Sierra Leone March 2008
Taiama
The Canadian group, under the leadership of Dr Steven Chang, ministered through the Jefferson Baptist Church to the people of the community of Taiama. They saw over 600 patients and had at least one documented”save”. A young boy presented to the clinic with dehydration related to malaria and some type of bowel obstruction. The patient was obtunded and was decompensating rapidly. The team was able to administer an IV, begin antibiotics and transferd the patient to a hospital where a surgical evaluation could be completed.
This team also performed several minor surgeries, including removal of a fairly large cyst from a patient’s neck. The Chaplain and team members dispensed 600 Gideon New Testaments to the visitors to the clinic and dispensed over 200 pairs of sunglasses and prescription lenses that had been donated to WMT by the Lions Club International.
Waterloo
This was the group from the US and consisted of one physician and 3 nurse providers under the direction of Dr David Irvine. They saw over 400 patients in Waterloo, as well as several hundred patients seen outside of clinic that were evaluated and treated for minor aches and pains. This team also performed several minor surgeries including incision and drainage of localized infections. They saw multiple childhood diseases and the usual assortment of general aches and pains. A special mention goes to our Chaplain Francis Knight who supported the work of the clinic through the ministry of prayer. We have several photographs of our Chaplain praying with Muslim and Christian alike in the waiting area while waiting to be seen in the clinic.
Francis was very diligent in making sure that those interested received a copy of the Gideon New Testaments with their name inscribed. This group also dispensed over 250 pairs of sunglasses and 100 pair of prescription lenses, which were donated by Lions Club International.
It was in the course of this work that it became apparent that we would benefit greatly from the use of a hand-held refractometer. This is a device that could be used to diagnose the lens requirements of patients who present to the clinic in an effort to more efficiently match the patient to the lenses that we have available.
Subsequent to our arriving back into the states we have received numerous comments from church and community leadership regarding the impact of these clinics. Community members were deeply moved by the compassion expressed by team members and made several allusions to biblical examples of Christ’s healing.
Rice Co-op Jerry had occasion to meet with Mr. Peter Sesay who is a farmer in the Waterloo area. Mr. Sesay has expressed interest in the development of a “Boli Land Rice Cooperative”. This would involve a 200 acre rice growing enterprise that would enlist the assistance of members of the community to support the Jefferson Baptist School, rice feeding program. It would also provide employment to citizens in the community.
Palm Crosses A conversation with the Honorable Kommanda included discussion of our interest in the development of a Palm Cross project. This is a point-of-sale product that would be made available to Catholic Americans on the East Coast of The United States at Easter time.
We also discussed our interest in obtaining land for future development.
Next Steps
Taiama We had an interesting conversation with the Paramount Chief Ghappie whose chiefdom includes Taiama. The Paramount Chief is responsible for the political decisions for the community of Taiama, where we have conducted the Taiama clinic. The land owners in the Taiama area have expressed interest in donating 30 acres of land to WMT, for the development of a clinic, church, school and other ministries. Our ministry partner at Jefferson Baptist Church, Pastor Dee Duke has expressed interest in developing a Bible school for pastor training in school buildings that were built by the UN during the time of the refugees, circa 2000 -2006.
During this visit, it was necessary to pay a “famalu” to the Paramount Chief. A famalu is a type of respect paid to the Paramount Chief in order to gain his permission for development in the community. In this case, the famalu was some money and a case of beer! Subsequent to our return home we received correspondence from our employee in Sierra Leone that the Paramount Chief has extended his permission for WMT to acquire the 30 acres. Work is currently underway to survey the property and to acquire legal possession of it.
This was another great trip to Africa and God is blessing! We are excited about the opportunities to help people physically, but more importantly to share the awesome news of Jesus Christ with them!
