afternoon to some extent when I see the land and meet the community. This is about choosing to trust a man, with Gods leading. Spent morning praying and writing notes.
Headed off to see a couple of slum communities. First to a place called “The Pipe,” so called as they live by where the oil comes in to the country. This was a valley and the people explained how it floods but homes are built just above the rainy season waterline. There were some nice houses amid the awful sticks and tin but relatively this community seemed better than some I had seen.
Sulay and I then went down to a community called Yabinda. We walked through well-built 1912 buildings that the railway workers families used and now have people coming out of every corner. We walked through to the community on the coast below which is as bad as anything I have seen, with pigs and humans using the water and waste just everywhere.
Sat down with about 10 teenage boys and chatted for about half an hour. They said they had never seen a white man visit their community. There was over 100 families living in the flood plain. There were some concrete constructions but a lot of tin and sticks. None of the 10 boys were in school. Ibrahim (known as Small voice) had been to Junior school level 2, a bit like leaving school in year 2 in the UK. They said they sit around all day and I discussed with them what they could do with their time to improve the place, even if they can’t get work. They eat because their mothers give then some food, but not every day. They noted how if resources came to the communities, the elders took them and the community never benefits. The community was about 65% muslim and 35% Christian but really only nominally. There was no church in the community they knew of.
The boys were full of potential and keen to find work and learn. They had a sense of powerlessness and waiting for others to sort things. I discussed how if they were waiting for the government to do something, they may get old waiting. What could they proactively do? These young men are ideal and ready for being given a chance. This community could be one for early help but, like any, needs lots of thought and discussion. Very sobering visit, so many people living in such an intolerable way.
Then met Terry at Major Moses house. He had had an awesome time at church where he had preached. The Lord gave him a word about someone having a dream they were being chased by a lion, and one person had had that dream that night which he was able to interpret. He also met Susan who had responded to Pastor Andrews’s invitation to church from our Saturday visit. She had trained in legal stuff and had paid her years rent to get a shack on the land by the golf club. The caterpillar tractor had destroyed her house and much of her belongings and all was lost as the “landlord” will take no responsibility and so she sleeps in the open. It had been a traumatic time.
Fish and banana at the house and met an SL pastor who lives in Hull who was visiting. Then with 3 army personnel in tow we headed off to see the land and complete the traditional stuff. When we saw it all sorts of questions came to mind, how about access, is there enough flat land to make it worthwhile. We walked on it whilst it’s hilly; there was a min area that will be fine to start. Some of it could be sold and the area is ideal, about half a mile from where we built St George and City of Rest.
My initial feeling of is this OK started to turn to joy. Locationally being about 100yds from a road that will become a main SL route and with running water on the boundary all year more than compensates for some of the unusable parts. This land fits well.
Then for the discussions with Major Moses and his family. They follow traditions saying they accept our offer and seal it by offering us 2 goats, some cola nut and some palm wine. We partake (a little!) and then confirm arrangements. We used the toilet which was a funny cross between a squat and pedestal. It had a toilet seat cemented in about 30cm off the ground! The goats are loaded on the top of our landrover and we take Moses and the soldiers back and off for a debrief over Pizza. Then back to bed – no wedding so peaceful!