village life.

Disclaimer: Most of these photos were snapped from the road in a
very fast moving vehicle on a very bumpy road :)

The homestead.

Children are responsible for many of the household
duties and helping take care of their siblings.

Charcoal for cooking.

Wood for fire/cooking.

Charcoal and wood are left on the side of the road
because nobody will steal them. The poorest of all sell them, so
it is believed that one who steals from them will be cursed.


Drying the picked rice from the fields on the asphalt
under the sun.

Cow crossing :)

I love this picture because I think it represents Sierra Leone so well:
the beauty of the lush mountainous terrain surrounding a mosque...
so many of her people are imprisoned by their faith in a false prophet.

Fetching water multiple times a day is a way of life here.

Making chop chop :)

Women and children pound the food inside
these wooden pots with a large, solid stick.

Motorbike ambulances for laboring women
in an emergency! Ingenious or dangerous?! :)

Hitching a ride! This is quite typical. We waved, and then
was quite relieved when he smiled but didn't wave back :)

An African sunset.
Africa truly has the most beautiful sunsets.

up-country.

The month of December brought busier days for me. My schedule picked up with the hustle and bustle of helping coordinate the five up country screenings (I leave for the first three tomorrow!).

I took three trips up country in three weeks. Two trips up north and one down south with the mission to liaise with the hospital (screening site), local police (for security and crowd control), and getting the word out with the resident ministers, district medical officers, and city councils. I went with a load of flyers and posters and came back with none. Mission accomplished :)

Although the days up country were full, going from here to there with no inbetween, I enjoyed getting out of the crowded and noisy city. The drive was VERY bumpy along unpaved, pot-holed roads, but it was a breath of fresh air as my eyes took in new scenery. I am intrigued by the village life.

Myself and the team leaves tomorrow for ten days. We will hold three screeenings. We expect a large number of people.

Can you please pray for us? Pray for strength as we endure long days. Please pray for patience and compassion towards those we serve. Pray that those who need these surgeries will know about the screening and be able to travel to them. Please pray for unity and team work among the four of us. Pray for wisdom as we make the hard decisions of who we can help. We only have so many spaces on the OR schedule. And lastly, we will be doing a LOT of traveling during this time. Please pray for our safety.

Thank you for covering us in prayer dear friends! So many of you go with us by your prayers.

Blogger is not letting me upload photos right now, so I'll post them when I return. :)

2 years.

Two years ago today my husband and I embarked on a journey that would forever change our lives...

We boarded the plane that would take us to the ship. This ship would become our home for two years; The crew would later become our family away from family.

The experiences would shape us.

The people would leave their imprint.

The continent would break us (in a good way) and leave a lasting impact.

Two years ago, two years seemed like forever. I can't believe its already here.

Thanks be to God for his sweet and perfect will. He IS good.